Riots show why happiness agenda is vital UK / PEACE & DEMOCRACY12 AUG 201

In the aftermath of the riots in London and other cities across the UK, people
are shocked and angry. The images of burning buildings and streets in ruin
are more like scenes from a disaster movie than something you’d expect to
see in a prosperous country like the UK in 2011. There are far more
questions than answers.

Although the chaos may have initially been triggered by the death of Mark
Duggan, shot by police in Tottenham, it now seems obvious that this week’s
rampage is more a case of mindless violence and opportunistic looting than a
calculated response to a specific incident. Two images, for me, highlighted
the depths to which the rioters sunk: the footage of an injured, bleeding
young person having items stolen from his backpack; and the pictures of a
charity shop having had its windows broken. Both were vivid examples of
the senseless and callous nature of the rioting.

Let’s revisit the big picture. Over the last few decades we’ve seen
unprecedented increases in average incomes and living standards, but this
hasn’t been matched by a corresponding increase in average life satisfaction.
The reasons for this are complicated but, in short, by building a
socio-economic system that promotes self-centred materialism as the route
to economic progress, we’ve exacerbated inequalities and created a culture
that brings out the worst in human nature.So what does any of this tragic and
inexplicable behaviour have to do with happiness?
Now, people are rightly calling for a focus on security, law enforcement and
justice. But if we stop to look at what might be the underlying drivers of the
rioters’ behaviour, it leads us back to issues at the heart of the agenda to
create a happier
society.

It’s a culture that puts possessions and individual success before people and
communities. It’s why the percentage of people in the UK who say “most
other people can be trusted,” has tumbled from 60% to 30% since 1970.
This culture has also contributed to the big problem at the heart of this week’s
riots: a generation of disillusioned and disengaged kids that feel that they
don’t have any stake in society.

People who mindlessly attack their own local areas have clearly lost any
sense of connection to their communities. And when they place more value
on looting mobile phones and designer trainers than the safety and livelihoods
of their own neighbours, it suggests a culture with it’s priorities all wrong.
As one commentator noted on Twitter: “The youth of the Middle East rise
up for basic freedoms. The youth of London rise up for a HD ready 42″
Plasma TV.”

Our young people are bombarded with the message that success and
happiness are tied up in money and possessions. Yet for those at the
bottom of the pyramid, these things are simply out of reach. As they watch
the rich and powerful grow in prosperity, the promised ‘trickle-down effect’
of economic progress has largely failed to reach them. While not necessarily
worse off in real terms, they are undoubtedly worse off in relative terms,
which matters deeply at the psychological level.

As the inequality gap has grown so has their anger at a sense of unfairness
and the feeling that they’re worthless in the eyes of our leaders and wider
society. And when you feel you’ve got nothing, then you’ve got nothing to
lose from lashing out.

Of course the current economic situation contributes to the problem; the
financial crisis and the largest cuts in public services for generations are
causing many people great hardship and uncertainty. But the underlying
factors run deeper than this.

Ultimately, many of the problems with disengaged teenagers can be traced
to broken families and parents who are themselves ill-equipped to raise
happy, thriving children. Many of these disaffected young people grow up
without the essential ingredients for their wellbeing: unconditional love and
clear boundaries.

The absence of these emotional and behavioural building blocks was very
evident on our streets this week. The rioters showed a complete lack of
empathy for those whose livelihoods they were wrecking and a total lack
of understanding of the personal consequences of their actions.

“There is a now very strong body of evidence linking secure attachment

and emotional intelligence in early years to positive life outcomes”

A focus on emotional factors, such as love, may seem naive at a time of
such fear and anger. But there is a now very strong body of evidence
linking secure attachment and emotional intelligence in early years to positive
life outcomes, including better academic achievement as well as lower
likelihood of involvement in criminal activities.

There is also evidence showing that children who grow up without feeling
loved and securely attached tend to place a much higher value on material
possessions as a source of fulfilment. This is desperately sad, but perhaps
it partially explains the shocking thirst for looting products, which we saw
this week.

In no way do I condone the unacceptable aggression we’ve seen on our
streets; violence solves nothing. But we all need to look inwards and accept
that all of us have some responsibility for creating the culture that has made
this level of disengagement and anger possible.

We need to reassess our priorities and pursue a fundamentally different way
of life, where we care less about what we can get for ourselves, and more
about the happiness of others. That is the only route to lasting fulfilment. At
the heart of the happiness agenda is a passion to do everything we can to
address unhappiness in the world around us, whether it comes from poverty,
depression, inequality or disaffected youth.

Yes government needs to do more, yes criminals need to be brought to
justice; but at the same time we all need to be the change we want to see
in the world.

An inspiring example of this attitude has been the hundreds of ordinary people
all over the country who have united together to clean up the mess and start
the process of rebuilding their communities. Let’s use this tragic and
frightening
turn of events to start a process of realigning our values and putting a greater
focus on equality and the happiness of those around us, especially those at
the margins of our society.

More Information:

www.actionforhappiness.org , 

Author: Mark Williamson

Seeing is believing? How our senses can be remarkably untrustworthy.

Exercise May Help Prevent Brain Damage Caused by Alzheimer's Disease

AUGUST 15, 2011

Elsevier

Regular exercise could help prevent brain damage associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, according to research published this month in Elsevier's journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

"Exercise allows the brain to rapidly produce chemicals that prevent damaging inflammation", said Professor Jean Harry, who led the study at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in the United States. "This could help us develop a therapeutic approach for early intervention in preventing damage to the brain."

Previous research has already demonstrated that exercise after brain injury can help the repair mechanisms. This new study shows that exercise before the onset of damage modifies the brain environment in such a way that the neurons are protected from severe insults. The study used an experimental model of brain damage, in which mice are exposed to a chemical that destroys the hippocampus, an area of the brain which controls learning and memory. Mice that were exercised regularly prior to exposure produced an immune messenger called interleukin-6 in the brain, which dampens the harmful inflammatory response to this damage, and prevents the loss of function that is usually observed.

Pharmacological therapies to downregulate inflammation and address cognitive decline in older adults, and those with Alzheimer's disease, have been less successful. This research helps understand how exercise could be used to affect the path of many human conditions, such as neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, as a chemical model of neuronal damage was used, it also raises the possibility that exercise could offer protection against the potentially harmful effects of environmental toxins.

"This elegant series of experiments reveals an alternative pathway by which voluntary physical exercise may protect hippocampal neurons", said Dr. Ruth Barrientos from the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado. "The study on the role of exercise as a therapeutic intervention will undoubtedly get a workout in the years to come. Perhaps the greatest challenge with this line of research will not be more discoveries of compelling evidence of the anti-neuroinflammatory effects of exercise, but instead, getting humans to exercise voluntarily and regularly."

You may read this press release in its original location: www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authored_newsitem

Thought for the Day - Canon Dr Alan Billings

The canon talks about how gangs can meet needs for security, status and meaning for young members:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00jtgcr

"Once again, politicians and commentators are talking about gangs - this time as a result of their apparent role in some of last week’s rioting. The Prime Minister has signalled that he will make it one of his priorities, turning for advice to Bill Bratton, the retired American police chief with experience of gang culture.

Yet a great deal of experience is already available in the justice system to policy makers and you only have to spend time with young people themselves to understand why, for some, the gang is so important. If we are to wean them away from the gang, recognising the needs the gang satisfies has to be the starting-point.

From time to time I visit young offender institutions – youth prisons. I remember well a conversation I had with one young teenager about his gang membership. He said, in effect, that the gang gave him the three things he most craved – respect, a sense of worth and something to do. By respect he meant protection. When he walked the streets with other gang members, no one – as he put it – would 'mess' with him. By a sense of worth he meant that the gang was the only context in which he counted for anything. His mother worked long hours and had little time to give him when she came home, and he struggled at school. In the gang he was somebody. And the gang gave him something to fill his days both now and in a future where there would be few low-skilled jobs for the likes of him. Unfortunately, what the gang filled his days with were activities that were often anti-social and sometimes criminal.

The aftermath of the riots may not be the ideal time for thinking dispassionately about gangs. Our first priority should be the punishment of offenders. But the destruction on our high streets does reveal in starkest fashion that the lives of our troubled youth are bound up with ours. If we are to make a difference to their lives, then, yes, they must be punished for criminal acts – they need to know their actions have consequences and victims - but we also need to think about how we can better meet the needs the gang satisfies.

Some of the young people I meet are not easy to like. But if I am ever tempted to wash my hands of them, scripture has a way of rebuking me. They may be troublesome but they are still children; and Jesus in the gospels reserves some of his sternest words for those who can’t be bothered with children. If they cause children to stumble it would be better if a stone were hung round their neck and they were thrown into the uttermost parts of the sea. I don’t think he added a rider about troublesome children being an exception."

Study Shows Good Posture Makes You More Resilient

JULY 15, 2011

University of Southern California

Mothers have been telling their children to stop slouching for ages. It turns out that mom was onto something and that poor posture not only makes a bad impression, but can actually make you physically weaker. According to a study by Scott Wiltermuth, assistant professor of management organization at the USC Marshall School of Business, and Vanessa K. Bohns, postdoctoral fellow at the J.L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, adopting dominant versus submissive postures actually decreases your sensitivity to pain.

The study, "It Hurts When I Do This (or You Do That)" published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, found that by simply adopting more dominant poses, people feel more powerful, in control and able to tolerate more distress. Out of the individuals studied, those who used the most dominant posture were able to comfortably handle more pain than those assigned a more neutral or submissive stance.

Wiltermuth and Bohns also expanded on previous research that shows the posture of a person with whom you interact will affect your pose and behavior. In this case, Wiltermuth and Bohns found that those adopting submissive pose in response to their partner's dominant pose showed a lower threshold for pain.

IMPLICATIONS

Fake It Until You Make It

While most people will crawl up into a ball when they are in pain, Bohn's and Wiltermuth's research suggests that one should do the opposite. In fact, their research suggests that curling up into a ball may make the experience more painful because it will make you feel like you have no control over your circumstances, which may in turn intensify your anticipation of the pain. Instead, try sitting or standing up straight, pushing your chest out and expanding your body. These behaviors can help create a sense of power and control that may in turn make the procedure more tolerable. Based on previous research, adopting a powerful, expansive posture rather than constricting your body, may also lead to elevated testosterone, which is associated with increased pain tolerance, and decreased cortisol, which may make the experience less stressful.

Keeping Your Chin Up Might Really Work to Manage Emotional Pain

While prior research shows that individuals have used pain relievers to address emotional pain, it is possible that assuming dominant postures may make remembering a breakup or some distressing emotional event less painful.

Depression Breakthrough - part 2

Depression Breakthrough Part 1