Moods and Foods

Remember when we discussed the brain and the influence of various neurotransmitters? I came across a short article in The State newspaper of March 18 that relates to our discussion. Just in case anyone out there is feeling a little grumpy, sad, or nervous, here are some tips:

• Protein can perk you up when you’re running low on energy.
• Bananas, milk, and leafy greens help in the dopamine production, and while we discussed dopamine’s influence on schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease, it can also help to calm nerves.
• Folate helps regulate histamine which benefits libido. You can find this in spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cereals, and citrus fruit juices.
• To ease symptoms of depression, eat fish rich in omega-3 acid since it raises levels of serotonin.
• Anyone in a bad mood? Then try sunflower seeds, whole grain cereals, and Brazil nuts since they’re loaded with selenium which can ease a bad mood.

 What do think? Seems like it’s worth a try to me. Now where did I put that little bag of sunflower seeds???

Living YOUR Life

I came across this quote by Steve Jobs this morning and thought it fit in nicely with the topics we’ve been discussing in class lately about living YOUR life and not what someone else decides you should do. Read it and react.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
~Steve Jobs

Seven Minutes of Life

We just completed the chapter on consciousness in General Psychology, and the chapter concluded with a discussion about the categories, uses, and consequences of drugs. Our next topic of discussion is learning, and we’ll be covering classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning. Why am I mentioning this? Because when one considers drug use and the detrimental consequences of long term use, you have to ask yourself “WHY?” Is the behavior learned? If so, how?

 Let’s concentrate on just one drug, tobacco. Why does a person start smoking in the first place when he is bombarded on all sides with dire warnings of disease and an early demise? As years go by, and the incessant coughing begins, why doesn’t the person stop? When an expectant mother is told in no uncertain terms that her risky behavior could lead to a lower birthweight and a greater possibility of respiratory illness for her child, why doesn’t she put that cigarette out and never light another? I’ve read that one cigarette cuts seven minutes from one’s life. Why risk it? When you could see yet another sunset, eat another hot fudge sundae, or hug a loved one a few more times, why light up and take away those possibilities?

Please solve the mystery for me. Using principles of either classical conditioning, operant conditioning, or observational learning, tell how smoking could be a learned behavior…and why it’s such a tough habit to break.

Lizzie’s Longevity

Longevity is a frequently discussed topic in Human Growth and Development. What are some factors that enhance the chances of living a long and happy life? Is it diet? Do friends make a difference? And what about the importance of belief in a higher power? While these and other topics are bandied about, almost everyone agrees that a person who lives a long life is probably tough and emotionally hearty. She is proactive in making choices that affect her development and self-actualization. Not a couch potato, the person takes chances, lives life to the fullest, and is not afraid to get out of her comfort zone.

Last week I read an article in “The State” about a woman, Lizzie Clark, who could teach us a thing or two about the secrets to longevity. For starters, when she was only 13, Lizzie left Virginia for South Carolina in her search for a better life. Did I mention that she traveled on foot? No cars or trains for this strong gal who is now 107, seven years younger than the oldest recorded person in the world. According to Lizzie, the key to her longevity is prayer. “Pray to the Lord to let you live that long,” she told her well wishers. By the way, among her gifts was a box of snuff, which she is known to use daily.

So what do you think is the key to longevity? What would you advise to those who’d like to reach 107?

Integrity vs. Despair

Throughout our study of human growth and development this semester, we have examined the work of Erik Erikson, a psychologist who believed that humans go through eight stages of psychosocial development. In each stage, people experience a conflict of sorts which is resolved before moving to the next stage. This week the “mini-mester” is ending, and we have been discussing Erikson’s last stage, Integrity vs. Despair.

Whether one feels integrity or despair depends on his life choices and the satisfaction (or not) that he experiences because of them. Integrity is more likely when the person feels that he has realized and fulfilled the possibilities that have come his way.  He said YES to life even if he fell on his face a few times and got a little bruised up. On the other hand, despair occurs when the person feels dissatisfied with his life and experiences gloom, unhappiness, depression, anger, or a sense of failure.

What’s fascinating about this final psychosocial stage is that the choices a person makes while in her younger years will have a huge impact on whether she feels integrity or despair. “I am my choices,” one of Sartre’s quotes, certainly holds true in this theory.  

Why, we pondered aloud in class yesterday, don’t more people say yes and do whatever it takes to live their lives to the fullest so that they can feel integrity during their golden years? Do they think that they’ll live forever and that they have plenty of time to do whatever they want to do…someday? Someone in the class suggested that fear is what holds people back. What do you think? Is it fear or something else that holds people back?

And here’s another question for you to consider as you ponder the integrity vs. despair stage of your own life. What would you do if fear were not a factor?????