The songs of sadness: Dan Mangan - Basket

How we read the minds of others.

Article Lifted from Derec Bownds' Mindblog explains why interacting with depressed people is so important for the sadness warrior:
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How we read the minds of others.
Derec Bownds - Mindblog
June 28, 2010

"Tamir et al. do some interesting MRI studies that suggest that understanding the mental states of others starts with self perception as an anchor from which serial adjustments of the perceptions of others are made:

Recent studies have suggested that the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) contributes both to understanding the mental states of others and to introspecting about one's own mind. This finding has suggested that perceivers might use their own thoughts and feelings as a starting point for making inferences about others, consistent with “simulation” or “self-projection” views of social cognition. However, perceivers cannot simply assume that others think and feel exactly as they do; social cognition also must include processes that adjust for perceived differences between self and other. Recent cognitive work has suggested that such correction occurs through a process of “anchoring-and-adjustment” by which perceivers serially tune their inferences from an initial starting point based on their own introspections. Here, we used functional MRI to test two predictions derived from this anchoring-and-adjustment view. Participants (n = 64) used a Likert scale to judge the preferences of another person and to indicate their own preferences on the same items, allowing us to calculate the discrepancy between the participant's answers for self and other. Whole-brain parametric analyses identified a region in the MPFC in which activity was related linearly to this self–other discrepancy when inferring the mental states of others. These findings suggest both that the self serves as an important starting point from which to understand others and that perceivers customize such inferences by serially adjusting away from this anchor.

Figure - The relation between BOLD response and self–other discrepancy during Other trials was calculated separately for subregions of the MPFC. Although the response of dorsal MPFC (A) increased linearly with increasing self–other discrepancy, the response of ventral MPFC (B) distinguished only between trials on which self–other discrepancy was zero (overlap between self and other) versus greater than zero (discrepancy between self and other). Error bars indicate the SEM.

Article Continues

Musical Interlude: The Police - So Lonely & Facebook precaution

Here's one to give your self-imposed loneliness a catchy feel to it.
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To ramp up your loneliness quotient, consider modern day communications as a potential mood inducer. In the post-post-Industrial world, most human interaction is now done online via sites like Facebook, Hyves and Twitter (TM). Farming is now enjoyed with electronic coins and push-button animatronics, with a virtual free economy and false ego inflation by meaningless awards mixed in with the most personal of announcements.

In addition to providing 'meaning' the 21st century life, it appears that social media is now possibly helping people get out of desperate situations. Getting depressed and heart- (and head) broken humans to turn their lives around with the aid of others. Thus, if you are on the long-term end of sadness exploration and wish to continue along the tear-strewn path, you may want to avoid expressing anything but a cover story to all friends and colleagues.

A more elite scheme (for both online and offline conversations) would be to avoid really saying anything to anybody & keeping as much bottled up inside. Never reveal your true feelings to anyone; if for some strange reason you've become happy, pretend to be sad. From your root mood of sadness - lie and say you're alright, chose a random mood for when you feel neutral. If simply excluding your regular associates from real communication doesn't work, make yourself see & ruminate on how often and 'well' other people stay in touch.

Whatever you do, don't write on face book that you're in trouble. That just gives do-good busy-bodies like the woman described below more opportunity to feel good about themselves. To ruin one's own sadness attempt and also provide another with happiness is not a recipe for success in the exclusive school of sadness studies.

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Stu Bykofsky: Can Facebook help save lives?
Stu Bykofsky - Philadelphia Daily News
Daily News Columnist
May 13th, 2010

HOW FAR would you go to save someone's life? How hard would you push?

Jennifer Domal did what her Christian faith called upon her to do, even though the person was a stranger, no more than a name on Facebook.

Some people reveal the most intimate details of their lives on Facebook, maybe more than they should, out of loneliness or fear or ego or other urges I can't imagine.
Article Continues

Interview about mood & emotion research using fMRI

I was able to escape a crushing lack of inertia long enough to undergo the following controversial interview on the top behavioural science blog, of Christina Summerdyk & Martin Metzmacher:
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Part 1:

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Part 2:

Dan Fitzgerald about fMRI – Video interview
This is a Behavioural Science Video Interview with Daniel Fitzgerald about fMRI
fMRI Video Interview #1

* Introduction
* What is fMRI?
* fMRI Research
* fMRI Method
* fMRI Signal
* The Salmon
* Corrections & Thresholds
* The Black Box
* The Press

fMRI Video Interview #2

* fMRI & Behaviour
* Understanding Behaviour
* Getting Started
* Use of fMRI
* Future of fMRI
* Brain Pacemakers

Procrastination: A Tangled Path to Depression

Video Source
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The Wikipedia entry on Procrastination (1) contains the following under psychological causes:

The psychological causes of procrastination vary greatly, but generally surround issues of anxiety, low sense of self-worth, and a self-defeating mentality[4].

As a chronic procrastinator, I can vouch for the truthiness of the wikipedian's description. However, if anxiety, low self worth and defeatism were the sole privilege of procrastinators, depressed people would have a good deal less to be miserable about.

Notice how Wikipedia's procrastination entry has a threshold for significant dysfunction similar to the one listed in the DSM-IV criteria for a depressive episode (2):

Wikipedia: While it is normal for people to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning. (1)
DSM-IV: The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.(2)

Completing my own hastily drawn depression / procrastination link, wikipedia provides us with one last gem for pondering what sort of demon procrastination is - and how it can be ridden to the dark depths of self-inflicted hell:

Chronic procrastination may be a sign of an underlying psychological or physiological disorder.(1)

Whatever the cause - procrastination's clear overlap with depressive symptoms provides an intriguing route to follow in the pursuit of sadness. Testing how well any of these techniques 'work' long term on yourself is likely to result in a lifetime of tragically aborted or mis-formed endeavors. Thus, as always, proceed carefully.

It is important to tailor your procrastination tendencies around topics and people that are important to you in your life, in order to get the full effect. Here are two scenarios:

1. Start a scientific blog on sadness with your flat-mate/coworker, wait 2 months to make your first post, base it on Wikipedia. Search for scientific articles when you don't have access, write a note to remind yourself to send the link to your work email so you can download them. Save Blog as draft 50 times before halfway through.

2. Deliberately procrastinate on making contact with a loved-one. This combines anxieties about losing relationships, increased seclusion and even the sense that your sadness may be contagious (no citation). It also helps you avoid making new acquaintances, as you realize the failure of so many relationships past paints a clear image of your future.

Facebook is a great way to get started on this - pick someone you've had a significant relationship with but haven't spoken to in some time. Now imagine how your message might brighten their day, or a birthday note might send a tiny breath of sweetness to their hearts.

Now dash those thoughts, close your browser and meditate on the cold reality that you will likely never reconnect with this person, at least not on a meaningful level. Once you can't stand it and are rushing to look up their number in your non-existent rolodex, suppress the thought and repeat 'I'll call them tomorrow' until the throbbing subsides.

For advanced procrastinators, pick a time to call them when you know you're going to be busy, although we all know what 'busy' really means. Once you master the scientific-looking model below for maximum depression-relevant procrastionation, you'll be well on your way to achieving sadness.

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Here's how you can picture your brain going through these actions:
Original MRI Image Source

If you ever do manage to make a blog post on your hypothetical blog, or reach out and touch that special someone, make sure that the blog post / phone call goes badly enough that you feel like you've failed, but not so horrible that you shouldn't do it again.

Better yet - give yourself big expectations for the next blog post / phone call - tell yourself that you'll make up for it with a new, well-prepared, on-schedule set of correspondence.

Repeat again, make procrastination the only expected outcome for any action - see if it don't make you unhappy.

Code Red: Happiness Is Contagious

Head for the bunkers everyone! New research shows that happiness spreads through networks like badly controlled bird flu. If several of your friends are happy, chances are high you'll get infected too!

Logically you stand the biggest chance of being infected when a close friend is happy and the effect lessens the larger amount of people inbetween (if a friend nearby is happy you are 42% more likely to become happy too, a friends friend friend gives a 6% increase chance). However, it is still surprising that the happiness of a friend of a friend of a friend can statistically predict your own happiness. 

This study is great due to its large number of partipants (about 5000) and in that it followed these people to see how emotions changed over time. Aditionally is important because it makes predictions on effects of our extending networks these days due to internet like facebook, myspace & twitter.

 

The good news is that sadness spreads too but at a slightly lower rate, but I'm not surprised, because, how down can you get?

Again we are confronted with the fact that while we feel we are in control of our own life & happiness much of this is already set by the social context we live within, so remember to bail out of your knitting network if someone gets a child or promoted. And before you know it you'll tell your psychiatrist you need no more sessions because Brian's girlfriend's uncle won $500 in a lottery.

 

Lnk: Original BMJ article

Lnk: CNN article

Lnk: Social Capital Blog with a quite thorough analysis of the research

The Nihi-List

L Psychology Today on this trend of putting your bad luck, depression and how life sucks on twitter and blogs. Seems especially the French love complaining. Stay with us & stay sad.

L What is the biggest gender difference you ask? Is it aggression? Map reading skillz? Frequency of masturbation? No! It's that girls are bad with balls. Neuroanthropology has the story.

L Even chickens prefer beautiful humans. What more can I say. You're fucked.

L In case you were still doubting; panic in the media as it becomes clear the pharmaceutical industry owns medical science. 149 Harvard med. school faculty members get paid by drug giants Pfizer. This is just the tip of the ice-berg though, read the cold hard facts on pharma involvement in psychological and medical research in the blog Furious Seasons.

I'm personally shocked as I run experiments for Pfizer as we speak, sorry guys. I'll try to keep it real.

L Depressed hamsters shed light on seasonal disorder. Shed... get it?

L TAKE THE BLUE PILL, NEO! Amsterdam researchers show fear and anxiety can be "deleted" with a pill in a nature article. Fortunately some scientists warn it could delete good memories too.

L Finally, the wait is over. We can now genetically alter mice to stop sniffing cocaine.

L The Dutch start an official suicide hotline. Government funds it with a staggering 1.4 million euro. Interestingly the number to call will be 113, not to be confused with 112 which will get you the police. Call now for only 99cent per minute.

L Junk-food makes you want to kill yourself (and other people). Go stack up on those McFatties! (side note; the solution seems to be ingesting more Omega-3, easy as that?!)