Psychologyresearch.org.uk

The striking rise in LinkedIn participation shows a cognitive shift in how people approach their professional lives. LinkedIn , billed as the social network for professionals, grew 193% from September 2007 to 2008 according to Nielsen Online , and the LinkedIn blog reports their global network impressively gains one new member per second. People are doing lots of things in response to job losses in the current economy, so what makes LinkedIn remarkable? Joining this type of network is a trend I expect to continue independent of the job market. Here’s why: Not only does LinkedIn demonstrate the power of social media, it shows the broader reframing of how social media has changed the way people think about accessing information and the world. People have moved from hunting for “jobs” to connecting with people. And for good reason. We know from network theorists, such as Mark Granovetter and his seminal 1973 paper “The Strength of Weak Ties,” and Albert-Laszlo Barabasi , whose user-friendly book, Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means* takes a broader look at the development of network theory, why social media networks like LinkedIn have such tremendous reach and power. Granovetter showed that people were more likely to get jobs from friends of friends, rather than immediate friends. The logic is that we know the same people our friends know and therefore if they knew about a career opportunity, we would probably already know about it, too. But your friend’s friends are more likely to know people you don’t know who know about career opportunities you haven’t heard about. Some people are especially good at being parts of several different networks. The people who connect the unconnected are called “weak links.” This does not mean the same thing as “The Weakest Link” of television quiz show fame, the weak link in network theory is where you start to get really powerful information flows because weak links connect previously unconnected people. Because LinkedIn allows you to be your own weak link, connecting to people and potential career opportunities beyond your immediate network, it is an extraordinarily effective resource for career change, industry information, and employment opportunities.  You could, of course, just post your resume to Monster.com, visit a number of other job posting sites, send out your resume to everyone in your Outlook file, or go to the local grocery store and read the bulletin board. However, because LinkedIn focuses on people, it not only expands the scope of your search but creates a network with trust created between connector referrals. Someone who is referred by someone you know (or someone who knows someone you know) is much more likely to be a good fit. This creates a connection that is psychologically more comfortable and conducive to a positive interaction. Call it transitive trust. The reciprocity and shared community of online networks builds a sense of camaraderie and trust between members and provides an element of emotional support. LinkedIn isn’t the only network for professionals, but it has managed to gather critical mass which means you are potentially connected to a vast network of people. Personally, I like that people have figured out how to connect to and help each other. Like the six degrees of separation illustrated in sociologist Stanley Milgram “small world experiment” in 1967, it really does make the world a smaller place. Have you set up your profile yet? —- *These should be required reading for anyone working with or interested in social media applications because they explain why the networks work. A 1983 version where Granovetter reviews studies tested and elaborated on his hypothesis “The Strength of Weak Ties: A Network Theory Revisited” is available on the web if you Google it. Or if you’re a commuter, exerciser, or aural learner, you can get a downloadable audio file of Barabasi’s Linked in from Audible.com . Barabasi, Albert-Laszlo (2003). Linked – How Everything is Connected to Everything Else and What it Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life. Plume. ISBN 0-452-28439-2. Granovetter, M. (1973). “The Strength of Weak Ties”, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 78, Issue 6, May 1973, pp. 1360-1380. Note: Travers, Jeffrey; Stanley Milgram (December 1969). “An Experimental Study of the Small World Problem”. Sociometry 32 (4): 425-443. Photo Credits: iStockPhoto, Flickr 

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Why LinkedIn Works: The Strength of Weak Ties

A major misconception involving addiction is the idea that certain substances are, all by themselves, addicting. That a drug can captivate an unwary victim is an idea popularized in the 1936 film Reefer Madness. In that movie, it took just a few puffs of marijuana to turn a gentleman into a slobbering dope fiend; his health shattered; his life ruined. While such heavy-handed propaganda might be met with less credulity today, the fact remains that most Americans still believe the basic message – Just Say No or you’ll wind up hooked. What makes this truly odd is that, according to numerous national surveys, most Americans have tried marijuana and didn’t become dope fiends. Indeed, several years ago, a group of US congressmen attempted to come forward, admit their prior pot use and put an end to a draconian system that confiscates property and puts people in prison for years. But the electorate clearly wasn’t ready for any such reappraisal of the drug laws and the movement quickly died. But how is it, you ask, that all those congressmen that were candid about their drug use didn’t get hooked Reefer Madness style? The reason is because addiction depends, first and foremost, upon having an addictive personality. Such people, estimated at perhaps 10 of the population, simply don’t know when to stop. Do you enjoy a glass or two of wine with dinner? If so, why not have ten or twenty? Did you ever buy a lottery ticket on your birthday? If so, why not sell your house and buy 100,000? How about going to church on Sunday? Does it make you feel good? If so, why not go every day twice a day? The point here is simple: Too much of a good thing can be bad. And yet people with addictive personalities will get hooked on alcohol and gambling and religion. Believe it or not, being addicted is nothing more than an out-of-control habit. The difference between that 10 and everyone else is the difference between using and abusing. During the Vietnam War, drug use was endemic among troops serving in Southeast Asia. And yet, returning veterans suffered addiction rates that were no higher than those found in the general population. It would be difficult to think of a more perfectly designed experiment to show, once and for all, that dependence is mostly a matter of personality. And yet, when it comes to winning hearts and minds, the War in Vietnam was as nothing when compared to the War on Drugs. Although this second battle has completely failed in reducing illegal drug use, it has succeeded brilliantly in convincing Americans that they need to be saved from themselves. It’s a belief that was sold so well that hardly anyone noticed that Drug Czar Bill Bennett was an addictive personality hooked on both food and gambling. Look At It This Way The problem with the War on Drugs is that it creates far more harm than it eliminates. If drugs can’t be kept out of prisons, how can you possibly keep them out of a mostly free society? The “War” won’t go away because by now it’s become a major industry. It creates jobs on one side of the law and provides the opportunity for huge financial rewards on the other. But, like Prohibition before, making a law that can’t be enforced does little more than erode the public’s respect for the law. When alcohol was illegal, the upper classes had theirs imported while the common folk drank it from bathtubs. No one so inclined went without. And nothing has changed. Bush turned (supposedly) from drugs and alcohol to religion, thus substituting one addiction for another. Clinton told us, with a straight face, that he never inhaled. So here’s a simple question: Would either of these gentlemen be better off today if they had been sentenced to long prison terms? If so, why not provide them with a belated opportunity to serve time? If not, then why should the kid down the street be put away for doing the same thing? Asking such simple questions should make it plain to anyone with any common sense that the truth regarding drugs and addiction is concealed behind so many layers of ignorance and emotion, deception and special interests that it will remain a major problem for a long time to come.      

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The Addictive Personality

Now that you’ve gained some familiarity with the first two proven strategies, it’s time to introduce the third strategy, which will help you bring all your awareness together in a way that you take positive action that will help you build the muscle to stop overshopping and start getting what it is that you’re really shopping for. Proven Strategy #3: Instead of shopping, tailor-make alternatives. Tailor-made alternatives are an important strategy for eliminating overshopping, a defense for when the urge is sharp and strong. A tailor-made alternative is an activity you prepare ahead of time to do instead of shopping, an activity carefully chosen to address your authentic needs. The process works on several levels. Do something instead of shopping and you’re taking control of your life and your habit. Do something instead of shopping and you’ll probably find that the urge has dissipated. And every time you do this, you reinforce your power to resist subsequent urges. To use this strategy successfully, however, you must choose or discover or invent tailor-made alternatives that genuinely address your needs, for when you do that you are strengthening the disconnect between those needs and shopping. Perhaps, for example, you overshop out of a craving for the easy personal attention of salespeople, the ready rapport available, buyer and seller joined (if only briefly) in transaction. Underneath this urge, in all probability, is loneliness, the feeling of being unconnected, not belonging, not engaged enough with other people in a way you find meaningful. Instead of shopping, you might choose to sit with and pet a beloved animal. You might call someone you feel close to and meet for coffee or a movie or conversation. You might volunteer your help or expertise, since what we get back when we do this is a feeling of connection. You might even choose some comforting way to connect with yourself, maybe a bath with bubbles and scent and candlelight and soft music. Now that you’ve thought about and listed your triggering emotions and authentic, underlying needs in Part I of this blog, start to think about tailor-made alternatives that meet those needs. These are activities that you will do instead of shopping. Be sure that each contributes to the genuine fulfillment of your specific, important, authentic needs. Take your time with this list and bring all your creativity to it. Triggering        Authentic             Tailor-made Emotion            Need                  Alternative ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________ ________       ________        _________________________________   Keep in mind : These three strategies outlined may appear simple on the surface, but each is a powerful new way of addressing your overshopping problem. Don’t be surprised if you try one and discover it may take some time to succeed. Overcoming a long-term destructive habit doesn’t happen overnight; it takes commitment and daily attention. Be patient with yourself, congratulate yourself for every step in the right direction, and above all, resist any tendency to judge yourself for the inevitable occasional step backward. What to Expect as You Stop Overshopping As you stop overshopping, you might feel worse before you feel better. The feelings that you’re trying to handle by buying can well up because you’re no longer anesthetized or distracted from them by your buying behavior. Be ready for this; having solid strategies for riding out those intense initial feelings is crucial. As you continue to resist the shopping impulse and begin to practice healthier ways of dealing with your feelings, the intensity of the difficult feelings will lessen and your power to resist overshopping will grow. The change you are making is a significant one-you wouldn’t be struggling with it if it weren’t-and anxiety always accompanies major change. Diffuse that anxiety by focusing on your new tools and strategies and by visualizing what you’ll gain: self-control, self-esteem, better relationships, relief from debt and shame and secrecy, and a general feeling of being grounded and competent. If the compulsion to shop is so strong that you can’t follow through on the strategies outlined above or if you want even more strategies and tools, you might want to consult To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop and Shopping Journals . We also offer group coaching to complete the work of the program. I wish you much success in stopping overshopping, and to moving from mindless buying to mindful being.

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Three Proven Strategies for Stopping Overshopping, Part 2

The Supreme Court yesterday gave one to the people at the expense of corporate power.  In a 6-3 decision, the Court upheld a Vermont Supreme Court verdict awarding a large judgment to a woman who lost an arm against the Wyeth pharmaceutical company.  Wyeth had appealed the decision on the basis that once the Food and Drug Administration approved a drug, a company was shielded from individual suits.  For those who are concerned about corporate power and health care (I for one feel that for profit drugs companies are single biggest influence in the way our society — read doctors, parents, teacher and even kids — thinks about normal and abnormal behavior in children and how to treat them — read drugs) the possibility, that the right to sue a drug company over an FDA approved medication be eliminated, was frightening.   And there were reasons to be frightened.  Earlier in this term the Court had ruled against a plaintiff who sued over a medical device saying that the right to sue was explicitly denied in the law governing the approval of medical devices.  It was over this “technicality” that the justices decided in favor of the plaintiff in this drug case.  In this current case there is no explicit waiver of the right to sue in the approval of a drug by the FDA and the justices felt to expand this prohibition abrogated too many rights of the patient.  Even Clarence Thomas who rarely votes against his “twin,” Antonin Scalia, decided to side with the majority making the decision much more impressive at 6-3 instead of 5-4.   As an M.D. I was never a big fan of trial lawyers but in my dealings with the drug industry over the last two decades I’ve seen the extent of their power in my field of behavioral-developmental pediatrics in an unchecked, pro-business, post Reagan/Bushes environment.  There’s lots of reasons why a brain based view of behavior has gained ascendancy in the American consciousness, but from the sponsoring of medical research and medical education, to direct to consumer advertising and to free samples of drugs, the drug companies in my mind have been the single bigger factor promoting biological psychiatry.  Drugs do work (at least short term) and can be a very useful intervention.  I prescribe medication every day, but I remain opposed on both medical and ethical grounds to a medication first or medication very quickly approach to children’s emotional, behavioral and performance problems.  I feel like I’ve been working on an increasingly steep Sisyphisian slope for the last fifteen years.   So in America where the only way anything happens is if someone can make some money, the trial lawyers have been, in my opinion, the only check against increasing corporate power in our society.  Supervising government agencies have been castrated during Republican administrations.  Most politicians have huge contributions coming from industry lobbyists (Charles Grassley, the senator from Iowa stirring up “s” for academic researchers taking money from drug companies is a startling exception).   Using suits as a check against corporations is not a particularly efficient method (the lawyers take typical from thirty to fifty per cent of settlements) but taking on a Fortune 500 company with all its resources is a very daunting proposition.  Many of the lawyers who have taken on the drug companies have had to borrow and scrape.  I know one guy in the SSRI and pediatric depression suits who was about to be thrown out of his home because he had second mortgaged it to keep a suit going.  I remember when the FDA added the black box warning to the SSRI label, he and his staff danced on the tables of a restaurant, feeling elated and saved.   So here I am a doc who’s come to defend trial lawyers and the right to sue.  I know they can also sue me for malpractice and have no doubt added to the cost of practicing defensive medicine.  But doctors also have a great deal of power in the society and without the check of suit, their fraternity often bands together to protect one of their own.  Anyway, the Supreme Court’s decision yesterday protected a very important right for the American people in keeping a balance between the profits of industry and the ethical health of our country.      

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The Supreme Court Judgment Against Wyeth Is HUGE!

Founded by accomplished fitness instructor, Patricia Moreno , intenSati is a vigorous cardio-sculpting workout that combines aerobics, martial arts, yoga, dance and intentions. More than just physical exercise, intenSati fuses movement with positive mantras and powerful affirmations to condition the mind and spirit as well as the body. <!–break–> I recently took intenSati for the first time, and found it to be a challenging and dynamic workout centered on cardio, strengthening, toning and balance. As we moved through the routine, we repeated encouraging phrases reminding us that we own the power to create our realities, and are each strong and capable of greatness. At first I felt a little funny shouting affirmations while working out, but as the class continued it began to feel more natural, and even empowering. Eager to learn more about this unique physical, mental and spiritual fitness regime, I reached out to Moreno with some questions about the practice. What sets intenSati apart form other workouts? Will it really better my life? intenSati has revolutionized how people are training. It brings the philosophy of positive psychology into the gym, or your home if you have the DVD (available at http://satilife.com/ ). Many people are inspired when they read self-improvement books, but don’t have a practice in place to truly incorporate the motivational wisdom into their lifestyle. Information without action is useless. intenSati puts it all into motion so you can actually practice becoming a more positive, inspired, enthusiastic, courageous and happy person, while experiencing the best workout you’ve probably ever had! What inspired you to create this form of mental, spiritual and physical exercise? I wanted to create a workout that showed people that diet and exercise aren’t the only factors that affect health and weight. After studying the power of positive thought and affirmations, it became clear to me that we really are what we think. I was inspired to share this notion with people all over the world, and that’s how I developed intenSati. It connects uplifting mantras with movement, and really helps people train their minds and bodies. What results, physical and mental, can one expect from intenSati? Immediately after taking an intenSati class, students will feel inspired, energized, motivated and acutely aware of how upbeat, positive expressions impact the quality of their lives. Students have reported finding better jobs, falling in love, feeling a boost in self-confidence, greater weight loss, and an overall stronger dedication to improving their bodies and lives. How often should one practice intenSati in order to see and feel these results? Like any exercise, the more often you do it, the faster you will see results in your body. But even just practicing intenSati once a week can be enough to see mental and emotional improvements. It’s about remembering to think better thoughts, take positive action and do your best now. The more often your practice, the more it becomes ingrained and a part of who you are. Where are classes offered? In NYC and LA classes are offered at Equinox . And check the SatiLife website for a listing of all the classes we offer worldwide.

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Patricia Moreno Discusses intenSati: Fitness For The Body And Mind

Many know the benefits of some drugs with an anti-depressant effect in the treatment of the chronic pain of fibromyalgia.  Well, now it would seem that there is no overwhelming evidence supporting the use of anti-depressants in the treatment of chronic low back pain.  Although, the authors of a recent review (in the “Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews”) of the subject are quick to point out that this does not mean that depressed patients with back pain should not receive medical treatment for their depression. The hypotheses for even considering anti-depressant drugs for chronic low back pain does, nonetheless, make sense:  First, patients with chronic low back pain often also suffer from depression, and improving the mood with medication may improve in turn pain tolerance.  Second, many anti-depressant drugs have actual pain-relieving activity which often occurs at lower doses than those utilized for the treatment of depression.  Finally, many anti-depressant drugs have a sedating effect, and perhaps the improvement of sleep in those who experience insomnia may improve pain tolerance. Well, the conclusion of the Cochrane review included the finding that there was no difference in pain relief between different types of anti-depressants and placebo.  And, it appears that patients with chronic low back pain do not experience a reduction in depression with the use of anti-depressants. However, many pain experts are wondering how this can be.  Because there are fairly good studies which show that Effexor or Cymbalta have an effect on pain reduction. The divergent conclusions could result from different measures of improvement in different types of patients—–in different studies. And primary care doctors continue to prescribe anti-depressants to their chronic low back pain patients; some studies showing at a rate of about 25%. I use a variety of anti-depressants for the treatment of chronic pain, whether it be due to low back pain or neuropathy or fibromyalgia.  Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason as to why one drugs works for a particular patient with chronic pain; and so it is the duty of the doctor to be patient and use different drugs in succession if need be until the “winner” is stumbled upon.  This becomes the art of medicine, as opposed to the sometimes quirky science of medicine. I have too many patients with chronic pain who obtain at least some relief with an anti-depressant drug, no matter that the scientific conclusions today might be against me.  Tomorrow will likely bring another study and a different conclusion. A toast to art!        

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Chronic Low Back Pain and Depression

A sixth of a GCSE in 60 minutes? : Later this year, pupils from Monkseaton high school will file into their new lozenge-shaped school and take their seats before a giant video wall in a multipurpose hall. Here, they will receive a unique lesson: an intense PowerPoint presentation, repeated three times, and interspersed with 10-minute breaks of juggling or spinning plates. After one hour of this study, the pupils will be primed for one sixth of a GCSE. In theory, following this “spaced learning” method, a teenager could sit a GCSE after just three days’ work. It is a vision of the future that may horrify many parents, teachers and the educational establishment. It challenges how we teach our children and casts doubt on GCSEs and, perhaps, the validity of our entire school system. But teachers and thinkers from around the world are making a pilgrimage to Monkseaton to investigate spaced learning, which has been devised and tested in this tatty state comprehensive over the last four years. —————————————– A series of careful trials yielded fascinating results: 48 year 9 pupils who had not covered any part of the GCSE science syllabus were given a complete biology module in a 90-minute spaced learning lesson. A week later, they took the relevant GCSE multiple-choice exam (a year earlier than normal). Twelve months on, the same set of pupils took another GCSE science paper after a conventional four months of study. While average scores for the second paper were higher (68% versus 58%), more than a quarter of the pupils scored higher after spaced learning than through conventional study. Despite studying for just 90 minutes with spaced learning, 80% of the class of 13- and 14-year-olds got at least a D grade. ———————————————- Monkseaton’s futuristic new school opens in September. It will be where Kelley hopes to expand spaced learning, in classrooms that won’t be square (“We don’t have to have schools built in squares,” he says) and will feature special intensive lighting to boost teenagers’ concentration and wakefulness. Kelley has studied research on teenagers’ circadian rhythms that shows they get going later in the day than adults – hence those epic teenage lie-ins – and hopes to start lessons at the more teen-friendly hour of 10.30am. ——————————————— I’m inclined to believe that there must be more to making memories stick than findings derived from dissecting a rat’s hippocampus. Scientists would probably say that is because – despite my GCSE refresher – I don’t fully understand the complex advances in neuroscience. Whatever the truth of it, something special is happening at Monkseaton. And if other teachers and academics open their minds to it, this may be just the beginning of a revolution in our classrooms. Read the comments on this post…

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Innovation in education [A Blog Around The Clock]

How religion generates social conservatism : You could make a reasonable case that pencils have a purpose, but pencil shavings just exist. But what about elephants? Religious people and children are, of course, more likely than non-religious adults to say that animals exist for a purpose. But what about men and women? Black people and whites? Rich and poor? Arab and Jew? Do these exist for a purpose? And is it possible for one to become another? Gil Diesdendruck and Lital Haber of Bar-Ilan University in Israel decided to find out what children think. Read the comments on this post…

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Essentialism beyond just animals [A Blog Around The Clock]

Concerned that their male red bird of paradise, Paprika, might turn off female companions by repeating human words he learned from visitors, animal keeper Patti Cooper took matters into her own hands. First she crafted a sexy female red bird of paradise puppet, dubbed “Spice Girl.” Then she convinced Paprika to call Spice Girl on a 900 number. Now Paprika is engaged in the right behaviors and the Bronx Zoo is making $2.99 for the first minute and $16.99 for each additional minute. No but for real, the bird got it on with a puppet… and is now displaying the proper courtship behaviors. Red bird in paradise Dude, that bird looks way psyched. Read the comments on this post…

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Hot Puppet Action [Zooillogix]

Folks, it has been a really rough time for Sheril–she may or may not tell the full story herself, but suffice it to say that she has been hospitalized for several days and has only recently been allowed to come home, and this unfortunate turn of events has prevented her from attending the AAAS meeting in Chicago, where she was set to headline at the high profile “Science of Kissing” panel on Valentine’s Day. That’s a very sad missed opportunity; but luckily, Sheril has also done a freelance article for New Scientist about the same subject, which has just come out and which you can read here . A brief excerpt: As natural as kissing seems, it also means swapping mucus, bacteria and who knows what else, so how and why would such a behaviour evolve? Science has been seeking answers for decades. Neuroscientists point to the way it unleashes a flood of neurotransmitters and hormones associated with social bonding and sex. Anthropologists explain it as a relic of mouth-to-mouth feeding from mothers to infants. Others have suggested that kissing conveys important information about prospective mates and so evolved as a guide to mate selection. It has even been passed off as a purely cultural phenomenon since some groups refrain from it entirely…. It’s a fairly brief piece, but it marks her move into real science journalism–and that’s something I want to applaud. I hope you’ll join me–and enjoy the article . Read the comments on this post…

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Sheril on the "Science of Kissing" in New Scientist [The Intersection]