The Pain Of Heartbreak, For Real

New research shows that the same areas of the brain that are activated when an individual experiences pain are activated when an individual feels rejected from someone he or she loves. According to Ethan Kross, a social psychologist at the University of Michigan, this research shows that individuals crushed by a romantic breakup may experience actual physical pain. Kross and a group of other researchers from the University of Colorado - Boulder and Columbia University gathered forty individuals who had gone through a romantic breakup in the past six months. Each individual claimed to have feelings of rejection and pain in the time after the breakup. The forty students underwent MRIs and while undergoing them were presented with a photo of their ex-partner and asked how they felt during the breakup, presented with a photo of a friend and asked to think about the most recent positive experience with that person, and had to wear an arm device that created pain sensations so that they could measure physical pain reactions in the brain. Researchers scanned five hundred other people's brains in order to compare the brain's reaction to physical pain, emotion, and psychological processes. The studies showed that experiencing intense social rejection activates the same part of the brain that is involved in the sensory experience of physical pain. Kross, the social psychologist, states that this information may lead to a closer look into how heartbreak and rejection may lead to different types of physical illness and disorders because the mind, brain, and body are so closely connected. An assistant professor of psychology at UCLA named Naomi Eisenberger claims that her research shows that taking tylenol can lower the pain of social rejection or hurt feelings. This research has not gone far enough to say that pain relievers could diminish the pain of heartbreak, but Eisenberger states that current research continues to explain how humans are very social beings, so much so that when individuals experience social rejection, the brain interprets it as physical damaging to the body.

This information applies to the real world because it gives insight into how different emotions and feelings can actually take a physical toll on individuals. Also, this specific discovery makes scientists, researchers, doctors, therapists, etc. aware that high emotions can result in physical pain. As the article stated, this insight gives these professionals a better look at how rejection and heartbreak may lead to different types of physical illness or disorders of the mind, brain, or body. This information also gives professionals a better judgement of how to treat individuals experiencing intense emotion after a breakup or serious rejection. Thus, with this information it is possible that scientists may discover how other intense emotions such as extreme sadness, anger, love, jealousy, happiness, etc. affect the body physically and mentally. Also, this study may help researchers in figuring out why other mental and physical disorders occur and how to fix them in diagnosed individuals. This is because this information brings up the possibility that intense emotions trigger certain signals in the brain like pain or in different cases maybe something like the same signals that go off when under the influence of drugs. With studies such as that, researchers would also be able to look at why people override rationality when under the influence of intense emotion because there is a possibility that their brain is being signaled in ways that had previously gone unnoticed.

I chose to look further into this article because the content is really interesting to me. Topics that have to do with how the brain works and how the brain sends signals due to different emotions intrigue me. This particular article is especially interesting because the information is unexpected, but it kind of makes sense. I am sure that if a large number of individuals who have experienced a sudden breakup or some sort of intense rejection at some point in their lifetimes, they would recall their feelings as painful. Therefore, this study brings new meaning to the term heartbreak or heartache because individuals' brains are signaling actual physical pain. As stated before, this study also sheds light on why some individuals may fall into depression or some other sort of mental, social, or physical disorder following a sudden end to a relationship and that interested me as well. Experiencing mental and social anguish is difficult enough and challenges a person's stability, but with the addition of constant physical pain, it is no wonder there are individuals in the world who spend months on end sulking, crying, bumming out, etc. after a bad breakup. This article gave me a different look at what individuals may go through following heartbreak or social rejection because I personally have never really experienced the emotional toll before. I know that in the future if a close friend or family member goes through a bad breakup, I will not jump to conclusions about that person just feeling bad about him or herself. I will not tell that individual that he or she just needs to get over it and move on because according to this article, that is not as easy as it sounds.

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/sex-relationships/story/2011/03/Heartbreak-hurts-people-physically-too/45443040/1

A True Mid-Life Crisis On The Rise

Eating disorders, which were once mainly found in young adults are now becoming increasingly common in middle-aged women and women even older than that. Some of these women are those who had an eating disorder at a younger age and have relapsed; however, a number of these older women develop these symptoms for the first time in their middle ages. According to a the director of Eating Disorders Program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, eating disorders were initially aimed at adolescents, but since 2003 half of those diagnosed with eating disorder symptoms have been adults. Older women are still feeling the societal pressures of thinness and the need to look fit - women in their 50's, 60's, and sometimes even older than that. The symptoms in adolescents are similar as those seen in adults, in that they are engaging in destructive behaviors to their health such as restricted eating, abusing the use of laxatives, exercising excessively, and binge eating. The triggers of eating disorders for adolescents and adults differ, but the basis is the same in that their eating disorders are most commonly triggered by a stressful transition. For instance, an eating disorder could be triggered in an adolescent for the stressful transition of his/her parents getting divorced or heading off to college. For an adult, eating disorders can be triggered by the stressful transition of going through a divorce or his/her own, sending a child off to college, or having a baby. Some researchers on eating disorders believe that the percentage of adults with eating disorders is much higher than currently known, but most adult females fly under the radar because with age, adults get better at concealing problems and also because the symptoms can easily be attributed to age. One adult female recovering from an eating disorder was interviewed and said that her doctors attributed the development of anemia and osteoporosis to aging and the loss of menstruation to early menopause rather than the real underlying factor, malnourishment due to an eating disorder. Researchers are on this topic are trying to raise awareness, especially in physicians so that these doctors can distinguish between the symptoms of an eating disorder and the traits of aging in their patients. These researchers believe that people need to be more aware of the fact that eating disorders affect people of all ages and that is not simply an adolescent problem.

This article relates to the world today because there are areas of the world in which a great percentage of the population has some type of eating disorder. In the United States especially, it goes unnoticed that the percentage of adults with eating disorders is rising. As stated in the article, this is important to note because it could mean that the percentage is much higher due to the fact that so many adult women are going undiagnosed. Thus, with this information physicians are gaining knowledge and are able be more skeptical of eating disorder-like symptoms without passing them off as the aging process. The information also raises society's awareness of the fact that more adults are getting diagnosed with eating disorders, which will potentially be beneficial in that people will be more skeptical of rapid weight loss in an individual they know, which could lead to that individual getting needed help before it is too late. Society needs to understand that eating disorders are no longer an adolescent targeted disease and begin to evaluate why this change has occurred and why older women are now feeling the pressures of thinness and being fit more than ever before.

Eating disorders have always been of interest to me and the psychology behind them, but they also hit close to home for me, so I decided to write up on this article. I feel that the information in it is really important for people to know because what the researchers were saying really makes sense. Most of the symptoms of eating disorders could easily pass as old age in women. It would be really difficult for anyone to get the idea that an older women they know who has been eating less and using laxatives, stopped menstruating, and has brittle bones has an eating disorder rather than just assuming she is getting old. I know that if my mom began experiencing these symptoms in about ten to fifteen years, I would never in my life assume that she has developed an eating disorder - I would have attributed all of those symptoms to old age. The line between these symptoms is very unclear and so it is important that people who are very educated in fields involving health, specifically physicians and doctors, gain awareness and knowledge about this information so that they can recognize an eating disorder when it is there, but may not be very obvious to family and friends.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/an-older-generation-falls-prey-to-eating-disorders/?ref=science

The Fishier, The Better

An experiment done on 38,000 women resulted in evidence that links the consumation of fish, or any meal with an abundance of omega-3 fatty acids, to a lower risk of developing age-realted macular degeneration (AMD). While the research data needs to be tested again in randomized trials, there appears to be an evident connection between fish oil - the part of fish high in omega-3 fatty acids - and preventing AMD in women who do not have the disease or have undeteced early signs of the disease, but have not been diagnosed yet. These fatty acids have already been experimentally connected to protecting individuals from cardiovascular disease. About 9 million adults in the United States over the age of 40 experience some level of AMD and while a majority of that number only experiences it in its early stages, there are still around 1.7 million of these adults who experience the advanced stage of the illness, which results in a serious loss of vision. Up until these experiments, there has been no recognized method that can prevent or slow the onset of AMD aside from advising individuals not to smoke cigarettes. The study was performed to determine whether or not diet functions as a prevention tool of AMD and so tens of thousands food questionnaires were completed by female health professionals enrolled in a heart disease and cancer prevention trial called the Women's Health Study. The study began in 1993, no men were included, all participants were in their 40's when it began, and none of the participants had AMD. Eye health was tracked over the course of the decade in which the study was performed as well. During the course of this experiment, 235 women developed AMD and it was reported that those who consumed the largest amount of omega-3 fatty acids had about a 38% lower risk of developing AMD in comparison to those women who consumed the smallest amount of omega-3s fatty acids. Also, those who consumed one or more servings of fish every week had a 42% lower risk of developing AMD than those who only consumed fish once a month or less. While many scientists and doctors find this information unsurprising, it is still a helpful and important scientific find because the connection is strong enough to release as legitimate information despite the fact that confirming experiments have yet to be completed.

This article is related to the real world because it provides a clear link between fish and preventing a serious disease that if developed will drastically change an individual's life. Age-related macular degeneration is a disease that basically contributes to the destruction of sharp, central vision, which is crucial for common every day tasks such as reading or driving. Thus, individuals who develop this disease will have to make serious changes in their every day lifestyles because they will no longer be able to drive themselves or even do simple tasks like reading a recipe, reading directions, or reading labels on grocery store items. When experiments such as the one spoken of within this article are released to the public, the information spreads rapidly within society, which may eventually lead to a decrease in numbers of people who develop AMD or at least a decrease in the number of people who develop AMD into a serious stage. Also, with this information, scientists and doctors will be able to develop further and create things like vitamins specifically high in omega-3 fatty acids, targeting individuals who are at higher risk of developing AMD due to genetics for example. Finally, this information may bring researchers closer to finding a treatment or cure that can reverse the damage done by AMD so that if an individual is incapable of preventing the development of age-related macular degeneration, then he or she will be able to seek a treatment that lessens the conditions that the disease entails.

This article is actually semi-relevant to my life because just yesterday I went to a restaurant and ordered sushi. When I asked my friend if salmon is good or not, she responded that it is and that it is also extremely good for me because it is filled with omega-3's. Me, not knowing much about what specific foods are rich in, did not know this information. Upon reading this article, I learned that omega-3 fatty acids were originally sought after because of their ability to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is one of the leading killers in the United States today. Now I have learned that omega-3 fatty acids will help prevent the possible onset of AMD. I clicked on the article because one of my good friends from home has a genetic family history of serious age-related macular degeneration and has been told by her doctor that she can expect to develop the disease later in her life. her grandmother has AMD in a serious stage and is legally blind, which is very debilitating due to the fact that she lives alone. This same friend's mother has begun to experience the eye degenerating symptoms, which shows exactly how the disease can impact an individual's every day life. Therefore, articles such as this one are important for the public to see because of the significant information that they provide. If people such as my friend see or hear this informati0n, then they are probably more likely to consume omega-3 fatty acids and decrease their risk of experiencing macular degeneration later on in their lifetimes.

http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/food/diet-nutrition/2011-03-15-eating-fish_N.htm

RTerg - The Tsunami Detector

Seismologists have created a new system that has the potential to warn populations of an oncoming tsunami only minutes after an earthquake under water has occurred. Thus, this system, known as RTerg, has the capability of greatly reducing the death toll within areas that will get hit by a sudden tsunami. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology developed this system that correctly identified the magnitude of the 2010 Sumatran earthquake at 7.8, calling it a destructive tsunami earthquake. Because the ocean is so entirely deep, vertical deformation of the ocean floor is considered horizontally smooth, thus when plates of the ocean floor shift, the size of the plate uplift is pretty small. When these types of earthquake occur under the ocean water, the waves that form as a result are only about twenty centimeters in height. Tsunami earthquakes however, occur a bit differently in that the the rate at which they rupture is slower and propagate to the sea floor, right to the trench. When this happens, the vertical shift in the plates is much larger, which causes much higher waves -- waves up to seventeen meters tall. These types of waves leave populated areas with large death tolls up to approximately four hundred and thirty people. Tsunami earthquakes fool most people in that it is difficult to measure their magnitude due to their occurrence in shallow areas, thus when a tsunami earthquake begins, most people wave off the tremble if they even feel it at all, judging that it is not a big deal. As stated before, tsunami earthquakes usually rupture at a slower pace than other underwater earthquakes and therefore, the RTerg uses algorithmic tools to match these attributes to a detected quake. If an underwater earthquake appears to be rupturing slower than normal, an alert is sent to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center as well. The system works like this: RTerg receives a notification from a tsunami warning center that an earthquake has occurred somewhere. From the notice, RTerg gets information such as the earthquake's location, depth, and approximate magnitude. If the magnitude is over a six and a half, then more data is received pertaining to one hundred and fifty seismic stations around the world. When that information is collected, algorithms are utilizes to run through each second of the rupture to determine the incremental energy growth, which in turn gives scientists an idea of weather or not the quake is a tsunami earthquake or not.

This system developed by seismologists could potentially have some excellent benefits upon countries that do not have much defense against natural disasters such as tsunamis. In the past, tsunamis have hit countries and completely wiped out great proportions of populations because the individuals had no protection or idea on what to do in the situation. Thus, this article relates to the real work because it speaks of a new system developed to protect areas from suffering great loss due to a future tsunami. The RTerg system can warn areas ahead of time when a possible tsunami is coming because the system is notified if a tsunami earthquake has occurred on the ocean's floor. Therefore, this system's biggest accomplishment would be its ability to decrease the death toll in dangerous conditions such as a massive tsunami. If researchers are able to create systems that can determine if a destructive tsunami is about to hit and warn residents in certain areas of the oncoming threat before it hits, then there is potential for similar systems that can better or more accurately predict natural disasters such as a hurricane, tornado, flood, etc. If more of these systems were created by researchers, then natural disasters would become less of a threat to humankind and more scientific research can go towards different areas such as how to decrease to occurrence of these events or protection against these events so that the damage in the areas is not as high.

I chose this article because of its relation to natural disasters. Specific natural disasters such as hurricane Katrina have always interested me because of the horrific damage that they can bring about and the fact that it seems as though these types of disasters dominate humankind despite the fact that we are living beings and they are simply just random, severe events brought about by nature. Tsunamis are natural disasters that are not often in the news unless there has been a recent occurrence of one or underwater earthquake action that brings up the idea of one in the near future. The article is important to society because it describes a system created by scientists in Georgia that can greatly decrease the number of deaths that may occur in the quick, severe natural disaster known as a tsunami. It is especially important after the infamous tsunami that occurred in Indonesia in the year of 2004 because of the sheer devastation that that underwater quake caused. When that tsunami hit, news stations all over the world kept everyone up to date on the damage, death toll, plans of action being taken, etc. The world wanted to know in turn what can be done in future situations similar to these and now this article provides a response. The RTerg system is capable of notifying locals in areas that are at risk of a tsunami hit after detected quake activity underwater so that they can flee to safety before the damage is done. It has been several years since the tsunami hit in Indonesia and this system is just now having information released to society. Hurricane Katrina is coming upon its same anniversary within the next few years, which may give society hope that there are systems currently being worked upon that can give detrimental information out to local residents if a disaster at the magnitude of that massive hurricane is about to hit again.

http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?nid=64749