RenoVous

  Just 20 days ago we got a new view of our home from the moon.  A side by side 54 years apart. (Apollo's photo was taken during the day whereas Artemis caught nighttime with background illumination). NASA's endeavors into space has created what's been called the "Overview Effect," a profound shift in awareness when viewing Earth from outside of it.  Astronauts have reported intense emotions, awe, and a heightened sense of responsibility and interconnection. In fact, "Earth gazing" from the International Space Station is known to have positive psychological effects in coping with the demands of spaceflight. The term was coined by Frank Wright, who wrote the book in 1987 following many interviews with astronauts.  He argues that this effect on them has an effect on us as well. Space Exploration and Human Evolution "Let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it." -Yuri Gagarin

  I came across a book called The Science of Superstition , written by Bruce Hood. A psychologist and philosopher specializing in developmental cognitive neuroscience, he is currently based at the University of Bristol. A major interest has been researching the cognitive processes behind adult magical thinking. In the book, he uses hard science to explain pervasive irrational beliefs and behaviors. Superstitions surrounding Friday the 13th date back to the 19th century, as a pairing, but 13 and Friday have long had ominous connotations. In numerology, 12 is considered complete, while 13 is disruptive.  A 13th guest brings bad luck (Judas in Christianity, Loki in Norse mythology, the devil in ancient Rome). Over 90% of high rises skip the 13th floor due to customer concerns. There's a quote from Swami Vivekananda which says, "If superstition enters, the brain is gone." fMRI has shown that people who engage in superstitious rituals activate the reward centers of the brain, ...

W.H.R. Rivers, an English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist and psychiatrist. On this day in 1917, he released his report on the treatment of World War I soldiers, The Repression of War Experience. Earlier in the year, medical officer Charles Meyer coined the term "shell shock," to describe physical damage done to soldiers on the front lines during exposure to heavy bombardment.  Symptoms included debilitating anxiety, persistent nightmares, and afflictions such as diarrhea and loss of sight. It became clear to Rivers that these symptoms were appearing in soldiers who had never been directly under bombardment, and that these were the psychological effects produced by the experience of combat. He worked at the Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh, and the Royal School of Medicine.  His duty, per the British Army, was to get the men fit and ready to return to battle, but only 1/5 would ever resume military duty.  Wilfred Owen was among his patients, and I have a p...

  Ghosts have haunted humanity wherever they have settled across the planet.  Every age and every culture has its own type of ghosts and ghost stories. Emeritus Professor Chris French believes there is an evolutionary element to these beliefs. For most of our evolutionary history, there were real threats from predators and from enemies.  As our brains are hardwired to be on the lookout for potential threats, it has produced certain cognitive biases.  One of these, according to French, is "believing that when something happens in the world around us, it happens because something or someone with intentions towards us made it happen." So unrelated events and random natural phenomena can be confused with the supernatural.  It's the same bias that may have led people in the past to blame failing crops on the wrath of God or witchcraft. Further, there are two important psychological factors that contribute to someone having a ghostly experience.  Context and prio...

  I sure meant to post this last week, but here we are! I purchased the above for my Kindle, and I am stoked.  Two of my favorite things! "Power.  Courage.  Wisdom.  These three tenets comprise the foundation of Hyrule's lore and history, but they resonate just as strongly in our own society." Between this and finishing last month's Doomed, I read a few more Fitzgerald short stories from Tales of the Jazz Age.   "The Jelly Bean" and "The Camel's Back," then I started "May Day."   What have you been reading??

  UCLA is the coordinating center of the National Neuropsychology Network.  The project involves compiling detailed neuropsychological data and integrating these with information from electronic health records (identifying information removed).  The data is then made available through a National Institute of Mental Health archive for study and analysis by qualified scientists. A recent grant will allow the project to enroll new participants with an emphasis on populations that have been underrepresented in biomedical research. "This work holds the promise of increasing equitable access and advanced understanding of neurocognitive disorders," says Professor Robert Bilder. By databasing, they aim to identify the latent constructs measured by the neuropsychological tests and determine the most efficient measurement methods to identify these constructs, leading to more precise tests and batteries for assessment. Tests There are currently five clinic sites, which includes the ...

  Or maybe not fun if you don't think 500 days of isolation inside a cave sounds like a good time. Beatriz Flamini emerged on April 14, 2023 - she documented her experience to help scientists understand the effects of extreme isolation, but her initial reaction to her support team arriving said a lot in itself. She thought she had only been there for about 170 days. Obviously day and night helps shape our perception of the passage of time, so without that, one must rely on psychological processes.  In our usual routines, we can turn to the number of memories formed as an index for how much time has passed. But Flamini was also lacking social interaction and information about the world.  She had no set schedule and as the biological rhythms of sleep, thirst and digestion took over, she simply paid less attention.  We also tend to gauge time by productivity, and while she did get some writing for her book done, there were no appointments or deadlines. It makes a differ...

  I came across a local artist who does Aura Art and Interpretation.  She's also a trained therapist, tarot card reader, and has a degree in Transformative Leadership. "My work centers on the cultivation of conscious creative behavior development." -Kelsey Sweet She developed this process while researching neurological implications of aesthetics and consciousness.  She claims to have picked up on diseases, pregnancies, blockages, and trauma.  Sometimes she's picked up on guides, or people your energy is intertwined with. Kelsey refers to experience in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which was developed by a local professor, Steven C. Hayes.  I took his Mindfulness course at UNR. ACT An integration of art and psychology, to understand oneself as part of and distinct from one's thoughts, feelings, memories, etc. KSweet

  Psychopaths make up about 4.5% of the population, but most people have learned about them through movies.  A group of psychologists spent three years watching 400 movies containing characters who could be described as psychopaths. They whittled the list down to 105 males and 21 females portrayed in film since 1915, selected based on the realism and clinical accuracy of their profiles. Some of the most famous psychos, such as Norman Bates ( Psycho ) and Travis Bickel ( Taxi Driver ) are actually psychotic as opposed to psychopathic.  They are disconnected from reality and suffer from delusional ideation. Hannibal Lecter, "the most famous and caricatured example of a psychopath," does not make the grade. One of the best portrayals of a psychopath is the above Anton Chigurh, played by Javier Bardem, in No Country for Old Men. "We lack information concerning his childhood, but there are sufficient arguments and detailed information about his behavior in the film to obtain ...

  I came across a study which I just couldn't pass up for us today. How do heterosexual men and women perceive women with erect nipples? Part 1 was just viewing slides of photographs, some showing erect nipples, some not (faces were obscured to rule out facial expressions and attractiveness).  Participants were then asked to assign an emotional and physiological state to each photo - positive, negative, sexually aroused. Men and women assigned positive emotions to photos with erect nipples, with men also assigning sexual arousal.  Surprise!!  (Not). Part 2 wanted to look at "the effect of nipple erection on intended and expected altruism."  Participants were asked a range of questions as to whether or not they would lend a woman in a photograph $100, help her if her car broke down, or provide tutoring sessions.  The male group was much more likely to help the women with erect nipples, especially when that would bring them in close proximity.  They foun...