Science of the SpiritS


People 2

Feminists find 'sexist' men more attractive than 'woke' men

David J. Ley Ph.D.
Psychology Today
Wed, 12 Dec 2018 00:01 UTC
chivalry umbrella


Why do women find sexist men appealing?

Women like bad boys. At least, that's the story. And there's lots of writing and anecdotal experience to back that up. Men frequently complain about being "friendzoned," the idea being that men who are respectful toward their female interests get placed into the role of friend, rather than potential boyfriend. The "pickup artist" community has embraced this concept, teaching men how to behave in assertive, dominant ways that, allegedly, are more successful with women. Many of these concepts and dynamics themselves have been called sexist and misogynistic, reflecting underlying beliefs that women "owe" men sex. The "incel" community, a group of online males who complain bitterly, violently, and angrily about being "involuntary celibates" attack women for choosing "Alpha males" rather than softer, kinder men. . . like themselves.

Women who admit to liking bad boys - being attracted to men who are assertive or dominant - are sometimes criticized as having "internalized" misogynistic attitudes, or simply as naïve and foolish, failing to recognize or admit that sexism is damaging. During the 2016 presidential campaign, female fans of then-candidate Trump proudly invited their candidate to grab them, following release of tapes of Trump discussing grabbing women without consent. These women were proclaimed traitors to other women, or decried as simply deluded. Others have suggested that women may choose bad boy types in order to acquire protection from other, more aggressive and hostile men, a theory referred to as the "protection racket." Some simply suggest that sexism is insidious, and that these dynamics infiltrate our choices without us noticing.

Comment: It's amazing that we live in an age where chivalry and respect are equated with sexism. Men have traditionally played a courteous and protective role towards women, yet today we find women complaining that men are holding the door for them, as it it suggests they aren't capable of opening the door themselves. Yet the study mentioned above suggests that "benevolent sexism" is actually more attractive to women, feminist or not. Perhaps our in-built drives outweigh culturally "progressive" programming after all.

See also:

Read More...
Hearts

Understanding the Vagus Nerve: Interview with Dr. Stephen Porges

Leigh Winters
wanderlust.com
Thu, 13 Dec 2018 21:30 UTC
brain
© Daniel Hjalmarsson
Yogis know that practice positively affects physical health-but what's the deal with the vagus nerve? Renowned neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges explains.

It might seem obvious, but our nervous system is affected by everything we do. In the trauma-filled wake of recent gun violence in schools and the overwhelmingly heartbreaking stories shared during the #MeToo movement, conversations around wellness, trauma, and mental health have been thrust into the mainstream. Now more than ever, people are questioning what it means to be safe and what happens when we are threatened, on edge, and stressed.

Comment: The Polyvagal Theory explained

Read More...
2 + 2 = 4

New Harvard study confirms there is no gender wage gap - men and women make different choices

John Phelan
Foundation for Economic Education
Mon, 10 Dec 2018 16:10 UTC
harvard
© Darren McCollester / Getty Images
"Gender pay gap is worse than thought: Study shows women actually earn half the income of men," NBC announced recently in reference to a report titled "Still a Man's Labor Market" by the Washington-based Institute for Women's Policy Research, which found that women's income was 51 percent less than men's earnings.

The "Gender Pay Gap" Isn't What You Think It Is

What do you think of when you hear the phrase "gender pay gap"? Perhaps you think of a man and woman who work exactly the same job at exactly the same place, but he gets paid more than she does. This sort of discrimination has been illegal in the United States since the passage of the Equal Pay Act in 1963.

But that is not what is generally meant by the phrase "gender wage gap." Instead, the commonly reported figure - that a woman earns 80 cents for every dollar earned by a man - is derived by taking the total annual earnings of men in the American economy in a given year and dividing that by the number of male workers. This gives you the average annual earnings of an American man. Then you do the same thing but for women. The average annual women's earnings come in at about 80 percent of the average annual man's earnings. Presto, you have a gender wage gap.
Read More...
Heart

Breathing through the nose may offer unique brain benefits

Gretchen Reynolds
New York Times
Tue, 20 Nov 2018 13:03 UTC
breathe
© Illustration by Celia Jacobs
Folklore, spiritual traditions and even mothers have for ages drawn an implicit connection between respiration and state of mind: Breathe in deeply through your nose, we are told, to clarify thoughts, achieve serenity, defuse tantrums. There isn't a lot of scientific evidence to back up these ideas, but a growing number of experiments have been looking at the influence that breathing has on our cognition. In October, a study in The Journal of Neuroscience considered the relationship between memory and how we breathe.

Recognizing odors is a key survival mechanism for most creatures - including humans, of course. This is why neuroscientists believe the links between thinking and breathing were early evolutionary adaptations. Studies have shown that when rodents sniff, the flow of even odorless air initiates brain activity by stimulating neurons in what's called the olfactory bulb, which then signal the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in the creation and storage of memories. For the October study, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and other institutions conducted an experiment to see whether something similar happens to us if we breathe through our mouths.

Comment: Read more fascinating information about The Science of breathing: Breathing and meditation exercises help to relieve physical, mental and emotional stress check out the Éiriú Eolas Stress Control, Healing and Rejuvenation Program website and give it a try!

Read More...
SOTT Logo Radio

SOTT Focus: The Truth Perspective: Herd Behavior: What Gustav Le Bon's Classic Book Can Teach Us About 'The Crowd'


Sott.net
Sat, 08 Dec 2018 17:00 UTC
madness of crowds
Today on the Truth Perspective we discuss the French polymath Gustave Le Bon's most famous work, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind. Le Bon was a physician, soldier, and author of numerous works ranging from anthropology, medicine, physiology, and even physics, where he is credited with anticipating Einstein's theory of relativity.

But it was defeat during the Franco-Prussian War, the radical mentality of the Paris Commune of 1871, and his extensive studies of peoples in Europe, Asia and North Africa that gave him that unique insight into the nature of crowds which, when he published them, resulted in a book which has been described as "one of the most influential books of social psychology ever written."

The Crowd may have been an instant bestseller in the late 19th century but it remains just as relevant today. From radical Islamists in Syria to Antifa in the US, and most recently the Yellow Vests storming Paris, Le Bon provides us key insights regarding the crowd's susceptibility to suggestion, the individual's loss of control, and its potential to be radicalized in the name of senseless violence. If nothing else this knowledge can help to keep us moored while others are swept away in the tide.

Running Time: 01:36:00

Download: MP3

Read More...
2 + 2 = 4

Think again: Are schools teaching enough critical thinking skills?

Jenny Anderson
Quartz
Sat, 08 Dec 2018 15:21 UTC
critical thinking
© Jonathan Ernst
Critical thinking can feel in short supply these days. Politics is more polarized than ever, the president regularly dismisses his opposition as enemies, losers, or phonies, while critics of the president cannot bear the thought of ever entertaining support for his ideas or actions.

If a lack of civility in public discourse is the problem, a lack of critical thinking may be partly to blame. A recent study by the Reboot Foundation, which was founded to fund research on critical thinking and develop resources for parents and schools, concluded that while the American public claims to engage with opposing views, people don't actually do so in practice.

Comment: Read more about the importance of critical thinking...

Read More...
Black Cat 2

Can pet ownership alleviate depression symptoms?

Beth Leipholtz
The Fix
Wed, 05 Dec 2018 14:45 UTC
pets
© The Flor-Ala
A new study examined the impact of pet ownership on people with treatment-resistant depression.

It's no secret that animals can bring people joy, but a new study indicates that adopting a pet could prove particularly beneficial for those with severe depression.

The study, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, found that for those with severe depression that was not easily treatable, adopting a pet could help lessen symptoms.

Jorge Mota Pereira and Daniela Fonte, two Portuguese researchers, recruited 80 study participants who had "treatment-resistant major depressive disorder." They encouraged each one to adopt a pet. Of the 80 participants, 33 agreed to adopt, with 20 individuals choosing a dog and seven choosing a cat.
Read More...
Blackbox

Are our dreams glimpses of other dimensions?

Gerald Sinclair
Awareness Act
Tue, 04 Dec 2018 00:01 UTC
many worlds hypothesis
If you have ever looked into the 'many world's theory' you know that the world we live in is quite possibly one of many. Regardless of the multiverse hypotheses you choose to follow/look into, each one is truly fascinating for a number of reasons.

Basically, most of them touch on how there are many different worlds, universes, dimensions, or whatever you would like to call them. Each one the same as our own but also different in some way. For instance, in another world, you might be living the same life as you are now but perhaps politics had gone in a different direction. Maybe all of the presidents that were elected here in the US were opposite from how they are in our world. Maybe everything is the same except for you have different colored hair? The differences between worlds could be minuscule or extreme, it all varies.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Pocket Knife

Study finds millennial men continue to value traditional masculine qualities

Ben Renner
Study Finds
Sat, 01 Dec 2018 12:00 UTC
man writing grass
As the famous Village People song declares, "Every man wants to be a macho macho man / To have the kind of body, always in demand." But are "macho macho" mindsets becoming a thing of the past? A new study finds that male millennials are drifting away from stereotypical masculine values.

The research, led by the University of British Columbia, showed that younger men tend to value selflessness, social engagement, and health over traditional male ideals like physical strength and autonomy.


Comment: Autonomy and selflessness are not mutually exclusive and, as the article notes later, it was only marginally rated as less important.


Of course, physique and independence were still prominent values for the 630 Canadian men aged 15 to 29 who took part in the survey, just not as important to participants as selflessness. In fact, selflessness was by far the top-rated male value. Nine in 10 respondents said that men should help others, and 88 percent of the respondents agreed that men should be open to new ideas, new people, and new experiences. Eight in 10 felt it imperative that a man gives back to his community.

Comment: Hedonism, hyper competitiveness and neglecting one's health were never aspirational masculine qualities, they are aberrations men assume when lacking role models and purpose. As noted in the article, these are stereotypes. Most of these 'new' values were traits men in good standing were always admired for.

Read More...
Boat

How dealing with past trauma may be the key to breaking addiction

Joanna Moorhead
The Guardian
Sat, 24 Nov 2018 13:16 UTC
Trauma
© Illustration: Eva Bee/ObserverFacing trauma: ‘It takes a lot of work to wake up as a human being, and it’s a lot easier to stay asleep than to wake up.’
Opening up to past trauma is difficult, but self-awareness is key to addressing issues that leave us vulnerable

What's your poison, people sometimes ask, but Gabor Maté doesn't want to ask what my poison is, he wants to ask how it makes me feel. Whatever it is I'm addicted to, or ever have been addicted to, it's not what it is but what it does - to me, to you, to anyone. He believes that anything we've ever craved helped us escape emotional pain. It gave us peace of mind, a sense of control and a feeling of happiness.

And all of that, explains Maté, reveals a great deal about addiction, which he defines as any behaviour that gives a person temporary relief and pleasure, but also has negative consequences, and to which the individual will return time and again. At the heart of Maté's philosophy is the belief that there's no such thing as an "addictive personality". And nor is addiction a "disease". Instead, it originates in a person's need to solve a problem: a deep-seated problem, often from our earliest years that was to do with trauma or loss.

Comment: Dr. Gabor Maté: The stress-disease connection, addiction & the destruction of American childhood

Read More...