QuoteReplyTopic: Psychology News Update Posted: 17-Nov-2013 at 00:25
How the Brain Gets Addicted to Gambling
"... neuroscience and genetics demonstrating that gambling and drug addiction are far more similar than previously realized. Research in the past two decades has dramatically improved neuroscientists' working model of how the brain changes as an addiction develops. In the middle of our cranium, a series of circuits known as the reward system links various scattered brain regions involved in memory, movement, pleasure and motivation. When we engage in an activity that keeps us alive or helps us pass on our genes, neurons in the reward system squirt out a chemical messenger called dopamine, giving us a little wave of satisfaction and encouraging us to make a habit of enjoying hearty meals and romps in the sack. When stimulated by amphetamine, cocaine or other addictive drugs, the reward system disperses up to 10 times more dopamine than usual..."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-the-brain-gets-addicted-to-gambling&WT.mc_id=SA_CAT_MB_20131106
I guess similar explanation can be used for other addiction like shopping therapy, for example.
Does Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Require Trauma?
"...Not only is trauma insufficient to trigger PTSD symptoms, it is also
not necessary. Although by definition clinicians cannot diagnose PTSD in
the absence of trauma, recent work suggests that the disorder’s
telltale symptom pattern can emerge from stressors that do not involve
bodily peril. In 2008 psychologist Gerald M. Rosen of the University of
Washington and one of us (Lilienfeld) reviewed data demonstrating that
significant PTSD symptoms can follow emotional upheavals
resulting from divorce, significant employment difficulties or loss of a
close friendship. In a 2005 study of 454 undergraduates, psychologist
Sari Gold of Temple University and her colleagues revealed that students
who had experienced nontraumatic stressors, such as serious illness in a
loved one, divorce of their parents, relationship problems or
imprisonment of someone close to them, reported even higher rates of
PTSD symptoms than did students who had lived through bona fide trauma.
Taken together, these findings call into question the long-standing
belief that these symptoms are tied only to physical threat.
In light of these and other data, some authors have suggested that the
PTSD diagnosis be extended to include anxiety reactions to events that
are stressful but not terrifying. Yet such a change could lead to what
Harvard University psychologist Richard J. McNally calls “criterion
creep”—expanding the boundaries of the diagnosis beyond recognition.
This and other controversies aside, recent results raise the possibility
that PTSD is a less distinctive affliction than originally thought and
that its symptoms may arise in response to a plethora of intense
stressors that are part and parcel of the human condition...." http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=when-coping-fails
"...In the least religious nations—which include Estonia, the
Scandinavian countries, Hong Kong and Japan—the role of faith in public
life can still be surprisingly complex, however. Phil Zuckerman, a
sociologist at Pitzer College, spent 14 months interviewing people in
Denmark, one of these hallowed lands where religious belief is low, yet
people’s spirits are high. Just 19 percent of the population considered
religion important, according to Diener’s survey...
...Denmark and Sweden buck conventions in more ways than one. They have
the lowest church attendance in the world. Ask them if they believe the
basic tenets of Christian doctrine, and by and large they say they do
not. “Even the vast majority of the clergy don’t believe in God,”
Zuckerman says. Yet most Danes and Swedes baptize their babies, get
married in churches and pay a tax that supports the church.
How the presence of the church contributes to Scandinavians’ well-being
is an open question. The institution likely represents a sense of
community, a shared moral foundation and a national heritage. Yet as one
Danish bishop told Zuckerman, “Danes don’t need to go to church to feel
community. They live in Denmark.” The country has been described as a
modern tribe; with a language spoken by only about six million people
and few immigrants, Denmark’s homogeneity serves as social glue. The
country also has egalitarian workplaces, with minimal social distance
separating bosses and employees.
That is all well and good for the Danes, but for the rest of us some
lessons can emerge. Belief in God or gods is not a prerequisite for a
pleasurable existence, although it can make life easier. Socializing
with like-minded people on a regular basis, and living and working in a
supportive community, can offer many of the same benefits. As Diener
puts it, “Religion can certainly help people to be happier, but other
things can help you do the same thing. A peaceful, cooperative society,
even in the absence of religion, seems to have the same effect.”..." http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=healthy-skepticism&page=4
There wasn't stress in 1830 in the way there is now. Then it was / or the most countries/ pre-industrial society, social roles were set, people when unhappy knew that they cannot change it, there weren't for women expectations for successful careers on the top of housekeeping, there were no cars, people didn't live by the clock, and there wasn't the today's alienation, everyone lived with their relatives and had a lots of support groups. Besides people lived shorted lives, and died before getting all the diseases of worn bodies, from arthritis to dementia. We live in completely different circumstances, torn between expectations planted in us by media, alienated from relatives, too set on paying bills or we'll lose what we have /stress for life/, while in 1830 people didn't have loans. Our lives are unstable, every drop in the market affects everyone, one don't have family to rely on, and in addition there is constant competition one is involved in.
So, the live 2 centuries ago and now cannot be compared. Besides, what works for you may not work for everyone. Drinking works for people how have the so called "good drunkenness" - they stay in the early stages of intoxication when alcohol depression hadn't hit yet; but not eveyone does so. About 12% of people become alcoholics when trying to alleviate stress with drinking, the reasons may be psychological or physiological, or both - I had alcoholic father and step-father, and had observed that. So, for such people drinking have the opposite effect.
Besides, not giving a damn is not exactly a choice, one can force ones to do so for a time, but in general not everyone can do it. Besides, there are different lives, some people have to cope with PTSD sinnce it's genetically set, on hormonal basis - we are chemical beings - so that can't be changed with willing it to go. Some people are lucky to be more durable, some are not. I told you about the detail - that's why I posted it. Many new works ate just detailing and precising old ones. So far, as far as I'm concerned, there isn't found a way to deal with stress - diet, music, etc is nothing, just concentrating on something else, and lack of sex would completely take one of balance, so it's not theraputic. We are still looking for the magic button to alleviate stress - that's what locating the reason in this hormonal stuff is an important detail.
Well, it is known for a long time that stress weakens the body and causes diseases - in the said article the mechanism how that happens is shown - through producing inflammation-inducing chemicals. This is an important detail, because it may show a way how this can be corrected, by countering the said chemicals.
The devil is in the details - otherwise I wouldn't bother to waste my time to read and post it.
Yep as I noted... been noted for years...so why the need for the new regurgitation by this wannabe...what does he offer in the way of new or better yet re-interpreted. Don't eat salt, don't do drugs, live a life of monastic purity, abstain from sex or for those unable engage in tantric sex..chant...listen to music...use scent candles....get a pet..learn to play an instrument... watch yer diet...don't use caffeine...don't drink fluoridated water..drink vinegar...eat turmeric...eat yer fruits and veggies...don't eat processed foods...watch your bad cholesterol.....take a shower often don't shower often ....etc.etc.etc. till I puke.
It's all psych-babbler bullshit. All the rest was as I also noted by and for those who make a living perping this.
Psychology didn't exist perse in 1825....what were they doing then to alleviate stress?
What ever in the hell they wanted or advised by the medicos of the day told em.... and stress, a concept they probably didn't even recognise as a detriment to long life was a non-issue.
Drink heavily when ya feel like it and don't give a damn and ya will find your stress goes down.
I'm living proof.
Edited by Centrix Vigilis - 18-Apr-2012 at 03:35
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"
S. T. Friedman
Pilger's law: 'If it's been officially denied, then it's probably true'
Tattoos and piercings are more than a fashion - they show propensity to risky behavior, in a positive correlation the more the tattoos and piercing, the more the risky behavior: "...Tattoos and body piercings have become so popular in western societies
that many consider them fashion trends. While people acquire tattoos and
piercings for different reasons, prior research has shown that
individuals who do so are also more likely to engage in risky behaviors
that include substance and alcohol use. This study was the first in
France to find more alcohol per liter of exhaled breath in association
with tattooing and body piercing.... ...I thought the approach to studying this topic was fascinating," said
Armstrong. "However, I am concerned with the tendency to see a tattoo or
piercing and automatically profile or stereotype that individual as a
'high-risk person' as this may or may not be conducive for helping them.
A clinician, for example, can spend some time not judging individuals
about their present tattoos, but talking to them about safe tattooing,
etc. and alcohol in general ... not because they have tattoos or
piercings but because they are in a high-risk age group."
She added that people have tattoos or piercings for different reasons,
such as religious beliefs. In addition, there is a difference between
those who have few tattoos or piercings and those who have many.
"In 2009, we conducted a study of those with one to two, three to four,
and five or more tattoos," she said. "We found that those with only one
tattoo were very similar to those without any tattoos in terms of
high-risk behaviors, including alcohol. We also graded body piercings
and found that individuals with seven or more were the really high-risk
group. In other words, be very careful about generalizing among those
with many tattoos or piercings and those with only one."
..." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/244176.php
Well, it is known for a long time that stress weakens the body and causes diseases - in the said article the mechanism how that happens is shown - through producing inflammation-inducing chemicals. This is an important detail, because it may show a way how this can be corrected, by countering the said chemicals.
The devil is in the details - otherwise I wouldn't bother to waste my time to read and post it.
Pshaw ole pard... we/I have known this fer years...who in the hell is the this current wannabe. Other then to make money on tapes.... books and the lecture circuit..or in ACADEMIA (the fall back position of the would be) to attempt to amaze me with the obvious.
When in doubt.... drink Scot's whiskey and listen to the songs of warriors and angels...if no time is available..... then pray for the return of He who is all things....(and hold yer whiskey an songs in reserve) while drawing yer gawdamn saber and charging.
Music and whiskey will lessen stress. trust me.
Sabers help as well.
But what ever ya do...don't let these charlatans make a living off what they want ya to believe... iow. it's a problem that only they.... have a solution for.
For the correct response for that is:
bullshit.
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"
S. T. Friedman
Pilger's law: 'If it's been officially denied, then it's probably true'
A research team led by Carnegie Mellon University's Sheldon Cohen has
found that chronic psychological stress is associated with the body
losing its ability to regulate the inflammatory response. Published in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research
shows for the first time that the effects of psychological stress on
the body's ability to regulate inflammation can promote the development
and progression of disease... ...In the second study, 79 healthy participants were assessed for their
ability to regulate the inflammatory response and then exposed to a cold
virus and monitored for the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines,
the chemical messengers that trigger inflammation. He found that those
who were less able to regulate the inflammatory response as assessed
before being exposed to the virus produced more of these
inflammation-inducing chemical messengers when they were infected.
"The immune system's ability to regulate inflammation predicts who will
develop a cold, but more importantly it provides an explanation of how
stress can promote disease," Cohen said. "When under stress, cells of
the immune system are unable to respond to hormonal control, and
consequently, produce levels of inflammation that promote disease.
Because inflammation plays a role in many diseases such as
cardiovascular, asthma and autoimmune disorders, this model suggests why stress impacts them as well."
He added, "Knowing this is important for identifying which diseases may
be influenced by stress and for preventing disease in chronically
stressed people."
..." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/243702.php
It seems that people perceive virtual communication in the same way as they do the face-to-face one in real life - with all the pluses and minuses of it:
"... Most people would probably expect that being ignored or rejected via a
remote source like the Internet would not hurt as much as being rejected
in person. Yet, our studies show that people may experience similar
psychological reactions to online exclusion as they do with face-to-face
exclusion."... ...The team found that participants in both scenarios responded similarly to being excluded.
"Contrary to our expectation, the students' responses to rejection were
not primarily characterized by severe distress, but rather characterized
by numbness and distancing or withdrawal," Smyth said.
Overall, the team showed that the participants expected the exclusion to
be much worse than what they actually reported when they experienced
the exclusion. The results of both studies appeared in a recent online
issue of Computers in Human Behavior.
"What we found interesting is that in the lab setting, the vast majority
of participants attributed their exclusion as being no fault of their
own, but rather due to the other individuals in the room," Filipkowski
said. "In other words, people said, 'it isn't me, it's you.' This may
have been a type of protective mechanism in order to buffer their mood
and self-esteem."... ...The results suggest that our culture may not differentiate between
in-person and online experiences as much as we might think, according to
the researchers.
"Although the meaningfulness of online or remote interactions may seem
troubling, these data may also hold a more positive message," Smyth
said. "Meaningful online interactions may support the utilization of
remote interventions that can enhance physical and psychological
well-being, in turn providing increased access to opportunities for
people who are in need."..."http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/243773.php
Which supports my opinion that human communication is psychologically based, and the visual communication is only second-rate to the mental one; we communicate mind-to-mind, not body-to-body, in other words.
It seems that people who developed PTSD do so because they have genetic predisposition to it:
Study Identifies PTSD Genes
"...Why do some persons succumb to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while others who suffered the same ordeal do not? A new UCLA study may shed light on the answer.
UCLA scientists have linked two genes involved in serotonin production
to a higher risk of developing PTSD. Published in the April 3 online
edition of the Journal of Affective Disorders, the findings suggest that susceptibility to PTSD is inherited, pointing to new ways of screening for and treating the disorder.
"People can develop post-traumatic stress disorder after surviving a
life-threatening ordeal like war, rape or a natural disaster," explained
lead author Dr. Armen Goenjian, a research professor of psychiatry at
the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. "If
confirmed, our findings could eventually lead to new ways to screen
people at risk for PTSD and target specific medicines for preventing and
treating the disorder."
PTSD can arise following child abuse, terrorist attacks, sexual or
physical assault, major accidents, natural disasters or exposure to war
or combat. Symptoms include flashbacks, feeling emotionally numb or
hyper-alert to danger, and avoiding situations that remind one of the
original trauma.
..."
"...Affecting about 7 percent of Americans, PTSD has become a pressing
health issue for a large percentage of war veterans returning from Iraq
and Afghanistan. The UCLA team's discovery could be used to help screen
persons who may be at risk for developing PTSD.
"A diagnostic tool based upon TPH1 and TPH2 could enable military
leaders to identify soldiers who are at higher risk of developing PTSD,
and reassign their combat duties accordingly," observed Goenjian. "Our
findings may also help scientists uncover alternative treatments for the
disorder, such as gene therapy or new drugs that regulate the chemicals
responsible for PTSD symptoms."
According to Goenjian, pinpointing genes connected with PTSD symptoms
will help neuroscientists classify the disorder based on brain biology
instead of clinical observation. Psychiatrists currently rely on a trial
and error approach to identify the best medication for controlling an
individual patient's symptoms.
Serotonin is the target of the popular antidepressants known as SSRIs,
or selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, which prolong the effect of
serotonin in the brain by slowing its absorption by brain cells. More
physicians are prescribing SSRIs to treat psychiatric disease beyond depression, including PTSD and obsessive compulsive disorder.
..." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/243688.php
Help for teachers - teaching is a very requiring profession, and one of those who affect the most the health of those practicing it / a larger percentage of lung diseases, high stress levels, anxiety, and alcoholism is found among teachers that among other professions; teachers rate together with miners, according to studies I read somewhere.
"...ScienceDaily (Mar. 28, 2012) — Schoolteachers
who underwent a short but intensive program of meditation were less
depressed, anxious or stressed -- and more compassionate and aware of
others' feelings, according to a UCSF-led study that blended ancient
meditation practices with the most current scientific methods for
regulating emotions.... ..."The findings suggest that increased awareness of mental processes
can influence emotional behavior," said lead author Margaret Kemeny,
PhD, director of the Health Psychology Program in UCSF's Department of
Psychiatry. "The study is particularly important because opportunities
for reflection and contemplation seem to be fading in our fast-paced,
technology-driven culture."
Altogether, 82 female schoolteachers between the ages of 25 and 60
participated in the project. Teachers were chosen because their work is
stressful and because the meditation skills they learned could be
immediately useful to their daily lives, possibly trickling down to
benefit their students.
... -Concentration practices involving sustained, focused attention on a specific mental or sensory experience;
- Mindfulness practices involving the close examination of one's body and feelings;
- Directive practices designed to promote empathy and compassion toward others.
In the randomized, controlled trial, the schoolteachers learned to
better understand the relationship between emotion and cognition, and to
better recognize emotions in others and their own emotional patterns so
they could better resolve difficult problems in their relationships.
All the teachers were new to meditation and all were involved in an
intimate relationship...."http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120328142852.htm
"...A study from the Stanford University School of Medicine is published this week in Psychological Science showing that children who experience difficulty with math exhibit an altered brain function from anxiety. The same part of the brain that responds to fearful
situations, such as seeing a spider or snake, also shows a heightened
response in children with high math anxiety."
Menon and his team used functional magnetic resonance imaging brain
scans on nearly 50 students with low and high math anxiety. The children
were also assessed for math anxiety with a modified version of a
standardized questionnaire for adults, and also received standard
intelligence and cognitive tests. As Menon continues, math anxiety has been known about for a long time,
but has never really been studied in terms of its effect on students,
and especially younger ones, when maths skills are built: "..."It's remarkable that, although the phenomena was first identified over
50 years back, nobody had bothered to ask how math anxiety manifests
itself in terms of neural activity ... You cannot just wish it away as
something that's unreal. Our findings validate math anxiety as a genuine
type of stimulus- and situation-specific anxiety." Essentially what he is saying is that his team's observations show that
math anxiety is neurobiologically similar to other kinds of anxiety or
phobias. In theory, the process may work for many other issues that
children and even adults have difficulty dealing with...." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/243328.php
Interesting article, CV. I my time in Bulgaria, in school we have to wear a knee-long blue dress that covered all the clothes we wore - at the time I was raving against it, but later when the communism fell and everyone started wearing what they had, the difference on the standard pf living of every kid became apparent and a source for peer pressure and unwarranted shame and low confidence in kids from poorer families.
In all the schools I sub there is dress code, but many girls are wiggling it around by having a sweater over sexualised clothing, and getting it off when a teacher is not around or not looking at them, and on when someone alerts the principal. They don't understand that the dress code is for their own protection, for building their own positive image - I suppose due to the mass culture's signals.
Smoking may help restore depleted self-control - and this effect is probably contributing to the nicotine addiction that smokers have.
"...A study in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology (Vol. 121, No.1)
reveals that researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida,
have discovered that smoking a cigarette may restore self-control after
it has been depleted.... ""..."We found that smoking did have a restorative effect on an individual's
depleted self-control resources. Moreover, smoking restored
self-control, in part, by improving smokers' positive mood."The authors say that evidence is increasing with regard to demonstrating
that self-control is a limited resource that acts similar to a muscle.
For instance, having to use self-control on a task leads to a short-term
effect of depleted resources, which increases the difficulty to perform
another task that requires self-control....
...Previous studies have established that nicotine enhances the performance
of various cognitive activities, like motor abilities, attention and
memory. However, this is the first study that evaluates the effects of
smoking on self-control. This study indicates that the desire to restore
depleted self-control may contribute to smokers' addiction to tobacco. Study co-author Thomas H. Brandon, Ph.D., chair of the Department of
Health Outcomes and Behavior at Moffitt Cancer Center, and psychology
professor at USF comments:
"Smoking is obviously a maladaptive way to restore self-control. Finding
other ways to relax or enhance one's mood would be much healthier
alternatives. In fact, even raising glucose level - perhaps by consuming
a sugary drink - has been shown to restore self-control."..."http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/243256.php
"....A new book by a University of New Hampshire researcher and Vietnam-era
disabled veteran sheds new light on the long-term psychological trauma
experienced by the coalition force in recent wars in the Gulf and
Balkans that, when left untreated, can have deadly consequences.... ....Instead of looking at PTSD traditionally as it has been narrowly defined
by the Veteran's Administration - requiring that a person be in a
combat situation - French found that traumatic stress
should be redefined as being on a continuum, with PTSD at the end of
the continuum and applied to a wider range of military forces as well as
civilians.
This continuum begins with the inability to make an automatic adjustment
to a new situation, which creates an adjustment disorder. Residual
clinical issues remain if the adjustment disorder is not remedied and
can lead to PTSD. There is no single cure for post-traumatic stress
disorder. Symptoms include insidious depression, panic and anxiety disorders, and brief psychotic breaks.
...
..."By focusing on only a narrow definition of PTSD, the Veteran's
Administration was excluding a lot of people," French says. "Unresolved
traumatic stress, regardless of where it falls on the continuum, can
result in suicide."..." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/243107.php
Meditation not only makes the brain stronger, but more "folded" too - thus enabling it to save more info: "...Earlier evidence out of UCLA suggested that meditating for years
thickens the brain (in a good way) and strengthens the connections
between brain cells. Now a further report by UCLA researchers suggests
yet another benefit.
Eileen Luders, an assistant professor at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro
Imaging, and colleagues, have found that long-term meditators have
larger amounts of gyrification ("folding" of the cortex, which may allow
the brain to process information faster) than people who do not
meditate. Further, a direct correlation was found between the amount of
gyrification and the number of meditation years, possibly providing
further proof of the brain's neuroplasticity, or ability to adapt to
environmental changes.... ...The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of neural tissue. Among other
functions, it plays a key role in memory, attention, thought and
consciousness. Gyrification or cortical folding is the process by which
the surface of the brain undergoes changes to create narrow furrows and
folds called sulci and gyri. Their formation may promote and enhance
neural processing. Presumably then, the more folding that occurs, the
better the brain is at processing information, making decisions, forming
memories and so forth....
...Perhaps most interesting, though, was the positive correlation between
the number of meditation years and the amount of insular gyrification.
"The insula has been suggested to function as a hub for autonomic,
affective and cognitive integration," said Luders. "Meditators are known
to be masters in introspection and awareness as well as emotional
control and self-regulation, so the findings make sense that the longer
someone has meditated, the higher the degree of folding in the insula."
While Luders cautions that genetic and other environmental factors could
have contributed to the effects the researchers observed, still, "The
positive correlation between gyrification and the number of practice
years supports the idea that meditation enhances regional gyrification."
... http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/242996.php
Praying is meditation too - so, whoever can do, meditate - it's good for you, doc said so.
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