News from the Values In Action Institute (VIA)

Using Your Strength of HUMOR To Cope

 















In the modern hospital setting, humor and laughter are powerful forces that caregivers can scarcely afford to ignore. Humor and laughter can not only help heal patients, they can help health professionals cope with the stresses of hospital life, reduce anxiety, and provide comfort when things go badly (discussed in Ruch, Rodden, & Proyer, 2011).

Have you seen the film, Patch Adams?
A movie based on the real-life story of Hunter “Patch” Adams, a medical student who incorporates playfulness, laughter, and humor in his work with patients.

Ruch, W., Rodden, F. A., & Proyer, R. T. (2011). Humor and other positive interventions in medical and therapeutic settings. In B. Kirkcaldy (Ed.), The Art and Science of Health Care: Psychology and Human Factors for Practitioners (pp. 277-294). Gottingen, Germany: Hogrefe.

VIA Institute on Character | 312 Walnut Street | Cincinnati | OH | 45202 | UShttp://viacharacter.org 

The Current Generation

Check out this interesting new research from the American Psychological Association:


March 15, 2012

Recent Generations Focus More on Fame, Money Than Giving Back

Young adults less interested in community issues, politics and environment, finds new research

WASHINGTON—The times are changing, and not necessarily for the better when it comes to giving back to society, according to 40 years of research on 9 million young adults. Since the baby boomer generation, there has been a significant decline among young Americans in political participation, concern for others and interest in saving the environment, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.

“Popular views of the millennial generation, born in the 1980s and 1990s, as more caring, community-oriented and politically engaged than previous generations are largely incorrect, particularly when compared to baby boomers and Generation X at the same age,” said the study’s lead author, Jean Twenge, PhD, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and author of the book, “Generation Me.” “These data show that recent generations are less likely to embrace community mindedness and are focusing more on money, image and fame.” The study was published online this month in APA’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology^®.

Related

• Generational Differences in Young Adults' Life Goals, Concern for Others, and Civic Orientation, 1966–2009 (PDF, 342KB)

The findings did show that millennials were more likely than baby boomers or Generation Xers to volunteer during high school and to say that they intend to participate in community service in college. However, the authors contend that this trend is most likely related to schools’ requiring community service for graduation, which has been cited in numerous studies. The desire to save the environment, an area considered to be of particular concern to millennials, showed some of the largest declines, with three times as many millennials as baby boomers at the same age saying they made no personal effort to help the environment. Fifty-one percent of millennials said they made an effort to cut down on electricity use to save energy, compared to 68 percent of boomers in the 1970s.

Twenge and her colleagues analyzed data from the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future study of high school seniors, conducted continuously since 1975, and the American Freshman survey by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute of entering college students since 1966. Both surveys included items on life goals, concern for others, and civic and community involvement.

In the American Freshman survey, the proportion of students who said being wealthy was very important to them increased from 45 percent for baby boomers (surveyed between 1966 and 1978) to 70 percent for Generation Xers (surveyed between 1979 and 1999) and 75 percent for millennials (surveyed between 2000 and 2009). Likewise, the proportion who said it was important to keep up to date with political affairs decreased, from 50 percent for boomers to 39 percent for Generation Xers and 35 percent for millennials. “Becoming involved in programs to clean up the environment” decreased, from 33 percent for boomers to 20 percent for millennials. “Developing a meaningful philosophy of life” decreased the most across generations, from 73 percent for boomers to 45 percent for millennials.

“These data suggest that the 'Me Generation' label affixed to the baby boomers was unwarranted. In comparison to the proceeding generations, the boomers look significantly more selfless,” Twenge said. “The generational trends toward more political disengagement, less environmental concern and more materialistic values could have a meaningful impact on society. It will be interesting to see how millennials are affected by the recent recession and whether future generations will reverse the trends.”

Article: “Generational Differences in Young Adults’ Life Goals, Concern for Others, and Civic Orientation, 1966-2009,” Jean M. Twenge, PhD, and Elise C. Freeman, MA, San Diego State University; W. Keith Campbell, PhD, University of Georgia; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, online.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 154,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

Spring Time Resolutions

It's the first week of April - how is your New Year's Resolution going?

It’s already April – Wow, how time flies.  But, be honest – are you still keeping with those New Year’s resolutions? By this stage most people have given up or just plain forgot about their new year promises. Here are some reasons why your New Year’s diet isn’t working. If you have noticed that all of your diet efforts aren’t working read the 7 scenarios below and see if one fits your story.

1.      You aren’t eating enough:  many people who go on diets immediately cut a lot of calories from their diets. You may actually need to bump up your calories to rev up that metabolism for full burning optimization. When you dip below 1,200-1,500 calories a day, not only are you not eating enough to get all of your nutrients, but your body slows down the metabolism in order to hold on to precious calories.

Also, if you skip meals to lose weight you could lose your ability to feel full. Evolution has designed our bodies to resist famine and not the buffet table. If you skip breakfast the body assumes that food is scarce, so your body won’t burn calories. You need a morning meal to let your body know it is okay to be burning calories. Within 1 hour of waking up in the morning, you should be consuming 300-500 calories (with 10-15 grams of protein and some fiber).

2.      You reward yourself with food after exercise: Burning 300 calories during a workout is wonderful and certainly a cause for celebration, however – are you rewarding yourself with a healthy treat or a high-calorie treat that doesn’t add up to the workout you just finished?  After exercise you are likely to overestimate how much you burned in the workout, therefore, eating more food than you need. It is true that we do continue to burn calories after we exercise, but don’t fool yourself into thinking this is the best time to cheat and grab high-calorie, high-carb junk food. All you’re doing is cheating yourself of the benefits of a great workout.

 

3.      You drink diet drinks:  Everyone thinks they are doing good by drinking a zero calorie diet soda vs. the real think.  However, research suggests that diet drinks may backfire. The taste of something sweet without the calories can cause your body to hold on to calories (already consumed) as fat. In a 2011 study, diet soda drinkers had 178% greater increase in waist circumference over 10 years, compared with non-diet soda drinkers. All that artificial sweetener can actually raise your insulin levels and lower your blood sugar, which actually stimulates hunger and move your existing calories into storage (i.e. FAT). Plus, fake sweeteners may not quell a craving like real sugar can because sugar triggers a longer dopamine release. So, even after downing 2 diet-sodas you may still want a candy bar or piece of cake.

4.      Your family and friends are fat: You chances of being overweight or becoming obese increases by ½ a percent with every friend or family member in your network who is themselves obese. A 2010 Harvard University study found that your chances of obesity double for every four obese friends you have. Even if that friend lives thousands of miles away, your chances of gaining weight still go up. This may be because your perception of being overweight changes – living larger seems acceptable since the heavy person is a friend or family member. Interestingly, having an obese neighbor that you don’t know very well does not increase your risk.

Experts also think that a person’s lifestyle and behaviors can subconsciously rub off on those in the individual’s circle. But you don’t have to ditch overweight friends to lose weight. In fact, if you embark on a lifestyle change together, you can increase your fun and burn calories at the same time. Research from Oxford University found that exercising with friends and family as a team can actually make the agony of exercise less intense. The same hormones that are released during social bonding, endorphins – also help quell pain. And once a friend starts to lose weight, you have a greater chance of losing as well.

5.      You’ve eliminated wine: New research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston has found that women who drank 1-2 glasses of wine daily gained less weight over 13 years, compared with those who did not drink alcohol (8lbs. vs. 5.5 lbs to be exact). Remember, everything in moderation though. Women should not drink more than 2 standard drinks in 1 sitting to make sure they are getting positive health benefits from the alcohol. More than 2 standard drinks and you are harming your body.

6.      Your diet isn’t digitally enhanced:  you may know that keeping a food journal can help you automatically reduce your calorie intake (simply by making you aware of each bite). But did you know using a digitized program or application with positive feedback can hlp you lose even more? A new study from the University of Pittsburgh found that people who monitored their diet and exercise with digital devices (which provided daily feedback) lost more weight and stuck with their diet longer than those who used paper and pen.

Not only that, but the techy group increased their fruit and veggie intake more than the paper and pen group. And you don’t have to log in daily or weekly – one study found that diets who recorded meals online just once a month were 3 times more likely to keep off pounds over 2 years compared with those who did report less frequently.

7.      You’ve gone No-Carb or Fat-Free with your diet: did you know that by cutting back markedly on any one food group (let’s just use carbs or fat as an example) can leave you short on the nutrients you need to stay energized. One study found that dieters low in calcium and vitamin C had higher odds of putting on belly fat. The trick is a varied diet that includes healthy fats and good carbs like fruits and vegetables. After all, the biggest reason low-carb diets backfire is that for the vast majority of people they are not sustainable over the long haul.

Not many people can say no to bread, pasta, and birthday cake for an entire lifetime. And as with all diets – once you quit – you regain the weight you lost and more.  These fluctuations can make it an even bigger challenge to lose weight the next time.