During childhood, many of us are taught about the importance of kindness.

But are you aware of the different motivations behind kindness and the benefits it can have on yourself?

It's not uncommon to experience a "feel-good rush" after you've been kind to another person, says Dr James Kirby, a lecturer in clinical psychology at The University of Queensland.

"Sometimes people refer to it as the warm glow, and that's some of the endorphins that are being kicked back into the system, the internal reward system," he says.

So, is getting a regular rush of these endorphins as simple as just being more kind, more often?

A study conducted by psychologists at the University of Sussex in 2018 examined brain scans of more than a thousand participants who were carrying out acts of kindness.

It discovered that people benefit from acts of kindness regardless of whether they are strategically motivated (meaning there is something to be gained from their act of kindness), or altruistic (there is nothing in it for them) but the "warm glow" effect was at its peak with altruistic acts of kindness.

"We found that there's a part of the brain that is even more active when we give away [acts of kindness] with no possible benefits for ourselves, so in the altruistic case," says Jo Cutler, a PhD student who co-authored the study.

"So, this is when that warm glow from kindness will be its strongest, and we saw the brain activity reflecting that."

Get our newsletter for the best of ABC Life each week

Eager to get a better understanding of kindness, Cyril Grueter, senior lecturer at University of Western Australia, carried out a 'lost letter experiment' in Perth.

It involved dropping letters across different neighbourhoods, including low and high socio-economic suburbs, on two separate occasions.

Australians disagree on many issues, but we're united in one thing that we should treat each other with more respect.

In the first study, published in 2016, his team dropped 300 letters. In the second study conducted more than a year later, 1,200 letters were dispersed in various areas.

To his surprise, on both occasions, 50 per cent of the letters that were dropped were returned.

"If you encounter a letter on the pavement and you pick it up and you post it, then that obviously means you have to go out of your way, you incur a cost and that's exactly how we define altruism, incurring a cost to help someone else," he says.

"So that really tells us that humans have this innate kindness, otherwise they wouldn't do that.

"And to our surprise, again, we found that letters dropped in high socio-economic areas were more likely to be returned.

"We believe that it may have something to do with the fact that people in low socio-economic areas, they are more preoccupied with meeting their immediate needs. And whereas people in high-end suburbs, they may have slightly different priorities. But we can only speculate on why people in low-end suburbs were less likely to return a letter."

Has an act of kindness changed the course of your day, life or community?

Tell us about it and the person behind it (dont forget to add where youre based): kindnesshero@abc.net.au.

Your details will be kept private and if we select your story as one to feature, we'll be in touch.

Being kind to other people can have multiple benefits, but it's also just as important to be kind to yourself, stresses Dr Kirby.

"If I am being kind towards myself, the same regions light up if I'm receiving kindness from another person or giving kindness to another person," Dr Kirby says.

"That's why we tell people, when you have a setback or difficulty, what's the tone of your self-talk like? Do you talk to yourself in an aggressive, matter-of-fact, blunt way, or can you speak to yourself in a friendlier way?

"If you speak to yourself in a friendly way, much like a friend would in terms of trying to be kind and helpful, the same areas of the brain light up."

We asked 54,000 people about their lives. See what they told us and how you compare.

As a clinical psychologist, Dr Kirby adds that he works with a lot of people who feel they are unlovable and undeserving of kindness or compassion.

"They are very good at being kind to others but the very idea or thought of being kind to themselves is just completely foreign or a big no-no. They find it very threatening," he says.

"We all have this inner voice that is judgemental or commenting or narrating monitoring how we are going and performing.

"You try to explore what's that about or where has this come from. Sometimes it can be, 'Oh, that's the way Dad spoke to me', or 'That's the way teachers spoke to me' so it has a long history.

"So, when you're seeing people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, that kind of voice has been there for years a lot of people don't recognise that that inner tone can impact your physiology in your body much like if it was coming from someone else."

Kindness is everywhere as these readers shared with us when we asked to hear about the little gestures and favours that have helped brighten their day.

If you're wanting to start your day in the right mindset by being kinder to yourself, Dr Kirby has some words of advice:

"When you wake up in the morning, just welcome yourself."

Sounds odd, right?

"Yes, that sounds a bit funny," he laughs.

"But welcome yourself as if you're saying hello to a dear friend in your mind. I would say, 'Oh, good morning James'. Wake yourself with that joyful friendliness and playfulness, and that kicks off a different physiology in your body.

"As opposed to 'What, it's 6am, this is shit I have so much stuff to do'. That kicks off a stress physiology in your body, and already your stress levels are at their peak in the morning, and then they drop away across the day."

Then for 30 seconds or a minute, contemplate: "If I was to be at my kindest today, what would I do?"

"Just imagine what it would be like to walk around at your kindest. Then start your day."

A belief that Australians need to show more respect to each other was the top uniting issue to emerge from theAustralia Talks National Survey,which asked 54,000 Australians about their lives and what keeps them up at night.Use our interactive tool to see the results and how their answers compare with yoursavailable in English, simplified Chinese, Arabic and Vietnamese.

Then, join Annabel Crabb as she takes you through some of the most surprising and exciting insights with Waleed Aly onthe Australia Talks TV special on iview.

Original post:
The chemistry and psychology of kindness - ABC News

White-nose syndrome kills bats during hibernation. Because the bats under the Ann Richards Bridge migrate, they may be spared from getting the disease.

White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has decimated bat populations, is spreading in Texas. Scientists are trying everything from vaccines to UV lights to control the disease. Now, theyre asking the public for help.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has started accepting ideas to fight white-nose syndrome.If your idea is picked as one of the most promising, you could win up to $20,000 and work with scientists to test it out.

The website for the contestsays it is open to any idea to permanently eradicate, weaken, or disarm the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome.

Were trying to sort of not restrict the thinking on any of this, says Jonathan Reichard, assistant coordinator for the services national white-nose syndrome response. We really want very open minds on what ideas can come in.

Earlier this year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced the fungus causing the disease had been found in 11 newcounties in the state, including the Bracken Bat Cave in San Antonio, the worlds largestbat colony.

That cave, like under the Ann Richards Bridge in Austin, is home to millions of Mexican free-tailed bats.

The good news is that Mexican free-tailed bats migrate during the winter rather than hibernate. And white-nose syndrome kills bats during hibernation, Jonah Evans, a mammalogist with Texas Parks and Wildlife, told KUT at the time.

While the bats are away, Texas Parks and Wildlife isdisinfecting manmade bat roostslike bridges in East Texas to see if it might slow or stop the spread of the fungus.

Reichard said researchers are also trying to figure out how some bats have managed to survive the plague of white-nose syndrome in the Northeast, where its impact has been nearly apocalyptic.

Theres ongoing work to figure out what it is thats helping those bats survive, he says. It could be anything from their physiology to the environment they chose to live in the winter time.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will accept ideas for its white-nose syndrome contest until the end of the year.

Go here to see the original:
Got An Idea To Save Bats From White-Nose Syndrome? The Government Wants To Hear It! - Houston Public Media

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) A 17-year-olds memory was honored at his high school in Fort Worth on Monday night.

Benjamin Castaneda died Thanksgiving morning after a crash involving a suspected drunk driver.

Benjamin Castaneda vigil (CBS 11)

Monday night, friends, family, classmates and teachers gathered at North Side High School to remember the teenager.

His voice was so big, just like his heart, said Carla Martin. She had Benjamin as a student in her Honors Anatomy and Physiology class. Benjamin was known as a talented vocalist and violinist.

He played with his schools mariachi band.

I first saw him perform and hes the scrawny little kid, and I said where did that sound come from? Martin recalled.

Benjamin was killed Thanksgiving morning by a suspected drunk driver going the wrong direction on Loop 820 in North Richland Hills.

The woman police say is responsible for the deadly crash, 29-year-old Neomi Martinez, was charged with intoxication manslaughter. She bonded out of the Tarrant County Jail on Saturday with a $75,000 bond.

He had a bright future ahead of him, said Jessica Arreola Cardenas, his freshman English teacher.

According to Fort Worth ISD, several other events are also planned at the high school this week to support the family.

This is the kind of community we have, where if theres something we need, they come out, said North Sides principal Antonio Martinez. He said the school has extra counselors on hand as well to help any students who need to talk.

Continued here:
Fort Worth Teen Benjamin Castaneda, Killed By Alleged Drunk Driver On Thanksgiving, Remembered At Vigil - CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

MEDIA CONTACT

Available for logged-in reporters only

CITATIONS

Newswise Post doc interviews in the Life Sciences are relatively unregulated compared to interviews for faculty positions. To find out if this lack of regulation promotes biases in post doc interviews, Dr. Nicholas Burnett and Dr.Stacey Combes of the Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior Department at U.C. Davis surveyed post docs in the life sciences at universities across the United States. They then analyzed responses from the 342 post docs who completed their surveys and tested how the interviews differed between post docs.

As to the impetus of their study, Burnett noted "I was inspired to start this study after reading a paper about the faculty hiring process, written by zlelm Sensoy and Robin DiAngleo, that said if we are truly committed to increasing diversity in academia, we must be willing to do everything differently. As a recently hired post doc, I realized there was relatively little institutional attention given to interviews for post docs, so I began wondering about the content and structure of post doc interviews, how interviews affect post doc diversity, and what we can do to change interviews for the better."

The data showed that the content and structure of interviews varied drastically between post docs, and that these differences were associated with race, ethnicity, and gender of the post docs, as well as other circumstances of the interviews. For example, a post doc's demographic background was linked to the interview length and whether they demonstrated a technical skill or gave a presentation during their interview, but these interview components were also associated with whether the post doc already knew the interviewer and whether the interview was held in person versus over the phone or internet.

When asked about results they may not have expected, Burnett had this to offer. "One of our surprising results was the disparity in interview length - minority females experienced shorter interviews than other demographic groups - and it has been shown in academic literature that lengthening interviews can help reduce implicit biases. One way of reducing barriers to post doc positions for scientists from under-represented groups could be to lengthen interviews, especially when interviewing multiple candidates for a single position."

"We hope that by identifying disparities in postdoc interviews, we can start a discussion among biologists that will lead to more standardized and equitable interviews for postdoctoral positions." Burnett said in regard to their goals for this study.

With a post doc position being integral to those who desire a lengthy career in Life Sciences, their research could indeed help universities see a need for restructuring their post doc interview process. No doubt this data could have a ripple effect of changes in store for future life science interviewees and interviewers alike.

Stacey Combes is an Associate Professor and Chancellor's Fellow in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior at U.C. Davis. She was chair of the Broadening Participation committee of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) from 2016-2019, and currently serves as chair of the SICB Division of Comparative Biomechanics.

Nicholas Burnett is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior at U.C. Davis, and was a recipient of the National Science Foundation's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology. He is currently a postdoctoral member of the Broadening Participation committee of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology.

"Post doc interviews in the Life Sciences: An often overlooked process that is susceptible to bias" by Dr. Nicholas Burnett and Dr. Stacey Combes of the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, U.C. Davis

burnettnp@gmail.com , sacombes@ucdavis.edu

Published by the Journal of Integrative Organismal Biology, December 1, 2019

URL:https://academic.oup.com/iob

SEE ORIGINAL STUDY

More here:
Post doc interviews in the life sciences may promote bias - Newswise

A chronic shortage of dental hygienists in the province became worse this year after changes were made to the diploma program for students.

Instead of two years to get a diploma, the Saskatchewan Dental Hygienists Association now requires students to havethree years of training.

That meant there was no graduating class of 26 students in the province this past spring.

One reason for the change is the expanding role of dental hygienists, Shelby Hamm, the association's deputy registrar, told Saskatoon Morning's Jennifer Quesnel.

Not only do hygieniststake care of a patients' oral issues, they look out for their overall health, Hamm said.

That means dental hygienists need a solid foundation in classes like physiology, chemistry, psychology, sociology and statistics.

So a year of arts and science classes has been added to the program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Regina.

Hamm said hygienists can help identify and prevent ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's and strokes.

"For example, periodontal disease is a risk factor for heart disease," Hamm said. "If your gums are inflamed, the bacteria in your mouth can get into your bloodstream and lodge in your heart vessels."

She said gum disease also plays a role in diabetes, with research showing that untreated gum disease makes it harder for people with diabetes to control their blood sugar.

"Eliminating gum disease can improve blood sugar, reducing the risk for serious complications with diabetes," she said.

"It's also associated with rheumatoid arthritis and aspiration pneumonia, which is a big concern for long-term care facilities."

Hamm said the shortage has resulted in segments of the population being underserved.

"That would be those living in remote areas that maybe don't have access to private practice," she said. "Also in long-term care facilities. There are lots of people that aren't able to access the dental office and these people are at high risk for lots of oral and systemic problems that dental hygienists can help prevent and treat."

Hamm would like to see Saskatchewan Polytechnic's program expanded, but that means more funding is needed.

Hygienists are also at high risk for ailments like carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive strain disorders.

Hamm said hygienists need to to look after themselves bymaking sure they have the proper ergonomics in the workplace and possibly scalingback their hours or days to take care of their own health.

Read the original here:
Province's dental hygienist shortage exacerbated by extra year of required training - CBC.ca