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from internet- notes copy to keep Type Status Not started article 4#: Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation ~ Davidson 2003. Main takeaway: A short program in mindfulnes...

from internet- notes copy to keep Type Status Not started article 4#: Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation ~ Davidson 2003. Main takeaway: A short program in mindfulness and meditation produces demonstrable effects in brain and immune function Brain electrical activity was measured (via EEG) immediately before & immediately after an 8-week program in mindfulness/meditation, then again 4 months later Baseline conditions Positive and negative emotion induction Positive and negative affect were also tested after emotion induction Blood was drawn at 3-5 weeks and 8-9 weeks after meditation training program Examined antibody titers Results Significant increase in left side anterior activation in meditators Associated with increased positive affect and reduced anxiety and better response to stress Significant increases in antibody titers to flu shot in meditators TLDR Meditators have reduced anxiety, greater immune function, greater positive emotion in both negative and positive emotion induction Book: BTBG (ch 7 & 8) CH 7 - Laughter In primates, laughter is used for inhalation/exhalation In humans, laughter is a language of its own that can be used for a multitude of scenarios (humorous, flirtatious, embarrassment, etc) Laughter is social, contagious (spreads to others), produces a remarkable physical state (collapses body into state of relaxation) and is intertwined with our breathing (exhalation) Laughter is a cooperation switch” and sets the stage for mutual bargaining Triggers activation in Supplementary Motor Area Laughter activates regions of the brainstem, a structure that is much older than the cortices responsible for language, suggesting laughter preceded language in humans (pons) People: Jo-Anne Bachorowski studied the acoustics of human laughter Vacation hypothesis: “Laughter is a portal to pretense, play, and imagination People: Paul Drew, linguist who states that play frames family teasing interactions People: George Bonanno - people who suffer trauma can fare well within the year and actually grow from it Robert Provine Research: Keltner & Bonanno on bereaved adults Participants were asked “tell me about your deceased partner” Used FACS coding- What emotions predict healthy adjustment to death of a spouse? Which predict an inability to re-enter into daily living? from internet- notes copy to keep 1  Measures of laughing and smiling predicted reduced grief after 6,14,25 months; more anger predicted anxiety, depression, and disengagement from daily life CH 8 - Tease Teasing = playful aggression Intentional provocation to evoke emotion Like a social “vaccine” Form of play, NOT aggression Showed beneficial outcomes in relationships. Those with nicknames also demonstrated greater capacity for navigating problem solving and negotiation We turn to teasing to negotiate ambiguities of social-living 💡 Establishing hierarchies, testing commitments to social norms, uncovering potential romantic interest, negotiating conflicts over work and resources 4 lessons when teasing goes awry Harmful Teasing No off-record markers present Wrong social context Gets better with age (9-10 years old and up) Book: HoH (1,6,7,8,10) Ch 1 : Is It Possible to Become Happier? We can change our happiness 40% of our happiness can be changed by intentional activity 50% is genetic set point, 10% is our circumstances Genetic set point is point people’s happiness levels return to even after major setbacks/triumphs Things we think make us happy (promotions, money, victories) aren’t what actually keeps us happy (little happiness for short time vs lot of happiness for a long time List of things you can do to maneuver within that changeable 40%: TLDR: Devote time to relationships, offer help, express gratitude, optimism, exercise, commit to goals, share stresses and crises Select a few that work for you Happier people = more flexible, have more ingenuity, are better leaders and negotiators, resilient, better immune system, healthier Wealth advantage in early 20s More satisfying marriages More sociable, cooperative, better liked Society-wide benefits to being happy Ch 6 : Managing Stress, Hardship, and Trauma Coping - what people do to alleviate the hurt, stress, or suffering caused by a negative event or situation: Problem- focused vs emotion-focused Problem-focused coping - Basically solving a problem. Generate the solution. resolve a situation through action; people who use this tend to experience less depression during and after stressful events from internet- notes copy to keep 2  Emotion-focused coping - appropriate when a problem can’t be fixed or when one is too overwhelmed by negative emotion to act rationally Behavioral strategies - Might entail distraction or physical exercise-basically involve themselves in the pleasant activities. Cognitive strategies - May include positively reinterpreting the situation, acceptance, or the turning to religion. Ex. positive reappraisal Research: widows and widowers offered counseling session - men benefited from emotion-focused and women benefited from problem-focused Construing benefit in negative life events involves seeing some values or gain in your loss or negative life event. Research: Seeing the positives in a situation and being more optimistic than reality warrants was adaptive for women with breast cancer Research: Men who had a heart attack; those who thought they learned or gained something from the event were less likely to have recurrences and more likely to be healthy 8 yrs later than those who blamed it on others or their own emotions Post traumatic growth → after experiencing a trauma, one is able to gain more skills and create a deeper understanding of life/their relationships (Transformation) through coping and dealing with their trauma Surviving - merely surviving in a perpetual state of impaired functioning Recovery - following a period of impairment, one eventually returns to their original state Thriving - after suffering, one rises above original state (transformation) Social Support Grief -> elevated stress hormones (glucocorticoids) Friendly social contact can lower these Research: women who sought social support after surgery showed greater natural killer cell activity -> immune system was more active Coping Strategies Finding Meaning through expressive writing Construing benefit in trauma through writing or conversing Coping via thought disputation - derived from cognitive therapy for depression; dispute/challenge your pessimistic thoughts Physiological aspects of stress: Hyperactivation of HPA (Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal) axis (increases cortisol) Fight or flight response Chronic stress eventually leads to worse health Forgiveness → after a traumatic event, being able to forgive and let go of negative emotions correlates with higher levels of happiness and well-being People who forgive are likely to be happier, healthier, and more agreeable; they are also better at empathizing with others Less likely to be hateful, depressed, hostile, anxious, angry, neurotic Forgiveness involves mitigating a desire for avoidance and revenge Experiment: Women who were hurt by an interpersonal experience assigned to forgiveness or discussion (control) group. Forgiveness group had lower anxiety and higher self-esteem Women benefited more than men, who held on to grudges longer Strategies: Appreciate being forgiven from internet- notes copy to keep 3  Imagine forgiveness for a person who wronged you Write a letter of forgiveness Practice Empathy Consider charitable attributions about the transgressor Ruminate less Make contact with transgressor Remind yourself to choose forgiveness for yourself Ch 7 : Living in the Present Those who can live in the present are less likely to experience depression, stress, guilt, and shame. Two strategies for living in the present: Savoring → “generating, prolonging, intensifying enjoyment” Benefits of savoring: Happier, more self-confident, extraverted, and gratified Savor past - less depression, stress, guilt, shame Savor future - more optimistic, more intense emotions Savor present - best able to buffer stress Direction of these relationships is unknown Research Participants relish a mundane activity they usually hurry through. Write down how they experienced the event differently. Participants savor two pleasurable experiences per day In both studies, significant increases in happiness and reduction in depression. Flow → “complete absorption into what one does” (STUDY!) Key to creating flow is finding the perfect balance between skill and challenge; activity is engaging but not impossibly difficult Benefits of flow: Flow states are a natural high Inherently pleasurable, fulfilling; enjoyment is generally lasting and reinforcing; intrinsically rewarding; causes us to challenge and improve ourselves; sense of control; self-awareness How to achieve flow: Expand mind and body limits; enjoy what you are doing; full concentration and living in the present; strive to accomplish something difficult or worthwhile Strategies: control attention, adopt new values, learn what flows, transform routine tasks, flow in conversation, smart leisure, smart work, strive for superflow Term coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Nostalgic experiences create positive feelings and reinforce our sense of love/protection; also boosts self-esteem Ch 8 : Happiness act no. 10: committing to goals Meaningful life goals bring benefits Sense of purpose, feelings of control over our lives; better self-esteem, confidence, efficacy; adds structure to our daily lives; helps us learn to master time; social connection; better coping mechanisms Choosing goals that you’re internally (or intrinsically) motivated about is more effective than goals that you’re externally (extrinsically) motivated about and leads to a happier life Goals should work towards self, fit you personally well, should not conflict with one another, and should be flexible/appropriate from internet- notes copy to keep 4  Goals you should pursue: Intrinsic Goals - work towards self Authentic Goals - a goal that fits personally you well Approach Goals - those that approach a desirable outcome instead of avoiding an undesirable outcome Harmonious Goals- goal should not conflict with one another Flexible/Appropriate Goals - taking on goals at the right age Activity Goals - pursuing new activities CH 10 - The Five Hows Behind Sustainable Happiness Positive emotion Frequent positive emotions increase happiness and positive experiences help people remain happier over time Alleviate depression Optimal timing and variety When and how often we perform happiness activities affects our happinesslevel Social support Relationships help people persist and realize their goals through motivation Motivation, effort, commitment Happiness involves motivation, effort, and commitment of a goal Habit Try to create a habit of instigating a happiness activity instead of poor habits that decrease happiness Book: TCI 💡 missing: 51-71, 213-222, 246-259 Pgs 26-35 - Peace Among Primates; Robert Sapolsky Old Primates and New Tricks Hans Kummer: Worked in a region of Ethiopia, with 2 different species of baboons These baboons, had different social systems Savanna Baboons lived in large troops (lots of adult males and females) Hamadryas Baboons have a more complex multilevel society Females of the the two species react differently when confronted with a male Savanna - Runs away to avoid injury Hamadryas - tries to make peace by approaching the male Kummer conducted an experiment by taking a Savanna and Hamadryas females and putting them into the other group The females initially carried out their species-typical behavior But after an hour absorbed the new rules 💡 Key finding - even though there was genetic differences between the two females, and lifetime experience of social rules for each females, within a short period of time both were able to reverse course completely from internet- notes copy to keep 5  De Waal and Johanowicz Created a mixed-sex social group of juvenile macaques Combining rhesus and stump tails together Male rhesus - are aggressive Male stump tail - less aggressive, egalitarians Over a few months, the rhesus males adopted the stump tails’ social style, even matching the stump tails’ high rates of reconciliatory behavior The rhesus were incorporating the concept of frequent reconciliation into their own social practices When a new warm rhesus macaques returned to a larger,all-rhesus group, their new behavioral style persisted Left Behind (Robert M. Sapolsky) “Forest Troop” - a group of savanna baboons A neighboring group (Garbage Dump Troop) found a tourist lodge and feasted on the leftovers from the dumpster This caused the troop to start sleeping above the pit, so in the morning they could go down and grab the food This development caused a shift in the Forest Troop’s social behavior Half of the Forest Troop males would infiltrate the Garbage Dump Troop’s territory, battling the resident males for access to the garbage The Forest Troop males that did this shared two similar traits Were combative Not interested in socializing (even though in the morning bulk of the savanna’s grooming occurs) Tuberculosis hit, and majority of the Garbage Dump Troop died, as well as the Forest Troop who were at the dump This caused a social shift in the Forest Troop, as half of the adult male population died The males that were left were less aggressive and more social than average, and the troop doubled its female- to-male ratio High-ranking males rarely harassed subordinates Aggression was less frequent Grooming increased - even with male to male The troop’s unique social milieu remained, even with incoming male adolescents, as these males adapted to the social culture Natural-Born Killers? For humans, small, cohesive groups are the perfect setting for cooperation. Hunter-gatherer type societies were highly egalitarian. Price for small homogeneous groups Shared values → Nightmare of conformity Dangerous for outsiders - xenophobia Pgs 45-50 - Political Primates - Christopher Boehm Before 10,000 years ago, only egalitarian societies existed Assume that most of our genes have evolved from the genetic makeup of people living in these small Paleolithic bands Richard Wrangham Studied how human behavior relates to that of our closest primate relatives Wrangham determined that any behaviors that all four of these species exhibit today must also have been present in their shared predecessor, which would have lived 7 million years ago from internet- notes copy to keep 6  Similar social behaviors - tendency to live in groups, and willingness to attack members of the same species Only setback was that bonobos, gorillas, and chimpanzees were hierarchical and aggressive alpha males, human hunter-gatherers were egalitarian Surveying nonliterate tribes Believed in maintaining political party among adults Males who turned into selfish bullies or tried to boss around others were treated brutally This urge to dominate is so intrinsic to humans’ political nature, that those who stay egalitarian have used shaming and ejection from the group to hold down those who want more power Frans de Waal Female chimpanzees show that females can band together to control their alphas The common ancestor not only d ​ isliked being dominated​, it ganged up actively in coalitions​to cut down the power of its alphas or would-be alphas Assumption about human nature is that leaders will just naturally want to increase their power Max Weber - argued that people may submit their autonomy to an especially charismatic leader Thomas Hobbes: Assumed that strong, authoritarian leadership is required to rule our inherently unruly species Pgs 133-149 - Compassion Across Cubicles - Jill Suttie Compassion Across Cubicles Positive organizational scholarship (POS) Looks for examples of businesses that successfully cultivate inspiration and productivity among workers See how organizations respond to employees experiencing personal difficulty Compassion is a key to having a productive and safe environment for employees Psychological well being accounts for 10-25% of employee’s job performance Are you a jerk at work? Robert Sutton Assholes can severely undermine an organization’s productivity by putting down employees through insults, silent treatment Anyone who is given a little power can become assholes who abuse their powers Power makes it more difficult for people to see the perspective of others Pgs 150-156 - A Feeling for Fiction - Keith Oatley Process of identification in fiction leads to the importance of empathy - helps us form connections in the real world Mimesis → copying, imitating or it can mean to create new worlds of imagination fMRI data showed that the empathetic response that we feel for someone we know and like is the same as the emotional aspect we feel ourselves Art/fiction allows us to empathize with others Our propensity to identify with characters in movies/books/other fiction is a demonstration of our ability to empathize with others. Fictional stories simulate our own experience in empathic leap of imagination. Reading fiction benefits our ability to: Read others emotions Understands social situations We engage our emotions with the characters, and when we return to real life, we understand people and our social situations with them better. Pgs 157-161 - A Different View - Alfie Kohn “Perspective taking” - how the world looks to another person and it offers afoundation for morality from internet- notes copy to keep 7  Taking another person’s perspective can help you realize that every individual is the center of their own world, just as we are the center of our world This is used to understand that another person’s life is no less valuable than ours The Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated This is often not enough since different people have their own preferences outside of our own It is better to try to take their perspective and act accordingly Pgs 203-212 - America's Trust Fall - Jeremy Adam Smith and Pamela Paxton America’s Trust Fall General Social Survey shows a decline in trust in our institutions Humans have an intrinsic urge to trust but need the evidence to trust something, whether it’s an individual or institution Trust - expectation that other people’s future actions will safeguard our interests Trust helps the economy - citizens who trust each other have higher economic growth Community, economy and democracy all need trust in order to run What Drives Mistrust Robert Putnam argues that the rise of distrust reflects the generational shifts Trust depends on how much contact you have with others Today the generations are more disconnected The more members you have in your group - the more trusting you are Pgs 260-267 - Why is There Peace? - Steven Pinker We are probably living in the most peaceful moment of our species’ time on earth Due to the fact our ancestors were more violent than we are Can see a decline in socially sanctioned forms of violence Why do people believe we live in a very violent times? Media coverage, it is much faster now and more accurate about how many people are dying due to war There’s an increase in self-control, long-term planning, and sensitivity to others that has changed people’s thoughts on violence Centralized social institutions (state monopoly on violence) and trade Stress What is the HPA axis? What organs are involved? 💡 Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis - is our central stress response system intertwining of the central nervous system and endocrine system Organs involved: Hypothalamus, anterior pituitary, adrenal cortex (releases cortisol); amygdala regulates HPA axis (communicates with the hypothalamus), kidneys and brain are the only two organs involved Short term = good Long term = chronic stress Vulnerability Anxiety/fear Vigilance to threats Elevated sympathetic autonomic nervous system action from internet- notes copy to keep 8  Heart beats faster, increased blood pressure, shallow breath, greater wear on veins, digestion altered What are the effects of cortisol on the body? How does it affect the reproductive, digestive, metabolic, immune, and cardiovascular systems? Ulcers, heart disease, increased rate of cancer spread, cell death in hippocampus, memory loss, compromised intellectual function, shortened telomeres (protective tissue at end of chromosomes, aged 10 years by chronic stress) Reproductive issues Male: Affects testosterone production, Sperm production and maturation, Erectile dysfunction/impotence, Vulnerable to infection (i.e. infections to the testes, prostate gland and urethra, etc.) Female: Absent or irregular menstrual cycles, Painful periods, Change in length of cycles, Worsens PMS, Intensifies symptoms of Menopause, Reduced sexual desire Digestive: Ulcers, Heartburn and acid reflux, Nausea and pain, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Constipation, Digestion and absorption are compromised Metabolic Decreased activity of gastrointestinal system. Affects what nutrients body can absorb Body becomes resistant to insulin which leads to increase in blood sugar, weight gain and diabetes Increased production of glucose from liver Compromised immune system Cardiovascular → Heart disease Nervous system Cell death in hippocampus Memory Loss Compromised intellectual function Shortened telomeres (protective tissue at end of chromosomes, aged 10 years by chronic stress) Two social factors that increase cortisol: lack of control + social rejection How is poverty related to the stress response system and long-term health outcomes? With each rung down the ladder of inequality, one is more likely to die of cancer, suffer chronic pain, suffer from autoimmune disease Childhood poverty costs : elevated cortisol and cytokines, human frailty syndrome (weak bones), 20-40% increased chance of death due to disease Natalia Burke Harris link to ted talk Elevated cortisol, cytokines Cytokines are inflammatory and regulate the HPA axis Human frailty syndrome: weak bones Increase chance of death due to disease Decreased life expectancy by 6 years (if impoverished in the first 25) Low SES, stress, and health Increased prevalence of depression, anxiety disorders, reduced happiness Low birth weight, asthma, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, pain (bad back, stomach), respiratory illness, quicker demise in responding to different diseases Increased incidence of traumatic life events (greater violence in communities, etc.) Why is this? There are some structural factors Fewer parks, libraries, health stores, nature, health care centers, sports fields, gyms, yoga studios Greater noise, sleep disruption, increased pollution, pesticides from internet- notes copy to keep 9  Toxic thoughts What are the toxic thoughts that we discussed in the class? What are positive activities that remedy each type of toxic thought? Perfectionism Not about being perfect, but about thinking that things NEED to be perfect; leads to constant "pursuit" of happiness Linked to frustration, exhaustion, feeling unappreciated Maximizing Maximizers try to weigh all possible options and focus on making the "optimal” choice at all times Experience more regret, less satisfaction in their choices; tend to feel less optimistic and more depressed in general Satisficers encounter/evaluate options until one is encountered that exceeds an acceptability threshold (choosing something good instead of seeking "the best" Upward social comparison Comparing yourself to someone you believe to be better than you in some way Leads to dissatisfaction, dejection, feelings of inferiority, loss of self-esteem Downward social comparison Comparing yourself to someone you believe to be lesser than you in some way Leads to feelings of guilt, fears of suffering the same equally bad fate Overthinking/rumination Sustains/worsens sadness and fosters negative thinking Tactics: Distract yourself Think or say out loud "stop" or "no!" when you find you are overthinking Dealing w/ toxic thoughts Ask yourself if it will matter in a year Write about your negative thought patterns, organize negative thoughts to make sense of them, observe patterns that you haven't perceived before set aside 30 minutes every day to do nothing but ruminate - then you find yourself thinking negatively, you can truthfully tell yourself, "i can stop now and think of this later" Mindfulness What are the core components of mindfulness? Non judgemental awareness of contents of the mind and body Kind attention to self (breath, body, attention, feeling) (Present moment actually) What physiological systems does research show are affected by mindfulness practice? Immune system response → mean antibody increase in response to flu vaccine (Davidson et al., 2003) Default Mode Network Mindfulness activates regions of brain involved in memory, Greater insula activation (empathic distress) Reduced amygdala activation in response to evocative slides (less stress) (Greater emotional attunement) & More Calm Respiratory System → slower respiration rate (from calming) Aging → higher levels of telomerase activity (maintains long telomeres, slows aging, opposite of stressed) from internet- notes copy to keep 10  Stress reduction → reduces symptoms of anxiety disorders Chronic Pain (not a physiological system but an effect) Uncoupled sensory dimension of pain experience from affective/evaluative alarm reaction and reducing experience of suffering Mental Health Clinical populations with physical illness MBSR relieves psychological distress and strengthens well-being Clinical populations with psychiatric disorders MBSR reduces symptoms of distress, anxiety and depression or teaches patients coping skills to handle symptoms Depression Halved rates of relapse and recurrence (Ma & Teasdale, 2004) How is mindfulness practiced? Meditation (Buddhist) Unbiased view of world Direct perception Compassionate mind Yoga → bodily awareness Contemplation (Aristotle) Theoria (contemplative knowledge) where we perceive truthful purpose of life's situations In Tibetan Buddhism Attention to breath → comfortable sitting, breath to 6 Attention to body Attention to attention + thoughts Attention to feeling What are the key limitations of the mindfulness literature? replicability Lack of stringent control groups Pre/post design with no (or only inactive) control Waitlist controls Treatment as usual controls w/ medical conditions Unclear what a good "active control" would be Small sample sizes Self-reports Narrative/Purpose Three S's of storytelling: simple, specific, sincere What are ways that crafting a life narrative is beneficial? Freud's narrative self (catharsis)-- mental dump Harold Bloom Shakespeare invented self awareness, the idea of telling a story of identity "Consilience" - the way in which the world comes to the same conclusions E.O. Wilson from internet- notes copy to keep 11  We know things about ourselves via science AND stories It's a story we can use to understand ourselves theory: naming our emotions reduces amygdala activity Get perspective on stress (place it in a story ie. heros myth so that the stress/struggle makes sense), put stress into a broader perspective/temporal distance (ie. is it a 5 year problem or a 5 minute problem), distance (imagine it from a 3rd person perspective All of this lowers your SNS activation to stress Leads to more happiness health Narrative Psychology McAdams - helps you integrate stress, traumas, and goal We have core passions which guide intentions, motifs, vivid images, memories too We tell ourselves a narrative to integrate conflicts, and also goals We seek coherence and a story The task of life is to tell the story of who you are SO WE NEED A CORE PASSION (all stories have them) 💡 → see Explanation of Pennebaker Study (STUDY this!) "Writing to heal": write about emotional trauma Increased wellbeing, enhanced immune function, reduced reports of anxiety Might also be interesting to look into perspective taking (because making a narrative might involve taking perspective) Naming Third Person Perspective (distancing)* Temporal Distance (see King & Miner), "imagine your best self 5 yrs from now & what your current worries would mean then" Effects Increased happiness Improved health Reduced stress weeks later Language provides narrative to experience We can shift perspective by putting stressful experiences to moments within a broad narrative; This helps yield insight Naming a stress reduces anxiety and amygdala activation, focuses on causes and course of action related to experience which increases well-being through focusing What are the key ideas of narrative? (i.e., catharsis, rasas)- Catharsis (Aristotle) defined as dramatic insight into why we have stress, struggles through acts of imagination as in theater → so, narrative helps us understand our emotions without avoiding them Mimesis is the creation of worlds of imagination **Catharsis (Freud) - (insight) release Rasas (Hinduism) defined as "literary emotions" that combine felt emotion (how it feels) with understanding of social implications of emotion (what it means) from internet- notes copy to keep 12  "Rasas are like everyday emotions except that we experience these literary emotions without the thick crust of egotism that often blinds us to the implications of our ordinary emotions in our daily lives" → "The idea of rasa is that we can feel the emotion, but also understand its social implications without our usual, often self-interested, involvement Practicing rasa allows us to refine our human capacities of emotional understanding Characteristics of narratives (McAdams, 2008 in Lecture) Core passion that guide intentions, motifs, vivid, images, memories, contributions Occurs with characters, community, and setting Tell narratives to integrate conflicts, stress, goals, traumas etc. See coherence and story What is distancing? How can people adopt distanced perspectives on events that happen to them? What are the effects of adopting a distanced perspective? Distancing is the process of establishing one's identity through understanding their separation with everything around them. Two types of distancing (STUDY this!) Temporal distancing defined as situating stress in broader passage of time Is it a 5 year problem or a 5 minute problem. imagine your best self 5 years from now and what your current worries would mean then Perspective distance defined as regarding stress from somebody else's view Focus on why (rather than how) How to adopt distanced perspectives? Temporal Imagine best self 5 years from now Perspective Imagine situation from third-person perspective "What would you say to your friend if they were going through this?" Effects Temporal Increased happiness Better health Reduced stress weeks after Perspective Less sympathetic autonomic nervous system activation Better conflict handling (view it as if in film) Less anger What effects does suppressing emotions have on people and their relationships? lower social support, less closeness to others, and lower social satisfaction Social processes rely on others knowing about individuals internal emotional state Suppression of emotions rarely work so partner can sense it, which can lead the partner to misinterpret the interaction negatively Cognitive resources are diminished by suppression which affects social interactions from internet- notes copy to keep 13  Suppression: what we resist persists. When we suppress, we don't have a non-judgmental acceptance of things and this can Ibe harmful to our mental well-being and relationships. Suppressing our stress heightens physiological stress Costs of emotional suppression either as strategy for handling stress To self: Increased sympathetic ANS response More struggles with others, less happiness To nations: Reduced well-being across 23 studies To others: When a person suppresses emotions, the other person also gets affected How does engaging in works of fiction make people more prosocial? Simulate our own experience in empathic leap of imagination → benefits ability to read others' emotions → benefits ability to understand social emotions What does the work of Pennebaker tell us about the effects of crafting a narrative? Expressive Writing Paradigm (Pennebaker) Method: ask trauma patients to either write emotionally about trauma or about facts of trauma Findings: if write about emotions, then Higher well-being Better immune function Reduced health center visits Reduced anxiety and depression Explanation: Narratives lead to Insight Places stress within a larger personal narrative Use perspective words (I see now) Organization, coherence Aristotle: catharsis - dramatic insight into why we have stress Emotional Wisdom What does the story of the Forest Troop (TCI) tell us about the capacity of baboons for aggression and cooperation? What are the implications for humans? Some primates are violent and/or peaceful with this behavior driven by social structure and ecological setting Baboons (a more violent species) battled for garbage dump resources Two Traits of fighting monkeys: (1) Combative (2) Not interested in Socializing Tuberculosis in garbage dump meat killed Baboons 💡 RESULT: Forest Troop Males that survived became less hierarchical, less aggressive, more prosocial (less harassment), more accepting of outsiders once aggressive males died - pattern continues to this day Key Point - It was not just that twice as many female baboons remained but the TYPES of males that remained (Selective Bottleneck) from internet- notes copy to keep 14  ALSO males from other troops that joined Forest Troop after epidemic, ended up adopting the unique behavior style of resident males by becoming less aggressive 💡 → this tells us that aggression is not completely biologically determined but socially constructed in baboons What does this mean for humans? Primates = ancestors → similar functioning → aggression in humans is probably also dependent on social structures (changeable) We see high Cooperation in small groups but also Conformity Culture is not passed on but emerges via facilitation of active resident members Nothing is beyond our Nature because our society is malleable What is the Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) movement? What emotions are they primarily concerned with increasing? A movement called positive organizational scholarship (POS); looks for examples of "positive deviance" (cases in which organizations successfully cultivate inspiration and productivity among workers) - and then tries to figure out what makes these groups tick, so that others can emulate them (instead of always analyzing organizational failures). POS invites people to have more human interactions at work and be more compassionate responding Seeks to increase hope and a sense of possibility, compassion and well-being Positive organization ology 4 Why was there a decline in violence in the modern times? (TCl p263 - 265) Evidence for Decline in Violence Drop in murder rates, prevalence of torture, likelihood of dying during war, fewer wars overall More humane treatment of those w/ psychological conditions Reasons for Decline in Violence → people do not act on murder fantasies because of civilizing process (increased self-control, long-term planning, sensitivity to the thoughts and feelings of others) → 4 theories that explain this: 1. Monopoly of violence of state ends state of nature (Eisner) a. Tragedies can be averted by a state with a monopoly on violence. Uses penalties to eliminate the incentives for aggression by diffusing anxiety about attack and/or retaliation. 2. Life perceived as more valuable (since live longer & safer) (Payne) a. When life is perceived as cheap, then easier to inflict violence. b. When pain and death are everyday features we feel less guilt about inflicting violence onto others. c. As technology and economics improve our lives we place more value on life. d. Why? Because we live longer 3. Non-zero sum games -> increased specialization makes people more valuable alive than dead (Wright) Working together to promote cooperation and creative incentives. 4. Knowing more about people widens the circle of care (Singer) Evolution & Empathy; Expansion of moral circles by the golden rule: More knowledge and cognition of others leads to less self interest over others. Pinker: (literacy / education), (women in power), (Institutions) The studies of behavior of primates after switching troops by Hans Kumer and De Vaal and Johanowicz (TCl p.28-29) **Two Classic studies showing primates are somewhat Independent from their Natures*** from internet- notes copy to keep 15  (Hans Kumer) Primates & Switching Troops initially species typical behavior then they absorbed new social rules Took approximately 1 hour to reverse behavior that took millennia of genetic differences and a lifetime of experience with a crucial social rule (de Vaal & Johanowiczl) Rhesus and Stump Tail Monkeys placed in a mixed sex social group setting Rhesus (originally more aggressive) adopted Stumps Social Style (who have Higher Rate of Reconciliatory Behaviors) Rhesus increased incidence of own species typical (reconciliatory) gestures - thus incorporating others groups behaviors in their own Incorporating the concept of frequent reconciliation into their own social practices New behavior style is persisted when introduced back into OG species group (but niceness wasn't contagious to the rest of the group) What are the factors underlying the success of happiness increasing activities? (HoH Ch 10) 💡 Five Factors : 1. Positive Emotion 2. Optimal Timing/variety 3. Social support 4. motivation/commitment/effort 5. habits There's a lot of stuff that makes us happy 40% of our feelings are within our control 12 happiness boosting activities Expressing gratitude, cultivating optimism, avoiding over thinking and social comparison, practicing kindness, nurturing kindness, developing coping strategies, learning to forgive, increasing flow, savoring Positive Emotion Moments of pleasure broaden your horizons and build skills Depression Deficit of positive emotions Depression triad Positive emotions foil the negative ones (trier stress test and showed a group a positive video - this group then became less nervous) Can also undo cardiovascular impairment due to negative emotions Positive emotion does not give life meaning (it's counter intuitive) But rather experiences that give life meaning are happy Positive emotion helps us achieve goals Optimal Timing Timing is important: frequency and duration This is unique to the individual therefore requires self experimentation People were more successful at getting happiness if they did 5 random acts of kindness (RAOK) on a monday than if they spread them out through the week Variety - Alternating activities decreases boredom and in inherently pleasurable and stimulating. Demonstrated by a ten week period increased kindness compared to control. Similarly demonstrated in an obesity study after which participants got bored of exercise routine after 6 months. from internet- notes copy to keep 16  Social Support: a) Three types 1. Informational Support - i.e advice or new way to think about something 2. Tangible support i.e a ride to the gym 3. Emotional support - i.e providing solace, assurance, inspiration. b) Women who have at least one friend are better able to cope than those without any. Sick patients are more likely to comply with medical advice if they have social support Also more likely to adhere to New Years resolutions Weight loss programs most successful if in a group Motivation, Effort, and Commitment Resolve, learn, effort, commit The more motivated you are into doing something, the more likely you are to put effort into doing it so you are more likely to be happier The benefits of happiness interventions therefore are only as effective as you keep doing them (Lyubomirsky's experiments) Habit - Habits are formed with repetition and practice. Association is formed every time you repeat a behavior. The contextual clues (i.e alarm going off) automatically trigger the habitual behavioral r. This switches from the direction of controlled to automatic processing. They take time to form and endure. Teasing What are the key characteristics of teasing? Playful provocation (comment, poke to ribs) and(+) offrecord markers (violations of truthful communication to signal non seriousness of act) How teasing violates: Quality: exaggeration, fantastical descriptions Quantity: redundancy, repetition Relation: digression Manner/Clarity: vagueness, obliqueness, and metaphors What distinguishes teasing from bullying? Teasing is Playful → uses off-record markers (Violations truthful communication to signal non seriousness of act) violations of grice's maxims is what constitutes off-record markers. Bullying is Not Playful (Aggressive, coercion, pure and simple (p. 148 BTBG), acts violently, Subordination, Domination, Humiliation The nature of provocation is diff; Bullying is hurtful There is no presence of offrecord markers; the provocation in bullying produces anger from internet- notes copy to keep 17  Social context is centered on power; Bullies are known for teasing in domineering ways that prevent the target from reciprocating What social purpose does teasing serve? Playful teasing helps us navigate conflict Teasing is related to social well-being Playful teasing and happiness Summer camp, campers who teased more playfully had more friends Wisconsin football team Couples who have nicknames for each other are happier Happier couples tease each other in more playful fashion Play - an activity done for joy or recreation, not for a serious purpose Mammalian universal Language variations Fools in all cultures Puns High art of comedy, satire Nicknames What functions does play serve? Play routines teach boundaries Rough/tumble play in children: learn boundaries between pleasure, pain, harm→ moral boundaries Flirtation: learn boundary between friend, intimate Helps us explore identity Playful imitation, exaggeration, teasing about possible character Lunchtime play of middle school girls; gender play of imitations was about trying out sexual identities Helps learn about the world Knowledge about laws of physics, nature E.g., Playing with liquids, sand, dirt, dropping objects → understand substance How does (language) play foster the development of empathy in children? Theory of mind in pretend play Knowing what others think Language play teaches multiple meanings of words, which is necessary for understanding that there are multiple perspectives of any situation (key to theory of mind); Faster acquisition of empathy 💡 Play with language teaches multiple meanings of words, necessary for understanding there are multiple perspectives on any situation, a key to theory of mind. -> more empathy Self-compassion What is self-compassion? What are the three components? Compassion = an emotion in response to the suffering/vulnerability of others, promotes prosocial behaviors (kindness!!) Three components 1. See failures kindly 2. See self as part of larger humanity from internet- notes copy to keep 18  3. Hold pains, stress in mindful attentiveness What is the triple-bind? = Perfectionism in young women How does it relate to self-compassion? Need to be… 1. Beautiful, (powerful), 2. athletic, 3. smart Leads to rise in anxiety and eating disorders, self-harm What are the benefits of being self-compassionate? Reduced anxiety, depression, rumination, neurotic perfectionism Promotes less regret Buffers against depression, self harm Promotes the desire to make amends for a past personal transgression Promotes self-improving health behaviors when given poor diagnoses What are some tactics to counter perfectionistic tendencies? 1. Take perspective of someone who supports you on struggles, failures 2. STOP when ruminating about self problems (counter with REASON) 3. Challenge some orpertet nism with reason a. Materialism, advertisements, body image 4. Avoid comparing self to others Savoring What is the difference between maximising and satisficing? 1. maximising: Maximize pleasure at all times Maximizers have: More regret after purchase Less satisfied with life Less satisfaction from success Less optimistic More upset by social comparison More stressed, depressed 2. Satisfice → find delight in what life presents to you Savoring/satisficing = enjoying the moment for what it is What are some strategies for savoring? Enjoying the moment for what it is Share good feelings with others Take mental photograph Sharpen sensory perception by slowing down Remind yourself how quickly time flies What is the relationship between optimism and happiness? Optimistic people report higher levels of overall well-being, happiness, positive emotion Better reports of health in optimistic people (35 yrs later) Higher resting vagal tone Predicted victor of presidential elections from internet- notes copy to keep 19