Mindful October 2017

Editor-in-Chiefbarry@mindful.org Our must-read story this issue: “In Search of Wholeness,” takes us through singer-songwriter Jewel’s journey from homeless to famous to genuinely happy. See page 60. Like much of the best science fiction, the British TV series Black Mirror explores what might happen if some of the technologies we use today became more powerful and widespread. In an episode called “Nosedive,” we’re treated to a world where the social media convention of liking/not liking and rating everything is taken to extremes. You’re rated on every interaction with everyone you encounter from your boss to your barista—and they rate you back. To top it off, all ratings contribute to your cumulative score, and everyone is fitted with eyeglass-like implants that allow them to see your score. Those with lower scores get…

How does embarrassment manifest in your body? 71% Blushing 14% Smirking 18% Queasiness 4% Eyes watering 4% The urge to pee 30% Breaking into a sweat 29% Laughing inappropriately What's something other people find embarrassing that you don't? • “Garlic breath.” • “Talking about bodily functions.” • “Food in my teeth—it happens sometimes!” • “Doing what I feel like all the time.” • “Perfect matching outfit.” • “Public release of gas.” • “Talking about sex.” • “Clumsiness.” • “My grandson hates when I hug him in public.” • “Asking questions. Not knowing something.” • “Having a messy house.” • “Taking clothes off for sex.” • “Sending food back.” • “Getting a compliment.” • “Tripping in front of others.” • “Using the wrong word.” • “Pooping in public washrooms.” •…

Reducing the Fear of Giving Birth “Stress, anxiety, and depression before, during, and after having a baby can create long-lasting negative outcomes for all involved. We ought to do anything we can to reduce that stress and lessen those outcomes,” says Nancy Bardacke, founder of Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) and author of Mindful Birthing. In a recent study— overseen by lead researcher Larissa Duncan, associate professor of human development and family studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison— Bardacke taught an 18-hour intensive workshop, The Mind in Labor, to 30 first-time mothers, all of whom had reported fear of the pain of childbirth. The encouraging results: Participants had lower scores for prenatal & postpartum depression and a trend toward less opioid medication use during labor than those who participated in…

Nurse Stephanie Treherne at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital makes tiny superhero capes for babies in the ICU. In 1991, Pamela and Anil Malhotra bought 55 acres of desolate land in South India and founded SAI Sanctuary, which today covers more than 300 acres and is home to more than 200 endangered plants and animals. When 10 people— including a family of six—got caught in a riptide at a beach in Florida, around 80 other beachgoers formed a human chain and rescued them.…

India is on its way to a greener future. This year the country— which is currently the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases—canceled plans to build several coal power plants, and is taking steps toward its goal to only sell electric cars by 2030. The Netherlands is guilty—of low crime rates and too many empty prison cells. As a result, in 2016 the country marked five prisons for closure. This comes on the heels of eight closures in 2009 and 19 in 2014. Summers in the UK mean music festivals in parks across the nation. Concerned that the all-night noise might disturb nearby birds, a couple of artists built and installed soundproof birdhouses in parks. Ben & Jerry’s is making a stand for gay marriage in Australia. Until the country’s…

I found one! Someone who actually answers political polls over the phone—an endangered species in the call-screening age. Sure, it’s not on a par with stumbling across a unicorn or a four-leaf clover, but it still made my day. It offered an opportunity to ask a question that has been gnawing at me: What’s happening psychologically when people believe claims that are factually untrue and definitively debunked, such as that Barack Obama is a Muslim who was born in Kenya? In my October 2015 installment of “Brain Science,” I described what cognitive psychology has shown about why misinformation is “sticky.” I delved into why many people still believe something like the erroneous claim that weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq after the 2003 invasion even after hearing that…