MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'altruism'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:04:27 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174676&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F29%2Fdo-doctors-lack-empathy%2F Shortly after I finished Simon Baron-Cohen’s new book, The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty, I spoke to one of my friends who had just had an extremely bad interaction with a doctor.  The friend had just received a frightening diagnosis and when she went to ask more questions, the doctor was blunt and emotionally-disengaged.  As I spoke to the friend, it occurred to me that, while there were some very important exceptions, I’d actually had a lot of similar experiences with doctors.  Might it be true that doctors have less empathy than other people? Coincidentally, with the help of the gnomes of the World Wide Web, I found an interesting recent article by Omar Sultan Haque and Adam Waytz in Scientific American, which describes two experiments by Jean Decety ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174676 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:01:58 +0100 5174676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050741&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F22%2Fthe-situation-of-fairness%2F Carlos Alós-Ferrer, Anja Achtziger, and Alexander Wagner, recently posted their paper “Social Preferences and Self-Control” on SSRN. We study the interaction of different motives and decision processes in determining behavior in the ultimatum game. We rely on an experimental manipulation called ego depletion which consumes self-control resources, thereby enhancing the influence of default reactions or, in psychological terms, automatic processes. We find that proposers make lower offers under ego depletion, i.e. self-centered monetary concerns are the default mode and not other-regarding considerations (fairness towards others). Responders are more likely to reject low offers under ego depletion, i.e. the affect-influenced reaction to reject unfair offers (reaction to unfairne... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050741 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 04:01:22 +0100 5050741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008324&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F07%2Fthe-situation-of-heroism%2F From NPR’s Morning Edition: In 1971, at Stanford University, a young psychology professor created a simulated prison. Some of the young men playing the guards became sadistic, even violent, and the experiment had to be stopped. The results of the Stanford Prison Experiment showed that people tend to conform — even when that means otherwise good people doing terrible things. Since then, the experiment has been used to help explain everything from Nazi Germany to Abu Ghraib. Now, in a new project, [Situationist Contributor] Philip Zimbardo, the psychologist who created the prison experiment, is trying to show that people can learn to bring out the best in themselves rather than the worst. An Unwanted Legacy Four decades after he created the Stanford Prison Experiment, Zimbardo says h... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008324 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 04:01:39 +0100 5008324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934367&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F13%2Ftanya-chartrand-on-social-mimicry%2F From The Human Spark: Obvious mimicry can be maddening – as the “Stop copying me!” refrain screamed by generations of siblings can attest. But in this Web-Exclusive Video, Alan Alda learns that subtle mimicry in social situations can actually lead to positive emotions and behaviors. Duke University psychologist Tanya Chartrand enlists Alan as a participant in her research. Watch this clip to learn about social mimicry – and why you can’t expect an actor not to always have the best interests of the camera in mind! Related Situationist posts: The Embodied Situation of Power “The Situational Power of Appearance and Posture,” “The Situation of Imitation and Mimickry,” “The Situation of Trust,” “The Situation of Body Image,” “The (Unconscious) Situation of... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934367 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:01:48 +0100 4934367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883687&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F29%2Fthe-situation-of-donations%2F From BBC: We give more to a drought victim than a war victim because we suspect the latter may be partly to blame for their plight, the authors say. It could explain why the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami sparked a huge response but the Darfur appeal received less. The study was published in the European Journal of Social Psychology. “These conclusions are borne out by our experience,” said Brendan Paddy of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), a UK body that co-ordinates aid appeals. “Appeals for a humanitarian disaster arising from conflict tend to get significantly less response than natural events.” * * * In the study, the psychologists invented a fictitious famine. They then told test groups the famine was caused either by a “drought” or “armed ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883687 Mon, 30 May 2011 01:44:12 +0100 4883687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803013&cid=t_160800_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F008071.html An anti-anxiety drug reduces the odds people will respond to unfair treatment by trying to punish the perpetrator. [PRESS RELEASE, 4 May 2011] A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that the brain has built-in mechanisms that trigger an automatic reaction to someone who refuses to share. The reaction derives from the amygdala, an older part of the brain. The subjects' sense of justice was challenged in a two-player money-based fairness game, while their brain activity was registered by an MR scanner. When bidders made unfair suggestions as to how to share the money, they were often punished by their partners even if it cost them. The drug in question probably does this by inhibiting the amygdala part... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803013 Sat, 07 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4803013 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4744842&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F24%2Fthe-situation-of-altruism-2%2F From UCtelevision: Christopher Boehm, Steve Frank, and Christophe Boesch explore the biological basis of the evolution of cooperation, how and why societies organize to suppress the “free-rider” and how the ecology of societies influence the evolution of cooperation and altruism Series: “CARTA – Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4744842 Sun, 24 Apr 2011 04:01:09 +0100 4744842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684434&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F25492572%2F0%2Fneuromarketing%7EGetting-High-Boosts-Cooperation.htm In our language, we tend to associate height with good. Heaven is above us, Hell is somewhere beneath us. God is described as appearing on a mountain, not in a valley. You “look up” to someone you admire. It turns out that this association of height with good is rooted in our subconscious mind, and [...] CommentsNo pun intended, I'm sure, Jacob! I suspect use of height ... by Roger DooleyI wonder if this effect can be extended to the language we use ... by Jacob LepiarzRelated StoriesGive Big, Get BiggerFacial EMG: Muscles Don’t Lie?Baby Pics Boost Altruism (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684434 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:48:17 +0100 4684434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4554644&cid=t_160800_107_f&fid=36698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fminingdrugs.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fshould-scientists-care-about-wiki-for.html I would like to encourage scientists to contribute to the ongoing survey of the Research Committee of the Wikimedia Foundation. The title of the survey is "Expert barriers to Wikipedia?" and you as scientists, experts, would greatly help in understanding what drives people to contribute, collaborate, and communicate with each other. The focus of their survey is on Wikipedia as Knowledge Management (KM) platform.I took the survey and add here additional remarks to some science specific issues:We have featured articles on Wikipedia. Do we also have "expert approved" articles? If not, could the WM:ResearchCommittee create some guidelines, and expert networks in taking this post-review on? This would help having a better argument against those typical "Is WP a reliable source?" discussions, es... Mining Drug Space blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4554644 Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:08:00 +0100 4554644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4253199&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2F13%2Fexchanging-gifts-with-your-therapist%2F It’s that time of the year again — the time where gift-giving is a part of many people’s holiday rituals. While we don’t think twice about buying little gifts for close friends and family, sometimes it gives us pause to consider giving a gift to our therapist. Here’s a relationship with a professional that we see once a week, and yet it is a professional relationship (even if it doesn’t always feel that way). What should you do? Should you exchange a little gift with your therapist? Of course, before you do anything, you and your therapist should talk about exchanging gifts (especially if you don’t know your therapist’s policy). Some therapists are okay with it — as long as the gifts are small — while others have a strict, &#8220... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4253199 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:50:26 +0100 4253199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4230330&cid=t_160800_180_f&fid=38619&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FALifeCoachsBlog%2F%7E3%2Fywqnpfh6wdE%2F One of the things I hear from clients over and over again is their desire to ‘make a difference’ in other peoples lives. I’d go as far as to say that over three quarters of the people that come to me for Life Coaching express this desire in some way, shape, or form. It may manifest as values such as significance, connection or wanting to leave a legacy, but at its core is the desire to feel like our life means something positive. And that seldom comes from doing things for ourselves, but from helping others. I strongly believe we are hard-wired to want to help others even if some people do a great job of overriding their wiring for much of the time. Cocaine or Compassion? Did you know that the effect on your brain when acting altruistically and compassionately toward another person, ... Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4230330 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 16:41:04 +0100 4230330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4151761&cid=t_160800_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcyygcNiI540%2F Conclusion and Correction is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4151761 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:42:46 +0100 4151761 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3890473&cid=t_160800_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdo-you-have-a-good-heart%2F2010.08.21 I saw a prescient story that linked antagonistic personality traits and cardiovascular risk. It was simply impossible to ignore. Low hanging fruit, no doubt. The article highlights an NIH-sponsored study [published in the August 16th journal Hypertension] that looked at the effects of antagonistic traits — agreeableness, per se – on heart health. Yes, you read it right — agreeableness. To quantify agreeableness, the researchers used a personality questionnaire which included six traits: Trust, straightforwardness, altruism, compliance, modesty, and my favorite…tender-mindedness. Your hypothesis is probably right: People who were distrustful, cynical, manipulative, self-centered, and quick to express anger fared worse. But please don’t dismiss this as just ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3890473 Sun, 22 Aug 2010 02:27:11 +0100 3890473 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858115&cid=t_160800_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007398.html If you think you are on the autistic spectrum a brain scan might be able to confirm it. Scientists from the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King's College London have developed a pioneering new method of diagnosing autism in adults. For the first time, a quick brain scan that takes just 15 minutes can identify adults with autism with over 90 per cent accuracy. The method could lead to the screening for autism spectrum disorders in children in the future. The team used an MRI scanner to take pictures of the brain's grey matter. A separate imaging technique was then used to reconstruct these scans into 3D images that could be assessed for structure, shape and thickness – all intricate... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858115 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3858115 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3798563&cid=t_160800_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-medical-professionals-turn-their-backs%2F2010.07.28 A few weeks before Christmas, Eutisha Rennix, a pregnant restaurant worker, collapsed while working. She started having a seizure and her co-workers were screaming for help. There were two EMT workers in line at Au Bon Pain shop in Brooklyn and they refused to help. They told onlookers to call 911 and they walked out of the store after picking up their bagels, presumably because they were on a coffee break. An ambulance was called and the 25-year-old woman and her baby girl died shortly afterward. She is survived by a 3-year-old son. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3798563 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3798563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3629747&cid=t_160800_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2Fa1Qb0iv17gM%2F (Editor’s Note: we are pleased to bring you this article thanks to our collaboration with Greater Good Magazine). Gaming for Good Research suggests that games like Lemmings, where the goal is to help others, inspire real-life acts of altruism. - By Kyle Smith For years, video games have been linked to aggression and violence, with researchers and media reports suggesting that violent games have inspired or even caused violent acts. But a new study suggests that video games can be a force for good, finding that games with positive objectives can actually inspire people to perform acts of altruism. Over four experiments, Tobias Greitemeyer and Silia Osswald, researchers at the University of Sussex in England and Ludwig-Maximilian University in Germany, respectively, had participants play ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3629747 Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:05:30 +0100 3629747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595664&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F25%2Fthe-situation-of-being-green%2F Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong recently posted their article, titled “Do Green Products Make Us Better People?” (forthcoming Psychological Science) on SSRN. * * * Consumer choices not only reflect price and quality preferences but also social and moral values as witnessed in the remarkable growth of the global market for organic and environmentally friendly products. Building on recent research on behavioral priming and moral regulation, we find that mere exposure to green products and the purchase of them lead to markedly different behavioral consequences. In line with the halo associated with green consumerism, people act more altruistically after mere exposure to green than conventional products. However, people act less altruistically and are more likely to cheat and steal a... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595664 Tue, 25 May 2010 04:01:44 +0100 3595664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3567955&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F11539306%2F1e27ce%2Fneuromarketing%7EBaby-Pics-Boost-Altruism.htm One of my all-time most popular posts is Child Labor: Put That Baby to Work!, which showed how orienting a baby picture so that the baby was looking toward the headline of an ad caused people to spend more time reading that headline. There’s another effect that baby pictures have: they can boost altruistic [...] CommentsHa, that's a brilliant image, Amiek, and could well be used in ... by Roger DooleyPersonally I don't respond very well to babies. There are some ... by AmiekPlus 7 more... (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3567955 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:30:00 +0100 3567955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3383088&cid=t_160800_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2Faf-VlOItELU%2F Altruism emerges when thoughts focus on a Higher Power Many members of 12-Step Fellowships such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-anon, ACOA, Narcotics Anonymous and Alateen, will agree with this research. Thoughts related to a Higher Power cultivate cooperative behaviour and generosity, according to University of British Columbia psychology researchers. In a study to be published in Psychological Science journal, researchers investigated how thinking about a Higher Power and notions of a Higher Power influenced positive social behaviour, specifically cooperation with others and generosity to strangers. Azim Shariff and Ara Norenzayan found that priming people with ’Higher Power concepts’ — by activating subconscious thoughts through word games — promoted selflessness. In additio... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3383088 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:33:00 +0100 3383088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283498&cid=t_160800_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F006956.html Social skills come in a nasal spray. Autism is a disease characterized by difficulties in communicating effectively with other people and developing social relationships. The team led by Angela Sirigu at the Centre de Neuroscience Cognitive (CNRS) has shown that the inhalation of oxytocin, a hormone known to promote mother-infant bonds and social relationships, significantly improved the abilities of autistic patients to interact with other individuals. To achieve this, the researchers administered oxytocin to 13 autistic patients and then observed their social behavior during ball games and during visual tests designed to identify ability to recognize faces expressing different feelings. Their findings, published in PNAS on 15 February 2010, thus reveal the therapeutic potential of oxytoc... FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283498 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100 3283498 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248566&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F02%2F07%2Fwatching-others-do-good-clean-scents-promote-altruism%2F What would you say if I told you that simply observing people thanking others induced more altruism? The simple act of watching someone else do something uplifting or a good deed motivates us to also do good. At least that’s what researchers found in a recent demonstration of this effect at the University of Plymouth. In two experiments, researchers (Schnall et al., 2010) tested the level of altruistic behaviors amongst female students by asking them to view TV clips of three kinds — a neutral clip showing scenes from a nature documentary, an uplifting segment from “The Oprah Winfrey Show” showing musicians thanking their mentors, or a clip from a British comedy, intended to induce mirth. When asked if they wanted to participate in another study (in the first experiment), ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248566 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:05:48 +0100 3248566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473533&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F12%2Fthe-situation-of-human-trafficking-abstract%2F This article suggests that a central reason for the limited success in preventing human trafficking is the dominant conception of the problem, which forms the basis for law developed to combat human trafficking. Specifically, the author argues that “otherness” is a root cause of both inaction and the selective nature of responses to the abusive practice of human trafficking. Othering operates across multiple dimensions, including race, gender, ethnicity, class, caste, culture, and geography, to reinforce a conception of a virtuous “Self” and a devalued “Other.” This article exposes how this Self/Other dichotomy shapes the phenomenon of human trafficking, driving demand for trafficked persons, influencing perceptions of the problem, and constraining legal... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473533 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:01:54 +0100 2473533 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1833696&cid=t_160800_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F403898522%2F Playing the Blame Game -- Video games stand accused of causing obesity, violence, and lousy grades. But new research paints a surprisingly complicated and positive picture, reports Greater Good Magazine's Jeremy Adam Smith. Cheryl Olson had seen her teenage son play video games. But like many parents, she didn't know much about them. Then in 2004 the U.S. Department of Justice asked Olson and her husband, Lawrence Kutner, to run a federally funded study of how video games affect adolescents. Olson and Kutner are the co-founders and directors of the Harvard Medical School's Center for Mental Health and Media. Olson, a public health researcher, had studied the effects of media on behavior but had never examined video games, either in her research or in her personal life. And so the first thi... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1833696 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:05:04 +0100 1833696 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1773355&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F08%2Fthe-situation-of-trust%2F Drake Benefit recently had a great Boston Globe piece, titled “The Confidence Game,” examining the situation of trust. In it, he examines some of the techniques employed by Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter (aka Clark Rockefeller) in his constructed life as Clark Rockefeller. * * * Human beings are social animals, and our first instinct is to trust others. Con men, of course, have long known this - their craft consists largely of playing on this predilection, and turning it to their advantage. But recently, behavioral scientists have also begun to unravel the inner workings of trust. Their aim is to decode the subtle signals that we send out and pick up, the cues that, often without our knowledge, shape our sense of someone’s reliability. Researchers have discovered that surp... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1773355 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:01:30 +0100 1773355 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1497461&cid=t_160800_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F005253.html University of Cambridge researchers have found that reducing brain serotonin increased the willingness of people to engage in altruistic punishment behaviors. The researchers were able reduce brain serotonin levels in... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1497461 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1497461 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1424072&cid=t_160800_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F284403277%2F As you have probably noticed, a growing number of Expert Contributors are writing in our blog, so that we can collectively discuss the latest research and trends on cognitive and brain health, and the implications of brain research in general for our everyday lives.  If you haven't done so already, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter (above) and our RSS feed (on the right). Below you have the profiles of some of our Contributors and links to their best articles with us so far. Enjoy! Dr. Pascale Michelon has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and has worked as a Research Scientist at Washington University in Saint Louis, in the Psychology Department. She conducted several research projects to understand how the brain makes use of visual information and memorizes facts. She is now... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1424072 Tue, 06 May 2008 05:16:08 +0100 1424072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1395090&cid=t_160800_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2008%2F4%2F24%2Fknow-your-place.html This study provides unequivocal neuro-anatomical proof.   (Source: The Doctor Weighs In) The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1395090 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:35:57 +0100 1395090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1276180&cid=t_160800_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F245276026%2F Daniel Goleman requires no introduction. Personally, of all his books I have read, the one I found most stimulating was Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue With the Dalai Lama, a superb overview of what emotions are and how we can put them to good use. These days he also offers a series of interviews including a great one with George Lucas on Educating Hearts and Minds: Rethinking Education. We are honored to bring you a guest post by Daniel Goleman, thanks to our collaboration with Greater Good Magazine, a UC-Berkeley-based quarterly magazine that highlights ground breaking scientific research into the roots of compassion and altruism. Enjoy! ---------------- The Power of Mindsight How can we free ourselves from prisons of the past? -- By Daniel Goleman When you were young, which... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1276180 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:26:50 +0100 1276180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1240185&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=34794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fadseg-shu.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fi-have-been-ridin-leukopenia-train-bit.html I have been "ridin' the Leukopenia train" a bit of late, and thank you ladyk73 and Dinah for your concern. Of all things, my biggest concern has been my ability to physically defend myself, if need be, and my doctor laughed and said,"You'll be able, but afterward, you'll wish you hadn't." Ah, reassurance...A friend (and you will note his book shamelessly promoted in the right-hand column of this page) just sent me a reference to the transcript of an interview on Fresh Air, from NPR, of a priest who works among gang members; caught in the cross-fire, serving the funerals, etc. This has led me to contemplate both the substance and satisfaction of what I do. I long believed that, if there was "good" to be done, it should be where I am; some donate to global relief, world poverty, etc., and in... Turn Your Head and Scoff blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1240185 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:18:00 +0100 1240185 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060730&cid=t_160800_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.davemsw.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F01%2Femotion_defines_morality_culture_sets_priorities.php "Man will become better when you show him what he is like." - Anton Chekhov Our modern culture highly values our rationality. Genius, seemingly defined as those with great accomplishment, is highly celebrated by our culture, if not by income, at least by notoriety. Our emotionality, on the other hand, seems to get attributed with causing many of the problems our culture finds criminal. Rage is said to have led to many murders, domestic abuse, child abuse and greed to theft and fraud for a couple of examples. Combining genius and emotional disturbance however seems to characterize those that gain infamy in the history books. Hitler and Stalin come to mind. We are part rational, part emotional. From my clinical experience, we are unable to separate the two effectively. In other words, it ... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060730 Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:03:59 +0100 4060730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1010427&cid=t_160800_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F004760.html Paul Zak, a professor at Claremont, Angela Stanton at Chapman University, and Sheila Ahmadi at UCLA Geffen School of Medicine have found that injecting people with oxytocin makes them more... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1010427 Wed, 07 Nov 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1010427 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=682828&cid=t_160800_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F004336.html Why can't libertarians persuade the majority to support libertarian economic and social policies? Most human brains are wired to give themselves pleasure when they commit altruistic acts including the paying... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=682828 Tue, 19 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100 682828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=461135&cid=t_160800_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F2%2F28%2Fmore-on-our-local-living-environments-and-fitness-or-lack-thereof.html I am in Houston. This is not to point a finger at Houston, but merely to point out how our environment is anti-fit and pro-fat. Be prepared. This is a rant, but I will be brief. I am staying at a very nice Hyatt Hotel. I am on the second floor. I can’t find the stairs to walk up and down between the ground level and my room. Why? Because there aren’t any...at least that is what the woman at the reception desk tells me. She says, “There aren’t any stairs for guests, but the elevators are safe in the case of an emergency.” She looked astonished when I explain that my question is a health question, not a safety question. Apparently, she hasn’t had a lot of guests asking how they can walk up and down the stairs to get from point A to point B. While I am on t... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=461135 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 04:18:20 +0100 461135