Article on Hand-Written Notes Raises Intriguing Questions.

BBC News recently published “The Benefits of Note-Taking by Hand.” The author, Hetty Roessingh, is a professor of education at the University of Calgary.

Over three years ago, I touted the benefits of journaling by hand, and even recommended use of the non-dominant hand (cf., blog entry of 12 July 2017). Applying similar principles to the academic setting, Roessingh notes that the process of taking “notes by hand involves cognitive engagement in summarising, paraphrasing, organising, concept and vocabulary mapping — in short, manipulating and transforming information that leads to deeper understanding.” Of course, time constraints during a lecture doubtless make it impossible to take notes with the non-dominant hand, but it would be interesting to see what results might ensue.

 

The second question addresses a matter of more personal interest. Roessingh reports, “When people visually represent knowledge, they can deepen their comprehension of concepts such as cycles and relationships: as a result, some cognitive researchers advocate teaching different ways of representing knowledge from an early age.”

 

That is well and good for most people, but some – like me – suffer from aphantasia, an inability to visualize mental imagery. Above and beyond the academic concerns raised in the article, I wonder whether the “comprehension of concepts such as … relationships” might also create behaviors consistent with mild Asperger Syndrome, although I am unaware of any such studies to date.

 

The complete article: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200910-the-benefits-of-note-taking-by-hand?ocid=global_worklife_rss&xtor=ES-213-%5BBBC News Newsletter%5D-2020September11-%5Bworklife%5D

“Yale researchers find where stress lives”

Researchers have recently turned their attention to the neural network between the hippocampus and hypothalamus. The subjects whose neural connections are stronger may in fact feel less stress. [This was tested solely by “troublesome images,” not by actually placing the test subjects in stressful situations!]

I must append that notwithstanding the likely medical/pharmacological interventions yet to be developed, hypnosis remains a remarkable tool for stress management. One cannot "relax stress away," but one can learn how to respond to the stressful stimuli without "getting stressed out."

The url for the complete article: https://news.yale.edu/2020/05/27/yale-researchers-find-where-stress-lives?utm_source=YaleToday&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=YT_Yale%20Today%20Alum%20no%20Parents_6-10-2020

"Stress, Anxiety, or Depression?"

As COVID-19 continues along its path of devastation, an increasing number of people are suffering from "something," which may take the form of anxiety, depression, stress, or any combination thereof. Thus, I have posted an excerpt of this article and the url to the entire text.
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Our brain’s survival mechanisms once saved us. Now they can threaten our mental health.

Certainty is in short supply these days. Feeling a lack of control over a situation can fuel feelings of stress and anxiety, and possibly lead to depression. Understanding the differences between them can help lead to the right treatment, say Yale Medicine experts.

Long before the coronavirus pandemic mixed fear and uncertainty into daily life, Americans felt stressed out.

They worried about the country’s rising health care costs, struggled to pay them, and wondered if they could even access care in the future. One-quarter of U.S. adults reported discrimination—based on race and gender—as a significant source of stress. And on an individual level, work and money ranked as the top two major stressors, all according to a 2019 study.

Wherever constant stress lives, so too does its more agitated and debilitating cousin: anxiety. About 31% of Americans will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, with adult and teen women experiencing one far more often than men, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

What’s more, anxiety often goes hand-in-hand with depression. Nearly half of people diagnosed with depression also have an anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. At any one time, “about 7% of the U.S. population meets criteria for a major depressive disorder,” says Rachel Katz, MD, a psychiatrist at Yale Psychiatric Hospital.

As if those statistics weren’t worrying enough, enter the global pandemic that has upended daily life in numerous ways, leaving millions of Americans without a job, and producing far more questions than answers. When will we be safely able to move about our lives? Will the kids go back to school in September? Will I lose my job? Will I or someone I care about get sick?

“With these concerns, the experience right now is, ‘I don’t have a lot of control over what is happening around me,’” says Carolyn M. Mazure, PhD, a Yale Medicine psychologist and director of Women’s Health Research at Yale.

Feeling a lack of control over a situation can lead to stress, anxiety, and even depression. Recognizing the differences between the them can lead to the right treatment. [MORE AT:]

https://www.yalemedicine.org/stories/stress-anxiety-depression/?utm_source=YaleToday&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=YT_YaleNews - Alumni From Peoplehub_6-2-2020