Think Fast!

It may be that accelerated thinking can improve your mood.  Six experiments at Princeton and Harvard universities in 2009 found that fast thinking "made participants feel more elated, creative and, to a lesser degree, energetic and powerful".  So, things like brainstorming or quickly doing a crossword or other puzzle  can boost a person's mood.  Small bursts of feeling good can lead to upward spirals in general mood.  The key here, though, is that the thoughts must be not only fast, but varied as well. People generally believe that one's ability to think fast indicates a positive mood.  This, in itself, may be the cause for the findings.  (Remember, too, that the simple act of smiling can have a positive effect on one's mood as it seems to trick the brain into thinking we must be happy if we are smiling.)  Or, it may be that thinking quickly triggers the brain's novelty-loving dopamine system.

Be wary, however, of fast, repetitive thoughts.  These can trigger anxiety. Repetitive thoughts which accompany slow thinking tend to sap a person's energy and cultivate depression.  Slow, varied thinking tends to lead to the kind of calm repose and peaceful happiness associated with meditation.

D.

Another Mood Food - Good or Not So Good?

Dark chocolate contains mood-lifting compounds like tryptophan, magnesium (debateable whether magnesium acutally boosts mood or not, though one study showed that it helped reverse depression in some people), tyramine, phenylalanine and anandaminde-related lipids which inhibit anandaminde hydroloysis in the brain, acting as cannabinoid mimics like those present in marijuana.  There's a glitch though:  the sugar that chocolate contains can lead to a sharp rise in blood sugar levels, followed by a sharp drop.  This can leave you feeling 'down' as your mental and physical energy levels suddenly dip. It is best to aim for a 70 percent or higher amount of cocoa solids, without added milk solids or other dairy products,  for maximum health-related compounds as well as less sugar.  There's another glitch:  as with coffee, the caffeine (and some other chemicals which chocolate contains like phenylalanine and tyramine) can bring on feelings of anxiety in susceptible individuals.  And, if you suffer from panic attacks, or episodes of tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, or ectopic heart beats, be wary of consuming regular coffee, tea or dark chocolate as each of these items can bring on one or more of these events.

And, as a final note, stimulants such as caffeine have been shown to increase aggression and anger levels in some individuals.

D.

Out of Character

David DeSteno and Piercarlo Valdesolo argue in their new book, Out of Character, that no action is purely good or bad and that speaking of one's true character misses the point because character is a fluctuating state.  It constantly oscillates to adjust to our current needs.  

This moral relativism may make some of you uneasy.  I know that I'll have to think long and hard about this one to figure out where I stand on the issue (and Cyndi Lauper might have to rewrite her song, True Colors!).

D.

Thriving in Love

Long-term love thrives on rose-coloured glasses.  People who retain over-inflated ideations of their partners' positive attributes report greater marriage satisfaction over the long term than do their less optimistic counterparts.  According to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, optimistic partners apply 'approach' strategies to "problem-solving, employing cooperation and refraining from attacks". (1)  Less optimistic couples do the opposite:  they blame and attack, and use avoidant strategies (like 'giving the cold shoulder'), all which act only to further strain the relationship.

D.

(1)  Psychology Today, May/June 2011, p. 11.

On Empathy

I happen to greatly admire President Barack Obama.  A while back - some time in 2009, I don't remember the exact date, having not recorded it - the New York Times quoted President Obama as he spoke about the kind of judge he would appoint to the Supreme Court of the United States of America.  The President's description of empathy is one of the best I've come across to convey what it truly means to be able to empathize with another person.  As reportedly spoken by the President:  "That kind of judge will have empathy.  I view the quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles as an essential ingredient for arriving at just decisions and outcomes."

Empathy requires a whole lot more than just recognizing another's emotions, feelings, or point of view.  What is required is for you to "put yourself in their shoes", or "to walk a mile in their shoes" in order to fully and deeply comprehend where that person "is coming from":  what they are feeling, experiencing, and thinking.  Being able to identify with, not only comprehend, another's plight, within your own self, is what it means to empathize with your fellow man (or woman).  The ability to empathize is an integral part of the human condition - of what it means to be human in the first place.  It is the 'seat' of our humanity.

Individuals, either through accident of birth or environmental influence lack the ability to empathize are very scary individuals indeed.  They often come across as if there is some kind of empty spot in their brain where, for the rest of us, our humanity resides. Synapses are not connecting;  something is not wired.  A gap exists. 

Scientific research has been investigating the role that our brain's mirror neurons play in our day to day life.  Mirror neurons are what make empathy possible in the first place.  "Mirror neurons are activated both when one does something and when one observes somebody else doing the same thing.  Thus, they represent the neurological mechanism that allows us to put ourselves in the shoes of others."  (1)

The diversity in our world today is so vast that the very mechanisms which created it lack the ability to cope with it.  "The reason why people feel threatened by other people's habits and ways of life and have a 'gut reaction' against such diversity is due to the fact that their mirror neurons are less able to understand the 'stranger'.  His or her intentions and emotions are to a certain extent clouded by one's cultural identity and made inacessible to others." (2)  Most mentally healthy individuals, however, can consciously work hard to override this gap in understanding and expand their minds (utilize the concept of 'neuroplasticity') in order to include indentification with persons with whom we seemingly have little in common.  Intellect can be used to stretch us beyond our own experience and to cultivate rational and emotional thought which fosters harmony rather than antipathy.

Prejudice blinds us to the fact that the 'other' is actually a human - a person - and in Canada, one who is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  People who physically or emotionally harm others because they are of a different race, colour, sexual orientation, or are simply fat and out of shape, or small in stature seemingly lack empathy.  Can they not imagine how they would feel if someone did the same thing to them - possibly because they didn't like their haircut, or the colour of their eyes, or the scars on their face?

(The view of another person as "the other" also gives rise to the fear factor, but this column is not about the need to destroy, maim, harm another person due to the misplaced perception that it is required for self-preservation.  The perception is that because the other person is different he or she must pose a threat to me and must be dealt with harshly.  Or, perhaps the other person is perceived as weaker either emotionally or physically and how powerfully strong, energizing, and just plain great it does feel to be able to dominate that 'weaker' person.  Or, perhaps the attacker suffers from a deep-seated feeling of inferiority, so an attack enables her to feel superior.)

Most of the world's religions subscribe to a principle akin to: do unto others as you would have others do unto you.  I think that if we all kept this in mind, many of the world's troubles would simply cease to exist.  Rape as an instrument of warfare is one atrocity that quickly springs to mind as something we could certainly do without.  Gay bashing in Vancouver's west-end is another.  Oh, and allowing your dog to use my lawn as a toilet is yet another.  I know, sometimes it truly is hard 'to see past your own nose'.

D.

(1) and (2)  "How Do Mirror Neurons Work?", http://news.softpedia.com/  Note:  In humans, brain activity consistent with that of mirror neurons has been found in the premotor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the primary somatosensory cortex, and the inferior parietal cortex.  A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another.  The neuron 'mirrors' the behaviour of the other, as though the observer were itself acting.

Yet Another Mood Enhancer

I like to reach for a banana either before or after a workout.  Seems to be just the right thing to provide me with energy, or to restore it.  The combination of nutrients, healthy carbohydrates, and the amino acid tryptophan work together to elevate mood.  Bananas contain potassium, phosphorous, iron, and a little protein along with vitamins B6, A and C.  The fiber which bananas contain provides more sustained energy, which prevents a drastic spike in blood sugar and the subsequent drop in mood and energy that can follow.  The carbohydrates help the brain absorb the tryptophan and the vitamin B6 helps to transform the tryptophan into serotonin, a mood-elevating and calming brain chemical.

D.

A Little 'Mood Food'

Sunflower Seeds:  These little seeds are a rich source of folate and magnesium which are both important nutrients when it comes to regulating mood.

Whole grains:  Brown rice, oatmeal and whole-grain bread contain the mineral selenium which works like an antioxidant and may improve symptoms of depression.  Oxidative stress in the brain has been assoicated with depression in older people.  In one study (reported at WebMD.com) an evaluation of depression scores of elderly individuals showed that those who supplemented their diet with 200 micrograms of selenium a day had greater amounts of the mineral in their blood and a significant reduction of symptoms of depression compared to those taking a placebo.  Nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, and dairy foods contain significant amounts of selenium.

Spinach combined with chicken or salmon:  Together these foods combine to provide a rich source of the vitamins folate (spinach) and B12 (chicken and salmon).  Working together, these two nutrients help to prevent disorders of the central nervous system as well as dementia and mood disorders.

D.

Stress, Turmeric and Opioids

According to the latest issue of Scientific American Mind (May/June 2011, p. 21) women may be more prone than men to suffer from stress-related ailments. Studies seem to show that women are twice as likely as men to suffer from "depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other stress-related issues".

Research has shown that turmeric (a spice used in curry) may have beneficial effects on the brain after a stroke.  "Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies recently developed a synthetic derivative of turmeric, which dramatically improved the neurologiccal deficits in animal models of stroke and traumatic brain injury." (Scientific American Mind, May/June 2011, p. 21)

As most of us know, chronic pain can be mentally exhausting and physically debilitating.  Prescription pain medication in the form of opioids can effectively alleviate pain, but it is highly addictive.  Pain researchers have recently discovered that by delivering opioids in a new way - by implanting them under the skin -cravings for them were reduced.

D.