Category Archives: Human Behavior

Human Behavior

Shanna Swan: Toxic Chemicals Threaten Ability to Reproduce – The Intercept

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

There was so much media coverage when that sperm study came out. Did that spark any policy changes or substantive actions around chemical exposure?

No, it did not. Speaking in scientific meetings and writing scientific papers hasnt done it either. So maybe the book will help.

How did you get into studying chemicals and reproduction?

It started with the phthalate syndrome.

That was the discovery that fetal rats exposed tophthalates 18 to 21 days after mating were more likely to be born with malformed genitals, but the ones that were exposed to those endocrine-disrupting chemicals before or after that window didnt have the problem, right?

Right. In 2000, a colleague from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told me they were able to measure lots of chemicals, including phthalates, at low doses for little cost in lots of people. This was a breakthrough in the field. And I had just done a study of the mothers of young babies, and I still had the urine from the pregnant women, and the babies were very young. He said I should study phthalates. So I thought, OK, what if I mimic the animal study and look for the same endpoints they found in rats? What if I could see those in humans and link them to phthalates?

And you did it?

I did. We found the syndrome in humans.

Your study showed that baby boyswho had been exposed to four different phthalates at the end of the first trimester in the womb had a shorter anogenital distance, or AGD. Can you explain what AGD is and why its important?

Nobody is going to like that term, so you could use taint or gooch instead. But basically its the distance between the anus and the beginning of the genitals. And scientists have recognized its importance for a long time. I have a paper from 1912 that looks at AGD and showed that they were nearly 100 percent longer in males than in females. Our work has shown that chemicals, including the diethylhexyl phthalate, shorten the AGD in males.

Youve also linked phthalate exposure to a lack of interest in sex.

Yes, we found a relationship between womens phthalate levels and their sexual satisfaction. And researchers in China found that workers with higher levels of bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, in their blood were more likely to have sexual problems, including decreased desire.

Of course, phthalates, which are added to plastics, food, cosmetics, and other products, arent the only problem. You write about lots of chemicals that interfere with the hormonal system and reproduction, including the pesticide atrazine, which youve linked to lower sperm quality, and glyphosate, which youve recently shown decreases AGD in rats and perhaps also in humans. Its worth pointing out that all of these chemicals were talking about are still in use in the U.S., while some other countries have banned them. Anyway, tell me about the relationship between endocrine disrupting chemicals and how children play?

Sexually dimorphic play is controversial. Some people say its all socially determined. And it undoubtedly does have social determinants, but it also has physiological determinants. And we showed that in two studies. We asked mothers of young children to tell us how their children play. Its pretty simple: How often do they play with guns? Play with dolls? Play dress-up? Play with tea sets, etc. And it turns out that when boys are exposed to the same chemicals that affect AGD, they play in a less male-typical manner.

The chemicals can change how boys and girls learn to speak too?

One of the parts of the brain thats sexually dimorphic has to do with language acquisition, and females are typically at an advantage. When you ask the mother of a young child how many words her child understands, girls generally have many more words. But this sex difference is decreased by phthalates. And that is an overriding theme: Whether you look at AGD or play behavior or language acquisition, these chemicals decrease sex differences.

Lets talk about gender fluidity. You devote an entire chapter to exploring whether environmental chemicals could be affecting peoples genders. As you note, thats a really sensitive question. I know I dont want to feel that something so fundamental and personal could be affected by chemicals. Still, you point to established science that shows how these chemicals affect biological sex and mating habits in animals studies showing that environmental chemicals can change male frogs into females, feminize toads and alligators, and change mating and sexual behavior in birds and fish. And you explain in the book that interference with hormone levels in the womb can alter the babies genitals. Animals dont have gender consciousness, as far as we know,and biological factors dont necessarily affect peoples genders, but whats the direct evidence that these chemicals are affecting human gender and sex?

Its tentative and limited at this point. Our cohort of children are 8 and 9 years old now, so it will be a long time before we can report on their sexuality or gender identity.

The chemical exposures you describe can impact generations. Can you explain how a persons grandchildren might also be affected by their exposures?

Grandchildren are easy to explain. If youre pregnant, and youre carrying a boy, the chemicals youre exposed tocan pass to him through the placenta. So the germ cells that will create his children are already affected. Plus that boy is exposed to chemicals again as an adult. Its a two-hit model. Or, for subsequent generations, a three-hit or four-hit model. Because you get the inherited contribution, and then you get your own life course contribution when you grow up.

How does that end?

Badly. Thats why we have this continuing decline in fertility and sperm quality. If we didnt have a hit from our parents and our grandparents, then each generation would just start all over again. It would be bad, but the impact would be at the same level each time. The fact that we carry with us the problems of the past generations means that were starting at a lower level and getting hit again and again and again.

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Shanna Swan: Toxic Chemicals Threaten Ability to Reproduce - The Intercept

Human Behavior

Behavioral convergence in humans and animals – Science Magazine

Over the 20th century, the social sciences developed without taking much notice of humans' nature as products of evolution. In the 1970s this attitude was challenged by behavioral biologists (1, 2) who asserted that general principles concerning the behavior of life forms must also be relevant to understanding human behavior. They argued that because human cognition and emotions had evolved by natural selection, these behavior-generating mechanisms should generally shape behavior so that it maximizes biological fitness. Not all social scientists agreed. Cultural anthropologists, in particular, were mostly aghast at the rigidly scientific and overtly biological nature of this perspective, viewing it as blatantly flawed (3). They claimed that differences between and within human societies were mainly due to variant cultural belief systems. On page 292 of this issue, Barsbai et al. (4) show that adaptation to local ecological conditions is an important determinant of variation in human behavior in traditional societies.

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Behavioral convergence in humans and animals - Science Magazine

Human Behavior

The 5 factors that will drive post-pandemic consumer behavior – Fast Company

If I were a budding founder building a product in early 2021, my first consideration would be timing. What will the world look like in the next 6, 12, and 24 months? Where will my product fit in the new context? Will it?

When venture capitalists decide whether or not to invest in you, timing is probably the most delicate criteria to assess. Often, the hard question is not whether a technology or a product will disrupt an industry, but when that will happen.

A key aspect here is the friction that product will face when bringing it to the market; for example: whether customers will have to substantially change their behavior to adopt that new product. With COVID-19 causing the most dramatic changes to human behavior in our lifetime, some consumer trends have been wildly accelerated, while others have emerged unexpectedly. This alone has altered the amount of time many products will need to become mainstream (or disappear).

So, if I were a founder about to build a product in early 2021, I would ask myself two questions, in this order:

The second question is the most relevant in assessing the likelihood of my success. Nobody can determine exactly where we will be in a year, but there are things about consumers and the pandemic that we know for sure today. For example, that it will take a long time to develop population immunity via the vaccine, meaning many pandemic behaviors will continue to strengthen. Also, the process will take different lengths of time in every country, depending on their distribution capabilities and the populations eagerness to get vaccinated.

When we project these into the future, we can understand what the markets might look like.

So here are some consumer behaviors that I expect to see happening over the next two or three years, and how founders can create products that are in harmony with those trends.

The economy will especially suffer in emerging economies. The recovery has required countries to abruptly increase their debt, which will have to be repaid at some point. Regardless of whether youre building a B2C or B2B, pay attention to the unemployment rate of the market you will target. An economy that can quickly create jobs will soon return to previous consumption levels, and it will gradually repay its debt thanks to tax collection. That will be the case in the United States. But it might not happen in other countries that have traditionally been dependent on industries that have been severely hit (and wont immediately bounce back), like tourism. For example, in Mexico, tourism represents almost 10% of GDP. It will take some time before those countries get back to previous levels of consumption.

When it comes to consumers, we can probably expect a K-shaped recovery, where some consumers will do well and some others wont, depending on their jobs. For instance, this crisis might be long enough to kill restaurants or hotels that had been severely hit. But at the same time, food delivery companies will be accelerating their growth; the recent success of Instacart is a good example.

Sir Arthur C. Clarks prediction more than 50 years ago is finally happening: Men will no longer commute, they will communicate. If this visionary is right, cities and suburbs will be different moving forward. We are seeing a lot of buzz around founders and companies leaving Silicon Valley for Miami or Austin.

Large companies have already announced that their workers will continue to WFH beyond the rollout of the vaccine, and many people who have relocated during the pandemic wont be rushing back to overcrowded and overly expensive cities.

This can only be good news for the startup world, as innovation is not a zero-sum game: The strength and uniqueness of Silicon Valley is compatible with new hubs popping up in other geographies, probably with a different DNA and focus.

For instance, if you are building a startup that also targets customers in Europe and Latin America, I cannot think of a better hub than Miami these days. The most determining factor when deciding where to locate your startup is usually the location of your team and your customersbut if your team is now working remote, youll only have to think of being within reach of your customers (and maintain good team communication).

If many jobs are no longer attached to cities, maybe socializing will be the main reason to pay high rents in the city. Business trips? I would imagine myself making less, but on average more meaningful, business trips, which means I will be willing to pay higher for those few business trips.

What does this mean for new entrepreneurs? For those looking at real estate, theyll need to factor in future changes in the attractiveness of (former?) business districts and inner-city residential areas. For those into holidays and leisure, they may be looking at less demand but higher-paying customers. And as we spend more time at home, I expect to see a lot of innovation in this space: We are already witnessing fitness at home exploding as a new category, and gardening becoming part of our routine.

David Rubenstein, founder of legendary private equity firm Carlyle, said that he recently learned how fragile life can be. I believe the consumers in Western economies now feel more vulnerable than they did in 2019 and will pay more attention to health and prevention (for them and their loved ones).

Well probably start demanding more tools and services that enable us to track our healthsuch as wearable devicesfor not just our physical but also our mental fitness. The same goes for products that connect consumers with faster, cheaper, and more accessible healthcare, virtually or in person. This includes technology that allows us to share our health data easily, facilitate diagnosis, or even improve self-diagnoses.

But dont stop at human health: There are over 100 million cats and dogs in the United States. Dont they also deserve some attention? There is tremendous value to be unlocked from wearables in the pet space. Now match the data coming from pet wearables with predictive analytics and you will get a whole new industry: pets telehealth and insurance.

Digital fluency is effectively understanding and employing digital tools. Throughout the pandemic, business, schools, and people could continue their lives, at least to a certain extent, thanks to digitalization. The no-code movement is stronger than ever, allowing non-specialized users to build and launch digital products without an engineer in their founding team. I expect to see a powerful wave of innovators who previously had a barrier to launch digital products now thriving.

Technologists are more bullish than ever, as their products have proven crucial to overcome this crisis (could you imagine bitcoin replacing gold as a safe-haven asset? The worlds largest asset manager now says yes). But for such disruptive technology to achieve its full potential, we need to close the gaps in digital fluency and accessibility. That will require true access for populations who dont have the resources, connectivity, or education to tap into the newest technologies. It also means well probably pay more attention to systems and apps that can ease less familiar usersthe elderly, for exampleinto digitalization, with easier interfaces or training tools. In the next decade, I believe we will see access to the internet become a human right.

It took humankind a couple of centuries to understand that there is only one planet, but in large part we finally got our head around it. However, as resources and wealth are not uniformly distributed, those economies that can afford it will probably fully embrace sustainability faster.

The shift towards a more sustainable economy is happening from both the top and the bottom of the consumption pyramid. From the demand side, consumers are already demanding companies to embrace this change. From the supply side, companies are responding.

But perhaps more importantly, those who are investing large pools of capital, such as pension funds, are demanding that money managers such as private equity firms (including venture capitalists) invest in a more sustainable economy. If you are building a digital product, my bet is that, in a few years time, consumers will ask you to share how much energy it takes to run it on their cell phones. The code of the future will be environmentally friendly, or it wont last. So, if you are raising venture capital in 2021, make sure you have an impact on at least one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, and youll increase your likelihood of getting funded.

Andy Areitio is a partner at the early-stage fund at TheVentureCity, a new venture and acceleration model that helps diverse founders achieve global impact.

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The 5 factors that will drive post-pandemic consumer behavior - Fast Company

Human Behavior

NIH scientists study salmonella swimming behavior as clues to infection – National Institutes of Health

News Release

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Salmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium bacteria (S. Typhimurium) commonly cause human gastroenteritis, inflammation of the lining of the intestines. The bacteria live inside the gut and can infect the epithelial cells that line its surface. Many studies have shown that Salmonella use a run-and-tumble method of short swimming periods (runs) punctuated by tumbles when they randomly change direction, but how they move within the gut is not well understood.

National Institutes of Health scientists and their colleagues believe they have identified a S. Typhimurium protein, McpC (Methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein C), that allows the bacteria to swim straight when they are ready to infect cells. This new study, published in Nature Communications, describes S. Typhimurium movement and shows that McpC is required for the bacteria to invade surface epithelial cells in the gut.

The study authors suggest that McpC is a potential target for developing new antibacterial treatments to hinder the ability of S. Typhimurium to infect intestinal epithelial cells and colonize the gut. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases scientists at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, led the study. Collaborators included groups from the University of Texas A&M campuses in College Station and Kingsville.

S. Typhimurium use flagella long whip-like projections to move through fluids. When the flagella rotate counterclockwise, they form a rotating bundle behind the bacteria and propel them forward. However, the flagella frequently switch rotation from counterclockwise to clockwise, disrupting the bundle and causing the bacteria to tumble and change direction. Using special microscopes and cameras to observe live S. Typhimurium, the scientists found that bacteria grown under conditions that activate their invasive behavior swam in longer straight runs because the flagella did not switch rotation from counterclockwise to clockwise. Bacteria lacking McpC still demonstrated the run-and-tumble method of swimming under these conditions and had an invasion defect in a calf intestine model, indicating that straight swimming is important for efficient invasion of intestinal epithelial cells.

The researchers hypothesize that controlled smooth swimming could be a widespread bacterial infection strategy. Similar smooth swimming behavior can be seen in unrelated enteric bacteria, such as Vibrio, which can cause infection when undercooked seafood is eaten. These findings may inform the development of novel antibiotics.

This news 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. To learn more about basic research at NIH, visit https://www.nih.gov/news-events/basic-research-digital-media-kit.

K Cooper et al. Regulatory protein HilD stimulates Salmonella Typhimurium invasiveness by promoting smooth swimming via the methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein McpC. Nature Communications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20558-6 (2021).

Olivia Steele-Mortimer, Ph.D., chief of NIAIDs Salmonella-Host Cell Interactions Section, and Kendal G. Cooper, Ph.D., in the Salmonella-Host Cell Interactions Section, are available to comment.

NIAID conducts and supports research at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

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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NIH scientists study salmonella swimming behavior as clues to infection - National Institutes of Health

Human Behavior

Letters to the editor – Pamplin Media Group

It is disappointing that Rep. Bentz joined effort to challenge election results

It is disappointing that Rep. Bentz joined effort to challenge election results

It is more than disappointing that our 2020-elected representative for Oregon's Second U.S. Congressional District, Cliff Bentz, abdicated his newly sworn oath to perpetuate the Trump lie that the 2020 election was rigged.

Mr. Bentz, just hours following the Capitol invasion by a Trump-incited mob, continued to affirm the myth that Trump really won, and deny the reality of a free and fair election. Unfortunately, Mr. Bentz was not alone in this, being joined by 147 of his Republican congressional colleagues. This is one of the deplorable events contributing to the infamy of the day.

Mr. Bentz has cited several issues for his objection to certification of Pennsylvania Electoral votes. Factually, all of his issues had already been addressed by Pennsylvania election officials or adjudicated through Pennsylvania courts or rejected as meritless by the U.S. Supreme Court. Pennsylvania Electors accepted the results.

So is this an error in judgment by Mr. Bentz or a self-serving attempt to glam onto Trump's fading coattails for political gain? What is clear is that it is not an action in support of the Truth. It is not an action of Leadership that will serve to discourage disruptive actions by Trump believers who cling to the Lie that is blatantly obvious to Mr. Bentz and his fellow Congressional Objectors.

Sen. Mitt Romney made an appeal to colleagues following the Jan 6 mob incursion into the US Capitol. The message was simple: 'Speak the Truth.' No lies, no subterfuge, no innuendo, no spin, no denial, and no silent abdication of Leadership. It would be well if Mr. Bentz and other Congressional representatives would take this advice and put it to action.

Donald Fisher

Powell Butte

Rep. Bentz should not have disputed Pennsylvania presidential votes

On Jan. 3, Cliff Bentz, representing Oregon's second district, was sworn in to the House of Representatives. Listening to the dog whistle on Jan. 6, he joined 137 other Republicans who chose to challenge the Electoral College votes from Pennsylvania. Apparently Cliff did not care 50 lawsuits challenging the legality of the election had already been dismissed, some by judges appointed by Trump. The Supreme Court even refused to hear the cases.

Cliff stated he had consulted with lawyers and constituents before taking the huge leap to embarrass Oregon. Even Mitch McConnell and Bill Barr said there was no evidence of fraud. Cliff states Pennsylvania was not following its election laws. The Pennsylvania GOP and the Democratic governor agreed to all changes.

Cliff was concerned about the ballots received late. Those ballots (approximately 10,000) were set aside and never counted. Cliff admitted later he did not know they had not been counted.

After the event of Jan. 6, in interviews given to OregonLive, OPB and The Malheur Enterprise, he gave arrogant and snide condescending answers to questions and did not think Trump instigated the tragedy.

Cliff should try learning the facts instead of following Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Marjorie Greene, Rudy Guiliani and Sidney Powell.

Fred Carlson

Mitchell

Trump should accept that he lost the presidential election

Having taught psychology at Crook County High School for 11 years, I learned more about human behavior and psychological disorders than all my college psych classes. Many of my psych students went on to obtain psychology degrees.

Me, I developed an understanding of human behavior and mental disorders, learning much more teaching than my college endeavors.

Losing the recent election has sent the occupant of the White House off the deep end, losing his grip on reality, developing a mean spirit unworthy of his high office. He has displayed the epitome of the poorest loser, discarding the veil of political, social and moral standards, determined to remain in the White House in spite of having handily lost the 2020 election, creating a totally unrealistic disavowal of the recent legitimate election results.

Every four to eight years, depending upon the length of a president's term of office, a survey of university professors of U.S. history are requested to rank the quality of all American presidents from George Washington to the present. Historians will label the present president's administration as the worst in America's history.

Believe it or not, his mental capacity and mental balance have deteriorated, so he is unable to accept the reality of having lost the election. If one tells a lie often enough, people will believe it, and his avid followers do just that. The psychological problem is that he truly believes his lies and manipulations, thus creating major damage to our democracy for many years to come.

Dick Phay

Prineville

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Letters to the editor - Pamplin Media Group

Human Behavior

Socio-demographic factors associated with self-protecting behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic – DocWire News

This article was originally published here

J Popul Econ. 2021 Jan 14:1-48. doi: 10.1007/s00148-020-00818-x. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Given the role of human behavior in the spread of disease, it is vital to understand what drives people to engage in or refrain from health-related behaviors during a pandemic. This paper examines factors associated with the adoption of self-protective health behaviors, such as social distancing and mask wearing, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in the USA. These behaviors not only reduce an individuals own risk of infection but also limit the spread of disease to others. Despite these dual benefits, universal adoption of these behaviors is not assured. We focus on the role of socioeconomic differences in explaining behavior, relying on data collected in April 2020 during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. The data include information on income, gender and race along with unique variables relevant to the current pandemic, such as work arrangements and housing quality. We find that higher income is associated with larger changes in self-protective behaviors. These gradients are partially explained by the fact that people with less income are more likely to report circumstances that make adopting self-protective behaviors more difficult, such as an inability to tele-work. Both in the USA and elsewhere, policies that assume universal compliance with self-protective measures-or that otherwise do not account for socioeconomic differences in the costs of doing so-are unlikely to be effective or sustainable.

PMID:33462529 | PMC:PMC7807230 | DOI:10.1007/s00148-020-00818-x

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Socio-demographic factors associated with self-protecting behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic - DocWire News

Human Behavior

Train Your Dog, Train the People in Your Life: Part 2 – The Bark

The skill set of ideas, techniques and strategies used by positive-reinforcement dog trainers is widely applicable to other situations and can easily be used to influence the behavior of many other species (including humans). In her new book, Treat Everyone Like a Dog, Karen B. London, PhD, delves into the ways these skills can be deployed to make life easier for everyonedogs and people alike.

Part 2 of our discussion with Karen London on her new book, in which she shares her thoughts on consistency and how understanding dogs has helped her understand people.

Bark: In your book, you note the importance of consistency. What do you see as some of the barriers to that, and how do you feel theyre best overcome, or at least, offset?

Karen London: Being consistent is one of those things thats so simple in theory but so challenging in practice. Because something is simple certainly doesnt mean its easy, and being consistent is a great example.

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The first barrier to being consistent is failing to recognize its importance. Learners experience consistency as knowing what to expect because the rules and consequences dont change. It makes the process more effective and faster because learners are less apt to become confused. If teachers and trainers were aware of how consistency makes the process easier, they would be more likely to commit to it.

Another barrier is that it takes a lot of organization and planning. That requires both time and energy, especially at the start when systems need to be put in place. Many of the best teachers are also consistent teachers, and students benefit from that. Not coincidentally, they also tend to be the most experienced.

Sometimes, consistency is hard to achieve because it isnt recognized as a skill in itself. As teachers and trainers, we can work on our own consistency the way we teach any other skill: in a step-by-step way that allows us to have many successes on the road to our eventual goal. Like any other skill worth developing, it takes patience and practice to get really good at it, and for it to feel natural.

B: Would it be fair to say that the more you understood dogs, the more you understood people? Can you draw any parallels between human and canine behavior?

KL: I am trained as an ethologist, which means that my research studies involve the behavior of animals in their natural environments. My studies also typically involve multiple species, often in a comparative manner. Ive always viewed the similarities and differences between and among animals with great fascination, and its completely natural to apply what Ive learned about one species to others, whether the species of interest are wasps, cats, frogs, sea slugs, grasshoppers, dogs or people.

The principles of learning theory and other aspects of teaching and training apply across all species, so the more I learned by working with dogs, the more I was able to teach people in kinder and more effective ways. Certainly, my professional life has spilled over into my personal life to my own benefit, and to the benefit of those around me.

Perhaps one key area in which understanding dogs made me more understanding toward people relates to empathy. I have become increasingly empathetic to dogs and the challenges they face when being taught and trained, and that made me increasingly empathetic to people when it came to their behavior and their learning. Watching people train dogs in ways that are confusing or ineffective filled me with sympathy for dogs who were unable to succeed through no fault of their own.

Mentally, I tend to lump learners of all species into one big bin, and that makes me aware of the way they are treated and viewed by those teaching them. When someone comments on a dog in a less-than-positive way, Im quick to see the dogs point of view and apply that to my perspective of people as well.

For example, a friends dog, Roxy, loves other dogs so much that little else matters to her when she sees one. One day, I was walking Roxy and we saw another dog approaching us on a side trail. The owner of the other dog stopped to let us go by, but Roxy wasnt interested in continuing on our way. She sat down and quite politely waited. I tried to call her away, and even jumped and ran a step or two to encourage her to come with me, but she remained where she was, seated and waiting for an opportunity to greet her next best friend. The other person said, Boy, is she ever stubborn! I smiled at the remark but didnt agree with it.

Soon, I was able to lure Roxy away with some treats, followed by a chase game; we then continued our walk. I didnt consider the issue to be related to being stubborn at all. Roxy and I simply had different desires at that moment. Since the other person clearly didnt want the two dogs to greet, I wanted to continue on our walk. Roxy, on the other hand, wanted to remain where we were, presumably with the hope of greeting a new dog.

Roxy and I were on equal footing but had different preferences, and we were each communicating what we wanted to do while being aware that we were not in accord on those goals. Thats not being stubborn, which I consider to be refusing to change ones views or opinions despite good reasons or arguments to do so. Similarly, when people have strong views or preferences, I realize that theyre worth considering rather than labeling them with a word that has negative connotations simply because we arent in agreement.

I see parallels between canine and human behavior all the time, especially in our fascination with play. Play behavior doesnt occur in all species and is not that common throughout the animal kingdom, but its so important to both dogs and people. I think my obsession with play in animals results in part from seeing the way our two species play together, which is a true biological wonder that never ceases to give me joy.

One of my soap boxes is that play is underutilized in influencing behavior. I have been writing and speaking about the importance of play to dogs

More to come in Part 3

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Train Your Dog, Train the People in Your Life: Part 2 - The Bark

Human Behavior

Fujitsu Leverages Deep Learning in World’s Most Accurate Recognition of Complex Behaviors – HPCwire

TOKYO, Jan. 13, 2021 Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. has announced the development of a technology that utilizes deep learning to recognize the positions and connections of adjacent joints in complex movements or behavior in which multiple joints move in tandem. This makes it possible to achieve greater accuracy in recognizing, for instance, when a person performs a task like removing objects from a box. This technology successfully achieved the worlds highest accuracy against the world standard benchmark in the field of behavior recognition, with significant gains over the results achieved using conventional technologies, which dont make use of information on neighboring joints.

By leveraging this technology to perform checks of manufacturing procedures or unsafe behavior in public spaces, Fujitsu aims to contribute to significant improvements in public safety and in the work place, helping to deliver on the promise of a safer and more secure society for all.

Fujitsu will present the details of this technology at the 25th International Conference on Pattern Recognition (ICPR 2020), which is being held online from January 10th, 2021 (Sunday) to January 15th, 2021 (Friday).

Background

In recent years, advances in AI technology have made it possible to recognize human behavior from video images using deep learning. This technology offers a variety of promising applications in a wide range of real-world scenarios, for example, in performing checks of manufacturing procedures in factories or detecting unsafe behavior in public spaces. In general, human behavior recognition utilizing AI relies on temporal changes in the position of each of the skeletal joints, including in the hands, elbows, and shoulders, as identifying features, which are then linked to simple movement patterns such as standing or sitting.With time series behavior-recognition technology developed by Fujitsu Labs, Fujitsu has successfully realized highly-accurate image recognition using a deep learning model that can operate with high-accuracy even for complex behaviors in which multiple joints change in conjunction with each other, such as removing objects from a box during unpacking.

About the Newly Developed Technology

Complex movements like unpacking involve hand, elbow, and shoulder joints moving in tandem with the arm bending and stretching. Fujitsu has developed a new AI model for a graph convolutional neural networks that performs convolution operation of the graph structure by adopting a graph consisting of edges connecting adjacent joints based on the structure of the human body with the joint position as a node (Vertex). By training this model in advance using the time series data of joints, the connection strength (Weight) with neighboring joints can be optimized, and effective connection relationships for behavior recognition can be acquired. With conventional technologies, it was necessary to accurately grasp the individual characteristics of each joint. With an AI model that has already been trained, the combined features of the adjacent joints that are linked can be extracted, making it possible to achieve highly-accurate recognition for complex movements.

This technology was evaluated against the world standard benchmark in the field of behavior recognition using skeleton data, and in the case of simple behaviors such as standing and sitting in the open data set, the accuracy rate was maintained at the same level as that of conventional technology that does not use information on neighboring joints. In the case of complex behaviors like a person unpacking a box or throwing an object, however, the accuracy rate improved greatly, to achieve an overall improvement of more than 7% over the conventional alternative to reach the worlds highest recognition accuracy.

Future Plans

By adding the newly developed AI model for recognizing complex behaviors obtained with this technology to the 100 basic behavior already accommodated by Fujitsus behavioral analysis technology Actlyzer,, it will become possible rapidly deploy new, highly-accurate recognition models. Fujitsu ultimately aims to leverage this new capability to roll out the system in fiscal year 2021, and contribute to the resolution of real-world issues to deliver a safer and more secure society.

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is a leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 130,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.9 trillion yen (US$35 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

About Fujitsu Laboratories

Founded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/.

Source: Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.

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Fujitsu Leverages Deep Learning in World's Most Accurate Recognition of Complex Behaviors - HPCwire

Human Behavior

Seeing opportunity in every difficulty | Community | southernminn.com – Southernminn.com

Moods are a very real part of our daily lives but also an area we need to discern carefully. We seldom think about human behavior and why we fall into certain attitudes but I believe it would be worth our time to examine our thoughts on a regular basis. The Bible and psychology has much to say about the ups and downs of our emotions and its critical to understand how our human nature can resist and oppose our relationship with God. The fine line between our mental impulses and our spiritual line of communication with the Lord are difficult to understand, however this battlefield of the mind has everything to do with whether God or our feelings are controlling us. Whether you are beaming with happiness today or walking around in a melancholy fog, may you embrace the Lords goodness and recognize His mercy and love is all around you. Yes, much of the world is saturated with hatred and confusion but there is always perfect peace in His presence. I enjoy taking long walks where I can quietly talk with Him. I know that God loves us and wants us to live in His Spirit and truth.

His desire is that we learn how to know the difference between His voice and all the other voices in the world including our own. When we find ourselves in the valley of despair, the last thing we desire to do is to worship God, but praising and trusting Him is exactly what we need to do. There is no place so hopeless that God cannot deliver you! He is never distracted or too busy to hear your cries and there is no darkness where Gods light cannot find and save you! Jesus wants you and I to be filled with His confidence and reassurance but this includes ignoring the opinions of our emotions and embracing His truth. Be encouraged today in knowing that God desires to hold you in His arms of love but is waiting for you to trust Him. Yes, the three Hebrew children were in the fiery furnace but remember that Christ was also in there with them. Winston Churchill is quoted as saying, The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, while the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.

We realize that life is filled with disappointments but we cannot remain curled up in a fetal position with the blanket over our head. After a season of prayer and receiving a more clear understanding, we are to arise, wash our face, put our armor back on and return to the battlefield in the faith that God will continue to heal, guide, and empower us. The apostle Paul wrote, It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery Galatians 5:1. This verse might sound confusing, but when a person is born again, they are delivered spiritually and are given the opportunity to be set free from mental and emotional deception. As Christians, let us remember our bodies and our minds are to be our servant not our master. We are an eternal spirit and have the opportunity to live victorious no matter how we feel or what is going on around us.

The Rev. William F. Holland Jr., DD., C.ED.D., is a Minister, Chaplain, and author. Learn more at billyhollandministries.com

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Seeing opportunity in every difficulty | Community | southernminn.com - Southernminn.com

Human Behavior

3 ways to turn that failing New Year’s resolution into a habit – 4029tv

Have a bad relationship with New Year's resolutions? Many people start strong and then peter out by mid-January as work deadlines, home chores and the latest Netflix binge takes precedence over good intentions. Some even thought this year would be different due to being homebound. (Laughable!)Instead of a resolution, it may be worth trying a "tiny habit," a term coined by behavioral science expert B.J. Fogg, who founded and directs research and innovation at Stanford University's Behavior Design Lab. As Fogg explains in his best-selling book "Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything," the key to building a better habit is tying each action to something you already do while also matching location, frequency and theme. Fogg's tips are based, he said, on mountains of research on human behavior modification and the many people he has coached over some 40 years.Here's a look at how tiny habits work:CNN: What's the secret sauce to making a new behavior a habit?B.J. Fogg: Emotion is what forms the habit. It's not repetition. It's not willpower. It's not discipline. It's the emotions you feel when you do a behavior. If you have a feeling of success when doing that behavior, it will start wiring as a habit. If it's an intense feeling of success, it will substantially wire.What doesn't work is trying to get somebody to do something they don't want to do. You can nag them into compliance, maybe but that's not a habit.What also doesn't work is picking a habit that's painful, or causes you to feel awkward or causes you to feel negative. You want to do the opposite you want the habit to help you feel successful or give you joy or pleasure or satisfaction in some way.CNN: A lot of the habits we want to do for our health are not necessarily enjoyable, at least at first. Fogg: If someone wants to exercise or feels they should, the key is to find an exercise that makes them feel successful or they find enjoyable one or the other.The third approach is to redesign your environment so the only way you can get to work is walking or biking, so you must do it. That's an environmental change sell your car. Then the only way you can do something is by walking or biking so you'll get exercise. That's not really practical for most people.In reality, the only habits that wire in readily are behaviors you already want to do, and you feel successful doing them.CNN: What are your three criteria for a successful habit?Fogg: My method is a system. As you're picking a new habit, it's got to match three criteria.Number one: It needs to be effective. Take meditation as stress reduction. For a lot of people meditation is not effective for reducing stress because all they do is become aware of how scattered their mind is, so that's a bad idea for those people.For me, what's effective is going out into nature. Even a short little walk to the ocean or a short walk into the garden is very effective.Number two: It needs to be behavior people want to do. If you don't want to do that behavior, maybe you can manipulate yourself into it a few times but it won't become a habit.Number three: It needs to be a behavior you can do. So I talked about walking out and looking at the ocean or looking at tadpoles. Well, I live in a place I can do that.If someone can't do that, they've got to pick something else, like hanging out with their dog.CNN: You say the new behavior has to fit into your routine to become a habit. I want to start drinking more water, so how should I do that?Fogg: That's one of the keys in my work. It's not just about picking the habit, you have to design it into your routine. And that means, what will that action come after naturally? Starting the coffee maker happens in the kitchen, it happens in the morning, and it happens once a day.After I start the coffee maker, after I feed the dog, then I will drink a glass of water. if you can design it into your routine, if you know what this habit comes after, then your chances of succeeding go way up.I call that an anchor. You want the anchor and the new habit to happen in the same location. If the new habit can be associated with the kitchen, then find a kitchen anchor for it. What doesn't work is like, "Oh, I start the coffee maker then I have to go out to the garage to do the new habit." That does not work. Location matters.Next is frequency. If you want the habit to happen once a day, then you want an anchor routine that happens once a day. Like, in my life I want to do push-ups throughout the day. So I attached that behavior to when I have to pee. So after I go to the bathroom, I do two push-ups because then I get to do push-ups throughout the day.The next thing that matters is the theme. Now this matters the least the first two matter more but if I see feeding the dog as a nurturing ritual, a good habit to follow would be a way that I nurture myself.You're looking for same location, same frequency, and if you can, the same theme. And if you get those lined up, then the habit can just click into place.CNN: Why doesn't your approach include such typical recommendations as repeating the behavior for 66 days so it becomes automatic?Fogg: There are a bunch of things that aren't required to create habits that people think they must do like, "Oh, you have to write, set a goal." You don't have to set a goal. That's not true.The whole thing about repetition is misguided. It's the emotion that wires the habit in if you repeat it and you hate it, it does not wire in as a habit. It will never become a habit.Or people say only work on one habit at a time. No, that's not true at all. You have to have an accountability partner is another recommendation. You don't have to.There are all these myths out there around habits and change. My work is saying, "No, people. Here's how to do it quickly and easily, and all those other old things are either wrong or optional."CNN: How did you come to choose these criteria for habit building?Fogg: In 2007, I discovered what I called the behavior model all human behavior comes down to only three things: Is there motivation to do that behavior? Is there an ability to do the behavior? Is there a prompt for that behavior?A prompt is something that reminds you, and you use an existing routine to prompt you. Feeding the dog is going to be my prompt. It's not going to be a Post-It note; it's not going to be an alarm; it's not going to be just trying to remember.You're hacking the prompt by using an existing routine to remind yourself.When you see how the pieces work, it's like, "Oh my gosh, is it really that simple?" And the answer is yes. CNN: You've launched a tool that people can use on their smartphones to help them form healthy habits. How does it work?Fogg: The tool provides "recipes" for successful tiny habits. It can be found at recipemaker.tinyhabits.com. It just launched and is still being tweaked but It's free, open to all. It's designed for mobile phones so people can use it anywhere.Along the top are various categories you might want to choose from, such as nutrition, fitness, brain health, productivity. Those aren't random, those are informed by my research at Stanford that finds these are the things that people want most. There is a lot of data and research behind it, but we keep the tool itself really simple.Under each category, you can swipe through the top cards to look at the new habits you might choose. I'm only including habits that I think are effective. And once you settle on one that you like, you go to the cards below and say, "When am I going to do this? When is it going to fit into my routine?'You can choose the card "think of something I'm grateful for" and pair that with the card representing an existing habit like "put my head on my pillow." And that's your recipe for a new habit you're going to practice. You're not going to be perfect, but you're going to practice and see if it works for you.The tool can be used without signing up for emails, but if you want to hear more from me about that habit, you can enter your email.The ultimate goal is anybody in the world can benefit from this without installing anything, without giving up your email. It's a tool to help me with my life's mission to help people to be happier and healthier.

Have a bad relationship with New Year's resolutions? Many people start strong and then peter out by mid-January as work deadlines, home chores and the latest Netflix binge takes precedence over good intentions. Some even thought this year would be different due to being homebound. (Laughable!)

Instead of a resolution, it may be worth trying a "tiny habit," a term coined by behavioral science expert B.J. Fogg, who founded and directs research and innovation at Stanford University's Behavior Design Lab.

As Fogg explains in his best-selling book "Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything," the key to building a better habit is tying each action to something you already do while also matching location, frequency and theme.

Fogg's tips are based, he said, on mountains of research on human behavior modification and the many people he has coached over some 40 years.

Here's a look at how tiny habits work:

CNN: What's the secret sauce to making a new behavior a habit?

B.J. Fogg: Emotion is what forms the habit. It's not repetition. It's not willpower. It's not discipline. It's the emotions you feel when you do a behavior. If you have a feeling of success when doing that behavior, it will start wiring as a habit. If it's an intense feeling of success, it will substantially wire.

What doesn't work is trying to get somebody to do something they don't want to do. You can nag them into compliance, maybe but that's not a habit.

What also doesn't work is picking a habit that's painful, or causes you to feel awkward or causes you to feel negative. You want to do the opposite you want the habit to help you feel successful or give you joy or pleasure or satisfaction in some way.

CNN: A lot of the habits we want to do for our health are not necessarily enjoyable, at least at first.

Fogg: If someone wants to exercise or feels they should, the key is to find an exercise that makes them feel successful or they find enjoyable one or the other.

The third approach is to redesign your environment so the only way you can get to work is walking or biking, so you must do it. That's an environmental change sell your car. Then the only way you can do something is by walking or biking so you'll get exercise. That's not really practical for most people.

In reality, the only habits that wire in readily are behaviors you already want to do, and you feel successful doing them.

CNN: What are your three criteria for a successful habit?

Fogg: My method is a system. As you're picking a new habit, it's got to match three criteria.

Number one: It needs to be effective. Take meditation as stress reduction. For a lot of people meditation is not effective for reducing stress because all they do is become aware of how scattered their mind is, so that's a bad idea for those people.

For me, what's effective is going out into nature. Even a short little walk to the ocean or a short walk into the garden is very effective.

Number two: It needs to be behavior people want to do. If you don't want to do that behavior, maybe you can manipulate yourself into it a few times but it won't become a habit.

Number three: It needs to be a behavior you can do. So I talked about walking out and looking at the ocean or looking at tadpoles. Well, I live in a place I can do that.

If someone can't do that, they've got to pick something else, like hanging out with their dog.

CNN: You say the new behavior has to fit into your routine to become a habit. I want to start drinking more water, so how should I do that?

Fogg: That's one of the keys in my work. It's not just about picking the habit, you have to design it into your routine. And that means, what will that action come after naturally? Starting the coffee maker happens in the kitchen, it happens in the morning, and it happens once a day.

After I start the coffee maker, after I feed the dog, then I will drink a glass of water. if you can design it into your routine, if you know what this habit comes after, then your chances of succeeding go way up.

I call that an anchor. You want the anchor and the new habit to happen in the same location. If the new habit can be associated with the kitchen, then find a kitchen anchor for it. What doesn't work is like, "Oh, I start the coffee maker then I have to go out to the garage to do the new habit." That does not work. Location matters.

Next is frequency. If you want the habit to happen once a day, then you want an anchor routine that happens once a day. Like, in my life I want to do push-ups throughout the day. So I attached that behavior to when I have to pee. So after I go to the bathroom, I do two push-ups because then I get to do push-ups throughout the day.

The next thing that matters is the theme. Now this matters the least the first two matter more but if I see feeding the dog as a nurturing ritual, a good habit to follow would be a way that I nurture myself.

You're looking for same location, same frequency, and if you can, the same theme. And if you get those lined up, then the habit can just click into place.

CNN: Why doesn't your approach include such typical recommendations as repeating the behavior for 66 days so it becomes automatic?

Fogg: There are a bunch of things that aren't required to create habits that people think they must do like, "Oh, you have to write, set a goal." You don't have to set a goal. That's not true.

The whole thing about repetition is misguided. It's the emotion that wires the habit in if you repeat it and you hate it, it does not wire in as a habit. It will never become a habit.

Or people say only work on one habit at a time. No, that's not true at all. You have to have an accountability partner is another recommendation. You don't have to.

There are all these myths out there around habits and change. My work is saying, "No, people. Here's how to do it quickly and easily, and all those other old things are either wrong or optional."

CNN: How did you come to choose these criteria for habit building?

Fogg: In 2007, I discovered what I called the behavior model all human behavior comes down to only three things: Is there motivation to do that behavior? Is there an ability to do the behavior? Is there a prompt for that behavior?

A prompt is something that reminds you, and you use an existing routine to prompt you. Feeding the dog is going to be my prompt. It's not going to be a Post-It note; it's not going to be an alarm; it's not going to be just trying to remember.

You're hacking the prompt by using an existing routine to remind yourself.

When you see how the pieces work, it's like, "Oh my gosh, is it really that simple?" And the answer is yes.

CNN: You've launched a tool that people can use on their smartphones to help them form healthy habits. How does it work?

Fogg: The tool provides "recipes" for successful tiny habits. It can be found at recipemaker.tinyhabits.com. It just launched and is still being tweaked but It's free, open to all. It's designed for mobile phones so people can use it anywhere.

Along the top are various categories you might want to choose from, such as nutrition, fitness, brain health, productivity. Those aren't random, those are informed by my research at Stanford that finds these are the things that people want most. There is a lot of data and research behind it, but we keep the tool itself really simple.

Under each category, you can swipe through the top cards to look at the new habits you might choose. I'm only including habits that I think are effective. And once you settle on one that you like, you go to the cards below and say, "When am I going to do this? When is it going to fit into my routine?'

You can choose the card "think of something I'm grateful for" and pair that with the card representing an existing habit like "put my head on my pillow." And that's your recipe for a new habit you're going to practice. You're not going to be perfect, but you're going to practice and see if it works for you.

The tool can be used without signing up for emails, but if you want to hear more from me about that habit, you can enter your email.

The ultimate goal is anybody in the world can benefit from this without installing anything, without giving up your email. It's a tool to help me with my life's mission to help people to be happier and healthier.

Link:
3 ways to turn that failing New Year's resolution into a habit - 4029tv