Sunday, May 12, 2013
Don't bother with the gym today: Positive outlook on life and making friends could be as good for you as diet and exercise
- Study showed a positive attitude caused 'upward spiral' into better health
- People can 'self generate' positive emotions and become healthier
|
Having a positive outlook and making new friends could be as important to your health as diet and exercise, scientists have revealed.
People with a positive outlook have more upbeat emotions, which leads them to make more social connections, which in turn leads to an 'upward spiral' to better physical health, a study showed.
The research also found it is possible for a person to 'self-generate' positive emotions which can cause them to become physically healthier.
The study was lead by Professor Barbara Fredrickson, of the University of North Carolina, and Doctor Bethany Kok, of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany.
Social connections: Making friends and being positive can be as important for your health as diet and exercise, say researchers
'This research shows not only that our emotions are controllable, but also that we can take the reins of our daily emotions and steer ourselves toward better physical health.'
Researchers: The study was led by Professor Barbara Fredrickson, of the
University of North Carolina, and Doctor Bethany Kok, of the Max Planck
Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany
People who have higher vagal tone tend to be better at regulating their emotions, so the researchers studied whether this might lead people to experience more positive emotions.
Scientists also considered whether having more social connections would increase vagal tone, and therefore improving physical health.
To see whether people might be able to harness this upward spiral to steer themselves toward better health, the researchers conducted a field experiment.
Half of the study participants were randomly assigned to attend a six-week loving-kindness meditation (LKM) course where they learned how to cultivate positive feelings of love, compassion, and goodwill toward themselves and others.
Positive outlook: Being happy means people are more likely to make friends and feel healthier
Participants in both groups had their vagal tone assessed at the beginning and at the end of the study.
The results provided clear evidence to support the hypothesised upward spiral, with perceived social connections serving as the link between positive emotions and health.
Participants in the LKM group who entered the study with higher vagal tone showed steeper increases in positive emotions over the course of the study.
As participants' positive emotions increased, so did their reported social connections. And, as social connections increased, so did vagal tone.
In contrast, participants in the waiting-list group showed virtually no change in vagal tone over the course of the study.
Prof Fredrickson said: 'The findings add another piece to the physical health puzzle, suggesting that positive emotions may be an essential psychological nutrient that builds health, just like getting enough exercise and eating fruit and veg.'
The findings were published in the journal Psychological Science.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
A MESSAGE FROM COMEDIAN GOERGE CARLIN
ISN'T IT
AMAZING THAT GEORGE CARLIN - COMEDIAN OF THE 70'S AND 80'S - COULD WRITE
SOMETHING SO VERY ELOQUENT...AND SO VERY APPROPRIATE...
A MESSAGE
BY GEORGE CARLIN:
THE
PARADOX OF OUR TIME IN HISTORY IS THAT WE HAVE TALLER BUILDINGS BUT SHORTER
TEMPERS, WIDER FREEWAYS, BUT NARROWER VIEWPOINTS. WE SPEND MORE, BUT HAVE LESS,
WE BUY MORE, BUT ENJOY LESS. WE HAVE BIGGER HOUSES AND SMALLER FAMILIES, MORE
CONVENIENCES, BUT LESS TIME. WE HAVE MORE DEGREES, BUT LESS SENSE, MORE
KNOWLEDGE, BUT LESS JUDGMENT, MORE EXPERTS, YET MORE PROBLEMS, MORE MEDICINE,
BUT LESS WELLNESS.
WE DRINK
TOO MUCH, SMOKE TOO MUCH, SPEND TOO RECKLESSLY, LAUGH TOO LITTLE, DRIVE TOO
FAST, GET TOO ANGRY, STAY UP TOO LATE, GET UP TOO TIRED, READ TOO LITTLE, WATCH
TV TOO MUCH, AND PRAY TOO SELDOM.
WE HAVE
MULTIPLIED OUR POSSESSIONS, BUT REDUCED OUR VALUES. WE TALK TOO MUCH, LOVE TOO
SELDOM, AND HATE TOO OFTEN.
WE'VE
LEARNED HOW TO MAKE A LIVING, BUT NOT A LIFE. WE'VE ADDED YEARS TO LIFE NOT
LIFE TO YEARS. WE'VE BEEN ALL THE WAY TO THE MOON AND BACK, BUT HAVE TROUBLE
CROSSING THE STREET TO MEET A NEW NEIGHBOUR. WE CONQUERED OUTER SPACE BUT NOT
INNER SPACE. WE'VE DONE LARGER THINGS, BUT NOT BETTER THINGS.
WE'VE
CLEANED UP THE AIR, BUT POLLUTED THE SOUL. WE'VE CONQUERED THE ATOM, BUT
NOT OUR PREJUDICE. WE WRITE MORE, BUT LEARN LESS. WE PLAN MORE, BUT
ACCOMPLISH LESS. WE'VE LEARNED TO RUSH, BUT NOT TO WAIT. WE BUILD MORE
COMPUTERS TO HOLD MORE INFORMATION, TO PRODUCE MORE COPIES THAN EVER, BUT WE
COMMUNICATE LESS AND LESS.
THESE ARE
THE TIMES OF FAST FOODS AND SLOW DIGESTION, BIG MEN AND SMALL CHARACTER, STEEP
PROFITS AND SHALLOW RELATIONSHIPS. THESE ARE THE DAYS OF TWO INCOMES, BUT MORE
DIVORCE, FANCIER HOUSES, BUT BROKEN HOMES. THESE ARE DAYS OF QUICK TRIPS, DISPOSABLE
DIAPERS, THROWAWAY MORALITY, ONE NIGHT STANDS, OVERWEIGHT BODIES, AND PILLS
THAT DO EVERYTHING FROM CHEER, TO QUIET, TO KILL. IT IS A TIME WHEN THERE IS
MUCH IN THE SHOWROOM WINDOW AND NOTHING IN THE STOCKROOM. A TIME WHEN
TECHNOLOGY CAN BRING THIS LETTER TO YOU, AND A TIME WHEN YOU CAN CHOOSE EITHER
TO SHARE THIS INSIGHT, OR TO JUST HIT DELETE...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
