Study: One of the Keys to a Happy Life is Being a Generous Person

A recent study suggests that being generous not only makes you feel good, it changes the region of the brain associated with happiness and altruism.

Source: Study: One of the Keys to a Happy Life is Being a Generous Person | Natural Society

With permission from

naturalsociety.com

by Seth Pollard
Posted on July 20, 2017

Just deciding to be generous could boost mood

Let’s be honest for a moment. You’d probably be thrilled to have a cool million or 2 in the bank. Money can’t buy happiness, as the saying goes, but what you do with your money (as well as time and talents, for that matter) might have an awful lot to do with your quality of life. Sure, doing something nice for someone else feels nice, but a recent study suggests that generosity has a positive biological effect on the brain.

For the study, published in Nature Communications, researchers at the University of Zurich in Switzerland told 50 people they would receive $100 over a few weeks. The team asked 25 of the individuals to use the money only on themselves, and asked the other 25 participants to spend it on someone they knew.

The researchers wanted to know: Would the mere promise to spend the money on someone else be enough to make people happier?

Before handing out the first batch of cash, the researchers brought those in the give-away group into the lab and asked them to think about a friend they’d like to give a gift to and how much they would hypothetically spend. Then, the participants underwent functional MRI scans so researchers could measure activity in 3 regions of the brain associated with social behavior, generosity, happiness, and decision-making.

Those who had pledged to spend the money on other people were more likely to make generous decisions throughout the duration of the experiment, the team found, compared to those who had pledged to spend the money on themselves.

The group’s MRI’s showed more interaction between the parts of the brain associated with altruism and happiness, and the participants expressed higher levels of happiness after the study ended.

Furthermore, it didn’t matter how generous people were. Even giving away a small amount of cash impacted the participants’ happiness in the same way.

Lead author Philippe Tobler, associate professor of neuroeconomics and social neuroscience, said:

“At least in our study, the amount spent did not matter. It is worth keeping in mind that even little things have a beneficial effect – like bringing coffee to one’s office mates in the morning.”

He added:

“You don’t need to become a self-sacrificing martyr to feel happier. Just being a little more generous will suffice.” [2]

Co-author Soyoung Park says many questions remain unanswered. [3]

“There are still some open questions, such as: Can communication between these brain regions be trained and strengthened? If so, how? And, does the effect last when it is used deliberately, that is, if a person only behaves generously in order to feel happier?”

Earlier studies have shown that older people who are generous tend to be in better physical shape. Some research has even suggested that spending money on other people is as effective as medication or exercise for lowering blood pressure. [1]

So the next time you feel like treating yourself, consider treating someone else instead. It might make you feel even better.

Tobler said:

“It is worth giving it a shot, even if you think it would not work. In order to reap health benefits, repeated practice is probably needed so that giving becomes second nature.”

Sources:

[1] Time

[2] U.S. News & World Report

[3] Science Daily

Surprising ways to beat anxiety and become mentally strong – according to science

Source: Surprising ways to beat anxiety and become mentally strong – according to science

theconversation.com

Olivia Remes

PhD Candidate, University of Cambridge

June 19, 2017

Don’t worry, research can help. Shutterstock

 Do you have anxiety? Have you tried just about everything to get over it, but it just keeps coming back? Perhaps you thought you had got over it, only for the symptoms to return with a vengeance? Whatever your circumstances, science can help you to beat anxiety for good.

Anxiety can present as fear, restlessness, an inability to focus at work or school, finding it hard to fall or stay asleep at night, or getting easily irritated. In social situations, it can make it hard to talk to others; you might feel like you’re constantly being judged, or have symptoms such as stuttering, sweating, blushing or an upset stomach.

It can appear out of the blue as a panic attack, when sudden spikes of anxiety make you feel like you’re about to have a heart attack, go mad or lose control. Or it can be present all the time, as in generalised anxiety disorder, when diffuse and pervasive worry consumes you and you look to the future with dread.

Most people experience it at some point, but if anxiety starts interfering with your life, sleep, ability to form relationships, or productivity at work or school, you might have an anxiety disorder. Research shows that if it’s left untreated, anxiety can lead to depression, early death and suicide. And while it can indeed lead to such serious health consequences, the medication that is prescribed to treat anxiety doesn’t often work in the long-term. Symptoms often return and you’re back where you started.

How science can help

The way you cope or handle things in life has a direct impact on how much anxiety you experience – tweak the way you’re coping, therefore, and you can lower your anxiety levels. Here are some of the top coping skills that have emerged from our study at the University of Cambridge, which will be presented at the 30th European Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology in Paris, and other scientific research.

Do you feel like your life is out of control? Do you find it hard to make decisions – or get things started? Well, one way to overcome indecision or get going on that new project is to “do it badly”.

This may sound strange, but the writer and poet GK Chesterton said that: “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” And he had a point. The reason this works so well is that it speeds up your decision-making process and catapults you straight into action. Otherwise, you could spend hours deciding how you should do something or what you should do, which can be very time-consuming and stressful.

People often want to do something “perfectly” or to wait for the “perfect time” before starting. But this can lead to procrastination, long delays or even prevent us from doing it at all. And that causes stress – and anxiety.

Instead, why not just start by “doing it badly” and without worrying about how it’s going to turn out. This will not only make it much easier to begin, but you’ll also find that you’re completing tasks much more quickly than before. More often than not, you’ll also discover that you’re not doing it that badly after all – even if you are, you can always fine tune it later.

Using “do it badly” as a motto gives you the courage to try new things, adds a little fun to everything, and stops you worrying too much about the outcome. It’s about doing it badly today and improving as you go. Ultimately, it’s about liberation.

Just jump right in … The National Guard via flickr, CC BY

Forgive yourself and ‘wait to worry’

Are you particularly critical of yourself and the blunders you make? Well, imagine if you had a friend who constantly pointed out everything that was wrong with you and your life. You’d probably want to get rid of them right away.

But people with anxiety often do this to themselves so frequently that they don’t even realise it anymore. They’re just not kind to themselves.

So perhaps it’s time to change and start forgiving ourselves for the mistakes we make. If you feel like you’ve embarrassed yourself in a situation, don’t criticise yourself – simply realise that you have this impulse to blame yourself, then drop the negative thought and redirect your attention back to the task at hand or whatever you were doing.

Another effective strategy is to “wait to worry”. If something went wrong and you feel compelled to worry (because you think you screwed up), don’t do this immediately. Instead, postpone your worry – set aside 10 minutes each day during which you can worry about anything.

If you do this, you’ll find that you won’t perceive the situation which triggered the initial anxiety to be as bothersome or worrisome when you come back to it later. And our thoughts actually decay very quickly if we don’t feed them with energy.

Find purpose in life by helping others

It’s also worth considering how much of your day is spent with someone else in mind? If it’s very little or none at all, then you’re at a high risk of poor mental health. Regardless of how much we work or the amount of money we make, we can’t be truly happy until we know that someone else needs us and depends on our productivity or love.

This doesn’t mean that we need people’s praise, but doing something with someone else in mind takes the spotlight off of us (and our anxieties and worries) and places it onto others – and how we can make a difference to them.

Being connected to people has regularly been shown to be one of the most potent buffers against poor mental health. The neurologist Viktor Frankl wrote:

For people who think there’s nothing to live for, nothing more to expect from life … the question is getting these people to realise that life is still expecting something from them.

Knowing that someone else needs you makes it easier to endure the toughest times. You’ll know the “why” for your existence and will be able to bear almost any “how”.

So how can you make yourself important in someone else’s life? It could be as simple as taking care of a child or elderly parent, volunteering, or finishing work that might benefit future generations. Even if these people never realise what you’ve done for them, it doesn’t matter because you will know. And this will make you realise the uniqueness and importance of your life.

Herd of Elephants Run in Excitement to Greet Orphan Baby [Video]

Source: Herd of Elephants Run in Excitement to Greet Orphan Baby [Video]

anonymous-news.com

By AnonWatcher

June 8, 2017

The latest video, which went viral over recent weeks, displays this heartfelt kinship. Watch as an entire herd of elephant runs in excitement to greet their newest addition.

 

 

Elephants are magnificent creatures with a proven intelligence closely resembling human qualities. Aware of their own consciousness, herds of elephants will often demonstrate the loyalty, affection and deep bonds with those in their families and those new to them.

Their social networks are often led by the matriarch in their circle. They form clans, are protective of their babies as much as they are over their lifetime friendships. They mourn the deaths of their clan members and often demonstrate a resonating grief for their lost family.

As a social group, their unique bond often extends to family duties to raise their young. Elephants help each other with babysitting, and studies have noted a calf’s survival is dependent on several females within the group rather than just one.

 

The latest video, which went viral over recent weeks, displays this heartfelt kinship. Watch as an entire herd of elephant literally run in excitement to greet their newest addition at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. The baby orphan elephant is quickly accepted into the group as the herd struggles to contain their excitement.

Their affection for one another – even for a stranger – is displayed in this rare capturing of raw footage.

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8 Ancient Beliefs Now Backed By Modern Science

Source: 8 Ancient Beliefs Now Backed By Modern Science

Source: Huffington Post via The Open Mind

March 24, 2017

The Earth may not be flat nor is it the center of the universe, but that doesn’t mean old-world intellectuals got everything wrong. In fact, in recent years, modern science has validated a number of teachings and beliefs rooted in ancient wisdom that, up until now, had been trusted but unproven empirically. Here are eight ancient beliefs and practices that have been confirmed by modern science.

HELPING OTHERS CAN MAKE YOU HEALTHIER.

In their never-ending search for the best way to live, Greek philosophers argued over the relative benefits of hedonic and eudaimonic happiness. Hedonic well-being sees happiness as a factor of increased pleasure and decreased pain, while eudaimonic (“human flourishing”) happiness has more to do with having a larger purpose or meaning in life. A recent study from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill psychologist Barbara Fredrickson may reveal which form of happiness is more beneficial for health and well-being.

The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year, found that while both types of happiness can make you feel good, the latter could promote physical health and longevity as well. Using phone interviews, questionnaires and blood samples, the study explored how the two forms of happiness affected individuals on a genetic level. Participants with more hedonic and less eudaimonic well-being were found to have a lower production of virus-attacking antibodies, while those with more eudaimonic well-being experienced an increase in antibody production.

ACUPUNCTURE CAN RESTORE BALANCE TO YOUR BODY.

The traditional Chinese medicine technique is believed to address imbalances in a person’s qi (pronounced chi), the circulating energy within every living thing. Whether or not you believe in the existence of this energy flow, a new study published in Archives of Internal Medicine found that the age-old practice may be an effective way to relieve migraines, arthritis and other chronic pains.

Analyzing previous research data from approximately 18,000 subjects, researchers found that acupuncture was more effective than sham acupuncture and standard western care when treating various types of pain, including migraines and chronic back pain.

WE NEED THE SUPPORT OF A COMMUNITY IN ORDER TO THRIVE.

Traditional Buddhist teachings suggest that community is a key component in any happy, fulfilled life. A 2010 study conducted by Brigham Young University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers confirmed this belief, concluding that a healthy social life promotes longevity.

In analyzing the 148 studies — involving more than 300,000 individual participants — available on the subject, the researchers discovered that those with stronger social relationships maintained a 50 percent increased likelihood of survival. The effect of social relationships on mortality risk is even greater than the effect of exercise or obesity.

Continue:

8 Ancient Beliefs Now Backed By Modern Science

What the Narcissists Have Done to Our Jobs and Health

 

“A recent study of 261 U.S. senior professionals found that 21 percent had clinically significant levels of psychopathic traits, compared to about one percent in the general population. That’s roughly the same rate as for prisoners.”

Source: What the Narcissists Have Done to Our Jobs and Health

Many of the super wealthy are imbued with a distinct sense of entitlement.

AlterNet

By Paul Buchheit

October 18, 2016

 

Photo Credit: donkeyhotey via Flickr

When Donald Trump blurted out that not paying his taxes “makes me smart,” he was revealing a truth about the American narcissist. Senator Lindsey Graham was being equally arrogant when he stated, “It’s really American to avoid paying taxes, legally…It’s a game we play.”

The game has become very popular, with an incomprehensible three-quarters of Fortune 500 companies stashing profits in offshore tax havens, avoiding over $700 billion in U.S. taxes.

Who Are the Narcissists? 

They are people who don’t feel any responsibility to the society that made them rich, largely because they believe in the “self-made” myth. Their numbers are growing. For every 100 households with $100 million in assets in 2010, there are now 160.

Some of the super-rich care about average Americans, and some are well-intentioned philanthropists, but in general, as numerous studies have shown, super-wealthy people tend to be imbued with a distinct sense of entitlement. They believe their talents and attributes have earned them a rightful position of status over everyone else.

The narcissists care less about the feelings and needs of others, become anti-social, less generous with their money, move further to the right, and become less willing to support the economic needs of all members of society. People in rich countries have been found to express less concern about their impact on the environment. And as the wealth gap widens, people at the two extremes become more and more distrustful of each other.

One study showed that those in the wealthy classes tend to behave more unethically than average citizens, especially at the highest levels, where career success has been associated with Machiavellianism—doing anything necessary to get ahead. A recent study of 261 U.S. senior professionals found that 21 percent had clinically significant levels of psychopathic traits, compared to about one percent in the general population. That’s roughly the same rate as for prisoners.

Narcissists Blame U.S. for Collapse of the Job Market 

Stunning hypocrisy: Apple claims to be responsible for “creating and supporting 1.9 million jobs” while actually employing 115,000; but the company complains that “the U.S. has stopped producing people with the skills we need.” Yet Apple undermines job creation in its role as the biggest overseas profit hoarder and is a leading tax avoider. Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “We pay all the taxes we owe—every single dollar.”

Apple’s store workers make less than $30,000 per year. That’s typical of today’s jobs, as 7 of the 8 fastest-growing occupations pay less than a living wage. Even the Wall Street Journal admits that “many middle-wage occupations, those with average earnings between $32,000 and $53,000, have collapsed.”

For its part, Congress has done little to restore these jobs, and in fact has gone out of its way to stifle job creation attempts. The narcissists in Congress are preoccupied with their own security rather than the securing of a strong society. As we spend a trillion dollars on the military, Asian nations are spending almost as much on infrastructure.

‘They Will Die’

A Forbes writer summarizes: “Somewhere, right now, a cash-strapped parent or budget-limited patient with a severe allergy will skip acquiring an EpiPen. And someday, they will need it in a life-threatening situation…and they won’t have it. And they will die.”

The effects of greater health spending on the wealthy are becoming clear. The richest 1% of American males live nearly 15 years longer than the poorest 1% (10 years for women).

A lack of empathy on the global scale is confirmed by the Global Forum for Health Research, which estimates that less than 10 percent of the world’s health research budget is spent on health problems that account for 90 percent of global disease.

Billions for One Man to ‘Live Forever’

Amidst all this health trauma, the empathy-devoid focus on self is manifested in the effort by billionaires to prolong their own lives.

According to the Washington Post, “Larry Ellison has proclaimed his wish to live forever.” He and fellow Silicon Valley CEOs Peter Thiel and Larry Page are “using their billions to rewrite the nation’s science agenda,” as some scientists marvel at the “superiority complex” of the big-money men.

100 Million Narcissist-Lovers 

Narcissism is defined in part as involving an “inflated sense of their own importance…a lack of empathy for others.” Scary enough with such a man running for president. But scarier yet is so many Americans support him.

A phenomenon called the Dunning-Kruger Effect suggests that uninformed people don’t know they’re uninformed, and so they have no reason to question their misperceptions. In Donald Trump’s case, they are happy to share in the narcissism. Even to the extent of a profanity spouted by Trump himself: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” Like other great narcissists, Trump is a very important man in his own head.

Paul Buchheit’s essays, videos and poems can be found at YouDeserveFacts.org.

How far back must we go?

“Exponential growth, everywhere: the terminal cancer of this civilization.”

Sha’Tara

Sept 19, 2016

Thoughts from   ~burning woman~ 

In my introduction on  ~burning woman~  blog I wrote: “I think that every problem is an invitation to all of us to work out the solution, and I believe that no problem exists that does not contain a solution within itself. All we are asked to do is unravel it. Life is like a Rubik’s Cube. There is a solution, it’s just a willingness to work at it until it emerges.”

Taking it from “now” here’s a bit of reality check: (from this blog)

Source: Researchers Say Society Is Doomed. Can We Save Ourselves in Time?undergroundreporter.org – Christina Sarich – September 7, 2016 

Clues unearthed by archaeologists suggest that our society is doomed for collapse. Researchers from University College London and the University of Maryland recently studied 2,378 archaeological sites from Neolithic Europe to discover some tell-tale signs indicating when an ecosystem was shifting into instability. After looking at the data, it seems that every single civilization gave clues to its own impending demise — including our own.

Signs that a society is about to collapse, or undergo a massive reorganization, included fragility in systems that had undergone ‘slowing down’ or ‘flickering’ from impacts such as disease, warfare, resource degradation, or crop failure.

The researchers describe ‘flickering’ as a change in a society’s response to these perturbations resulting in the society becoming caught in a socio-ecological trap that reinforces the same bad behaviour that caused the issues to begin with, and prevents adaptation with new action.

Every time a society ‘flickers’ it loses recovery time, and you could consider it as moving closer to destruction. The team found that these flickering signs signified an eventual demise of the society, all showing up well before the actual collapse.

Undeniably our current world is severely handicapped by serious and intensifying problems.  I don’t think I need to name them, we all know what we’re facing, as a global society, and as individuals.  It is my nature to seek solutions to problems and the more obvious those are, the more I find myself focusing, perhaps even fixating, upon them.  “Find a solution… Think!”  And it’s what my mind does.

It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention.  What I’ve been learning lately is that “invention” need not be a strictly forward motion: in looking for solutions it can move backward.  And this is where I’m at: how far back must man, as a species, go to solve his current life-threatening problems?  To explain that backward move, it is necessary to delve into the main cause of man’s current crisis.

The common thought is that solutions are found in new, forward-looking discoveries.  For every action (which comes from a previous reaction) there is a new reaction.  Thus the clumsy reciprocal “chug… chug… chug…” movement of civilization moves itself forward and each time, like the old coal fired steam trains, the machine picks up speed.  A new “disease” (caused by a previous reciprocal movement) gets a new drug treatment which causes more problems to be met with more drugs.  That has been the way, and it’s the accepted way.  Except that it doesn’t work, and never did, because there never was any track built past the tunnel.  But that’s all beside the point as long as we chose, as a collective, to exist in total denial of history and observation and believe that any “new and improved whatever” would solve any current crisis, or make any current burden easier to bear.  Thus we blindly entered the age of science as god; the age of technocracy: of technology, of robotics, of machines, of medical interventions and heaping drug prescriptions, of faster communication and travel, of ever-expanding cities to house an exponentially growing population.  We entered the age of top-down, system driven, totalitarian collectivization and we were taught in public school, in college, by the media and the corporate world that its called progress.  Therefore we progressed into a progressively worsening societal condition, right up to the end of the track which in today’s parlance we call “the unsustainable society.”

In 1972, yes, that far back, the Club of Rome and others commissioned computer simulations dealing with unrestrained growth versus availability of space and resources.

From Wikipedia, (excerpt): “The Limits to Growth” is a 1972 book about the computer simulation of exponential economic and population growth with finite resource supplies. The original version presented a model based on five variables: world population, industrialisation, pollution, food production and resources depletion. These variables are considered to grow exponentially, while the ability of technology to increase resources availability is only linear.

And a footnote to the article:  With few exceptions, economics as a discipline has been dominated by a perception of living in an unlimited world, where resource and pollution problems in one area were solved by moving resources or people to other parts. The very hint of any global limitation as suggested in the report The Limits to Growth was met with disbelief and rejection by businesses and most economists. However, this conclusion was mostly based on false premises.  – Meyer & Nørgård (2010).

It’s important to understand what “exponential growth” versus “linear growth” mean.  You’ve all seen graphs showing exponential growth: that smooth line at the bottom that begins to rise ever so slowly, then higher and higher as each segment doubles itself until the line shoots right off the top of the chart.  Linear on the other hand shows a steady growth rate, predictable, logical, sustainable.  Man’s civilization today is of the exponential kind, and we’re very close to the top of the chart.  So close that the system sustaining the growth is failing – AT EVERY POINT and not just on some.  We’ve not only reached the limits to growth, we have surpassed them and now we can’t stop our train from shooting off the end of the tunnel of progress we created from our lusts and greed and passion for cheap and easy and entertaining.

Now for a very, very brief history lesson beginning with a question: which of mankind’s many civilizations not only succeeded, but continued on and remains “operative” and growing to this day?   And the answer is… none.  Not a single one.  Each civilization that rose from nothing, or from the wrack and ruin of another has in its turn collapsed utterly.

A reminder from none other than the famous poet, Percy Shelley:

alexzakil.deviantart.com

 

 “Ozymandias”
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

What better comparison could one make of this current prideful and shallow civilization than to the boastful one of the great king “Ozymandias?”  Oh yes, it is said that science with the faithful and uncanny help of technology can, and will, solve all of man’s current problems.  Stupid to worry, to be concerned, about such things as climate change which “Right” thinking people know to be a hoax; about over population (why, the earth can sustain twice our current numbers!); availability of food and sustainability of edible crops (what about GMO’s and fish farms, etc.?) and simple living space (ah, hmm, well, we can live closer together, build higher highrises and we can go live on the moon, or on Mars with a bit of technological fixing!) and wars (a one-world government will fix that, along with a one-world economy!)

Wonderfully childish reasoning that is desperately held onto by billions of desperate individuals: desperate for things to continue as they are; desperate to ignore, hide, mock, the reality that is threatening to destroy not only most of mankind, but much of his living environment and those “others” nature symbiotically “intended” for space to be shared with.  Simply put, quality has given way to quantity – it’s always what happens when values are determined by numbers – and numbers only work when fed more quantities of numbers.  Exponential growth, everywhere: the terminal cancer of this civilization.

Annunaki

Somewhere way back in prehistoric times man “happened” on this world.  I really don’t know how that came about and I’m not a strong proponent of Darwinist evolutionary theories, while holding the creation concept equally at arms length, but man “was” here.  From what I gather this “man” creature was living a natural life on a natural world.  And as we observe of other animals, all was, relatively speaking, well with that.

Then something amazing and terrible happened: man came face to face with a choice.  There was a fork on the road of life, the left continuing the natural pattern of life, and the right promising a much brighter, exciting, morally and technically uplifting future.  Man was offered the fruit of civilization.  Some saw it as a marvelous opportunity for advancement and took that path.  Most did not, but it would be “civilized” man that would rise to conquer and subdue the earth and all that dwell therein.  Man became “Ozymandias” the king of kings, ruler of all creation.  Then one civilization after another rose suddenly, then fell slowly until hardly anything remained, and then another took its place, or surfaced somewhere else on the planet and “great” works were accomplished; marvels were created and built, then that too collapsed utterly, leaving only remnants in stone or bits and pieces of clay to mark the passage of civilized man.  And on and on it went, until history began to be recorded on clay tablets and parchments, then in books and now in digital information.  This is but another of those suddenly risen only to fail, civilization.  And no, this civilization isn’t too big to fail – quite the contrary: it is too big to sustain itself and must fail.

This is about a solution to our current dilemma.  Believing as I do that nothing can fix this toppling purposeless global civilization build on nothing but exploitation, oppression and bloodshed, my solution is eloquent by its simplicity: man must (not should) return to that prehistoric fork in the road and turn back to the left hand path, putting a clear sign on the right hand one that says: “This is the path to hell.  It is forbidden for man to enter therein for this path can only be sustained by oppression and bloodshed, that is, by death.”

Yes: man must give up his pride filled attempts at creating new civilizations and return to his proper, natural, non-exploitative roots.  The collapse of this civilization, since it is global in scope, is likely man’s last chance at redeeming himself; at rediscovering humility in compassion, in sharing, in becoming truly a human being to live in peace and harmony with all others on this little world.  No amount of “civilizing” can do that for man, only a return to nature.

 

 

Standing Up For Your Beliefs In Group Opposition Is What Changes Your World

All truths are true, get over it!

Source: Standing Up For Your Beliefs In Group Opposition Is What Changes Your World

With permission from

preventdisease.com

Josh Richardson

Aug 19, 2016

Going with the flow might appear easier than sticking up for yourself when confronted with unanimous disagreement. But as uncomfortable as it may be to walk as the lone dissenter, it not only reinforces core values, it also creates a ripple effect where others take notice.

 

A new University at Buffalo study that assessed bodily responses suggests that standing up for your beliefs, expressing your opinions and demonstrating your core values can be a positive psychological experience. Our happiness, and ultimately our lives, are defined by the choices we make. When we allow other people to tell us how to feel, they are making those choices for us, and we are giving away our truth. Since all truths are true, we must define if it is our ego we are standing up for or something more.

There can be a clear divergence between what people do and say and how they feel, according to Mark Seery, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology.

“People can show conformity, but going along with the group doesn’t mean they’re going along happily,” he says. “The external behavior isn’t necessarily a good indication of their internal experience.”

When we passionately believe in something, we should let people know why we stand up for those ideals. We may not change the mindset for others, but we may change the conversation. It then leads into different directions of consciousness and people begin to recognize why we are so adamant and passionate about out opinions even if others disagree with them.

The findings, published in the journal Psychophysiology, provide new insights into what it’s like being alone against the group, investigating the experience as it happens.

Methodologically this a hard thing to capture, according to Seery.

He says there is a long tradition in social psychology investigating how people are affected by pressure to conform to a group. The vast majority of the work has focused on behavior and self-reported attitudes, with the assumption that it’s uncomfortable being the lone dissenter and that people are motivated to conform because it relieves their discomfort.

Questioning study subjects during the experience can be disruptive, while waiting to interview them later demands that they recall feelings that aren’t always accurately reported.

“But we can tap into the experience using psychophysiological measures, which is what we did in this case by assessing cardiovascular responses,” says Seery. “That’s where this study started. To try to understand what that momentary experience of conformity pressure is like.”

Anger is often the emotional indicator of disrespect and injustice. Hiding anger, in turn, is the emotional sign that you will allow it to happen. Many confuse the defensive act of using that little bit of anger, with the expansive attacking posture of seeking egotistical gain at the expense of others. They mistake self-defense for malevolent intent.

So people will remain silent and pretend they’re not affected when they are made fun of, put down, or treated below their true value by others, including family, including “loved” ones. But in the name of compassion and love, in the name of keeping the energy high, it’s not about allowing perceived perpetrators to run rampant at your expense, but letting all others understand that you accept the perspective of others even if they disagree with you.

By measuring cardiovascular responses, Seery and the other researchers — UB colleague Shira Gabriel, Daemen College’s Shannon Lupien and Southern Illinois University’s Mitsuru Shimizu — get a sense for how people are evaluating personal resources versus the demands of the situation while in the act of potentially conforming.

When trying to reach a goal, evaluating high resources and low demands leads to a mostly positive, invigorating experience called challenge, which corresponds with feeling confident. Low resources and high demands lead to a much less confident state called threat, which may produce feelings of anxiety.

The researchers assigned participants into one of four experimental conditions, each with a goal to either fit in with a group’s political opinion or assert their individuality, and with a group that either agreed or disagreed with participants’ opinion on the issue.

“When participants’ goal was to fit in with a group of people who disagreed with them, their cardiovascular responses were consistent with a psychological threat state,” says Seery. “In contrast, when the goal was to be an individual among a group of people who disagreed with them, their cardiovascular responses were consistent with challenge.

“You may have to work to reach a goal, but when you experience challenge, it is more like feeling invigorated than overwhelmed. It is consistent with seeing something to gain rather than focusing on what can be lost,” he says.

The results have interesting implications, especially in an election year when someone can be surrounded by family members, co-workers or even neighborhood lawn signs that run contrary to personal opinions.

There’s often zero to gain from confrontation, especially that which is antagonistic. Don’t look for winning, but kindness. Don’t look for conquering, but compassion. Sometimes situations are not linear, crystal clear, black and white. It is your discernment to know when it’s time to stand up and apply your reasoning or when it’s just best to let go. However, both can be done through heart-felt intention and understanding the perspective of others and that alone reduces your own emotional entanglement throughout each experience.

“It could easily be overwhelming to face a group on the other side of an issue or candidate, but this study suggests that reminding yourself of wanting to be an individual can make it a better experience, challenging instead of threating, invigorating instead of overwhelming,” Seery says.

All Truths Are True, Get Over It