James foster

If this highly politicized era teaches us anything, it is the extent to which many Americans will go to maintain their beliefs. Claims about “fake” news and rigged elections are manifestations of this. So is the argument that the viral pandemic is exaggerated, even a hoax. We have witnessed a radicalization of political parties, emboldening paramilitary groups, and fostering wild conspiracy theories. A mob breached our Capitol. Possibilities of criminal prosecution for the perpetrators, as well as censure and impeachment of public officials, are in the air. Many people expressed horror at the insurrection. Others acknowledged their chagrin, even some measure of shame . But millions of others made no such acknowledgments. Indeed, they only hardened their view that their side is right and the other is wrong. To use Blackjack lingo, they doubled down. In the neighborhood where I live, at least three families have taken to flying their American flag upside down. One might imagine … [Read more...] about Doubling Down: Why People Deny the Facts

Bedtimes without borders Source: Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash Bedtime routines exist across the globe, in one form or another. Bedtime encompasses different activities and interactions between parents and children starting the hour before bed 1 , Since all children eventually go to sleep, children everywhere will experience some form of bedtime routine before they get to bed and sleep. However, what actually happens before the child is off to bed varies from one country to the next. Similarities exist and, broadly, most parents across the globe recognise the importance of bedtime for their children as well as the crucial role uninterrupted sleep plays for their well-being and development. Bedtime varies depending on where a child lives. In countries like Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, bedtime tends to be at around 7-8 p.m. for most young children. Compare that with a bedtime between 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. for children living in East and Southeast … [Read more...] about Bedtimes Without Borders

Source: LeBron James Wiz by Keith Allison, Wikimedia (licensed under: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license) NBA Finals The fourth game of the 2018 NBA Finals has begun. The Golden State Warriors are leading their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers 3-0. In other words, they might be crowned champions tonight. I was browsing a highly active “game-day thread” earlier today, and there were heated arguments about a couple of controversial calls from previous games in the series. Someone had posted “You suck!” in big red letters. I don't know if that insult was meant for the member he was arguing with earlier, or for the opposing team’s whole fan base, but others seemed to ignore the poster till one person, perhaps as curious as I was, posted and asked him why — adding an emoji of a puzzled face for good measure. The first person quickly replied, “Because we rock!” I suppose the possibility did not occur to him that fans of both could rock. Or … [Read more...] about The Psychology of Winning and Competition

by Grant H. Brenner The COVID-19 pandemic is a prolonged, global disaster of epic proportions, unlike anything most people have experienced in their lifetimes. Tolerating Ambiguity and Isolation Unlike many disasters, which have a predictable course (see Phases of Disaster, below), pandemics don't fit a clear mold, with no clear end date, high levels of uncertainty about whether there will be ongoing waves of reinfection, unclear paths toward normality, limited data on infection and mortality rates, evolving information about infectious consequences, unclear risk of immunity, and a high level of impact on social relations from infection-control measures. The mental health impact of COVID-19 and the direct neuropsychiatric consequences of infection mean that understanding factors contributing to post-traumatic growth and resilience are especially important. Phases of Disaster Source: SAMSHA Many people are isolated, living alone for long periods of … [Read more...] about How To Use Social Media for Post-Traumatic Growth

"Unclamp, in a word, your intellectual and practical machinery, and let it run free; the service it will do you will be twice as good. [...] Just as a bicycle chain may be too tight, so may one's carefulness and conscientiousness be so tense as to hinder the running of one's mind." —William James (" The Gospel of Relaxation ," 1911) Source: VLADGRIN/Shutterstock For the past two decades, I've been on the lookout for neuroscience-based research that would corroborate my late father's hunch that "unclamping the intellectual machinery of the prefrontal cortex" is key to creative thinking . My dad, Richard Bergland (1932-2007), spent much of his career as a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School; he was profoundly influenced by the writings of William James, who'd been affiliated with HMS generations before. James's "Gospel of Relaxation" was like a second Bible to my father. When I was a young tennis player in the 1970s, Dad coached me … [Read more...] about Alpha-Powered Brain Waves May Unclamp Freely Moving Thoughts