more people per capita

Sorry for the delay on answering this- I hope finals went well. I'll still pass along an answer in case it helps someone in the future (you all included).

A few tricks we've used to negotiate quiet and/or study despite the noise:

If you can hear chatter, then they might be able to hear you too. Use whatever tools you have available to communicate.

Write down the chatter and brain noise, especially if it's focused on things that people want or need. Having it heard and written down is sometimes enough for people to feel heard and quiet down. (Make sure that you follow through when you're done!)

Timing matters. Some parts of the day may tend to be quieter than others. Pick those times to study as long as you're not overtired. If you're tired, sleep instead. Sleep deprivation won't make your memory and focus any better.

Pretend that the others are your audience. Give them a presentation about the material. They can be chatty during the presentation, but talking about a subject as though you're teaching it makes any gaps in your knowledge very obvious. It lets you pinpoint your weak spots and focus on studying those. Bonus: you might be able to remember some of the material by remembering comments from the others.

Try studying as a group if everyone needs to be chatty. Use flash cards and quiz each other. Banter about the information and crack jokes to make it memorable- you might remember the banter during the test. Pretend that you have a whole study group and proceed accordingly.

If noise is really a problem, consider asking the others if they can back off, quiet down, or otherwise make studying easier for a set period of time. Don't just say "shut up". Be polite, give them a set timeframe, explain the need, and give them a means to be heard later. Say, "hey, I need to study for an hour, and I really need to focus for that because this test is important for all of us. Could you guys give me a bit of space or quiet to focus on that? I'll be happy to note down anything you don't want to forget now so we can talk about it after." Make sure you follow through. Set a timer if it helps.

Take breaks and use those breaks to listen to the chatter, address anything that needs addressing, rest, etc. It keeps your mind fresh and allows time for chatter between sessions, which helps with noise.

Make studying a friendly competition. Who can retain the most? Who can study longest (within reasonable limits- if someone isn't eating or using the bathroom, then that's a problem)?

Ask why everyone is chatty. One person at a time. Hear out their motivations and concerns, try to address them together, and it's a lot more likely that you'll have some quiet when you start studying. It helps to set aside time for this before studying.

...well.

This is a compilation of plural resources for systems in countries all over the world. Copying, translating, replicating, and recreating in different formats is not just allowed, but encouraged.

All we ask is that you notify us when your translation is complete, so we can link it to the original document.

It features:

an explanation of what plurality is,

a list of websites and individual articles, organised by language (of which there are currently 10),

academic papers on plurality in different regions of the world,

and a few tips on explaining plurality in your language or culture (we are hoping to add more).

Despite the original version being written in English, it is written in plain language (no figures of speech, bare minimum jargon with explainations) so that those using tools like Google Translate can get a clear idea of the information.

This guide is not perfect! We are only fluent writers in English, and we do not have insight into every single culture. It will update as new resources are found.

If you have any tips, links, suggestions or complaints, send asks to this blog or email us at [email protected].

Where are the mentions of Collective members NOT residing within the brain? Why is plurality always "multiple selves within a body" and never "plurality is a body used/shared by multiple people" without the literal implications that the ONLY way is for the entire collective to be "within" the brain/body when that is not ALWAYS the case?

I know this is probably meant to be a "brochure" type of document, but that almost makes it WORSE because it further pushes the idea that Metaphysical, Spiritual, Cosmological, Soul Bonder, etc type of plurality are less than or just generally don't matter. If we want the community to be more inclusive, then those who wrote resources like this have GOT to start including those lesser known and often shoved aside and ignored forms of plurality as well. They're probably only "lesser known" because no one gives them the time of day and so when new people discover their plurality, they're basically spoon fed psychological models and never get a chance to discover anything else for themselves.

Looking back, it was quite hypocritical for us to go so hard on the "inclusivity" angle while neglecting to mention metaphysical and spiritual models of plurality — especially when many cultures worldwide have spiritual practices that are at least plural-adjacent.

We'll make sure to take metaphysical forms of plurality into account when we next update the guide (by including actual examples/explanations, and rephrasing our explanations of plurality so that they don't exclude non-psychological frameworks).

However, we don't want to risk (for lack of a better term) filtering everything through our own perspectives again.

Should any of you decide to offer feedback, it'd be an honour to hear what you all have to say. If you decide not to, or if you aren't able to, we open the floor to other metaphysical plurals.