Category Archives: Human Behavior

Human Behavior

Envision color: Activity patterns in the brain are specific to the color you see – National Institutes of Health

News Release

Monday, November 16, 2020

NIH research findings reveal new aspects of visual processing.

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have decoded brain maps of human color perception. The findings, published today in Current Biology, open a window into how color processing is organized in the brain, and how the brain recognizes and groups colors in the environment. The study may have implications for the development of machine-brain interfaces for visual prosthetics. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

This is one of the first studies to determine what color a person is seeing based on direct measurements of brain activity, said Bevil Conway, Ph.D., chief of NEIs Unit on Sensation, Cognition and Action, who led the study. The approach lets us get at fundamental questions of how we perceive, categorize, and understand color.

The brain uses light signals detected by the retinas cone photoreceptors as the building blocks for color perception. Three types of cone photoreceptors detect light over a range of wavelengths. The brain mixes and categorizes these signals to perceive color in a process that is not well understood.

To examine this process, Isabelle Rosenthal, Katherine Hermann, and Shridhar Singh, post-baccalaureate fellows in Conways lab and co-first authors on the study, used magnetoencephalography or MEG, a 50-year-old technology that noninvasively records the tiny magnetic fields that accompany brain activity. The technique provides a direct measurement of brain cell activity using an array of sensors around the head. It reveals the millisecond-by-millisecond changes that happen in the brain to enable vision. The researchers recorded patterns of activity as volunteers viewed specially designed color images and reported the colors they saw.

The researchers worked with pink, blue, green, and orange hues so that they could activate the different classes of photoreceptors in similar ways. These colors were presented at two luminance levels light and dark. The researchers used a spiral stimulus shape, which produces a strong brain response.

The researchers found that study participants had unique patterns of brain activity for each color. With enough data, the researchers could predict from MEG recordings what color a volunteer was looking at essentially decoding the brain map of color processing, or mind-reading.

The point of the exercise wasnt merely to read the minds of volunteers, Conway said. People have been wondering about the organization of colors for thousands of years. The physical basis for colorthe rainbowis a continuous gradient of hues. But people dont see it that way. They carve the rainbow into categories and arrange the colors as a wheel. We were interested in understanding how the brain makes this happen, how hue interacts with brightness, such as to turn yellow into brown.

As an example, in a variety of languages and cultures, humans have more distinct names for warm colors (yellows, reds, oranges, browns) than for cool colors (blues, greens). Its long been known that people consistently use a wider variety of names for the warm hues at different luminance levels (e.g. yellow versus brown) than for cool hues (e.g. blue is used for both light and dark). The new discovery shows that brain activity patterns vary more between light and dark warm hues than for light and dark cool hues. The findings suggest that our universal propensity to have more names for warm hues may actually be rooted in how the human brain processes color, not in language or culture.

For us, color is a powerful model system that reveals clues to how the mind and brain work. How does the brain organize and categorize color? What makes us think one color is more similar to another? said Conway. Using this new approach, we can use the brain to decode how color perception works and in the process, hopefully uncover how the brain turns sense data into perceptions, thoughts, and ultimately actions.

The study was funded by the NEI Intramural Program.

This press release describes a basic research finding. Basic research increases our understanding of human behavior and biology, which is foundational to advancing new and better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Science is an unpredictable and incremental process each research advance builds on past discoveries, often in unexpected ways. Most clinical advances would not be possible without the knowledge of fundamental basic research.

NEI leads the federal governments research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs to develop sight-saving treatments and address special needs of people with vision loss. For more information, visit https://www.nei.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

Rosenthal IA, Singh SR, Hermann KL, Pantazis D, and Conway BR. Color space geometry uncovered with magnetoencephalography. Published online Nov 16, 2020. Current Biology.

###

Read more:
Envision color: Activity patterns in the brain are specific to the color you see - National Institutes of Health

Human Behavior

This pandemic revolves around human behavior: Coastal Health District tracking uptick in cases – WSAV-TV

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) COVID-19 infections throughout the Coastal Health District are trending in the wrong direction. As of Friday, there have been 20,732 confirmed cases and 409 deaths.

Patients battling the virus are overwhelming hospitals around the country, and health experts warn Georgia could be next.

This pandemic revolves around human behavior, said Dr. Chris Rustin, an administrator with the Chatham County Health Department.

Rustin says like any virus, COVID-19 cant spread without people. He says for that reason, how we act now will determine where we end up tomorrow.

I think that as humans if we protect ourselves and we encourage our loved ones to protect themselves and as a community protect each other, said Rustin, I dont think we have to be worried about a second wave because the virus needs people to replicate.

When it comes to community transmission nearly all of our counties are in the red zone. Health officials expect Chatham County alone will hit 10,000 cases by this weekend.

I think any case is a concern for all of us, said Rustin, the virus affects people differently and for every person thats lost a loved one my heart goes out to them.

District-wide the virus has taken more than 400 lives. While bad outcomes are often linked to older people, its the 20 to 29 age group driving infections.

Gatherings, I think, bring on sort of a new level of risk that we have to be concerned about because a lot of these surging of cases across the country have been tied to indoor gatherings, said Rustin.

Rustin and Memorial Health Infectious Diseases Specialist Dr. Stephen Thacker say the vaccine will be our saving grace. Local hospitals are expecting them to arrive by the end of the year.

Really throughout the U.S. weve been tasked with being ready to be a sight for delivery, said Thacker, to first health care workers and being prepared for if we do become sites to help vaccinate our community.

Georgia hit an unfortunate milestone this week, with 70 deaths reported Thursday. Thats the highest single-day total since Sept. 23.

Gov. Brian Kemp has extended the State of Emergency through Nov. 30. It encourages residents to continue social distancing and wear face coverings in public unless they are eating or drinking.

Go here to read the rest:
This pandemic revolves around human behavior: Coastal Health District tracking uptick in cases - WSAV-TV

Human Behavior

Risky Behaviors on the Rise in Mass. Since 1st Wave of COVID, Survey Finds – NBC10 Boston

People in Massachusetts say they are more often gathering with people in enclosed spaces and doing other things tied to spreading the new coronavirus, according to a report released by researchers Friday, amid a COVID-19 surge in the state and across the country.

Researchers at multiple institutions, including Northeastern University and Harvard Medical School, surveyed nearly 200,000 people across the nation eight times between April and October for the COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Publics Policy Preferences Across States. Friday's report focused on Massachusetts residents; other reports have looked at school reopenings, mental health and more.

Massachusetts will start requiring that people arriving in the state from New York and Washington State, as well as the nation's capitol, stay in quarantine.

Massachusetts' respondents told the survey in October they were more likely to meet non-household members in an indoor space, go to a restaurant or a gym or visit a friend than they had been at the end of April. Those behaviors have all been tied to spreading of COVID-19.

Nearly three-quarters of people said at the end of April they were avoiding contact with other people, but that dropped to just over half by late October, according to the report.

One exception to this trend is mask wearing, which has increased since April, the survey found.

An estimated 80% of people in Massachusetts very closely follow mask-wearing guidelines, the survey found, one of the highest levels of adherence to mask wearing in the country.

Still, researchers suggest lax policy and so-called pandemic fatigue may be major culprits in case spikes locally and across the country. Massachusetts is now reporting coronavirus levels not seen since the pandemic.

The researchers' report noted that "the pandemic has resurged with a vengeance" in the Bay State, with the level of new daily cases doubling in three months, then one month, then in just 10 days, indicating the virus' spread is accelerating to a point that may overwhelm hospitals.

"The good news, and the bad news, is that human behavior is likely driving the resurgence," the researchers wrote. "This means that infections need not continue to explode in Massachusetts, but also that real changes in behavior (and policy) may be required to bring it back under control."

Earlier this month, Gov. Charlie Baker required that restaurants end dining in by 10 p.m. in a bid to stop risky gatherings. But researchers said that measure currently may actually be counterproductive.

A week after Massachusetts' new curfew went into effect in an effort to combat COVID-19, restaurants say they are already suffering.

"It is possible that some measures, such as limiting the hours restaurants are open, might actually make matters worse, because it may result in more people being in a restaurant at any given hour," the researchers wrote.

Massachusetts is set to reopen its coronavirus field hospital at the DCU Center in Worcester as the state anticipates the possibility of bed shortages. COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled since Labor Day, and case growth and hospitalization trends have been heading in the wrong direction since the end of summer, Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends frequent hand washing, vigilant mask wearing, staying home when sick, and limiting time indoors with non-household members.

View post:
Risky Behaviors on the Rise in Mass. Since 1st Wave of COVID, Survey Finds - NBC10 Boston

Human Behavior

Report: Small Behavioral Interventions with Pilots Add Up to Massive Savings for Airlines – Sustainable Brands

A new whitepaper details an 8-month study conducted with Virgin Atlantic in which a behavioral intervention with pilots created $6.1M in fuel savings, and demonstrated the most cost-effective carbon-abatement solution in history.

With the airline industry being one of the hardest-hit since the onset ofCOVID, finding easyways to save millions of dollars and tons of fuel would likely be welcome.

Signol a London-based tech firm thats usedbehavioral economics and data science to develop a software that helps companiescut fuel waste and reap the resulting millions in fuel and carbon savings hasjust released its first whitepaper, which details a study that could be agame-changer for the aviation industry.

The 6-page report explores an 8-monthstudy conducted with Virgin Atlantic in which a behavioral interventionwith pilots created $6.1 million in fuel savings; and demonstrated the mostcost-effective carbon-abatement solution in history, with 24k tons in carbonsavings,. The pilot study (in more ways than one) was the world's firstrandomized, controlled trial in aviation and ultimately led to the formation ofSignol.

As Signol Board advisor Melvin Matthews said in a blogpost:

Companies are now waking up to the impacts of human behavior on operations. Having the most sophisticated and advanced machinery is virtually useless,unless it is operated efficiently by competent operators. This is wheremonitoring, benchmarking and improving human behavior comes in perhaps as thefinal frontier to further push the boundaries of performance.

Among the studys findings:

When it comes to making consistent, safe and fuel-efficient decisions, thereis a difference of up to 4x between top and bottom pilots

Making fuel-efficient decisions can save up to 4 percent of fuel burn perflight, along with the equivalent carbon savings

By individually tailoring and targeting feedback on captain behavior,fuel-efficient behavior is increased by over 10 percent above simply showinggeneric dashboards

By directly connecting pilots to the impact of their decisions and offeringprosocial incentives such as charitable donations pilot wellbeing isalso significantly improved.

In these difficult times, we want to offer a positive vision; and to be a keystep for a new way of doing business in the 2020s where profits gohand-in-hand with social and environmental impact, says Signol CEO Dan White.

The publishing of the whitepaper is the first step of many in the works for Signol, which is dedicated to saving operational costs and helping airlines build back better from COVID through operational behavioral interventions.

Signols analytical techniques shine light on the human aspect of operationaldecision-making and help companies use this insight to reduce both highoperating costs and high greenhouse gas emissions. With its proven results forthe aviation industry, the company is now working to adapt its behavioralfeedback platform to tackleother high-emissions industries including shipping and road transport.

On November 19, Signol will host a roundtablediscussionwith the behavioral economists involved in the Virgin Atlantic study alongwith aviation academics, airline management, and pilot union leaders on howsmall changes can add up to major financial, resource and environmental savings.

Published Nov 12, 2020 1pm EST / 10am PST / 6pm GMT / 7pm CET

Continued here:
Report: Small Behavioral Interventions with Pilots Add Up to Massive Savings for Airlines - Sustainable Brands

Human Behavior

Infected again or endless COVID-19? How the ‘reinfection phenomenon’ could impact vaccines, herd immunity and human behavior – USA TODAY

A 25-year-old Nevada man was the first American confirmed to have caught COVID-19 twice, and his second infection was worse than the first. USA TODAY

By medical standards,Nicole Worthley is considered extraordinarily rare. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 31 and again in September.

She was walloped both times, with a fever for six weeks and side effects all summer before round two kicked in.

But she can't prove she had COVID-19 twice. That requires genetic testing of both infections, which has only happened a few dozen times in the world, and never in South Dakota where she lives.

Many states are keeping track of claims of reinfection South Dakota, for example, is studying at least 28, while Washington state is investigating 120 but they are still considered extremely unusual, according to health experts, including the World Health Organization.

In Colorado, 241 people have had a second positive PCR test more than 90 days after the first one. "All are investigated as cases, including isolation instruction for the case and quarantine instruction for their close contacts," according to a Colorado Department of Health and Environment spokesperson.

There may be a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year. But 'normality' may not come until the end of 2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that it is investigating some possible reinfections but has not yet confirmed any. It only considers infections more than 90 days apart to be possible reinfections; otherwise, someone's illness is likely a lingering infection.

Worthley said she's not sure which is worse: Being able to be reinfected, or having a lingering virus that could flare up anytime.

Nicole Worthley believes s he's been infected twice with COVID-19, forcing herself and three kids, ages 6, 8 and 10, to isolate at home for months.(Photo: Courtesy Nicole Worthley)

"Whether or not I personally have a proven reinfection isn't to me as important as it's possible that you can get it again," she said. "Or, if you don't believe that, then it's possible that for six straight months you can have COVID-19, still test positive for COVID-19 and still be actively ill from it because I don't think there's a lot of understanding of that right now."

No one knows how long the immune system can keep someone safe from COVID-19 after infection.

Some diseases like measles are one and done. Once a person is infected or vaccinated, the immune system typically provides protection forever. With other viruses, like the common coldsome of which are closely related to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19protection might not last a year, or even a season.

COVID-19 was discovered less than a year ago, so scientists don't yet know how long the body can fight it off.

The answer has implications for the longevity and effectiveness of vaccines, the possibility of communities developing so-called herd immunitywhere the virus no longer spreads because so many people have already been infected, and how those infected once should feel and behave.

Worthley, 37, could be considered a "long-hauler"someone whose COVID-19 lasted for months after infection.

She was diagnosed on March 31 after suffering sharp chest pains. A few days later, she was so short of breath thatshe could barely walk across her apartment.

A single parent to three kids, ages 6, 8 and 10, Worthley struggled to function. "The room would be spinning and I'd be wheezing and stuff. Sometimes I could feel my teeth tingling," she said.

She had a fever for four straight weeks, then had a break for a day or sonot enough to meet the 72-hour window to be declared healthy and then spiked again for two more weeks.

She and her kids were stuck in their Sioux Falls apartment from late March until early June.

Cold weather, holiday visitors and pandemic fatigue: Experts warn COVID-19 will get much worse this winter

The children never got more than a few tired days and a yucky cough. But she knows her illness affected them. During his bedtime prayers, her oldest son often said he was thankful she was still alive.

In early June, the family was finally allowed to go out. Worthley was told she didn't need another test; she was no longer considered infectious.

She went back to work at the day care center where she's an assistant teacher but only part time because the pandemic had driven away some families.

Still, all summer, Worthley, previously healthy though admittedly overweight, had weird symptoms. Her doctor prescribed a beta blocker for heart palpitations and an anticonvulsant for nerve pain in her legs.

She donated convalescent plasma in September, hoping the antibodies her immune system had developed could help someone else fight off COVID-19.

Nicole Worthley had a fever for six weeks during her first bout with COVID-19, but "only" 17 days with her second.(Photo: Nicole Worthley)

Then, at the end of September, about a month after her kids started in-person school, her 10-year-old came down with strep.

Worthley was feeling lousy, too, so she got tested for strep. Negative.

A few days later, still feeling weak, she called her doctor. Can you smell anything, the doctor asked.

"I got the Vicks out," Worthley said. Nothing.

Four days later, she got a positive COVID-19 test result.

"It was easier this time," she said. "I was only feverish for 17 days."

She had diarrhea, upset stomach, loss of taste and some respiratory issues, but not as bad as the first infection. More than a month later, though, she still can't smell and a half-hour phone call was punctuated with her coughs.

Worthley believes she is among the 28 people that the South Dakota Department of Health has said it's investigating for reinfection, although she's yet to hear from anyone at the state.

So far, only a few dozen people worldwide have been confirmed to have been infected twice with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

One man in Hong Kong didn't know he'd been infected a second time. He only found out when he was routinely tested on his return home from a trip to Italy. Another man, just 25, in Nevada, was sicker the second time.

In both cases, genetic analysis of the infections proved that they were infected twice, with slightly different versions of the virus not just long-suffering. The WHO has received reports of reinfections, but they are relatively rare so far.

"Our current understanding of the immune response is that the majority of people who are infected mount an immune response within a few weeks of infection," a WHO spokesman said via email. "We are still learning about how long the antibodies last. So far, we have data that shows that the immune response lasts for several months."

In a statement, a CDC spokesperson said the agency is actively investigating a number of suspected cases of reinfection, though none has been confirmed.

"CDCs investigation of the reinfection phenomenon is in its early stages," he said.

'Pleasantly surprised': Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine candidate shown to be 90% effective in early findings

Jeffrey Shaman, a professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, who has been investigating reinfections, said scientists still have a lot of open questions.

Among other things, he said, they want to know: How often reinfection can happen, are people contagious with the second infection and for how long, and do people who are reinfected have less severe cases the second time or are they worse off?

To answer those questions, researchers like him have to figure out what's behind these reinfections, Shaman said.

People might fail to generate immune memory with the first infection, and need repeated exposure to build up immunity. If so, a vaccine might have the same problem, and it won't bevery effective.

Or people might get antibodies to the virus and then lose them, Shaman said. In that case, a vaccine's benefit might not last long.

The worst-case scenario would be what happens with dengue.In the case of that mosquito-borne tropical disease,someone can get sicker if infected a second time, or infected after getting a vaccine.Then, a vaccine could actually be harmful though theres no evidence thats the case with COVID-19.

Sometimes diseases that start as outbreaks can become endemic, returning year after year.

The 1918 flu, for instance, was so devastating because it was new and no one had built up resistance, Shaman said. It came back repeatedly but "didn't have the huge pulses of people dying," he said, possibly because their bodies had built up some immunity to it.

If that's the case with COVID-19, then a vaccine, even a partially effective one, could have a big benefit by exposing people to the virus and helping them build up a tolerance, he said.

It's not yet clear how long someone is contagious with COVID-19 if their symptoms linger or recur.

A study published Thursday in JAMA Internal Medicinefound that 18% of COVID-19 patients in an Italian hospital tested positive again after recovering from symptoms and having a negative test.

Only 1 of the 32 patients tested showed signs of replicating virus in their bloodstream, suggesting that they were either still infectious or reinfected but that couldn't be confirmed because no genetic testing was done. That patient was still suffering symptoms 39 days after the initial diagnosis, though the others who tested positive again were unlikely to be contagious, the study concluded.

Until scientists learn the answers to these questions, people who have been infected once shouldn't assume they're protected indefinitely, and should continue to wear masks, wash hands, maintain distance and avoid crowds, Shaman said.

"The only way we're going to get a sense of it is over time," he said.

Worthley admits she could have been more careful about wearing a mask. When she first caught COVID-19 in March, few people were wearing them, and Worthley didn't know of anyone at church, work, her kids' schools who had COVID-19.

In the summer and early fall, she wore a mask at work, but not at church. She assumed she'd be protected because she'd been sick for so long.

Now, Worthleysaid she's not confident of being protected against the virus, so she always wears a mask.

"I have a whole bunch of them in my van," she said.

Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com.

Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/11/13/covid-19-reinfection-vaccines-herd-immunity-health/6136943002/

Read this article:
Infected again or endless COVID-19? How the 'reinfection phenomenon' could impact vaccines, herd immunity and human behavior - USA TODAY

Human Behavior

Shutterfly Finds the Good in 2020 for the Holiday Season – Adweek

Consumers are starting to see how brands tackle the pandemic in their holiday advertising. Eight months since Covid-19s onset, more direct (and sometimes dire) messages started shifting to work that acknowledges the challenges the world faces, but with slightly softer touches. The holidays are a litmus test, and some brands are setting the tone for ads that address the issue while maintaining a hopeful note.

For its part, photo service Shutterfly saw an opportunity to take the pandemic head-on while reminding people that there is plenty of good to share even in tough moments.

The ad, created by San Francisco-based agency Argonaut, sets up its premise with a perfectly measured voiceover, saying, This year happened. Throughout the 30 seconds, there are nods to thanking frontline workers, lack of haircuts, bread (so much bread)and a little one who thought 2020 was the best year ever (though debatable, its part of the joke).

In fairness, the products marketed, like cards and other photo-centric items, are supposed to inject warmth into peoples lives. Yet 2020 has been fraught with tension, and striking a balance between levity and reality is a tough tone to manage.

According to Shutterfly CMO Craig Rowley, the brand did extensive research and found that, even though there were plenty of bad things happening, people felt a great deal of positivity and optimism. They took up new hobbies, adopted pets, baked (again with the bread), creating rich, emotional territory for the brand.

Due to the pandemic, people felt disconnected in general, Rowley said. There is more motivation to connect in meaningful ways, and we feel that we can help capture memories and play a role in connecting family and friends. And thats what led to the idea of Let the Good Fly for the campaign.

For his part, Hunter Hindman, Argonauts founder, thought a lot about where the world was at the moment and whether or not the creative concept was reading the collective room. Though there is tremendous gravity in some serious issues facing the world, there was much to celebrate.

Whats great about this campaign is that were trying to inspire [people] and remind them of all of the great things that have happened, he remarked. These are the tiny moments that we featured in the ad.

Its sometimes easy to forget that Shutterfly has been around since 1999 and survived several permutations and tech ups and down. One of the upsides to its tenure is that the brand has a great deal of data to better understand consumer sentiment. With 2020 being so different, however, Shutterfly conducted a survey to find out how the brand shows up in peoples lives and how Covid-19 shapes consumer behavior.

Perhaps not surprisingly, only 7% of respondents plan to celebrate the holidays in person this year, which Rowley said contributes to a the feeling of being disconnected. Yet, on the plus side, 34% plan to keep in touch with family and friends by sending holiday cards, which jumps to 40% in the Baby Boomer demographic. Rowley also noted that one in five people plan to send cards for the first time, a number that jumps to 40% among millennials.

Were experiencing growth, and I believe that Shutterfly is more relevant than ever, said Rowley. Thats due to some of the issues around Covid-19, but I think that its also basic human behavior of wanting to say connected.

Yet, in the end, the tactile nature of Shutterflys product plays an important role, as many people figure out the best way to navigate a holiday spent away from family and friends.

Continue Reading

Go here to read the rest:
Shutterfly Finds the Good in 2020 for the Holiday Season - Adweek

Human Behavior

Can Prejudice and Conflict among Groups Be Reduced? – The Great Courses Daily News

By Mark Leary, Ph.D., Duke University Prejudice and conflict are inevitable when groups are formed, but there are some situations where they can be reduced. (Image: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock)Being Disadvantaged

Prejudice and conflict intensify when people feel that their group is disadvantaged relative to other groups. Regardless of how well they are doing, objectively, simply perceiving a disadvantage will make the group members treat other groups more aggressively.

This does not happen only when the successful group has done something against the disadvantaged group to hold them back. Only the feeling of being disadvantaged is enough for creating stronger prejudice and conflict with other groups. Thus, political and economic inequalities must be minimized to make social groups stop fighting with each other. However, fighting over limited resources is not the only reason for conflicts.

This is a transcript from the video series Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior. Watch it now, on The Great Courses Plus.

Prejudice and conflict can develop when a group feels like another group does not have the same values, attitudes, and moral standards as them. The conflicting values do not need to be illegal or harmful; just being different is enough for members of a group to mistreat others. This is the kind of prejudice and discrimination that gays and lesbians, atheists, and people with many tattoos and body piercings experience in the USA.

Thus, merely differing from the mainstream can create prejudice and conflict, even if no harm is done to anybody. Humans are the only creatures that fight over beliefs and values, not just resources and territories. What is in it for people?

Learn more about why so many people are so stressed out.

Social psychologists suggest that prejudice can provide desirable psychological outcomes for some people. Thus, some people feel good when they are prejudiced against others. For example, people who are more insecure about their own abilities and qualifications tend to judge others more harshly. Likewise, whites of higher social classes can be less prejudiced toward minorities than middle-class whites.

Another important element in prejudice is feeling superior. If people have high self-esteem, they tend to be less prejudiced. All of these being said, how do groups get along without killing each other based on all the prejudice and conflict?

Simply putting members of opposing groups together in the hopes of making them know each other, trust, and get along is not going to work. In one study that involved a population of adolescent boys divided into two groups, the conflicts got so hostile that the researchers had to keep the groups separate to ensure their safety. They tried putting the groups together for some fun activities, but antagonism escalated instead of reducing.

However, in the 1950s, Gordon Allport explained the conditions in which prejudice and conflict among groups could be controlled and reduced.

Learn more about why we make mountains out of molehills.

There are three general situations where people overcome prejudice and conflict:

People do not need real reasons to hold bias and prejudice against members of other groups, but they need a lot of effort and reasons to overcome those biases. However, if the same conflicting groups began sharing the same identity, conflicts would reduce. This would also need extremely strong motivation.

For example, if aliens attack the Earth, people of all races and countries would immediately bond together to defeat the enemy. They will no longer see themselves as identified by their nationality and will pick the from Earth identity.

People usually have prejudice, and conflict forms easily, when they have positive biases about themselves and their group, and negative ones about other people and other groups.

When a person is a member of a group, they tend to view themselves and their fellow group members more positively than others outside the group, because their group has a shared goal with them. Prejudice and conflict are also common inter-group.

Yes. As Gordon Allport explained, prejudice and conflicts drop when the groups have equal status and power within the situation in which they will have contact and interaction with each other.

Yes. Another factor in controlling prejudice and conflict in groups is the supervision of a higher authority, be it a person or another group.

Here is the original post:
Can Prejudice and Conflict among Groups Be Reduced? - The Great Courses Daily News

Human Behavior

Study looks at relationship between COVID-19 and the weather – KOCO Oklahoma City

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, there were hopes that hot summer temperatures could reduce the virus' spread. But that didnt happen.As the U.S. braces for the next wave of the pandemic heading into the winter months, new research reveals the relationship between weather and the coronavirus.Weather is never a friend nor a foe. The choices that you make personally, they will determine your risk, said Dr. Dev Niyogi, a professor at the University of Texas School of Geosciences.Niyogi, who led a study that explores the connection between COVID-19 and the weather, said it doesnt matter if its hot or cold outside. The spread of the virus depends almost entirely on human behavior. Its essential because it brings a message of hope that just because we are going to get into a colder season does not mean that it is going to get much more messier, Niyogi said.The data shows that individual actions, such as taking trips and spending time away from home, were the top reasons for COVID-19 growth. Temperature and climate really did not have an influence when compared to other factors.Niyogi said personal choices and social behaviors are the best ways to lower risks to exposure to the virus.I would look at what data says, what science says, and I would hope for a dash of good luck, Niyogi said.

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, there were hopes that hot summer temperatures could reduce the virus' spread. But that didnt happen.

As the U.S. braces for the next wave of the pandemic heading into the winter months, new research reveals the relationship between weather and the coronavirus.

Weather is never a friend nor a foe. The choices that you make personally, they will determine your risk, said Dr. Dev Niyogi, a professor at the University of Texas School of Geosciences.

Niyogi, who led a study that explores the connection between COVID-19 and the weather, said it doesnt matter if its hot or cold outside. The spread of the virus depends almost entirely on human behavior.

Its essential because it brings a message of hope that just because we are going to get into a colder season does not mean that it is going to get much more messier, Niyogi said.

The data shows that individual actions, such as taking trips and spending time away from home, were the top reasons for COVID-19 growth. Temperature and climate really did not have an influence when compared to other factors.

Niyogi said personal choices and social behaviors are the best ways to lower risks to exposure to the virus.

I would look at what data says, what science says, and I would hope for a dash of good luck, Niyogi said.

Continue reading here:
Study looks at relationship between COVID-19 and the weather - KOCO Oklahoma City

Human Behavior

Reality mirrors ‘The Twilight Zone’: TV episodes from 1950s and 1960s are eerily similar to circumstances today – The Spokesman-Review

It looks the same, it smells the same, and it feels the same but it isnt the same. There is something not quite right. Either an invisible contagion has invaded our country, or were in The Twilight Zone.

Apparently, its the former, but it certainly feels like the latter. For the uninitiated, The Twilight Zone is a compelling TV series created and hosted by Rod Serling, who wrote most of the scripts. The series, which ran from 1959-1964, featured an array of genres, from dystopian fiction and supernatural drama to black comedy. Each episode typically included a twist, and the original shows are still relevant today.

There have been other versions of The Twilight Zone, the latest by director-writer Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us), which airs on CBS All Access. Karen Petruska, associate professor of Communications Studies at Gonzaga, agrees that it feels like were living in the seminal TV show, which influenced Steven Spielberg and Chris Carter, the creator of The X-Files, among others.

It is like The Twilight Zone right now, Petruska said. Its like the show in that were trying to make sense of what were experiencing. Theres something that is obviously wrong. Its weird at times during this pseudo-lockdown.

You can go to the park, but you cant have people over for dinner. I want to invite you into my house, but I cant let you in. Obviously, something is off. It wasnt quite right with Major League Baseball. Without people watching in person, something was definitely off.

Something is definitely off, but thats the story behind most Twilight Zone episodes. Now is the time to go back or check out classic Twilight Zone episodes for the first time.

As Serling once said, You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. Youre moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. Youve just crossed over into the Twilight Zone.

There are a number of classic episodes that mirror or are a reminder of what were experiencing courtesy of the coronavirus or due to human behavior. Also consider what The Twilight Zone has spawned: a board game, graphic novels, two other series with the same name and format and a film. The entire Twilight Zone collection is available on Hulu and Netflix.

1. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

Season 1, Episode 22, original air date: March 4, 1960

The suburban subdivision appears idyllic at the beginning of the episode. Children are playing during a sunny afternoon as an ice cream truck drives by. However, everything changes when a flash of light streaks through the sky, and the residents lose power. Those on Maple Street convince themselves that aliens disguised as humans have been residing in their community.

Some strange events occur, and suspicion follows. After a residents car inexplicably starts, the group of friendly neighbors turns into an angry mob. How different is their behavior from Americans views of the Chinese? How many Chinese restaurants went out of business after the coronavirus struck? Its also reminiscent of post-9/11 views of Middle Easterners.

What do humans do in a time of crisis? There are weapons that are simple thoughts, attitudes, prejudices, Serling said at the end of the episode.

2. Time Enough at Last

Season 1, Episode 8, Nov. 20, 1959

A bank clerk disappears with a book during his lunch break and locks himself in a vault, which saves him from a nuclear assault. The meek and mild inveterate literature junkie, played by Burgess Meredith at his finest, is ecstatic as he ventures to the library. There is no one around in the rubble to interrupt him as he indulges in the classics.

However, it doesnt take long for him to discover that there are pitfalls to isolationism. It wasnt easy for folks to be by their lonesome during the lockdown, and considering what is projected, people might be starving for human contact again.

3. Where Is Everybody?

Season 1, Episode 1, Oct. 2, 1959

The Twilight Zone pilot features a man clad in a U.S. Air Force flight suit wandering into a desolate town. The protagonist walks into a diner with freshly baked pies and a hot pot of coffee on the stove, but theres no sign of life.

He spots a lit cigar in an empty police station. Not every episode of The Twilight Zone is explained, but the reason for what the man experiences is detailed at the conclusion of the episode. Its all about dealing with isolation. How long can we tolerate it?

The barrier of loneliness: The palpable, desperate need of the human animal to be with his fellow man. Up there is an enemy known as isolation. It sits there in the stars waiting, waiting with the patience of eons, forever waiting in the Twilight Zone.

A fascinating side note. Serling, who died at 50 in 1975, intended for his script The Happy Place to be his Twilight Zone debut. The episode revolved around a society in which people were executed upon reaching their 60th birthday since they were deemed no longer useful. However, network executives refused to run with that episode since it was deemed too dark.

4. The Midnight Sun

Season 3, Episode 10, Nov. 17, 1961

A pair of Manhattan apartment dwellers are all thats left in their building as Gotham heats up. The Earths orbit is disturbed, and its moving toward the sun. The mercury is rising, and New Yorkers are either moving north or perishing in the sweltering city. Since the pair are all thats left, theyre in isolation. Aside from that common denominator with the coronavirus, the script screams global warming.

5. The Shelter

Season 3, Episode 3, Sept. 29, 1961

Everyone is having a great time at a birthday for a neighborhood doctor who has cared for each guest as their physician. Shortly after the party ends, a civil defense warning reports that UFOs have been detected traveling toward the United States. The doctor and his family retreat to their bomb shelter.

His friends/patients beg their doctor to open the door to the shelter, where there is only room for three. Desperation and violent acts follow. There is the element of isolation but also of division, which reflects the state of our country. The closing narration has a solution. For civilization to survive, the human race has to remain civilized.

Read the original here:
Reality mirrors 'The Twilight Zone': TV episodes from 1950s and 1960s are eerily similar to circumstances today - The Spokesman-Review

Human Behavior

The 29 Senses of Normal – The Good Men Project

The mental disorder business, where folks sit around a table and turn symptom pictures into mental disorders, rests on the Orwellian conceit that the average person is gullible enough to believe that there is a clear meaning to the word normal and a clear meaning to the word abnormal. Anyone willing to give the matter a seconds thought would see that these words have so many usages as to empty them of meaning. But few people are willing to give the matter that seconds thought.

It is one of our more astounding places of intellectual shoddiness not to seeand not to shout it out loudthat the word normal is used in so many various and contradictory ways as to render the word both useless and ridiculous. It is a preposterous word, a dangerous word, and an offensive word. And if you dont agree with me, youre not normal!

Here, in lightning fashion, are 29 ways that the word normal is used in discourse about members of our species.

1. Normal = customary

It is normal for a human being to believe in gods.

2. Normal = customary in context

It was normal for French postmodernists to wear kimonos and other unusual attire.

3. Normal = predictable

Given that he was hungry, that no one was watching, and that the apple pie was just sitting there, it was normal for him to steal a piece.

4. Normal = desirable

It isnt normal for our kids not to want their own kids.

5. Normal = acceptable

It isnt normal for a person to walk out during the eulogy. People should know better.

6. Normal = time-limited

It was normal for her to feel sad about the death of her husband but its been two years now.

7. Normal = possible

Since some human beings have been cannibals, eating your enemy is a normal human behavior.

8. Normal = motivated

Once we understood her motives her behavior struck us as completely normal.

9. Normal = rational

He answered all of my questions in a completely rational manner and seemed normal to me.

10. Normal = happy

Shed been unhappy for a long time but shes more normal now, more like her old self.

11. Normal = becalmed

Hed beenanxiousand agitated for months before the premiere of his play but hes much more normal now.

article continues after advertisement

12. Normal = free of torment

I had no idea he was so tormented by crazy existential angst about the meaning of life! I thought he was more normal than that.

13. Normal = restrained

He used to flare up terribly and get enraged but hes much more normal now.

14. Normal = controlled

Johnny used to be so fidgety in class but now that hes on those three medications he can sit still like a normal student.

15. Normal = self-interested

It is completely normal not to want to blow the whistle at work if that would cost you your job.

16. Normal = not sad

He was feeling blue at his last job but hes feeling much more normal at his new job.

17. Normal = average

Hisintelligencefalls within the normal range.

18. Normal = moral

Homosexuals are sinners. They arent normal.

19. Normal = legal

Its normal to drive a little over the speed limit but he was going ninety.

20. Normal = age appropriate

Thats normal behavior for a two-year-old.

21. Normal = developmentally appropriate

Its normal to act and feel that way when you leave home for the first time.

22. Normal = free of compulsion

He used to drink alcoholically but now he can drink normally.

23. Normal = free of obsession

He used to obsess about meeting Marilyn Monroe in Heaven but now he has normal interests.

24. Normal = free of biological defect

His brain tumor is preventing him from thinking and acting normally.

article continues after advertisement

25. Normal = free of psychological defect

How could anyone be normal with a mother like that?

26. Normal = free ofspiritualdefect

The devil got a hold of him for a few years but he fought the devil off and now hes normal again.

27. Normal = free ofpersonalitydefect

Hershynesswas really hampering her but now she can speak up like a normal person.

28. Normal = free of social defect

He was living a very isolated life but now he goes out like any normal person.

29. Normal = free of unnamable defect

We cant say whats wrong with him but he just isnt normal.

Have I captured every sense and usage of the word normal? Of course I havent. Are some of these innocent enough and hardly worth railing against? Of course they are. But the main point remains. The word normal cant be saved. It and abnormal should vanish from our human conversation. What would happen if we simply got rid of the words normal and abnormal? We would gain clarity, integrity, and a shot at dealing in new and better ways with what actually ails human beings.

Is a cannibal normal? Is a kimono-clad postmodernist normal? Is a widow still grieving normal? Is a passive, medicated child normal? Is it more normal to drink or more normal to abstain? Everything is normal turned this way or that! And, dangerously, everything is abnormal. When we use words this loosely they become weapons of destruction.

article continues after advertisement

More than a hundred years of language analysis has not helped us all that much in understanding that the words we use matter. It is perhaps not in the nature of our speciesnot normal (wink, wink)for a sufficient number of people to care enough about the terrible consequences of lame naming (consequences like forcing three, four, or five normalizing medications on a child). I see no hope for any change, as this intellectual shoddiness and carelessness look to be perfectly normal.

This post was previously published on psychologytoday.com.

***

Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info?

A complete list of benefits is here.

Photo credit: iStockPhoto.com

Go here to see the original:
The 29 Senses of Normal - The Good Men Project