Food and Mood

Over the past few decades, claims of the effect of different foods on human moods have appeared in the media on almost a daily basis. Millions of dollars have been spent on books, magazines, and diet programs that support this supposed phenomenon. But is it really true? For the most part, no. Here's a great article from the Los Angeles Times that sorts out fact from fiction.

Why I Teach College

I keep participating in higher education because I have faith that I can make a difference to at least one person every time I engage in the process, although I know the difference is sometimes small and fleeting. A difference, however, does not need to be large in order to be significant. An opened mind - curiosity piqued - sharing an insight -- those are all little differences that matter.

Blog Shout Out: The Introvert's Corner

Are you an introvert? Do you have a friend or loved one who is an introvert? The answer is most likely yes to one of those questions, and if you are an extrovert, your introverted companion may sometimes leave you puzzled and frustrated. You, in turn, may leave him or her equally puzzled and frustrated.

Though estimates vary quite a bit, roughly 3/4 of people are extroverts (also spelled extraverts) and 1/4 are introverts. While the high energy, high social needs, and talkativeness of extroversion is valued more highly in US society, there is nothing abnormal or wrong about the lower-key behavior of introverts.

I came across a great blog called The Introvert's Corner written by Sophia Dembling at the Psychology Today website. I highly recommend it for both introverts and extroverts.

Guidelines for Living

In late 1999, I was a brand new graduate student instructor of psychology at California State University, San Bernardino. For my very first class, I taught Personal and Social Adjustment, a course in gaining self-understanding through psychological principles. To this day, I remember how honored and moved I felt to contribute to the process of helping my students think about and plan their lives. I still feel the same every time I teach a new class.

I shared this with my students on the last day of that very first class. I hope something in my philosophy for life is helpful to you.

Guidelines for Living

Take time to know yourself. It’s a guarantee you’ll be living with yourself the rest of your life, so it’s important to like, know, appreciate, and respect who you are. Understand where you came from, make the most of where you are now, and believe in and plan for the future.

Take time to know, REALLY know, the people who are important to you. Who are they? What do they want and need? How do they feel? What are their hopes and dreams? Ask them with an open mind and an open heart – they’ll likely be delighted to tell you and delighted that you asked.

Communicate clearly and honestly with other people in a straightforward manner conveying mutual respect and dignity. You’ll be surprised at how many misunderstandings DON’T happen.

Listen to other people. Open not just your ears, but your mind, your heart, and your attitude and REALLY listen. It’s one of the best ways to learn.

Own your feelings. They belong uniquely to you. They are not inherently good or bad. Everything from intense joy to the deepest grief are part of being alive. Pay attention to what your feelings are telling you.

Do not simply let your life take “the path of least resistance.” You have choices. They are yours and only yours to make. Be active in choosing the course of your life. Know you can’t control everything. Things will happen over which you have no control, but to the extent that you consciously shape your destiny, the fewer regrets you are likely to have.

Love is worth the risk.

Be real. Don’t fake for anyone or anything. The most precious and valuable thing you can be in your life is yourself. You are irreplaceable. BE YOU!

©1999-2012, Linda S. Krajewski

The Catharsis Myth

Let's see if this situation sounds familiar.

Something negative has happened at work. It's a case of outrageous unfairness in favor of an undeserving co-worker, or perhaps a unscrupulous co-worker has engaged in dishonest or backstabbing behavior and gotten away with it. The actual event doesn't matter as much as the fact that you are furious.

When the workday ends, you meet up with a friend and another co-worker because you just need to blow off some steam about this. After all, everybody knows that freely expressing your anger will make you feel better, right?

So you start telling the story, adding in angry comments and scathing details about the perpetrator as you go. Your co-worker, who knows other details and side stories about the whole mess, joins in. Your friend, who doesn't work with the two of you, is taking in the story with disgust and growing ire and starts chiming an outsider's observations on the whole scandalous event. Pretty soon you are all self-righteously hopping mad at the the perpetrator and the seemingly blind management members that allowed this all to happen.

Do you feel better? Has your anger gone away? Do you feel that you have a constructive solution to the problem?

You may feel temporarily better. Your co-worker and friend have rallied around you and you're all full of adrenaline from your anger fest. You are momentarily emotionally drained, but nothing has been done to eliminate or mitigate the situation that caused you to be angry.

Far from being gone, your anger probably has increased. Your discussion with your supportive co-worker and friend has most likely contributed quite a bit more information to support and nourish your anger. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if you caught your supportive co-worker's eye at work the next day and you both start feeling all the anger surge back.

While potential solutions to a problem might be bandied about in a venting session, they are often of limited practical use. It's not uncommon to fantasize about truly extreme measures, perhaps even violent and illegal ones, in the inferno of rage. Look up any website where jilted love partners talk about revenge on their faithless exes and what I refer to will be crystal clear.

Catharsis, the time-honored concept that the unbridled expression of aggression and anger is a healthy way to dissipate aggression, is a myth. Research has found repeatedly that the expression of anger without constructive problem solving to address the source of the anger only drives anger and aggression levels higher. Here's a brief article courtesy of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) addressing this myth with an excerpt from the book 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology.

So is having a venting session with supportive friends always a negative thing? Absolutely not. It becomes problematic when it goes on for an extended period of time without shifting gears to considering constructive ways to deal with the issue. Perhaps a good practice would be to devote 20 minutes or so to purely blowing off steam and then shifting to practical problem solving mode.

The crucial component in effectively dealing with anger is dealing with the source of it in a calm and assertive manner. This is the step that is too often left out in dealing with anger, but it is the most productive one in reducing present anger and lessening the likelihood that the anger-inducing situation will occur again.

Stress Is Here To Stay: Deal With It Positively

There is no such thing as a stressless life. Even if there was, you probably wouldn’t enjoy it. If you’re questioning my sanity right now, it may be you only perceive stress as a bad thing. Actually, stress comes in two broad categories, eustress (caused by positive events) and distress (influenced by negative events). Anyone who’s dealt with the happy chaos of a new baby in the family or the first-day jitters at a new job knows eustress well. Yet it is the dark side, distress, that most people think of when they say they’re stressed. Let’s take a closer look at this phenomenon we have a hard time living with, but truly can’t live without.

Stress arises when a situation in our environment requires us to change our usual behavior in order to meet our needs. It’s no secret that the world is rapidly changing around us and we need to keep up or be left in the dust. As much as we may like to consider ourselves spontaneous, free-spirited, and flexible, human beings are very much creatures of habit who find order, predictability, and continuity to be comforting. If a situation requires greater changes in habits, behaviors, attitudes, etc., the more stressful the changes will be. For instance, if a freshly-hired manager comes into a company and revises procedures, experienced employees are likely to resent and have difficulty with the changes than rookie employees.

Without stress, we would not be motivated or stimulated. Experiencing stress is a natural part of living and achieving our goals, but we must cope with it effectively so its harmful effects won’t get the better of us. As an example, a certain amount of anticipation before taking a test will help a student be motivated to study and be ready to do her best. On the other hand, overwhelming anxiety before a test can cause either overstudying – cramming too much into too little time, neglecting rest and eating properly due to frantic activity – or becoming incapable of studying at all.

We can cope better with the negative effects of stress with the power of our own minds. Stress is not “out there” in our lives, representing something that happens to us. Instead, stress lies in part in how we interpret and respond to those events. Thus, stress lies “in between” the event and the person. An event that causes distress for one individual may not cause distress for someone else because each individual’s unique perception of and reactions to the situation influences their experiences. Since stress is a natural part of life, recognizing what stresses us and learning how to respond constructively is a more realistic goal than expecting to eliminate stress.

One of the most powerful stress antidotes is accepting that you are not and never will be perfect. Many people have a number of irrational beliefs which make them less capable of dealing with stressors and undermine their enjoyment of and pride in many life accomplishments because they were not perfect. Perfection is found in nature and in the divine, but not in human beings. High standards are wonderful, but perfectionism is not only stressful, it’s self-defeating.

Where do you typically place the blame when things go wrong? The answer to this question can identify your attributional style. There are three dimensions to attribution, external versus internal, unstable versus stable, and specific versus global. Here are some examples for each dimension having to do with receiving a rejection letter after a job interview that seemed promising.

Candidate O: I guess I just wasn’t the candidate they were looking to hire for that job (external). I know I will be able to find another good job when the economy improves (unstable). I bet a couple more years of work experience will help my chances of getting a job at that level (specific).

Candidate P: I’m such an idiot! I made a total fool of myself the entire interview (internal). I’m such a loser that no one will ever want to hire me again (stable). I screwed this up just like I screw up everything I do. I’m a hopeless case (global).

It shouldn’t be too surprising to find that Candidate O is an optimist and Candidate P is a pessimist. Optimists are more likely to identify external causes for bad events while acknowledging that factors associated with the negative outcome are changeable (unstable) and particular to this situation only (specific). Pessimists are more likely to assign permanent blame to themselves (internal, stable) for the negative outcome and extend its effects to everything in their lives (global). So who do you think feels stressed by the job rejection? Who do you think will be motivated by the stress to do better next time? Who will be demoralized into not bothering to apply for the next job? It’s all in the attributional style.

We have choices as to how to deal with stressors. Constructive responses to stress include dealing directly with your problems, keeping a realistic view of what is happening, recognizing harmful emotional reactions you have to stress and learning how to control or alter them, and being willing to look at all alternative courses of action. The first place to look in learning to handle stress more effectively is within your own mind.

Personal Growth: A Lifelong Process

Life is what happens to you or what you make happen – it’s your choice. Granted, none of us has complete control over everything in our lives. That’s simply not possible. However, you can choose your path in life in more ways than you think.

I bet you’ve often heard people say things like:

If I could only lose 15 pounds, then everything would be wonderful.

If I could just find the perfect person to love, I’ll be happy.

If this or that or the wonderful other thing happens, I’ll live happily ever after.

There is no one magic event in life that will fix everything forever. Our culture, however, reinforces this concept in many ways, of which media are the most powerful. Consider an average hour-long TV drama. Major problems are presented for the characters and usually everything is neatly tied up and resolved by the end of the show. None of us truly believes our lives are like TV – even so-called reality TV. Life is much more complex than that. The world around us is changing all the time and we need to change with it. Much of what we now know about how people make the constant journey of personal growth can be credited to humanistic psychology.

Humanistic psychology was developed as a response to psychological approaches that were too concerned with neurotic and disturbed behavior (psychoanalytical) or with cause and effect explanations (behaviorism). It emphasizes motivation, self-development, self-knowledge, self-responsibility, and self-understanding, all positive and empowering aspects of human nature. Where psychoanalytic approaches concentrated on dysfunctional human behavior and behavioral approaches concentrated on the mechanics of stimulus and response, humanistic psychology focused on the need to fulfill one’s own potential and to move towards optimal development of the self. The five postulates of humanistic psychology set forth by James Bugental (1964) are:

1. Human beings cannot be reduced to components.
2. Human beings have in them a uniquely human context.
3. Human consciousness includes an awareness of oneself in the context of other people.
4. Human beings have choices and responsibilities.
5. Human beings are intentional, they seek meaning, value and creativity.

Critics of humanistic psychology's early years cite lack of empiricism, failure to adequately address social change, and the encouragement of self-centeredness and narcissism. While humanisitic psychology still does not contain testable theories, recent research has addressed a wide variety of social issues and topics and allegations of supporting selfish beliefs and behaviors result from misinterpretations of theory.

Four important people in humanistic psychology are Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, Carl Rogers, and Abraham Maslow.

Alfred Adler’s key focus was self-determination, the idea that we are active, creative, choice-makers whose actions have purpose and meaning. He believed we are the primary influence in the course our lives take. Adler believed all humans are motivated by a need to fulfill all of our potentials and to reach our ideals for ourselves. If we are thwarted in our efforts, we become discouraged, not psychologically ill. Therapists who follow Adler’s theories try to teach people more effective ways to achieve life tasks with an emphasis on the future rather than on deep examination of the past.

Carl Jung’s focus in humanistic psychology was awareness and acceptance of the full range of one’s being, both the good and the bad. He believed that it was natural for humans to grow toward a balanced level of development, and personality is composed of what we have been and what we hope to be. Jung’s emphasis on self-knowledge and self-honesty encouraged examination of both the bright and dark sides of the self.

Carl Rogers’ client-centered therapy emphasized the development of the fully functioning person. Rogers believed it is in human nature to do the very best we can in any given situation, to each make our existence the most positive it can possibly be. If we fail, it is not for lack of desire, but from distortions in our perception of reality. He believed these distortions come from societal and cultural influences. Humans become damaged when positive regard (approval) from others is based upon what we do (conditional) rather than who we are (unconditional). Rogers believed unconditional positive regard – the offering of nonjudgmental listening and acceptance for who we are rather than what we do – is an essential condition for people to move toward personal growth.

Abraham Maslow is widely considered to be the “father” of humanistic psychology. He engaged in extensive study of the concept of self-actualization, which is working toward fulfilling our potential, toward becoming all that we are capable of becoming. Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs, which states that more basic needs must be adequately met before higher needs become significant motivators. However, the more basic needs do not necessarily completely satisfied at every given moment. For example, we still attend class when we don’t have much in the refrigerator; that is, if we know our paycheck is due in a couple of days, otherwise, if we don’t have employment, the need for food might drive us to skip class and go find a job. Even when you generally feel that your safety needs are met, you will have some anxious moments in your life, such as when that car coming up behind you at the stoplight is going just a little too fast and you’re wondering just how good its brakes are.

It’s never too early or too late to examine your life and think about the choices you could make to improve your happiness, health, well-being, and sense of fulfillment. Life has so much to offer; we owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to have the fullest and most satisfying life we each can possibly have.

Parenting: Too Little and Too Much Are Problematic

Overly protective parents might be leaving a lasting impact on their child's personality, and not in a good way.

The above quote is from this article briefly describing the latest research on so-called helicopter parents.

There is ample research to support that neglectful parenting has negative effects on children's development. As a small example, this training document for Arizona CASA/FCRB volunteers cites insecure attachment, deficits in coping skills, lower self-esteem, poorer impulse control, academic difficulties, language deficits, and less positive peer interactions as correlates of neglectful parenting in infants to school-aged children.

The interesting thing is that research on over-parenting -- what is now being termed helicopter parenting -- shows that its effects on adolescents and young adults may be highly negative as well. Among the correlates of overparenting identified in the above recent study are being dependent, neurotic, less open to new experiences, less autonomous, more vulnerable, anxious, and self-conscious.

While a lack of parenting efforts contributes to a negative outcome for children, it doesn't mean that an excess of them is better. Further research on overparenting should contribute helpful information into achieving a balance that is healthy for both parents and children.

The 10% Myth

How many times have you heard something like this?

Well, you know, humans only use 10% of their brains, so if scientists could tell us how to use the other 90%, there would be no more .

It's not true.

The brain is an amazing biological/electrical/chemical structure of up to an estimated 100 billion neurons. We can't survive without it. While it's possible for some people to recover from brain damage and possible for some people to function with certain parts of their brains missing, the idea that we are not using 90% of our brains is, well, mind-boggling. Think of the things your brain automatically does for you: breathing, circulating blood, digesting food, sensing stimuli, regulating body temperature, etc. On top of that, add in all the things that you consciously ask your brain to do for you: walking, talking, reading, thinking, moving, etc. Doesn't sound like a 10% proposition to me. How about you?

Here's a brief article courtesy of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) addressing this myth with an excerpt from the book 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology.

Another take on the ten percent myth can be found at Snopes.com, a great resource for sorting out fact from urban legend.

Psychology Headlines Around the World

One of the features of Think Psych is Psychology Headlines Around the World, a news feed from the wonderful Social Psychology Network. The news box is toward the bottom of the page. I will be featuring resources from SPN in future posts.

Welcome to Think Psych!

Welcome to Think Psych, a blog for the psychologist in all of us, by the author of College Success Insider.