Awareness is Medicine to Ease Suffering

Awareness or mindfulness is one way that an individual can respond to pain and discomfort. While many would want to be free from physical discomfort, some discomfort is inevitable for everyone, and mindfulness can help ease this condition. In doing this, the individual can learn how to manage the pain and suffering until recovery is complete.

Income-Generation vs Busywork

The Pareto principle tells us that 20 percent of our actions are responsible for 80 percent of our results. Likewise in business, you have a few activities that result in income-generation, and the rest is just busywork. The problem is when we get overwhelmed by the busywork; in order to do creative work, you need to provide separate time to focus on demanded work instead of reacting to the latest email.

Thus, creative individuals should be encouraged to “show the money”. This is in essence specific time to be able to focus on income generating activities and ignore everything else that distracts them from that ultimate goal. While each industry would have a specific set of income generating actions, the following are some of the common activities that are present regardless of the kind of business:

Humor: A Double-Edged Sword

Many say that being funny is a positive trait, especially in first-time encounters. In many surveys, one of the most desired qualities in a partner is sense of humor. Be it while dating or after marriage, the more a person enjoys their partner’s sense of humor, the more they will be satisfied with their relationship.

But a psychologist from the University of Western Ontario raises a red flag on all this. According to Dr. Rod Martin, humor in relationships can cut both ways. Funny people may seem to be more attractive initially, but as time goes by, the thrill of the humor wears off. Furthermore, relying too much on jokes to avoid deep relational issues can lead to more serious problems; in this case, humor may actually cause more harm than good.

This was seconded by Robert Weiss, a psychologist from the University of Oregon who studied the effect of humor in relationships. He said, “Humor is a tool like any other. People use humor in lots of different ways, including some negative ones. It’s not just one monolithic thing.” He added that almost every sweet, supportive way of using humor has an evil counterpart, the aggressive, selfish, or manipulative version. Teasing comments can either be interpreted as flattery or attack. Since these two are intertwined, it may come across as not being funny.

The most common way that humor ends up being hurtful are jokes about one’s qualities, such as clumsiness, shyness or body parts. Humor also weakens the foundation of a relationship in unseen ways, such as making a joke to change the subject when one brings up finances without even trying to be funny. In the end, one may fail to notice what important things that have been disagreed upon when humor enters the picture.

Throughout history, the basic structure of a joke, where one says one thing and mean another is a useful tool in human interaction. According to Martin, this ambiguity allows individuals to interpret matters differently and alter their stance when it is not properly received. This makes it into a flexible communication strategy as a means to explore different meanings. This includes dropping hints about marriage or dating and depending on the response, have a means to escape in the form of a joke.

Another benefit is that humor can bring lovers together as one. This was observed especially in lover’s retreats where one way to break the ice is through a joke or a funny video. This is one of the most positive ways that humor is present and because of this, many do not understand its downside. A well-timed joke can actually help cool down a tense situation. Many resort to out of this world antics to help break the tension, change the mood or introduce another point of view into the conversation. Humor through exaggeration, an unrealistic point of view is turned, allowing the recipient to regain a foothold on reality.

This may become a problem, especially when after calming a partner down and picking them up again, a pattern of demand and withdrawal ensues making it better to avoid problems through a joke instead of addressing them altogether.

This double entendre effect of jokes allows individuals to be hostile in a subtle manner, usually with a just kidding rejoinder. In many instances, the very same comments can either be uplifting or demeaning, cooptive or segregating and this depends on the situation and the context it was made. The difference is not in the way the line is delivered but how the recipient interprets it. Even good intentions can be washed away when an errant comment is doled out, as how the butt of the joke understands it is what matters most.

Between the various studies on humor, many patterns have emerged. Women use humor as a tool to enhance a relationship while men use it to increase their persona. Men often linked jokes and slapstick greater than women, while women make humor in collaborative storytelling scenarios. The difference is not about hormones but more about context. There have also been studies that show that individuals use humor differently compared to those of their inferiors. This can be seen when the boss cracks a joke, everybody laughs and when assistant offers a suggestion, she includes self-deprecating humor into it.

Humor is often at the behest of the beholder. Most psychologists agree that humor is more likely to be symptomatic of issues rather than the cause for the issues. The most important aspect of this is timing, especially in romantic relationships. If the partner cannot take a joke, then look at the motives behind saying it, as timing is crucial to making it a positive factor instead of a negative one. Even with this possible effect, humor is what makes individuals human. Humor, after all, helps put people in the right perspective, looking far beyond fears and sorrows to be able to reach out with a loving touch instead of a heavy hand.

A Pill to Help Make People Work Harder?

In the rush to help create safe weight loss drugs, a new study conducted research from a wholly different perspective. Instead of a drug focused on increasing metabolism, can there be a pill designed to make individuals want to exercise harder and more intensely?

This may sound like fiction, but the new study published in the online edition of The FASEB journal recommends that this may actually be an achievable reality. A team of researchers from Switzerland have found that a specific hormone in the brain named erythropoietin (Epo) was elevated in mice who were motivated to exercise.

Moreoever, the strain of erythropoietin used in the experiments did not cause an increase in red blood cell counts, which avoids potentially unwanted side-effects. Thus, the treatment could help with any health condition which benefits from physical activity, from obesity to Alzheimer’s and many other mental health conditions that can be alleviated through physical activity.

According to Max Gassmann, DVM, researcher from the Institute of Veterinary Physiology of the Vetsuisse-Faculty and Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology at the University of Zurich said, “Here we show that Epo increases the motivation to exercise. Most probably, Epo has a general effect on a person’s mood and might be used in patients suffering from depression and related diseases.”

In making this discovery, Gassmann and his colleagues had used three types of mice, those that had no treatment, those injected with the human hormone Epo and those that were genetically modified to produce human Epo in the brain. Compared to the control group, those mice with human Epo in the brain had significantly higher running imperative without increasing red blood cell count.

Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor in Chief of the FASEB Journal captured the significance of the study by saying, “If you can’t put exercise in a pill, then maybe you can put the motivation to exercise in a pill instead. As more and more people become overweight and obese, we must attack the problem from all angles. Maybe the day will come when gyms are as easily found as fast food restaurants.”

Good Habits Knock Out Bad Habits

Each individual has their own bad habits, whether it be eating too much, sleeping too little, surfing the web at work time, or something more disastrous. Many have no control over these habits, and the inability to create and maintain good ones in their place affects the overall well-being of one’s life.

There is a book that specifically discusses this. Penned by Charles Duhigg, a business reporter with the New York Times, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and in Business, discusses how one can control bad habits such as complaining too much to coworkers, dragging our feet with difficult tasks, and even going against established office routines.

The premise of the book is quite simple. He breaks down habits into a simple system where there is a routine, a cue and reward. He then discusses cases of psychological research and reaches a conclusion that while habits may be strong, they also have their weak points. Thus when attacked, these habits crumble and fall. The book advises that instead of actively stopping the habit, analyze what cues the habit that leads you to the routine and what reward is obtained after performing that. Changing either the cue or reward makes the routine easily replaceable with a better one. While psychologists debate about the willpower of the individual, this premise removes willpower and merely focuses on the structure of the habits. In tweaking the structure, the brain will soon adapt the behavior automatically, regardless of will or intent.

Alcohol May Actually Help Problem Solving Skills

In a recent study, scientists observed that men who ingested two pints of beer or two glasses of wine before tackling brain teasers showed quicker times in providing correct answers. This may lead to a better understanding if alcohol actually is able to enhance an individual’s problem solving skills.

The study found that aside from being quicker in solving brain teasers, they got more questions right compared to others who answered the same test while sober. This goes against the grain of traditional wisdom regarding the effect of alcohol on analytical thinking and rational thought.

The lead author of the study, Professor Jennifer Wiley of the University of Illinois at Chicago, found that alcohol may actually enhance creative problem solving skills through a reduction of the mind’s working memory capacity, allowing for greater concentration on one specific topic at a time.

According to Professor Wiley, “Working memory capacity is considered the ability to control one’s attention. It’s the ability to remember one thing while you’re thinking about something else.”

While this study demonstrating alcohol’s ability to enhance creative problem solving, other research counteracted this as increased working memory capacity leads to better analytic and problem solving abilities. Other research includes a current study recently published at the journal Consciousness and Cognition, where it found individuals drinking alcohol and registering 0.07 blood alcohol level or higher were worse at completing problems requiring attention control, but registered better with creative problem solving tests.

With this discovery, participants registering BAC levels of 0.07 or higher were able to solve 40 percent more problems than their sober counterparts, taking just 12 seconds to complete the tasks compared to 15.5 seconds for teetotalers.

Wiley noted caution on the results as it was too focused and may limit the possibilities to a broader more flexible state of attention that may prove helpful to creative solutions to eventually emerge. She added, “We have this assumption, that being able to focus on one part of  a problem or having lot of expertise is better for problem solving. But that’s not necessarily true. Innovation may happen when people are not so focused. Sometimes it’s good to be distracted.”

Another limitation is the study’s application to individuals having a few drinks and not those that drink to get drunk. She added, “The bottom line is what we think being too focused can blind you to novel possibilities and a broader, more flexible state of attention is needed for creative solutions to emerge.”

Other experts view that the findings make sense, they also noted that sleep would also be beneficial for creativity enhancement. Past research would show that individuals that were allowed to sleep after being given a problem were more likely to wake up with a creative solution compared to others who kept awake.

Exercise Improves Mental Health in ADHD Children

Researchers from Dartmouth College found that exercise improves memory in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD.

The data collected over the past few years has clearly shown that exercise is able to create neurobiological changes. This conclusion was announced by David Bucci, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College.

The research found the effects of exercise on the brain were different depending on the age of the individual. Researchers further identified a gene that mediates the degree where exercise would have a beneficial effect. Bucci said this conclusion would have implications in terms of using exercise as a tool to intervene in the development of mental illness.

Bucci began his study of the link between exercise and memory with ADHD. This is one of the most common childhood mental disorders where the alarming choice of treatment is medication.

He said, “The notion of pumping children full of psycho-stimulants at an early age is troublesome. We frankly don’t know the long-term effects of administering drugs at an early age – drugs that affect the brain – so looking for alternative therapies is clearly important.”

Evidence presented from colleagues at the University of Vermont lead Bucci to focus on finding the relationship between exercise and ADHD. That study observed that ADHD children in Vermont summer camps, athletic events or team sports responded better to behavioral intervention compared to sedentary children with ADHD. While the empirical data was lacking, this was persuasive enough for Bucci to undertake his own study.

During their study, they observed laboratory rats with ADHD-like behavior, and showed that exercise reduced the extent of these behaviors. The researchers also observed that this was more beneficial to female than male rats, similar to what was observed between male and female ADHD children. From this finding, the research moved into investigating the mechanisms that affect the exercise and learning and memory improvement connection, primarily a brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This factor helped in brain development as the degree of BDNF in exercising rats correlated with improved memory. It also found that this factor had an extended effect in adolescents compared to adults.

Bucci said, “The implication is that exercising during development, as your brain is growing, is changing the brain in concert with normal developmental changes, resulting in your having more permanent wiring of the brain in support of things like learning and memory. It seems important to exercise early in life.”

With this latest paper, it was a move to take the studies of exercise and memory in rats and apply the same to humans. Bucci further explained that an individual’s genotype for BDNF affected whether exercise developed learning and memory. He said ”This could mean that you may be able to predict which ADHD child, if we genotype them and look at their DNA, would respond to exercise as a treatment and which ones wouldn’t.  The interesting question in terms of mental health and cognitive function is how exercise affects mental function and the brain.”

Obesity and Depression Leads to Sleepiness

According to new research, obesity and depression are but two of the main reasons why an individual might feel sleepy during the daytime. This conclusion was reached after three studies conducted by Penn State researchers with a random sample of 1,741 adults.

The study found that obesity and emotional stress are the root causes for sleepiness and fatigue during the daytime. It also found that insufficient sleep and obstructive sleep apnea play roles in exacerbating the condition. These two are also linked to other medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression, diabetes, obesity and accidents.

According to Alexandros Vgontzas MD, the study lead for the three studies, “The ‘epidemic’ of sleepiness parallels an ‘epidemic’ of obesity and psychosocial stress. Weight loss, depression and sleep disorders should be our priorities in terms of preventing the medical complications and public safety hazards associated with this excessive sleepiness.”

One of the studies was a seven year follow up, with 222 adults who reported excessive daytime sleepiness or EDS. With those with EDS, weight gain was one of the biggest predicting factor. He added, “In fact, our results showed that in individuals who lost weight, excessive sleepiness improved.”

Those from the same group who developed EDS within the same timespan was also reviewed. The findings showed, which researchers saying that this was for the time, that depression and obesity were the top risk factors for new-onset excessive sleepiness.

The third study, with a population of 103 research volunteers, found once again that depression and obesity were amongst the best indicators for EDS. He further added, “The primary finding connecting our three studies are that depression and obesity are the main risk factors for both new-onset and persistent excessive sleepiness.”

The study found that the rate of new onset excessive sleepiness was eight percent and the rate of persistent daytime sleepiness was 38 percent. These three studies were presented at SLEEP 2012 at the 26th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) in Boston.

Lack of Sleep Related to High Anxiety

The latest technologies have provided scientists with evidence of how sleep deprivation leads to anxiety. These investigators have said that their findings demonstrate increased sleep loss exaggerates the level of anxiety for upcoming social events. This overreaction happens most often to those individuals who are already suffering from high anxiety, making them even more vulnerable.

There are two common features of anxiety disorders: sleep loss and amplified emotional response. With these findings, it is suggested that these features may not be independent but might actually be a causal relationship.

The study was conducted at the University of California Berkeley campus, where researchers used brain scanning techniques on eighteen healthy adults in two separate groups. One group had tests after a normal night’s sleep while the second group had theirs after a night of sleep deprivation. In both sessions, participants were exposed to an emotional task that had a period of anticipating potentially negative experience through an unpleasant visual image or a potentially benign experience or neutral visual image.

In functional MRI scans, it showed that sleep deprivation was amplified with the build up of anticipatory activity in the embedded emotional centers of the brain, most especially the amygdala, where responses to negative and unpleasant experiences were found. It was also found that in many emotional centers of the brain, sleep deprivation triggered a sixty percent increase in anticipatory reactions. The study further found that the effect of sleep deprivation was related to how naturally anxious an individual is in their natural settings.

The study concluded that individuals who were more anxious also showed the biggest vulnerability to the aggravating effects of sleep deprivation. The result further suggests that anxiety has a significant effect in elevating the emotional dysfunction and risk attributable mainly to lack of sleep.

According to the lead author of the study, Andrea Goldstein, “Anticipation is a fundamental brain process, a common survival mechanism across numerous species. Our results suggest that just one night of sleep loss significantly alters the optimal functioning of this essential brain process, especially among anxious individuals. This is perhaps never more relevant considering the continued erosion of sleep time that continues to occur across society.”

Getting Shot in the Head

Before you start imagining video game head shots or gray matter splattered all over, this is a look at gunshots to the head from a scientific perspective. I was always curious whether the brain can register the conscious sensation of pain before a bullet does its damage. Two online articles have discussed this quite extensively, and both concluded that the brain would not be able to react to a direct hit from a gun.

In my research, I also found out a few pretty surprising things about whether shots to the head are always fatal and about brain damage. There may be some objections to these conclusions, but here are my findings:

1. When shot in the head, in this day and age, one actually has a fifty percent chance of surviving. This shows that not everyone dies from head shots.
2. Most people think that a bullet to the brain would damage it irreparably, but in reality a bullet wound may not necessarily damage the brain in areas essential for consciousness.
3. If the individual does die from gunshot wounds to the head, it is not necessarily from the trauma of brain damage. It may also be other factors, such as blood loss. This is frequently the case, because the internal carotid artery clears a quarter a liter of blood per minute supplied directly to the brain. In high stress situations, the blood supply can double and with a hole in the head, the blood supply cleans out rather quickly.
4. The level of brain damage is determined to many factors, such as the velocity, shape, size and material of the bullet. Furthermore, when the bullet hits the skull, fragments of bone also fly into the brain, resulting in more projectiles hitting the soft tissue. The structure of the skull is also a factor, as the pressure wave from the bullet and the fragments are contained in a small space, reverberating from the bone back into the brain echoing many times over.

So, gunshots to the head are not always fatal, and do not always result in permanent brain damage. While some may die, others may be able to react, think clearly and be able to save themselves in times of mortal danger.