Science of the SpiritS


Hearts

People in happy relationships post less about it on social media

Brianna Wiest
Business Insider
Tue, 20 Sep 2016 17:13 UTC
Relationships
Don't seek external validation
Once upon a time, you'd solidify your adolescent relationship with a shout-out in an AIM profile. Now that we're in the era of "Facebook official" and selfie statuses, it's pretty clear that the comfort we take in being able to definitively label our relationships— something which can often feel so uncertain and be communicated poorly.

Now, it's becoming increasingly common to frequently post about your relationship (and life). If it's not online, you don't have proof that it happened.

If you think of social media as the modern equivalent of a town square, the place where announcements are made and information is posted and communities are bonded over shared experiences, then it only makes sense that you'd be inclined to share the bits and pieces of your life that you perceive to be worthy of documenting. The point is to post the highlight reel. The concept is to share the parts of our lives that those who aren't immediately close to us otherwise wouldn't be able to see — and there is nothing wrong with this.

Comment: Social media has become so prominent in our day-to-day lives that it is affecting our relationships with friends, family and partners. The take home message is that we cannot enjoy the company of each other or our partners if we are constantly distracted by status updates and always concerned about taking selfies and pics to be posted online. If we only live once, you don't need to be living it through a computer screen or cellphone.

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Butterfly

Study: Breathing-based meditation practice alleviates severe depression


Science Daily
Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:00 UTC
breathing meditation depression
© Anton Gepolov / Fotolia

A breathing-based meditation practice known as Sudarshan Kriya yoga helped alleviate severe depression in people who did not fully respond to antidepressant treatments, reports a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The study bolsters the science behind the use of controlled yogic breathing to help battle depression.

In a randomized, controlled pilot study, led by Anup Sharma, MD, PhD, a Neuropsychiatry research fellow in the department of Psychiatry at Penn, researchers found significant improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety in medicated patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who participated in the breathing technique compared to medicated patients who did not partake. After two months, the yoga group cut its mean Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) score by several points, while the control group showed no improvements. HDRS is the most widely used clinician-administered depression assessment that scores mood, interest in activities, energy, suicidal thoughts, and feelings of guilt, among other symptoms.

Comment: Éiriú Eolas is a similar breathing and meditation program that is scientifically proven to help reduce stress while also helping to heal emotional wounds. The program is a powerful framework which aids the processing and releasing of "negative" emotions, and helps people to face the reality of themselves and the world without falling into despair. Visit the Éiriú Eolas site to learn more about the scientific background of this program and then try it out, free of charge.

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2 + 2 = 4

The politics of kindness in 2016

Brandon Ambrosino
jstor.com
Wed, 31 Aug 2016 13:36 UTC
Obama and Nancy Reagan
© Official White House photo by Pete SouzaKindness matters. But what if our politicians have less than pure reasons for exhibiting kind behavior?
"I am a liberal, and liberalism is the politics of kindness," wrote Garrison Keillor in his 2004 Homegrown Democrat, a book that, according to one reviewer, is Keillor's "celebration of the values mean-spirited Republicans...have attacked." In a 2013 speech, President Obama made a similar statement. "Kindness covers all of my political beliefs. When I think about what I'm fighting for, what gets me up every single day, that captures it just about as much as anything." According to a recent Republican initiative called Challenging the Caricature, "The notion of a caring left and a mean-spirited right has long caused many voters to reflexively oppose conservative candidates on the ground that they are less decent than their liberal opponents." This is the basic premise of every political battle currently being waged in America: Kind liberals want to help X, but mean conservatives don't.

Comment:
'Make Nice' Program: Is your kindness killing you?

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Family

Wired for tribe

Nick Polizzi
wake-upworld.com
Sat, 19 Nov 2016 21:59 UTC
tribe
I was walking beneath a huge willka tree in the jungle a few months ago when a shiver of realization ran down my spine. This tree relies on all of its branches, leaves, and roots to interface with the outside environment in a harmonious way in order to survive and thrive. There is no one part that is more important than the other, there is no separation among its many constituents. Every inch of this willka has an important role to play, and the health of the surrounding jungle depends on each tree like this one living in full connection with its neighbors.

We're not much different than trees in this respect. The system of life-flow that is so essential to a healthy forest also applies to the two-legged mammals that walk the trails carved into its soil, and can be summed up in one word. TRIBE.
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Bulb

Neoliberalism is creating loneliness - that's what's wrenching society apart

George Monbiot
The Guardian
Fri, 25 Nov 2016 16:33 UTC
Epidemics of mental illness are crushing the minds and bodies of millions. It's time to ask where we are heading and why

loneliness illustration
© Andrzej Krauze
What greater indictment of a system could there be than an epidemic of mental illness? Yet plagues of anxiety, stress, depression, social phobia, eating disorders, self-harm and loneliness now strike people down all over the world. The latest, catastrophic figures for children's mental health in England reflect a global crisis.

Comment:

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Blue Planet

John Trudell's Thanksgiving Day address 1980

John Trudell
Upliftconnect.com
Wed, 09 Nov 2016 01:34 UTC
john trudell

Powerful Words that Honor the Water and the Earth

"The people who have created this system, and who perpetuate this system, they are out of balance. They have made us out of balance. They have come into our minds and they have come into our hearts and they've programmed us. Because we live in this society, and it has put us out of balance. And because we are out of balance we no longer have the power to deal with them...

We are a natural part of the creation, we were put here on the sacred mother Earth to serve a purpose. And somewhere in the history of people we're forgetting what the purpose is. The purpose is to honor the earth, to protect the earth, to live in balance with the Earth. And we will never free ourselves until we address the issue of how we live in balance with the Earth. Because I don't care who it is, any child who turns on their mother is living in a terrible, terrible confusion. The Earth is our mother, we must take care of the Earth." ~ John Trudell, 1980

The following are excerpts from John Trudell's Thanksgiving Day Address, made in 1980.

Comment: Earth benefits from a periodic cleansing - John Trudell on responsibility, disease and cataclysm



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Santa

It's time to stop lying to kids about Santa


RT
Thu, 24 Nov 2016 16:40 UTC
santa
© Stefan Wermuth / Reuters
Psychologists are urging parents to tell the truth about Santa Claus or risk damaging their relationship with their children.

In an article published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry, two psychologists criticize parents who use Santa Claus as a tool to control their children's behavior.

Psychologist Professor Christopher Boyle and social scientist Dr. Kathy McKay also argue that the enduring myth risks leaving a child open to "abject disappointment" and undermining trust in parents when they discover the truth.

In the article, they argue: "If they [parents] are capable of lying about something so special and magical, can they be relied upon to continue as the guardians of wisdom and truth?"

Comment: Telling lies desensitizes people to dishonesty and believing in lies can damage the brain.

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People 2

Frauds and fakers: The imposter phenomenon

April McCarthy
Prevent Disease
Mon, 21 Nov 2016 13:43 UTC
taking off mask
How many times in our lives do we fake it? We typically feel like a fraud when we think we are more important than we really are. It's usually in relation to some perfection that never actually existed. Do you ever feel that you are not good enough and that someday soon people will see through what you perceive as a facade of competence? If so, you are not alone.

Many people feel like frauds when they are unable to internalize their own success. This sensation of being a fake, somehow in a position beyond one's true capabilities is known as "the impostor phenomenon". Some estimate that about 70% of people from all walks of life feel like impostors for at least some part of their lives. The sensation is far from pleasant, but a new study from the University of Salzburg, Austria that was published in Frontiers in Psychology, suggests that it might not only be detrimental to your self-esteem but to your career prospects and business as well.

Constantly seeking information and reassurance from our actions is a big part of the imposter phenomenon. This reassurance is typically short-lived, which only means we need more of it to feel better. Seeking reassurance just keeps the symptoms in our head, and usually makes us feel worse.

Comment: Of course there are people who are genuine imposters who wear a mask and are not just neurotics having difficulty coping with job stress. They're called psychopaths and no amount of talking about feelings with their colleagues will help.

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People

Study reveals sexist men more likely to suffer from mental health problems


RT
Tue, 22 Nov 2016 16:23 UTC
Man hiding face with hand
© Reuters
Men who see themselves as playboys or having power over women are generally seen as arrogant and chauvinistic - but there could be more at play than just a bad attitude. A new study found that sexist males are more likely to suffer from mental health issues.

The research, conducted by the American Psychological Association and published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology on Monday, involved a meta-analysis of 78 research samples involving 19,453 men over the course of 11 years.

Those samples focused on the relationship between mental health and conformity to 11 norms generally considered by experts to reflect society's view of traditional masculinity.
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Cloud Grey

Disconnected: The true cost of nature deficit disorder in children

Alanna Ketler
Collective Evolution
Sat, 19 Nov 2016 01:00 UTC
nature deficit disorder
If there's one thing that most of us can agree on, it's that we've lost touch with nature. At the very least, I know we should be spending more time outdoors, and this is especially true for the children of this generation. More screens than ever before have our attention, and while we used to have to be stationary to enjoy them, sitting in front of our televisions, we now have the ability to carry screens around with us at all times, as they so conveniently fit in our pockets. Yet this isn't making us more active, only more distracted. Think about how many times a day you see children, or adults for that matter, glued to a tablet or phone at a restaurant or on a bus?

Of course, there are many educational games and programs that can assist with learning how to read, or count, or solve puzzles, but are our children missing lessons from the greatest teacher of all? What is the true cost of being disconnected from nature and how is it affecting children today?

Comment: Learn more about the healing benefits of being outside, both for children and adults:

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