tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/mood-37883/articlesMood – The Conversation2024-02-15T13:34:14Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2209352024-02-15T13:34:14Z2024-02-15T13:34:14ZBacteria in your gut can improve your mood − new research in mice tries to zero in on the crucial strains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569636/original/file-20240116-23-4k79iu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3295%2C2549&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The difference between one mouse's fear and another mouse's calm might be in their gut bacteria.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Katriel Cho</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Probiotics-Consumer/">Probiotics</a> have been getting a lot of attention recently. These bacteria, which you can consume from fermented foods, yogurt or even pills, are linked to a number of <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/14598-probiotics">health and wellness benefits</a>, including reducing gastrointestinal distress, urinary tract infections and eczema. But can they improve your mood, too?</p>
<p>Behavior and mental health are complicated. But the short answer, according to my team’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2023.11.001">recently published research</a>, is likely yes.</p>
<p>The beneficial bacteria in probiotics become part of a community of other microscopic organisms living in your digestive system called the <a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/science/microbiome">gut microbiome</a>. Your gut microbiome contains trillions of a diverse range of bacteria, fungi and viruses. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.02029">Hundreds of species of bacteria</a> are native to the intestinal tract. Each species can be broken down into hundreds of strains that can also be dramatically different from each other in their metabolism, byproducts and environmental preferences.</p>
<p>This bacterial diversity is why not all probiotics are built the same. Many research groups have shown that specific strains of <em>Lactobacillus</em> have <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15143258">mood-enhancing effects</a>. </p>
<p>But these effects seem to happen only with the right mix of bacteria in the right conditions. For example, a probiotic that can reduce symptoms of stress in someone who is worried about their calculus final may not work in someone with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575084/original/file-20240212-16-hxn0sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Yogurt parfair on a tablecloth" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575084/original/file-20240212-16-hxn0sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575084/original/file-20240212-16-hxn0sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575084/original/file-20240212-16-hxn0sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575084/original/file-20240212-16-hxn0sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575084/original/file-20240212-16-hxn0sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575084/original/file-20240212-16-hxn0sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575084/original/file-20240212-16-hxn0sy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The probiotics in your yogurt may play a role in boosting mood.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/shallow-focus-photo-of-clear-drinking-glass-GbCEo-Nwyj4">Tanaphong Toochinda/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<h2>Studying mood in mice</h2>
<p>In my work <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=X8XcETAAAAAJ&hl=en">as a neuroscientist</a>, I study how the gut influences the brain. My team and I recently <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2023.11.001">conducted experiments</a> in mice that support the idea that gut microbiota play a role in regulating stress.</p>
<p>So how do you measure the mood of mice? </p>
<p>First, we needed to understand how stressed mice behave. So we placed them under <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2023.11.001">short periods of stress</a>: They are restrained for two hours each day, given enough room to move around but not enough to groom or stand up. We envision this as the same type of stress people experience when they’re confined to a car or cubical for hours at a time. </p>
<p>Stressed mice soon exhibited depression- and anxiety-like behaviors, which we measured by monitoring how much time they spent hiding when placed in a new environment or how quickly they try to right themselves when flipped upside down.</p>
<p>While it isn’t surprising that stressed mice hide longer and are slower to right themselves, the power of their poop to change their behavior was. </p>
<p>To see if stressed behavior could be transferred through the microbiome, we used another group of mice that were entirely clean. These mice were free from any bacteria, fungi or viruses and lived in a rubber bubble. They essentially had no microbiome at all.</p>
<p>We exposed them to poop from either stressed mice or normal mice by sprinkling soiled bedding in their enclosures. Microbes from the donor mice started to populate the gut microbiomes of the clean mice.</p>
<p>Within a few weeks, the clean mice exposed to poop from stressed mice started to develop stress- and anxiety-like behavior, even though nothing else had changed. Meanwhile, clean mice exposed to poop from normal mice had no differences in their behavior. This finding suggests that the microbes in poop changed the mice’s behavior.</p>
<h2>Which bacteria affect mood?</h2>
<p>The results of our experiments led us back to our original question: Which bacteria can change your mood? </p>
<p>We started by comparing the microbes in the poop of stressed and normal mice. In our analysis, we found that a group of bacteria called <em>Lactobacillus</em> was greatly reduced in the stressed mice. Research has linked this group of bacteria to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2020.100169">stress reduction</a> before. However, <em>Lactobacillus</em> contains over 170 different species and even more strains. </p>
<p>Currently, the probiotic supplements available to patients are <a href="https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics-what-you-need-to-know">unregulated and often untested</a>. In order to reliably get the most effective strains to patients, they need to be properly tested. So we had to come up with a way to test how different strains affect anxious behavior. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574702/original/file-20240209-28-2yorsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Microscopy image of rod-shaped Lactobacillus stained blue" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574702/original/file-20240209-28-2yorsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574702/original/file-20240209-28-2yorsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574702/original/file-20240209-28-2yorsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574702/original/file-20240209-28-2yorsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574702/original/file-20240209-28-2yorsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574702/original/file-20240209-28-2yorsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574702/original/file-20240209-28-2yorsd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption"><em>Lactobacillus</em> are a diverse range of bacteria that can provide potential health benefits in people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lactobacillus_paracasei.jpg">Dr. Horst Neve/Max Rubner-Institut via Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Instead of tackling this colossal task alone, we created a method that other microbiome scientists can also use to look at this group of bacteria as systematically as possible. </p>
<p>To recreate the same experimental conditions for each species of microbe, we created a group of mice with only six species of bacteria in their microbiome, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar/ilv012">bare minimum needed</a> for normal and healthy development, which did not include <em>Lactobacillus</em>. This way, we could add individual strains of <em>Lactobacillus</em> back into the mice’s gut microbiome and observe the effects of each strain on their behavior and biology. </p>
<p>We’ve <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2023.11.001">tested two strains</a> so far: <em>Lactobacillus intestinalis</em> ASF360 and <em>Lactobacillus murinus</em> ASF361. Mice with these two strains of <em>Lactobacillus</em> are more resilient to stress and have quieted neural pathways associated with fear.</p>
<h2>What’s next?</h2>
<p>Our study on how different strains of <em>Lactobacillus</em> affect mood is just the beginning. We hope that our research will open avenues for other scientists to test different probiotics. </p>
<p>While researchers are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.03.023">reaching a consensus</a> that the bacteria in your digestive tract can influence your mood, and vice versa, there is still a lot of testing to be done in both animals and in people.</p>
<p>Our team is starting to develop ways to systematically test which bacteria may provide the best health outcomes in people and which probiotics are the most effective. In the meantime, give the <em>Lactobacillus</em> in your gut some love through a healthy, probiotics-rich diet.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220935/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrea Merchak has received funding from the National Institutes of Health (T32 NS115657, F31 AI174782).</span></em></p>The organisms living in your gut microbiome can influence your mental and physical health. Researchers have developed a way to better test for those biological effects.Andrea Merchak, Postdoctoral Associate in Neuroscience, University of FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2136432023-10-01T19:16:32Z2023-10-01T19:16:32ZOur mood usually lifts in spring. But after early heatwaves and bushfires, this year may be different<p>When we think of spring, we might imagine rebirth and renewal that comes with the warmer weather and longer days. It’s usually a time to celebrate, flock to <a href="https://floriadeaustralia.com">spring flower festivals</a> and spend more time in nature.</p>
<p>Spending time in nature or doing things outside, such as <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1757913915589845">exercising</a> or <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827321002093">gardening</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494419301185">lifts our mood</a>.</p>
<p>But this year, with an <a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1704325785627050136">early start</a> to the bushfire season, and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/worried-about-heat-and-fire-this-summer-heres-how-to-prepare-212443">promise of</a> long, hot months ahead, we may see our views about the warmer months start to shift.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1704325785627050136"}"></div></p>
<p>For some people, the coming months are not a celebration. They are something to fear, or feel sad about.</p>
<p>In particular, communities and emergency responders who have experienced bushfires or drought in the past may see rising levels of <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/pdf/10.3316/ielapa.588776016823324">stress and anxiety</a> as they face the months ahead.</p>
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<p>
<em>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/here-comes-the-sun-how-the-weather-affects-our-mood-19183">Here comes the sun: how the weather affects our mood</a>
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<h2>How’s this spring different?</h2>
<p>In recent weeks, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology has <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/">declared</a> two climate events are now under way: <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-el-nino-and-la-nina-27719">El Niño</a> and a positive <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/iod/">Indian Ocean Dipole</a>. </p>
<p>These events predict warmer, drier conditions through to summer, as well as more intense heatwaves, bushfires and droughts.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1703999811136205005"}"></div></p>
<p>In temperate and subtropical regions, our summers are on average <a href="https://australiainstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/P834-Out-of-Season-WEB.pdf">becoming</a> hotter and longer, and winters are becoming warmer and shorter. Climate change is the <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/climate-change-information">primary driver</a> of these shifts.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-el-nino-and-la-nina-27719">Explainer: El Niño and La Niña</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>What happens to our mood as the temperature rises?</h2>
<p>Hotter temperatures and prolonged heat is linked to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40641-019-00121-2">aggression</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00420-010-0534-2">higher rates</a> of emergency hospital admissions due to health conditions, heat-related injuries, and mental health concerns. </p>
<p>After an extreme weather event or disaster, rates of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33227944/">rise</a>. </p>
<p>Many Australians have already experienced the psychological and physical <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00048674221107872">impacts</a> of bushfires, droughts, floods and heatwaves. </p>
<p>For some communities and individuals, experiencing these types of events may mean they are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887618520301110">more</a> resilient or prepared for the future. For others, the anticipation of rising heat or other climatic threats may cause <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/10/1/1">concern</a>. They may also prompt <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00048674221107872">pre-traumatic stress</a> – the stress that comes ahead of expected loss or trauma.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1466521425888620550"}"></div></p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/worried-about-heat-and-fire-this-summer-heres-how-to-prepare-212443">Worried about heat and fire this summer? Here's how to prepare</a>
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<h2>Anxiety, anger and sadness</h2>
<p>As climate-related events become more widespread, people may also become increasingly affected by feelings such as anxiety, anger and sadness.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01251-y">Climate anxiety</a> refers to the fear, dread and worry about climate change. Anxiety can be a helpful response as it allows us to prepare and respond to future threats. For instance, climate anxiety <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494422001323">may help prompt</a> pro-environmental behaviour and climate action, such as attending a protest. But this type of anxiety can also become <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887618520300773">overwhelming</a>.</p>
<p>The loss of wildlife and nature due to bushfires can leave people feeling <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/4/2461">grief</a> over what’s lost, and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278221000018">anger</a> about the lack of action to prevent these losses.</p>
<p>Losses could also be more personal, including damage to health, livelihoods, homes, or even the ability to do enjoyable outdoor activities, such as playing sports or exercising outside.</p>
<p>Another experience, solastalgia, is the “homesickness you have when you are still at home”. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18027145/#:%7E:text=As%20opposed%20to%20nostalgia%2D%2D,connected%20to%20their%20home%20environment.">Researchers suggest</a> solastalgia is a type of distress when someone perceives negative changes and gradual deterioration to their own home environment. These feelings could arise when we notice seasonal and environmental changes to the places we love and call home.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/youre-not-the-only-one-feeling-helpless-eco-anxiety-can-reach-far-beyond-bushfire-communities-129453">You're not the only one feeling helpless. Eco-anxiety can reach far beyond bushfire communities</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>But there are things you can do</h2>
<p>Heading into the hotter months, strong <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887618520301110">community</a> support, cohesion and preparedness may be especially important. There are also things you can do to maintain and manage your mental health and wellbeing. Though more research is needed to understand which strategies work best, health professionals <a href="https://headspace.org.au/assets/Factsheets/headspace_how-to-cope-with-the-stress-of-natural-disasters_Fact-Sheet_FA01_DIGI-1.pdf">suggest</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>connecting with others, especially people you trust and who support your wellbeing </p></li>
<li><p>finding ways to connect with your community either in person (for example, through <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-community-gardening-could-ease-your-climate-concerns-211316">community gardening</a>) or online (for example, via discussion groups)</p></li>
<li><p>being mindful of your physical and psychological safety (for instance, especially during climate-related events) and, if you need it, seeking professional support</p></li>
<li><p>taking a break from distressing media content when needed. </p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/keeping-your-cool-in-a-warming-world-8-steps-to-help-manage-eco-anxiety-212174">Keeping your cool in a warming world: 8 steps to help manage eco-anxiety</a>
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<p>Understandably, people may continue to be anxious about the seasons to come with the ongoing threat of climate change.</p>
<p>To avoid becoming overwhelmed, you can also respond to and channel your distressing feelings. You can <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-022-02735-6">take part in</a> community-led climate action projects, and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494419301185">spend time outdoors</a> and in nature (even for <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439760.2018.1557242">short bursts of time</a>). </p>
<p>These actions might help uphold the positive links between wellbeing and nature, no matter the season.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213643/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tara Crandon receives funding from the Child and Youth Mental Health group at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.</span></em></p>We’ve had an early start to the bushfire season and there’s more to come. No wonder spring isn’t always a celebration.Tara Crandon, Psychologist and PhD Candidate, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2139542023-10-01T15:12:14Z2023-10-01T15:12:14ZEarly indicators of dementia: 5 behaviour changes to look for after age 50<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551222/original/file-20230929-24-as88uw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=146%2C251%2C6514%2C4290&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Behaviour changes like apathy, lack of impulse control or socially inappropriate behaviour may indicate a risk of dementia in people over age 50.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/early-indicators-of-dementia-5-behaviour-changes-to-look-for-after-age-50" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Dementia is often thought of as a memory problem, like when an elderly person asks the same questions or misplaces things. In reality, individuals with dementia will not only experience issues in other areas of cognition like learning, thinking, comprehension and judgement, but they may also experience <a href="https://www.alzint.org/u/World-Alzheimer-Report-2021.pdf">changes in behaviour</a>. </p>
<p>It’s important to understand what dementia is and how it manifests. I didn’t imagine my grandmother’s strange behaviours were an early warning sign of a far more serious condition. </p>
<p>She would become easily agitated if she wasn’t successful at completing tasks such as cooking or baking. She would claim to see a woman around the house even though no woman was really there. She also became distrustful of others and hid things in odd places. </p>
<p>These behaviours persisted for some time before she eventually received a dementia diagnosis.</p>
<h2>Cognitive and behavioural impairment</h2>
<p>When cognitive and behavioural changes interfere with an individual’s functional independence, that person is considered to have dementia. However, when cognitive and behavioural changes don’t interfere with an individual’s independence, yet still negatively affect relationships and workplace performance, they are referred to as <a href="https://alzheimer.ca/sites/default/files/documents/other-dementias_mild-cognitive-impairment.pdf">mild cognitive impairment (MCI)</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-021-00949-7">mild behavioural impairment (MBI)</a>, respectively. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9169943/">MCI and MBI can occur together</a>, but in one-third of people who develop Alzheimer’s dementia, the behavioural symptoms come <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2019.01.215">before cognitive decline</a>. </p>
<p>Spotting these behavioural changes, which emerge in later life (ages 50 and over) and represent a persistent change from longstanding patterns, can be helpful for implementing preventive treatments before more severe symptoms arise. As a medical science PhD candidate, my research focuses on problem behaviours that arise later in life and indicate increased risk for dementia. </p>
<h2>Five behavioural signs to look for</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551071/original/file-20230928-17-jmy46j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Illustration of five behaviour changes that may indicate risk of dementia" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551071/original/file-20230928-17-jmy46j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551071/original/file-20230928-17-jmy46j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551071/original/file-20230928-17-jmy46j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551071/original/file-20230928-17-jmy46j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551071/original/file-20230928-17-jmy46j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=659&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551071/original/file-20230928-17-jmy46j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=659&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551071/original/file-20230928-17-jmy46j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=659&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Spotting behavioural changes can be helpful for implementing preventive treatments before more severe symptoms arise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Daniella Vellone)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are <a href="https://doi.org/10.3233%2FJAD-160979">five primary behaviours</a> we can look for in friends and family who are over the age of 50 that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-023-00631-6">might warrant further attention</a>. </p>
<h2>1. Apathy</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1002%2Ftrc2.12370">Apathy</a> is a decline in interest, motivation and drive.</p>
<p>An apathetic person might lose interest in friends, family or activities. They may lack curiosity in topics that normally would have interested them, lose the motivation to act on their obligations or become less spontaneous and active. They may also appear to lack emotions compared to their usual selves and seem like they no longer care about anything.</p>
<h2>2. Affective dysregulation</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.03.074">Affective dysregulation</a> includes mood or anxiety symptoms. Someone who shows affective dysregulation may develop sadness or mood instability or become more anxious or worried about routine things such as events or visits.</p>
<h2>3. Lack of impulse control</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1002%2Ftrc2.12016">Impulse dyscontrol</a> is the inability to delay gratification and control behaviour or impulses.</p>
<p>Someone who has impulse dyscontrol may become agitated, aggressive, irritable, temperamental, argumentative or easily frustrated. They may become more stubborn or rigid such that they are unwilling to see other views and are insistent on having their way. Sometimes they may develop sexually disinhibited or intrusive behaviours, exhibit repetitive behaviours or compulsions, start gambling or shoplifting, or experience difficulties regulating their consumption of substances like tobacco or alcohol.</p>
<h2>4. Social inappropriateness</h2>
<p><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1041610217001260">Social inappropriateness</a> includes difficulties adhering to societal norms in interactions with others.</p>
<p>Someone who is socially inappropriate may lose the social judgement they previously had about what to say or how to behave. They may become less concerned about how their words or actions affect others, discuss private matters openly, talk to strangers as if familiar, say rude things or lack empathy in interactions with others.</p>
<h2>5. Abnormal perceptions or thoughts</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-023-00043-x">Abnormal perception or thought content</a> refers to strongly held beliefs and sensory experiences.</p>
<p>Someone with abnormal perceptions or thoughts may become suspicious of other people’s intentions or think that others are planning to harm them or steal their belongings. They may also describe hearing voices or talk to imaginary people and/or act like they are seeing things that aren’t there.</p>
<p>Before considering any of these behaviours as a sign of a more serious problem, it’s important to rule out other potential causes of behavioural change such as drugs or medications, other medical conditions or infections, interpersonal conflict or stress, or a recurrence of psychiatric symptoms associated with a previous psychiatric diagnosis. If in doubt, it may be time for a doctor’s visit. </p>
<h2>The impact of dementia</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young man with his arms around an older man" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551224/original/file-20230929-21-dz5kln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551224/original/file-20230929-21-dz5kln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551224/original/file-20230929-21-dz5kln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551224/original/file-20230929-21-dz5kln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551224/original/file-20230929-21-dz5kln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551224/original/file-20230929-21-dz5kln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551224/original/file-20230929-21-dz5kln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some types of behaviour changes warrant further attention.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many of us know someone who has either experienced dementia or cared for someone with dementia. This isn’t surprising, given that dementia is predicted to affect <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/nearly-one-million-canadians-will-live-with-dementia-by-2030-alzheimer-society-predicts-1.6056849#:">one million Canadians by 2030</a>.</p>
<p>While people between the ages of 20 and 40 may think that they have decades before dementia affects them, it’s important to realize that dementia isn’t an individual journey. In 2020, care partners — including family members, friends or neighbours — spent <a href="https://alzheimer.ca/sites/default/files/documents/Landmark-Study-1-Path-Forward-Alzheimer-Society-of-Canada-2022-wb.pdf">26 hours per week</a> assisting older Canadians living with dementia. This is equivalent to 235,000 full-time jobs or $7.3 billion annually. </p>
<p>These numbers are expected to triple by 2050, so it’s important to look for ways to offset these predicted trajectories by preventing or delaying the progression of dementia.</p>
<h2>Identifying those at risk</h2>
<p>While there is currently no cure for dementia, there has been progress towards <a href="https://alzheimer.ca/en/about-dementia/dementia-treatment-options-developments">developing effective treatments</a>, which <a href="https://alzheimer.ca/en/about-dementia/do-i-have-dementia/how-get-tested-dementia-tips-individuals-families-friends/10">may work better earlier in the disease course</a>. </p>
<p>More research is needed to understand dementia symptoms over time; for example, the online <a href="https://www.can-protect.ca/">CAN-PROTECT study</a> assesses many contributors to brain aging. </p>
<p>Identifying those at risk for dementia by recognizing later-life changes in cognition, function as well as behaviour is a step towards not only preventing consequences of those changes, but also potentially preventing the disease or its progression.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213954/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniella Vellone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Dementia does not manifest solely as a memory problem. People with dementia can also experience issues with learning, comprehension and judgement, but they may also experience changes in behaviour.Daniella Vellone, Medical Science and Imaging PhD Candidate, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2112632023-09-06T21:21:02Z2023-09-06T21:21:02ZYour iPhone will soon be able to track your mental health with iOS 17, but what are the implications for your well-being?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546529/original/file-20230905-19-uo066u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=157%2C44%2C4730%2C3263&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A new mood tracker will ask users to rate how they feel both daily and in random moments.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/your-iphone-will-soon-be-able-to-track-your-mental-health-with-ios-17-but-what-are-the-implications-for-your-well-being" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>When Apple’s <a href="https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2023/06/apple-previews-new-features-coming-to-apple-services-this-fall/">latest software updates</a> drop this month, users will have access to mental <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/06/apple-provides-powerful-insights-into-new-areas-of-health/">health and wellness</a> features unlike anything currently available in a smartphone. With the Apple Watch and iOS health app, Apple has long striven to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-outlines-health-technology-strategy-new-report-2022-07-20/">cement itself in the health-care tech space</a>. But the new features go beyond the standard heart rate, sleep, calorie and fitness trackers that have become universal in smart tech. </p>
<p>A new mood tracker (dubbed “State of Mind”) will ask users to rate how they feel both in random moments (from unpleasant to pleasant) and daily. Mental health questionnaires will provide users with a preliminary screening for depression (using the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3928/0048-5713-20020901-06">PHQ-9 screening tool</a>) and anxiety (using the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092">GAD-7 screening tool</a>) that can alert them to their risk levels and connect them to licensed professionals in their area.</p>
<p>Finally, Apple is introducing a journaling app that can collect user data from photos, texts, music/gaming/TV history, location, fitness etc. to give users a holistic picture of each day. </p>
<p>Those who use Apple’s <a href="https://research-methodology.net/apple-ecosystem-closed-effective/">ecosystem</a> know that it’s <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2021/06/apple-wwdc-ios15-new-features-walled-garden.html">extensive and powerful</a>, and true Apple devotees will use an Apple product for nearly every digital experience they have.</p>
<p>This means Apple is in the position to arrive at unique insights about a user’s life. What they’re proposing in iOS 17 is to essentially hold a mirror up to their users, allowing them to see their lives through their interactions with technology. </p>
<h2>Tracking mental state</h2>
<p>As a philosopher of psychology who studies how technology is changing the way people relate to their mental health, and as an avid Apple fan, I wanted to try out these new features as soon as possible. I downloaded the public beta software in July and want to share my insights about how we might approach this new technology.</p>
<p>The State of Mind tool is simple to use. When opening the Health App after updating to iOS 17, I was prompted to start tracking my mental state. I can choose to log a state at a specific time (for example, how did I feel at 2:30 p.m. today?), or to log my mental state for the day. </p>
<p>The sliding scale of mental states is visually appealing. The screen turns blue when I slide to the “unpleasant” options and orange when I slide to the “pleasant” options. </p>
<p>After settling on a mental state, users are prompted to give some context. </p>
<p>First, there’s a predetermined list of emotions that might describe the user’s mental state (for example, “anxious,” “content,” “happy,” “excited”), and then a list of factors that might be contributing to that mental state (such as “work,” “friends,” “current events”). Here users can write in something specific that will be included in the log. </p>
<p>If they use it daily, users can access a calendar of daily mental states and a graph that visualizes the cycle of states over a given week, month or year. Clicking on any data point will pull up the details of that day, any momentary moods the user logged and the context the user provided. </p>
<p>The user interface functions similarly to the other health metrics Apple already logs. It is a minimalist design that offers easily digestible data. Users can access mental state metrics on the home screen of the app with their other health data. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A screenshot of the State of Mind graph presented with the author's exercise data over the past month." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542365/original/file-20230811-25-7c96ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/542365/original/file-20230811-25-7c96ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1299&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542365/original/file-20230811-25-7c96ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1299&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542365/original/file-20230811-25-7c96ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1299&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542365/original/file-20230811-25-7c96ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1633&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542365/original/file-20230811-25-7c96ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1633&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/542365/original/file-20230811-25-7c96ld.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1633&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mood data can be presented alongside exercise minutes, inviting users to draw conclusions about them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Owen Chevalier)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When using the mental well-being features, I can’t help but think the introduction of them is a step closer to <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/enhancement">transhumanism</a>, which is the amalgamation of humans and technology, and eventual replacement of the human body with technology. </p>
<p>Instead of just measuring physical fitness (tracking workouts, counting calories), the iPhone and Apple Watch can be holistic measures of me as a person. They can define not only my active life but also my mental life. I can scroll through an Apple-branded definition of who I am. Eventually, I can become the Apple ideal version of myself. </p>
<p>On the surface, it is helpful to see that I often rate days more highly when I’m active and sleep enough (although it doesn’t take AI to know that). However, as a researcher I know that there’s a limit to what data can tell us, based on the measurements we use and our <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-knowledge-social/#SciSoc">biases as interpreters</a>.</p>
<p>I wonder how the average Apple user will interpret this data, and whether they will start shaping their lives to arrive at graphs that look desirable. </p>
<p>The late philosopher Ian Hacking describes a <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/2043/pba151p285.pdf">looping effect</a> between people and the labels they’re given. Looping effects are prominent in the algorithm-driven software we use. Researchers have found people’s TikTok feeds become <a href="https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2020i0.11172">reflections of their self-concept</a> as they begin to trust the insights AI draws from the feedback they’ve given. </p>
<p>However, TikTok algorithms are not blank slates for self-concept creation. They’re designed to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/05/business/media/tiktok-algorithm.html">put people into marketing categories to sell them to advertisers</a>.</p>
<p>Apple isn’t trying to <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/apple-privacy-data-collection">sell your data</a>; its <a href="https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/pdfs/apple-privacy-policy-en-ww.pdf">privacy policy</a> states, “Apple does not share personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes.” But its health app reflects its corporate mandates and the world it wants to create. </p>
<p>In an <a href="https://time.com/5472329/apple-watch-ecg/">interview with <em>Time</em></a>, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “Apple’s largest contribution to mankind will be in improving people’s health and well-being.” </p>
<p>Apple is a company of ideals. Compared to traditional computer marketing, which highlights performance specs, Apple pioneered selling computers by advertising who a user can be with a Mac. This was the purpose behind their <a href="https://www.cultofmac.com/441206/today-in-apple-history-its-time-to-think-different/">“Think Different”</a> campaign. Even when Apple does discuss technical details of computer performance, their use of flashy visuals and vague language makes it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6g6rDDt9x8">difficult to accurately assess</a> their products against competitors.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Chart comparing the CPU Performance of Apple's M1 chip against other laptops." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545391/original/file-20230829-16-4esk5c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545391/original/file-20230829-16-4esk5c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=301&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545391/original/file-20230829-16-4esk5c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=301&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545391/original/file-20230829-16-4esk5c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=301&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545391/original/file-20230829-16-4esk5c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545391/original/file-20230829-16-4esk5c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545391/original/file-20230829-16-4esk5c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">While Apple provides graphs like these, they do not provide enough information to be valuable as a comparison tool. Instead, they reflect Apple’s branding and are marketed to users who may not be concerned with the details of computer performance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2020/11/apple-unleashes-m1/">(Apple)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The messaging is clear: An Apple user is not just someone who owns a piece of tech, but someone who is cool, creative, colourful and individualistic. Now they can be healthy and well-adjusted, too. </p>
<p>But corporate mandates can be hollow because at their core they exist to increase profits. Apple’s success as a company comes from its ability to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accfor.2013.06.003">own the consumer</a>. </p>
<p>With an airtight ecosystem, users become dependent on Apple for all their digital needs. By integrating health into that ecosystem, those users may be dependent on Apple for their well-being too. I’m not sure what happens when people incorporate their Apple self into their self-concept, but it might make them better consumers and more productive employees. Ultimately, this is the goal of <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ca/Documents/about-deloitte/ca-en-about-blueprint-for-workplace-mental-health-final-aoda.pdf">corporate mental health</a>. </p>
<p>Just as spa days and five-minute yoga breaks can only go so far in improving mental health, it’s not clear that iOS 17 is the medical revolution Apple hopes it will be.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211263/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Owen Chevalier does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New features on Apple iOS 17 aim to give users insights into their mental health, but they may also shape how people see themselves.Owen Chevalier, PhD Student, Philosophy Department, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2077092023-06-16T17:42:27Z2023-06-16T17:42:27ZCormac McCarthy’s fearless approach to writing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532288/original/file-20230615-27-es4rpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C17%2C1930%2C1298&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">McCarthy attends the 2009 premiere of the film adaptation of his novel 'The Road.'</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/ObitCormacMcCarthy/e76e31de4fce44e5becba9a64b06a2f7/photo?Query=Cormac%20McCarthy&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=19&currentItemNo=0">Evan Agostini/AP Photo</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Cormac McCarthy, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/13/books/cormac-mccarthy-dead.html">who died on June 13, 2023</a>, at the age of 89, is often characterized rather narrowly <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/texas/articles/cormac-mccarthy-reinventing-the-southern-gothic/">as a Southern writer</a>, or perhaps <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/want-read-southern-gothic-heres-start/">a Southern Gothic writer</a>.</p>
<p>McCarthy did lean heavily on <a href="https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/remembering-cormac-mccarthys-legacy-and-early-life-in-east-tennessee/70320788007/">his Tennessee upbringing</a> in his first four novels, and he set many others in the deserts of the Southwest U.S. However, as a writer, he saw himself as a part of an expansive literary community, one that stretched back to the classical and Elizabethan periods, and one that drew on a variety of genres, cultures and influences.</p>
<p>His unique and varying writing style has been compared with that of many of the greatest authors of American letters, with scholars highlighting connections to the writings of <a href="https://readingmccarthy.buzzsprout.com/1616140/8480163-episode-9-melville-and-mccarthy-with-steven-frye">Herman Melville</a>, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cormac-mccarthy-in-context/ernest-hemingway/D3D8FDEB9548A1D4786480EAA3B39714">Ernest Hemingway</a>, <a href="https://www.openculture.com/2023/06/the-three-punctuation-rules-of-cormac-mccarthy-rip.html">James Joyce</a>, <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Hypermasculinities_in_the_Contemporary_N.html?id=WmnBoAEACAAJ">Toni Morrison</a>, <a href="https://lithub.com/harold-bloom-on-cormac-mccarthy-true-heir-to-melville-and-faulkner/">Thomas Pynchon</a>, <a href="https://unherd.com/2023/06/cormac-mccarthys-irrational-apocalypse/">Fyodor Dostoevsky</a>, <a href="https://themarginaliareview.com/how-flannery-oconnor-and-cormac-mccarthy-helped-to-invent-the-south/">Flannery O’Connor</a> and <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/05/17/specials/mccarthy-orchard.html?scp=7&sq=The%2520Orchard&st=cse">William Faulkner</a>. </p>
<p>As such an unwieldy list of compatriots suggests, McCarthy is an author who experimented with language and literary technique. Each of his books typically departs radically in tone, structure and prose from the previous one.</p>
<p>I’m currently working on a book that’s tentatively titled “How Cormac Works: McCarthy, Language, and Style.” In it, I trace McCarthy’s career-long commitment to playing with style, particularly his approach to narration and his techniques for conveying a mood.</p>
<h2>Two radically different reading experiences</h2>
<p>Depending on the book – and even passages within certain books – McCarthy’s writing can be characterized as minimalistic, meandering, esoteric, humorous, terrifying, pretentious, sentimental or folksy. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Title page of book reading 'Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West,' followed by author's name." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532287/original/file-20230615-15088-m4cp5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532287/original/file-20230615-15088-m4cp5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532287/original/file-20230615-15088-m4cp5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532287/original/file-20230615-15088-m4cp5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=710&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532287/original/file-20230615-15088-m4cp5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532287/original/file-20230615-15088-m4cp5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532287/original/file-20230615-15088-m4cp5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The title page for the first edition of McCarthy’s 1985 novel ‘Blood Meridian.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Blood_Meridian_%281985_1st_ed_half_title_page%29.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some novels depend heavily on dense passages of narrative exposition and philosophizing, while others lean heavily on everyday dialogue. Some books celebrate regional voices and vernacular, and others adopt a neutral, removed and clinical tone.</p>
<p>It is possible to see McCarthy’s literary range and stylistic experimentation in two of his most famous novels, “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/110472/blood-meridian-by-cormac-mccarthy/">Blood Meridian</a>,” which came out in 1985, and “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/110490/the-road-by-cormac-mccarthy/">The Road</a>,” which was published over two decades later, in 2006, and was turned <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/">into a movie</a> in 2009.</p>
<p>In “Blood Meridian,” set in the desert of the Southwest U.S. and Mexico, McCarthy’s prose is dense, with details piling up one after another. </p>
<p>Take the famous scene in which a mercenary gang of American scalp hunters encounters a band of Comanche warriors:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“A legion of horribles, hundreds in number, half naked or clad in costumes attic or biblical or wardrobed out of a fevered dream with the skins of animals and silk finery and pieces of uniform still tracked with the blood of prior owners, coats of slain dragoons, frogged and braided cavalry jackets, one in a stovepipe hat and one with an umbrella and one in white stockings and a bloodstained wedding veil and some in headgear or cranefeathers or rawhide helmets that bore the horns of bull or buffalo and one in a pigeontailed coat worn backwards and otherwise naked and one in the armor of a Spanish conquistador. … ”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The entire sentence is much too long to quote here. But you get the picture: There is very little punctuation and there are few places to even take a breath. </p>
<p>The narration in other moments of the novel catalogs the desert landscape of the U.S. West in similarly painstaking and tedious – if also beautiful – detail. The prose feels drawn out, slow and repetitive, like the subject of the novel: the United States’ western expansion in the 19th century, a campaign of escalating destruction that McCarthy characterizes in the novel as “some heliotropic plague.”</p>
<p>“The Road,” a later novel similarly committed to the idea of incessant movement, could not be more different in its style, pacing and rhythm. The prose in that novel, which won <a href="https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/cormac-mccarthy">the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for fiction</a>, is concise and is marked by a linguistic restraint that’s entirely absent in “Blood Meridian.” </p>
<p>Rather than dense and overwhelming passages, this novel is constructed of short and distinct paragraphs that are separated by white space and often unrelated to what comes directly before or after:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It was colder. Nothing moved in that night world. A rich smell of woodsmoke hung over the road. He pushed the cart on through the snow. … </p>
<p>In his dream she was sick and he cared for her. The dream bore the look of sacrifice but he thought differently. … </p>
<p>On this road there are no godspoke men. They are gone and I am left and they have taken with them the world. Query: How does the never to be differ from what never was? </p>
<p>Dark of invisible moon. The nights now only slightly less black. … </p>
<p>People sitting on the sidewalk in the dawn half immolate and smoking in their clothes. Like failed sectarian suicides. …</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Each paragraph in this passage is different in tone, subject matter, place, and time from what comes before and appears after. </p>
<h2>A lasting legacy</h2>
<p>It might be tempting to see such difference as an evolution, as McCarthy honing and taming his narrative voice from his earlier work. But his final long novel, “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/110481/the-passenger-by-cormac-mccarthy/">The Passenger</a>,” which was published in 2022, returns again to the rambling prose reminiscent of McCarthy’s big novels in the middle of his career, “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/110485/suttree-by-cormac-mccarthy/">Suttree</a>” and “Blood Meridian.”</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Black and white photo of man with mustache folding his arms." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532286/original/file-20230615-29-z1oq2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532286/original/file-20230615-29-z1oq2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532286/original/file-20230615-29-z1oq2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532286/original/file-20230615-29-z1oq2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532286/original/file-20230615-29-z1oq2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532286/original/file-20230615-29-z1oq2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532286/original/file-20230615-29-z1oq2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A portrait of McCarthy used for the first edition of his 1973 novel ‘Child of God.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Cormac_McCarthy_%28Child_of_God_author_portrait_-_high-res%29.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some readers find McCarthy’s stylistic flourishes and experimentation excessive – or, even worse, pretentious. But they always struck me as reflecting his love of words and the endless possibilities of language. </p>
<p>In a blurb that was originally written for McCarthy’s first novel, “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/110489/the-orchard-keeper-by-cormac-mccarthy/">The Orchard Keeper</a>,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/17/obituaries/ralph-ellison-author-of-invisible-man-is-dead-at-80.html">Ralph Ellison</a> <a href="https://www.fedpo.com/images/TheOrchardKeeper/04TheOrchardKeeper.jpg">wrote</a>, “McCarthy is a writer to be read, to be admired, and quite honestly – envied.” </p>
<p>As I learned of McCarthy’s death, I couldn’t help but think of this quote that marked the beginning of his career, and to think how right Ellison was to champion McCarthy’s craft – the careful use of language that sustained his work for six decades across 12 novels.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207709/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bill Hardwig does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Pulitzer Prize-winning author was always willing to experiment with his prose, pacing and narration, crafting an oeuvre that varied wildly in style and structure.Bill Hardwig, Associate Professor of English, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2013422023-03-30T15:18:03Z2023-03-30T15:18:03ZHappy songs: these are the musical elements that make us feel good<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514002/original/file-20230307-14-g0510v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=172%2C35%2C4620%2C3154&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The music we listen to can have a profound impact on our mood. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cool-skater-girl-dancing-street-508069501">Merla/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Music has a unique power <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Daniel-Vaestfjaell/publication/258173113_Emotion_Induction_through_Music_A_Review_of_the_Musical_Mood_Induction_Procedure/links/02e7e527c81174366e000000/Emotion-Induction-through-Music-A-Review-of-the-Musical-Mood-Induction-Procedure.pdf">to affect the way people feel</a> and many people use music to enhance or change their mood, channel emotions and for psychological support. </p>
<p>The strong emotional impact of music is derived from its profound physical and psychological effects. For example, listening to relaxing music often has a positive impact on the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1959222/">autonomic nervous system</a> (which regulates many key bodily functions), by slowing breathing, regulating heart rate, lowering blood pressure and reducing muscle tension.</p>
<p>Listening to music also affects us at a deep physiological level, as it has a strong impact on the <a href="http://www.downloads.imune.net/medicalbooks/Neurochemistry%20of%20music.pdf">endocrine system</a>, which is responsible for hormone production. </p>
<p>Music can stimulate the release of the neurotransmitters which affect experiences of pleasure by increasing the production of dopamine (the reward hormone), reducing levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and increasing salivary immunoglobulin A – an antibody responsible for strengthening the immune system.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/apBWI6xrbLY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys creates a strong emotional uplift.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Of course, these benefits are only experienced if we listen to music that we enjoy. <a href="http://www.brainvitge.org/papers/Science-2013-Salimpoor-216-9.pdf">Familiarity</a> also affects enjoyment, but even new music can stimulate positive physical and psychological responses if it is similar to other music that we like.</p>
<p>Music we don’t like can have a strong adverse effect upon mood and wellbeing. Individual differences mean emotional <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0305735618754688?journalCode=poma">reactions to songs differ</a> depending on the participant’s preferences and associations they might have with the music. If we don’t like the song (or it brings back negative memories), it won’t make us happy, regardless of the quality.</p>
<h2>Creating a personal soundscape</h2>
<p>Portable listening devices and music streaming platforms have made it possible to choose from an unprecedented selection of musical styles. People can now listen to their favourite music any time, anywhere. </p>
<p>This means music can be used to create a personal soundscape. This is common when using public transport, for example, as many passengers use headphones to create an individualised sonic environment as a distraction from the less pleasant aspects of travelling on crowded and noisy transport systems.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.prnewsblog.com/news/health-wellbeing/15034/music-psychologist-reveals-the-formula-for-the-happiest-song-ever/">recent survey</a>, 71% of 2,000 participants reported that music was the strongest influence on their mood and almost 75% regularly listened to music to cheer themselves up. In response to these findings, I conducted a review of published research, to find out which musical features tend to be present in “happy” songs.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young man in a green jacket listens to music on headphones while travelling on the London Underground." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514005/original/file-20230307-172-ep55u9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Listening to music on your commute can create a ‘personal soundscape’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-october-2017-people-commuting-742307254">Paolo Paradiso/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It should be remembered that musical preferences and expectations are culture dependent. For example, some Asian cultures have different associations between positive/negative emotions and major/minor chords, so <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.170952">western “happy songs” may not be globally interpreted as such.</a></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-your-culture-informs-the-emotions-you-feel-when-listening-to-music-171248">How your culture informs the emotions you feel when listening to music</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Within western cultures, there are certain components of popular music which are commonly linked with positive emotions. Music that is perceived as “happy” is usually written in a major key with a bright tone, featuring instruments with a bright timbre, such as trumpets or electric guitars.</p>
<p>“Happy” music usually adds <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.170952">the seventh note of the scale</a> to the main three notes in the chord. This creates a brief feeling of tension – or pleasurable expectation – followed by relief or resolution when the harmonic progression proceeds as our previous listening experience predicts.</p>
<p>For many people, listening to music becomes an immersive <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00906/full">flow experience</a> which can distract from everyday concerns. Active musical participation through dancing or singing along brings additional enjoyment. </p>
<p>A simple, consistent rhythm based on two or four beats in a bar increases a song’s “<a href="https://mashable.com/ad/feature/science-of-pop-music">danceability</a>”, while a binary structure – verse-chorus-verse-chorus – helps to establish familiarity so the song quickly becomes “<a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/features/pop-science/">sing-alongable</a>”.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HgzGwKwLmgM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Songs people have said they use to improve their mood include Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>People generally <a href="https://mashable.com/ad/feature/science-of-pop-music">prefer familiar music</a>, or music which quickly becomes memorable. The most enjoyable songs are likely to be those which strike a satisfying <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982219312588">balance between predictability and surprise</a>, providing an experience familiar enough to be pleasurable while avoiding being too simplistic or formulaic.</p>
<p>Unexpected changes can intensify emotional responses. Listeners often derive the most pleasure from music when they are fairly sure about what will happen next but then an unexpected chord progression or key change provides a surprise.</p>
<p>Based on previous experiences, listeners develop expectations about a piece of music. While familiar music tends to give the most pleasure, it also needs to contain enough “surprise” elements to retain enough interest to create a state of flow. This explains the use of a bridge or the middle eight (a section which is different from the verse and chorus) in many songs.</p>
<p>Although “happy songs” are usually written in a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301724912_Beyond_Happiness_and_Sadness_Affective_Associations_of_Lyrics_with_Modality_and_Dynamics">major key</a>, they sometimes include a section in a minor key to add interest. </p>
<p>Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys begins with a verse in a minor key and then creates a strong emotional uplift as it switches into a bright major key for the chorus.</p>
<h2>The speed of happiness</h2>
<p>Faster music tends to induce more positive emotions than slower music. Research suggests that music that is perceived as happy is usually performed at a tempo between <a href="https://mymodernmet.com/10-happy-songs/">140 and 150 beats per minute (BPM)</a>. Songs people have said they use to <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7k00dawKjXgBBuq2nZyHmO">improve their mood</a> include Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now at 156 BPM.</p>
<p>Tempo is a confounding variable because <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0305735618754688?journalCode=poma">faster music increases arousal/excitement</a>, but this may not always be associated with happiness. There may also be <a href="https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/documents/areas/fac/marketing/mogilner/Mogilner_Shifting_Meaning_of_Happiness_SPPS_2011.pdf">age-related differences</a> in interpretation. </p>
<p>What is certain is that music can have a profound effect on our sense of wellbeing. Just stick on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTdihu-mp90">James Brown’s I Got You</a> (or whatever might tempt you to do a happy dance) and start to feel good.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201342/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Bonshor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>‘Happy’ music is usually written in a major key with a bright tone, featuring instruments with a bright timbre, such as trumpets or electric guitars.Michael Bonshor, Course Director, Music Psychology in Education, Performance and Wellbeing, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1975072023-01-13T01:23:29Z2023-01-13T01:23:29ZSitting all day is terrible for your health – here’s a relatively easy way to counteract it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/504122/original/file-20230111-47543-s7tq98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C5112%2C3403&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Researchers have long known that sitting at your desk hour after hour is an unhealthy habit.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/business-man-working-on-computer-royalty-free-image/475967873?phrase=sitting%20at%20desk&adppopup=true">Morsa Images/Digital Vision via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em> </p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>To reduce the harmful health effects of sitting, take a five-minute light walk every half-hour. That’s the key finding of <a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/9900/Breaking_Up_Prolonged_Sitting_to_Improve.200.aspx">a 2023 study</a> that my colleagues and I published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.</p>
<p>We asked 11 healthy middle-aged and older adults to sit in our lab for eight hours – representing a standard workday – over the course of five separate days. On one of those days, participants sat for the entire eight hours with only short breaks to use the bathroom. On the other days, we tested a number of different strategies to break up a person’s sitting with light walking. For example, on one day, participants walked for one minute every half-hour. On another day, they walked for five minutes every hour. </p>
<p>Our goal was to find the least amount of walking one could do to offset the harmful health effects of sitting. In particular, we measured changes in blood sugar levels and blood pressure, two important <a href="https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192703">risk factors for heart disease</a>.</p>
<p>We found that a five-minute light walk every half-hour was the only strategy that reduced blood sugar levels substantially compared with sitting all day. In particular, five-minute walks every half-hour reduced the blood sugar spike after eating by almost 60%. </p>
<p>That strategy also reduced blood pressure by four to five points compared with sitting all day. But shorter and less frequent walks improved blood pressure too. Even just a one-minute light walk every hour reduced blood pressure by five points.</p>
<p>In addition to physical health benefits, there were also mental health benefits to the walking breaks. During the study, we asked participants to rate their mental state by using a questionnaire. We found that compared with sitting all day, a five-minute light walk every half-hour reduced feelings of fatigue, put participants in a better mood and helped them feel more energized. We also found that even walks just once every hour were enough to boost mood and reduce feelings of fatigue. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Along with short, frequent walks, a long daily walk could add years to your life.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>People who sit for hours on end develop chronic diseases <a href="https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001935">including diabetes, heart disease, dementia and several types of cancer</a> at much higher rates than people who move throughout their day. A sedentary lifestyle also puts people at a much greater risk of <a href="https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/full/10.7326/M17-0212">early death</a>. But just exercising daily may not reverse <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102345">the harmful health effects of sitting</a>. </p>
<p>Because of technological advances, the amount of time adults in industrialized countries like the U.S. spend sitting has been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144437">steadily increasing for decades</a>. Many adults now spend the majority of their day sitting. This problem has only gotten worse since the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000960">start of the COVID-19 pandemic</a>. With the migration to more remote work, people are less inclined to venture out of the house these days. So it’s clear that strategies are needed to combat a growing 21st century public health problem. </p>
<p>Current guidelines recommend that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.14854">adults should “sit less, move more</a>.” But these recommendations don’t provide any specific advice or strategies for how often and how long to move. </p>
<p>Our work provides a simple and affordable strategy: Take a five-minute light walk every half-hour. If you have a job or lifestyle where you have to sit for prolonged periods, this one behavior change could reduce your health risks from sitting.</p>
<p>Our study also offers clear guidance to employers on how to promote a healthier workplace. While it may seem counterintuitive, taking regular walking breaks can actually help workers be more productive than working without stopping. </p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>Our study primarily focused on taking regular walking breaks at a light intensity. Some of the walking strategies – for example, one-minute light walks every hour – did not lower blood sugar levels. We don’t know if more rigorous walking would have provided health benefits at these doses. </p>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>We are currently testing over 25 different strategies for offsetting the health harms of prolonged sitting. Many adults have jobs, such as driving trucks or taxis, where they simply cannot walk every half-hour. Finding alternative strategies that yield comparable results can provide the public with several different options and ultimately allow people to pick the strategy that works best for them and their lifestyle.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197507/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keith Diaz receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. </span></em></p>Short, frequent walks throughout the day are key to helping prevent the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle.Keith Diaz, Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1952762023-01-12T13:22:40Z2023-01-12T13:22:40ZMeditation and mindfulness offer an abundance of health benefits and may be as effective as medication for treating certain conditions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503183/original/file-20230105-12-ywtjr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People of any age or walk of life can access and benefit from meditation.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/young-multiracial-latina-woman-meditating-at-home-royalty-free-image/1394449576?phrase=mindfulness%20meditation&adppopup=true">Daniel de la Hoz/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many people look to diet trends or new exercise regimens – often with questionable benefit – to get a healthier start on the new year. But there is one strategy that’s been shown time and again to boost both mood and health: meditation.</p>
<p>In late 2022, a <a href="http://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.3679">high-profile study</a> made a splash when it claimed that meditation may work as well as a common drug named Lexapro for the treatment of anxiety. Over the past couple of decades, similar evidence has emerged about mindfulness and meditation’s broad array of health benefits, for purposes ranging from stress and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-016-9844-2">pain reduction</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008">depression treatments</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.006">boosting brain health</a> and helping to manage excessive <a href="https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3523432">inflammation and long COVID-19</a>. </p>
<p>Despite the mounting body of evidence showing the health benefits of meditation, it can be hard to weigh the science and to know how robust it is.</p>
<p>I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=S9ykvZUAAAAJ&hl=en">neuroscientist studying the effects of stress and trauma</a> on <a href="https://theconversation.com/meditation-holds-the-potential-to-help-treat-children-suffering-from-traumas-difficult-diagnoses-or-other-stressors-a-behavioral-neuroscientist-explains-189037">brain development in children and adolescents</a>. I also study how mindfulness, meditation and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-runners-high-may-result-from-molecules-called-cannabinoids-the-bodys-own-version-of-thc-and-cbd-170796">exercise</a> can positively affect brain development and mental health in youth. </p>
<p>I am very excited about how meditation can be used as a tool to provide powerful new insights into the ways the mind and brain work, and to fundamentally change a person’s outlook on life. And as a mental health researcher, I see the promise of meditation as a low- or no-cost, evidence-based tool to improve health that can be relatively easily integrated into daily life. </p>
<p>Meditation requires some training, discipline and practice – which are not always easy to come by. But with some specific tools and strategies, it can be accessible to everyone.</p>
<h2>What are mindfulness and meditation?</h2>
<p>There are many different types of meditation, and mindfulness is one of the most common. Fundamentally, mindfulness is a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-you-should-give-the-gift-of-mindfulness-this-new-year-195711">mental state</a> that, according to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.149.7.936">Jon Kabat-Zinn</a> a renowned expert in mindfulness-based practices, involves “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” </p>
<p>This means not ruminating about something that happened in the past or worrying about that to-do list. Being focused on the present, or living in the moment, has been shown to have a broad array of benefits, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00677">elevating mood, reducing anxiety</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0163-8343(82)90026-3">lessening pain</a> and potentially improving <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-021-09519-y">cognitive performance</a>. </p>
<p>Mindfulness is a skill that can be practiced and cultivated over time. The goal is that, with repetition, the benefits of practicing mindfulness carry over into everyday life – when you aren’t actively meditating. For example, if you learn that you aren’t defined by an emotion that arises transiently, like anger, then it may be harder to stay angry for long. </p>
<p>The health benefits of meditation and other strategies aimed at stress reduction are thought to stem from increasing levels of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2015.7">overall mindfulness</a> through practice. Elements of mindfulness are also present in practices like yoga, martial arts and dance that require focusing attention and discipline.</p>
<p>The vast body of evidence supporting the health benefits of meditation is too expansive to cover exhaustively. But the studies I reference below represent some of the top tier, or the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-88555-1_2">highest-quality and most rigorous summaries</a> of scientific data on the topic to date. Many of these include systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which synthesize many studies on a given topic. </p>
<h2>Stress and mental health</h2>
<p>Mindfulness-based programs have been shown to significantly reduce stress in a variety of populations, ranging from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/01640275211043486">caregivers of people living with dementia</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12307">children during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>. </p>
<p>Meta-analyses published during the pandemic show that mindfulness programs are effective for reducing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3138">symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2022.100712">obsessive-compulsive disorder</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.12.048">attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/jicm.2021.0036">depression</a> – including the <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-4-in-5-pregnancy-related-deaths-are-preventable-in-the-us-and-mental-health-is-the-leading-cause-193909">particularly vulnerable time</a> during <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.12441">pregnancy and the postnatal period</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">In addition to improving mood and lowering stress, mindfulness has been shown to elevate cognitive performance, cut down on mind wandering and distractibility and increase emotional intelligence.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Mindfulness-based programs also show promise as a treatment option for anxiety disorders, which are the most common mental disorders, affecting an estimated <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00395-3">301 million people globally</a>. While effective treatments for anxiety exist, many patients do not have access to them because they lack insurance coverage or transportation to providers, for instance, or they may experience only limited relief.</p>
<p>It’s important to note, however, that for those affected by mental or substance use disorders, mindfulness-based approaches should not replace first-line treatments like medicine and psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Mindfulness strategies should be seen as a supplement to these evidence-based treatments and a complement to healthy lifestyle interventions like physical activity and healthy eating. </p>
<h2>How does meditation work? A look into the brain</h2>
<p>Studies show that regular meditators experience better attention control and improved control of heart rate, breathing and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073%2Fpnas.0707678104">autonomic nervous system functioning</a>, which regulates involuntary responses in the body, such as blood pressure. Research also shows that people who meditate have
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0707678104">lower levels of cortisol</a> – a hormone involved in the stress response – than those who don’t. </p>
<p>A recent systematic review of neuroimaging studies showed that focused attention meditation is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104846">functional changes in several brain regions</a> involved in cognitive control and emotion-related processing. The review also found that more experienced meditators had stronger activation of the brain regions involved in those cognitive and emotional processes, suggesting that the brain benefits improve with more practice. </p>
<p>A regular meditation practice may also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/01.wnr.0000186598.66243.19">stave off age-related thinning of the cerebral cortex</a>, which may help to protect against age-related disease and cognitive impairment. </p>
<h2>Limitations of meditation research</h2>
<p>This research <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2022.100620">does have limits</a>. These include a lack of a consistent definition for the types of programs used, and a lack of rigorously controlled studies. In gold-standard randomized controlled trials with medications, study participants don’t know whether they are getting the active drug or a placebo. </p>
<p>In contrast, in trials of mindfulness-based interventions, participants know what condition they are assigned to and are not “blinded,” so they may expect that some of the health benefits may happen to them. This creates a sense of expectancy, which can be a confounding variable in studies. Many meditation studies also don’t frequently include a control group, which is needed to assess how it compares with other treatments.</p>
<h2>Benefits and wider applications</h2>
<p>Compared with medications, mindfulness-based programs may be more easily accessible and have fewer negative side effects. However, medication and psychotherapy – <a href="https://theconversation.com/cbt-dbt-psychodynamic-what-type-of-therapy-is-right-for-me-171101">particularly cognitive behavioral therapy</a> – work well for many, and a combination approach may be best. Mindfulness-based interventions are also cost-effective and have better health outcomes than usual care, particularly among <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01960-1">high-risk patient populations</a> – so there are economic benefits as well.</p>
<p>Researchers are studying ways to deliver mindfulness tools on a computer or smartphone app, or with virtual reality, which may be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2022.08.001">more effective</a> than conventional in-person meditation training. </p>
<p>Importantly, mindfulness is not just for those with physical or mental health diagnoses. Anyone can use these strategies to reduce the risk of disease and to take advantage of the health benefits in everyday life, such as improved sleep and cognitive performance, elevated mood and lowered stress and anxiety. </p>
<h2>Where to get started?</h2>
<p>Many recreation centers, fitness studios and even universities offer in-person meditation classes. For those looking to see if meditation can help with the treatment of a physical or mental condition, there are over 600 <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=mindfulness+OR+meditation&Search=Apply&recrs=a&age_v=&gndr=&type=&rslt=">clinical trials</a> currently recruiting participants for various conditions, such as pain, cancer and depression. </p>
<p>If you want to try meditation from the comfort of your home, there are many free online videos on how to practice, including meditations for sleep, stress reduction, mindful eating and more. Several apps, such as Headspace, appear promising, with randomized controlled trials <a href="https://doi.org/10.2196/40924">showing benefits for users</a>. </p>
<p>The hardest part is, of course, getting started. However, if you set an alarm to practice every day, it will become a habit and may even translate into everyday life – which is the ultimate goal. For some, this may take some time and practice, and for others, this may start to happen pretty quickly. Even a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-019-01163-1">single five-minute session</a> can have positive health effects.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195276/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hilary A. Marusak does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mindfulness, one of the most common forms of meditation, is a skill that must be cultivated and practiced. With some training and discipline, it can help anyone live more fully in the moment.Hilary A. Marusak, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1897972022-10-16T19:02:36Z2022-10-16T19:02:36ZYour home, office or uni affects your mood and how you think. How do we know? We looked into people’s brains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485805/original/file-20220921-22-kvej8r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1920%2C1077&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/DIewyzpUbRc">Natalia Yakovleva/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Think of a time when you felt vulnerable. Perhaps you were in a hospital corridor, or an exam hall, about to be tested. Now, focus on the building you were in. What if, without you knowing, the design of that space was affecting you?</p>
<p>We study <a href="https://psychology.org.au/community/advocacy-social-issues/environment-climate-change-psychology/psychologys-role-in-environmental-issues/what-is-environmental-psychology">environmental psychology</a>, a growing field of research investigating the relationship between humans and the external world. This includes natural, and human-made environments, such as buildings. </p>
<p>Researchers could just ask people what they feel when inside a building – how pleasant or unpleasant they feel, the intensity of that feeling, and how in control they feel.</p>
<p>But we use neuroscience to see how the brain is stimulated when inside a building. The idea is for people to one day use that information to design better buildings – classrooms that help us concentrate, or hospital waiting rooms that reduce our anxiety.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/build-me-up-how-architecture-can-affect-emotions-22950">Build me up: how architecture can affect emotions</a>
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<h2>Why study buildings this way?</h2>
<p>We spend <a href="https://www.health.vic.gov.au/chief-health-officer/healthy-indoor-environments">at least 80% of our lives</a> inside buildings. So it is critical we understand whether the buildings we occupy are affecting our brain and body.</p>
<p>Buildings – hospitals, schools, offices, homes – are often complex. They can have various contents (fixtures, fittings and objects), levels of comfort (such as the light, sound, and air quality). Other people occupy the space. </p>
<p>There are also a range of design characteristics we can notice inside a building. These include colour (wall paint, chair colour), texture (carpet tiles, timber gym floor), geometry (curved walls or straight, angular ones), and scale (proportions of height and width of a room).</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-can-use-colour-to-communicate-how-we-feel-heres-how-90157">We can use colour to communicate how we feel – here's how</a>
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<h2>What did we do?</h2>
<p>We wanted to see what effect changing some of these characteristics had on the brain and body.</p>
<p>So we asked participants to sit in the middle of a virtual-reality (VR) room for 20 minutes.</p>
<p>We designed the room with a door (to show height) and chair (to show depth), keeping it empty of other cues that might influence people. We modelled the room using dimensions set by the local building code.</p>
<p>Other studies have compared <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.101344">complex environments</a>, which are more realistic to everyday life. But we chose to use a simple VR room so we could understand the impact of changing one characteristic at a time.</p>
<p>To measure brain activity, we used a technique called electroencephalography. This is where we placed electrodes on the scalp to measure electrical activity as brain cells (neurons) send messages to each other.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485808/original/file-20220921-13-7qqec9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Fitting cap of electrodes" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485808/original/file-20220921-13-7qqec9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485808/original/file-20220921-13-7qqec9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485808/original/file-20220921-13-7qqec9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485808/original/file-20220921-13-7qqec9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485808/original/file-20220921-13-7qqec9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485808/original/file-20220921-13-7qqec9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/485808/original/file-20220921-13-7qqec9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Participants wore a cap covered in electrodes to detect electrical activity in the brain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Donna Squire</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>We also monitored the body by measuring heart rate, breathing and sweat response. This could reveal if someone could detect a change to the environment, without being consciously aware of that change.</p>
<p>Lastly, we asked participants to report their emotions to understand if this matched their brain and body responses.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/buildings-have-their-own-microbiomes-were-striving-to-make-them-healthy-places-134975">Buildings have their own microbiomes – we're striving to make them healthy places</a>
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<h2>What did we find?</h2>
<p>We published a series of studies looking at the impact of room size and colour.</p>
<p>Making the room bigger resulted in brain activity usually linked to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0104-22.2022">attention and cognitive performance</a>. This is the type of brain activity we would see if you were doing a crossword, your homework or focusing on a tricky report you were writing for work.</p>
<p>A blue room resulted in brain activity associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14121">emotional processing</a>. This is the pattern we’d typically see if you were looking at something that you felt positive about, such as a smiling face, or a scenic sunset.</p>
<p>Changing the size and colour of a room also changed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.26061">brain network communication</a>. This is when different parts of the brain “talk” to one another. This could be communication between parts of the brain involved in seeing and attention, the type of communication needed when viewing a complex scene, such as scanning a crowded room to spot a friend.</p>
<p>The rooms also changed the participants’ autonomic response (their patterns of breathing, heart activity and sweating).</p>
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<iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dPHOQvLOCD4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" height="400"></iframe>
<figcaption>Your brain and body give away what you feel and think about different rooms, even if you can’t tell us yourself.</figcaption>
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<p>Despite these brain and body responses, we found no change in what participants told us about their emotions in each of these different conditions. </p>
<p>This suggests the need to shift from just asking people about their emotions to capturing effects they may not be consciously perceive or comprehend.</p>
<h2>What does this mean for designing buildings?</h2>
<p>This work tells us that characteristics of buildings have an impact on our brains and our bodies.</p>
<p>Our next steps include testing whether a larger room affects brain processes we use in everyday life. These include working memory (which we’d use to remember our shopping list) and emotion recognition (how we recognise what different facial expressions mean). </p>
<p>This will enable us to understand if we can design spaces to optimise our cognitive performance.</p>
<p>We also want to understand the implications on a wider population, including people who may be experiencing poor mental health, or diagnosed with an underlying condition where the environment may have a larger impact on their response. </p>
<p>This will help us to understand if we can change our built environment for better health and performance.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/prisons-and-asylums-prove-architecture-can-build-up-or-break-down-a-persons-mental-health-109989">Prisons and asylums prove architecture can build up or break down a person's mental health</a>
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<h2>Why is this important?</h2>
<p>Architects have long claimed buildings <a href="https://theconversation.com/build-me-up-how-architecture-can-affect-emotions-22950">affect our emotion</a>. But there has been a lack of brain-based evidence to back this.</p>
<p>We hope our work can help shape building planning and design, to support the brain processes and emotions we might require under different circumstances.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189797/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Isabella Bower receives funding from Deakin University, the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture and Creative Futures Pty. Ltd. She is affiliated with the Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society as the Student Representative and Pint of Science Australia as the Chief of Staff.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Enticott receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, and the Medical Research Future Fund.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Tucker has received no funding relevant to the research presented in this article. </span></em></p>We hope our work can help shape building planning and design. That could be classrooms that help us concentrate, or hospital waiting rooms that reduce our anxiety.Isabella Bower, Research Fellow and PhD Candidate, Deakin UniversityPeter Enticott, Professor of Psychology (Cognitive Neuroscience), Deakin UniversityRichard Tucker, Associate Professor, Associate Head of School (Research), co-leader of the research network HOME, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1869942022-07-15T01:34:47Z2022-07-15T01:34:47ZIn the mood for sustainable funds? How feeling pessimistic can influence where investors put their money<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474199/original/file-20220714-9428-8g8t95.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">GettyImages</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Think about the last time you bought something expensive to make yourself feel better after a disappointment or when you treated yourself with a fancy and expensive dinner after some accomplishment. </p>
<p>Emotions have a strong influence on purchasing decisions. More often than we realise, we make these decisions based on emotions rather than rational calculations and facts. It is well documented that <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/18/investors-need-to-keep-emotions-under-control-in-this-volatile-market.html">financial decisions are also influenced by emotions</a>. </p>
<p>In low mood periods people are more pessimistic about firms’ prospects, which is associated with decreases in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304405X21003718">stock market prices</a>. </p>
<p>Because of the growing popularity of assets with a strong focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals – companies with corporate policies that encourage them to act responsibly – we wanted to look at what role <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176522002348?CMX_ID=&SIS_ID=&dgcid=STMJ_AUTH_SERV_PUBLISHED&utm_acid=117183360&utm_campaign=STMJ_AUTH_SERV_PUBLISHED&utm_in=DM274768&utm_medium=email&utm_source=AC_">emotions can play</a> in determining people’s preference for sustainable investments.</p>
<h2>Why do investors choose sustainable investments?</h2>
<p>There are several reasons why people may want to invest in sustainable assets. Some may be “social signalling” – they like to talk about how their investments are socially responsible. </p>
<p>Another reason can be found in how someone was raised. An individual’s propensity to invest in socially responsible assets is influenced by having parents owning similar assets or growing up in a family that values environmental sustainability. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sustainable-investment-is-it-worth-the-hype-heres-what-you-need-to-know-182533">Sustainable investment: is it worth the hype? Here's what you need to know</a>
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<p>The “warm glow effect”, which is a good feeling experienced through the act of giving, also explains why investors choose ESG assets. Investors experience <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3765659">positive emotions</a> when choosing sustainable investments, irrespective of the investments’ impact.</p>
<p>But does an investor’s mood influence their preference for sustainable investments? There are several reasons why emotions might affect where people put their money. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman looking at investments on computer and phone screens." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474200/original/file-20220714-14-3dpcur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474200/original/file-20220714-14-3dpcur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474200/original/file-20220714-14-3dpcur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474200/original/file-20220714-14-3dpcur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474200/original/file-20220714-14-3dpcur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474200/original/file-20220714-14-3dpcur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474200/original/file-20220714-14-3dpcur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sustainable assets benefit from lower investor moods.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/photo/woman-is-checking-bitcoin-price-chart-on-digital-royalty-free-image/1323542329?adppopup=true">Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The role of mood in our investment decisions</h2>
<p>There are two competing theories when it comes to examining the role of mood and sustainable investment. </p>
<p>The first is based on the idea that sustainable assets are generally less risky. In this sense, assets that are considered completely or mostly sustainable have been shown to outperform less sustainable assets in crises, as investors see them as more trustworthy and having fewer structural, legal and reputational risks. </p>
<p>This theory is also based on the idea that a lower mood leads to more risk-averse behaviour. That is, when someone is sad, depressed or angry they tend to become more cautious when making investment decisions and choose investments with lower risk.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-ethical-investing-is-hard-for-big-charities-55357">Why ethical investing is hard for big charities</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A second and competing theory is based on the idea that a positive mood promotes prosocial behaviours and greater altruism. Investors with lower mood tend to focus on themselves and less about others. As such, they have less preference for sustainable investments. </p>
<p>Happier investors, on the other hand, may be more altruistic and favour sustainable investments because it benefits others (for example, community, workmates and the environment).</p>
<p>Our research has tested these theories, documenting evidence consistent with investors’ greater risk aversion.</p>
<p>More specifically, we found that a worse mood is associated with greater investment in sustainable assets. This is arguably due to a greater risk aversion pushing investors to favour sustainable investments that they perceive as less risky.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-tips-to-figure-out-if-a-tech-company-on-the-stock-market-is-an-ethical-investment-154562">5 tips to figure out if a tech company on the stock market is an ethical investment</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How to identify sustainable funds and test investors’ mood?</h2>
<p>To identify sustainable versus non-sustainable funds, we used the <a href="https://www.morningstar.com/content/dam/marketing/shared/research/methodology/744156_Morningstar_Sustainability_Rating_for_Funds_Methodology.pdf">Morningstar Sustainability rating</a>. This rating is intended to help investors better understand and manage total ESG risk in their investments. A higher sustainability rating is associated with a lower ESG risk. </p>
<p>To capture the change in the average mood of households for a given month, we used a metric called “onset and recovery” (<a href="http://www.markkamstra.com/data.html">OR</a>). This metric measures the change in the monthly percentage of seasonally depressed individuals who are actively experiencing symptoms. </p>
<p>Higher OR indicates an increase in symptomatic depression cases and, therefore, lower mood on average. For the Northern Hemisphere, OR is high during autumn (September), low during spring (March), and moderate during summer and winter. Southern Hemisphere countries experience the same pattern in reverse.</p>
<p>We contrasted OR levels in relation to investment in sustainable equity mutual funds in 25 countries over the 2018–2021 period. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474203/original/file-20220714-22-ei6fgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474203/original/file-20220714-22-ei6fgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474203/original/file-20220714-22-ei6fgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474203/original/file-20220714-22-ei6fgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474203/original/file-20220714-22-ei6fgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474203/original/file-20220714-22-ei6fgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/474203/original/file-20220714-22-ei6fgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Environmental, social and governance (ESG) assets are seen as lower risk investments.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/photo/icon-concept-in-the-hand-for-environmental-social-royalty-free-image/1365521933?adppopup=true">Khaosai Wongnatthakan/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In general, mutual funds with high sustainability ratings tended to attract more capital, suggesting that investors value sustainable investments. </p>
<p>More importantly, however, we found that when there was an increase in the percentage of seasonally depressed individuals, capital inflows into high-sustainability funds increased relative to low-sustainability alternatives (an extra 0.070% per month or 0.84% per year). </p>
<p>For an average mutual fund with a size of US$100 million, this additional capital inflow equates to $840,000 per year. </p>
<p>This negative association is consistent with a risk-aversion interpretation, supporting the conclusion that lower mood leads to more sustainable investments as investors perceive them as being less risky.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/one-small-thing-you-can-do-for-the-environment-invest-ethically-2032">One small thing you can do for the environment: invest ethically</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Our study comes with a caveat. Given the features of our data, we cannot test if the investors’ mood improves after investing in sustainable funds. This would not only confirm that sustainable investments are a safer option, but also that investing in them will boost people’s mood. </p>
<h2>So, is sadness good for the environment and society?</h2>
<p>Our research explores a potential channel that could explain people’s preference for sustainable investments. </p>
<p>Our findings suggest that, when it comes to investing in sustainable equity mutual funds, risk aversion triggered by negative moods was a more likely cause of increased investing than the potential happiness connected to their pro-social behaviour. </p>
<p>This does not imply that sadness is good for the environment or society, it rather confirms that investors consider sustainable investments a safer option.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186994/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Our mood can influence our spending choices. But where do low mood investors put their money? Turns out, as moods dip, investments in sustainable stocks increase.Adrian Fernandez-Perez, Senior Research Fellow in Finance, Auckland University of TechnologyAlexandre Garel, Researcher in Finance, AudenciaIvan Indriawan, Senior Lecturer in Finance, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1842482022-06-09T04:58:34Z2022-06-09T04:58:34ZThere’s convincing evidence the pill can cause depression, and some types are worse than others<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467409/original/file-20220607-13238-56mjcv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=47%2C0%2C5343%2C3551&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Anthony Tran/Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since the 1960s, “the pill” has been a popular choice of contraception for many women around the world. On February 1 1961, Australia became the <a href="https://theconversation.com/freer-sex-and-family-planning-a-short-history-of-the-contraceptive-pill-92282">second country in the world</a> to enable access to the pill, thereby allowing women to have control over their fertility and separate sexual activity from reproduction, a major revolution. </p>
<p>Today, the pill is the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-choose-the-right-contraceptive-pill-for-you-87614#:%7E:text=The%20combined%20oral%20contraceptive%20pill,types%20of%20oral%20contraceptive%20pills.">most popular choice of contraception</a> for Australian women.</p>
<p>The early pills caused many physical side effects such as nausea, vomiting and increased rates of blood clots – which were significant and concerning. </p>
<p>While newer generations of the pill have generally been improved in terms of physical side effects and safety overall, a neglected area of consideration is the impact of the pill on mood.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1380275089615249412"}"></div></p>
<h2>The hormones in the pill do affect the brain and mood</h2>
<p>The relationship between the pill and mood is an important area to consider in view of the high prevalence of depression in Australian women, particularly those of reproductive age. Women are more likely to experience high or very high levels of <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/first-insights-national-study-mental-health-and-wellbeing-2020-21">psychological distress</a> (19% of women compared with 12% of men), and <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/mental-health/latest-release">reproductive-aged women</a> (15-45 years) have high rates of depression.</p>
<p>We need to understand whether the pill could be to blame for some of this.</p>
<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22467147/">Laboratory neuroscience studies</a> have shown oestrogen and progesterone, the “female hormones”, which most versions of the pill contain, greatly influence neurochemistry, brain function and the activity of neurotransmitters such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin and dopamine. This can cause depression, behaviour changes and disturbances in cognition. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/00048674.2011.583218?journalCode=ianp20">Brain imaging studies</a> have indicated oestrogen regulates the activation of brain regions implicated in emotional and cognitive processing such as the amygdala. Natural progesterone has been shown to have some anti-anxiety effects by acting on the GABA system.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467412/original/file-20220607-16-gad9hd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Woman with tear-streaked face, holding up a smiling mouth on a piece of paper" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467412/original/file-20220607-16-gad9hd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467412/original/file-20220607-16-gad9hd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467412/original/file-20220607-16-gad9hd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467412/original/file-20220607-16-gad9hd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467412/original/file-20220607-16-gad9hd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467412/original/file-20220607-16-gad9hd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467412/original/file-20220607-16-gad9hd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Drawing conclusions from clinical trials on the pill and depression can be difficult.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Unsplash/Sydney Sims</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Drawing conclusions from clinical trials on the pill and depression are hampered by the large number of different types of the pill and different hormones used, as well as the narrow definition of depression, that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22467147/">mainly refers to severe major depressive disorder</a>. Depression can manifest as a spectrum of mood disorders, including mild and moderate depression that still impairs the enjoyment of life.</p>
<p>However, convincing findings come from a <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2552796">large Danish study</a>, with data from more than a million women. It concluded the use of hormonal contraception, especially among adolescents, was associated with depression requiring antidepressant treatment. This strongly suggests depression is a potential adverse effect of hormonal contraceptive use. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1432987781219815425"}"></div></p>
<h2>Are any types worse than others?</h2>
<p>Currently, the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17688380/">data</a> suggest overall synthetic oestrogens appear to have a positive effect on depression, while the synthetic progesterones – called progestogens – have a varied effect including worsening depression (depending on the type and dose of progestogen). Most pills contain both hormones - for example, in a commonly used pill called Levlen.</p>
<p>Progestogen-only contraception, known as the “mini-pill”, seems to create a greater propensity for depressive disorders in vulnerable women. And users of the injectable progestogen contraceptive medroxyprogesterone acetate (brand name depo-provera) have more symptoms of depression than non-users. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-whats-on-the-horizon-for-a-male-contraceptive-pill-but-dont-hold-your-breath-92509">Here's what's on the horizon for a male contraceptive pill – but don't hold your breath</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It appears the addition of oestrogen in the hormone contraceptive improves mental health impacts, and the newer oral contraceptive pills containing the hormone estradiol (for example Diane 35) or estradiol valerate (for example Qlaira) may be less likely to cause mood changes. </p>
<p>The link between taking oral contraceptive pills and depression may be attributed to the amount and type of progestogen contained in oral contraceptive pills. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34630323/">recent research</a> showed a positive mental health response for some women taking a newer pill (called Zoely) containing a progestogen and a type of estradiol. This pill appeared to be better tolerated by women with a history of mood disorders. </p>
<p>Millions of women use hormone contraception without impact on their mental health. However, a significant number of women experience either first time depression or exacerbation of existing depression when taking particular types of hormone contraception. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/informed-consent-women-need-to-know-about-the-link-between-the-pill-and-depression-92424">Informed consent: women need to know about the link between the pill and depression</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It’s therefore important for women to take note of their individual responses to hormone contraception and discuss this with their doctor, who should be able to <a href="https://www.nps.org.au/australian-prescriber/articles/hormonal-contraception-and-mood-disorders">discuss suitable options</a>. It’s not clear whether doctors are advising women of the risks and asking them to keep an eye out for these symptoms when they prescribe the pill.</p>
<p>As a community we all need to recognise and acknowledge hormones such as oestrogen, progesterone and their synthetic versions can have potent mental health effects.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184248/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jayashri Kulkarni receives funding from NHMRC, Jansen, Servier pharmaceutical industries for clinical trials. This article received no funding and there are no conflicts to declare in relation to it</span></em></p>The hormones in the pill can cause or exacerbate depression, and the type you use is an important factor.Jayashri Kulkarni, Professor of Psychiatry, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1812632022-06-08T20:20:46Z2022-06-08T20:20:46Z‘Food sequencing’ really can help your glucose levels. Here’s what science says about eating salad before carbs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462659/original/file-20220512-24-a8w7cx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C4%2C1000%2C661&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/healthy-vegan-lunch-bowl-avocado-quinoa-604314275">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Biochemist and author of the <a href="https://www.glucose-revolution.com">Glucose Revolution</a> Jessie Inchauspé says tweaking your diet can change your life.</p>
<p>Among her recommendations in the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/talkback:-could-changing-your-glucose-intake-change-your-life/13791024">mainstream media</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/glucosegoddess/?hl=en">on Instagram</a>, the founder of the “<a href="https://www.glucose-revolution.com">Glucose Goddess movement</a>” says eating your food in a particular order is the key. </p>
<p>By eating salads first, before proteins, and finishing the meal with starchy carbohydrates, she says blood glucose spikes will be flattened, which is better for you.</p>
<p>Scientifically speaking, does this make sense? It turns out, yes, partially.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/lemon-water-wont-detox-or-energise-you-but-it-may-affect-your-body-in-other-ways-180035">Lemon water won't detox or energise you. But it may affect your body in other ways</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What is a glucose spike?</h2>
<p>A glucose spike occurs in your bloodstream <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261561419301542">about 30-60 minutes</a> after you eat carbohydrate. Many things determine how high and how long the peak lasts. These include what you ate with or before the carbohydrate, how much fibre is in the carbohydrate, and your body’s ability to secrete, and use, the hormone insulin.</p>
<p>For people with certain medical conditions, any tactic to flatten the glucose peak is incredibly important. These conditions include: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>diabetes</p></li>
<li><p>reactive hypoglycaemia (a particular type of recurring sugar crash)</p></li>
<li><p>postprandial hypotension (low blood pressure after eating) or </p></li>
<li><p>if you’ve had bariatric surgery. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>That’s because high and prolonged glucose spikes have lasting and detrimental impacts on many hormones and proteins, including those that trigger inflammation. Inflammation is linked with a range of conditions including diabetes and heart disease.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/got-pre-diabetes-heres-five-things-to-eat-or-avoid-to-prevent-type-2-diabetes-80838">Got pre-diabetes? Here's five things to eat or avoid to prevent type 2 diabetes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Different foods, different spikes</h2>
<p>Does eating different food types before carbs affect glucose spikes? Turns out, yes. This isn’t new evidence either. </p>
<p>Scientists have known for a long time that high-fibre foods, such as salads, slow gastric emptying (the rate at which food exits the stomach). So high-fibre foods <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1475-2891-9-58">slow the delivery</a> of glucose and other nutrients to the small intestine for absorption into the blood.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462675/original/file-20220512-21-exx33b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Stomach and small intestines" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462675/original/file-20220512-21-exx33b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462675/original/file-20220512-21-exx33b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462675/original/file-20220512-21-exx33b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462675/original/file-20220512-21-exx33b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462675/original/file-20220512-21-exx33b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462675/original/file-20220512-21-exx33b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462675/original/file-20220512-21-exx33b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Salads slow down the movement of food from your stomach into your small intestine.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/3d-illustration-human-digestive-system-anatomy-1898319229">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Proteins and fats <a href="https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/32/9/1600/28666/Effects-of-a-Protein-Preload-on-Gastric-Emptying">also slow</a> gastric emptying. Protein has the extra advantage of stimulating a hormone called glucagon-like-peptide 1 (or GLP1). When protein from your food hits the cells in your intestines, this hormone is secreted, slowing gastric emptying even further. The hormone also affects the pancreas where it helps secretion of the hormone insulin that mops up the glucose in your blood. </p>
<p>In fact, drugs that mimic how GLP1 works (known as <a href="https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/living-with-diabetes/medicine/injectables/">GLP1 receptor agonists</a>) are a new and very effective class of medication for people with type 2 diabetes. They’re making a real difference to improve their blood sugar control.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/these-4-diets-are-trending-we-looked-at-the-science-or-lack-of-it-behind-each-one-136045">These 4 diets are trending. We looked at the science (or lack of it) behind each one</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What about eating food in sequence?</h2>
<p>Most of the scientific research on whether eating food in a particular order makes a difference to glucose spikes involves giving a fibre, fat or protein “preload” before the meal. Typically, the preload is a liquid and given around 30 minutes before the carbohydrate.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/32/9/1600/28666/Effects-of-a-Protein-Preload-on-Gastric-Emptying">one study</a>, drinking a whey protein shake 30 minutes before (rather than with) a mashed potato meal was better at slowing gastric emptying. Either option was better at reducing the glucose spike than drinking water before the meal.</p>
<p>While this evidence shows eating protein before carbohydrates helps reduce glucose spikes, the evidence for eating other food groups separately, and in sequence, during an average meal is not so strong.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462678/original/file-20220512-18-odqy2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Steak on flame-grill barbecue" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462678/original/file-20220512-18-odqy2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462678/original/file-20220512-18-odqy2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462678/original/file-20220512-18-odqy2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462678/original/file-20220512-18-odqy2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462678/original/file-20220512-18-odqy2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462678/original/file-20220512-18-odqy2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462678/original/file-20220512-18-odqy2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A steak takes longer than mash to churn into a size ready for the small intestine.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/grilling-steaks-on-flaming-grill-shot-397498693">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Inchauspé <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/talkback:-could-changing-your-glucose-intake-change-your-life/13791024">says</a> fibre, fats, and proteins don’t mix in the stomach – they do. But nutrients don’t exit the stomach until they have been churned into a fine particle size.</p>
<p>Steak takes longer than mash to be churned into a fine particle. Given the additional fact that liquids empty faster than solids, and people tend to complete their entire dinner in around 15 minutes, is there any real evidence that eating a meal within a particular sequence will be more beneficial than eating the foods, as you like, and all mixed up on the plate?</p>
<p>Yes, but it is not very strong. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261561419301542">One small study</a> tested five different meal sequences in 16 people without diabetes. Participants had to eat their meal within 15 minutes. </p>
<p>There was no overall difference in glucose spikes between groups that ate their vegetables before meat and rice versus the other sequences.</p>
<h2>What’s the take-home message?</h2>
<p>Watching those glucose spikes is particularly important if you have
diabetes or a handful of other medical conditions. If that’s the case, your treating doctor or dietitian will advise how to modify your meals or food intake to avoid glucose spikes. Food ordering may be part of that advice.</p>
<p>For the rest of us, don’t tie yourself up in knots trying to eat your meal in a particular order. But do consider removing sugary beverages, and adding fibre, proteins or fats to carbohydrates to slow gastric emptying and flatten glucose spikes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181263/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leonie Heilbronn currently receives funding from Medical Research Futures Fund and National Health and Medical Research Council, and Isagenix LLT. </span></em></p>It sounds too good to be true. But the science on how different types of foods affect your glucose levels has been known for a long time.Leonie Heilbronn, Professor and Group Leader, Obesity & Metabolism, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1762852022-02-04T11:06:03Z2022-02-04T11:06:03Z‘Hangxiety’: why some people experience anxiety during a hangover<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444514/original/file-20220204-25-mysr3s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=97%2C8%2C5348%2C3617&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some people may feel more anxious than others.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/front-view-brunette-woman-tousled-curly-1303182556">HBRH/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The morning after a night of drinking is never fun if you’ve got a hangover. For most people, hangovers involve a headache, fatigue, thirst or nausea. But some people also report experiencing what many have dubbed “hangxiety” – feelings of anxiety during a hangover. By some estimates, anxiety during a hangover affects <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6832275/">around 12% of people</a>, and can vary in severity depending on the person. </p>
<p>As the body recovers from a night of drinking, a hangover creates a state of physiological stress. Generally speaking, physiological stress happens when the body is under pressure – such as from an illness or injury. A hangover kind of works the same way. Not only does it cause changes to our immune system, it also increases cortisol levels (often called the “stress hormone”), blood pressure and heart rate – changes which also happen with anxiety. </p>
<p>The brain also experiences changes. Research shows that <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/psyp.13081">brain activity involving dopamine</a> (a type of neurotransmitter) is lower during a hangover. This is important, as dopamine plays an important role in regulating anxiety. The heightened stress during a hangover can also make it difficult for someone to cope with any <a href="https://www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288/jsad.2007.68.446">additional stress</a> that may happen throughout the period.</p>
<p>Interestingly, stress and sleep deprivation in combination (reflecting aspects of a hangover), can lead to declines in both <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-002-1217-9">mood and cognitive function</a> (including attention and memory). Fatigue, stress and dealing with other unpleasant hangover symptoms can also make it difficult to manage daily tasks. For example, someone with a hangover may be too preoccupied with nursing their feelings of nausea, headache or fatigue to be able to effectively deal with anxious thoughts. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article-abstract/56/4/425/5974945?redirectedFrom=fulltext">own research</a> has shown that people experience a negative shift in their emotions during a hangover. Many also reported feeling like they had more trouble regulating their emotions compared to when they aren’t hungover. In other words, people feel bad during a hangover and find it difficult to pick themselves back up. </p>
<p>But when we asked participants to actually regulate their emotions in a computer task, they were able to regulate them to the same extent as they could when they aren’t hungover – but with increased effort. We did this by showing participants pictures that evoked various emotions (including positive or negative emotions) but asked them to experience their emotions without expressing them outwardly. Having greater difficulty regulating emotions during a hangover might also explain why some people experience anxiety.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Hungover man lays in bed looking tired and depressed." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/444515/original/file-20220204-15-z3mwn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many people struggle to regulate their emotions during a hangover.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sleepy-bachelor-on-bed-ready-wake-603945518">Thomas Andre Fure/ Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32316438/">another study</a>, our team looked at how hangovers influence executive functions (mental skills which are important for many aspects of our daily life, including working memory, flexible thinking and self control). Participants were given a series of tasks that tested these mental skills, such as remembering a series of letter and recalling it when prompted.</p>
<p>We found that people who were hungover had worse performance in key aspects of executive functions. Executive functions help people cope with anxiety and inhibit anxious thoughts. If these mental skills are poorer during a hangover, it may help explain why some people struggle with anxiety. </p>
<h2>Feeling anxious?</h2>
<p>But why do some people experience hangxiety, while others don’t?</p>
<p>Pain is part of almost every hangover – whether its a headache or muscle aches. But research shows that people who “catastrophise” pain (a tendency to exaggerate pain or expect the worst) are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16093750/">more likely to experience anxiety</a>. Research also shows that this group are more likely to experience <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019682/">severe hangovers</a>. This might explain why some people experience anxiety, while others don’t.</p>
<p>People who are likely to experience anxiety in general may also be particularly susceptible to hangxiety. Negative life events, depression or anger while drinking, guilt from drinking and even certain personality traits (such as neuroticism) are all also <a href="https://www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288/jsa.1981.42.998">linked to mood changes during a hangover</a>. Hangxiety has even been reported to be higher in people who <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886918305762?via%3Dihub">say they’re very shy</a> and may be linked to symptoms of alcohol use disorder. </p>
<p>Combined, these factors highlight why hangxiety can affect people differently, and why it’s a part of hangovers worth taking seriously. Mood changes during a hangover are not just unpleasant, but may even be linked to problematic drinking, increased conflict with others and <a href="https://www.ias.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/rp35062019.pdf">reduced productivity at work</a>.</p>
<p>If you’re someone who experiences hangxiety, the same techniques that help with anxiety will also be useful. This might include meditation, practising mindfulness and general <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2848393/">self care</a>. Planning ahead of your night out to make sure you have the following day free to recover and avoid other stressors (such as work or family problems) may also help deal with the additional psychological stress. For some, a hangover can even be used as a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16066359.2018.1453063">bonding exercise</a> where people can discuss their previous night of drinking with friends and even cope with feelings of anxiety together.</p>
<p>Of course, the best way to avoid experiencing hangxiety is to avoid drinking altogether – or at least drink in moderation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176285/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Craig Gunn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Some estimates suggest around 12% of people experience ‘hangxiety’.Craig Gunn, Lecturer in Psychological Science, University of BristolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1660082021-08-30T18:53:35Z2021-08-30T18:53:35Z‘Toxic positivity’: Why it is important to live with negative emotions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416810/original/file-20210818-25-h6t0kq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C8%2C5936%2C3945&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Positive thinking</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It is almost impossible to go on Facebook or Instagram without seeing quotes or comments accompanied with motivational words such as, “Look on the bright side,” “Focus on the good things,” or “Be positive.”</p>
<p>If anything, the pandemic has exacerbated the phenomenon of “toxic positivity.” In Québec, the famous catchphrase, “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-ca-va-bien-aller-covid-19-1.5529750">It’s going to be OK</a>,” is undoubtedly one of the best known examples of this.</p>
<p>Though well-intentioned, these phrases can end up creating more distress instead of helping. Why? Because they are examples of <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/toxic-positivity">toxic positivity</a>, a school of thought that operates on the principle that one should always have a positive attitude, even when things get difficult.</p>
<p>As a doctoral student in psychology, I am interested in internalized symptoms (depression, anxiety and social withdrawal) and externalized symptoms (delinquency, violent, oppositional/defensive, disruptive and impulsive behaviours). I believe it is important to focus on the negative consequences of “emotional invalidation” and to understand why we need to live with our negative emotions.</p>
<h2>Emotional invalidation</h2>
<p>When a person talks about what they are feeling, their main goal is usually to validate their emotions, to understand and accept the emotional experience. In contrast, emotional invalidation involves ignoring, denying, criticizing or rejecting another person’s feelings.</p>
<p>Several studies have looked at the effects of emotional invalidation. The conclusions are clear: it is very harmful to mental health. <a href="https://az.booksc.org/book/42114434/70d4b4">People who experience emotional invalidation are more likely to have depressive symptoms</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Drawings of flowers and rainbows in a window" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/414822/original/file-20210805-23-21y2ki.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/414822/original/file-20210805-23-21y2ki.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414822/original/file-20210805-23-21y2ki.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414822/original/file-20210805-23-21y2ki.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414822/original/file-20210805-23-21y2ki.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414822/original/file-20210805-23-21y2ki.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/414822/original/file-20210805-23-21y2ki.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Positivity at all costs can become toxic when it lapses into invalidation of emotional states.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Emotional invalidation has many negative effects. A person who is regularly invalidated may have difficulty <a href="https://doi.org/10.1521/ijct.2012.5.4.380">accepting, controlling and understanding their emotions</a>.</p>
<p>What’s more, people who expect their emotions to be invalidated are less likely to exhibit psychological flexibility, which is the ability to tolerate difficult thoughts and emotions and to resist unnecessarily defending oneself.</p>
<p>The more psychological flexibility a person has, the more they are able to live with their emotions and to get through difficult situations. For example, in the aftermath of a breakup, a young man feels anger, sadness and confusion. His friend listens to him and validates him. The man then normalizes his conflicting feelings and understands that the feelings will not last forever.</p>
<p>In contrast, another man going through the same type of breakup doesn’t understand his feelings, feels ashamed and fears losing control of his emotions. His friend invalidates him and won’t listen to him. The man then tries to suppress his emotions, which creates anxiety and can even lead to depression.</p>
<p>These two examples, drawn from the study “Processes underlying depression: Risk aversion, emotional schemas, and psychological flexibility” by American psychologists and researchers Robert L. Leahy, Dennis Tirch and Poonam S. Melwani, are neither rare nor harmless. The avoidance reaction, which involved doing everything possible to avoid experiencing negative emotions, is often amplified by the people around us.</p>
<p>Some people are so affected by other people’s unhappiness that just seeing this sadness makes them unhappy. This is why they react by making positive comments. However, the ability to live with our emotions is essential. Suppressing or avoiding them does not solve anything. In fact, trying to avoid negative emotions at all costs does not bring about the desired effect — on the contrary, the emotions tend to return more often, and more intensely.</p>
<h2>Being negative: A state of mind with ancient origins</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, humans are not designed to be positive all the time. On the contrary, we are more likely to recall bad memories. This probably goes back to a time, ages ago, when our survival depended on our reflex to avoid danger. A person who ignored signs of danger, even once, could end up in a catastrophic or even deadly situation.</p>
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À lire aussi :
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mindfulness-meditation-in-brief-daily-doses-can-reduce-negative-mental-health-impact-of-covid-19-165163">Mindfulness meditation in brief daily doses can reduce negative mental health impact of COVID-19</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In this article, “<a href="https://roybaumeister.com/2001/10/15/bad-is-stronger-than-good/">Bad is stronger than good</a>,” the authors, both psychologists, explain how in evolutionary history the organisms that were better at identifying danger were more likely to survive threats. So the most alert among human beings had a higher probability of passing on their genes. The result is that we are in some ways programmed to pay attention to potential sources of danger.</p>
<h2>How the negativity bias manifests itself</h2>
<p>This phenomenon is known as the negativity bias. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207%2FS15327957PSPR0504_2">Research has identified four manifestations of this bias</a> that allow us to better understand it. One of these manifestations is linked to the vocabulary we use to describe negative events.</p>
<p>In a phenomenon called negative differentiation, it turns out that the vocabulary we have to describe negative events is much richer and more varied than the vocabulary used to describe positive events. In addition, negative stimuli are generally interpreted as more elaborate and differentiated than are positive ones.</p>
<p>The vocabulary used to describe physical pain is also much more complex than that used to describe physical pleasure. Another example: parents <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0047-2484(84)80021-4">find it easier to judge their babies’ negative emotions than their positive emotions</a>.</p>
<h2>No more prefabricated sentences</h2>
<p>Negative emotions are a product of human complexity and are as important as positive ones.</p>
<p>The next time someone confides in you about their emotions, if you don’t know what to say, opt for listening and emotional validation. Use expressions like, “It looks like you had a hard day,” or, “It was hard, wasn’t it?”</p>
<p>It’s worth noting that being positive is not always synonymous with toxic positivity — the goal of which is to reject and avoid everything negative and only see the positive side of things. An example of positive and validating language is, “It is normal to feel the way you do after such a serious event, let’s try to make sense of it.” Toxic positivity, on the other hand, sounds more like, “Stop seeing the negative side, think about the positive things instead.”</p>
<p>Finally, if you are unable to validate and listen, refer the person to a mental health professional who will know how to help them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166008/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrée-Ann Labranche has received funding from SSHRC and FRQSC.</span></em></p>Ignoring negative emotions by trying to be positive all the time — called toxic positivity — can have consequences for mental health. Experiencing negative emotions is inevitable and essential.Andrée-Ann Labranche, Candidate au doctorat en psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1661662021-08-26T02:06:49Z2021-08-26T02:06:49ZMood, music and money: what our Spotify playlists reveal about the emotional nature of financial markets<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417716/original/file-20210824-17366-1h500a7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=40%2C0%2C6646%2C1604&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>We like to think our purchase decisions are based on rational calculations and facts, but we know they are often driven by emotions, too. When we splurge on nice food, clothes or electronic gadgets, are we really thinking in terms of cost and benefit, or are we responding to stress, frustration, happiness or excitement?</p>
<p>The same can be asked of financial markets. The famous “efficient markets hypothesis” argues that stock prices are driven by rational calculations. But traders are human and humans are affected by emotions. Do these emotions feed through to the stock market? </p>
<p>Studying this question is difficult because people’s emotions aren’t observable. While emotions do manifest in observable actions, many such actions (aggressive behaviour or language, for example) are not captured by any data.</p>
<p>But what if there was a way to measure the overall mood of a country and relate that to the behaviour of financial markets? In the age of Spotify, this has become a real possibility.</p>
<p><a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3776071">Our research</a>, published in the Journal of Financial Economics, uses the music people listen to as a measure of national sentiment affecting market behaviour. It builds on the concept of a “mood congruence” — that people’s music choices reflect their mood (sad songs at funerals, happy songs at parties and so on).</p>
<p>Spotify provides aggregated <a href="https://spotifycharts.com">listening data</a> across a country, as well as an algorithm that classifies the positivity or negativity of each song. Using these inputs, we calculate “music sentiment” — a measure of a country’s sentiment as expressed by the positivity of the songs its citizens listen to.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="trading floor of New York Stock Exchange" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417717/original/file-20210824-23-rhgzg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417717/original/file-20210824-23-rhgzg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417717/original/file-20210824-23-rhgzg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417717/original/file-20210824-23-rhgzg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417717/original/file-20210824-23-rhgzg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417717/original/file-20210824-23-rhgzg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417717/original/file-20210824-23-rhgzg4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rational or emotional? The trading floor of New York Stock Exchange.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>How is sentiment usually measured?</h2>
<p>Investor sentiment is often defined as the general mood among investors regarding a particular market or asset. While this definition is widely accepted, it’s challenging to construct a pure measure of mood that isn’t complicated by economics. </p>
<p>Many natural measures – consumer confidence, GDP growth, unemployment, coronavirus cases and deaths – have direct economic effects. So, for example, if a high consumer confidence index sees the stock market rise, this doesn’t necessarily suggest emotions directly affect the stock market. </p>
<p>Rather, the rise could be a rational response to an improvement in the business and employment conditions the index is based on. One alternative, then, is to look for other “mood proxies” as viable indicators of national sentiment.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/your-spotify-history-could-help-predict-whats-going-on-with-the-economy-96305">Your Spotify history could help predict what's going on with the economy</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Previous research on investor sentiment has used shocks that affect the national mood but not the economy, such as the results of <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=677103">major sports tournaments</a>.</p>
<p>However, other factors may affect mood – a country could lose a sports game but also enjoy falling COVID cases. Hence our proposed alternative way of capturing the mood of individuals using national Spotify data.</p>
<h2>Using music to measure sentiment</h2>
<p>One concern with music listening data is that people may choose music to neutralise their mood rather than reflect it — listening to upbeat music to cure a downbeat mood, for example. </p>
<p>We show this is not the case. Music sentiment is more positive during sunnier and lengthening days. Research has <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=265674">already shown</a> these to be high mood periods, as are those times when COVID restrictions are lifted.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mood-swings-and-the-market-how-to-understand-irrational-investor-behaviour-5465">Mood swings and the market: how to understand irrational investor behaviour </a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The novelty of our study, therefore, lies in finding a measure that reflects national mood. A citizen’s music choices reflect their mood regardless of what caused it — soccer results, COVID cases or anything else. </p>
<p>Indeed, Spotify listening data have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-spotify-history-could-help-predict-whats-going-on-with-the-economy-96305">shown to predict</a> consumer confidence more accurately than standard consumer confidence surveys.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Spotify banner on New York Stock Exchange" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417718/original/file-20210824-16663-1h4qrx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/417718/original/file-20210824-16663-1h4qrx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417718/original/file-20210824-16663-1h4qrx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417718/original/file-20210824-16663-1h4qrx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417718/original/file-20210824-16663-1h4qrx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417718/original/file-20210824-16663-1h4qrx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/417718/original/file-20210824-16663-1h4qrx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Music and markets collide: the New York Stock Exchange celebrates the IPO of streaming music service Spotify in 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Stock markets overreact to sentiment</h2>
<p>Linking our sentiment measure with the stock markets, we find that higher music sentiment is associated with higher returns to a country’s stock market during the same week. It also leads to lower returns the next week, suggesting the initial reaction was a temporary one driven by sentiment.</p>
<p>One might argue these results show only a spurious correlation, similar to the “Superbowl effect” where the identity of the Superbowl winner predicts US stock markets, even though there is no rational or behavioural reason for that. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-the-vibe-of-the-thing-the-critical-art-of-measuring-business-and-consumer-confidence-37166">It's the 'vibe' of the thing: the critical art of measuring business and consumer confidence</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But we show our result holds across 40 countries and is not driven by a couple of outliers skewing the data. We also show the result is robust across asset classes. While our main results consider stocks, we also find high music sentiment is associated with greater purchases of equity mutual funds. </p>
<p>High music sentiment is also correlated with lower returns to government bonds, indicating that investors switch out of safe bonds into risky stocks.</p>
<h2>Why music sentiment matters</h2>
<p>The point of our study is not to uncover a profitable trading strategy. We do not suggest investors should calculate music sentiment and use it to predict the stock market. </p>
<p>Instead, using a novel measure that reflects national sentiment and is available in 40 countries, we want to show emotions affect the stock market. This suggests investors should be wary of their own emotions when making investment decisions. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-tulips-and-scrips-to-bitcoin-and-meme-stocks-how-the-act-of-speculating-became-a-financial-mania-158406">From tulips and scrips to bitcoin and meme stocks – how the act of speculating became a financial mania</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Our findings also imply that sentiment rather than fundamentals could drive rising stock prices – of electric vehicles or artificial intelligence products, for instance. Therefore, investors should be wary of buying into a bubble or selling in a crash.</p>
<p>Moreover, this study demonstrates the power of big data to reveal aggregate ongoing sentiment. Unlike sporting events, which are infrequent, music is enjoyed everywhere all the time. Being a universal language, music enables us to construct a comparative measure of national sentiment, in real time, around the world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166166/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ivan Indriawan receives funding from Auckland University of Technology, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law Research Grant (RP-2020). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrian Fernandez-Perez, Alex Edmans, and Alexandre Garel do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new study using music streaming data to measure national mood underlines how much stock markets are governed by emotion rather than rational calculation.Ivan Indriawan, Senior Lecturer in Finance, Auckland University of TechnologyAdrian Fernandez-Perez, Senior Research Fellow in Finance, Auckland University of TechnologyAlexandre Garel, Chercheur en Finance, AudenciaAlex Edmans, Professor of Finance, Academic Director, Centre for Corporate Governance, London Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1581542021-04-06T04:48:04Z2021-04-06T04:48:04ZLockdown mental fatigue rapidly reversed by social contact, study finds<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/393083/original/file-20210401-13-f7w8p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5414%2C3571&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Emerging from isolation has a profound effect on our cognitive functions.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/girl-social-phobia-hides-her-face-647654332">Koldunova Anna/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many of us are looking forward to a summer of relative freedom, with road-mapped milestones that will grant us more opportunities to see our friends and family. But we’ll be carrying the effects of months of isolation into those meetings, including a sense that our social skills will need dusting off, and our wits will need sharpening.</p>
<p>The mental effects of lockdown have been profound. Social isolation has been shown to cause people’s <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16594799/">mental health to deteriorate</a> even if they have no history of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/16/uk-lockdown-causing-serious-mental-illness-in-first-time-patients">previous psychological problems</a>. Alongside this drop in mood, loneliness has been linked with a host of cognitive problems, including <a href="https://theconversation.com/here-is-why-you-might-be-feeling-tired-while-on-lockdown-135502">fatigue</a>, <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2020/jun/anxiety-depression-levels-fall-lockdown-eased">stress</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24729533/">problems with concentration</a>.</p>
<p>In our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acp.3821">recent study</a>, we set out to understand how people recovered from last year’s period of social isolation, tracking their cognitive function as the UK transitioned from a full lockdown to reduced social restrictions in summer 2020. Promisingly, we found that people swiftly recovered from cognitive issues when given the chance to blow away the cobwebs by socialising once again.</p>
<h2>Mass isolation</h2>
<p>Lockdowns have given psychologists a unique opportunity to study the effects of social isolation on the general population. Such effects are normally only studied in <a href="https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad180501">older adults</a>, or in very special groups of people such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2012.08.013">astronauts</a>, <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/40/6/556">desert trekkers</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494409000723?via%3Dihub">polar explorers</a>. But for over a year now, ordinary people of all ages have been experiencing prolonged periods with minimal social contact.</p>
<p>We know that humans derive many benefits from socialising. These range from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(04)00767-7">preventing dementia</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00075-8">enhancing memory</a> to improvements in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2018.12.014">concentration and the ability to think clearly</a>. When our social lives shrank last March, we lost these cognitive payouts too. </p>
<p>To investigate what happens when these payouts return, we <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.588604/full">surveyed</a> hundreds of Scottish adults between May and July 2020: a period when strict national lockdown restrictions were gradually eased. It was the perfect time to observe how the benefits of socialising might change how people think and feel. </p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, we found that people’s moods were lowest when we first approached them in May. Those who were shielding or living alone suffered the most and only began to feel better when the final restrictions were eased towards the end of our survey period in July. But our study was most interested in other psychological indicators: those that would show whether people’s cognitive abilities improved when they had more opportunities to socialise.</p>
<h2>Psychological recovery</h2>
<p>To measure this, we asked our survey participants to complete <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acp.3821">a series of online tests</a> to assess changes in their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/flanker-task">attention</a>, learning ability, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/memory/working-memory">working memory</a> – and even their perception of time.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-year-of-blursdays-how-coronavirus-distorted-our-sense-of-time-in-2020-151512">A year of blursdays: how coronavirus distorted our sense of time in 2020</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Attention, learning ability and working memory are all essential for tasks we might perform at work or while studying. They’re indicators of how well we remember things we’ve learned, how long we can concentrate on a task, and how many tasks we can juggle in our heads at one time. </p>
<p>All of these indicators improved rapidly as lockdown restrictions eased, with clear week-on-week improvements each time we returned to our study participants for more data. This suggests that we’re likely to enjoy a similarly speedy boost in our ability to work when lockdown restrictions ease this time around. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A couple with a picnic basket chatting with masks on at a social distance" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/393122/original/file-20210401-19-1hjak87.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/393122/original/file-20210401-19-1hjak87.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/393122/original/file-20210401-19-1hjak87.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/393122/original/file-20210401-19-1hjak87.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/393122/original/file-20210401-19-1hjak87.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/393122/original/file-20210401-19-1hjak87.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/393122/original/file-20210401-19-1hjak87.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=341&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Socialising helps us sharpen our wits and boost our moods.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/couple-have-date-during-coronavirus-lockdown-1779001934">Maksim Shmeljov/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We’ve all been experiencing varying degrees of loneliness and isolation, so it’s no wonder that we’re running low on the benefits that socialising can bring. Our findings offer concrete proof that lockdown makes us all a little more distracted, sluggish and fatigued – cognitive problems that may be affecting our performance at work and our social interactions outside of it. </p>
<p>But the speed at which we witnessed cognitive function improve once people began socialising again last summer shows that there’s hope. As days lengthen, the weather improves, and society reopens, our study suggests that renewed social contact will quickly and thoroughly reverse any cognitive decline we’ve experienced during the most recent lockdown.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hope-isnt-mere-wishful-thinking-its-a-valuable-tool-we-can-put-to-work-in-a-crisis-146271">'Hope' isn't mere wishful thinking – it's a valuable tool we can put to work in a crisis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Our findings extend beyond the unique circumstances brought about by the pandemic. While there’s no denying that humans are social creatures, psychologists are only now beginning to recognise just how integral social interaction is to every aspect of our wellbeing and mental ability – and how isolation, whether for elderly people or those with extreme vocations, can affect our mental health and aptitude across so many measures.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158154/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Hand receives funding from the Chief Scientist Office (Scotland).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Greg Maciejewski receives funding from the Chief Scientist's Office, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Experimental Psychology Society, and EU.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Joanne Ingram receives funding from the Chief Scientist Office and The Royal Society of Edinburgh. Dr Ingram is a member of the Scottish Green Party and a trustee of the Awesome Foundation Glasgow. </span></em></p>The study found people bounce back from their mental sluggishness soon after emerging from isolation.Christopher Hand, Lecturer, Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian UniversityGreg Maciejewski, Lecturer in Psychology, University of the West of ScotlandJoanne Ingram, Lecturer in Psychology, University of the West of ScotlandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1321622020-05-26T17:07:40Z2020-05-26T17:07:40ZCoffee versus cardio: Can exercise offer the same mental boost as caffeine?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337138/original/file-20200522-124851-6i4ph7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C158%2C1988%2C1380&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A brisk 20-minute walk can increase energy level, alertness and mood, and improve working memory — with no caffeine side-effects.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Your alarm goes off and it’s time to start another day. What’s your first step? Perhaps making a cup of coffee? You may want to consider a brisk walk instead.</p>
<p>In Canada, <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.25318/82-003-x201900700003-eng">coffee is second only to water as the beverage most commonly consumed by adults</a>. Although caffeine — the psychoactive ingredient present in coffee — is associated with several positive effects such as increased alertness, energy and mood, caffeine is not all good news for everyone. Some individuals experience negative effects from caffeine consumption, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.npp.1300232">increased anxiety symptoms</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/jcr.2014.0020">muscle tremors</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336965/original/file-20200522-153894-gbmdhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336965/original/file-20200522-153894-gbmdhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336965/original/file-20200522-153894-gbmdhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336965/original/file-20200522-153894-gbmdhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336965/original/file-20200522-153894-gbmdhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336965/original/file-20200522-153894-gbmdhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336965/original/file-20200522-153894-gbmdhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Caffeine can provide a boost in mood, energy and alertness, but it can also cause side-effects, including anxiety and tremors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Concerns about caffeine consumption have also been raised for both <a href="https://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2017/63362a-eng.php">children and pregnant women</a>, prompting reduced consumption guidelines for these groups. At some point, the majority of caffeine consumers have experienced the adverse effects of withdrawal symptoms. These can feel like a <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-004-2000-x">headache, tiredness and grouchiness</a>. </p>
<p>The question then remains: what could provide similar benefits to caffeine without the side-effects? The answer may lie in aerobic exercise. </p>
<h2>Caffeine versus exercise</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ehpl.uwo.ca/">Our lab</a> examines how exercise can improve various health outcomes, one being cognition. In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56251-y">recent study</a>, we put aerobic exercise and caffeine head to head, to look at their ability to provide a “boost” to a measure of cognition called working memory. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1201">Working memory</a> refers to our ability to temporarily store and manipulate information to complete a task. Working memory is what you are using when you are at the grocery store trying to quickly recall the items on your list, while updating that information with the price tags you are seeing in front of you. It is used in our everyday life and is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2004.06.010">how well we perform at school and work</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337134/original/file-20200522-124826-5d51iw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/337134/original/file-20200522-124826-5d51iw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337134/original/file-20200522-124826-5d51iw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337134/original/file-20200522-124826-5d51iw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337134/original/file-20200522-124826-5d51iw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337134/original/file-20200522-124826-5d51iw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/337134/original/file-20200522-124826-5d51iw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Twenty minutes on a treadmill had the same benefits as the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Piqsels)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In our study, we examined what would happen to working memory when we got healthy adults to complete a brisk, 20-minute walk on a treadmill versus when we gave them a dose of caffeine equivalent to what people consume in a small cup of coffee. </p>
<p>Our results indicated that a dose of moderate intensity exercise was essentially equivalent to a dose of caffeine in improving working memory in both adults who regularly consume caffeine and those who do not. This result would suggest that replacing coffee with a single bout of aerobic exercise could not only provide a cognitive boost similar to coffee but may also provide other health benefits that come along with exercise. </p>
<h2>Walk to reduce withdrawal symptoms</h2>
<p>To dig a little deeper into the issues surrounding caffeine, exercise and cognition, our team wanted to examine what would happen during caffeine withdrawal. </p>
<p>This time, we asked our caffeine consumers to undergo a 12-hour caffeine deprivation period. Then they had to come into the lab so we could assess their caffeine withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue, difficulty concentrating, grouchy mood, lack of motivation and headache. We also assessed their working memory, and found that it was not affected by caffeine withdrawal. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336888/original/file-20200521-102637-xh0p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=296%2C197%2C5694%2C3799&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336888/original/file-20200521-102637-xh0p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336888/original/file-20200521-102637-xh0p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336888/original/file-20200521-102637-xh0p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336888/original/file-20200521-102637-xh0p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336888/original/file-20200521-102637-xh0p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336888/original/file-20200521-102637-xh0p9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A brisk 20-minute walk provided a boost in energy and alertness.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Then we tested whether a brisk walk or caffeine consumption could reduce their withdrawal symptoms and improve their working memory. Interestingly, our results showed that the brisk 20-minute walk was able to reduce their withdrawal symptoms, particularly fatigue and depressed mood. However, working memory, which had not been affected by withdrawal, remained the same. </p>
<p>So how exactly does aerobic exercise provide this cognitive boost and reduce caffeine withdrawal symptoms? Although there is still a lot of debate, and investigations are underway, previous research has suggested improved <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2017.06.024">blood flow in the brain, the release of neurotrophic factors</a> (which are like food for brain cells) and the release of hormones, such as dopamine and epinephrine that are associated with <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.3233/BPL-160040">mood and energy</a>, may all be in some part responsible for these effects. </p>
<p>These findings are encouraging as they suggest something as simple as taking a brisk walk during your lunch break may help fight off the afternoon energy slump. Furthermore, for individuals who may want to avoid coffee, engaging in short bouts of aerobic exercise may be a compelling alternative for improving several health outcomes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/132162/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anisa Morava receives funding from the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Fagan receives funding from a CIHR Doctoral Studentship.</span></em></p>If you want to boost your energy and mood and feel more alert, get moving instead of getting coffee.Anisa Morava, PhD Student, Psychological Basis of Kinesiology, Western UniversityMatthew James Fagan, Ph.D. Student, Kinesiology, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1340432020-03-26T23:32:28Z2020-03-26T23:32:28ZCoronavirus: tiny moments of pleasure really can help us through this stressful time<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323167/original/file-20200326-168918-13j5ezb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C4%2C988%2C661&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-pretty-woman-sitting-opened-window-397255312">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If I told you that last night I built a blanket fort in the living room, crawled inside with my cat, a glass of wine and my just-arrived copy of the New Yorker, would you think less of me?</p>
<p>After all, we’re in the midst of a global coronavirus pandemic. Borders are closing, people are sick, dying, losing their jobs, and locked in isolation. And there was I, playing – as though I didn’t have a care in the world.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, you might be reading this holed up at home, screaming with fury at those bloody hoarders. Or perhaps you’re on a train valiantly trying to keep 1.5 metres away from the next person, shrinking back as they cough and splutter.</p>
<p>Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whatever you think about the pandemic, the economy, or your compatriots, a tiny part of you knows you could do with a bit of pleasure right now.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-hedonism-and-how-does-it-affect-your-health-78040">What is hedonism and how does it affect your health?</a>
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<h2>The effects of sustained stress</h2>
<p>When we’re first exposed to something stressful, like a deadly new disease, our body reacts with <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265733785_Stress_the_Stress_System_and_the_Role_of_Glucocorticoids">a cascade of small changes</a> such as releasing adrenaline and other chemicals, and activating brain regions related to fear and anger.</p>
<p>In many cases those changes make it more likely we’ll <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5048378/">meet the challenges</a> we face. </p>
<p>But if the stressful conditions continue, and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01639625.2018.1461744">especially if we feel powerless</a> to fix the situation, the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2470547017692328">consequences of the stress response increase</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-is-stressful-here-are-some-ways-to-cope-with-the-anxiety-133146">Coronavirus is stressful. Here are some ways to cope with the anxiety</a>
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<p>Our <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5137920/">risk</a> of chronic diseases increases, immune function can be compromised, and we become more vulnerable to <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Chronic-Stress-Leads-to-Anxiety-and-Depression-Khan-Khan/82ac7b6a9d794ca35b2ba5e5bb1625db78e35e9c">mental health problems</a>.</p>
<p>We can feel depleted, disconnected, anxious and depressed. We can become <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/da.20755">fixated</a> on negative thoughts and on looking for signs of threat. Sound familiar?</p>
<p>The good news is the effects of stress on the brain <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/106/3/912.short">are reversible</a>.</p>
<h2>Pleasure in times of stress</h2>
<p>It may seem too simple to be true but shifting our attention toward the small, everyday pleasures in our lives can <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cpp.2129">offset the consequences</a> of stress or negative events.</p>
<p>US researchers reported last year that experiencing pleasurable emotions, for example having interesting things to do, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2167702619834576">serves as a buffer</a> between chronic stress and depression. So, among people with sustained, high levels of stress, those who reported more pleasurable moments were likely to experience less severe depressive symptoms.</p>
<p>Pleasurable experiences might even <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022399917301691">be of most benefit</a> in times of stress.</p>
<p>We experience <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-319-28099-8_544-1">pleasure</a> in a myriad ways. Perhaps one of the most potent of pleasures, and one that springs most easily to mind, is a lover’s caress.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-and-sex-dos-and-donts-during-social-distancing-134007">Coronavirus and sex: Dos and don'ts during social distancing</a>
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<p>But to maximise the pleasure in every day, we should look more widely, to a multitude of sources.</p>
<p>If we’re too busy reading those alarming headlines to notice the beauty of the sun setting outside our window though, it’s a missed opportunity for a moment of delight. </p>
<p>When I recently asked people on Twitter to share the things bringing them delight in these challenging times, <a href="https://twitter.com/Pleasure_Lab/status/1241220320754692098">I received hundreds of replies</a> within a couple of hours.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1241449357322252288"}"></div></p>
<p>Each one was a small vignette conveying a personal moment of simple pleasure. Gardens and dogs and children and nature featured strongly, and many people reflected on the added pleasure of recalling such moments.</p>
<p>Indeed, recollection and anticipation – along with relishing pleasure in the moment – are effective ways to maximise the value of positive experiences or emotions. We call it “<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/click-here-happiness/201807/what-is-savoring-and-why-is-it-the-key-happiness">savouring</a>”.</p>
<p>Luckily, we can get better at savouring with practice. And the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327764063_Maximising_life's_small_pleasures_and_its_effect_on_well-being">more we savour</a>, the less stressed we feel. And that’s why I’m here.</p>
<p>If we increase the pleasure we experience, it can <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00686/full">lift our psychological well-being</a>. In turn, higher <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471489216300479">well-being is linked to better immune function</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/running-out-of-things-to-do-in-isolation-get-back-in-the-garden-with-these-ideas-from-4-experts-134229">Running out of things to do in isolation? Get back in the garden with these ideas from 4 experts</a>
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<h2>It’s about boosting our personal capacity</h2>
<p>My message is not to avoid the facts or pretend nothing has changed. It’s to intentionally build in moments of reprieve and restoration. It’s to turn your attention to what is still good and rich and fun – to really <em>focus</em> on those things. </p>
<p>This is how we can harness the protective power of small pleasures, for the sake of delight itself and to <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-11248-6_8">build grit and resilience</a>. </p>
<p>So, there may <em>never</em> have been a better time to build a blanket fort, or to bring out a game of Twister, or to lie on your back in the garden making fantasy creatures out of <a href="https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/">passing clouds</a>. Find excuses to giggle.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/social-distancing-can-make-you-lonely-heres-how-to-stay-connected-when-youre-in-lockdown-133693">Social distancing can make you lonely. Here's how to stay connected when you're in lockdown</a>
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<h2>Making pleasure happen</h2>
<p>In difficult, frightening times, no one is immune to worry; it’s a natural response. But what we <em>can</em> do is take steps to protect ourselves, as much as possible, from its physical and psychological ill-effects. </p>
<p>The challenge is to <em>make</em> this happen, to tear yourself away from analysing the COVID-19 curve and intentionally, systematically engineer more small delights into your day.</p>
<p>Do you like the sunshine? Then know when the sun falls on your balcony, in your garden or in the street near your place. Take a cup of tea or coffee with you and soak up the warmth.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cat-lovers-rejoice-watching-online-videos-lowers-stress-and-makes-you-happy-43460">Cat lovers rejoice: watching online videos lowers stress and makes you happy</a>
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<p>Pets? Run, play, be silly with them. Eating a tomato? Plant the seeds and watch something grow, from nothing, because of you. Sing. Dance. Delight someone with an act of kindness.</p>
<p>Plan your opportunities for pleasure. Put them in your diary. Set your alarm for them. Commit to share them with others. Photograph them. Post them on social media or share them directly with friends and family. Anticipate them gleefully and reflect on them with delight. This is our time to be here. Savour.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134043/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Desirée Kozlowski runs PleasureLab.com.au. </span></em></p>Go on! Read a good book, tickle your kids, pick a flower from your garden. We need to savour these tiny moments of pleasure to ease the stress we all face.Desirée Kozlowski, Lecturer, Psychology, Southern Cross UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1321972020-02-25T03:43:55Z2020-02-25T03:43:55ZSounds like hype: there’s scant evidence the ‘binaural beats’ illusion relaxes your brain<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/316997/original/file-20200225-24651-1wxens8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C34%2C5734%2C3768&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>You may have heard of binaural beats, an auditory illusion that has been touted as having stress-busing properties, and is the subject of countless <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVkXKowg3b0">hours of videos</a> on YouTube and elsewhere.</p>
<p>Proponents claim that listening to binaural beats can boost <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Tt3LoygCQ">focus and concentration</a>, promote <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEM0pXE1twA">relaxation</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnRcvJKZeVM">reduce stress and anxiety</a>.</p>
<p>But in a <a href="https://www.eneuro.org/content/early/2020/02/07/ENEURO.0232-19.2020">study published this month</a>, researchers concluded that “whether binaural beats have an impact on cognitive performance or other mood measurements remains to be seen”.</p>
<p>It prompted media reports that the claimed mood-altering effects are <a href="https://www.zmescience.com/science/binaural-beats-placebo-0523/">probably no stronger than for other types of relaxing sounds</a>, and that the touted effects may be <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200217143447.htm">just a placebo</a>.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SAyA7rfyF38?wmode=transparent&start=28" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Here’s three hours’ worth – are you relaxed yet?</span></figcaption>
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<h2>What are binaural beats?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/auditory-beats-in-the-brain/">Binaural beats</a> is a perceptual illusion that occurs when two slightly different frequencies (notes) are played into each ear separately, typically using headphones. The resonance between the two frequencies is interpreted as a third sound (termed a “binaural beat”, because it involves two sound inputs, and is heard as a frequency in between the two played frequencies).</p>
<p>It has been claimed that this third frequency prompts brain cells to begin firing at the same frequency – a process called “entrainment”.</p>
<p>The purported relaxing effect is allegedly due to the fact that these frequencies are similar to the frequency of brain waves that occur during deep sleep, as opposed to the higher-frequency brain waves associated with conscious activities. </p>
<p>In other words, listening to binaural beats allegedly promotes brain waves associated with our most relaxed states.</p>
<h2>What are these different types of brain waves?</h2>
<p>The brain is made of billions of nerve cells (neurons), which transmit information to one another across huge networks of interconnections. It is thought that large groups of neurons can fire together to share information within the brain. The frequency of this synchronous firing can be measured with <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/eeg/about/pac-20393875">EEG</a> (electroencephalograpy) electrodes on the head. </p>
<p>Specific frequencies are thought to be involved in specific <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(03)00289-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1364661303002894%3Fshowall%3Dtrue">cognitive tasks</a>. For example, during deep sleep the predominant brain activity happens with frequencies of between 1 and 4 Hertz, so-called delta waves. Delta waves are also associated with learning and motivation. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763406001163">Theta waves</a> (4-7Hz), meanwhile, are linked to memory and emotional regulation. </p>
<p>We might almost think of these various types of brain waves as different languages that the brain uses for different functions.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-what-happens-in-our-bodies-when-we-sleep-94301">Curious Kids: What happens in our bodies when we sleep?</a>
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<p>We also know that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167876015000331?via%3Dihub">brain entrainment</a> is a genuine effect that can occur in response to particular rhythmic frequencies perceived by our senses. A deep-pitched musical tone or a lightbulb flickering a few times a second can indeed cause your brain cells to start firing at the same frequency.</p>
<p>But does this entrainment necessarily have any effect on our mood? As the authors of the new study point out, there is still little convincing evidence for this. </p>
<h2>What did the new research actually find?</h2>
<p>The authors played binaural or monaural (normal) beats to 16 participants, and recorded their brain activity with EEG.</p>
<p>They found that both binaural and monaural beats can entrain the brain to their particular frequency. But when they asked participants to describe any changes to their mood, they found that neither types of sound had any significant effect.</p>
<p>However, the researchers did find that binaural beats can elicit “cross-frequency connectivity”, in which the brain coordinates its activity across different types of brain waves. </p>
<p>Some <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364661310002068">cognitive tasks</a>, such as learning and memory formation, require networks within the brain to communicate with one another despite using different types of brain waves. To return to the analogy of different brain wave frequencies being like different languages, your brain sometimes needs to translate messages from one language into another, and vice versa.</p>
<p>If binaural beats can boost this process, it’s possible that it might have a beneficial effect on some types of cognition, perhaps including memory recall. The authors of the new study did not look at that particular question, although a recent <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00426-018-1066-8">analysis of 35 studies</a> demonstrated a modest effect on attention, memory, anxiety and pain perception. None of these were tested in the current study. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-why-memories-come-flooding-back-when-you-visit-places-from-your-past-124983">Here's why memories come flooding back when you visit places from your past</a>
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<p>There are other ways to influence our brain function, such as by applying electric currents to the brain via electrodes stuck to the head, a technique known as transcranial current stimulation (tCS). There is evidence this can significantly improve cognitive skills in people affected by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2016.00574/full">neurological disease</a> and in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352154615000819">healthy individuals</a>.</p>
<p>In the meantime, if you enjoy listening to binaural beats, then by all means keep doing it – it won’t do you any harm. But it may not be doing you quite as much good as you perhaps imagined.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/132197/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Onno van der Groen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The internet is awash with videos that claim to use ‘binaural beats’ to improve your focus or relieve stress. But while they can influence your brain, the touted mood-enhancing effects may not be.Onno van der Groen, Research Fellow in the school of medical and health sciences, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1256332019-11-21T13:59:01Z2019-11-21T13:59:01ZTurning to turkey’s tryptophan to boost mood? Not so fast<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302740/original/file-20191120-467-1r1k6iy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=69%2C333%2C5036%2C2793&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Those smiles probably aren’t thanks to tryptophan.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/multi-generation-family-celebrating-christmas-meal-121428664">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Every Thanksgiving, myths of the quasi-magical powers of tryptophan rise again.</p>
<p>There’s the turkey/drowsiness myth: Eating lots of juicy turkey meat supposedly makes people feel tired because it contains an amino acid called tryptophan. This molecule travels into the brain, where it’s converted into a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which in turn is converted into a hormone called melatonin. Voila! Sleepiness.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39420.420370.25">But science</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=turkey+and+sleepiness">the internet</a> agree: It’s not the turkey’s tryptophan to blame for your post-feast nap. All protein sources, and even vegetables, contain some tryptophan; turkey isn’t at all special in this regard.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302741/original/file-20191120-554-1ehsxrr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302741/original/file-20191120-554-1ehsxrr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302741/original/file-20191120-554-1ehsxrr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302741/original/file-20191120-554-1ehsxrr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302741/original/file-20191120-554-1ehsxrr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302741/original/file-20191120-554-1ehsxrr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302741/original/file-20191120-554-1ehsxrr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302741/original/file-20191120-554-1ehsxrr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">What could eating more tryptophan, or taking it in pill form, mean for your brain?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/5htp-bottle-l5hydroxytryptophan-precursor-serotonin-1052268893?src=9701ca16-33c4-4a4d-91d7-f45bafa7eed1-1-0">Evan Lorne/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>So the sleepiness myth of turkey may be fading, but other legends around tryptophan’s effects in the brain are taking hold. Some people are eyeing tryptophan supplements as an <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8010056">unconventional treatment for depression</a>. Others are curious whether <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1601-5215.2010.00508.x">eating foods that are high or low in tryptophan</a> could be useful for influencing mood. Recently, some scientists have even proposed that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2014.07.027">gut bacteria are driving changes in emotion</a> by producing or breaking down tryptophan.</p>
<p>This tryptophan/mood connection is an area of ongoing research. And while some are captivated by tryptophan’s potential, it’s not clear whether the excitement is warranted.</p>
<h2>Looking for a tryptophan link to mood</h2>
<p>There is some scientific evidence that eating tryptophan can alter your mood.</p>
<p>For example, back in 2000, researchers found that when people ate an isolated protein that was very high in tryptophan, they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/71.6.1536">felt less stress while doing math problems</a>.</p>
<p>However, placebo-controlled clinical trials haven’t, in general, shown much of a connection. A few studies have found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.05.042">supplementing with pure tryptophan</a> provided little to no benefit for people with depression. Some studies have even looked at what happens when you <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001949">remove tryptophan from people’s diets</a>, but also found little to no effect.</p>
<p>So what explains the mixed results? </p>
<h2>Serotonin itself still holds mysteries</h2>
<p>Alongside human studies, the biology of tryptophan has been well studied in rodents. Research in the early 1970s showed that taking <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.178.4059.414">tryptophan supplements can boost serotonin</a>, a neurotransmitter that was historically associated with feelings of well-being and happiness.</p>
<p>Since then, scientists have learned lots of interesting facts <a href="https://www.serotoninclub.org/">about serotonin</a>. For example, there are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2830-16.2016">14 separate receptors for serotonin</a>, and they’re found all over the brain.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302742/original/file-20191120-467-ff7ud6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302742/original/file-20191120-467-ff7ud6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302742/original/file-20191120-467-ff7ud6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302742/original/file-20191120-467-ff7ud6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302742/original/file-20191120-467-ff7ud6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302742/original/file-20191120-467-ff7ud6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1263&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302742/original/file-20191120-467-ff7ud6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1263&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302742/original/file-20191120-467-ff7ud6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1263&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">SSRIs block neurons’ abilities to reabsorb serotonin, leaving more of the neurotransmitter in the brain to affect other receptors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/drawing-synapse-showing-serotonin-reuptake-action-309901151">Blamb/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Researchers have learned how to affect this system with drugs, but not with much precision. For example, drugs like the antidepressant selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors – more widely known as SSRIs – don’t target individual receptors and they don’t restrict themselves to particular brain regions. Instead, SSRIs, the <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/kc/prozac-fluoxetine-side-effects-263773">best-known of which is Prozac</a>, bluntly boost serotonin everywhere.</p>
<p>This non-specificity is why, in my mind, it’s hard to believe that SSRIs work at all. Here’s an analogy: Say you’re Jeff Bezos and you want to increase Amazon’s revenue by speeding up your deliveries. So you decide to crank up the speed on all delivery vehicles. From now on, every truck will boost its speed by 5%. It may be a stroke of logistical genius, or it may, perhaps more likely, end up in chaos. Like ramping up serotonin all over the brain, this blunt approach might not be ideal.</p>
<p>Analogies aside, whether SSRIs affect people’s moods is an experimental question, and some research has supported the idea that these drugs work. However, especially lately, their effectiveness has <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23931980-100-nobody-can-agree-about-antidepressants-heres-what-you-need-to-know/">come under intense scrutiny</a>. Some recent analyses cite 30 years’ worth of studies and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-1173-2">question the clinical value of SSRIs</a>, while others maintain that these drugs <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32802-7">improve the symptoms of depression</a>.</p>
<p>It’s complicated, and there’s still some disagreement, but most psychiatrists agree that SSRIs are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32802-7">not effective for everyone</a>. These drugs are not psychiatric-cure-alls.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302753/original/file-20191120-547-1so7x8d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302753/original/file-20191120-547-1so7x8d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/302753/original/file-20191120-547-1so7x8d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302753/original/file-20191120-547-1so7x8d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302753/original/file-20191120-547-1so7x8d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302753/original/file-20191120-547-1so7x8d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302753/original/file-20191120-547-1so7x8d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/302753/original/file-20191120-547-1so7x8d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tryptophan’s role in any gut-brain connection still isn’t clear.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andrew Neff</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>More chemical fine-tuning for mood</h2>
<p>In light of all this, I’ve often found myself asking whether psychiatric researchers needed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001949">73 studies</a> looking at whether tryptophan depletion has an impact on mood. </p>
<p>When it comes to understanding connections between gut bacteria and the brain, or the bigger challenge of understanding and treating mental illness, should researchers really still be thinking about tryptophan?</p>
<p>It’s seems true that, similar to SSRIs, boosting tryptophan <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0035916">has a broad impact on serotonin</a>. It’s definitely possible that cranking up serotonin can influence mood, and that therefore boosting tryptophan could do the same. But it’s also possible that to manipulate something as complicated as human emotion requires a little more nuance.</p>
<p>Psychiatric research has long been moving away from the idea that <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/david_anderson_your_brain_is_more_than_a_bag_of_chemicals?language=en">your brain is a bag of chemicals</a>; modern neuroscientists are asking for a little more specificity. From this perspective, I’m skeptical of the notion that tryptophan is the depression remedy psychiatry needs. Not only has experimental research found fairly weak results, but the theory itself isn’t very compelling.</p>
<p>Serotonin, seemingly full of psychiatric possibility, has long fascinated psychiatric researchers. But what the past half century seems to have demonstrated is that the neuroscience of human emotion is not simple. To promote lasting changes in mental health, scientists may need a little more reverence for the complex emotional beings that we all are.</p>
<p>So no, a big turkey dinner, as filled with delicious tryptophans as it might be, will likely not be the neurochemical driver for your mood on Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>[ <em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125633/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Neff does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Tryptophan, found in food, is an important ingredient in the neurotransmitter serotonin. But is that enough to support it as a possible mood booster? The research is decidedly mixed.Andrew Neff, Adjunct Faculty in Psychology, Rochester UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1254952019-11-05T01:02:25Z2019-11-05T01:02:25ZDogs really can chase away loneliness<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/298484/original/file-20191024-31434-7h43zj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C1%2C997%2C664&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Who's a good doggie? New dog owners benefit from cuddles, meeting other dog owners and more physical exercise.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/success?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload.shutterstock.com%2Fgatekeeper%2FW3siZSI6MTU3MTkyMDc2NCwiYyI6Il9waG90b19zZXNzaW9uX2lkIiwiZGMiOiJpZGxfNzEwOTAzOTQxIiwiayI6InBob3RvLzcxMDkwMzk0MS9tZWRpdW0uanBnIiwibSI6MSwiZCI6InNodXR0ZXJzdG9jay1tZWRpYSJ9LCJab3RPVUpWUk9NSXVYdWplc2h3Y2pTakEwc28iXQ%2Fshutterstock_710903941.jpg&ir=true&pi=41133566&m=710903941&src=SPExmAhThF_vdWZKb-8nHA-1-85">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Feeling lonely? A dog may help. Our research out today confirms what many dog owners already know: dogs are great companions that can help you to feel less lonely.</p>
<p>Cuddles and slobbery kisses, meeting other dog owners in the park and a general lift in mood all likely help.</p>
<p>But our study, published today in <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7770-5">BMC Public Health</a>, found dogs didn’t affect psychological distress, the type seen in depression and anxiety.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-3-young-adults-is-lonely-and-it-affects-their-mental-health-124267">1 in 3 young adults is lonely – and it affects their mental health</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why are we studying this?</h2>
<p><a href="https://animalmedicinesaustralia.org.au/report/pets-in-australia-a-national-survey-of-pets-and-people/">Almost two in five Australian households own a dog</a>. And although most dog owners will assure you, in no uncertain terms, their dog is a source of sheer happiness, scientific evidence is lacking. </p>
<p>Most previous studies have compared the mental well-being of dog owners to non-owners at a single point in time. The problem with these studies is they cannot tell if dogs actually make us happier, less lonely or less stressed. They also cannot tell us if dog owners are simply in a more positive state of mind in the first place. </p>
<p>So, in this study, we measured mental well-being at three points in time: before owning a dog, three months after owning a dog and eight months after owning a dog. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mans-stressed-friend-how-your-mental-health-can-affect-your-dog-118271">Man's stressed friend: how your mental health can affect your dog</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What did we do?</h2>
<p><a href="https://sydney.edu.au/charles-perkins-centre/our-research/current-research/physical-activity-exercise-and-energy-expenditure/dog-ownership-and-human-health.html">Our study</a>, known as the PAWS trial, involved 71 Sydney adults who were separated into three groups:</p>
<ul>
<li>people who bought a dog within one month of starting the study</li>
<li>people who were interested in getting a dog in the near future but agreed not to get one during the study, and</li>
<li>people who had no interest in getting a dog. </li>
</ul>
<p>People filled out surveys to measure their mood, loneliness and symptoms of psychological distress at the three different time-points. We then compared the mental well-being of the groups at the beginning of the study, to the mid-point and to the end-point.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-is-it-true-dogs-dont-like-to-travel-108670">Curious Kids: is it true dogs don't like to travel?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Here’s what we found</h2>
<p>New dog owners felt less lonely after they got a dog compared to the other two groups. The effect happened quite quickly, within three months of acquiring a dog. There was no further decrease in loneliness between three months and eight months. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/298491/original/file-20191024-170462-1dsu3q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/298491/original/file-20191024-170462-1dsu3q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/298491/original/file-20191024-170462-1dsu3q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=343&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/298491/original/file-20191024-170462-1dsu3q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=343&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/298491/original/file-20191024-170462-1dsu3q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=343&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/298491/original/file-20191024-170462-1dsu3q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/298491/original/file-20191024-170462-1dsu3q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/298491/original/file-20191024-170462-1dsu3q3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Aww. The joy of a new dog eased loneliness within the first few months.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cute-red-white-irish-setter-pup-1369680155?src=pmJrtCxnszgy7I5x5_29XA-1-47">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We also found some evidence that dog owners had fewer negative emotions, such as nervousness or distress, within three months of getting a new dog but this finding was not as clear cut. </p>
<p>We found that symptoms of depression and anxiety were unchanged after acquiring a dog. Maybe the dog owners in our study already had low levels of psychological distress before they got a dog, so dog ownership didn’t lower these levels any further. </p>
<h2>What does it all mean?</h2>
<p>There are lots of possible reasons dogs can help to lessen feelings of loneliness. We know having a quick cuddle with a dog <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2015.1070008">boosts people’s mood in the short-term</a>. Maybe daily dog cuddles can also boost owners’ mood in the long-term which could help to lower feelings of loneliness. </p>
<p>Dog owners may also meet new people through their dog as <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1348/000712600161673">people are more likely to talk strangers if they are accompanied by a dog</a>. In our study, dog owners also said they had met new people in their neighbourhood because of their dog.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-your-dog-happy-ten-common-misconceptions-about-dog-behaviour-97541">Is your dog happy? Ten common misconceptions about dog behaviour</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>So far, there have only been two similar studies to look at mental well-being in new dog owners, one of which was conducted almost 30 years ago. </p>
<p>Of these studies, one found dog owners had <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1774745">fewer symptoms of psychiatric disorders</a> after they acquired a dog. The other study found <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/089279307X245473">no difference in loneliness</a> after people brought a new dog home. </p>
<p>Dogs may also improve our <a href="https://ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/cir.0b013e31829201e1">physical health</a>, by reducing blood pressure, improving cardiovascular health and increasing the amount of physical activity their owners perform. But, as is the case with mental well-being, the scientific evidence is still limited.</p>
<h2>So, what happens next?</h2>
<p>One of the things our study cannot determine is how dogs affect men’s mental well-being. By chance, all the new dog owners in our study were women. So, we don’t know whether dogs affect men’s mental well-being in a different way to women’s.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whose-best-friend-how-gender-and-stereotypes-can-shape-our-relationship-with-dogs-84273">Whose best friend? How gender and stereotypes can shape our relationship with dogs</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Our next step is to look at mental well-being in a much bigger group of new dog owners to confirm these findings. A bigger study could also provide more insight into the relationship between dog ownership and mental illness, such as depression and anxiety.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lauren Powell is employed by the RSPCA NSW. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emmanuel Stamatakis receives funding from the US-based Human-Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI). The Physical and Affective Wellbeing Study of dog owners (PAWS) was funded through a donation by Ms Lynne Cattel. </span></em></p>Cuddles and slobbery kisses, meeting other dog owners in the park and a general lift in mood all likely help new dog owners feel less lonely, our new study suggests.Lauren Powell, PhD candidate, University of SydneyEmmanuel Stamatakis, Professor of Physical Activity, Lifestyle, and Population Health, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1202792019-07-16T22:01:06Z2019-07-16T22:01:06Z‘Microdosers’ of psychedelics report improved mood, focus and creativity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283779/original/file-20190711-173342-ealfbk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=167%2C16%2C5142%2C3296&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Participants in a new research study also reported that microdosing psychedelics made them more confident, motivated and productive.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Microdosing psychedelics is a growing trend that involves ingesting very small sub-hallucinogenic amounts of substances <a href="https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/lsd">like LSD</a> or dried <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jun/10/magic-mushrooms-treatment-depression-aztecs-psilocybin-mental-health-medicine">psilocybin-containing mushrooms</a>.</p>
<p>We ran a large-scale, <a href="https://cos.io/prereg/">pre-registered</a> global research study asking participants to report what they like and dislike about microdosing.</p>
<p>The three most commonly reported benefits were: <a href="https://rdcu.be/bJAJZ">improved mood, increased focus and enhanced creativity</a>.</p>
<p>The three most common challenges were: illegality (by a wide margin), physiological discomfort and “other concerns” such as the unknown risk profile of microdosing and forgetting to take a regular dose.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ketamine-the-illicit-party-psychedelic-that-promises-to-heal-depression-115697">Ketamine: The illicit party psychedelic that promises to heal depression</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What does microdosing involve?</h2>
<p>When people microdose, they normally consume about a tenth of a recreational dose of a psychedelic substance, although doses vary between people. The dose is sub-hallucinogenic; people who microdose aren’t “tripping.” Microdosers go about their daily lives, many taking care of children or working in offices, expecting a little boost.</p>
<p>Although we don’t know what microdosing does (if anything), it is a growing trend. Some <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/man-giving-how-to-microdose-lsd-psychedelic-drugs-online-tutorial-2017-10">Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are becoming microdosing coaches</a>, touting the purported benefits of microdosing. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283780/original/file-20190711-173338-by34lb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283780/original/file-20190711-173338-by34lb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283780/original/file-20190711-173338-by34lb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283780/original/file-20190711-173338-by34lb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283780/original/file-20190711-173338-by34lb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283780/original/file-20190711-173338-by34lb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283780/original/file-20190711-173338-by34lb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The illegal nature of psychedelics in most jurisdictions was the biggest concern for research participants.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A small scientific community has also started <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-018-5049-7">asking pre-defined questions about what microdosing may do</a>, but we figured we’d ask people what they experience, from the ground up.</p>
<p>We recruited 909 participants from all over the world <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/microdosing/">using forums like r/microdosing</a>. In one section of our survey, 278 participants told us about the three main benefits of microdosing for them, and the three main challenges they had to cope with.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-cure-brain-diseases-neuroscientists-must-collaborate-thats-why-im-giving-my-data-away-118672">To cure brain diseases, neuroscientists must collaborate: That's why I'm giving my data away</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If you’re curious to see everything that people reported, <a href="https://rdcu.be/bJAJZ">our paper is available here</a>. We are making the data available publicly, at no cost, as part of our <a href="https://theconversation.com/opening-up-the-future-of-psychedelic-science-101303">commitment to Open Science</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283782/original/file-20190711-173334-1uu70oe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283782/original/file-20190711-173334-1uu70oe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283782/original/file-20190711-173334-1uu70oe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283782/original/file-20190711-173334-1uu70oe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283782/original/file-20190711-173334-1uu70oe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=282&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283782/original/file-20190711-173334-1uu70oe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283782/original/file-20190711-173334-1uu70oe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283782/original/file-20190711-173334-1uu70oe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Categories of microdosing benefits and challenges from the published paper. These data indicate reported outcomes, not confirmed effects.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>More confident, motivated and productive</h2>
<p>The benefits our participants reported <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/microdosing/wiki/effects-interactions">mostly match what people have been reporting anecdotally</a>. They said microdosing helped with mood, focus, creativity, self-efficacy, energy and more. </p>
<p>These findings, like creativity, square well with <a href="https://theconversation.com/microdosers-of-lsd-and-magic-mushrooms-are-wiser-and-more-creative-101302">our previous research</a>.</p>
<p>Our approach was to take individual reports and classify them into categories. This way we got an idea of how common each of these reports was, helping us guide future research down the most promising avenues.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283783/original/file-20190711-173366-9d4mgi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283783/original/file-20190711-173366-9d4mgi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283783/original/file-20190711-173366-9d4mgi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283783/original/file-20190711-173366-9d4mgi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283783/original/file-20190711-173366-9d4mgi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283783/original/file-20190711-173366-9d4mgi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283783/original/file-20190711-173366-9d4mgi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283783/original/file-20190711-173366-9d4mgi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Difference in raw count of reported benefits and challenges. Positive values indicate greater endorsement of benefits; negative values reflect greater endorsement of challenges. Differences, regardless of magnitude, should be thought of as preliminary.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, the most commonly reported benefit was improved mood (26.6 per cent of people) making mood the highest-potential area for future research to focus on. Creativity is another obvious area.</p>
<p>Perhaps less intuitive is that many people reported microdosing made them more confident, motivated and productive, so this also seems worth researching.</p>
<p>In contrast, only 4.2 per cent of people mentioned reduced anxiety and several people reported increased anxiety, so studying microdosing for anxiety reduction seems less promising.</p>
<p>These data indicate perceived outcomes and do not indicate confirmed effects.</p>
<h2>Headaches, gastrointestinal issues, insomnia</h2>
<p>The most common challenge was illegality and this was mentioned in almost a third of reports. In our coding of responses, illegality involved having to deal with the black market, social stigma around using illegal substances and difficulty with dose accuracy and purity. </p>
<p>(Microdosers should always <a href="https://testkitplus.com/">test their dose</a>: you never know <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/drug-testing-kits-can-help-prevent-deaths-advocates-1.2745446">what you get when you’re buying unregulated substances</a>.)</p>
<p>This challenge is not due to microdosing itself so much as social policy and norms. As research on psychedelics grows, these <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/denver-decriminalizes-magic-mushrooms-psilocybin-834249/">substances may eventually be decriminalized</a> or legalized, which could dispel the most common challenge reported in our sample.</p>
<p>Next up was physiological discomfort: in 18 per cent of reports, participants described headaches, gastrointestinal issues, insomnia and other unwanted side-effects of microdosing.</p>
<p>Research should examine these possible side effects and consider how they compare to the profiles of the <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/antidepressant-side-effects#ssr-is">many legal substances available, such as anti-depressants, which also cause side effects</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283786/original/file-20190711-173342-3f0sza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283786/original/file-20190711-173342-3f0sza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283786/original/file-20190711-173342-3f0sza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283786/original/file-20190711-173342-3f0sza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283786/original/file-20190711-173342-3f0sza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283786/original/file-20190711-173342-3f0sza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283786/original/file-20190711-173342-3f0sza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283786/original/file-20190711-173342-3f0sza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Participants also reported improved mood and reduced substance use on a pre-defined measure. Anxiety refers here to improvements in anxiety-related experiences, not to increased experience of anxiety.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Participants also mentioned other concerns, such as not knowing whether there could be harmful interactions between psychedelics and other medications, and lack of research evidence about the long-term effects of microdosing.</p>
<h2>What’s next for microdosing research?</h2>
<p>It is possible that microdosing psychedelics was unrelated to many of the benefits and challenges participants reported. People often feel better or worse even when taking totally inert substances, like sugar pills. This is <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-power-of-the-placebo-effect">commonly known as the placebo effect</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/280574.php">Randomized placebo-controlled trials</a> are required to determine what the true outcomes of microdosing are, which is why we’re planning to run one soon.</p>
<p>Our results suggest that microdosers get a lot out of their use of psychedelics, while negative reports mostly focus on social and physiological concerns. Overall, participants reported less challenges than benefits, and they reported that the benefits were more important than the challenges.</p>
<p>There are still more unknowns than knowns when it comes to microdosing: does microdosing cause any of these effects, or is it all placebo? Could there be long-term negative consequences to microdosing? Are certain people more likely to experience specific benefits or challenges?</p>
<p>This study creates a road map for researchers to follow. We encourage researchers to test whether these benefits and challenges occur in a lab setting, as we will be doing in the coming months and years.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120279/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In a new research study, more than 900 people from around the world explain the challenges and benefits of microdosing LSD and psilocybin-containing mushrooms.Rotem Petranker, PhD student in Clinical Psychology, York University, CanadaThomas Anderson, PhD student in Congnitive Neuroscience, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1055102019-01-06T19:05:52Z2019-01-06T19:05:52ZIs the ‘midlife crisis’ a real thing?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251403/original/file-20181218-27761-kanz7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It does make sense your mood may start to dip in midlife. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/76YSjGsK-4c">Javier García/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Middle age is often seen as life’s pivot point. A hill has been climbed and the view over the other side is unsettling. As Victor Hugo said: “forty is the old age of youth” and “fifty the youth of old age”. </p>
<p>The idea adults in midlife face a dark night of the soul – or desperately escape from it, hair plugs flapping in a convertible’s breeze – is deeply rooted. Studies show the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26335091_Midlife_Crisis_A_Debate">great majority of people</a> believe in the reality of the so-called “midlife crisis” and almost <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258143861_The_prevalence_types_and_perceived_outcomes_of_crisis_episodes_in_early_adulthood_and_midlife_A_structured_retrospective-autobiographical_study">half of adults over 50</a> claim to have had one. But is it actually real?</p>
<p>There is good evidence a midlife decline in life satisfaction is real. Population surveys typically find both women and men report the lowest satisfaction in middle age. The Australian <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/assets/documents/hilda-bibliography/working-discussion-research-papers/2012/Ambrey_etal_the-lucky-country-life-satisfaction-in-australia-2001-2010.pdf">HILDA survey</a> locates the lowest life satisfaction at age 45 and the Australian Bureau of Statistics singles out <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/8D0713D229579D3CCA25791A0082C403?opendocument">the 45-54 age bracket</a> as the glummest.</p>
<p>Middle age may be dislocating for some but there is little evidence it is usually a period of crisis and despondency. Psychologically speaking, things tend to get better. If there is a small dip in how people evaluate their lot – even if it is objectively no worse than before – this is understandable. Our attention shifts from time past to time left, and that requires a process of adjustment.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-did-it-get-so-late-so-soon-why-time-flies-as-we-get-older-44296">How did it get so late so soon? Why time flies as we get older</a>
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</em>
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<h2>When is midlife?</h2>
<p>Clearly there are many grounds for being unsatisfied with life during the middle years. But does that make the midlife crisis real, or just an intuitively appealing phantom? There is good reason to be sceptical.</p>
<p>For one thing, it’s hard enough deciding when the midlife crisis should occur. Concepts of middle age are elastic and change as we get older. One <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26335091_Midlife_Crisis_A_Debate">study found</a> younger adults believe middle age stretches from the early 30s to 50, whereas adults over 60 saw it as extending from the late 30s to the mid-50s.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251206/original/file-20181218-27764-3ww42c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251206/original/file-20181218-27764-3ww42c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251206/original/file-20181218-27764-3ww42c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251206/original/file-20181218-27764-3ww42c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251206/original/file-20181218-27764-3ww42c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251206/original/file-20181218-27764-3ww42c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251206/original/file-20181218-27764-3ww42c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251206/original/file-20181218-27764-3ww42c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A midlife crisis could happen in your 30s, depending on how old you are when you’re assessing what ‘midlife’ is.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/zBG68U56GgY">Roberto Nickson (@g)/Unsplash</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In <a href="http://www.brown.edu/Courses/BI_278/projects/Aging/perceptions.pdf">one US study</a> one-third of people in their 70s defined themselves as middle-aged. This research accords with a finding middle-aged people tend to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joann_Montepare/publication/20351859_You%27re_only_as_old_as_you_feel_Self-perceptions_of_age_fears_of_aging_and_life_satisfaction_from_adolescence_to_old_age/links/0deec5320f088963aa000000.pdf">feel one decade younger</a> than their birth certificate.</p>
<p>However we define midlife, do crises concentrate in that period? One study suggests not. It indicates instead that self-reported crises simply <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0165025413492464">become steadily more common</a> as we age.
Among study participants in their 20s, 44% reported a crisis, compared to 49% of those in their 30s, and 53% of those in their 40s.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.midus.wisc.edu/findings/pdfs/103.pdf">another study</a>, the older the participants, the older they reported their midlife crisis to have occurred. People aged over 60 recalled theirs at 53 while those in their 40s dated theirs to 38. </p>
<p>Arguably there is no distinct midlife crisis, just crises that occur during midlife but might equally have occurred before or after.</p>
<h2>What the theorists thought</h2>
<p>The psychoanalyst <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Jaques">Elliot Jaques</a>, who coined the term “midlife crisis” in 1965, thought it reflected the dawning recognition of one’s mortality. “Death”, he <a href="https://search.proquest.com/openview/f7931fc061e53e99298006613e0a9bd5/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1818729">wrote</a>, “instead of being a general conception, or an event experienced in terms of the loss of someone else, becomes a personal matter”.</p>
<p>The key achievement of middle age, according to Jaques, is to move beyond youthful idealism to what he called “contemplative pessimism” and “constructive resignation”. He argued midlife was when we reach maturity by overcoming our denial of death and human destructiveness.</p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung">Carl Jung</a> presented a different view. He argued midlife was a time when previously suppressed aspects of the psyche might become integrated. Men could recover their <a href="https://ww3.haverford.edu/psychology/ddavis/p109g/internal/j_anima.html">unconscious feminine side or <em>anima</em></a>, previously submerged during their youth, and women come alive to their hidden opposite, the <em>animus</em>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251409/original/file-20181219-27764-fropzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251409/original/file-20181219-27764-fropzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251409/original/file-20181219-27764-fropzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251409/original/file-20181219-27764-fropzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251409/original/file-20181219-27764-fropzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251409/original/file-20181219-27764-fropzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251409/original/file-20181219-27764-fropzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251409/original/file-20181219-27764-fropzy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Jung thought the masculine and feminine parts of a person came together in midlife.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p>Less profound explanations have also been offered for midlife dissatisfaction. It’s when children may be leaving the family home and when adults are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich_generation">generationally sandwiched</a>, required to care for children and ageing parents. Chronic illnesses often <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/147317/chronic-illness-rates-swell-middle-age-taper-off.aspx">make their first appearance</a> and losses accelerate. <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(18)30137-8/fulltext">Workplace demands</a> may be peaking. </p>
<p>But there may be something to it that’s even more basic and biological. Chimpanzees and orangutans aren’t known to suffer from existential dread, empty nest syndrome or job stress. And still, they <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233738596_Evidence_for_a_midlife_crisis_in_great_apes_consistent_with_the_U-shape_in_human_well-being">show the same midlife dip</a> in well-being as their human cousins. </p>
<p>One study found chimps in their late 20s and orangutans in the mid 30s showed the lowest mood, the least pleasure in social activities, and the poorest capacity to achieve their goals. The researchers speculated this pattern might reflect age-related changes in brain structures associated with well-being that are similar between primate species.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/do-chimpanzees-and-orangutans-really-have-midlife-crises-10913">Do chimpanzees and orangutans really have midlife crises?</a>
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<h2>Midlife as a time of growth, not crisis</h2>
<p>Crisis episodes may not be tightly tied to adverse life events. Research often fails to show clear connections between adversities and self-proclaimed crises. </p>
<p>One <a href="http://www.midus.wisc.edu/findings/pdfs/103.pdf">study found</a> reporting a midlife crisis was not associated with recently experiencing divorce, job loss or death of a loved one, and was primarily linked to having a history of depression.</p>
<p>The idea middle age is a time of psychological gloom is also belied by research evidence. The U-shaped life satisfaction curve notwithstanding, most change during midlife is positive.</p>
<p>Consider personality change, for example. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/107319110000700405">One longitudinal study</a> that followed thousands of Americans from age 41 to 50 found they became less neurotic and self-conscious with age. These personality changes were unrelated to the adults’ experience of life adversity: resilience, not crisis, was the norm.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/21596433_Personality_Change_in_Women_From_the_Early_40s_to_the_Early_50s">Another study</a> that followed a sample of women from age 43 to 52 showed they tended to become less dependent and self-critical, and more confident, responsible and decisive, as they aged. These changes were unrelated to the women’s menopausal status or empty nest experiences.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/getting-on-and-getting-it-on-good-sex-isnt-just-for-the-young-27380">Getting on and getting it on: good sex isn't just for the young</a>
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<p>Other research tells a similar story. In general, psychological changes during midlife are positive. Personality becomes more steady and self-accepting, while positive emotion, on average, gradually rises through the lifespan.</p>
<p>Even the self-reported midlife crises may have a silver lining. One study showed the more crises people reported, the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0165025413492464?journalCode=jbda">more empathetic</a> they were towards others. It is perhaps unsurprising <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02277581">older adults choose middle adulthood</a> as the phase of life they most prefer.</p>
<p>The challenge is to come out the end of middle age with life satisfaction restored, as most do. Victor Hugo says it well again: “when grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/105510/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nick Haslam does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There’s good evidence to suggest a midlife crisis exists, though it’s hard to define what the midlife is. And perhaps crises that occur during midlife might equally have occurred before or after.Nick Haslam, Professor of Psychology, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1068602018-11-22T18:50:50Z2018-11-22T18:50:50ZNo, crying doesn’t release toxins, though it might make you feel better… if that’s what you believe<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246791/original/file-20181122-161615-11lsitu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Women cry more than men.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Crying is a big part of being a kid. As you grow older, you may find you’re crying less than during childhood and adolescence. </p>
<p>Studies show, on average, adult women <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699930143000149">tend to cry two to three times</a> in a given month, and men only once. Although research is limited, it suggests crying frequency is highly influenced by <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1069397111404519">social and cultural factors</a>, our beliefs about the value of crying and how it is evaluated. </p>
<p>This is particularly exaggerated in many Western countries, where women report crying more often than those from non-Western countries. And in non-Western countries the difference in crying frequency between men and women is smaller. In some instances, it’s non-existent.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246803/original/file-20181122-182037-1o7zzjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246803/original/file-20181122-182037-1o7zzjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246803/original/file-20181122-182037-1o7zzjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246803/original/file-20181122-182037-1o7zzjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246803/original/file-20181122-182037-1o7zzjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246803/original/file-20181122-182037-1o7zzjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246803/original/file-20181122-182037-1o7zzjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246803/original/file-20181122-182037-1o7zzjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">We cry less often as we grow up.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Scientists have long speculated why we cry and what happens in our bodies when we’re doing it. Some have suggested crying may be <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Crying-Mystery-William-H-Frey/dp/0866838295">expelling chemicals</a> that are built up during feelings of distress, or that crying causes a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Affective-Neuroscience-Foundations-Emotions-Science/dp/019517805X">chemical change in the body</a> that reduces stress or increases positive feelings. But we don’t actually know that much about crying and most of the studies out there are based on self-reporting. </p>
<p>Here’s what we do know.</p>
<h2>Whether crying is good for you is subjective</h2>
<p>The most pervasive idea about crying is that we do it because it’s <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/why-only-humans-weep-9780198570240?cc=us&lang=en&">helpful in some way</a>; perhaps it provides relief or catharsis. But the research on this is mixed, with crying sometimes showing an improvement in mood and sometimes a worsening. </p>
<p>The longer it is since the last time you cried, or the more generally you think about your crying experiences as a whole, the <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0905/cee58365daa3ac5dcc477e8a81139a8d0abd.pdf">more likely you are</a> to consider crying as helpful. But if the crying event is fairly recent, people are less likely to <a href="https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/psy_facpub/1829/">report feeling better afterwards</a>; they <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1995-08692-001">often report</a> feeling <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17516822">much worse</a> than <a href="https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/abs/10.1521/jscp.1988.6.1.53">before they cried</a>.</p>
<p>On the other hand, people appear to cry to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23335904">make themselves feel better</a>, which is likely why we have an entire film genre (tearjerkers) dedicated to making us cry. Some <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00502/full">have suggested</a> crying is a self-soothing behaviour, so we cry because crying on its own is soothing. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-bad-moods-are-good-for-you-the-surprising-benefits-of-sadness-75402">Why bad moods are good for you: the surprising benefits of sadness</a>
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</em>
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<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/58VQ7_Hugbg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Crying in itself may be a soothing behaviour.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These authors also suggest crying could be a form of self-signalling, which means it’s like an alarm that lets us know something is wrong, forcing us to engage in other behaviours that help reduce feelings of distress, perhaps through distraction or meditation. We might otherwise seek out others to help us feel better in an act of social soothing.</p>
<p>Despite the overwhelming perception crying is useful at a personal level, most <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18476481">research suggests</a> crying is more of a social phenomenon. Crying is an extremely effective signal to others that something is wrong and that you may be in need of help and comfort. Experiments and surveys show <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/147470491301100114">viewing images of crying faces</a> compared to faces without tears not only make the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699930500450218">face appear sadder</a>, but also elicit <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-03712-007">greater sadness in the observer</a>, more emotional support, less avoidance, and more overall helping behaviours. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/understanding-others-feelings-what-is-empathy-and-why-do-we-need-it-68494">Understanding others' feelings: what is empathy and why do we need it?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But before you go crying in front of others for support, just remember other <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29912615">studies show</a> doing so may actually lead to <a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Becht%2C+M.+C.+%26amp%3B+Vingerhoets%2C+A.+J.+J.+M.+Crying+and+Mood+Change%3A+A+cross-cultural+study.+Cogn.+Emot.+16%2C+87%E2%80%93101+(2002)&oq=Becht%2C+M.+C.+%26amp%3B+Vingerhoets%2C+A.+J.+J.+M.+Crying+and+Mood+Change%3A+A+cross-cultural+study.+Cogn.+Emot.+16%2C+87%E2%80%93101+(2002)&aqs=chrome..69i57.290j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">feelings of shame</a> and embarrassment.</p>
<h2>What happens in our body when we cry?</h2>
<p>Crying seems, at best, to do not much at all, and, at worst, to <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1995-08692-001">increase our physiological arousal</a>. In our laboratory research we attempted to test whether crying <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2271804">reduces or interferes</a> with the levels of the stress hormone (cortisol), and whether it may be able provide some other physical benefit, such as numbing, which <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12003451">could explain why</a> we cry when we are in either emotional and physical pain. </p>
<p>We found crying had no effect on stress levels and people weren’t able to withstand pain more readily than those who did not cry. But those who cried were more in control of their breathing rate. This suggests people may hold their breath during crying in a bid to calm themselves down, and perhaps use the crying behaviour to initiate the calming strategy.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-tears-come-out-of-our-eyes-when-we-cry-84361">Curious Kids: Why do tears come out of our eyes when we cry?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246804/original/file-20181122-182056-i8tgdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246804/original/file-20181122-182056-i8tgdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246804/original/file-20181122-182056-i8tgdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246804/original/file-20181122-182056-i8tgdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246804/original/file-20181122-182056-i8tgdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246804/original/file-20181122-182056-i8tgdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246804/original/file-20181122-182056-i8tgdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246804/original/file-20181122-182056-i8tgdb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=591&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There are theories crying could have a numbing effect on pain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Women do cry more often than men</h2>
<p>There are exceptions, but generally <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699930143000149">women cry more than men</a>. This difference <a href="https://pure.uvt.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/473666/crying.pdf">emerges around</a> the age of 11. Despite speculation these differences occur <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222328/">because of female development</a> during puberty, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27794250">no reliable link</a> has been found <a href="https://research.tilburguniversity.edu/en/publications/crying-and-the-menstrual-cycle">between crying frequency</a> and menstruation. The differences are more likely driven by <a href="https://pure.uvt.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/473666/crying.pdf">decreased crying in boys</a> during adolescence, rather than an increase among girls.</p>
<p>Perhaps the reason men cry less as they reach adolescence is because of the cultural expectations of masculinity. Men are “tough” and <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/buy/1996-00441-007">considered as having emotional reserve</a> while being emotionally expressive is considered feminine. This may be why ratings of shame in crying are much <a href="https://pure.uvt.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/492469/crymoodchange.PDF">higher among men</a> compared to women. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-desire-for-masculinity-might-drive-some-disadvantaged-young-men-to-substance-abuse-60451">How the desire for masculinity might drive some disadvantaged young men to substance abuse</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Interestingly though, studies find men who cry in appropriate emotional contexts are <a href="https://uic.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/social-reactions-to-the-expression-of-emotion">rated as more likeable</a> than those who don’t, and are not seen as more feminine.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246805/original/file-20181122-182040-1q46n0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246805/original/file-20181122-182040-1q46n0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246805/original/file-20181122-182040-1q46n0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246805/original/file-20181122-182040-1q46n0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246805/original/file-20181122-182040-1q46n0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246805/original/file-20181122-182040-1q46n0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246805/original/file-20181122-182040-1q46n0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246805/original/file-20181122-182040-1q46n0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Men who cry aren’t seen as any more feminine than men who don’t.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some studies show that <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/32561596?q&versionId=41179856">men report crying</a> more often over a death, a break-up, the death of a pet, and at farewells. However, women across cultures still report <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1069397111404519">crying more frequently</a> and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247166636_Gender_and_individual_differences_in_adult_crying">often say</a> they <a href="https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/jscp.1987.5.4.535">feel better</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24730588">after crying</a> compared to men.</p>
<h2>There is no right amount of crying</h2>
<p>Crying is a personal process. Whether you cry, and how often, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01544314">may be related</a> to your culture, gender, and emotional expressiveness. Unless you are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26350919/">physically unable to cry</a>, there is no such thing in the literature as crying either too much or not enough. </p>
<p>It is important to remember that crying is part of expressing an emotion, not necessarily part of experiencing an emotion. </p>
<p>Whether crying actually helps is also <a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Sharman%2C+L.+S.%2C+Dingle%2C+G.+A.+%26amp%3B+Vanman%2C+E.+J.+Does+crying+help%3F+Development+of+the+beliefs+about+crying+scale+(BACS).+Cogn.+Emot.+June%2C+(2018)&oq=Sharman%2C+L.+S.%2C+Dingle%2C+G.+A.+%26amp%3B+Vanman%2C+E.+J.+Does+crying+help%3F+Development+of+the+beliefs+about+crying+scale+(BACS).+Cogn.+Emot.+June%2C+(2018)&aqs=chrome..69i57.275j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">part of our personal judgement</a>. Some say crying makes them feel worse than if they didn’t cry. Others may cry because they believe it is helpful and cathartic. However, if you feel you are crying more than you normally do, it might be useful to consider why this may be the case and if you need external support.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-emotion-centre-is-the-oldest-part-of-the-human-brain-why-is-mood-so-important-63324">The emotion centre is the oldest part of the human brain: why is mood so important?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106860/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leah Sharman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are many theories around for why we cry and what may be happening in our bodies when we’re doing it. But the research on all these things is fairly mixed, and culture plays a big part.Leah Sharman, PhD Candidate School of Psychology, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1047132018-10-19T10:24:42Z2018-10-19T10:24:42ZEmotions: how humans regulate them and why some people can’t<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241211/original/file-20181018-41144-1vh8so4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/girl-holds-changes-her-face-portraits-400796335?src=7OAD-1GjlsLsJJ0lniB1Ow-1-98">Gearstd/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Take the following scenario. You are nearing the end of a busy day at work, when a comment from your boss diminishes what’s left of your dwindling patience. You turn, red-faced, towards the source of your indignation. It is then that you stop, reflect, and choose not to voice your displeasure. After all, the shift is nearly over. </p>
<p>This may not be the most exciting plot, but it shows how we as humans can <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c9a9/a1e13031c6548c7e52e45ed9b69edc6a4921.pdf">regulate our emotions</a>. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hcgBAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=emotion+regulation+conceptual+foundations&ots=cgMw_6WuaJ&sig=FFPDahopHjVFFwQuZ_Yjj2UTCm8#v=onepage&q=emotion%20regulation%20conceptual%20foundations&f=false">regulation of emotions</a> is not limited to stopping an outburst of anger – it means that we can manage the emotions we feel as well as how and when they are experienced and expressed. It can enable us to be positive in the face of difficult situations, or fake joy at opening a terrible birthday present. It can stop grief from crushing us and fear from stopping us in our tracks. </p>
<p>Because it allows us to enjoy positive emotions more and experience negative emotions less, regulation of emotions is incredibly important for our <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2003-05897-016.html">well-being</a>. Conversely, emotional dysregulation is associated with <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1468-2850.1995.tb00036.x">mental health</a> conditions and psychopathology. For example, a breakdown in emotional regulation strategies is thought to play a role in conditions such as depression, anxiety, substance misuse and <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fccb/bd33f74e9a4685e248b5d33a2720631a456e.pdf">personality disorders</a>.</p>
<h2>How to manage your emotions</h2>
<p>By their very nature, emotions make us feel – but they also make us act. This is due to changes in our autonomic nervous system and associated hormones in the endocrine system that anticipate and support emotion-related behaviours. For example, adrenaline is released in a fearful situation to help us run away from danger.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241057/original/file-20181017-41153-im87h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241057/original/file-20181017-41153-im87h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241057/original/file-20181017-41153-im87h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241057/original/file-20181017-41153-im87h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241057/original/file-20181017-41153-im87h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241057/original/file-20181017-41153-im87h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241057/original/file-20181017-41153-im87h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Changing moods.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-boy-teen-select-between-positive-387530503?src=EJaqW8kaFGBWiAyjEUnRUg-1-64">Oksana Mizina/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Before an emotion arises there is first a situation, which can be external: such as a spider creeping nearer, or internal: thinking that you are not good enough. This is then attended to – we focus on the situation – before we appraise it. Put simply, the situation is evaluated in terms of the meaning it holds for ourselves. This meaning then gives rise to an emotional response. </p>
<p>Psychologist and researcher James Gross, <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e729/3b6be5a7cbf36498d5dcc6554a85b699296e.pdf">has described</a> a set of five strategies that we all use to regulate our emotions and that may be used at different points in the emotion generation process: </p>
<p><strong>1. Situation selection</strong></p>
<p>This involves looking to the future and taking steps to make it more likely to end up in situations that gives rise to desirable emotions, or less likely to end up in situations that lead to undesirable emotions. For example, taking a longer but quieter route home from work to avoid road rage.</p>
<p><strong>2. Situation modification</strong></p>
<p>This strategy might be implemented when we are already in a situation, and refers to steps that might be taken to change or improve the situation’s emotional impact, such as agreeing to disagree when a conversation gets heated. </p>
<p><strong>3. Attentional deployment</strong></p>
<p>Ever distracted yourself in order to face a fear? This is “attentional deployment” and can be used to direct or focus attention on different aspects of a situation, or something else entirely. Someone scared of needles thinking of happy memories during a blood test, for example.</p>
<p><strong>4. Cognitive change</strong></p>
<p>This is about changing how we appraise something to change how we feel about it. One particular form of cognitive change is reappraisal, which involves thinking differently or thinking about the positive sides – such as reappraising the loss of a job as an exciting opportunity to try new things.</p>
<p><strong>5. Response modulation</strong></p>
<p>Response modulation happens late in the emotion generation process, and involves changing how we react or express an emotion, to decrease or increase its emotional impact – hiding anger at a colleague, for example. </p>
<h2>How do our brains do it?</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn4044">mechanisms</a> that underlie these strategies are distinct and exceptionally complex, involving psychological, cognitive and biological processes. The cognitive control of emotion involves an interaction between the brain’s ancient and subcortical emotion systems (such as the periaqueductal grey, hypothalamus and the amygdala), and the cognitive control systems of the prefrontal and cingulate cortex. </p>
<p>Take <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322307005926">reappraisal</a>, which is a type of cognitive change strategy. When we reappraise, cognitive control capacities that are supported by areas in the prefrontal cortex allow us to manage our feelings by changing the meaning of the situation. This leads to a decrease of activity in the subcortical emotion systems that lie deep within the brain. Not only this, but reappraisal also changes our physiology, by decreasing our heart rate and sweat response, and improves how we experience emotions. This goes to show that looking on the bright side really can make us feel better – but not everyone is able to do this. </p>
<p>Those with emotional disorders, such as depression, remain in difficult emotional states for prolonged durations and find it difficult to sustain positive feelings. It has been suggested that depressed individuals show <a href="http://www.jneurosci.org/content/27/33/8877.short">abnormal activation patterns</a> in the same cognitive control areas of the prefrontal cortex – and that the <a href="http://www.jneurosci.org/content/30/47/15726.short">more depressed they are the less able</a> they are to use reappraisal to regulate negative emotions. </p>
<p>However, though some may find reappraisal difficult, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699931.2017.1295922">situation selection might be just a little easier</a>. Whether it’s being in nature, talking to friends and family, lifting weights, cuddling your dog, or skydiving – doing the things that make you smile can help you see the positives in life.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104713/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leanne Rowlands receives funding from EU Social fund through the Welsh Government.</span></em></p>Managing your feelings takes more than just turning that frown upside down.Leanne Rowlands, PhD Researcher in Neuropsychology, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.