Psychology Around the Net: September 30, 2017

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Ah, the leaves are changing and the air’s getting crisper…goodbye September! I can’t say I’ll miss you (you kind of whizzed right on by?!) and October is my favorite month anyway!

This week’s Psychology Around the Net covers the real psychology behind taking a knee, what really creates the “grit” personality trait, why some people don’t need to hear “I love you” in relationships, and more.

Study Challenges Validity of the Psychological “Grit Scale”: For the past decade or so, various industries, from practical psychology to selecting employees, have used the Grit Scale to help measure a person’s “grit” — a supposed personality trait that combines perseverance to reach goals and consistency in interests. However, a new research shows that while the Grit Scale does measure perseverance and interest, the two components do not form a single trait.

The Psychology of Taking a Knee: When Colin Kaepernick took his first knee, did he realize he was starting a scientific conversation that goes way beyond his reason for the protest?

A Stanford Psychologist on the Art of Avoiding Assholes: You read that correctly: Robert Sutton, a psychology professor at Stanford University, has released The Asshole Survival Guide — seven years after his The No Asshole Rule — and he’s given an interview on everything from what exactly defines an “asshole” to how you can avoid being one.

What New Depression Drug Possibilities Are Out There? Researchers combining certain classes of medications have found these combinations can increase effectiveness, which can help doctors more quickly and efficiently determine which medicines will be the most effective for their patients.

This Photo Is A Powerful Reminder That Mental Illness Isn’t Always Visible: Many of us associate pictures of sad, gloomy-looking people with mental illness; however, there is no single — if any — kind of picture that shows mental disorders, as mental health advocate Milly Smith is trying to tell us. Smith posted a picture of herself looking and feeling happy one morning — and then tried for the third time to commit suicide seven hours later.

Why You Don’t Have To Say “I Love You” To Feel Love: Perhaps the most important thing — as simple as it sounds — is knowing what you want from the relationship and making sure you get it.

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September 30, 2017 at 06:39AM

Psychopathy: Children at risk respond differently to laughter

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Children who display disruptive and unemotional behavior may feel less inclined to join in when everybody else is laughing.

For many of us, laughter is contagious. But new research suggests that for children who are at risk of becoming psychopaths in adulthood, this may not be the case.

A recent study published in the journal Current Biology examines how children at risk of psychopathy respond to laughter. The research was led by Essi Viding, a professor of developmental psychopathology at University College London in the United Kingdom.

As the Prof. Viding explains, "Psychopathy is an adult personality disorder. However, we do know from longitudinal research that there are certain children who are at a higher risk for developing psychopathy."

Such children exhibit two main personality traits: they are likely to be disruptive and show "callous-unemotional traits."

In the new study, the researchers screened for these traits and hypothesized that the children displaying them would also be somewhat "immune" to the social contagion that accompanies laughter. They looked at this hypothesis on both a behavioral and a neural level.

Prof. Viding explains the motivation for the study in the context of existing research, saying, "Most studies have focused on how individuals with psychopathic traits process negative emotions and how their lack of response to them might explain their ability to aggress against other people."

"This prior work is important," she adds, "but it has not fully addressed why these individuals fail to bond with others. We wanted to investigate how boys at risk of developing psychopathy process emotions that promote social affiliation, such as laughter."

Studying laughter contagion in children

To do so, Prof. Viding and team examined the behavioral and neural response to laughter in 32 boys aged 11 to 16 who displayed callous-unemotional traits and disruptive behavior, as well as in 30 boys with disruptive behavior but who scored low for unemotional traits.

The scientists also examined 31 control children who did not display any psychopathy risk factors. These were of the same age, ethnic makeup, and socioeconomic background as the risk group. The controls were also matched for left- or right-handedness and IQ.

Using functional MRI, the researchers examined the brain activity of these children while they listened to genuine laughter, "fake" laughter, and crying sounds as distractors.

To assess their behavioral responses, the boys were asked to answer the questions, ''How much does hearing the sound make you feel like joining in and/or feeling the emotion?'' and ''How much does the sound reflect a genuinely felt emotion?'' using a scale from 0 to 7.

The former question was designed to measure subjective laughter contagion, and the latter measured the ability to emotionally discern authentic laughter from fake laughter.

It was found that children who exhibited both risk factors for psychopathy reported a much weaker desire to join in with the laughter compared with the control group, and with the boys who were disruptive but did not have the callous-unemotional trait.

Also, the boys who exhibited both risk factors for psychopathy showed decreased brain activity in two regions: the anterior insula and the supplementary motor area.

As the authors explain, previous neuroimaging studies have shown that hearing laughter tends to activate "motor and premotor areas," as the brain prepares for vocalizations of laughter - namely, joining in.

These areas represent "a neural mechanism for experiencing these emotions vicariously and promoting social connectedness," the authors write.

'Social cues do not register in the same way'

Prof. Viding cautions that the study cannot establish causality. However, she does say that the findings should prompt further research into how children at risk of psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder display or relate to social affiliation.

The researchers are also interested in how caregiving relates to social connectedness in these children, suggesting that poor caregiving may lead to poor social affiliation. In this sense, the authors emphasize the need for longitudinal research that follows the development of these children over time.

They would also like to investigate how boys at risk of psychopathy respond to smiling faces or displays of affection.

"Those social cues that automatically give us pleasure or alert us to someone's distress," explains Prof. Viding, "do not register in the same way for these children."

"That does not mean that these children are destined to become antisocial or dangerous," she adds. "Rather, these findings shed new light on why they often make different choices from their peers."

"We are only now beginning to develop an understanding of how the processes underlying prosocial behavior might differ in these children. Such understanding is essential if we are to improve current approaches to treatment for affected children and their families who need our help and support."

Prof. Essi Viding

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September 30, 2017 at 04:08AM

An eleven-year-old boy is raising funds for hypnotherapy to battle his mental eating disorder - Dorset Echo

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A schoolboy who has ‘never eaten a chip’ is raising funds for hypnotherapy. 

Eleven-year-old Josh Groves from Dorchester is crowdfunding for hypnotherapy to tackle a mental eating disorder. 

On his Just Giving page Josh said: “To look at me I appear to be healthy and happy, however, underneath, all is not as it seems. 

“I have a rare mental eating disorder, which I really want to overcome. I am unable to eat normal food like everyone else. Something in my head is stopping me from doing this.”

Since he was a baby, Josh’s diet has consisted of jarred seven-month-old baby food, custard and digestive biscuits.

Josh’s mum, Lorraine Groves said despite repeatedly trying to overcome his disorder, Josh is till unable eat normally and he doesn’t know why. 

“It’s really affected his life. We rarely go out for family meals as he hates eating in public. 

"Lunch times at school are really challenging and he misses out on friend’s birthday parties. It’s starting to affect him more,” she said. 

Josh has been seen by paediatricians, child mental health services and a dietitian, all with no success. 

“There’s no service on the NHS that can help him. We've tried bribery, we've tried rewards, we've seen so many people.” Lorraine said. 

In a last resort to battle the condition, two years ago, Josh’s teacher recommended a hypnotherapist she believed could help.

Until this year he was deemed too young for the alternative therapy but has now seen the hypnotherapist for an initial consultation.

Lorraine said: "Coming out he was incredibly positive and determined to overcome this." 

Now, in a final bid to overcome his disorder, Josh is trying to raise £500 to help pay for the hypnotherapy course. 

He will be completing a sponsored ten mile walk and hosting a coffee and cake morning at Dewlish Village Hall on October 21 to boost his fundraising efforts. 

"My goal is to try and overcome this, so that I can sit down with my family at Christmas and eat my first ever Christmas dinner," Josh said. 

If you's like to donate to Josh visit http://ift.tt/2fYylhW.

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September 30, 2017 at 12:13AM

10 Body Language Tips that Make Your Communication Skills 10x Better

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You're reading 10 Body Language Tips that Make Your Communication Skills 10x Better, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you're enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Have you ever noticed the connection between the body language and communication skills? Why do emotional people who are animated attract more people and have fewer communication problems than those who are reserved and unemotional? The following article is going to reveal the secrets of the body language and tell you 10 body language tips that will make your communication skills 10x better.

1. Do Not Cross Your Arms or Legs

To show that you are open to people, you need to open literally and not close with the help of arms and legs. You are thus looking defensive and guarded – who needs that for the effective communication? In fact, the statistics show that you should open both your arms and legs to improve your retention. By crossing your arms and legs subconsciously, you are closing yourself from both the people and upcoming information – try to control this gesture, and you will soon see the positive results. People would be attracted to you, and you would memorize the information better and faster.

2. Keep an Eye Contact

To show you are interested in the conversation, you have to look at your dialogue partner’s eyes. If you are looking sideways, it is obvious that you are not interested and thinking about other things. To demonstrate your involvement in the dialogue, try nodding as well. It is pretty weird and quite difficult to talk to a person whose facial expression is still: you thus do not comprehend whether s/he agrees with you or not. To avoid uncomfortable situations, consider keeping an eye contact (but do not stare!) and nodding – this will create an impression that you are fully involved in the conversation and really enjoy it.

3. Smile with Your Whole Face

People will feel your smile is fake if you are smiling with only your mouth. The sincere smile involves not only the one showing the teeth, but it is also about the whole facial expression you make when you beam: eyebrows, eyelids, and cheeks. Try to control this part of your body language and make no fake smiles. As mentioned earlier, people gather around the beaming person because they feel as if they are wanted to talk to. And they will never barter this feeling away for the person with the peevish facial expression.

4. Do Not Point at People

Every person knows that it is extremely rude to dab with finger at your dialogue partner, however, it does not stop people of still doing it. If you have this habit, you have to control yourself as much as possible because you will push off any adequate dialogue partner. Just put yourself in his/her place and imagine s/he will point at you – how would you feel?

5. Do Not Droop Your Shoulders and Arms

When you droop your shoulders and arms, you are thus making yourself smaller and more unremarkable. People would not notice you unless you set back your shoulders and stick out your chest. Do not pretend you are a superhero, of course, but having a normal pose would do only good for you. Relax and loosen up by shaking your shoulders and the confident posture will appear itself.

6. Do Not Distance from Your Dialogue Partner

Of course, no one says you have to come up really close to your dialogue partner – it will make him/her feel uncomfortable. But keeping a big distance is another extreme that will make your partner feel uneasy as well. The big distance would confuse him/her because s/he would have to speak louder to make sure you can hear him/her. Second of all, the conversation is an intimate process of sharing information that is why the partners do not need to have a huge distance between them.

7. Do Not Turn Your Feet Away

As oddly as it may sound, legs are the most honest part of the body. While you may control your whole body, you are, unfortunately, unable to control where your feet are turned. Standing with your legs apart will add you confidence, and you will thus show you feel comfortable. Of course, it is difficult to control all the time where the feet are turned but knowing about this part of body language will let you notice when you seem defensive.

8. Smile and Laugh

The best way to pull people in by your body language is to smile and laugh sincerely. For one reason or another, people are attracted to those who beam. The contagious laughter is the best way to find yourself in the center of everyone’s attention and become everyone’s favorite. As for smiling, it is a powerful weapon: if a stranger approaches you, and you smile when s/he speaks to you, conceive that you will be friends. There is nothing more pleasant than to speak to a smiling person because when you beam, you warm your dialogue partner up.

9. Do Not Keep Your Head Down

Do not keep your head too high because people will think you are arrogant, but do not keep it too down. This will signify you are shy and reserved and will thus frighten the potential dialogue partner. Keeping your head down creates an impression you are feeling guilty and discourages having a conversation with you because you have no idea how to get the eye contact with you. What you need is keep your head straight in front of your dialogue partner’s eyes: not too high, not too down.

10. Do Not Hold Anything in Front of Your Heart

If you are at a party, try not to hold your drink in front of your chest because you are thus closing yourself from your dialogue partner. In fact, do not hold anything in front of your heart ever: this gesture makes you seem guarded and distant. If you have something in your hands, just keep it near the leg, but do not create a barrier between you and your partner with the help of the drink. This article has covered all the points for improving your skills in spoken language. But don’t forget about your written communication skills, matter too! To learn more about this, check out the brilliant initiative on EduBirdie. This site is built for students, who require help with their endless assignments.

You've read 10 Body Language Tips that Make Your Communication Skills 10x Better, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you've enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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September 30, 2017 at 12:08AM

Australian Bird Dips Its Dinner

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Of the many thousands of species of birds on Earth, only about 25 are known to do something special with their food—they dunk it in water before eating.

Nobody knows for sure why the birds do it. It might moisten foods for easier eating. Or it might wash away nasty-tasting chemicals. The behavior is seen most often in super smart species, like crows. And now it’s been observed for the first time in a bird called the Australian magpie.

"We were very, very lucky to see it. It was entirely by chance." University of Cambridge zoologist Eleanor Drinkwater.

"And so, on a day to day basis, we'd get up and we would essentially spend hours and hours following these different families of magpies around the place, and tempt them towards us and then see how they reacted when we presented them with different foods."

The researchers offered an adult male magpie a mountain katydid, an insect that's presumed to be distasteful. It’s thought that the insect defends itself against being gobbled up by secreting a bitter substance from underneath its wings as well as by vomiting a bitter-tasting cocktail.

"This one individual comes up and takes the katydid that we presented and kind of waddles off, and then goes and kind of plops it in a little stream that was behind us. We were kind of watching this together and looking at each other, like, this is a bit interesting. Haven't seen this before."

But then something even more surprising happened. The magpie dropped the wet katydid on the ground and hopped away. A few minutes later, a juvenile magpie approached, dunked the katydid once again in the puddle, and then gobbled it up. The observations were described in the journal Australian Field Ornithology. [E. Drinkwater et al, A novel observation of food dunking in the Australian Magpie Gymnorhina tibicen]

Drinkwater thinks what they saw might be an example of social learning in this species.

"To us, it kind of appeared to be the case that it could be food washing. That would make sense within the context of this particular insect.”

While the behaviors are hard to interpret, she says that she and her team reported these observations in hopes that other researchers might investigate the behavior further.

"We were just very, very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to see this interesting behavior. And in the current day and age, there are loads of people with iPhones and cameras who I'm sure have also captured all sorts of weird and wonderful animal behavior, which might not be common knowledge to the scientific community."

And unless those folks think to share their photos and videos with experts, who knows what discoveries are out there remaining to be made.

—Jason G. Goldman

 (The above text is a transcript of this podcast)

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September 29, 2017 at 11:33PM

Marilyn L. Redmond Has the Secret - NewsReleaseWire.com (press release)

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Rev. 

Rev. Marilyn L. Redmond, BA, CHT,IBRT  has found the secret to living a life free from your past or worry about the future, that brings a healthy life of joy. She can help you move into the presence of love.

Her two latest interviews with KC Armstrong bring new understanding for spirituality in your life. Her motivation is to offer assistance to those wanting to bridge the visible with the invisible with revelations and guidance. She delights in her blessings of understanding the dynamics of life and in sharing them with you.

Marilyn's stories are insightful and profound from her many experiences with the invisible world that surrounds us. She is one of the planet's true uninhibited spiritual warriors on a unique mission to help rid humanity of negative forces and embrace the light/healing desperately desired. She gives candid personal experience a new dimension.

"I found a holistic and spiritual approach to life brings "happy, joyous and free of the ego" when conventional religion and medicine failed me. She is a pioneer in the field of overcoming the ego through regression and holistic health methods to move into a higher consciousness releasing fear. Marilyn has become fearless.

While teaching metaphysical classes in colleges and wellness centers, she was asked by her students for counseling help. This led to becoming an internationally board certified regressionist (IBRT) and a member of the American Hypnotherapy Board (AHB). She combined this with graduating from Natural Psychic School of Metaphysics where she graduated as a spiritual minister with counseling, psychic, and mediumship abilities.

"So much pain and darkness and now the Light is shining brightly. With her words walking you through her pain, she then gives her words of encouragement as she walks into that Light. With these words, you too can find your way out of any situation. It does not happen overnight, but with the "tools" Marilyn gives you, you can do it, says, Rev. Darci Adams, Spiritual Counselor, Healer, and author.

These abilities led her into giving readings, exorcisms, talking to those passed over, channeling ascended masters, including Jesus and Mother Mary,  healing health issues, and relationship problems. Through her, 12 near death situations aided by her angels to stay alive, she sees angels and paints their portraits by commission.

Her clients are looking for alternative help rather than the conventional methods. Marilyn found that conventional medicine did not help with chronic conditions, but was helpful for acute illness. Several years ago, one client's doctor diagnosed her condition as terminal. After healing with Marilyn, she enjoyed her 25th Wedding anniversary, this year. Her story is in "Paradigm Busters, Reveal the Real You" at Amazon.com.

Marilyn's new perceptions about life led her think out of the box of traditional religion and medicine when her angels kept her alive. She continually is writing books that are on Amazon.com  and international columns for The Sussex Newspaper, gives readings, sees clients, and paints angel pictures.

Web site is Angelicasgifts.com

Books at http://ift.tt/2xEcnKY

Blog is marilynredmondbooks.blogspot.com

Lectures, interviews, and spiritual information on You Tube at   

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=marilyn+redmond

Mail link to subscribe to my newsletter: http://eepurl.com/73fEH

Rev. Marilyn Redmond

Marilyn Redmond, BA, CHT, IBRT

Edgewood, WA

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September 29, 2017 at 11:13PM

How to relieve IBS back pain - Bel Marra Health

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Home » Colon And Digestive » IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) » IBS back pain: How irritable bowel syndrome causes back pain and what to do about it

IBS back pain: How irritable bowel syndrome causes back pain and what to do about it

By: Mohan Garikiparithi | Colon Health | Friday, September 29, 2017 - 07:00 AM

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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and back pain may seem like two unrelated conditions, but there are some cases where they co-exist. IBS back pain is often expressed by patients and is sometimes called referred pain, meaning that pain is felt in a part of the body that isn’t the actual source. This may be the result of IBS that occurs due to gas formation, bloating, and constipation.

How does irritable bowel syndrome cause back pain?

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common disorder that affects the large colon. It causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. A hallmark feature of IBS is the relief of distressing symptoms upon defecation. Only a small portion with the condition have severe symptoms, and most IBS patients can control their symptoms by managing diet, lifestyle, and stress.

There is no clear reason why IBS can cause lower back pain, but it is assumed that irritation and disturbances in the colon create pain that presents itself in the back. Having bouts of constipation can lead to physical distention of the intestinal walls, possibly activating pain receptors of the lower back.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) should not be confused with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as there are no inflammatory processes occurring in IBS.

How to relieve IBS back pain

Treatment

Considering that back pain occurs in only a small number of IBS sufferers, no proper prescribed treatment is currently available for it. It is recommended to speak to an experienced gastroenterologist if you believe back pain is related to your IBS symptoms. However, treating IBS may provide some patients with back pain relief. Medicines designed to cure constipation, bloating, and excessive gas can successfully help manage IBS.

Probiotics are designed to balance bacterial colonies within the gut, helping to promote digestion. They can be found in powder, tablet, and yogurt forms. It is still recommended to speak to a healthcare professional when choosing to incorporate probiotics into your diet.

It isn’t known what causes IBS, but various factors and triggers are thought to play a role. Successfully avoiding these triggers serves as a form of treatment for IBS and may provide IBS back pain relief. Triggers of IBS include:

• Foods: Having a food allergy or intolerance may bring on the symptoms of IBS. Common foods include chocolate, spices, fats, beans, broccoli, milk, and alcohol.
• Stress: Periods of stress, similar to those felt before writing an important test, may aggravate symptoms.
• Hormones: It is known that women are about twice as likely to have IBS, and doctors think that fluctuating hormones may play a role. Many women find that symptoms of IBS tend to be worse during or after their menstrual periods.
• Other: It is possible that suffering from an infectious case of diarrhea or having an overgrowth of gut bacteria can trigger IBS.
  

Home Remedies

There are various home remedies that you can implement to help relieve IBS symptoms and IBS back pain. These include:

• Deep breathing: Helps to improve mood and reduce stress.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy: A form of psychotherapy treatment with the goal of changing negative habits and moods.
• Massage, meditation, or hypnotherapy: Help to relax muscles and ease pain.
• Yoga or Tai Chi: Both forms of exercise can decrease lower back pain caused by IBS.
• Acupuncture: Involves the insertion of fine needles into pressure points in the body. It is known for relaxing muscle spasms and easing IBS back pain.

Tips to relieve IBS back pain while sleeping

IBS back pain can make it difficult to get restful sleep. However, with some diligence and a routine, you can be certain you are doing your best to limit the amount of back pain experienced with IBS. Try these tips:

• Exercise everyday
• Avoid large meals and caffeinated drinks at least four hours before bed
• Your bed should not be used for anything else besides sleep and sex.
• Don’t sleep or lie down immediately after working out. Instead, try to incorporate a resting period during your exercise time.
• Have a consistent sleep and wake times

Having back pain and IBS symptoms can be a challenge to deal with. If you find yourself losing an excessive amount of sleep or the pain is unbearable, seeing a doctor about your symptoms is recommended. It is possible that your back pain could be due to a different cause, or at the very least, your doctor may prescribe you something to deal with the pain.

Related: IBS vs. IBD: Causes, symptoms, risk factors, and complications

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September 29, 2017 at 08:57PM