How to Talk to Anyone (Junior Talker #5) by DeYtH Banger (old books to read .TXT) 📕

bookings in a business that relies heavily on good social skills. Previous research has consistently shown that self-defeating humor is associated with low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, anxiety, and depression. Consequently, comedians who often use self-defeating remarks might be viewed as insecure, low status, and destined for failure. My previous research showed that low-status individuals who use self-deprecating humor are perceived as less attractive by people of the opposite sex, and this effect might apply to professional relationships as well. Comedians also need to be savvy to succeed in the comedy business, both on and off stage. As mentioned above, comedians appear to have higher than average intelligence and intelligent comedians scored lower in self-defeating humor in this study. This implies that smarter comedians know when self-deprecating humor shades over into self-defeating humor.

Overall, the results of this study suggest that professional stand-up comedians are a distinct vocational group: they score higher on all humor styles, on humor ability, and on verbal intelligence than college students, but they also show different patterns of correlations between Big Five personality traits and humor styles, and a discrepancy between on-stage persona and private personality. Comedians’ professional success depends not just on their short-term spontaneous humor production ability, but also on their long-term skill, dedication, and ambition in crafting and refining an effective act that can be modulated for different audiences in different cities with different tastes, traits, backgrounds, and levels of inebriation. It also depends upon their fluent, strategic use of affiliative humor and self-deprecating humor when interacting with club managers, booking agents, and other comedians.

 

 

 

 

 

Vitamin D and Depression

 

 

 

 

Over the past decade there have been numerous scientific studies touting vitamin D as the wonder vitamin, finding it capable of fighting everything from cancer to depression. But do vitamin D levels really affect mental health? Actually, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with a variety psychiatric conditions, most notably depressive disorders, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease. This is most likely due to the fact that vitamin D activates genes that release neurotransmitters (such as dopamine and serotonin) that affect brain function and development. Additionally, studies have located vitamin D receptors in specific areas of the brain that are associated with depression.

There are several clinical trials that have found a link between vitamin D deficiency and mental illness. According to these studies, low levels of vitamin D are thought to be involved in anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, learning, memory, and social behavior. Much of this research has offered evidence that supplementing low levels of vitamin D can improve psychological well-being in many cases.

 

One type of depression that appears to be strongly associated with vitamin D is seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a mood disorder characterized by depressive symptoms during times of the year when there is relatively little sunshine. Research has found that the symptoms of SAD coincide with a reduction in vitamin D3, which in turn affects serotonin levels in the brain.

 

For years, vitamin D blood levels of 20 ng/mL – which stands for nanograms per milliliter – were considered within the normal range. These measurements are attained with a blood test measuring something called “25-hydroxy-vitamin D” or “OHD” for short. Recently, this figure has been adjusted and normal is now a level greater than 30 ng/mL. Additionally, researchers and clinicians suggest that the appropriate range is between 50 and 75 ng/mL. For people who test in the low range, the new recommendations for supplementation fall between 2,000 IU to 10,000 IU, with monitoring by blood testing every few months.

 

A study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition in October suggested that low levels of vitamin D are linked to an increased risk of depression in mid-life. The study, from the University College London in the UK, found that participants with vitamin D levels of at least 75 ng/mL had a 43% lower risk of depression, compared to people with vitamin D levels lower than 25 ng/mL. The researchers also found that higher vitamin D levels were associated with a 67% lower risk of panic, compared to the lower levels.

 

The current study is one of a number that have found an association between vitamin D status and symptoms of depression. In 2010, the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that people with vitamin D deficiency were at an 85% increased risk of having depression as compared with those with sufficient levels.

 

In the case of vitamin D, getting it from sunshine is the best source, however this can present a challenge. Some people have difficulty synthesizing vitamin D from the sun and many live in climates where there is relatively little sun for long periods of time. This is particularly problematic for people prone to seasonal effective disorder as lack of sun is thought to trigger episodes. As far as diet goes, most nutritionists concur that it is generally not possible to get enough amounts of vitamin D through food alone.

The best source of vitamin D is found in food from fish, like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines. Cod liver oil is also a good source. However, because a lot fish has high levels of contaminants like mercury, the amount of fish you would have to eat to get enough Vitamin D could be hazardous to your health. If you’re going to consume fortified foods like milk and breakfast cereals, you’re probably better off taking a supplement.

In most cases, it’s better to get your nutrition from foods instead of supplements, but there are exceptions to this. For one thing, it can be hard to get large doses of nutrients from food. If you are treating a medical or mental health condition with high amounts of a particular nutrient, you will need to use supplements.

Of course, vitamin D supplementation is only a part of a comprehensive treatment plan for depression. Any plan – whether based on pharmaceuticals or natural methods – should include psychotherapy. However, low levels of certain vitamins, such as vitamin D, can impair and prolong recovery from depression.

 

 

 

 

 

What Is Boredom?

 

 

 

 

We all know the feeling. Time becomes slowed down. Nothing seems interesting. There is a feeling of yearning, but for what? This is what we call bored. We tell ourselves that we are bored! What does this mean?

One meaning we give to our boredom is that the book we are reading is not interesting. Another meaning might be that a class we are taking is a total bore. In other words, we look to something external to blame.

Boredom, when chronic, is very stressful and that has serious consequences for health. For example, we might be waiting room of a doctor’s office. The time seems eternally long. Feelings of irritability and anxiety set in. This is where we start to feel very stressed. It seems as though the solution is to be seen by the doctor.

Another example might be that, boredom might cause someone from losing focus at work and getting injured because of the lack of attention. How many times have you been driving for a long period of time, become bored with the road and lose attention. My guess is that a good number of traffic accidents are caused this way.

Boredom is not trivial. It is out of boredom that some people turn to addiction, gambling, over-eating and alcohol abuse.

These are examples of blaming the boredom on something external. Perhaps it is not. Perhaps boredom is internal in nature.

Up until now, little research has been done on the phenomenon of boredom. Some have seen it as a variation of depression. None of the explanations are satisfactory, now, empirical research has been done on the state we call boredom.

Psychological scientist John Eastwood of York University (Ontario, Canada) and colleagues at the University of Guelph and the University of Waterloo wanted to understand the mental processes that underlie our feelings of boredom in order to create a precise definition of boredom that can be applied across a variety of theoretical frameworks. Their new article, which brings together existing research on attention and boredom, is published in the September 2012 issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

According to the website, ScienceDaily, and quoting from the Sep. 26, 2012 issue of the journal:

“Drawing from research across many areas of psychological science and neuroscience, John Eastwood and colleagues define boredom as ‘an aversive state of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activity,’ which arises from failures in one of the brain’s attention networks.

Specifically, we’re bored when:

1. We have difficulty paying attention to the internal information (e.g., thoughts or feelings) or external information (e.g., environmental stimuli) required for participating in satisfying activity

2. We’re aware of the fact that we’re having difficulty paying attention

3. We believe that the environment is responsible for our aversive state such as, “this task is boring,” “there is nothing to do.'”

Alex Lickerman, MD, a physician and practicing Nichiren Buddhist put it, there is nothing that is intrinsically boring. There are examples of prisoners of war, sitting in complete isolation, who are able to focus their minds and find interesting things to prevent boredom. What he does to reduce the experience of boredom is to:

“Whenever I’m bored, I try to ask myself three questions:

1. How can my current circumstances help me develop myself?
2. How can my current circumstances help me contribute to the happiness of someone else?
3. How would the wisest person on earth look at my current circumstances and what would he or she do in my stead?”

Lickerman’s effort is to make all of life interesting.

The point is that research indicates that there is a relationship between boredom and lack of attention to what is happening inside of ourselves as well as what is external. We need to refocus our attention to what we are thinking and feeling and to the stimuli in the environment instead of over looking both.

Ultimately, if boredom is something that becomes chronic and cannot be changed by any effort at refocusing attention, cognitive behavior therapy is an excellent way to overcome this painful state of being.

Your comments are questions are encouraged.

 

Allan N. Schwartz, PhD

Chapter 13 - Bundle (Of Data) (Part 2)

 Treating Alcohol and Depression

 

 

 

 

Email:

 

“My husband and I have been together for 28 years, married for 21. Throughout our relationship he has been a binge drinker with some mild to intense mood swings…
He retired from the military in 07, we moved to a new state and he started a job he hated. He became increasingly agitated and angry, very depressed and seemed to be drinking more often, losing control and yelling…I just don’t know what to do. I feel he is bipolar and his lack of feelings for me are associated with that but I can’t get him to see this…”

A recent article in the Psychiatric Times discusses the problem presented by the wife in the email above. Alcohol abuse and depression are often comorbid disorders, meaning that they happen at the same time. In the past, psychiatrists would not prescribe anti-depressant medications for alcohol abusers out of concern for the health consequences from mixing medications and alcohol. As the article points out, psychiatry has a new way of looking at this problem.

Studies show that the newer SSRI anti-depressants can be used to reduce depression while treating the alcohol abuse with another medication. That other medication is Naltrexone.