A Chama da Ascensão

Sábado, 23 de Maio de 2020

9 Signs You Have Mean World Syndrome and How to Fight It

Janey Davies, B.A. (Hons)

https://www.learning-mind.com

May 23rd, 2020.

There’s an unwritten rule we all tend to assume. The rule is ‘the more violence a person views on TV, the more violent their tendencies are in real life’. But one person believed the reverse to be true. That in fact, the more violent the media, the more frightened we become. This is Mean World Syndrome.

What Is Mean World Syndrome?

Mean World Syndrome describes a psychological bias where a person believes the world is a more violent place because they watch a large amount of violence on TV.

Mean World Syndrome is based on the research of Hungarian Jewish journalist George Gerbner. Fascinated by the influence of violence on TV on our perceptions of society, Gerbner wondered why, if we are all now consuming larger amounts of violence on TV are the real-life crime figures dropping.

How to Spot the Signs of Mean World Syndrome?

You might think to yourself that there’s no way you would succumb to this way of thinking, but here are just some of the signs of Mean World Syndrome:

Do you believe that most people are just looking out for themselves?
Would you be afraid of walking through your neighbourhood at night?
Are you cautious when interacting with strangers?
Would you cross the road if you saw a man of ethnic minority approaching you?
Do you think people should go home to their native countries?
Are most people out to take advantage of you?
Would you be unhappy if a Latino or Hispanic family moved in next-door?
Do you avoid people of different ethnic backgrounds?
Do you always tend to watch the same types of programme i.e. horror, gore?

Violence and TV: What Leads Us to Develop Mean World Syndrome?

We tend to think of the TV as an innate and harmless form of entertainment. It sits in our living rooms, we turn it on to appease bored children, or it remains on in the background unnoticed. But TV has changed throughout the decades.

For instance, I’m 55 years old now, and I remember the very first time I watched The Exorcist. It frightened me for nights on end. I happened to show the film to a few friends who were twenty or so years younger than me, expecting them to have the same visceral reaction. But they just laughed.

It’s easy to see why. Films like Hostel show a woman’s eyes blowtorched in graphic detail. In contrast, Linda Blair’s turning head just looks comical.

I think we can agree that TV and films, in particular, portray violence in a much more graphic way these days. But the majority of us watch violence like this on TV and do not turn into serial killers. And this is what interested Gerbner.

See Violence, Commit Violence?

Historically, psychologists focused on whether those who had been exposed to media violence would be more likely to commit violence in real life. Gerbner believed exposure to media violence was far more complex. He suggested that consuming media violence is more likely to make us scared and fearful. But why?

Gerbner found that people with moderate to heavy TV and media viewing habits were more likely to believe they would be a victim of violence. They were also more worried about their personal security. They were less likely to go out in their own neighbourhood at night.

These responses differed greatly from people with light viewing habits. In this case, light viewers had a more rounded and generous view of society.

“Our studies have shown that growing up from infancy with this unprecedented diet of violence has three consequences, which, in combination, I call the “mean world syndrome.” What this means is that if you are growing up in a home where there is more than say three hours of television per day, for all practical purposes you live in a meaner world – and act accordingly – than your next-door neighbour who lives in the same world but watches less television.” Gerbner

So What Exactly Is Going On?

There’s a historical view of media and TV violence that we viewers are passive in our entertainment. We are like sponges, soaking up all the gratuitous violence. This old view suggests that TV and media fire information like a bullet into our minds. That TV and media can control us like automatons, feeding our minds with subliminal messages.

Gerbner saw things differently. He did believe that TV and media played a crucial role in the way we view society. But not one where we are encouraged to commit violent acts. One where we ourselves are scared and frightened by what we see.

How Mean World Syndrome Is Cultivated in Our Society

According to Gerbner, the problem lies in how this violence is portrayed on TV and in the media. It intersperses with banal content. For example, one minute, we are watching an advert for bleach or nappies, and the next, we see a news item that someone’s daughter has been abducted, raped, and dismembered.

We switch from one shocking news story to comedies, from a graphic horror film to a cute animal cartoon. And it is this constant switching between the two that normalises the violence we see. And when mass media normalises something as awful as a child abduction we don’t feel safe anymore.

We assume that this is the world we live in now. It’s that old news saying: “If it bleeds, it leads.” News channels focus on the most violent crimes, movies find new ways to shock us, even local news prefer gore and horror to cute stories about rescue puppies.

Violence Is Normal

Gerbner realised that it was the normalisation of violence, he called it ‘happy violence’ that cultivates a fearful society. In fact, there is a direct correlation between the amount of TV a person watches and their level of fear.

Mass media saturates us with graphic images, horrific stories, and frightening storylines. News channels remind us about the ‘War on Terror’, or the consequences of the coronavirus, all while glaring mugshots of offenders pierce through our collective consciousness.

It’s not surprising we are afraid to go outside our own homes. This cultivated fear shapes us into victimhood.

TV and Media Are the New Storytellers

Yet, you could say that we come across violence in fairy tales as children, or in Shakespeare’s play as teenagers. That we need to acknowledge violence as part of what’s good and bad about society. However, we are told fairy tales by a parent who provides context or comfort should we become upset. Shakespeare plays often have a moral story or ending which is discussed in class.

There is no parent or teacher advising us when we view violence portrayed in mass media. Moreover, this violence is often sensationalised, it’s delivered in a spectacular way. It’s often portrayed as humorous or sexy. As a result, we become indoctrinated with this constant flow saturation.

We Are Born into Viewing Violence

Gerbner stated that we are born into this saturation. There is no before or after viewing violence, we grow up with it, and from a very early age. In fact, children view around 8,000 murders by the age of 8 years old, and around 200,000 violent acts by the time they are 18.

All this violence adds up to a pervasive narrative we believe to be true. Each TV programme, every news story, all those films add up to a seamless and continuous dialogue. One that tells us the world is a scary, frightening, and violent place to live in.

The reality, however, is much different. According to the Justice Dept., murder rates are down 5% and violent crime is at an all-time low, having dropped 43%. Despite this, coverage of murders increased by 300%.

“Fearful people are more dependent, more easily manipulated and controlled, more susceptible to deceptively simple, strong, tough measures and hard-line measures…” Gerbner

How to Fight Mean World Syndrome?

There are lots of ways you can control how you feel about the society you inhabit.

Limit the amount of TV and media you view.
Alternate between different types of programmes, e.g. comedy and sport.
Remember, the majority version of violence presented by the media is a small minority of real life.
Use different kinds of media to access information, i.e. books, journals.
Get the facts from reliable sources so you don’t over-estimate the amount of violence in the world.
Ask yourself, who benefits from perpetuating the myth of mass fear?

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to see how we can become enveloped in Mean World Syndrome. Every day we are bombarded with the most gruesome facts and images. These present a distorted view of the world.

The problem is if we only see the world through fear-tinted glasses, solutions to our problems will be based solely around this fear. And we could end up imprisoning ourselves for no good reason.

References:

Janey Davies

https://www.learning-mind.com/

About the Author: Janey Davies.

Janey Davies has been published online for over 8 years. She is the head writer for Shoppersbase.com, she also writes for AvecAgnes.co.uk, Ewawigs.com and has contributed to inside3DP.com. She has an Honours Degree in Psychology and her passions include learning about the mind, popular science and politics. When she is relaxing she likes to walk her dog, read science fiction and listen to Muse.

Compiled by http://violetflame.biz.ly from:

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Discernment yes; judgement does not.
If you use discernment you are free to research with an open mind.

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tags: crime, fear, food for thought, humankind, janey davies, mental health, perception, psychology, society

publicado por achama às 18:09

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Quinta-feira, 9 de Abril de 2020

How to Cultivate Empathy and Compassion in the Coronavirus Crisis

Lottie Miles, M.A.

learning-mind.com

Posted April 8th, 2020.

 
img source

During these uncertain times, more and more of us around the world face curfews and social distancing. However, we know that too much inward focus can lead to us feeling isolated. On the other hand, studies show numerous benefits from giving social support and practicing empathy and compassion for others.

Indeed, compassion for others can reduce loneliness and stress and increase feelings of happiness and connectedness. So how can we cultivate empathy and compassion during the time of the coronavirus?

In this post, we outline 5 ways to cultivate these feelings after first looking at why empathy and compassion might be so good for us.

Why Is Compassion and Empathy for Others Beneficial?

During times of need, humans naturally seek to care for and protect others. This happens for biological and neurological reasons.

Inagaki argues that the same neural regions drawn on in maternal caregiving and providing social support to others are also used by the brain to process rewards. Moreover, they inhibit connections in the brain that trigger stress and a sense of threat. This highlights why looking after others can be so good for our mental health.

Caring for others is not just morally right but actually plays a role in the survival of the human species. For example, when caring for a baby who requires intense support at the start of life.

Similarly, the anthropologist Margaret Mead notes that the first sign of civilization in ancient cultures is demonstrated by bones that have healed. If animals break a bone, they will die before it heals. A broken bone that is healed indicates the time has been taken by someone other than the human themselves to care and nurture them back to good health.

Together, these factors might explain why Brown’s study found that providing care for others is actually more beneficial than receiving it. Their study showed that mortality was significantly reduced for those who provided instrumental support to their loved ones.

Receiving support had no effect on mortality. These examples then, serve to highlight that compassion and empathy for others is not just morally right. In fact, they show that compassion is both an evolutionary mechanism of survival and a fundamental aspect of humanity.

Cultivating Empathy and Compassion during the Coronavirus Crisis

So how can you tuck into a healthy dose of compassion and empathy? Here, we outline 5 simple ways you can stay connected with others, build community spirit, and look after one another whilst socially distancing:

1. Follow guidelines & stay home

As the article ‘Half of Uruguay’s coronavirus cases traced to a single guest at a society party’ shows, not staying home can be the least compassionate thing you could do. Therefore, staying home is one of the main ways you can show compassion for everyone during the coronavirus crisis.

One of the most effective methods of helping stop the spread of coronavirus is social distancing. Staying at home more will help you prevent hospitals from being overrun and reduce deaths. People all over the world are practicing similar measures.

So staying at home can actually be a way to feel connected with the global community too. However, it is important to remember how to avoid emotional distancing during social distancing.

2. Community organizing – at a distance

There are so many ways to virtually communicate. WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom, and other communications platforms mean we can look after people in our community in different ways. We can also do this whilst avoiding sharing the same physical space. However, if we are going to effectively care for vulnerable people in our community, it is vital to organize our efforts collectively.

Fortunately, joining a mutual-aid network can help you feel close to the community around you. Together, you will be able to more safely support the vulnerable in your community.

3. Offer to bring groceries to those socially isolating

Whilst you could do this independently of point 2, it will be better if you do them both together. Since the goal of social distancing is minimizing social contact, everyone is required to cut down shop visits.

By coordinating for multiple people at once, we can support more people in one go to get their essentials. This can keep total shop visits down to a minimum in our community whilst helping us cultivate compassion.

4. Be kind to people in vulnerable jobs

When you do have to visit the shop, be kind and grateful to those people having to work to keep things going. If there are no toilet rolls on the shelves or no canned tomatoes to pick up, this is an issue with our supply chains. This may be the fault of the business or the government but not of those on low pay serving you.

It’s unlikely to be ‘panic buyers’ either. People may have full trolleys because they are supporting their neighbors. Alternatively, they might need to cover themselves for up to 2 weeks isolating – that demands larger baskets than normal.

If you get the last bag of flour, why not try giving it away to the person who arrives to see a bare shelf instead? That act of empathy will feed you longer than that flour ever could.

5. Support laid-off workers

Supporting the unemployed could be pointing laid-off workers in the direction of support groups. It could be helping build pressure on governments to support them with reasonable sick pay or a universal basic income.

You could continue paying for services you can’t receive if you can afford it until pressure on the government has been effective. You could make up food parcels and care packages for laid-off workers and their families. Or you can support workers taking collective action. Whether that’s to stop the spread of coronavirus due to unsafe working practices or being forced to work.

Final Words

These are just 5 ways to cultivate empathy and compassion as we face the coronavirus crisis. However, you can practice it in any way you can, big or small. We can also develop empathy in unconventional ways. As the exploration of why it is beneficial shows, practicing compassion can help everyone get through these challenging times. By cultivating empathy, we can all be better off.

Lottie Miles

https://www.learning-mind.com/

About the Author: Lottie Miles

Lottie Miles is a professional researcher and writer with a passion for human rights. She has 4 years of experience working within the NGO sector and has a Masters Degree in Social Policy. She has a keen interest in exploring ways in which happiness habits can help to improve mental health and wellbeing. In her spare time, she likes doing crossword puzzles, painting and traveling.

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No religious or political creed is advocated here.

Organised religion is unnecessary to spirituality.

Excellent teachings of the masters have been contaminated by the dogmatic control of these religions.

Discernment yes; judgement does not.
If you use discernment you are free to research with an open mind.

With discernment it is possible to reach the spirit of the letter of any writing and it is also much easier to listen to the voice of the soul that comes from the heart.
Individually you can be helped to find your Truth that is different of everyone.

Please respect all credits.

Discernment is recommended.

All articles are of the respective authors and/or publishers responsibility.

Like this! please bookmark. It is updated daily

(email:nai@violetflame.biz.ly)

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tags: empathy, humankind, lottie miles, personal development, psychology mental health, self-improvement coronavirus, society

publicado por achama às 01:47

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The Power of Introverts: Study Finds Loners Are Crucial to Species Survival.

The Power of Introverts:

Study Finds Loners Are Crucial to Species Survival.

Becky Storey.

https://www.learning-mind.com/

April 7th, 2020

.
image source

For years now, loners and introverts have been the outsiders of society. They’re considered to be strange and boring, and not worth inviting to your events. The truth is, introverts and loners are just misunderstood. Finally, scientific research has proven that introverted people and those who choose to be loners are essential to our survival. Researchers at Princeton University discovered that without the power of introverts, our species wouldn’t survive.

What Is A Loner?

Loners exist all over the world, from insects to mammals and even single-cell organisms. Small herds of Wildebeests sit out on the great migration the rest of their species is taking. Locusts leave the swarm and return to a simple life as a grasshopper.

A loner actively avoids most interaction with other people and chooses not to make many personal connections. This differs from introverts slightly, in that, an introvert does enjoy making connections and can be social creatures, their energy just depletes quickly with too much “full-on” interaction.

Loners and introverts are similar though, in that they both choose to stay away from busy places and large crowds. They exist on the outskirts of society typically, not particularly concerned with getting involved.

Both types of people enjoy being at home in their own peace and quiet. In these difficult times of social distancing, surely, we need more people like this. An introvert’s true power really shows when in order to save the world, we have to stay home.

The Study: The Eco-evolutionary Significance of “Loners”

A study carried out at Princeton University that was published in early 2020 has proven the true power of an introvert once and for all.

The researchers used slime mold and amoebas as their participants in the experiment. Corina Tarnita, one of the scientists involved in this study, explained that though it might have been easier to draw conclusions from wildebeests and humans, they don’t lend themselves to these kinds of experiments well.

The Princeton study set out to prove the power of introverts by using an amoeba called Dictyostelium discoideum. The amoeba cells join together, forming large slime mold towers, gross. The cells join together by nature, but some stay behind.

Proof of The Power of Introverts

Corina Tarnita revealed that they found more loners than they ever expected. Up to 30% of the cells they studied chose to be loners. Even when they provided the most optimized conditions for the slime molds, still some stayed as outsiders.

After painstaking research, they concluded that these loners were essential to the survival of the species – whether they knew it themselves or not. If predators attack a group, the introverts and loners will remain. If a disease takes hold, the introverts and loners will stop it from jumping to the whole population. Possibly apt for the current climate.

When group activity risks group failure, the loners and introverts have the power to save the species.

Other Studies on The Power of Introverts

Susan Cain is a writer and expert on the introvert mind. In her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, she explains how being an introvert can be evolutionarily beneficial.

Depending on the era and the circumstances, being an introvert or extrovert can be what dictates your success in life.

In the very distant past, during the hight of nomadic and hunter-gatherer eras, being extroverted was essential. Being out and about, making connections to get supplies and resources was the best way to secure your lifestyle. As we started to form settlements and took on farming instead of hunting, trades instead of bartering, introversion became a better way of living.

In our modern times, both will do you just fine, depending on the path you choose. Until now, that is. When staying home means protecting our lives, introverts have the upper hand. Right now, survival relies on staying out of the crowd and who has more experience with that than introverts and loners.

The Power of Introverts in the Current Climate

Never has being an introvert or a loner been more beneficial for our survival. The coronavirus pandemic is fast-moving and potentially deadly. Fortunately, the best way to stop it in its tracks is to just stay home. This couldn’t be much easier for introverts, who probably choose to stay home even without the threat of a dangerous virus. We’re saving lives doing things we always do.

If we were thinking in just black and white, which thankfully we aren’t, introverts would be the most likely to survive this outbreak. By not leaving the house out of boredom or desperation, we are in no danger. Introverts would survive in a black and white situation, leaving enough people behind to prevent total extinction.

If anyone ever tells you that introverts aren’t any use in modern society, you can tell them that! Staying home right now will save lives. In the future, even without a virus threatening our way of life, introverts and loners help to prevent dangerous overcrowding, pollution and the spread of violent outbreaks like riots and protests gone wrong.

Introverts and loners have been proven to be scientifically essential for our survival. Not just for humans, but for animals, bugs and icky slime molds too. Now more than ever, it’s time to let your introvert flag fly. Stay home, stay safe, save lives.

References:

Becky Storey

About the Author: Becky Storey

Becky Storey is a professional writer who has been passionate about the way we think and the human mind since she developed chronic anxiety many years ago. Now she loves to write and educate people on mental health and wellbeing. When Becky is not writing, you’ll find her outside with her Labrador, sitting behind a jigsaw puzzle, or baking something with too much sugar.

Compiled by http://violetflame.biz.ly from:

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