ApaCenter Blog

5 Mar 2010 The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World (book recommendation) posted by drmikebrooks No Comments

I have read the original The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and psychiatrist Howard Cutler, M.D. three times and count it among my short list of favorite and influential books. They have worked on a series of books that include The Art of Happiness at Work (I got about 1/2 through it and just couldn’t get into it) and The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World.

All 3 books follow the same general format. Cutler interviews the Dalai Lama about topics related to happiness, human suffering, world problems, and so on and relates the Dalai Lama’s answers to his own life, his experiences in providing psychotherapy as a psychiatrist, and research findings from the realms of psychology, other social sciences, and neuroscience. So, you get a kind of “East meets West” discussion about happiness with some of Cutler’s personal reflections and experiences thrown in the mix.

The original The Art of Happiness has a primary focus on personal happiness and suffering whereas, as the name implies, The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World takes on more global topics such as terrorism, racism, intolerance, prejudice, hatred, greed, etc.

Through their discussions on the topic, it becomes quite clear how personal happiness and well-being are tied to more global issues such as intolerance, racism, and so on. Thus, by working on the development of our own compassion and inner peace, we increase our own happiness and the happiness of people around us simultaneously. The aggregate effect of millions (billions?) of people doing this would necessarily be a drastic reduction in many of societal ills (e.g., terrorism, genocide, racism).

Cutler asks many questions that we would all probably like to ask the Dalai Lama on these topics if given the chance. He presses the Dalai Lama when he doesn’t think the answers given are clear enough. Interestingly, the Dalai Lama often gives similar responses to many of the questions – pointing to the importance of looking at situations of many perspectives and trying to view them “realistically.” Cutler even chides His Holiness on this very point.

Looked at another way, the fact that the Dalai Lama often points to similar ways of addressing different problems points to the utility in what he is saying. Moreover, Cutler was able to use recent empirical data (the book was published in 2009) from social and positive psychology, neuroscience, and other fields to support the Dalai Lama’s viewpoints.

Cutler is able to get some specific techniques from the Dalai Lama that we can all use to broaden our perspectives and increase our compassion toward others. One thing I can say with certainty – there is some very useful…even life-changing…information in this book. If you choose to use it by practicing it regularly, it can improve your happiness and even that of others around you. However, it is all to easy to nod your head in agreement as you read this book and that go back to living the same old ways. So, I encourage you to try to take a few of your favorite nuggets from this book and put them into practice.

By the way, I listened to the audiobook (unabridged). The reader was very engaging and a good fit for the book.

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Posted in Happiness & Well-Being, Happiness & Well-Being Resources

1 Mar 2010 Are All Forms of Praise Created Equal? posted by drkatieshepard No Comments

Most parenting advice resources highlight the importance of praising your child. Upon further investigation, however, it appears as if not all praise is created equal. Below I briefly summarize and evaluate different types of praise.
1. Evaluative Praise vs. Acknowledgement Praise
• Evaluative praise provides a comment on the child’s desired/appropriate behavior that includes a judgment or feeling from the commentator (e.g. “you are so smart, your handwriting is so neat”)
• Acknowledgement praise offers a description of the Child’s appropriate behavior without value. (e.g. “I noticed that you sat and waited quietly while mommy was on the phone.”)
• Acknowledgements are generally thought to be more effective in shaping behavior than evaluative praise.
2. Praising Ability vs. Praising Effort
• Praising ability can have negative outcomes. Particularly, children who’s successes are attributed to an innate ability (i.e. “you are smart,” “you are excellent at mathematics”) have a tendency to avoid difficult task for fear of appearing inadequate.
• Praising for effort, however, encourages children to take academic risks and have a growth oriented mindset.

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Posted in Parenting Tips & Tools

1 Mar 2010 That Mind-Body Connection posted by drmikebrooks No Comments

I listened to an NPR story today from Michelle Trudeau entitled “The Aging Brain Is Less Quick, But More Shrewd”: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124118077

In one part of the story, Trudeau cited some research from neuroscientist Art Kramer of the University of Illinois that caught my attention. In a study, Dr. Kramer found that “aging couch potatoes” who started a treadmill exercise program who worked up to 3x/week for up to an hour improved their short- and long-term memory functioning. Those who trained also had larger hippocampi – a key area involved in memory. Other areas of the brain associated with decision-making, planning, and multi-tasking were also found to improve in functioning in the “aging couch potato” group.

In past blogs, I have also cited the importance of exercise to our emotional well being. It is at least as effective as the best antidepressant medications without all of the side-effects (e.g., decreased libido, dry mouth, restlessness). So, when are considering options to help improve your emotional and cognitive functioning, regular exercise is a great place to start. Of course, if you haven’t been physically active for some time, it is probably best to have a physical by your doctor first and to ramp up slowly on the exercise as well.

If you are having difficulties getting started, one thing that might help is to think back to a time in your life in which you exercised fairly regularly. How did you do it then? Was it through participation in a sport? Did you have a work out partner? Did you work out in the morning, midday, or in the evening? Did you use a personal trainer? Using this approach, try to “go back to the well.” Often we can use our past experiences to help guide us back into a beneficial workout regimen.

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Posted in Brain & Neuroscience, Happiness & Well-Being, Happiness & Well-Being Resources, Resources

23 Feb 2010 Winter Blues? posted by stacystewart No Comments

Do you ever notice that your mood changes with the weather? Many people say that the weather can either bring them down or pick up their mood. While these fluctuations are completely normal, some people become clinically depressed or anxious depending on the weather.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. Most people with SAD are affected by the winter months where the weather seems more grey and gloomy. However, others have the opposite pattern where they feel worse during the spring and summer months. Feelings of depression may begin quite mild at the beginning of the season but can become more intense as the season continues.

The following are possible symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, or seasonal depression:

 Depressed mood
 Feelings of hopelessness
 Anxiety
 Loss of energy
 Oversleeping or difficulty sleeping
 Loss of interest in activities
 Increase or decrease in appetite
 Difficulty concentrating

While it’s normal to have some days when you feel down or depressed, if you begin feeling consistently depressed for several days or weeks, it may be beneficial to ask for help. Although seeking treatment from a psychotherapist or physician may be needed, you may find other activities helpful in improving your mood including making your environment sunnier or brighter or exercising regularly.

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Posted in Happiness & Well-Being, Negative Moods & Emotions

21 Feb 2010 The Brady Bunch, Football, and Head Injuries posted by drmikebrooks No Comments

You are probably saying to yourself, “I see how the last two things are tied together, but what about the Brady Bunch?” I will tie these together – I promise!

Now, I probably date myself by bringing up the Brady Bunch, but alas, I must admit…I did watch the Brady Bunch when I was young (hey, it was all reruns by then and my program options were limited).

I remember this one episode in particular in which Greg (the older, “groovier” version of Greg) was playing high school football against his mom’s wishes. One day she found a huge bruise on his side that he had been hiding from her because he was afraid she’d make him stop playing. I can’t remember how the episode ended (or what compelled me to watch the Brady Bunch at all for that matter), but I do remember Mrs. Brady freaking out about his injury and expressing how she didn’t like football because it was such a rough sport. I also remember thinking Mrs. Brady was a worry-wort and that she should just chill out and let Greg play football.

Wow, have times changed. Now I’m a father of two young boys…ages 6 and 3. As a parent, I can see how having kids makes us kinda wacky with concern over safety issues. I often have to consciously brush aside thoughts that pop into my head about injuries and accidents. I mean, when I jumped on the bed as a kid, I thought it was great fun and had not a care in the world about injuries. When I see my kids trying to jump on the bed, I envision one of them flying off into a dresser and going to the ER for a traumatic brain injury. “No silly monkeys jumping on the bed!” I remind them.

I can say the same goes for football now. Growing up in Texas, I love football (mainly college football since I lost my beloved Houston Oilers all those years ago). I hope my boys enjoy watching football (although I find some guilt in this to for the reasons below…), but I’d really rather them play something safer. A recent cover story by Sean Gregory in Time magazine entitled “The Problem With Football” details some of the latest findings from neuroscientists on what is happening to the brains of football players – and it ain’t pretty.

Of course, football players receive countless injuries in this high-impact sport. Players are getting bigger, stronger, and faster. Despite advances in protective equipment, there is no stopping the violent collisions that are celebrated in the games and in the highlight reels. But head injuries are particularly troubling. What used to be thought of as “dings” and “getting your bell rung” are now known to be serious brain injuries. There’s a protein buildup of tau in these injured brains, “which defines a debilitating disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Common symptoms include memory loss, paranoia and depression during middle age.” This is the hidden story behind those bone-crushing hits as well as, neuroscientists are now finding, behind repeated, jarring hits. This isn’t just a problem in the NFL…college, high school, and even pee-wee football players can be receiving hits that end up causing long-term damage to the brain.

As cited in the article, a study commissioned by the NFL found that ex-pro players over the age of 50 were 5 times more likely to receive a memory-related disease diagnosis than the average person. In a startling figure, players ages 30-49 were 19x more likely to be debilitated than national average.

I have read research indicating that even one concussion can increase the likelihood that a person will experience dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease. Multiple concussions can increase this likelihood exponentially. Even the accumulation of multiple but smaller “bonks” to the head can cause severe problems later in life. Thus, people like boxers, snowboarders, skateboarders, mixed martial artists, etc. are at a much higher risk for long-term, debilitating memory and mood problems because of the brain injuries they sustained for their sport. As it happens, I just heard skateboarding legend Tony Hawk joking how he has received so many concussions that he immediately recognizes now when he has sustained yet another one. Many of these athletes are not even professionals – they engage in these activities as hobbies.

So, what can we take away from all of this? Well, for one, be careful in what sport you or your children engage. There may be a very steep price to pay in the long term for injuries sustained in the practice and play of certain sports. For me, I will try to gently steer my kids to sports in which the risk of head injuries is lower (careful not to make it a forbidden fruit that they want even more…). Also, my apologies must go out to Carol Brady. Sorry, Mrs. Brady! You weren’t being such a worry-wort after all. You were ahead of the curve on this one.

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Posted in Brain & Neuroscience, Happiness & Well-Being, Parenting Tips & Tools

13 Feb 2010 Internet Addiction & Depression posted by drmikebrooks No Comments

As cited in a recent Reuters news article on MSNBC, a study by British scientists published in the journal Psychopathology found that people who spend a lot of time on the Internet are more depressed than those who don’t. In this study, the researches analyzed the Internet use of 1,319 Britons between the ages of 16-51. Of their sample, they classified 1.2 percent as “addicted” due to their high frequency of surfing, gaming, visiting sexually-related sites, and online communities.

The researchers found that people who were classified into the category of Internet “addiction” had a significantly higher incidence of experiencing moderate to severe depression. What wasn’t clear from this research is whether depressed people are more likely to become addicted to the Internet. Thus, excessive Internet use might not necessary “cause” depression, but rather be a symptom of it.

In my opinion, it is probably a bit of both. That is, people who are depressed might be more likely to spend exorbitant amounts of time on the Internet and, as they do so, they are likely to become more depressed. This fits very well with some other research that I read recently which indicated that people who use social networking sites such as Facebook to enhance existing relationships…people whom they associate with in real life…experience positive effects on their well-being. However, people who use social networking sites and the Internet as a substitute for real-world relationships are likely to become more depressed from the use of such technologies. This research found that older people in particular tend to use social networking sites as a replacement for real-world relationships whereas teens and young adults tend to use social networking sites to enhance their real-world relationships.

What can we do with this information in practical terms? Here’s something that you can hang your hat on: to be happy, we need real-world relationships. Research indicates that about 70% of our happiness comes from our relationships. This makes perfect sense. We are social creatures by nature and evolved to be in relationships with others. After all, for an infant to grow, he/she must be nursed and cared for by his mother. From birth, we need to be connected physically and emotionally in order to grow into healthy adults.

As wonderful as technology is, when it begins to replace real-world relationships, we will pay the consequences for it. We are fighting against hundreds of thousands of years of evolution when we start to disconnect from the physical presence of others. Yes, we might be socially networked through Facebook, texting, online gaming, etc., but this can’t serve as a substitute for real-world relationships.

So, keep an eye on your technology use and your real-world social networks. Are you meeting with friends several times per week? Are you involved in some clubs, hobbies, or sports that help you to connect with others? Are you finding that you are spending more and more time on your laptop or iPhone…playing FarmVille, texting, and so on? Be mindful that you will not be happy if you disconnect from people in the real-world to connect with others online. It is not that you have to give up technology or anything…this is not a forced choice. You just want to strike a careful balance. By keeping your finger on the pulse of your technology use and real-world social interactions, you can get the best of both worlds. Now, here I am alone in front of my computer blogging on a Saturday…DOH! I’m going to go spend some time with some friends and family now…

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Posted in Cyberpsychology - Technology and You, Happiness & Well-Being, Negative Moods & Emotions, Relationships

11 Feb 2010 Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain by Sharon Begley (book recommendation) posted by drmikebrooks 1 Comment

In this fascinating book, Sharon Begley (a science writer for Newsweek and previously for the Wall Street Journal) goes through some of the history of neuroscience and summarizes some of the latest findings in the field. There was a time when scientists viewed the adult brain as rather static and that no new neurons could be formed. I even remember learning this long-held dogma in my neurobiology class in graduate school. Thankfully, we now know that the brain is remarkably plastic. The analogy of the brain as a muscle works rather well. The brain can change quite dramatically, even in adults, by “exercising” it. Exposing our brains to new learning experiences causes our brains to adapt – to grow new neural connections and even new neurons.

Begley also describes the collaborative work between neuroscientists and Buddhist monks, with the Dalai Lama’s enthusiastic participation. Through the efforts of the Mind & Life Institute and others, neuroscientists have confirmed what Buddhist practitioners have known for over two thousand years – that the mind can change the brain. Thus, the conscious application of our thoughts – through meditation and mindfulness work – has been found to have a profound positive impact on the brain. Startling, observable changes in both structure and function of our brains can occur through mindfulness training, which then results in benefits such as greater happiness and well-being, improved attention and concentration, greater compassion, and a reduction in negative emotions.

Begley has a real talent for making what could be difficult scientific material both accessible and enjoyable. If you are interested in neuroscience in the least…and how you can benefit from the latest findings…you should consider reading this book. Note that for this book, I actually read it instead of listening to the audiobook.

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Posted in Brain & Neuroscience, Brain & Neuroscience Resources, Happiness & Well-Being, Resources

8 Feb 2010 Health Benefits of Fish Oil posted by stacystewart No Comments

Studies have shown that omega-3 essential fatty acids as found in fish oil have many health benefits. Fish oil has been shown to help improve heart health, alleviate pain and inflammation, suppress autoimmune disorders, and lower the risk of cancer. These omega-3’s also have been shown to improve mental health.

  • Regular fish oil consumption may reduce depression, irritability, and anxiety. Studies have also shown that fish oil may even reduce the risk of developing psychosis.
  • Omega 3 fats are found to support memory as they protect the cells of the brain and nervous system. Studies have shown that individuals who consume more of these fatty acids over a lifetime have better cognitive function as they age.
  • Fish oils can also benefit children, even during pregnancy. Infants need these essential fatty acids for nervous system development. Also, children with ADHD and learning disabilities with a higher level of omega-3 fatty acids showed reduction in inattention, cognitive problems, and anxiety in various studies.

Omega-3 essential fatty acids such as fish oil supplements may be quite beneficial to our physical and mental health. Although more research is needed to understand these benefits, regular intake of fish oil may help with our mental health such as improving depression and concentration.

If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of fish oil, please consult with your physician. Before taking any medication, it’s important to discuss it with your doctor.

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Posted in Brain & Neuroscience, Happiness & Well-Being, Negative Moods & Emotions

8 Feb 2010 "Catching the Positive" posted by drkatieshepard No Comments

One way to help your children behave is to “catch them being good.” Why is it important to “catch the good?”  Research has shown that children often engage in behaviors as a way to get their parents attention. So, if sitting quietly at dinner does not grab their parent’s attention, they may resort to misbehaving so that their parents will notice them. If, however, the child’s parent praises their child for sitting quietly at the dinner table, the child will be more likely to repeat this behavior in order to obtain praise.

 While this sounds like a relatively easy task, most people report that it is much easier to notice what needs to be changed rather than what is going “good.” Oftentimes, it is harder to notice when kids are doing things right than to notice the negative behaviors. Some tricks include:

÷  Start small- Don’t wait for your child to complete a task or chore perfectly! Praise them for their effort and initiative at starting a task.

÷  Set a goal for the number of times that you are going to praise your child throughout the day. Keep track of it to make sure you are reaching your goals.

÷  Try to make sure that you our providing praise during times when your child’s behavior is more difficult.

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Posted in Parenting Tips & Tools

2 Feb 2010 An Insider’s Perspective posted by drkatieshepard No Comments

There are numerous books, websites, and other media outlets that are devoted to educating people about various types of mental disorders. Recently, I found a very unique website that provides a new take on mental illness issues in teen populations (www.copecaredeal.org). Cope, Care, Deal organization provides numerous resources on various aspects of mental health. One part of the website that I found particularly enlightening was the first hand accounts of different mental illnesses written by teens. Reading these accounts can provide teens as well as parents with greater understanding of the various experiences and challenges that individuals with mental health issues encounter. In addition, this website offers numerous valuable resources for parents of teenagers, including insight to understanding the challenges that teens encounter and parenting strategies for helping them overcome obstacles

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Posted in Happiness & Well-Being, Happiness & Well-Being Resources, Negative Moods & Emotions, Parenting Tips & Tools, Parenting Tips & Tools Resources

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