Go MOM!!

Check out these interesting facts about women:

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Fascinating facts about brought to you by: Positive Acorn http://positiveacorn.com

Women and Courage

As Mother's Day is just around the corner we thought it would be appropriate to highlight some of the findings in Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener's new book, The Courage Quotient.

Did you know that in every single category except physical acts of bravery, women are more courageous than men?

Studies have shown that women, who make up 51% of the population, are about 60% of all Peace Corps volunteers.
Women also make up 60% of those who have been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, an honor given to non-Jews who risked their lives to aid Jews during the Holocaust.
In addition, most people would agree that donating an organ takes quite a bit of bravery, and studies have found that women donate 57% of all kidneys in the U.S.

Another statistic of interest is the percentage of women who win the Carnegie Medal, given to a person who "voluntarily risks his or her own life, knowingly, to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the life of another person." Although women are nominated for this honor less often than men, those who are nominated for a medal win the award 11.2% of the time whereas only 10.6% of men nominated did.
 
In honor of Mother's Day we invite you to share your favorite story of a courageous woman in your life..after all, the act of giving birth takes a lot of courage! Post your comment on our Facebook page- we look forward to reading your stories!

Are you working too much?

Gone are the days when people worked regular 9-5 jobs, weekends were for leisure activities, and everyone got to sit around the family dinner table every night for a home cooked meal. Now a days people are lucky if they catch their family members in passing. Between our work schedule, the kids school schedule, their extracurricular activities and more - - it’s any wonder that we actually can remember what the family member look like anymore. We all complain about it – I wish I didn’t have to work so much, I wish I didn’t have so much on my plate, and yet it is a vicious cycle to break from (if you can).

With today’s economy it is a luxury to not have to work on the weekends and actually make it home for dinner. Many employers also want people to be “on-call” even when they are not at work – thanks to blackberries and smart phones. But, new research has shown that working too much can be an even bigger stressor to our already compromised mental health than we may have thought.

People who work too much are twice as likely to become depressed, finds a study led by a researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. The authors followed more than 2,000 middle-aged British workers over the course of five years and found that those working 11 or more hours a day had nearly double the odds of experiencing a major depressive episode than their colleagues. (PLoS ONE, Jan. 25)

Many people miss work due to physical and mental health days, but what employers may not understand, this cuts down productivity, increases cost for medical benefits and just creates a work environment full of people who can’t perform at their best – i.e., more cost to the employer. What is worse – if you are not performing your best at the office, chances are you are not performing your best at home.

Employers should begin to see that having longer work days doesn't mean better – for anyone.

Cake for Breakfast and other healthy tips....

Could Marie Antoinette have been right when she said..."let them eat cake"?  Check out the latest research in the field of Psychology. Maybe one of these tips can help you make a lifestyle change for the better.

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Monitor Magazine
April 2012, Vol 43, No. 4
In Brief - Snapshots of some of the latest peer-reviewed research within psychology and related fields.

Topping off breakfast with a piece of chocolate cake may help dieters lose more weight, according to researchers from Tel Aviv University. In a study with nearly 200 obese, non-diabetic adults, scientists found that participants who added dessert to their breakfasts — such as cookies, cake or chocolate — lost an average of 40 pounds more than a group that avoided such foods. They also kept the weight off longer. Researchers say that such a morning meal staves off cravings and defuses psychological addictions to sweet foods. (Steroids, March)

People eat less when they munch on snacks in pre-packaged segments or portions, according to a study by researchers at Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania. In the study, 98 college students ate from tubes of potato chips while watching a movie. The control group ate chips that were identical and the treatment group ate from tubes that had colored chips inserted at regular intervals — every fifth chip was red, for example. The authors found that participants in the red-potato-chip group ate an average of 50 percent fewer chips than those whose chips were identical. (Health Psychology, online Feb. 6)

Exercise makes us happy, according researchers at Pennsylvania State University. For eight days, the study tracked the daily activities of 190 college students, who reported on the amount and level of their physical activity and their overall mental states. The participants who were more physically active reported greater levels of excitement and enthusiasm than those who were less active. (Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, December)

Children who get more exercise do better in school, according to a study conducted by scientists at the Vrije Universiteit Free University Medical Center in Amsterdam. Researchers reviewed 14 studies that compared kids’ physical activity with their grades or scores on math, language and general thinking and memory tests. They found that those with higher rates of physical activity did better in the classroom. The authors say this may be because children can concentrate better when they get enough exercise or because physical activity improves blood flow to the brain. (Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, January)

Good friends can reduce the effects of stress, according to a study by researchers at Concordia University in Montreal. More than 100 schoolchildren in fifth and sixth grades were given journals to record their feelings and had their saliva tested four times a day for four consecutive days. The authors found that having a best friend present during a stressful experience significantly buffered the children against the negative effects of that experience — cortisol levels and self-worth remained relatively unchanged. When a best friend was not present, researchers saw an increase in cortisol and a decrease in self-worth. (Developmental Psychology, November)

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.

Be Healthy at Work

March 7, 2012

APA Announces 2012 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award Winners and Workplace Survey Results

Half of all employees who say they do not feel valued at work report that they intend to look for a new job in the next year, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Conducted online among 1,714 adults between January 12 and 19, 2012 on behalf of the APA by Harris Interactive, the survey found that employees who feel valued are more likely to report better physical and mental health, as well as higher levels of engagement, satisfaction and motivation, compared to those who do not feel valued by their employers.
Almost all employees (93 percent) who reported feeling valued said that they are motivated to do their best at work and 88 percent reported feeling engaged. This compares to just 33 percent and 38 percent, respectively, of those who said they do not feel valued. Among employees who feel valued, just one in five (21 percent) said they intend to look for a new job in the next year (vs. 50 percent of those who said that they do not feel valued).
A variety of factors were linked to feeling undervalued at work, including having fewer opportunities for involvement in decision making (24 percent vs. 84 percent), being less satisfied with the potential for growth and advancement (9 percent vs. 70 percent), having fewer opportunities to use flexible work arrangements (20 percent vs. 59 percent) and being less likely to say they are receiving adequate monetary compensation (18 percent vs. 69 percent) and non-monetary rewards (16 percent vs. 65 percent). Overall, more than one in five (21 percent) working Americans said they do not feel valued by their employers.

Stress at Work

Many Americans continue to report chronic work stress, with two out of five employees (41 percent) reporting that they typically feel tense or stressed out during the workday. Commonly cited causes of work stress include low salaries (46 percent), lack of opportunities for growth or advancement (41 percent), too heavy a workload (41 percent), long hours (37 percent) and unclear job expectations (35 percent).

Psychologically Healthy Workplaces

Despite ongoing business challenges and employment issues that are clearly ripe for improvement, according to the American Psychological Association some employers have seized the opportunity to create a healthy culture where employees and the organization can thrive. In recognition of those employers who understand the link between employee well-being and organizational performance, the American Psychological Association will recognize 11 organizations at its seventh annual Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards ceremony in Washington, DC on Saturday March 10.
The employers who will receive the American Psychological Association’s 2012 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award are:

• Noble-Davis Consulting (Ohio)
• ReMed Recovery Care Centers (Pennsylvania)
• Certified Angus Beef (Ohio)
• College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia
• Coconino County (Arizona)

These employers reported an average turnover rate of just 11 percent in 2011 – significantly less than the national average of 36 percent, as estimated by the U.S. Department of Labor. Surveys completed by the winning organizations show that only 24 percent of employees reported experiencing chronic work stress compared to 41 percent nationally, and 80 percent of employees reported being satisfied with their job vs. 70 percent in the general population. Additionally, 78 percent of employees said they would recommend their organization to others as a good place to work compared to 63 percent, and only 14 percent said they intend to seek employment elsewhere within the next year, compared to 28 percent nationally.
“The business world is in the midst of a sea change,” says David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA, head of APA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program. “Successful organizations have learned that high performance and sustainable results require attention to the relationships among employee, organization, customer and community. Forward-thinking employers such as our 2012 award winners are taking steps to create a positive organizational culture where employees feel valued and, in turn, help drive bottom-line results.”
The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards are designed to recognize organizations for their efforts to foster employee well-being while enhancing organizational performance. The program has both local- and national-level components. APA’s PHWA spans North America and is designed to showcase the very best from among the winners recognized by APA’s affiliated state, provincial and territorial psychological associations.
Nominees are selected from a pool of previous local winners and evaluated on their workplace practices in the areas of employee involvement, health and safety, employee growth and development, work-life balance and employee recognition. Additional factors that are considered include employee attitudes and opinions; the role of communication in the organization; and the benefits realized in terms of both employee health and organizational performance. Awards are given to for-profit and not-for-profit organizations as well as government, military and educational institutions.

Read more about APA’s 2012 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award winners here.

In addition to the PHWA winners, nine organizations will receive Best Practices Honors for a single program or policy that contributes to a psychologically healthy work environment and meets the unique needs of the organization and its employees. The honorees are:

• Certified Angus Beef (Ohio)
• Chimes Delaware, Newark Vocational Facility
• College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia
• Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon & Galchus (Arkansas)
• Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Northwest (Oregon)
• Koinonia Homes (Ohio)
• Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, LSS Financial Counseling Service
• Orion Associates (Minnesota)
• ReMed Recovery Care Centers (Pennsylvania)

Read more about APA’s 2012 Best Practices honorees here.

“The 2012 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award winners have implemented programs and policies that enhance functioning for both employee and employer,” says Norman B. Anderson, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association. “Their efforts demonstrate the power of a healthy work environment and prove that any type of organization can create a psychologically healthy workplace.”

Download a copy of the complete 2012 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards and Best Practices Honors magazine here.

About the Survey

The Stress in the Workplace survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Psychological Association between January 12 and January 19, 2012 among 1,714 adults aged 18-plus who reside in the U.S. and are employed full-time or part-time or are self-employed. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
A full methodology and more information about the 2012 PHWA winners and Best Practices honorees is available here. Organizations interested in learning more about creating a psychologically healthy workplace or applying for an award in their state, province or territory can visit www.phwa.org.