Anxiety and depression can affect your learning ability
An excessive focus on past failures can make learning about new situtations more difficult.
28 December, 2020
- A new study confirms that anxiety and depression can lead to difficulties in analyzing data.
- Test subjects with symptoms of those conditions were slower to realize that changes in the game they were played occured.
- The study is not the last word on the topic, but its findings will prompt further investigations.
Uncertainty is a fact of life that can often impede our ability to make decisions. While everybody knows what it's like to make the wrong choice based on incomplete data, a new <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/61387" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">study</a> suggests that people with anxiety and depression have a particularly rough go of it. On a more positive note, it also points to ways to narrow the gap between those with these issues and everybody else. <p class=""><br></p>
The learning curve gets harder to climb when you’re anxious
<p> In two separate experiments, researchers at UC Berkeley had participants play games for cash prizes. </p><p>The first involved test subjects playing a game, with correct answers being awarded a prize. A wrong answer would lead to a mild electric shock, euphemistically deemed "stimulation" in the study. Participants had to select either a circle or a square, with the correct answer sometimes being predictable but always subject to change. Players showing symptoms of depression or anxiety had a more difficult time than others in keeping track of the changes. </p><p>In the second, players remotely played a similar game without the risk of electric shock. Wrong answers resulted in a loss of prizes. Again, those test subjects reporting anxiety or depression symptoms had a more difficult time keeping up as the conditions of the game changed compared to their peers without those symptoms. </p><p>The findings are in line with several previous studies, including <a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/2015/03/02/anxious-people-decisions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">one</a> involving some of the same authors, suggesting that anxiety disorders impact people's ability to predict future events using past data. The thought is that an excessive focus on previous failures prevents people from using data on changing conditions as effectively as possible.</p><p>The study also provides new evidence that people with depressive symptoms have similar difficulties in decision making as those with anxiety symptoms. Previous research had suggested the two conditions impacted decision making differently, with the ability to focus on gaining rewards or avoiding pain being affected differently.</p><p>Senior author Sonia Bishop explained the findings to <a href="https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/12/22/in-shaky-times-focus-on-past-successes-if-overly-anxious-depressed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Berkeley News</a>:</p><p>"When everything keeps changing rapidly, and you get a bad outcome from a decision you make, you might fixate on what you did wrong, which is often the case with clinically anxious or depressed people. Conversely, emotionally resilient people tend to focus on what gave them a good outcome, and in many real-world situations that might be key to learning to make good decisions."</p><p>These findings also point towards treatment options. Techniques, such as those promoted by cognitive behavioral therapy, which help people focus on previous successes rather than failures, can help improve symptoms of various conditions and, by the implications of this study, decision-making ability.<br><br>The limited size of the study and its new findings mean that further investigations will have to take place before these ideas will be widely accepted. However, even the attempt to confirm or deny them will help advance our understanding of these conditions, how we learn, and the human brain in general. As the number of people with symptoms of anxiety and depression increase, these advances can come none too <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-covid-mental-health-1.5848388" target="_blank">soon</a>. <br></p>
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New antidepressants can lift depression and suicidal thoughts fast, but don’t expect magic cures
There's no such thing as a miracle drug.
26 December, 2020
Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash
Depression is the most common cause of disability in the world.
<p> Chances are high that you or someone you know will experience a period when depression gets in the way of work, social life or family life. Nearly two in three people with depression will experience <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.shtml#part_155030" target="_blank">severe effects</a>.</p><p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5DzjK7QAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">psychiatrist</a> specializing in behavioral neuroscience, I help patients who suffer from mood disorders. Many have “<a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/s0193-953x(05)70283-5" target="_blank">treatment-resistant</a>" depression and are on a nearly constant search for relief. </p><p>There have been some exciting developments in treating depression recently, particularly new rapid-acting antidepressants. But it's important to understand that these medications aren't cure-alls.</p><p>The new treatments for depression <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/health/depression-treatment-ketamine-fda.html" target="_blank">promise</a> to relieve distressing symptoms, including <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/08/07/900272454/nasal-spray-is-a-new-antidepressant-option-for-people-at-high-risk-of-suicide" target="_blank">suicidal thinking</a>, faster than any previous treatment. They include ketamine, an anesthetic that is also abused as a street drug, and a derivative of ketamine called esketamine. These drugs have been shown to help relieve symptoms of depression <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6534172/" target="_blank">within hours</a>, but each dose only works for a few days. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15622975.2020.1836399" target="_blank">They also carry risks</a>, including the potential for drug abuse.</p><p>With the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm" target="_blank">coronavirus pandemic taking a toll</a> on mental health, patients are looking for fast relief. Medication can help, but to effectively treat depression long term, with its mix of biological, psychological, social and cultural components, requires more than just drugs. </p>
<h2>Depression medications have evolved</h2><p>The early history of depression treatments focused on the psychological components of illness. The goal in the early 20th century was for a patient to understand unconscious urges established during childhood.</p><p><a href="http://library.law.columbia.edu/urlmirror/CJAL/14CJAL1/shock_i.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Biological treatments at the time</a> seem frightening today. They included insulin coma therapy and primitive, frequently misused versions of a modern lifesaving procedure – electroconvulsive therapy.</p><p>In the middle of the 20th century, medicines that affected behavior were discovered. The first medicines were sedatives and antipsychotic medicines. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16433053/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chlorpromazine</a>, marketed as "Thorazine," led the way in the 1950s. In 1951, imipramine was discovered and would become one of the first antidepressants. The <a href="https://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/06/28/374398/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">"blockbuster"</a> antidepressant Prozac, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI, was approved in 1987.</p><p>It's been over 30 years since we've seen a novel class of antidepressant medicine. That's one reason rapid-acting antidepressants are exciting.</p>
<h2>What depression looks like inside the brain</h2><p>Medical treatments for depression affect certain processing cells in the brain area above your eyes and under your forehead. This area, called the prefrontal cortex, processes complex information including emotional expressions and social behavior.</p><p>Brain cells called neurons are chemically controlled by <a href="https://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_01/i_01_m/i_01_m_ana/i_01_m_ana.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">two opposing messenger</a> molecules, glutamate and gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA). Glutamate works like a gas pedal and GABA is the brake. They tell the neurons to speed up or slow down.</p><p>Rapid-acting medicines for depression decrease the action of glutamate, the gas pedal.</p><p>Other treatments have been developed to rebalance GABA. A neurosteroid called <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2020.00236" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">allopregnanolone</a> affects GABA and applies the brake. Both allopregnanolone and esketamine have federal approval for treatment of depression, allopregnanolone <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-treatment-post-partum-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">for postpartum depression</a> and esketamine for <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-nasal-spray-medication-treatment-resistant-depression-available-only-certified" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">major depressive disorder and suicidal thinking</a>.</p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GnL4p-35Grg?wmode=transparent&start=0" rel="margin-bottom: 15px; max-width: 860px; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></iframe>
<h2>Not so fast</h2><p>Around 2016-2017, young psychiatrists like myself were rushing to implement these novel antidepressant treatments. Our training supervisors said, "not so fast." They explained why we should wait to see how studies of the new drugs turn out.</p><p>Several years before, the medical community experienced similar excitement over Vivitrol to treat opioid addiction. Vivitrol is a monthly injected form of naltrexone, an opioid-blocking medicine.</p><p>Clinical trials are executed in a highly controlled and clean environment, while the real world can be highly uncontrolled and very messy. Without risk reduction, education and psychosocial treatment, the potential <a href="https://www.vivitrol.com/important-safety-information" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">risks of medications like Vivitrol</a> can be magnified. Vivitrol can help reduce relapses, but isn't a panacea on its own. The National Institute on Drug Abuse <a href="https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/principles-effective-treatment" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">recommends integrated treatment</a> for addiction.</p><p>Treating depression may be <a href="http://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.15040476" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">similar</a>. Medication and psychological support together work better than either on its own.</p>
<h2>The risks</h2><p>In depression, the more treatments a person tries that don't work, the less likely that person is to have success with the next treatment option. This was a main message of the largest clinical trial studying depression medications, the <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/funding/clinical-research/practical/stard/index.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Institutes of Health-directed STAR-D study</a>, completed in 2006.</p><p>Providing a more effective option for patients who don't respond to a first or second antidepressant may turn that STAR-D message on its head. However, when dealing with an illness that is affected by <a href="http://doi.org/10.2174/1570159x1304150831150507" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">external stress</a> like trauma and loss, treatment is more likely to succeed with both medication and psychological support.</p><p>A real-world treatment approach called the <a href="https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/can-we-salvage-biopsychosocial-model" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">biopsychosocial paradigm</a> accounts for the wide range of relevant biological, psychological and social components of mental illnesses. The patient and physician work together to process the patient's problematic experiences, thoughts and feelings.</p><p>A hyperfocus on novel drugs may overlook the importance of addressing and monitoring all those components, which could mean problems surface in the future. Medications like opiates or other substances that provide rapid relief of physical or psychological pain can also be physically and psychologically addictive, and novel rapid-acting antidepressants <a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/0897190014525754" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">can have the same risks</a>.</p><p>Rapid-acting antidepressants can be powerful tools for treating major depression when used with other forms of therapy, but are they the answer? Not so fast.</p><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicholas-mischel-1162443" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nicholas Mischel</a>, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences; Director, Interventional Psychiatry and Neuromodulation Research Program, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/wayne-state-university-989" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wayne State University</a></em></p><p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-antidepressants-can-lift-depression-and-suicidal-thoughts-fast-but-dont-expect-magic-cures-148721" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">original article</a>.</p>
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Could robots make better therapy animals?
Allergies might never be a concern again.
23 December, 2020
Photo: VTT Studio / Adobe Stock
- University of Portsmouth researchers held play sessions with real dogs and their biomimetic counterparts.
- The more time school children spent with the robot dog, the higher their opinion of him.
- Robotic dogs could offer an entirely new line of emotional support animals.
<p>In 2018 a woman tried to board a plane at Newark International Airport with her emotional support animal—a peacock. That didn't fly; well, neither of them flew that day. Still, the term "emotional support animal" has been exploited by travelers attempting to transport a <a href="https://www.boredpanda.com/people-with-emotional-support-pets-went-too-far/" target="_blank">variety of animals</a> in the not-so-friendly skies, including pigs, turkeys, squirrels, baby kangaroos, and miniature horses.</p><p>The skies became even less friendly to this trend when the federal government recently <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/us/service-animals-flights.html" target="_blank">limited pets on flights to dogs</a>, giving the struggling airline industry a bit of good news in an otherwise devastating year. </p><p>But what if the kangaroo was a robot? </p><p>Let's not get ahead of ourselves. If we're considering robot support "animals," we'll have to settle for dogs for the time being. </p><p>That's the consensus from a group of researchers at the University of Portsmouth. In a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12369-020-00722-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new study</a>, published in the International Journal of Social Robotics, first author Olivia Barber and colleagues argue that robotic dogs could soon replace real canines as emotional support animals—and will likely have an easier time and get fewer malicious stares when boarding planes. </p><p>The team brought two real dogs—a Jack Russell-Poodle mix and a Labrador retriever—alongside a biomimetic dog to visit a group of 34 children in West Sussex. The 11- and 12-year-olds had two sessions, one with the real-life canines, and a second with the robot, which was developed by Consequential Robotics. While the kids stroked animals equally, they actually interacted with the robot more. </p>
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk4ODU0MC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTQwNzMxMX0.9GH3YybGZgYLDZcr-v3plvnowKnegogfCrbPNtNCwXY/img.jpg?width=1245&coordinates=0%2C194%2C0%2C194&height=700" id="eb1b0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="aa27af6428229cba165de335b4f7c22b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1245" data-height="700" />
<p class=""><br></p>Credit: goodmoments / Adobe Stock
<p>Study supervisor, Dr Leanne Proops, knows the emotional impact that real dogs have on children and adults alike. Yet many people suffer from allergies, while others are on high alert for diseases transmitted across species. There's also liability concerns; lawsuits over biting dogs happen. And, of course, the expense of animals is prohibitive to some. Robots could fill a void.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"This preliminary study has found that biomimetic robots -- robots that mimic animal behaviours -- may be a suitable replacement in certain situations and there are some benefits to using them over a real dog."</p><p>Move over Animal Assisted Interventions. Welcome to Robot Assisted Interventions. </p><p>As the authors note, robot pets already exist. A <a href="http://www.parorobots.com/" target="_blank">robotic seal named Paro</a> is designed to keep seniors company. Social robots help stroke victims during rehabilitation and have proven useful in communicating with autistic children. </p><p>Despite the fascination, this story doesn't end like the film "Her." The pre-teens preferred the real animals, not the metal imposter. That said, the more time they spent with the robot, the fonder they became of him. The team chose dogs for this pilot study given their ubiquity and our longstanding positive relationship with them. </p><p>As part of the study, each participant filled out a questionnaire about their biophilic beliefs. Interestingly, animistic beliefs played a role—how willing they were to ascribe agency to the robot. The "realer" the robot felt, the more positive the affect. </p><p>Moving forward, robot support animals could help people unable to care for or be around actual animals. As Proops concludes, </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"This is a small-scale study, but the results show that interactive robotic animals could be used as a good comparison to live dogs in research, and a useful alternative to traditional animal therapy."</p><p>--</p><p><em>Stay in touch with Derek on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/derekberes" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DerekBeresdotcom" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a>. His new book is</em> "<em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KRVMP2M?pf_rd_r=MDJW43337675SZ0X00FH&pf_rd_p=edaba0ee-c2fe-4124-9f5d-b31d6b1bfbee" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hero's Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy</a>."</em></p>
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5 facts about positive affect for 2021
After the unrelenting negativity of 2020, we may need a refresher on the benefits of a positive affect.
21 December, 2020
Credit: Antonioguillem / Adobe Stock
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<p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The </a><a href="https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/top-google-searches-2020" target="_self">year 2020</a> was an unrelenting nightmare of negative stimuli. The coronavirus hit early and, in coastal cities like Seattle and New York, hit hard. Daily news reports tallied <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_casesper100klast7days" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a death toll</a> that today accounts for more American lives lost to coronavirus than <a href="https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">battles in World War II</a>. <a href="https://bigthink.com/coronavirus/job-seekers-coronavirus" target="_self">Unemployment</a> reached <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-05-08/jobs-report-labor-market-shock" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">unprecedented levels</a> just as schools rushed to implement <a href="https://bigthink.com/personal-growth/remote-education" target="_self">remote-learning contingencies</a>. Then there were the violent displays of racial inequality, the revelations of America's <a href="https://bigthink.com/Northwell-Health/health-disparities-coronavirus" target="_self">devastating health gaps</a>, and <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-running-list-of-record-breaking-natural-disasters-in-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">widespread disasters</a> that hit with devastating force. Oh, and it was an election year, a time customarily reserved for bickering and the revocation of goodwill.</p><p>Many of us know that 2021 won't bring miraculous change, like a hard reboot of America's fractured systems and growing cultural distrust. But with New Year's quickly approaching, we also can't help but revel in its symbolism, a fresh start to a new (hopefully better) year.</p><p>After the fusillade of negativity that was 2020, though, we may need some help rerouting our mental circuitry toward positivity. Here are five helpful reminders of the value of sporting a positive outlook backed by science—and not self-help quackery.</p>
1. Positivity correlates with better health
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="67cab64f293633035f0c699f71a5d426"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vyJ_hhninDw?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>It's difficult to say whether a positive outlook nurtures health, success, and life satisfaction or if people who are healthy, successful, and satisfied maintain a positive outlook for, well, obvious reasons. While establishing a causal relationship has been difficult, research does suggest that happiness, extraversion, and optimism—the traits of a <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/positive-affect-and-stress-3144628#:~:text=%22Positive%20affect%22%20refers%20to%20one's,negativity%20in%20relationships%20and%20surroundings" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">positive affect</a>—influence beneficial life outcomes as much as it is a byproduct.</p><p>A longitudinal study published in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797620953883" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Psychological Science</a> found that enthusiastic, cheerful people experienced less memory decline with age. The researchers tested nearly 1,000 middle-aged and senior U.S. adults and found a strong association between having a positive affect and a stronger performance on the memory test.</p><p>As study authors Claudia Haase and Emily Hittner, an associate professor and a Ph.D. graduate at Northwestern University, respectively, <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/2020-oct-positive-outlook-memory.html" target="_blank">said in a release</a>: "Our findings showed that memory declined with age. However, individuals with higher levels of positive affect had a less steep memory decline over the course of almost a decade."</p><p>Preliminary research looking at <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3122271/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the broaden-and-build theory</a> suggests that a positive affect not only helps people cope with stress but makes them more psychologically resilient to future stressors. And <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-positive-thinking" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">studies have found</a> that a positive outlook boosts immune responses while reducing the likelihood of heart attacks or other coronary problems. (Though, again, it is unclear in the literature whether positive people make healthier choices or if the positive affect influences these boons).</p>2. Positivity is contagious
<p>The <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/high-octane-women/201210/emotions-are-contagious-choose-your-company-wisely" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">emotional contagion phenomenon</a> describes the tendency for us to acquire the emotions of the people around us. Hanging out with happy, enthusiastic people, researchers have discovered, makes us happier and more enthusiastic ourselves, leading to windfalls such as less stress and increased energy. Of course, the phenomenon works in the opposite direction, too. Our minds can become the harbors of others' misery. </p><p>"Just as some diseases are contagious, we're found that many emotions can pulse through social networks," sociologist Nicholas Christakis told <a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/magazine/science-emotion/contagion-happiness" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Harvard Medicine in an interview</a>. Unlike a real disease, however, emotions don't have to be transmitted through contact. They can infect our minds through social networks and even online.</p><p><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071004135757.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A study out of the University of Chicago</a> found that researchers could alter people's opinions of a product by simply revealing peer evaluations. Sharing the negative opinions of others turned previously positive opinions sour and entrenched the already negative ones. </p><p>As Christakis added later in the interview, "Rather than asking how we can get happier, we should be asking how we can increase happiness all around us. When you make positive changes in your life, those effects ripple out from you and you can find yourself surrounded by the very thing you fostered."</p>3. Social connections support positivity
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d5c6236f760ae82fc9ed12daecff4847"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OAsTZGwc3Kw?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>If emotions are contagious, then it stands to reason that positive social connections support personal positivity. And that's exactly what the research shows. </p><p>In 2019, the American Psychological Association published <a href="https://doi.apa.org/fulltext/2019-55803-001.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a meta-analysis</a> surveying two decades of longitudinal research. All told, the report analyzed more than 47,000 participants across 52 studies looking at the effect social relationships had on self-esteem. The researchers found that social relationships, social support, and social acceptance helped develop positive self-esteem throughout people's lives.</p><p>"For the first time, we have a systematic answer to a key question in the field of self-esteem research: Whether and to what extent a person's social relationships influence his or her self-esteem development, and vice versa, and at what ages," Michelle A. Harris, study author and psychologist at the University of Texas, Austin, <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190926092416.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said in a release</a>. "The reciprocal link between self-esteem and social relationships implies that the effects of a positive feedback loop accumulate over time and could be substantial as people go through life." Harris added that the effect did not differ significantly across the studies analyzed, suggesting a robust finding.</p>4. We have a bias toward positive language
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150209161143.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Researchers at the University of Vermont</a> wanted to test the Pollyanna Hypothesis, the idea that there is a universal human tendency to—feel free to whistle along—look on the bright side of life. </p><p>To test it, they asked the native speakers of ten different languages to rate individual words on a 9-point scale. Nine equaled broad-smiley face, while one was for deep-frowny face. For example, among English speakers, "laugher" rated a happy 8.5, "the" a neutral 4.98, and "terrorist" a depressing 1.3. The researchers then gathered a data set containing billions of words from 24 sources in those languages, from books to tweets, websites to music lyrics, and, of course, news stories.</p><p><a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/112/8/2389" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">An analysis of the data</a> showed that humans typically use language to imbue a, in the researcher's words, "usage-invariant positivity bias." Every one of their 24 sources rated above the neutral score of five across all ten languages. Though it's certainly not true of all songs or novels—no amount of data massaging could turn "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="">The Road</a>" into anything other than a bummer—the researchers found that overall humanity "use[s] more happy words than sad words." Counterintuitive as it sounds, Twitter really is a gathering of the Pollyannas.</p>5. Positivity is not a self-fulfilling prophecy
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="adc4ace82b7a0f39e0c2ba4fd07f8201"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-xA5xgAqj1I?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Do these findings mean we should give ourselves over to the cult of positivity come 2021? Should we ignore every one of life's difficulties, view every rain cloud as a cotton-candy-laced fantasy, and use positive thinking to ween away our every foible until we become new-age Übermenschs? Absolutely not. Without realism to serve as ballast, positivity can become a flight of fancy that drifts us over dangerous territories.</p><p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0146167220934577" target="_blank">One study</a> compared people's financial expectations in life with their ultimate outcomes over 18 years. They found that participants who set realistic expectations based on accurate assessments of their situations had higher well-being than those who set unrealistic expectations based on overly positive attitudes. Crucially, realists had a higher well-being score than pessimists, too.</p><p>"I think for many people, research that shows you don't have to spend your days striving to think positively might come as a relief. We see that being realistic about your future and making sound decisions based on evidence can bring a sense of well-being, without having to immerse yourself in relentless positivity," Chris Dawson, study author and associate professor of business economics at Bath University, said <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200707113230.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in a release</a>.</p><p>Positivity must also be measured against a realistic accounting of our emotions. Sometimes, life just sucks. It isn't fair. We lose the people we love, our hard work goes under-appreciated, and we struggle to traverse the paths that others seem to bypass. To just think positively and assume everything will be fine is what psychologist Susan David calls the "tyranny of positivity." Rather than ignore these parts of our life, David suggests that we should accept them.</p><p>"Difficult experiences are part of life. They are part of life's contract with the world. They're part of our contract with the world simply by virtue of being here," David told <a href="https://bigthink.com/videos/susan-david-on-our-unhealthy-obsession-with-happiness" target="_self">Big Think during an interview</a>. "It is really important that as human beings, we develop our capacity to deal with our thoughts and emotions in a way that isn't a struggle, in a way that embraces them and is with them and is able to learn from them."</p><p>Positive realists don't ignore life's hardships and challenges, nor do they let the negativity bias worsen such struggles. They approach both rationally and with measured expectations. When remembering a year or period in their lives, they may also choose to treasure its positive qualities. And after a year like 2020, we can all be forgiven if, in 2021, we err on the bright(er) side of life. </p>
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Is rap music destigmatizing mental health disorders?
A new study shows that the top rap songs in the U.S. are making increasingly frequent references to depression and suicidal thoughts.
17 December, 2020
Credit: Axel Antas-Bergkvist on Unsplash
- The most popular rap songs in the U.S. are more frequently making references to mental health problems, particularly suicide and depression.
- A research team analyzed lyrics from the top 25 most popular rap songs released in the years 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018, examining the lyrics of artists such as Eminem, Drake, Post Malone, Lil' Wayne, Juice WRLD, Kanye West, and Jay-Z.
- References to suicide rose from 0% to 12%, and references to depression from 16% to 32% over the last 20 years.
<p>According to a new study, the top rap songs in the U.S. are making increasingly frequent references to mental health problems, particularly suicide and depression.</p><a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.5155?guestAccessKey=b0cd42e5-ce5b-4a29-ac74-d05ab8ce119d&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=120720" target="_blank">The study</a>, which was published last week in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The team analyzed lyrics from the top 25 most popular rap songs released in the years 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018 using data from companies such as Billboard and Nielsen. Artists whose lyrics were examined in the study included Eminem, Drake, Post Malone, Lil' Wayne, Juice WRLD, Kanye West, and Jay-Z. Most of the songs featured a Black artist, and the mean age of the artists was 28.2 years old.
Lyrics and mental health
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDk3NTMwNC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNzY1MTAzOX0.LucgHFKGAeqMPYhdVTgEZBN1qlPW1C2DX77M4A17PlE/img.png?width=980" id="520ba" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d770fd1d5acafd765747a28c344b3efa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="944" data-height="573" />Credit: Alex Kresovich et al. / JAMA Pediatr.
<p>The lyrics were analyzed for references to anxiety (e.g. "Do you experience nervousness or shakiness inside, faintness and dizziness?"); depression ("Went through deep depression when my mama passed…"), and suicide or suicidal ideation ("Only once the drugs are done / Do I feel like dying.").</p><p>Overall, the researchers found that about about one-third of the 125 songs referred to anxiety, 22 percent to depression, and 6 percent to suicide. Alarmingly, these percentages had more than doubled in 2018 as compared to 1998. </p><p>Zooming in closer, general mental health-related metaphors in the lyrics had increased from 8 percent to 44 percent over the two decades. References to suicide rose from 0 percent to 12 percent, and references to depression from 16 percent to 32 percent over the last 20 years. Anxiety-related references did not increase significantly. </p>America's youth is not okay
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e8c85c5d93f972abcb6a5aee50c5f14e"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BLKuqdAoGvg?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>This isn't just a rapper thing, as <a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Anxiety-Disorders.aspx" target="_blank">research trends</a> over the years are indicating that young Americans are not okay. The trend in emotionally darker rap lyrics mirrors what has been referred to as the "mental health crisis" in the United States.</p><p>Some data has found that psychological stress and suicide risk as rocketed from 2008 to 2017, and that's particularly true among 18 to 25 year-olds. The prevalence of "major depressive episodes" among US adolescents <a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/6/e20161878" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">also increased from 2005 to 2014</a>. According to X, anxiety affects around 30 percent of adolescents, with 80 percent never seeking treatment. The crisis reached a fever pitch in 2017 when the suicide rate among 15 to 24 year olds in the United States peaked at its highest level since 1960. From 2007 to 2017, suicide rates among people aged <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db352.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">10 to 24</a> rose by a grim 56 percent. Another <a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/144/5/e20191187" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">analysis</a> found that suicide attempts among Black youth <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/apa/2020/01/black-youth-suicide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rose by 73 percent</a> from 1991 to 2017, while declining for whites.</p><p>The finding that rap lyrics have increasing references to mental health problems is significant because of the genre's popularity amongst American youth, who now spend nearly <a href="https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2017/time-with-tunes-how-technology-is-driving-music-consumption/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">40 hours per week</a> listening to music. The authors note that rap artists influence "the development of these young people's identities." </p><p>The researchers noted that they could not determine "whether these lyrical references to mental health are due to rap artists' desires to self-disclose or to instigate discussions about mental health," according to the study. "Because rap is an autobiographical art form, the artists and younger adults may have observed and reflected national trends of distress experienced by themselves or people close to them." </p>Shifting social stigmas
<p>Over the past two decades, rappers have begun to embrace emotional vulnerability in ways they hadn't previously, for example Kanye West and J. Cole. In fact, researchers of the study suggested that the increase of references was linked to Kanye West's 2008 album "808s & Heartbreak," noting that artists such as Drake, Juice WRLD, and Post Malone (all of whom had songs examined in the study) have nodded to West's album as having had influence on their music styles. Even before male emotional introspection and mental health were part of the mainstream discourse, they were being embraced in rap. </p><p>More research will be necessary, the authors write, to understand "how this music can improve the mental health of its listeners or how it might lead to greater risk." In conclusion, the authors highlight that the study underscores a need to examine rap music and now, depending on the messaging, it may be able to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness by putting it in the spotlight. </p>
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