Monday, November 17, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Crying - by Edward Willett
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who cry at movies and those who don't. I freely admit I'm one of the former. I even cry during TV sitcoms. Heck, sometimes I even cry during commercials (only the really good ones, though).
Just why some people cry more easily than others isn't well understood. In fact, why we cry at all isn't well understood, especially since, so far as we know, only human beings release tears in response to strong emotion. In other words, all animals tear up in response to pain, but only humans get dewy-eyed in response to It's A Wonderful Life.
Charles Darwin closely studied crying children, and noted that they contract the muscles around their eyes during prolonged screaming. He thought that involuntary behavior helped to protect the eyes, and tears were just a by-product.
Dr. William Frey of Minnesota, on the other hand, suggests that crying makes people feel better because emotional tears help rid the body of chemicals that build up as a result of stress. Irritant tears (which Frey produced in his subjects with onion vapors) are chemically different from emotional tears (which he produced by showing sad movies).
Emotional tears have more protein in them, including various stress hormones. Other researchers theorize that crying may stimulate the release of endorphins, substances that elevate our mood and relieve pain.
Frey also determined how often people cry. He found that crying frequency for womenaverages 5.3 times a month, while crying frequency for men ranges averages 1.4 times a month.
In addition, women's crying is far more likely to send tears rolling down their cheeks. When men cry, 70 percent of the time all that happens is their eyes fill with tears.
This difference crops up around age 12 or 13, which supports the idea that hormones are involved. Prolactin, for instance, involved in the menstrual cycle, breast development and lactation, may also help stimulate tears: drugs that reduce prolactin levels have can reduce excessive crying caused by neurological disease. Male hormones, such as androgen or testosterone, may have the opposite effect, actually inhibiting crying. Differences in the levels of these hormones among individuals could help explain why some people cry more than others.
None of this really explains why humans cry emotional tears when other animals don't. The most likely explanation is that we've discovered crying is a powerful form of communication: specifically, it makes other people want to help us.
Most people say they feel better after they cry. Some researchers feel that's only true if other people comfort you when you cry; they say you probably won't feel better after crying by yourself. Frey doesn't buy that, but other research, in which 150 women were shown brief tear-jerking clips from the movie Steel Magnolias, discovered that, far from reducing the level of stress, seemed to enhance it, as measured by heart rate, sweat gland activity and skin temperature: the more the women cried, the more upset they became. That would seem to indicate that, indeed, crying is more important as a signal to others that we need help than as a means of relieving stress.
It's definitely true that we cry more readily some places than others. Few people cry at work, instead, they save it for between 7 and 10 p.m., when they're home with their "significant other."
Children instinctively use crying as a form of communication. Everyone has seen children fall down and bump their head who don't cry when they think there's no one around, but burst into tears the moment someone looks at them. It's not as manipulative as it seems: they're on the verge of crying anyway, and the presence of someone just encourages them to let go.
For some people, the fact that crying is seen as a plea for help is reason enough not to cry: it shows vulnerability. But not crying has its own consequences. Whether you cry or not, your stress level still goes up. If you cry and get help or sympathy from those around you, you calm down faster than if you don't cry. Stewing in your own stress juices can harm your health in the long run.
Socially, crying is more acceptable now than it once was. Edmund Muskie lost the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination in 1972 after he cried in public; Bill Clinton cries all the time and nobody seems to care.
So go on, have a good cry. It's all right.
Wonderfully written science columns have that effect on me, too.
Just why some people cry more easily than others isn't well understood. In fact, why we cry at all isn't well understood, especially since, so far as we know, only human beings release tears in response to strong emotion. In other words, all animals tear up in response to pain, but only humans get dewy-eyed in response to It's A Wonderful Life.
Charles Darwin closely studied crying children, and noted that they contract the muscles around their eyes during prolonged screaming. He thought that involuntary behavior helped to protect the eyes, and tears were just a by-product.
Dr. William Frey of Minnesota, on the other hand, suggests that crying makes people feel better because emotional tears help rid the body of chemicals that build up as a result of stress. Irritant tears (which Frey produced in his subjects with onion vapors) are chemically different from emotional tears (which he produced by showing sad movies).
Emotional tears have more protein in them, including various stress hormones. Other researchers theorize that crying may stimulate the release of endorphins, substances that elevate our mood and relieve pain.
Frey also determined how often people cry. He found that crying frequency for womenaverages 5.3 times a month, while crying frequency for men ranges averages 1.4 times a month.
In addition, women's crying is far more likely to send tears rolling down their cheeks. When men cry, 70 percent of the time all that happens is their eyes fill with tears.
This difference crops up around age 12 or 13, which supports the idea that hormones are involved. Prolactin, for instance, involved in the menstrual cycle, breast development and lactation, may also help stimulate tears: drugs that reduce prolactin levels have can reduce excessive crying caused by neurological disease. Male hormones, such as androgen or testosterone, may have the opposite effect, actually inhibiting crying. Differences in the levels of these hormones among individuals could help explain why some people cry more than others.
None of this really explains why humans cry emotional tears when other animals don't. The most likely explanation is that we've discovered crying is a powerful form of communication: specifically, it makes other people want to help us.
Most people say they feel better after they cry. Some researchers feel that's only true if other people comfort you when you cry; they say you probably won't feel better after crying by yourself. Frey doesn't buy that, but other research, in which 150 women were shown brief tear-jerking clips from the movie Steel Magnolias, discovered that, far from reducing the level of stress, seemed to enhance it, as measured by heart rate, sweat gland activity and skin temperature: the more the women cried, the more upset they became. That would seem to indicate that, indeed, crying is more important as a signal to others that we need help than as a means of relieving stress.
It's definitely true that we cry more readily some places than others. Few people cry at work, instead, they save it for between 7 and 10 p.m., when they're home with their "significant other."
Children instinctively use crying as a form of communication. Everyone has seen children fall down and bump their head who don't cry when they think there's no one around, but burst into tears the moment someone looks at them. It's not as manipulative as it seems: they're on the verge of crying anyway, and the presence of someone just encourages them to let go.
For some people, the fact that crying is seen as a plea for help is reason enough not to cry: it shows vulnerability. But not crying has its own consequences. Whether you cry or not, your stress level still goes up. If you cry and get help or sympathy from those around you, you calm down faster than if you don't cry. Stewing in your own stress juices can harm your health in the long run.
Socially, crying is more acceptable now than it once was. Edmund Muskie lost the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination in 1972 after he cried in public; Bill Clinton cries all the time and nobody seems to care.
So go on, have a good cry. It's all right.
Wonderfully written science columns have that effect on me, too.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Installing love
Tech Support: Yes, ... how can I help you?
Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me though the process?
Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?
Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?
Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?
Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now.
Is it okay to install Love while they are running?
Tech Support: What programs are running ?
Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge
and Resentment running right now.
Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current
operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer
disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a
module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely
turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being
properly installed. Can you turn those off ?
Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.
Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?
Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program.
You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.
Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "
Error - Program not run on external components ." What should I do?
Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on
Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms,
it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.
Customer: So, what should I do?
Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files:
Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.
Customer: Okay, done.
Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will
overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming.
Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty
your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.
Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files.
Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying
themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?
Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes a while, but eventually everything gets
it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up.
Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet.
They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.
Customer: Thank you, God.
---
(unknow author. Thanks, Pilar)
Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me though the process?
Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?
Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?
Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?
Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now.
Is it okay to install Love while they are running?
Tech Support: What programs are running ?
Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge
and Resentment running right now.
Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current
operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer
disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a
module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely
turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being
properly installed. Can you turn those off ?
Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.
Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?
Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program.
You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.
Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "
Error - Program not run on external components ." What should I do?
Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on
Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms,
it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.
Customer: So, what should I do?
Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files:
Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.
Customer: Okay, done.
Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will
overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming.
Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty
your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.
Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files.
Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying
themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?
Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes a while, but eventually everything gets
it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up.
Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet.
They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.
Customer: Thank you, God.
---
(unknow author. Thanks, Pilar)
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
JIll Bolte´s stroke
Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229
(thanks Barbara)
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229
(thanks Barbara)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
MENTAL HOSPITAL PHONE MENU
Hello and thank you for calling The State Mental Hospital.
Please select from the following options menu:
If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.
If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.
If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.
If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want, stay on the line so we can trace your call.
If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be forwarded to the Mother Ship.
If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.
If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press, nothing will make you happy anyway.
If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696.
If you are bipolar, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep. Please wait for the beep.
If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.
If you have low self-esteem, please hang up. Our operators are too busy to talk with you.
If you are menopausal, put the gun down, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry. You won't be crazy forever.
If you are blonde, don't press any buttons , you'll just mess it up.
This coming week is National Mental Health Care week.
You can do your part by remembering to contact at least one unstable person to show you care.
Well, my job is done .....Your turn.
---
(author: unknown - thanks Dr.Cocco)
Please select from the following options menu:
If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.
If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.
If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.
If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want, stay on the line so we can trace your call.
If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be forwarded to the Mother Ship.
If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.
If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press, nothing will make you happy anyway.
If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696.
If you are bipolar, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep. Please wait for the beep.
If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.
If you have low self-esteem, please hang up. Our operators are too busy to talk with you.
If you are menopausal, put the gun down, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry. You won't be crazy forever.
If you are blonde, don't press any buttons , you'll just mess it up.
This coming week is National Mental Health Care week.
You can do your part by remembering to contact at least one unstable person to show you care.
Well, my job is done .....Your turn.
---
(author: unknown - thanks Dr.Cocco)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
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