Science of the SpiritS


Blue Planet

Mother nature is a valuable resource for human health & wellbeing

Marlene Cimons
nexusmedianews.com
Thu, 16 Nov 2017 13:13 UTC
nature
© PixabayForests promote healthy brain activity.
"I saw this little flower as I was coming back from my class...and it really gave me a strong sense of hope."

Twentieth Century German social psychologist Erich Fromm first advanced the notion that humans hold an inborn connection to nature. Later, it was popularized by biologist E.O. Wilson as "the urge to affiliate with other forms of life." In the ensuing years, support for the positive effects of nature has gained considerable traction, grounded in a growing body of research.

In recent weeks, at least four new studies have emerged adding more validity to what science repeatedly has revealed: being around nature is good for us. The latest research shows that interacting with nature makes the brain stronger and soothes the psyche.

Comment: Spending time in nature calms and re-grounds us providing a sense of renewal

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Key

In the digital age emotional intelligence is key

Mushtak Al-Atabi
The Conversation
Fri, 17 Nov 2017 17:18 UTC
Banksy
© Flickr/EvablueThe definition of happiness is often misunderstood.
Much has been written about the relationship between a happy, positive workplace and an effective, productive workforce.

But the definition of happiness can be misunderstood - often it is seen as the presence of positive emotions and the absence of negative ones, which can lead to work cultures that pressure people into faking positive emotions. Research has shown this "faking" can result in long-term physical and emotional illness.

Associating the state of being happy merely with being cheerful all the time creates another challenge as, in the case of academic institutions for example, happiness tends be classified as less serious, superficial and lightweight.
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Document

Denzel Washington's point about fatherlessness is backed up by data

Annie Holmquist
Intellectual Takeout
Mon, 27 Nov 2017 23:33 UTC
Denzel Washington
© Image Credit: Flickr-GabboT (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Americans are finding out that Hollywood *ahem* is infamous for many things. Being supportive of the traditional family structure, however, is not one of them. It is for that reason that actor Denzel Washington's recent comments on fatherhood are interesting.

Speaking about his role as a defense lawyer in the newly released film Roman J. Israel, Esq., Washington refuses to excoriate the criminal justice system for its treatment of American young people. Instead, he believes America's problem with crime starts at the most basic level of society. Here is what Washington said, according to The New York Daily News:

Comment: Children who have an active father figure have fewer psychological and behavioral problems

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People 2

Ten reasons why you should try to keep your cool

Eve Simmons
Daily Mail
Sat, 25 Nov 2017 15:25 UTC
Angry woman yelling into a mirror
© Greater Good Magazine
Last week The Mail on Sunday revealed that MP Paul Farrelly was being investigated after launching a foul-mouthed outburst at a fellow politician after a heated Brexit debate.

And it's not the first time the MP has been involved in a fracas. He made headlines in 2010 after leaving a newspaper seller bloodied and bruised during a fight in a House of Commons bar.

Unfortunately, keeping your cool is a problem for many people: almost a third of Britons polled say they have a close friend or family member who has trouble controlling their anger, while one in ten admit to having a problem with their temper. Here, we outline ten reasons why it's good to get anger under control...

Comment: Not all incidents of anger are negative. Directed, time-limited anger can lead to positive outcomes:

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Sherlock

What makes Agatha Christie such an all-time favorite?

Supriya Sharma
The Hindustan Times
Mon, 27 Nov 2017 12:56 UTC
Murder on the Orient Express Kenneth Branagh
© IMDB.comKenneth Branagh in a still from the latest film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, which released this week.
When it comes to detective fiction, few can match Agatha Christie's spectacular success or her prolific oeuvre. In a career that lasted 55 years, Christie wrote 66 detective novels, 14 short story collections, including the world's longest-running play (The Mousetrap) and created two of the most famous detectives of the genre. According to her estate, she is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Even four decades after her death on January 12, 1976, not only does she continue to be widely read, and taught in universities, she is also the most popular choice for screen adaptations.

Christie's diminutive Belgian cop-turned private detective - just as famous for his glorious moustache as he is for his "little grey cells" - has been played on screen by numerous actors from Peter Ustinov to Albert Finney. While David Suchet, star of the long-running TV adaptation, is probably the most memorable on-screen Poirot, actor-director Kenneth Branagh gives the eccentric detective his own twist in his adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, which released this week.
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Info

Blue reduces stress 3 times faster than other colors


PsyBlog
Mon, 27 Nov 2017 12:56 UTC
chronisches erschöpfungssyndrom, stress, ausgelaugt, müde
© fotolia / leszekglasner
Blue light helps people to relax more quickly, new research finds.

Compared with regular white light, people are able to recover from a stressful experience three times quicker when sitting under blue light.

Regular stresses such as that caused by arguing with a friend or having a close deadline at work could be best tackled with blue light.
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Heart - Black

Grieving the loss of your parents when orphaned in adulthood

Deb Del Vecchio-Scully, LPC, NCC, CMHS
Good Therapy
Mon, 27 Nov 2017 11:55 UTC
grieving parents
The death of a parent is a loss like no other. Our relationships with our parents shape the fiber of who we are. Without them in our lives, a significant piece of our identity may irrevocably change. When unresolved feelings or even estrangement remains, the loss of one's parents can be even more complicated.

Becoming an adult orphan can be one of the hardest life transitions a person can experience. For me, the loss of my dad felt like the end of an era and the loss of my moral anchor. It was as if I had entered a new level of adulthood. A new path needed to be forged, and all of the familiar guideposts had suddenly shifted.
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Brain

Huge dose of brain chemical dopamine may have made us smart

Andy Coghlan
New Scientist
Thu, 23 Nov 2017 07:37 UTC
brain on dopamine
We may owe some of our unique intelligence to a generous supply of a signalling chemical called dopamine in brain regions that help us think and plan. Our brains produce far more dopamine in these regions than the brains of other primates like apes.

Dopamine is a brain signalling chemical that is vital for our control of movement. It is depleted in people with Parkinson's disease, leading to mobility problems, tremors and speech impairments. But it also plays a pivotal role in many cognitive abilities at which humans excel, including learning, concentrating, pleasure-seeking and planning ahead.

Nenad Sestan and André Sousa of the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut and their colleagues measured the activity of individual genes in tissue samples from 16 brain regions, taken from six humans, five chimpanzees and five macaque monkeys.

They found elevated activities of two enzymes that make dopamine - tyrosine hydroxylase and DOPA decarboxylase - in two parts of the human brain, both vital for higher-level thought.

Comment: See also:

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Brain

Study suggests even occasional marijuana use impairs motivation

Jeremy Dean
PsyBlog
Sat, 18 Nov 2017 00:00 UTC
Marijuana
© Mark Blinch/Reuters
Occasional cannabis users were tested along with those addicted to the drug.

A single 'spliff' is enough to reduce the motivation to work, new research finds.

It is the first study to show the problematic short-term effects of cannabis on motivation.

Comment: Chronic and heavy marijuana use shrinks brain's grey matter, says study

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People 2

Small talk has emotional benefits

Rina Diane Caballar
QZ
Tue, 21 Nov 2017 14:06 UTC
small talk
At an early age, you're taught not to talk to strangers. Originally meant to protect us from childhood harm, this rule follows most of us into adulthood.

We keep to ourselves in public places. We avert our eyes on public transport. We stand frozen in the corners of cocktail parties and extended family gatherings, preferring to chat to the few folk we know rather than risk a conversation with an unknown entity. When you're greeted with a rogue "Good morning!" as you pass the neighborhood fruit seller, you might jump, wondering what they want, or if you've spilled coffee down your front.

Comment:
The power of community: Unless we connect with something greater than ourselves we are one step from disaster

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