Why You Shouldn't Watch The Wedding

So on Friday was the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. I watched some of it and then when my mom went to a party for it, I saw it again. I was looking on Psychology Today for an article and there was a group of articles about the "Royal Wedding". I clicked on it and read through them. This one was the most interesting.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201104/royal-wedding-fever/why-you-shouldnt-watch-the-wedding

This article talks about why watching the Royal Wedding can bring down your self-esteem. It seems a bit ridiculous but I will admit that it is a bit true. When I was watching some of the wedding, I was wondering why some people are born into luxurious lives while others are born into poverty. What do you think? Do you think that watching a "Royal Wedding" will bring down your self esteem because it's not "fair" that people are born into royalty or luck brought someone together with a royal? I thought that Kate looked gorgeous, but does that make people jealous and envious? Does that bring down someone's self-esteem?

And also, does Kate and William really have a "better life" than you? They just have more money, but does that mean that they are happier and are living a better life? (For example: Princess Diana, she had a luxurious life, but she was not truly happy. And we have a normal life and we are so very happy.)

Strictly from Hunger: The ABCs of Insufficient Food

With recent the recent rise of obesity in the United States, most people tend to forget about the issue of hunger in other parts of the world. Even though obesity may be more prevalent in our world today than hunger, over 1.02 billion people worldwide still suffer from chronic hunger. Most people are familiar with the saying “I am starving to death,” but we misuse this saying here in the United States because people are actually starving to death in other parts of the world. Poverty in countries causes famine, severe food shortages that lead to a breakdown of society.

This article discusses Ancel Key’s long-term scientific study of hunger and semi-starvation called the “Minnesota Semi-Starvation Experiment.” I could not imagine volunteering to be in this experiment! The men volunteered to significantly limit their food intake for several months which would eventually provide information on the psychological and physiological effects of caloric restriction. Even though the study was conducted over 60 years ago, hunger still has similar affects today.

I think that this article brings together what we learned in chapter 8A including obesity, eating disorders, and ultimately hunger. So based on the information we studied in chapter 8A, the information learned from this article, and your own knowledge, do you think that hunger or obesity is more prevalent in our world today? Since we already read about Key’s experiment in the book, did you learn anything different? These semi-starved patients proved the power that activated motives have in hijacking our consciousness. Can this be related to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? The book did not provide information about the rehabilitation period in the study. Have you ever heard of “post-starvation hyperphagia”? Can you imagine eating up to 10,000 calories a day and not feel satisfied?Link: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-gravity-weight/201102/strictly-hunger-the-abcs-insufficient-food

Beautiful People Cash in on Their Looks

We have all heard the phrase, “money doesn’t buy happiness,” but no one’s ever said the same about beauty. A recent study has found that beauty buys both money and happiness. The study gauged happiness and attractiveness among more than 25,000 people worldwide and found that beautifully people are generally happier than the plain Jane or even the ugly Joe. However, almost half of that extra happiness comes more from the economic benefits that come about as a result of being beautiful. So, are beautiful people actually happier people?

Think about all of the successful, wealthy people you know. Are they beautiful? Are their husbands beautiful? Reading this article I was a little skeptical about how beauty was being defined. Wouldn’t it be subjective to have different people judge beauty? Furthermore, is it ethical to judge someone on their looks? (How would you feel being classified into the ‘ugly’ category? L ) Also, it is important to take into mind that each culture considers beauty to be a different thing. What is beautiful for an American woman is not necessarily beautiful for a Chinese woman.

However, I am not rebutting the general, proven hypothesis that beautiful people are happier people. Besides having a slight edge above, what are some other reasons why beautiful people are happier people? Can it be not only from the economic benefits, as the article talked about, but also from the higher levels of confidence and self-esteem? Is this to say there is no hope for the plain Jane’s and average Joe’s of the world? What do you think?

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/your-look/story/2011/03/Beautiful-people-are-happier-study-finds/45500558/1

When the Mind Wanders, Happiness Also Strays

I was drawn to this article in the Times for a number of reasons. It details a study carried out by Harvard psychologists about happiness; it seems like perfect timing since we're just about to study emotion. And what struck me as super interesting is how they conducted the survey: the psychologists polled people about how happy they were feeling at random times via the iPhone. Groundbreaking cross-sectional psychological survey? Yeah, apparently there's an app for that.

From the results of the study, the people that reported the lowest levels of happiness were consistently those who were daydreaming. Surprised? Why do you think daydreaming connects to reported unhappiness?

There's no use in denying that our minds tend to travel elsewhere when we're sitting in the same desks day after day...we all daydream at least some of the time. So consider where your mind goes: what do you typically think about when you wander off? Is daydreaming a pleasant escape, or does your mind rivet to the things you have to do and what you're stressed about? Do you see a personal correlation between what you daydream about and how it can affect your mood? Ultimately, do you think your mood is negatively impacted when your mind wanders?

Just a few other questions to consider -- what are your thoughts on using the digital iPhone app as a research method? Will technology alter our tried-and-true scientific methods in the future, like (just throwing this random idea out there) case studies via webcam? Do you think it's a reliable method if the subjects aren't picked & polled by the researchers...but is it any less reliable than other surveys? What other factors may have wrestled with the reliability of this survey?

Why Do We Prefer Certain Colors?

I found this article really interesting; it is about our color preferences. Why do you think we like certain colors? Is it learned or inherited? A study is shown in the article that ultimately comes to the conclusion that whenever we see a color, like red, we will associate the color with an image, an apple. This makes our color preferences greatly influenced by what we have been exposed to, so then do you think color preference is culturally influenced like the article stated? The article also talks about how people would quickly reject drinking a brown tomato juice, since all we have ever seen is bright red tomato juice. But if we had only seen dingy brown tomato juice we would not think twice about drinking. This shows how color preference is greatly ruled by the unconscious, so are there any foods that you can think of being a different color that would make you hesitate eating them?

Link: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-new-brain/201104/why-we-prefer-certain-colors

Female Student Psych Crisis?

We talk about gender differences a lot in Psychology, and one of the significant differences we've cited in these past two units on disorders and treatments is that statistics show women are more anxious and depressed than men. What's more intriguing, though, is the reason behind this difference. In this article, published in Newsweek at the end of January, Kristina Dell says that surveys show female college freshmen report lower levels of emotional health than do their male counterparts. They key word, here, I think, is report. Like we've mentioned many times these past few weeks, because of certain female stereotypes, it is more acceptable for women to admit emotional weakness than it is for males. This does not mean males are not feeling the same way -- they are just more hesitant to report it (this statement is supported in the article by Greg Eells, director of counseling and psychological services at Cornell University).

So, though the article does mention reasons female students may truly have lower levels of emotional health than do male students, do you think the difference is mainly in the number of females willing to report such feelings compared to the number of males willing to do the same? Or do you support the argument that women are actually in worse shape? If so, which of the author's arguments would you cite as the main reason for women's lower emotional health? Further, since men do have the tendency to "wait and stew" and in many cases fail to acknowledge their problems, are they the ones who are actually in crisis?

The Depressing News about Antidepressants...

As we've discussed, biomedical therapy is very popular in the treatment of many disorders, especially depression. Drugs such as Prozac and Zoloft have become common in our vernacular. Often people seek treatment and are prescribed an antidepressant. Sometimes these are also used with psychotherapy.....other times not.  

In this article published in January 2010, Sharon Begley raises the question of whether or not antidepressants work. Moreover, she explores the placebo effect in detail, arguing perhaps that it may be all we need to cure depression.

Please read this article and comment by Thursday 3/31 before class. Consider the following questions when drafting your response:

• What is the placebo effect and how does it impact treatment of depression?
• How do you feel about the FDA requirements from clinical trials in approving drugs?
• How do antidepressants affect people with mild, moderate, or severe depression? Why do you think there is a difference among the three?
• If antidepressants are not the answer to depression....what is?

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/01/28/the-depressing-news-about-antidepressants.html

Begley, S. (January 29, 2010). The depressing news about antidepressants. Newsweek. Retrieved from:

            http://www.newsweek.com/2010/01/28/the-depressing-news-about-antidepressants.print.html

Are Women Their Own Worst Enemies?

Since we go to an all-girls high school and have to deal with girls on an everyday basis, I thought that this article was a very appropriate topic! We always here about the ongoing “girl-fights” at lunch or parties, but what is the foundation for most of these fights? This article says that social comparison is a fundamental characteristic of humans to engage in which is why so many fights start. I completely agree that humans are always in competition with each other to have the better car or clothes, but are women more prone to engaging in social comparison than man? This article states that women are more likely to participate in “upward” social comparisons where they compare themselves to someone superior to themselves. Why do you think this is? The article also believes that women are more prone to this upward social comparison because they have one more motive than men do: their offspring. Women tend to be in competition with other women because they think, whether it is consciously or unconsciously, that women of a higher status are more likely to get a larger share of the available resources for their offspring. This evokes anger, jealousy, and hatred because every woman wants to raise their children the best that they can. What do you think of this idea? Do you believe that when women are jealous of each other they are really thinking about their future offspring? One of the final points this article makes for women being more prone to social comparison deals with the concept of discrimination against women. Women compete more fiercely with one another because the sources “reserved” for them are scarcer. Do you think this is true? What are some other reasons that you think women are more prone to compare themselves to other women? What do you think social comparison does to a person’s self-esteem and self-worth?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sapient-nature/201103/are-women-their-own-worst-enemies

The college that rejects you may be doing you a favor

I know it isn't my turn to blog ;-)  but I read this in the Record yesterday and could not agree more with Mitch Albom. You know Mitch Albom...author of Tuesday's with Morie and 5 People You Meet in Heaven....  Anyway, just a brief little article to help you, my stressed seniors, cope with the next few weeks.

Feel free to comment.....

Opinion: The college that rejects you may be doing you a favor

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

BY MITCH ALBOM

The Record

http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/albom_032311.html

Virtual Visitation Rights

Okay, so I know, I know we're always told how all of this technology is ruining all of our social skills; I don't know that it is necessarily ruining those skills, but I do agree that they are being diminished. I also think, however, that our social encounters are becomming more casual. In years past, the relationship between a parent and his or her child was very formal and "appointment-driven" , but now with social networking sites, like Facebook, they've become extremely more casual. I thought it was interesting when Dvora (the article's author) said that social networking sites can eliminate, or at least significantly decrease, the uncomfortable and awkward interaction between two people. I definitely think it is a lot "easier" to talk with someone on Facebook, through video chats, or on the telephone because you don't necessarily see the full reaction that is intended by the other person. Facial expressions, tone of voice, and text messages can be hard to interpret sometimes. How many times have one of you received a text and were like, "umm..are you mad? are you actually just kidding?" I know I've been the receiver of those messages a couple times. I think when someone feels he or she is only able to reciprocate a relationship online, then he or she isn't ready for the relationship. I also want you to think about how many Facebook friends you have; now how many of them do you actually talk to or even know? I thought that was an interesting point that Dvora (the author of the article) made; she said there were many "friends who scarcely knew" her, she didn't want her father to be one of them. Maybe to really get someone, you need to go beyond the computer screen. With Maslow Heirarchy of Needs, that need for being wanted and belonging aren't really met through a computer screen; they may give false hope, but it just makes it that much easier to be pushed down the "ladder" when there really isn't anything to back those feelings up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/fashion/20Facebook.html?_r=3

Segregation: Boys v. Girls

I think that this is an article that all of us can easily relate to! This article discusses single-sex education. Single-sex education is definitely on the rise, and the article discusses whether it enforces gender stereotypes or erases them. I believe that we all went to co-ed middle schools, so we all can see the differences in learning with boys and without them. Which one do you guys prefer? Do you think single-sex education enforces stereotypes or erases them? The girls classes would have a weekly class meeting to talk through their interpersonal issues. Would you like to have this in our school? Do you think it's sexist to only have this session for the girls? The article also says how girls would be in yellow classrooms and boys would be in blue classrooms. Do you think you'd rather learn in a yellow room than a blue room? Critics of single-sex education say that it is unconstitutional and enforces gender stereotypes - do you agree?




http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/the-new-segregation-battle-boys-vs-girls-1534925;_ylt=ArovjS6WBOnm2i0e2bZJKWF8bqU5

Human Nature vs. Social Construct

The article I've chosen exposes some socially taboo or socially unacceptable subjects as innate human nature. The article posits that some of the social constructs or norms we have like monogamy, defy human nature. I thought it was super interesting and slightly shocking to read the arguments for each politically incorrect truth. I'm not sure if I agree with the author on some of his justifications. What do you guys think? After reading this article, are the social and political constructs in our society defying our human nature? Are we suppressing or denying truths like beautiful people having more daughters or couples with sons being less likely to divorce because we don't personally agree with them? What do you think the article says about our collective unconscious and evolutionary psychology?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200706/ten-politically-incorrect-truths-about-human-nature

The Modesty Manifesto

This article explores the idea that American citizens are more overconfident and proud of their self-worth than ever before. I thought that this article was very interesting because its applications can be seen on both a grand scale (like comparing countries' math scores to each other) and on smaller scales, like what's playing on our radio stations (Pretty Girl Rock, anyone? http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kerihilson/prettygirlrock.html)

What has made Americans' self-confidence swell so much over the last few decades? Think about what confidence may have looked like in the 1950s and what (over)confidence looks like now in 2011. Has America's independence finally gotten too much to our heads? Are recent parenting styles to blame--never allowing a child to fail so that when that child becomes an adult, he/she expects nothing less than perfection? Why else might America's problem with overconfidence seem so gigantic when compared to countries like Japan and Switzerland and Morocco? Is it nature or nurture, genetic or cultural? Look back at concepts of personality (self-esteem, self-concept, self serving bias, individualistic vs. collectivist societies). What do you think?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/11/opinion/11brooks.html?_r=1&ref=psychologyandpsychologists

Sincerely Yours, The Breakfast Club

Alright, I'll be perfectly honest here. I could classify my addiction to John Hughes' classic The Breakfast Club as very much real, and a possible candidate for review by the DSM. Hopefully all of you have seen the movie (for the sake of this blog post, as well as your own mental health.) I think that we can all relate to watching a certain movie over and over again and never getting tired of it. John Hughes, however, had a particular style of writing and directing which has transcended decades and continues to appeal to every generations' teenagers. Why is this? What is it about Hughes' movies, including favorites such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink, that have stood the test of time in the movie industry? The author of this article explores the possibility that there may be some psychology behind the movie's mass attraction to Hughes' movies, The Breakfast Club in particular. I ask you all to go back to Unit 14, where we learned about social psychology, and make any connections you can to this movie. Some things to consider are conformity, the looking glass effect, normative social influence, deindividuation, the bystander effect, and the social exchange theory.

http://globalvillage.pepperdine.edu/b.htm#break1

(The Breakfast Club 2 as reviewed by Gerald J. Grzyb, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)

Creatively Saving Your Relationship

Ignore the big Justin Bieber picture in this article I promise it has little to do with it.

Anyway, so I found this article really interesting because it proposes that creativity affects a part of our lives that we would usually not associate it with: relationships. We've all talked about how certain jobs depend on a good amount of creativity, but not how creativity can be a component to a thriving relationship. This article says that as a country our Creativity quotient is not increasing as our IQ is; could this correlate to our divorce rates? I mean think about those couple who have been together for years. Do you ever wonder what they talk about when they know everything about each other? How they keep the relationship fresh? This article suggests that people are able to utilize creativity to approach recurring problems in a relationship in new ways and to come up with different ideas to spend a Friday night. If we are discouraged to be creative in schools, we may never develop the ability to think outside the box in not just academic and career related situations, but in our relationships as well. What do you guys think? Do you really think creativity is important in a relationship? Do you think our schools are teaching us how to utilize our creativity? If so, why has our Creativity Quotient plateaued? Any other environmental influences?

and most importantly

What does everyone think of Justin Bieber's new hair cut?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-middle-ground/201103/justin-bieber-and-the-american-creativity-quotient

Do Later School Start Times Really Help High School Students?

Blogger 3: I found this article really interesting, because it is very prevalent in society and teenagers today. Most teenagers, myself included, get an average of 5 to 7 hours of sleep each night. Although this is enough to get us through the day, there has been research indicating that adolescents need between 8.5 and 9.5 hours of sleep to function well. One way to give students the opportunity to sleep longer is by changing to start time of school, and just one extra hour of sleep can make such a huge difference in the performance of students during school and at after school activities. I know that personally I would benefit greatly if the time was changed. During midterm week when I get that extra 45 minutes of sleep I feel so much better (and happier) when I wake up. Not only does this extra sleeping time allow me to start my day on a good note, but it would also allow me to not freak out if I stay up later than usual to finish a project, write a paper or study for a test. Do you think an extra hour of sleep could help benefit students in their daily school/ activities? Or would rather have that extra hour after school to do your homework and study? Is there a way that we could get students to go to bed earlier to gain that extra hour of sleep instead of going into school an hour later? Do you think the view on this topic depends on whether you are a “morning” or “night” person?

Link: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleepless-in-america/201102/do-later-school-start-times-really-help-high-school-students

and Mariel’s is Blogger 4.

Psychology of A Snow Storm

Because we have had an outrageous number of snow days and countless snow storms this winter, I thought this article would be a perfect way to end the winter season. Psychology Today published the article, “Psychology of a Snow Storm,” which talks about the amount of snow the Midwest received. I still think it could relate to the mind sets of us, in the north east because of the winter we had as well. This article addresses how any time there is a snow storm there seems to be more people getting excited over it than fearing it. Do you think there is a difference between how adults view snow storms than how children view them? Have you ever noticed the “few problems” that come with snow storms? Do you like snow days just because you get off from school or are you one of those people who hates them because you seem to have to do more work than any other regular “school day”? Lastly, the big question is why do people get excited by snowstorms when a relatively problem free snowstorm leads to more stress and less happiness?

Link: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/goal-posts/201102/psychology-snowstorm

Valentine’s Day: should we dump it?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

In light of Valentine’s Day, I chose an article related to both love and the holiday itself. After viewing Facebook statuses this weekend, I stumbled upon many who apparently “hate” Valentine’s Day and think of it more as “single awareness day,” a constant reminder of how you’ll be spending the day lonely and upset, devouring boxes of chocolate. This article questions the validity of “love addiction” a condition which is not yet recognized in the DSM or by psychology and psychiatry in general. Do you feel that this should be classified as a real medical disorder, or are people simply getting too hyped up over one day of the year? The article also poses the question of whether or not we should do away with Valentine’s Day. Personally, I think opinions on this matter would be biased based on whether or not the person is currently in a relationship. Do you agree/disagree? Should Valentine’s Day truly be erased completely? Or should single men and women think positively and use it as a day to express their love for family, friends, and themselves?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-the-wild-things-are/201102/valentine-s-day-should-we-dump-it

"We Speak for the Dead to Protect the Living"

Hey guys!

So last year for my research paper I wrote about the reverse effects antidepressants can have on adolescents. In doing so I had to read up on a lot of different stories about cases where antidepressants went wrong. I came across this great website that contains all of these different stories about kids our age who took medication and became even more depressed. Many cases resulted in suicide or murder. It's kind of a heavy topic so be prepared to be disturbed but I think it's important to be aware of the flaws in today's medicine. Play around with the website a little; the stories are short but there's a lot of information throughout the site. It also tells you exactly what medication the kids were on so I thought that was pretty cool because we are familiar with most listed (ex Zoloft). While reading the cases, think about the argument that medicine does us worse than it does better. Is it possible that there are stronger, more effective alternatives out there to remedy psychological disorders other than pills?

http://www.ssristories.com/index.html#FromIndex

Post #1: Do you know someone with Football Attention Neurosis?

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!

The New York Times published an article, that I found on the Association for Psychological Science website, about the Super Bowl and the psychological effects a F.A.N. (someone with Football Attention Neurosis) may experience during and after the game, especially when their favorite team is playing. The article doesn't have a serious tone, but I think it raises some interesting questions about what constitutes a psychological disorder. Do you think serious football fans can be considered to have an anxiety disorder because of the symptoms they may experience during the game? Have you observed any behavior (such as aggressive driving or Facebook/cell phone "addictions") that can be considered a psychological disorder? At what point do these quirks go from being normal to an actual psychological condition? If you do think something should be considered a disorder, do you think the therapy steps in the article can be adapted to help people recognize the problem or change their behavior?

A Home Treatment Kit for Super Bowl Suffering

Remember to respond to this post by Wednesday, February 9th and enjoy the game!