Clipmarks | ericw's Pops

Aggression Just As Good As Sex and Drugs

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:22:03 GMT

clipped by: chestnut501
clipper's remarks: "Aggression, on its own, is motivating, and that the well-known positive reinforcer dopamine plays a critical role.”

Clip Source: www.zmescience.com

“Aggression occurs among virtually all vertebrates and is necessary to get and keep important resources such as mates, territory and food,” Craig Kennedy, professor of special education and pediatrics, said. “We have found that the ‘reward pathway’ in the brain becomes engaged in response to an aggressive event and that dopamine is involved.”
“It is well known that dopamine is produced in response to rewarding stimuli such as food, sex and drugs of abuse,” Maria Couppis, who conducted the study as her doctoral thesis at Vanderbilt, said. “What we have now found is that it also serves as positive reinforcement for aggression.”

“We learned from these experiments that an individual will intentionally seek out an aggressive encounter solely because they experience a rewarding sensation from it,” Kennedy said. “This shows for the first time that aggression, on its own, is motivating, and that the well-known positive reinforcer dopamine plays a critical role.”

Does Falling in Love Make Us More Creative?

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:37:01 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: A new study demonstrates that thinking about love--but not about sex--causes us to think more "globally," making it easier to come up with new ideas

Clip Source: www.scientificamerican.com

Does Falling in Love Make Us More Creative?

A new study demonstrates that thinking about love--but not about sex--causes us to think more "globally," making it easier to come up with new ideas

why is love such a stimulating emotion? Why does the act of falling in love – or at least thinking about love – lead to such a spur of creative productivity?

One possibility is that when we’re in love we actually think differently

romantic hypothesis was recently tested

love really does alter our thoughts, and that this profound emotion affects us in a way that is different than simply thinking about sex

The clever experiments demonstrated that love makes us think differently in that it triggers global processing, which in turn promotes creative thinking and interferes with analytic thinking. Thinking about sex, however, has the opposite effect: it triggers local processing, which in turn promotes analytic thinking and interferes with creativity.

Ten things we"ll say to our grandkids

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:39:00 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth

Clip Source: www.bspcn.com

10 Best Things We’ll Say to Our Grandkids

1. Back in my day, we only needed 140 characters.

2. There used to be so much snow up here, you could strap a board to your feet and slide all the way down.

3. Televised contests gave cash prizes to whoever could store the most data in their head.

4. Well, the screens were bigger, but they only showed the movies at certain times of day.

5. We all had one, but nobody actually used it. Come to think of it, I bet my LinkedIn profile is still out there on the Web somewhere.

7. Our bodies were made of meat and supported by little sticks of calcium.

8. You used to keep files right on your computer, and you had to go back to that same computer to access them!

9. Is that the new iPhone 27G? Got multitasking yet?

10. I just can’t get used to this darn vat-grown steak. Texture ain’t right.

Written by Streeter Seidell

Illustration: Nishant Choksi

* Translation: "English used to be the dominant language. Crazy, huh?"

Conditional parenting

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:47:12 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth
clipper's remarks: In 2004, two Israeli researchers, Avi Assor and Guy Roth, joined Edward L. Deci, a leading American expert on the psychology of motivation, in asking more than 100 college students whether the love they had received from their parents had seemed to depend on whether they had succeeded in school, practiced hard for sports, been considerate toward others or suppressed emotions like anger and fear.

It turned out that children who received conditional approval were indeed somewhat more likely to act as the parent wanted. But compliance came at a steep price. First, these children tended to resent and dislike their parents. Second, they were apt to say that the way they acted was often due more to a “strong internal pressure” than to “a real sense of choice.” Moreover, their happiness after succeeding at something was usually short-lived, and they often felt guilty or ashamed.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

More than 50 years ago, the psychologist Carl Rogers suggested that simply loving our children wasn’t enough. We have to love them unconditionally, he said — for who they are, not for what they do.

As a father, I know this is a tall order, but it becomes even more challenging now that so much of the advice we are given amounts to exactly the opposite. In effect, we’re given tips in conditional parenting, which comes in two flavors: turn up the affection when they’re good, withhold affection when they’re not.

Conditional parenting isn’t limited to old-school authoritarians.

Conversely, “positive reinforcement” teaches children that they are loved, and lovable, only when they do whatever we decide is a “good job.”

The primary message of all types of conditional parenting is that children must earn a parent’s love.

A steady diet of that, Rogers warned, and children might eventually need a therapist to provide the unconditional acceptance they didn’t get when it counted.

But was Rogers right?

Tags: psychology, mental health, kids, children

Steve Wright Quotes

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:26:01 GMT

clipped by: wiganfootie
clipper's remarks: More at the site

Clip Source: www.joe-ks.com

Steven Wright Quotes

42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

A beautiful woman moved in next door. So I went over and returned a cup of sugar. "You didn't borrow this." "I will."

A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I'm afraid of widths.

All of the people in my building are insane. The guy above me designs synthetic hairballs for ceramic cats. The lady across the hall tried to rob a department store... with a pricing gun. She said, "Give me all of the money in the vault, or I'm marking down everything in the store."

All the plants in my house are dead - I shot them last night. I was teasing them by watering them with ice cubes.

All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand.

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.

Borrow money from pessimists - they don't expect it back.

Change is inevitable… except from vending machines.

Who is on Amplify?

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:40:32 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: I'd like to connect with you on Amplify if you're on it. I can't seem to figure out how to do it directly at Amplify (unless I stumble upon people on my own through its home page). So go ahead and add your Amplify page in the comments, here is mine: http://arif.amplify.com/

Clip Source: amplify.com

Tags: amplify, clipmarks, blogs

Confident Mass. Will be Fully Represented

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:46:08 GMT

clipped by: ljsdesign
clipper's remarks: Kennedy's seat may be filled in the interim

Clip Source: wbztv.com

Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo says he is confident he has the votes in the House to pass the bill to allow Governor Deval Patrick to appoint a temporary U.S. Senator to serve until the special election in January.

Representatives who will vote for the the bill say Massachusetts should have two Senators not only to vote on health care, but also the transportation reauthorization bill.

They say Massachusetts needs a voice at the table to get money, and a second Senator to deal with the 800 pending cases from Senator Kennedy's office.

The bill is a redrafted version from the measure originally filed. This bill would not have any restrictions on whether the temporary appointee will be able to run for Senate, which had been a sticking point in earlier debate to avoid giving that person an advantage in the special election.

This bill also requires that the appointee be in the same party as the Senator whose seat is vacant.

House Democrats will meet to caucus at 11 Thursday morning

Tags: politics, healthcare, kennedy, massachusettes, we're not out of it yet

2 Secrets to a Better You: Pat yourself on the Back

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:03:09 GMT

clipped by: BobbyRutan
clipper's remarks: By the way, showing appreciation for yourself and accomplishments has many rewards that go far beyond boosting your own self-confidence. It's like a cascade--your heightened confidence will spill over into other aspects of your life. Watch what happens when you gain that special trust in yourself. You'll attract opportunities, experience more fulfilling relationships, and have no trouble reaching loftier goals. Remember, people like to be around those who have a healthy self-esteem and who are achieving their goals. Commit to acknowledging your achievements and your brain will begin to tell you the truth: that you can do anything!

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Two Secrets To A Better You

Pop quiz: when was the last time you acknowledged and appreciated yourself? That's right: YOU. Not your spouse, not your children, or not your boss, coworkers, or friends. Just YOU.

Seriously, think about it. And if it's been so long since you last pat yourself on the back, then I want you to take the time right now to acknowledge and appreciate yourself for everything you've accomplished today, throughout the year, and in life.

This is not a selfish and egotistical act in the least

Self-acknowledgment and -appreciation are what give you the insights and awareness to move forward toward higher goals and accomplishments

Don't forget to think about big and little accomplishments

1) Record Your Personal History. Take time to write your achievements down

2) Celebrate Yourself with Mementos. Surround yourself with reminders of your successes.

Make your environment speak to you about your achievements. Be proud of them!

Tags: self improvement, acknowledge your successes

This Can’t End Well

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 07:27:55 GMT

clipped by: merrie

Clip Source: feature.americandaughter.biz

Added to ADMC library August 29th, 2009

Sometimes you see unavoidable disaster just a moment before it happens, too late to alter the outcome. This is one of those moments…

Tags: humor

A Thank A Day

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:21:29 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: I love writing thank you notes. I write a lot of them. I really like the idea of writing thank you notes for things that aren't material gifts.

I have written my parents thank you notes for different aspects of my upbringing that I very much appreciate as an adult. I recommend that if you can. Do it today. Write a thank you note to someone. Don't you like getting thank you notes?

Clip Source: www.37days.com

I decided on Monday, August 10, 2009, that I am going to write a thank you note every morning for the rest of my life. A real one, a pen and paper one, a stationery that I love one. A snail mail one.

This very act of writing "A Thank A Day" will reintroduce me to the feeling of gratitude. It will allow me to put back into the world a tiny bit of the energy I feel coming my way from others. It will create a fullness of thankfulness, of enoughness, of happy sated me, of great gratitude.

Tags: thank you

Worry Yourself To Death...

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:42:01 GMT

clipped by: fewstingscorpio
clipper's remarks: The other 60 percent is unexplained, but possibly attributed to biological factors or other environmental issues that neurotic individuals experience, Mroczek said.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/08/19/worry-yourself-to-death/7843.html

Clip Source: psychcentral.com

Worry Yourself To Death

Clip Source: psychcentral.com

New research suggests personality traits associated with chronic worrying can lead to an earlier death.

“Research shows that higher levels of neuroticism can lead to earlier mortality, and we wanted to know why,” said Daniel K. Mroczek, a professor of child development and family studies.

“We found that having worrying tendencies or being the kind of person who stresses easily is likely to lead to bad behaviors like smoking and, therefore, raise the mortality rate.

Chronic worrying, anxiety and being prone to depression are key aspects of the personality trait of neuroticism. In this study, the researchers looked at how smoking and heavy drinking are associated with the trait.

A person with high neuroticism is likely to experience anxiety or depression and may self-medicate with tobacco, alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism.

They found that smoking accounted for about 25 percent to 40 percent of the association between high neuroticism and mortality

Tags: psychology, anxiety, worry, mortality, neuroticism, stress, smoking, depression

Obama appears ready to drop 'public option'

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:45:31 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo
clipper's remarks: Heaven forbid that there be a public option. What American's surely need are fewer options and we are going to fight tooth and nail to make sure our options are restricted. Now I don't know about you, but this is only a minor victory. Next up, make sure that our only options are with "for profit" companies. Otherwise its just Socialism with a smiley face painted on it. No non-profit health care! Make non-profit health care against the law!

Clip Source: www.dailycamera.com

WASHINGTON — Bowing to Republican pressure, President Barack Obama's administration signaled on Sunday it is ready to abandon the idea of giving Americans the option of government-run insurance as part of a new health care system.

Facing mounting opposition to the overhaul, administration officials left open the chance for a compromise with Republicans that would include health insurance cooperatives instead of a government-run plan.

Tags: heath, politics

Why do we hate Good-byes?

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:56:14 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth
clipper's remarks: I see you seeing me and I exist. I see you seeing me see you and we exist. Mutual re-cognition is the glue that holds us together, not merely as friends, but as individual selves.

Good-byes are poignant preludes to the leave-takings and withdrawals that deprive our psyches of the sustenance they need to maintain our selfhood. As such, every good-bye is a premonition of disintegration, a foretaste of death, another step on the path to "adieu."

Have you noticed that old folks tell the same stories over and over? They are desperately trying to shore up identities that, because of a paucity of recognition, are breaking down. By telling us their stories, they are staving off the disintegration of self, one day at a time. You can't really blame them--their struggle is at once heroic and tragic.One day, you too may need a comprehending ear to offset the recognition deficiencies that plague old-age... <<

Clip Source: www.psychologytoday.com

Our distaste for good-byes is a reminder of our unfathomable mutual dependence. An individual self cannot come into being, let alone endure, absent the recognition of others. We depend on others not only to nourish our material persons, but to sustain our immaterial personas.

Recognition is as essential to the self as nutrition is to the body. That humans are social animals, understates the case. We are existentially interdependent--body and soul. Deprive us of human contact and we begin to disintegrate.

Emily Dickinson wrote:

I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us--don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.

Emily knew that what stands between us and exile is affiliation.

Close! stand close to me, Starbuck; let me look into a human eye; it is better than to gaze into sea or sky; better than to gaze upon God. ...this is the magic glass... .

So spoke Captain Ahab in Melville's Moby Dick. Without that "magic glass," we gradually cease to be.

Tags: aging, psychology

Are You Denying Your Dark Side?

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:06:39 GMT

clipped by: clip-on-tie
clipper's remarks: Recognizing that we have negative traits simply means that we are complete. And in that completeness we gain grater access to our universal, nonlocal selves.

Clip Source: www.copytaste.com

Clip Source: www.care2.com

Have you ever expressed prejudice toward any group of people just because they had a certain name, or a certain skin color, or a certain accent, or a certain disability? If you can think of any example of that in your life, then you must embrace the similarity between yourself and Adolf Hitler.

We are all multidimensional, omnidimensional. Everything that exists somewhere in the world also exists in us. When we embrace these different aspects of ourselves, we acknowledge our connection to the universal consciousness and expand our personal awareness.

The traits we see most clearly in others exist most strongly in ourselves. When we can see into the mirror of relationship, then we can begin to see all of our selves. To do this, we need to be comfortable with our ambiguity, to embrace all aspects of our selves.

At a deep level we need to recognize that we re not flawed simply because we have negative traits. No one has only positive traits.

Tags: human behavior

There are people who can turn anything into art

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:42:47 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth

Clip Source: www.collthings.co.uk

Cool Toilet Roll Art

As far as cool pictures and art go, toilet roll would be one item I wouldn't imagine turing into art but as these pictures show, anything is possible with a little creativity!

The sculptures above are created by Junior Fritz Jacquet. Since childhood, Junior Fritz Jacquet was fascinated with paper, exploringd experimenting with different techniques of folding and crumpling to create new art forms. While he makes a lot of different artworks from paper (you can find them here), my attention was caught by his weird toilet paper roll sculptures pictured above. Who could have thought that those toilet paper rolls that we use to throw away into a garbage bin, could be turned into fascinating face sculptures? Cool!

Tags: creativity, imagination