#behavioural science

just submitted the final research paper yipeee

it's not been a fun journey but ummm we tried

How to Encourage Community Change

What’s the behaviour you want to change? Rather than trying to change people’s attitudes or beliefs, which are more deeply ingrained, focus on a measurable behaviour you can affect. 

New research published in Current Biology sheds light on how animals create and maintain internal spatial maps based on their surroundings. The study, led by Dr. Guifen Chen from Queen Mary University of London, delves into the brains of mice navigating a two-dimensional virtual reality (VR) environment, revealing the surprising importance of specific visual cues for building and maintaining spatial maps. It reveals that specific visual cues—in this case, elevated walls—are crucial for stabilizing the neurons responsible for spatial navigation in virtual reality (VR).

Cognitive processes are often regarded as separate from emotional processes, marking a sharp distinction between "thinking" and "feeling". Do keep in mind that not all theories of emotion regard this separation as valid. In effect a lack or dampening of a physiological response to a stimulus does not mean the person in question is incapable of understanding what the response should be in cognitive or even creative aesthetic terms, begging the question of whether this distinction is a fair or useful one to make.

Shame - Dripping. Viscous. Downward movements. Suffocating. Overwhelming. Paralysing thought and action like heavy mud.

Anger- a fiery storm of electrical impulses. As fire does, it requires fuel to propagate. It can be immediate and violent, or slow and building.

Envy- an emptiness. A lack of something the self has, the individuals ego stretching out as if to pluck that very thing out of the world. Has a tendency to be social focused. A wall of mirrors reflecting the self as others. The self expressing anger at these mirrors.

Glee- electrifying pleasure. It energises from within with an optimistic lens colouring the persons subsequent thoughts. Childlike whimsy as the person relaxes and loses inhibition

Confusion- electrical impulses misfiring as the mind searches for answers to external stimuli it cannot find. Lost in a deep forest, where every tree and thought looks the same.

Curiosity - a hunger of the mind. Sensory organs seeking out input so as to satisfy an ache deep inside. Eyes roaming, nostrils twitching, hands searching for touch.

Shock- similar to confusion, but more immediate. A paralysing instinctive reaction with an undercurrent of fear.

Fear- a cold dread, the swift acceleration of breathing, heart rate and muscle contractions. The body readying itself to confront a threat.

Anxiety- similar to fear in terms of physiological response, but more forward thinking and longer lasting. Less acute than fear, but causes more inner turmoil and mental anguish as the effects of diluted fear permeating the mind over long periods of time take their toll.

I have read it thrice and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in self development, brain plasticity and changing the narrative of their life.

Here are some notes from this book that struck a chord with me and understand the people around me:

1. Why traumatised people become disengaged, bothered & agitated by minor events + blow up or withdraw at the slightest provocation? A: With no way to express their capricious upbringing, they act out their emotions with violence.

2. Destructive patterns are hard to break because they are our shield around pain and our survival mechanism.

3. Being able to enlanguage our internal state is a skill that is often overlooked.

4. Practicing contained aggression and being able to deal with rage and fear. Learning to experience & tolerate deep emotions is essential for recovering from trauma.

5. Emotional personal experiences = judgements = gaslighting.

The greatest hope for traumatised, abused and neglected children is to have access to places that function as islands of safety in a chaotic world.

They can teach children how how they can understand and deal with their emotions. Instilling the resilience necessary to deal with the traumas, neighbourhoods and families.

If parents are too overwhelmed, depressed or impaired to be attuned to the needs of their children, kids need an alternate pathway to learn self leadership and an internal locust of control. Addressing the underlying behaviour problems oftentimes doesn’t cross people’s mind as it is a tedious process regardless. Their extreme reactions are often results of traumatic stress.

Children who defy the rules are unlikely to brought to reason by verbal or physical reprimands.

These children’s disturbing behaviour started out as frustrated attempts to communicate stress and misguided attempts to survive.

Overview:

-Appearance -Behaviour -Mood -Speech -Thoughts -Beliefs -Perceptions -Suicide/homicide  -Insight