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Advantages of Having a Grandparent

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Spending time with a grandparent was found to equip adolescents with better social skills and fewer behavior problems.

Spending time with a grandparent was found to equip adolescents with better social skills and fewer behavior problems.

“Grandparents are a positive force for all families but play a significant role in families undergoing difficulties,” said Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz, PhD, of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “They can reduce the negative influence of parents separating and be a resource for children who are going through these family changes.”

The study appears in the February Journal of Family Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA). The researchers found that children and adolescents whose parents have separated or divorced see their grandparents as confidants and sources of comfort. Spending time with a grandparent was found to equip adolescents with better social skills and fewer behavior problems, especially among those children living in single-parent or stepfamily households.

As in previous studies, this research found that grandchildren are closer to their maternal grandparents and closest to their maternal grandmothers.

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The Zoo

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When we realize that we are insignificant in the cosmological, geological, and time realms, perhaps we can begin to come to grips with just who we really are.

When we realize that we are insignificant in the cosmological, geological, and time realms, perhaps we can begin to come to grips with just who we really are.

“Extraterrestrial intelligent life may be almost ubiquitous. The apparent failure of such life to interact with us may be understood in terms of the hypothesis that they have set us aside as part of a wilderness area or zoo.” John A. Ball, The Zoo Hypothesis, Elsevier Science, 1973.

I like this hypothesis – puts humans into perspective cosmologically.

When we realize that we are insignificant in the cosmological, geological, and time realms, perhaps we can begin to come to grips with just who we really are.

There are those who believe we are “created in the image of God” – although it seems to me more likely that god is created by man in his (man’s) own image in an attempt to create a false sense of importance (we like feeling important, you know). This perspective seeks to implant humanity at the pinnacle of importance cosmologically – as “children of God” we are more important than all the trillions of stars, billions of galaxies, millions of galaxy clusters, and the infinite space we call the universe – as well as countless life forms yet to be discovered by us (refer to opening quote).

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Choice and Accountability – Maybe NOT?

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Brain regions (shown in green) from which the outcome of a participant’s decision can be predicted before it is made.

Brain regions (shown in green) from which the outcome of a participant’s decision can be predicted before it is made. (Illustration from original press release)

From the Max Planck Institute press release:

Already several seconds before we consciously make a decision its outcome can be predicted from unconscious activity in the brain. This is shown in a study by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, in collaboration with the Charité University Hospital and the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience in Berlin. The researchers from the group of Professor John-Dylan Haynes used a brain scanner to investigate what happens in the human brain just before a decision is made. “Many processes in the brain occur automatically and without involvement of our consciousness. This prevents our mind from being overloaded by simple routine tasks. But when it comes to decisions we tend to assume they are made by our conscious mind. This is questioned by our current findings.” (Nature Neuroscience, April 13th 2008)

Did I read that correctly? My brain is making a decision a full 7 seconds before I’m aware of the decision? Wait a minute!! What about choice and accountability? That is, how can the universe (“God”) hold me accountable for a choice when I didn’t consciously make it? What the hey!!!??!!!

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It’s Normal to Be Different

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We are all extraordinary, all strange -- freaks, every last one of us.

We are all extraordinary, all strange — freaks, every last one of us.

“We should keep in mind the world is messy, and we’re all different to varying degrees. Nature always takes the exception to the rule, undermines the archetype, and reminds us that our ideas about what is natural and what we should do to correct nature’s ‘imperfections’ are as sound as a sandcastle battered by a rising tide,”  writes University of Iowa psychologist Mark Blumberg in his latest book, Freaks of Nature. “We are all extraordinary, all strange — freaks, every last one of us. Some of us just happen to be more notable, with a particularly interesting story to tell.”

“To me, the nature-nurture debate is a dead end,” said Blumberg. “Asking whether something is more nature or more nurture is like asking whether a hurricane is more wind or rain. It’s both — always both.”

In nature, biological systems operate within the context of their environment. According to evolutionary theory, systems either adapt to their environment or die off. Freaks of nature sometimes become the dominant species because they can adapt better than those we consider “normal” or not freaks.

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Unlawful and Effective Treatment for Brain Aging

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Marijuana could improve your memory as you age

Marijuana could improve your memory as you age – so when you are 90 you’ll remember why you are in jail!

Another study by Ohio State University scientists find that specific elements of marijuana can be good for the aging brain by reducing inflammation there and possibly even stimulating the formation of new brain cells. Although the exact cause of Alzheimer’s remains unknown, chronic inflammation in the brain is thought to contribute to memory impairment.

Relax – I’m not advocating that people smoke marijuana regularly in moderation to improve their memory or enhance brain functions or stave off Alzheimer’s – that’s against the law! And smoking anything is bad for your health.

“It’s just that there are some substances that millions of people for thousands of years have used in billions of doses,” says Gary Wenk, professor of psychology at Ohio State and principal investigator on the research. It might be wise to learn a lot more about this plant’s beneficial properties.

According to Ohio State research, THC, the psychoactive part of Marijuana joins nicotine, alcohol and caffeine as agents that, in moderation, have shown some protection against inflammation in the brain that might translate to better memory later in life.

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A Competitive Edge – Employee Job Satisfaction

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Organizations and businesses are wise to invest in employee personal happiness.

Organizations and businesses are wise to invest in employee personal happiness.

“The benefits of a psychologically well work force are quite consequential to employers, especially so in our highly troubled economic environment,” Kansas State University researcher Thomas Wright said in a recent article published in the Journal of Management. “Simply put, psychologically well employees are better performers. Since higher employee performance is inextricably tied to an organization’s bottom line, employee well-being can play a key role in establishing a competitive advantage.”

Methods to improve well-being include assisting workers so they fit their jobs more closely, providing social support to help reduce the negative impact of stressful jobs, and teaching optimism to emphasize positive thought patterns.

None of this is new to those NLP practitioners and coaches working with organizations. The importance of this report is as it relates to a business’ competitive edge. In today’s market of rapidly diminishing returns on investment (ROI), perhaps the best ROI is that invested in employee job satisfaction. And to do that, organizations and businesses are wise to invest in employee personal happiness.

The job is not entirely what makes people happy. People can make themselves happy with their jobs. To be happy you must either do a job you love or love the job you do. Either way, you love your job. And when you love your job, magic occurs. Oh, yes, indeed!!

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Red or Blue? It Depends!

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Red is the most effective at enhancing our attention to detail, while blue seems to work better at enhancing our ability to think creatively.

Red is the most effective at enhancing our attention to detail, while blue seems to work better at enhancing our ability to think creatively.

Which color enhances mental abilities? It depends on the context. A new University of British Columbia study finds that red is the most effective at enhancing our attention to detail, while blue seems to work better at enhancing our ability to think creatively.

Red and blue activate different unconscious motivations, says Rui (Juliet) Zhu, noting that color influences cognition and behavior through learned associations.

“Thanks to stop signs, emergency vehicles and teachers’ red pens, we associate red with danger, mistakes and caution,” says Zhu, “The avoidance motivation, or heightened state, that red activates makes us vigilant and thus helps us perform tasks where careful attention is required to produce a right or wrong answer.”

Blue, on the other hand, encourages us to think outside the box and be creative, says Zhu, noting that the majority of participants in her studies believed incorrectly that blue would enhance their performance on all cognitive tasks.

“Through associations with the sky, the ocean and water, most people associate blue with openness, peace and tranquility,” says Zhu, who conducted the research with UBC PhD candidate Ravi Mehta. “The benign cues make people feel safe about being creative and exploratory. Not surprisingly it is people’s favorite color.”

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PTSD Inoculations

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An injection of cortisol shortly after exposure to a traumatic event could prevent the onset of PTSD.

An injection of cortisol shortly after exposure to a traumatic event could prevent the onset of PTSD.

Prof. Joseph Zohar from the Sackler Medical School, Tel Aviv University, has found that an injection of cortisol shortly after exposure to a traumatic event could prevent the onset of PTSD.

What a brilliant idea! Why wait for symptoms of PTSD to debilitate a person when prevention can address and effectively eliminate the problem altogether. Further, as inoculated trauma victims are returned to their families and societies, they are more likely to be more productive, better able to cope with their home environments, and quicker to adjust to later possible traumas.

Dr. Zohar’s idea of an injection shortly after exposure could backfire for those people susceptible to cortisol build-up or who’s bodies don’t process cortisol well. Many overweight people have difficulty processing the stress hormone and thus their bodies collect body fat instead of dealing with stress properly.

I propose that those exposed to traumatic events instead, use a quick de-stress process like RET or EFT to better utilize the cortisol they already have. In those cases where cortisol injections might be especially useful, I propose they be accompanied by RET or EFT sessions so that the cortisol is better utilized.

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Sexually Abused Boys and Suicide

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Men are particularly vulnerable to suicide and are three and a half times more likely than women to end their own lives.

Men are particularly vulnerable to suicide and are three and a half times more likely than women to end their own lives.

A recent study of Australian men has found that those who were sexually abused as children are 10 times more likely than women to contemplate taking their own lives; many of these men had not been clinically diagnosed as depressed. While gender and mental health problems are the most important risk factors for contemplating suicide, it is increasingly acknowledged that traumatic experiences such as childhood sexual abuse may be a significant risk factor.

Childhood sexual abuse of men or women has monumental consequences for those involved AND for extended family and society in general. Even the PERCEPTION of sexual abuse [in false memories or erroneous perceptions of actual events] is enough in many individuals to trigger long-term traumatic emotional harm eventually resulting in suicidal thoughts and plans, occasionally ending in suicide.

Dr Patrick O’Leary and Professor Nick Gould of the University of Bath’s Department of Social & Policy Sciences conducted a series of surveys and face-to-face interviews with men in a study funded by the University of South Australia. Results were published online in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Social Work.

Dr O’Leary said: “Childhood sexual abuse is an under-recognized problem in men – most of the studies exploring the link with suicide have been in women. Men are particularly vulnerable because they don’t like to talk to others about their problems. It’s difficult for anyone to come to terms with traumatic experiences such as childhood sexual abuse, but for men the stigma is worse because they don’t tend to confide in their friends as much.

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Unknown Outcomes?

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You can\'t possibly account for every possible patient treatment outcome.

You can’t possibly account for every possible patient treatment outcome.

During the years I worked with a local physician, I learned from him that physicians struggle with the same “insecurity” I did – that is, he often prescribed a course of treatment that did not appear to work. I spoke with him occasionally during those years about this apparent discrepancy between treatment expectation and actual outcome.

His basic philosophy, which he learned while at med school and during his internship and which I agree with, was that you can’t possibly account for every possible patient treatment outcome. Physicians deal in probabilities. It is probable that a specific treatment will work for a patient based on past experience with that treatment for those particular patient symptoms – but it is just plain unreasonable to think it will work for every patient exhibiting the same symptoms every time – or predict exactly how an outcome of treatment will appear in a specific patient.

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