Science of the SpiritS


People 2

Extroverts likely to suffer higher mental health toll in Covid lockdown

Robert Boot
The Guardian
Mon, 14 Jun 2021 14:45 UTC
Cardiff Wales
© Matthew Horwood/Getty ImagesAn empty high street in Cardiff, Wales, in February.
Society's most creative and entrepreneurial people are likely to have suffered a greater hit to their mental health than the rest of the UK population during Covid lockdown, according to a study of more than 5,000 people that suggested extroverts had struggled more.

Individuals with open and extrovert personalities experienced higher deterioration in their mental health than other personality types, according to research by University of Glasgow academics based on the biggest running study of its kind. Open personalities - a widely used definition of people who tend to be curious and keen to try new things - were linked with a particularly marked increase in mental health problems in January 2021. Overall, a quarter of people who had moderately open personalities showed at least one additional symptom of mental deterioration.

By contrast, people whose personalities were judged to be dominated by "agreeableness" experienced less negative mental health consequences, according to analysis of the UK household longitudinal study - known as Understanding Society. Agreeableness is a personality category widely used by psychologists and indicates a desire for social stability, altruism and consideration of others' needs and feelings.

"People with an open personality, especially women, are paying a big price from this lockdown in terms of mental health," said Prof Eugenio Proto of the Adam Smith business school at the University of Glasgow. "Openness is a personality trait typical of creative people like artists and entrepreneurs, hence this can have repercussions on the economy and on the society as a whole in the post-Covid era. If there is a long-term effect we might expect a lower level of innovation and that could be a big cost."

Comment: See also:

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Brain

Psychedelics spur growth of neural connections lost in depression

Bill Hathaway
Yale News
Mon, 05 Jul 2021 21:42 UTC
mushrooms
© stock.adobe.com
The psychedelic drug psilocybin, a naturally occurring compound found in some mushrooms, has been studied as a potential treatment for depression for years. But exactly how it works in the brain and how long beneficial results might last is still unclear.

In a new study, Yale researchers show that a single dose of psilocybin given to mice prompted an immediate and long-lasting increase in connections between neurons. The findings are published July 5 in the journal Neuron.

"We not only saw a 10% increase in the number of neuronal connections, but also they were on average about 10% larger, so the connections were stronger as well," said Yale's Alex Kwan, associate professor of psychiatry and of neuroscience and senior author of the paper.
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Book 2

Reading fiction improves brain connectivity and function

Christopher Bergland
Psychology Today
Sat, 04 Jan 2014 06:03 UTC
reading by fireplace
Neuroscientists have discovered that reading a novel can improve brain function on a variety of levels. The recent study on the brain benefits of reading fiction was conducted at Emory University. The study titled, "Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain," was recently published in the journal Brain Connectivity.

The researchers found that becoming engrossed in a novel enhances connectivity in the brain and improves brain function. Interestingly, reading fiction was found to improve the reader's ability to put themselves in another person's shoes and flex the imagination in a way that is similar to the visualization of a muscle memory in sports.

Modern-day reading habits continue to evolve in a digital age. Statistics vary on exactly how many people are reading novels this decade compared to decades past. There is a definite trend for general readers to buy more fiction than nonfiction books — and to get facts, news and crystallized knowledge from the internet. In 2012, only four of the top 20 books were nonfiction titles.

"People are interested in escape," says Carol Fitzgerald of the Book Report Network. "In a number of pages, the story will open, evolve and close, and a lot of what's going on in the world today is not like that. You've got this encapsulated escape that you can enjoy."

Comment: See also:

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Family

At just 16 months old, toddlers will reward someone for acting fairly

Matthew Warren
BPS Research Digest
Tue, 15 Jun 2021 09:49 UTC
toddler
Although we often think of young children as rather selfish, research has shown that babies and toddlers have a surprisingly strong sense of what is fair. At one year old, kids already expect resources to be divided fairly and for people to be helpful towards others. By two, they themselves tend to distribute resources equally, and would rather play with a fair adult than an unfair one.

But at what point do young kids actually intervene when they see someone else acting fairly or unfairly? According to a series of studies in Cognition, before they're even one and a half years old children will reward someone for being fair — though they don't yet punish unfair behaviour.

The team, led by Talee Ziv from the University of Washington, first trained a group of 16-month-olds to use a touch screen to produce audio clips. Touching one side of the screen resulted in negative feedback (e.g. "She was bad") while touching the other side produced positive feedback (e.g. "She was good").

The kids then saw four video clips, each showing a woman distributing crackers or Lego blocks to two other people. In two of the clips, the "distributor" divided up the resources fairly, but in the other two she gave one person more than the other (a different actor played the role of distributor in each of the four clips). After watching these videos, the toddlers were again shown the faces of the four distributors, and after seeing each one had 60 seconds to touch the screen as many times as they wanted.

Comment: See also: Babies are willing to give up food, showing altruism begins in infancy, study says

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Brain

Untreated psychiatric illness is behind many mass shootings, a new study says


IFL Science
Fri, 11 Jun 2021 20:17 UTC
newspaper stephen paddock
© Hadrian/Shutterstock.comA newspaper shows stephen Paddock, the perpetrator of the 2017 Las Vegas strip shooting.
The first five months of 2021 saw over 240 mass shootings in the US. That's according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as one with four or more people injured or killed, not including the perpetrator. In fact, the recent spate of mass shootings seen over the past three months since the US "re-opened" from lockdown is said to be one of the worst in US history.

While no single factor can explain this broad range of tragic events, a new study argues that one factor can be linked to the majority of mass shooters: untreated and unmedicated psychiatric illness.

This finding is far from definitive — earlier this year, a separate study concluded that mental illness isn't a factor in most mass shootings. This latest piece of research, just like those before it, is simply a snapshot of this deeply complex issue that continues to defy a full explanation.

Comment: It seems to be a forgone conclusion that anyone who would engage in a mass shooting has something wrong with their brain, whether it conforms to a psychiatric diagnosis or not.

See also:

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Hearts

Puppies are born with 'human-like' social skills, wired to communicate with people


Study Finds
Thu, 03 Jun 2021 21:14 UTC
puppies
© University of Arizona
In news that's sure to start plenty of new conversations between people and "man's best friend," a new study finds puppies are born with "human-like" social skills. Simply put, scientists say these adorable canines are able to communicate with people from birth.

Generally, dogs need little-to-no training in order to follow directions thanks to their innate genes which have been developing for centuries. In fact, researchers at the University of Arizona say more than 40 percent of the variation in a puppy's ability to follow a human's finger-pointing is due to their inherited genes.

"We found that there's definitely a strong genetic component, and they're definitely doing it from the get-go," says study co-author Evan MacLean in a university release.

Dogs love when humans lead the way

Study authors tested 375 eight-week-old puppies training to become service dogs in the future. The group consisted of 98 Labrador retrievers, 23 golden retrievers, and 254 Labrador golden crosses from 117 different litters. They all had an extremely similar rearing history and a pedigree going back multiple generations.
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Brain

I act; therefore I am. Dear trans kids: Stop feeling and start thinking

Donna M.
New Discourses
Wed, 02 Jun 2021 00:00 UTC
skywatcher
A few weeks ago, a teacher at my kid's school shared a bit of wisdom that has rocked my world. She taught the kids that there are four mental stages; feeling, thinking, planning, and doing. People can only be in one stage at a time, and people get frustrated when others are in different stages than they are. If you've ever had to bite your tongue while you listened to someone vent, you know this is true. If you've ever been married, you know this is true. If you've ever parented, you know this is true.

Recently, I joined the twitter world to exchange ideas (that's the "thinking" stage, there) about the concept of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) and the impact of this on teen boys. While many people have shared insights and resources, I've observed a typical accusation that certain trans-identified people toss out: "You are saying we don't exist!"

At first, this struck me as a bewildering non-sequitur. Are they really saying because I have different ideas about transgender theories or gender identity, that I must think their bodies aren't present in the world? How would I explain that their typed grievances are popping up on my screen? Must I subscribe to a complex superstition of phantoms in the machine? Debating the points of trans identity in fact implies the opposite: I don't spend time arguing about the Loch Ness Monster or fairies or unicorns, because they do not exist.

Comment: The above advice, while directed to those with gender dysphoria, may well be applied to anyone who is stuck in a reactive confluence of feelings and emotions. We'd all do better to learn to use our minds towards more nuanced thought - which can then be translated to action and some semblance of self-actualization/individuation. Perhaps after a time of this practice the 'answer' to gender dysphoria, ideological possession (or any other form of mental laziness) will come of its own accord.

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Cloud Lightning

"This is not your father's creationism": Atheist Michael Shermer meets Stephen Meyer

David Klinghoffer
Evolution News
Wed, 02 Jun 2021 16:10 UTC
michael shermer
"This is not your father's creationism," says skeptic and atheist Michael Shermer in a new podcast with Stephen Meyer about Return of the God Hypothesis. "This is far more serious." And Shermer shows it by going two hours with Meyer, placing every objection before him that he can think of. The case in Meyer's book is not creationism at all, of course, but I'll accept the compliment on Steve's behalf. Shermer has my admiration in return. This is not your father's village atheism, either. That a conversation like this is possible represents a hopeful sign for our culture. It's not a debate — it's a discussion between respectful, eminently thoughtful people, neither of whom is trying to "win." We could all trying practicing that more with people who disagree with us.

I don't see any evidence by the end that Shermer has changed his mind (which, again, was not the intent). But when biology, physics, and cosmology are weighed together, I don't know what objection to Steve Meyer's case he would hold onto. Every cosmology either has theistic implications, or ends up wrecking the basis for rational scientific investigation of nature. This may be the most interesting dialogue that Return of the God Hypothesis has sparked so far, and that is no small measure of praise. As a friend commented who heard it before I did, "Whoa! Must listen." Whoa, indeed. Now I would like to hear a follow-up with some of the other sophisticated advocates for atheism — Sam Harris, perhaps, above all.

Comment: It's nice to see that at least some in the New Atheist field have forgone their predecessors dismissive attitude in favor of actually making arguments against the points brought to light by the Intelligent Design camp. It leads to some high level discussion and debate that is otherwise sorely missing in today's academic atmosphere.

More from Stephen Meyer:

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Airplane Paper

Dunning-Kruger Effect: New study shows overconfidence in news judgment


Phys Org
Mon, 31 May 2021 17:10 UTC
Man reading newspaper
© ANI
A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that individuals who falsely believe they are able to identify false news are more likely to fall victim to it. In the article published today, Ben Lyons, assistant professor of communication at the University of Utah, and his colleagues examine the concern about the public's susceptibility to false news due to their inability to recognize their own limitations in identifying such information.

"Though Americans believe confusion caused by false news is extensive, relatively few indicate having seen or shared it," said Lyons. "If people incorrectly see themselves as highly skilled at identifying false news, they may unwittingly be more likely to consume, believe and share it, especially if it conforms to their worldview."

Lyons and his colleagues used two large nationally representative surveys with a total of 8,285 respondents. Individuals were asked to evaluate the accuracy of a series of Facebook headlines and then rate their own abilities to discern false news content. Lyons used these two measures to assess overconfidence among respondents and how it is related to beliefs and behaviors.

"Our results paint a worrying picture. Many people are simply unaware of their own vulnerability to misinformation."

The vast majority of respondents — about 90 percent — reported they are above average in their ability to discern false and legitimate news headlines. Three in four individuals overestimated their ability to distinguish between legitimate and false news headlines and respondents placed themselves 22 percentiles higher than their score warranted, on average. About 20 percent of respondents rated themselves 50 or more percentiles higher than their score warranted.

Comment: For more understanding of the Dunning-Kruger Effect, watch the humorous video below by Thoughty2:



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Info

New microscopy method reaches deeper into the living brain


The Optical Society
Thu, 27 May 2021 18:45 UTC
new imaging method
© Daniel Razansky, University and ETH ZurichA new imaging method can capture images of vasculature deep in the brains of mice. A conventional widefield fluorescence image of the mouse brain taken non-invasively in the visible light spectrum is shown on the left, while the non-invasive localization-based DOLI approach operating in the NIR-II spectral window is shown on the right.
WASHINGTON — Researchers have developed a new technique that allows microscopic fluorescence imaging at four times the depth limit imposed by light diffusion. Fluorescence microscopy is often used to image molecular and cellular details of the brain in animal models of various diseases but, until now, has been limited to small volumes and highly invasive procedures due to intense light scattering by the skin and skull.

"Visualization of biological dynamics in an unperturbed environment, deep in a living organism, is essential for understanding the complex biology of living organisms and progression of diseases," said research team leader Daniel Razansky from the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, both in Switzerland. "Our study represents the first time that 3D fluorescence microscopy has been performed fully noninvasively at capillary level resolution in an adult mouse brain, effectively covering a field of view of about 1 centimeter."

In Optica, The Optical Society's (OSA) journal for high impact research, the researchers describe their new technique, which is called diffuse optical localization imaging (DOLI). It takes advantage of what is known as the second near-infrared (NIR-II) spectral window from 1000 to 1700 nanometers, which exhibits less scattering.

"Enabling high-resolution optical observations in deep living tissues represents a long-standing goal in the biomedical imaging field," said Razansky. "DOLI's superb resolution for deep-tissue optical observations can provide functional insights into the brain, making it a promising platform for studying neural activity, microcirculation, neurovascular coupling and neurodegeneration."
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