Category Archives: Human Behavior

Human Behavior

Towards A Zombie Apocalypse – Government Must Re-Think Its Bio-Defense Strategy – Modern Ghana

Some of us have rooted for a lockdown for weeks in Ghana as a bio-defense strategy to contain the community spread of coronavirus. The government dragged its feet for a long time. And finally decided to act - belatedly and half-heartedly - but not strategically.

The government announced a lockdown in selected cities and towns on Friday night. However, people have three whole days free to freely move out of the city to any town or village of their choice.

This appears to have left a big loophole in the government's bio-defense strategy.

We all see legions of people are moving in droves to catch a bus to their isolated villages in Ghana. They are trying to take advantage of that window of opportunity left open by the government.

What this means is that the government's half-hearted belated partial lockdown is serving a different purpose other than the intended purpose.

The virus is now going to be redistributed to spread even faster rather than isolated and contained to slow its spread.

People are going out to areas without means of testing for COVID-19 where the virus will incubate, duplicate and spread in the various communities.

And nobody should blame the people who are on the move.

If the government did a thorough analysis cognizant of the consequences of their decisions, they should have foreseen this trend of human behavior coming.

Why did the #lockdown not include an immediate ban on the inter-city movement of vehicles and people? Is it because they didn't think about it or didn't care enough or were they afraid of the consequences?

How will any proper bio-fefense strategy fail to predict correctly, the human behaviour or reaction to an impending lockdown?

And how can we now blame these people on the move? The government has created the impression that the war zone is in the cities and has given people the chance to escape before a curfew.

This is despite the fact that we don't have a clear picture of the hot spots of the virus in the communities - thanks to our lack of capacity for testing and contact tracing.

Potential hot spots such as the upper east and west regions which share borders - authorized and unauthorized - with Burkina-Faso - the hottest spot of the coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa - must not and cannot be left out of any urgent and serious bio-defense strategy of the Ghana government.

Those who think the people on the move are to blame for indiscipline should think again. If the people could be relied on to use their common sense, we wouldn't have needed the coercive powers of the state to impose social distancing.

The government is called upon at this juncture to think for the people. The government is leading this biological warfare and if their decisions are untimely and unstrategic, the public pays the heavy price.

And if the people see that the government is clearly not thinking deeply enough - as it seems to be the case now - they will have to start thinking and acting for themselves - in self-defense.

For example, many public servants are still required to report physically for work in government agencies and departments despite not providing any essential services. But in self-defense, many of them will defy such a government counter-productive order and stay home. Can you blame such public servants?

Even as the government calls for social distancing, the President is still physically meeting various groups of people from different institutions at the presidency and sending wrong signals to the people.

In the end, a failed government bio-defense strategy will only worsen the humanitarian, socio-economic and public health crisis for the people - with political ramifications - of course!

We must stop blaming the people for acting in self-defense! The Government of Ghana must act more strategically by rethinking its bio-defense strategy or else the people of Ghana are heading towards Apocalyptic scenarios.

Source: Sacut Amenga-Etego(Ghanaian Journalist & Ghost Writer)

Continued here:
Towards A Zombie Apocalypse - Government Must Re-Think Its Bio-Defense Strategy - Modern Ghana

Human Behavior

Your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same – The Conversation US

The media is replete with COVID-19 stories about people clearing supermarket shelves and the backlash against them. Have people gone mad? How can one individual be overfilling his own cart, while shaming others who are doing the same?

As a behavioral neuroscientist who has studied hoarding behavior for 25 years, I can tell you that this is all normal and expected. People are acting the way evolution has wired them.

The word hoarding might bring to mind relatives or neighbors whose houses are overfilled with junk. A small percentage of people do suffer from what psychologists call hoarding disorder, keeping excessive goods to the point of distress and impairment.

But hoarding is actually a totally normal and adaptive behavior that kicks in any time there is an uneven supply of resources. Everyone hoards, even during the best of times, without even thinking about it. People like to have beans in the pantry, money in savings and chocolates hidden from the children. These are all hoards.

Most Americans have had so much, for so long. People forget that, not so long ago, survival often depended on working tirelessly all year to fill root cellars so a family could last through a long, cold winter and still many died.

Similarly, squirrels work all fall to hide nuts to eat for the rest of the year. Kangaroo rats in the desert hide seeds the few times it rains and then remember where they put them to dig them back up later. A Clarks nutcracker can hoard over 10,000 pine seeds per fall and even remember where it put them.

Similarities between human behavior and these animals are not just analogies. They reflect a deeply ingrained capacity for brains to motivate us to acquire and save resources that may not always be there. Suffering from hoarding disorder, stockpiling in a pandemic or hiding nuts in the fall all of these behaviors are motivated less by logic and more by a deeply felt drive to feel safer.

My colleagues and I have found that stress seems to signal the brain to switch into get hoarding mode. For example, a kangaroo rat will act very lazy if fed regularly. But if its weight starts to drop, its brain signals to release stress hormones that incite the fastidious hiding of seeds all over the cage.

Kangaroo rats will also increase their hoarding if a neighboring animal steals from them. Once, I returned to the lab to find the victim of theft with all his remaining food stuffed into his cheek pouches the only safe place.

People do the same. If in our lab studies my colleagues and I make them feel anxious, our study subjects want to take more stuff home with them afterward.

Demonstrating this shared inheritance, the same brain areas are active when people decide to take home toilet paper, bottled water or granola bars, as when rats store lab chow under their bedding the orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, regions that generally help organize goals and motivations to satisfy needs and desires.

Damage to this system can even induce abnormal hoarding. One man who suffered frontal lobe damage had a sudden urge to hoard bullets. Another could not stop borrowing others cars. Brains across species use these ancient neural systems to ensure access to needed items or ones that feel necessary.

So, when the news induces a panic that stores are running out of food, or that residents will be trapped in place for weeks, the brain is programmed to stock up. It makes you feel safer, less stressed, and actually protects you in an emergency.

At the same time theyre organizing their own stockpiles, people get upset about those who are taking too much. That is a legitimate concern; its a version of the tragedy of the commons, wherein a public resource might be sustainable, but peoples tendency to take a little extra for themselves degrades the resource to the point where it can no longer help anyone.

By shaming others on social media, for instance, people exert what little influence they have to ensure cooperation with the group. As a social species, human beings thrive when they work together, and have employed shaming even punishment for millennia to ensure that everyone acts in the best interest of the group.

And it works. Twitter users went after a guy reported to have hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer in the hopes of turning a profit; he ended up donating all of it and is under investigation for price gouging. Who wouldnt pause before grabbing those last few rolls of TP when the mob is watching?

People will continue to hoard to the extent that they are worried. They will also continue to shame others who take more than what they consider a fair share. Both are normal and adaptive behaviors that evolved to balance one another out, in the long run.

But thats cold comfort for someone on the losing end of a temporary imbalance like a health care worker who did not have protective gear when they encountered a sick patient. The survival of the group hardly matters to the person who dies, or to their parent, child or friend.

One thing to remember is that the news selectively depicts stockpiling stories, presenting audiences with the most shocking cases. Most people are not charging $400 for a mask. Most are just trying to protect themselves and their families, the best way they know how, while also offering aid wherever they can. Thats how the human species evolved, to get through challenges like this together.

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Your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same - The Conversation US

Human Behavior

Gene mutation enhances cognitive flexibility in mice – National Institutes of Health

News Release

Friday, March 27, 2020

Findings may have implications for understanding epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered in mice what they believe is the first known genetic mutation to improve cognitive flexibilitythe ability to adapt to changing situations. The gene, KCND2, codes for a protein that regulates potassium channels, which control electrical signals that travel along neurons. The electrical signals stimulate chemical messengers that jump from neuron to neuron. The researchers were led by Dax Hoffman, Ph.D., chief of the Section on Neurophysiology at NIHs Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). It appears in Nature Communications.

The KCND2 protein, when modified by an enzyme, slows the generation of electrical impulses in neurons. The researchers found that altering a single base pair in the KCND2 gene enhanced the ability of the protein to dampen nerve impulses. Mice with this mutation performed better than mice without the mutation in a cognitive task. The task involved finding and swimming to a slightly submerged platform that had been moved to a new location. Mice with the mutation found the relocated platform much faster than their counterparts without the mutation.

The researchers plan to investigate whether the mutation will affect neural networks in the animals brains. They added that studying the gene and its protein may ultimately lead to insights on the nature of cognitive flexibility in people. It also may help improve understanding of epilepsy, schizophrenia, Fragile X syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder, which all have been associated with other mutations in KCND2.

Dax Hoffman, Ph.D., chief of the NICHD Section on Neurophysiology, is available for comment.

Hu, JH, et al. Activity-dependent isomerization of Kv4.2 by Pin1 regulates cognitive flexibility. Nature Communications.2020.

This media availability 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.

About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): NICHD leads research and training to understand human development, improve reproductive health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all. For more information, visit https://www.nichd.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

###

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Gene mutation enhances cognitive flexibility in mice - National Institutes of Health

Human Behavior

The Conversation: Your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same – Pocono Record

The media is replete with COVID-19 stories about people clearing supermarket shelves and the backlash against them. Have people gone mad? How can one individual be overfilling his own cart, while shaming others who are doing the same?

As a behavioral neuroscientist who has studied hoarding behavior for 25 years, I can tell you that this is all normal and expected. People are acting the way evolution has wired them.

Stockpiling provisions

The word "hoarding" might bring to mind relatives or neighbors whose houses are overfilled with junk. A small percentage of people do suffer from what psychologists call "hoarding disorder," keeping excessive goods to the point of distress and impairment.

But hoarding is actually a totally normal and adaptive behavior that kicks in any time there is an uneven supply of resources. Everyone hoards, even during the best of times, without even thinking about it. People like to have beans in the pantry, money in savings and chocolates hidden from the children. These are all hoards.

Most Americans have had so much, for so long. People forget that, not so long ago, survival often depended on working tirelessly all year to fill root cellars so a family could last through a long, cold winter and still many died.

Similarly, squirrels work all fall to hide nuts to eat for the rest of the year. Kangaroo rats in the desert hide seeds the few times it rains and then remember where they put them to dig them back up later. A Clark's nutcracker can hoard over 10,000 pine seeds per fall and even remember where it put them.

Similarities between human behavior and these animals' are not just analogies. They reflect a deeply ingrained capacity for brains to motivate us to acquire and save resources that may not always be there. Suffering from hoarding disorder, stockpiling in a pandemic or hiding nuts in the fall all of these behaviors are motivated less by logic and more by a deeply felt drive to feel safer.

My colleagues and I have found that stress seems to signal the brain to switch into "get hoarding" mode. For example, a kangaroo rat will act very lazy if fed regularly. But if its weight starts to drop, its brain signals to release stress hormones that incite the fastidious hiding of seeds all over the cage.

Kangaroo rats will also increase their hoarding if a neighboring animal steals from them. Once, I returned to the lab to find the victim of theft with all his remaining food stuffed into his cheek pouches the only safe place.

People do the same. If in our lab studies my colleagues and I make them feel anxious, our study subjects want to take more stuff home with them afterward.

Demonstrating this shared inheritance, the same brain areas are active when people decide to take home toilet paper, bottled water or granola bars, as when rats store lab chow under their bedding the orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, regions that generally help organize goals and motivations to satisfy needs and desires.

Damage to this system can even induce abnormal hoarding. One man who suffered frontal lobe damage had a sudden urge to hoard bullets. Another could not stop "borrowing" others' cars. Brains across species use these ancient neural systems to ensure access to needed items or ones that feel necessary.

So, when the news induces a panic that stores are running out of food, or that residents will be trapped in place for weeks, the brain is programmed to stock up. It makes you feel safer, less stressed, and actually protects you in an emergency.

More than a fair share

At the same time they're organizing their own stockpiles, people get upset about those who are taking too much. That is a legitimate concern; it's a version of the "tragedy of the commons," wherein a public resource might be sustainable, but people's tendency to take a little extra for themselves degrades the resource to the point where it can no longer help anyone.

By shaming others on social media, for instance, people exert what little influence they have to ensure cooperation with the group. As a social species, human beings thrive when they work together, and have employed shaming even punishment for millennia to ensure that everyone acts in the best interest of the group.

And it works. Twitter users went after a guy reported to have hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer in the hopes of turning a profit; he ended up donating all of it and is under investigation for price gouging. Who wouldn't pause before grabbing those last few rolls of TP when the mob is watching?

People will continue to hoard to the extent that they are worried. They will also continue to shame others who take more than what they consider a fair share. Both are normal and adaptive behaviors that evolved to balance one another out, in the long run.

But that's cold comfort for someone on the losing end of a temporary imbalance like a health care worker who did not have protective gear when they encountered a sick patient. The survival of the group hardly matters to the person who dies, or to their parent, child or friend.

One thing to remember is that the news selectively depicts stockpiling stories, presenting audiences with the most shocking cases. Most people are not charging $400 for a mask. Most are just trying to protect themselves and their families, the best way they know how, while also offering aid wherever they can. That's how the human species evolved, to get through challenges like this together.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts and is distributed by the Associated Press.

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The Conversation: Your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same - Pocono Record

Human Behavior

Experts weigh in on COVID-19 pandemic – Daily Illini

Photo Courtesy of Dr. Sandra Darfour-Oduro

Dr. Sandra Darfour-Oduro poses for a photo in a local park. She encourages people to remain calm and follow preventative measures during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Sandra Darfour-Oduro teaches the CHLH 274: Introduction to Epidemiology course within the College of AHS. In this class, she talks to her students about the patterns of diseases, health services administration and health policy. With COVID-19 dramatically affecting the lives of every student at the University, the subject of this class seems more important than ever.

Darfour-Oduro has a background in infectious diseases. Her research focuses on the impact of social environments on disease outcomes and how human behavior could expose people to disease in general. With COVID-19, many people have turned to panicking, which she said is not good for handling the disease.

It is a novel disease, so we dont know much, Darfour-Oduro said. When theres something new and we dont know much about it, theres always a panic.

Scientists and doctors have learned the disease is spread through droplets. If an infected person sneezes or coughs and they are interacting with someone else, it could spread the disease further. However, she says research into treatments is still ongoing.

Darfour-Oduro encourages people to follow the preventative measures put in place by officials.

Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, she said. If you have access to hand sanitizer, use the hand sanitizer. Try not to touch your face, the old and immunocompromised should try to stay at home. All these preventative measures are going to be helpful in minimizing the spread of the virus.

She commended on Gov. J.B. Pritzkers stay-at-home order he enacted on Friday. The fact that he spoke with expert epidemiologists and other professionals to inform his policies was encouraging to Darfour-Oduro.

These measures to stop the spread of the virus will be helpful, according to Darfour-Oduro. They will eventually reduce the number of new cases if people follow these orders.

As an expert on the social aspect of diseases, Darfour-Oduro also emphasized the importance of not panicking. She said while those who are immunocompromised may want to stock up on some supplies to minimize the number of times they have to leave their house, others at lower risk do not need to hoard toilet paper.

I dont think its a good idea to stockpile some of the essentials. If you have them, its okay, but you have to think about your neighbor, Darfour-Oduro said.

She encouraged people to remain calm and follow preventative measures. If someone feels sick, they should call their doctor about their symptoms. It will not help to get scared.

Professor Christopher Brooke is an assistant professor of microbiology whose research also focuses on infectious diseases.

He said he appreciates the efforts the University has gone through to handle this crisis. Putting classes online and limiting meetings and gatherings in a timely manner was an important action. They have taken the issue very seriously and moved rapidly to protect their students and staff.

Above all else, Brooke emphasized the importance of social distancing and quarantine. A vaccine will not be produced for several more months, he said, and we do not have licensed therapeutics that can be utilized in the near future.

Social distancing is the only tool we have in making the difference between responding to this very effectively and aggressively where everyone takes this seriously and does what theyre supposed to that gives the healthcare system a chance to adapt to the surge of cases, he said.

If people treat this with a cavalier attitude, they will continue to spread the virus. It will overwhelm the healthcare system, leading to a lack of essential equipment, such as beds or ventilators.

Brooke said it is everyones responsibility to do what they can to protect their community. Even young people who were not strongly affected by the disease (though he said in Europe and the United States, that is not the case; young people are battling the infection as well) must consider the impact of their actions on the elderly and immunocompromised.

One fact he wanted people to know was we are not helpless in this.

We do have the power to affect the outcomes here, Brooke said.

People can either listen to the recommendations from experts and limit the death and suffering, or they can disregard the facts and create a total catastrophe, he said.

Darfour-Oduro also stressed the importance of recognizing misinformation, as the number of those infected with the disease will continue to rise if people do not pay attention and do not respect the advice of experts.

Its helpful to get the right information to protect your health and your family, she said.

[emailprotected]

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Experts weigh in on COVID-19 pandemic - Daily Illini

Human Behavior

Pearl Jam’s first album in seven years gives us reason to rock on – New York Post

Its been seven years since Pearl Jams last studio album, Lightning Bolt, and the music world has missed them. Eddie Vedder and his grunge gang were one of the first major bands to postpone a tour due to the coronavirus crisis they were supposed to be playing Madison Square Garden on Monday. But at least we have their new LP, Gigaton, out Friday, to give us good reason to rock on right now. Here are six highlights that will have you breaking out your flannel again.

The chugging guitars crank up a beast of a rocker featuring a primal vocal by Vedder. When he sings, Dont allow for hopelessness, focus on your focusness/Ive been hoping that our hope does last, it feels eerily prescient at this moment.

On this moody meditation, Vedder is a voice of comfort to the isolated: Its all right to be alone/To listen for a heartbeat, its your own/Its all right to quiet up/To disappear in thin air, its your own.

Unleashing the kind of fury a lot us are feeling now, this stomping tirade with Vedder raging about the disease of confusion, stripped of our grace will have you headbanging all around your home.

This blistering track could well describe the long road Pearl Jam took to making Gigaton. But when Vedder sings, I always take the long way that leads me back to you, you get the feeling that an eventual return was never in doubt.

Some of the best moments on any PJ album are always the quieter ones. And Vedder, in tender troubadour mode, gives you all the feels on this folky ballad. Could all use a savior from human behavior sometimes, he sings as if he already knew something was about to go down.

The Gigaton closer will have you wading in emotions as the ever-earnest Vedder brings the album to an evocative end. Theres solace to be found in the lyrics: Wide awake through this deepest night/Still waiting on the sun/As the hours seem to multiply/Find a star to soldier on.

Originally posted here:
Pearl Jam's first album in seven years gives us reason to rock on - New York Post

Human Behavior

The Sinner Interview: Star Bill Pullman on Last Night’s Finale and More – GQ

The first season of USAs mystery-thriller The Sinner told the story of a seemingly normal woman, played by Jessica Biel, who snaps and stabs a random person to death. Its only through the dogged detective work of Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) that the exonerating truth behind the violent crime comes to lightand that truth is as much of a release for audiences at home as it is for the characters on-screen.

Each season has dived deeper into Ambroses psyche, revealing the complexities in the somewhat broken yet endlessly empathetic detective, all the while inviting viewers to peer into the brink alongside him. Season 2 explored his troubled childhood as it connected to a deadly poisoning at a cult in New Yorks Hudson Valley, pitting Pullman against Carrie Coon's cult ringleader with questionable intentions. Season 3, which aired its finale last night, twists the knife deeper into Ambroses vulnerability, as the murder suspect (Matt Bomer) is able to weaponize Ambroses empathy against him.

Over the course of three seasons, Pullmans Ambrose has fully become the shows main character, a grounding force whos tasked with solving a strange new crime each season. Amidst the shows twists and turns, Pullman wasnt necessarily expecting that the biggest would be his rise to prominence (I wasnt needy. I wasnt like Wow, its going to be about me, Pullman says).

Pullman, who is perhaps best known for uniting mankind against an alien invasion in 1996s Independence Day, intentionally doesnt cut quite as confident a figure in The Sinner. As Ambrose, hes somewhat squirrelly, and always seems as though hes debating whether or not he should say... well, anything at all. At times, given all his hangups and mannerisms, Ambrose is a bit frustrating to watch, but the detectives peculiar way of inserting himself into bizarre crimes results in a deeper experience than your average cop procedural. Season 3especially its finaletakes The Sinner to some very upsetting places, but Pullman says he finds catharsis in the darkness, with the ultimate humanist message underneath.

I think its been gratifying to see, even in these times, that people are following a dark story, Pullman says. I was thinking This could be terrible for people who are watching, to watch something this gritty. But its almost like [having] strange, disturbing dreams that allow them to exorcise their own sort of demons when watching.

GQ spoke with Pullman about The Sinner, developing a character over time, and turning to another of his famous roles for some pertinent advice.

GQ: What do you think makes The Sinner different from other crime shows on TV?

Bill Pullman: Theres quite a bit more use of guns on other shows. Even when guns come out on The Sinner, theres not a lot of gunplayshooting at people and ducking and running around, shooting back, you know. Its more about watching all the nuances of human behavior and how it can present in ways where you cant draw conclusions at first glance.

How did you make Ambrose more than just another Difficult Manbecause there are certainly no shortage of characters like that on TV?

Thats a good way to summarize it. He is a difficult man. Hes somebody who is clearly not the macho, Im gonna fight crime and expose bad guys kind of thing. He does have a lot of empathy for people; thats surprising, because he can seem so isolated. You can see all the ways in which he doesnt look like the kind of cop who would be successful. Hes a loner, he has a lot of stubbornness, and even the fact that hes still doing it when most people would get out of it. He hasnt finished what he senses is his compelling interest in still being a detective.

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The Sinner Interview: Star Bill Pullman on Last Night's Finale and More - GQ

Human Behavior

His Nickname is Dr. Disaster and at Some Point You May Need Him – Yahoo Finance

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 26, 2020 / "Crises are in the eye of the beholder" says Dr. Joshua Klapow, a clinical psychologist . And that's in part how he got the nickname Dr. Disaster.

Crises come in all shapes sizes and degree of impact. For some it's the down turn of their company in a struggling economy, for others it's a relationship on the rocks. Sometimes crises affect many hundreds or thousands, natural disasters, mass shootings, terrorist attacks. Sometimes they can even be global like a pandemic. In any of these scenarios the psychological and emotional toll on individuals can be devastating. Communities, cities, states, nations can suffer from global distress, a sense of helplessness, and difficulty making decisions and choices that can help them carry on. In any crisis what people do or don't do and how they do or don't do it determines in some cases whether they survive or not, and in all cases whether they thrive or not.

So where can we turn? Where should we turn? Dr. Josh believes that at the heart of every crisis is human distress that needs guidance to see it through. And for years, Dr. Josh has served that role to individuals, companies, cities, states and even nations. And that's how he came by the nickname Dr. Disaster. From his presence across media outlets when "disaster strikes".

As he says "Unfortunately I have taken on this nickname. When bad things happen you will often see me on television, hear from me on radio or read my words in print. The good news is that when bad things happen to you, your company, your city or state, you can count on me to be there with the tools, and the experience to help people tap into their psychological resiliency and work through a crisis. So I guess Dr. Disaster isn't that bad after all".

Dr. Josh has been working for decades with people in a variety of crisis situations: A CEO in the middle of a contested divorce trying to compartmentalize the stress divorce while maintaining the functioning of a multimillion-dollar business. An elite athlete who has just seen their season end due to a catastrophic injury and now must face the transition to a next life chapter. A start up company that fell on a tough economy and now is faced with massive downsizing while looking after their employees well being. A multibillion-dollar company that is struggling with the retention of high performing individuals who are leaving in droves because of a punitive management culture. Or maybe it's a tornado, or hurricane or earthquake that has decimated a city or state. Or a global pandemic that has struck fear in the hearts of frankly the world. Dr. Josh is usually there. It may be for a one on one series of consultations out of the media's eye. It may be as an advisor helping leadership making tough decisions about layoffs. You may see him on television; hear him on the radio, read his quotes in print as he tries to get the messages out to the masses.

Story continues

Dr. Josh is there to help people navigate . He explains:

"In times of crises, big or small, at the individual level or global, as a general rule we, humans experience levels of distress that impact every aspect of our functioning. Crises change the way we think, the way we process information, the way we `function. Having the right tools to reduce our anxiety, focus our concentration, regulate our autonomic nervous system is critical. Even then, when people are undergoing prolonged stressful situations, they need someone who can point out the cognitive errors, the irrational beliefs, and the self-defeating actions that come with being under immense pressure. I see it at the individual level but I also see it at the group and population level. A distressed management team makes human resource decisions that often are focused on relieving their own distress but not focused on maximizing the productivity or longevity of their employees. A distressed community engages in a series of actions typically aimed at reducing individual anxiety but not looking at the interconnectedness of their interactions. Crisis does bring out the best in some people but it also brings our weakest psychological characteristics to the forefront. My job is to help guide people through the crisis of their lives. "

While having significant life and/or business experience is a great backdrop to helping people, it doesn't formally prepare a person to manage the intense emotions, the erratic decisions, the fear, anxiety and at times irrational behavior that happens when people are experiencing a life crisis. Understanding how stress, anxiety, perceived danger, escape preferences, cognitive biases and psychophysiological deregulation impact every aspect of an individuals life is critical to help them navigate crisis situations.. There are many untrained or poorly trained individuals in the marketplace providing high-priced services to people and organizations in very high profile, high scrutiny, and high-pressured positions. Watching this happen in everyone from start-up CEOs to executives in publicly traded organizations to professional athletes and entertainers to entire communities is what motivated Dr. Josh Klapow to step in.

Joshua Klapow, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist. He has a specialization in behavioral medicine and disaster mental health. He trained at UCLA and UC San Diego and spent nearly 20 years researching the role of human behavior in health, well being and the impact of disaster and crisis on human functioning as an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has taught hundreds of graduate students and professionals the principles of psychological first aid, disaster communication and psychosocial crisis managing. He has served as a behavioral science consultant for individuals and organizations across the country as well as the World Health Organization. He has spent his entire career trying to help people thrive in situations where there are significant challenges to their physical and mental health and overall well being.

"My clinical training was specifically focused on helping people change their lives during times of challenge, strife and crisis. It was also designed to help people understand how situations and environmental settings either helped people to thrive or served as a barrier. My training was designed to help people navigate the life changes in front of them and to help people design businesses and systems of care that were much more person centered." Dr. Josh says.

Dr. Josh's traditional research and clinical work have been supplemented by a collaboration with media outlets to provide the public with the psychological first aid tools during times of crisis. From 9/11 to the variety of mass shootings, to SARS, to tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, the financial crisis of 2008, plane crashes, Ebola, and COVID-19. His passion to get the message out to help people navigate fear anxiety, distress, and frustration have resulted in products such as "The Preparedness Minute", A CDC funded series of videos that have been disseminated to public health organizations and first responders across the country help people prepare and cope with national disasters. He has been called on by media outlets across the country after natural disasters, mass shootings, and disease outbreaks to help address the social and psychological impact these events have on people. From multiple appearances on The Weather Channel, to the BBC, NBC Weekend News and local affiliates across the country. To digital outlets ranging from the HuffPost, Buzzfeed, Elite Daily, Men's Health, Today.com, US News and World Report and more. Dr. Josh has been a media partner and a psychological first aid expert for nearly two decades.

He has also worked extremely closely with the business community to address the human resource impact of difficult and life changing scenarios. He has consulted on continuity planning, employee engagement, crisis communication, executive impairment, leadership transition, and psychological first aid for organizations ranging from startups to multibillion-dollar public companies. His unique expertise as a public health academician and a clinical psychologist allows him to shift from focus on the individual to groups and populations as is needed. Sophisticated technology and a deep understanding of psychology and behavioral science.

This blend of expertise in behavioral science, disaster preparedness, crisis communication and business along with his presence in the national media has positioned Dr. Josh as a sought after resource for companies and individuals across the US helping them leverage psychology and behavioral science in crisis situations. He is called on to help people survive and thrive when high levels of pressure and stress are present. He has become a public and private "go to" for those who need his input in any crisis situation or capacity.

"I know that crises will vary greatly in terms of how many people are impacted. I also know that in crisis situations there is a need for guidance that is not always delivered in a traditional "mental health" format. People need messages that are being delivered via the media, companies need guidance to make the best decisions possible for their employees, individuals need to know there is someone on the other end of a call, video conference, or text that can offer psychological tools and resources immediately to help make critical decisions. I am not a physician or an economist. My role is to know as much as is possible about how to navigate the psychological, cognitive, emotional and behavioral challenges that arise before, during and after a crisis situation. My role is to be there to make sure that you as an individual, a company or a community or nation have the right strategies to work with the impact of humans in a state of distress.

I serve as a trusted "psychological correspondent" for media outlets nationally and internationally and I work with businesses and individuals to help them bring behavioral science and psychology to the forefront of their organizations and their personal lives in the context of crises and disasters. I am here to consult and coach, to develop and support. I am here when you need an individual who can help you or your company thrive in times of crisis, change, decision making or growth. I deeply understand human behavior and I have lived the real-life experiences. Look, in my opinion it comes down to this, if you need to understand how thoughts, emotions and behaviors impact your life during some of the most critical situations and times. If you need to understand that in the context of your company, or the life of others around you, it is important that you get it right, you have to go with someone who has training and experience. Be careful, because intuition, and experience with life strife is not what you want if you need someone to help you get it right. A high level of specific training and experience is critical, because your life is critical. I've worked my whole career to prepare me to help. And I'm here to help." Dr. Josh says.

For Dr. Josh, mindset is critical because you must be willing to look at a crisis situation that may have everyone around you deregulated, distressed and convinced there are no options or their options are the only options. Being able to sit in periods of crisis and guide people through he array of emotions and actions without getting pulled down in is a skill that has to be honed and refined if you are to be at the forefront of crisis management. You have to trust your training and trust that in the middle of chaos you can hold steady as a voice of reason.

"My advice for those who are trying to help in crisis and disaster situations is to make sure you check yourself first. Do you have the tools to be strong, to know when you are exceeding your bandwidth, to join with individuals, organizational, communities while keeping yourself psychological strong. If you haven't had this kind of training you run the risk of becoming a psychological liability versus as n asset. Dr. Josh advises.

Dr. Josh is admant about pushing the message that psychological well being is a science, with specific tools an methods that ere desperately needed for individuals and groups during times of strife. He will also tell you that the larger the crisis, the more people it impacts and the longer the duration the more we need to rely not just on being tough, but rely on the assets that come with specific and targeted experience and credentials in psychology, behavioral science and human performance

"If you are someone who is experiencing a personal life crisis, an organization that is trying to navigate a crisis or a community that is trying to contain a crisis. I have the training and understanding to help you. If you are in a high-pressure situation and need to make sure that you are getting the most out of your own psychological, emotional, behavioral and physiological resources, I can guide you through. ." Dr. Josh states.

To learn more about Dr. Josh's work or how you can reach out, go here.

CONTACT:

Paula Henderson202-539-7664phendersonnews@gmail.com

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His Nickname is Dr. Disaster and at Some Point You May Need Him - Yahoo Finance

Human Behavior

19:48 Armenia’s ex-president addresses Artsakh voters ahead of presidential elections – Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am

YEREVAN. The timing of nationwide regular elections in Artsakh coincided with a world full of serious challenges and threats, where preserving peoples health and saving lives is an absolute priority for all states and nations, Armenias ex-president and hero of Artsakh Serzh Sargsyan said in his address to the people of Artsakh ahead of the presidential elections.

The understanding of security, safety, effective governance, even simple human behavior, caring for one another, and public relations are changing day by day or new perceptions are being formed in the world. Some see it as a new war, some as the worst crisis in modern human history, others see it as a serious threat to their national security with state borders being closed, the highest red level of epidemic danger declared, and so on.

Yes, saving human lives and effectively managing states in a crisis is the most important thing for everyone at this stage, and then the challenging post-crisis era comes to offset the economic losses and provide dignified living standards for citizens.

Artsakhs authorities will hopefully consider the situation realistically and will give an accurate assessment of emerging threats and make decisions that will not endanger the lives of their citizens. I am confident that my comrades in arms, including those in power are well aware of the value of human life.

Please be vigilant, take care of yourself and your families, those in need of care. Please take care of your health and life. This is also a life-and-death struggle, just like in the war that we won together with dignity many years ago. Living in dignity for Artsakh first and foremost meant self-determination of its own destiny on its own land, for which we had so much to pay.

About three decades ago as a result of our righteous struggle, we won the right to live freely and in dignity at the cost of the lives of thousands of our brothers and sisters.

Our years-long negotiations on the international recognition of Artsakhs right to self-determination were based on the results of your international standards-compliant national and local elections.

I used to urge visitors and foreign organizations interested in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue to visit Artsakh and see how Artsakh was building on its achievements based on universal values, democratic society and the idea of nation-state.

My honorable compatriots,

Whatever the decision of the Artsakh leadership these days to hold elections, whatever the situation may be, they will once again become evidence of your free will, which will continue to be a powerful battleground in the negotiation process.

Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan, and the election of the President of the Republic and the National Assembly should make this claim undeniable.

Reaffirm your will to build a strong, prosperous, nation-state based on universal human and Christian values.

Dear people of Artsakh, never allow a political struggle to undermine public solidarity, break the spirit of your unity and weaken your vigilance! The danger of war is as real today as it was three decades ago.

The rapidly evolving world, the instances of overt demonstration of force, wars that violate international humanitarian law and the apparently deadly epidemic sound a serious security alarm for us.

Elect the one who can best provide for your security, the one who is able to take the hardest test, and has proved it by his own example and heroism, capable of managing the country, presenting you confidently and honorably and expressing your will, your creative mind and potential to serve the cause of Artsakhs empowerment and prosperity.

Form a parliament with wide political representation and pluralism and make the process of a free, independent, democratic Artsakh irreversible.

I believe that our collective power, with the trinity of Armenia, Artsakh, and the Diaspora, is capable of making our nation-wide ideas and goals come true, and that the newly elected authorities of Artsakh will support and abide by this idea.

May God protect and save Artsakh and our people!

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19:48 Armenia's ex-president addresses Artsakh voters ahead of presidential elections - Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am

Human Behavior

The Fascist Spirit of the Pandemic Might Kill More People Than COVID-19 – PanAm Post

Journalists who pretend to be prosecutors of morality and people who condemn their neighbors on social media. Some of the embarrassing images from the days of the coronavirus pandemic (EFE).

Spanish The Argentine government literally shut down the country. Borders are closed. Businesses (except those that provide food, medicines, or essential services) are closed. Even people (with a few exceptions) are not allowed to walk on the streets. The country is under total quarantine.

The debate on the economic viability of these measures or the basis of the positions that divide liberals on the issue will be discussed another time. But if the state has already embarked on this path, some things do not make any sense and are dangerous in these circumstances.

I am referring to the embarrassing attitude displayed by many people. Although the authorities are already sticking to the plan to the T, some people have dedicated themselves to being moral prosecutors and pro bono police officers. A kind of parallel pandemic of fascism that does nothing but exposes frustrations and resentment.

It should be noted that the government has already made telephone lines available to the public so that people can communicate with and report those who violate the security measures. But it seems that this private and anonymous measure is not enough for many. People are incomprehensibly using social media to wreck those who behave in a way that could be reckless. Each post brings to light the worst: prejudice based on religion, nationality, or social class. At the same time, insults such as chetos for those who travel abroad and villeros for those who do not stay in their humble places are proliferating. It is all against all in a merciless war.

Lets not deceive ourselves. A concern for public health is not at the root of this attitude. Instead, it is the satisfaction of the morbidity of people who have found the pandemic an excuse for a dangerous catharsis. Videos of outraged people behaving in an authoritarian manner are constantly going viral amid a climate that seems to bring out the worst in us. A recurring scene is that of journalists mistreating people who have allegedly committed an offense even though the reckless ones in question are already in the hands of the security forces. They dig up dirt while there is a large audience ready to consume it. They all want blood.

These attitudes are, unfortunately, deeply rooted in human behavior. Today, they highlight many customs that were seen in authoritarian processes throughout history. It is evident that this is a virus that is still alive even though it is asymptomatic most of the time.

Precautionary measures have already been taken, everyone knows what they have to do, and the Argentine government has chosen the hard way to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. If a person feels that a neighbor is behaving irresponsibly and dangerously, they have the tools to notify the authorities, and that is it. But witch hunts and public posting on social media are not going to get us anywhere better in this difficult situation.

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The Fascist Spirit of the Pandemic Might Kill More People Than COVID-19 - PanAm Post