Botox Feeback
A study finds delayed reaction times to unpleasant emotion in people who’ve had Botox treatment, supporting something called the “facial feedback hypothesis.”
[A]fter Botox treatment, the subjects took more time to read…angry and sad sentences…“Normally, the brain would be sending signals to the periphery to frown, and the extent of the frown would be sent back to the brain. But here, that loop is disrupted, and the intensity of the emotion and of our ability to understand it when embodied in language is disrupted.”
Not Smoking
Jane Brody looks at smoking.
[O]ver the course of a day, as the brain continues to be exposed to nicotine, partial tolerance develops and each subsequent cigarette produces less of an effect. But during sleep, nicotine comes off the receptors and smokers awaken with an intense craving for a cigarette.
Sibling Harmony
ScienceDaily: Essential ingredients of supportive sibling relationships.
[A new paper] urges parents to think about the relationship they want their kids to have with each other–now and as adults–and to be intentional in helping them create that positive, supportive bond.
How-to suggestions included in the article.
Mental Health ER
One in eight ER visits due to mental health and/or substance abuse.
New government statistics show that nearly 12 million visits made to U.S. hospital emergency departments in 2007 involved people with a mental disorder, substance abuse problem, or both.
Feelings Contagious?
A study at PhysOrg.com–feelings catchable.
[R]esearchers [have] found a correlation between an individual’s emotional state and those of the person’s contacts. In other words, it appears that you can catch happiness. Or sadness.
(Via GoodTherapy.org)
“Techno-Tyranny”
Another distraction alarm op-ed, this time from Bob Herbert.
I was talking to a guy who commutes every day between New York and New Jersey. He props up his laptop on the front seat so he can watch DVDs while he’s driving. “I only do it in traffic,” he said. “It’s no big deal.”
Narcissism Epidemic?
David Brooks on (Mel Gibson and) narcissism, including this stat from the book, The Narcissism Epidemic:
In 1950, thousands of teenagers were asked if they considered themselves an “important person.” Twelve percent said yes. In the late 1980s, another few thousand were asked. This time, 80 percent of girls and 77 percent of boys said yes.
Wisdom (The Book)
Here’s a not-so-recent review of Wisdom: From Philosophy to Neuroscience (via aldaily.com). And here’s the article that preceded the book. From the article:
The Berlin Wisdom Paradigm…was built in part on research using hypothetical vignettes to discern wise and unwise responses to life dilemmas. “A 15-year-old girl wants to get married right away,” one vignette suggested. “What should one/she consider and do?” [The wise answer follows in the article.]
Less Net, Less Depression?
UPI: Fighting depression by logging off.
A recent study by researchers at Stony Brook University in New York found that online forums and chat sites can aggravate symptoms of depression. Over the course of a year, 13-year-old girls were found to become increasingly depressed and anxious when they participated in online chat sites allowing the girls to discuss issues over and over again
(Via GoodTherapy.org)
Meditation and Attention Span
PsychCentral reports on a study that shows improved attention span–long-term–following a meditation retreat.
“People may think meditation is something that makes you feel good and going on a meditation retreat is like going on vacation, and you get to be at peace with yourself. That’s what people think until they try it. Then you realize how challenging it is to just sit and observe something without being distracted.”