News category: News

September 9, 2013

Jane McGonigal’s talk, “The Game that Can Give You 10 Extra Years of Life,” is a shining example of what bright, creative, innovative people can do when faced with an overwhelming challenge in their lives. How this game came about is quite intriguing in of itself. A few years ago in the middle of her fast-rising career, McGonigal suffered a severe concussion and ended up both a physical and a mental wreck. She couldn’t do anything except lie in bed, AND she began to feel suicidal. Then one Bay Area foggy, dreary day, she up and decided to use her passion for video games to do something that would help other people and herself deal with terribly debilitating conditions and/or diseases.

The end product was SUPERBETTER: a video game that helps people recover from an illness or injury by increasing their personal resilience. McGonigal defines resilience as “… staying curious, optimistic and motivated in the face of the toughest challenges.” And as such, being resilient is a powerful force in becoming and staying healthy and happy.

In her TEDTalk video, the now-famous game maker notes that her SUPERBETTER work was heavily influenced by Bonnie Ware, an Australian palliative care nurse, who recorded what dying patients in hospice situations said they regretted most in their lives. Astonishingly, what Ware heard from the dying about what they wish they had done during their lives is exactly the stuff I counsel teens to do in making course, activity, college, major and career choices at the beginning of their lives!

Among other things, dying people say that they wish:

They’d had the courage to live their lives being true to themselves rather than according to what others expected of them

I tell students to “dare to be themselves” as they make important decisions such as where to go to college and what to do for a career. “Daring to be yourself” is even a part of the subtitle of my college admissions book.

They had been more honest and expressed their feelings

I encourage teens to figure out who they are, what they need and want (and don’t want) and to appropriately express themselves as a part of becoming honest, trustworthy, authentic people. In fact, some of my students learn to be their most authentic selves through the self-discovery process of writing admissions essays.

They had allowed themselves to be happier

I spend a lot of time teaching teens how to create positive choices, make good decisions, choose to be in healthy, enriching environments and spend time with (and be) fulfilled, happy people.

McGonigal asks, “What Would You Do with Ten Extra Years of Life?” I’m asking teens, “Who Are You, What Do You Love, and How Does What You Do With Your Life Reflect That?” Wouldn’t it be interesting to know if people who are dying might have many fewer regrets if they had started their lives answering those questions?

In a similar vein to McGonigal’s research, my work stems from a train of thought that suggests seeking authenticity and engaging in fulfilling endeavors benefit not only the individual, but also the community of which they are a part.

People who know themselves and are authentic feel alive and experience continuous sources of energy. They also tend to be happier and more naturally kind and loving. This is no surprise because when someone is personally “filled,” they give to others from overflow, not from their own deficit or duty.

University of Rochester Professor of Psychology, Dr. Edward Deci, says that people who tap into their own natural talents, interests and desires are more inclined to embrace whatever they do with enthusiasm, creativity and joy. He also points out that people who make things happen for themselves are less likely to be manipulated or used.

Even the World Health Organization declares that “Health involves more than just the absence of disease or infirmity.” The most enlightened health professionals of the day say that health is an ongoing process of self-discovery in which you:

— Know yourself

— Exercise positive choices

— Integrate your physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being

— And live life to its fullest so that you can have a positive influence on the world.

This is all to say that McGonigal really seems to know what you need to do to gain ten extra years of life, or to simply get the best out of your next 10 years, or next 50 for that matter! Not only is one educated by her talk, but she is a ball to watch. Her message is one worth sharing with your parents, your friends, and your teens!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marjorie-hansen-shaevitz/what-would-you-do-with-te_b_3875677.html

By Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz

August 31, 2013.

Research has also shown similar benefits to simply being around nature. One study showed that spending time in natural settings makes us more generous and more community-oriented, a conclusion that has “implications not only for city planning but also for indoor design and architecture,” according to the study’s co-author Richard Ryan, of the University of Rochester Medical Center. Another study by Dutch researchers showed that those who live within 1 kilometer of a park or wooded area suffer lower rates of depression and anxiety. Even if we don’t live amid trees and greenery, we can always take a walk through them. And when scaled up, this could have real societal consequences. “As health-care costs spiral out of control, it behooves us to think about our green space in terms of preventive health care,” said Dr. Kathryn Kotrla, of the Texas A&M College of Medicine.

Even more intriguing is the link between the physical act of walking and thinking. A study in the European Journal of Developmental Psychology found that cognitive performance was increased when the subject was actually walking.

Perhaps forcing the brain to process a new environment allows it to engage it more fully. That’s one of the theories of how we awaken our capacity for creativity. In “Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently,” Gregory Berns writes that “new insights come from people and new environment – any circumstance in which the brain has a hard time predicting what will come next.”

So the next time you have something to work out, take a walk. It makes us healthier, it makes us fitter, and it enhances every kind of cognitive performance, from creativity to planning and scheduling. And best of all, it reconnects us to ourselves.

Read more at:

http://www.hutchnews.com/news/solution-to-many-a-problem-take-a-walk/article_de10efc4-fa7d-5222-8ac2-93bb378ab830.html

By Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington is president and editor-in-chief of Huffington Post Media Group. Her email address isarianna@huffingtonpost.com.

July 5th 2013.

 

“Edward Deci, professor of psychology and Gowen Professor in the Social Sciences at the University of Rochester, says employees need to feel competent, connected to others and able to exercise autonomy on the job.

“If employers allow their employees to feel competent, related and autonomous, they will have a set of employees who are highly motivated,” Deci says. “Those on the outside will see that and think that is a great place to work.”

To help an employee feel confident, he suggests employers offer praise and affirmation for a job well done. It also helps to assign jobs with realistic goals where employees are not set up to fail.
“The idea is to create circumstances where people feel confident and effective,” Deci says.
Creating a sense of community on the job also is important.

“People need to interact with their peers,” Deci says. ”

Read more at:

http://www.rbj.net/article.asp?aID=195346

By Andrea Deckert

 June 6th 2013.

Hundreds of psychologists from 38 countries will gather in Rochester to share the latest scientific insights into the mysteries of human motivation during the Conference on Self-Determination Theory, June 27 to 30.

Developed by University of Rochester experimental psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan in 1985, self-determination theory today is a leading theory of human motivation, vetted by scientists worldwide. The psychological framework, in the words of author Joe Robinson, provides “a veritable GPS to fulfillment, decoding our innermost longings and linking the world of science and spirit.”

Read more at:

 https://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=6552

April 11th 2013.
“When a pal is struggling, it can be awfully tempting to grab him by the scruff of his neck and just tell him exactly what he should do. After all, isn’t giving good advice part of being a good friend? Perhaps not, according to researchers who study self-determination. Edward Deci, a psychology professor at the University of Rochester, has found that supporting a friend’s autonomy—that is, making him feel as if he can make his own choices—creates a better relationship and may even improve his mental health. In one study, Deci and his colleagues did in-depth interviews with pairs of friends and found that the more of this type of support there was from a friend, the more satisfied the partner was with the friendship and the higher self-esteem the person had. “When people are relating to you and acknowledging your sense of importance, your sense of competence, you feel better about yourself,” Deci adds. In other words, treating a friend like he’s got his act together could actually help him get there.”

Read the full story at:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-be-a-better-friend/

By Sunny Sea Gold

March 5th 2013.

If you think giving someone the cold shoulder inflicts pain only on them, beware. A new study shows that individuals who deliberately shun another person are equally distressed by the experience.
“In real life and in academic studies, we tend to focus on the harm done to victims in cases of social aggression,” says co-author Richard Ryan, professor of clinical and social psychology at the University of Rochester. “This study shows that when people bend to pressure to exclude others, they also pay a steep personal cost. Their distress is different from the person excluded, but no less intense.”
What causes this discomfort? The research found that complying with instructions to exclude another person leads most people to feel shame and guilt, along with a diminished sense of autonomy, explains Nicole Legate, lead author of the Psychological Science paper and a doctoral candidate at the University of Rochester. The results also showed that inflicting social pain makes people feel less connected to others. “We are social animals at heart,” says Legate. “We typically are empathetic and avoid harming others unless we feel threatened.”
The findings point to the hidden price of going along with demands to exclude individuals based on social stigmas, such as being gay, write the authors. The study also provides insight into the harm to both parties in cases of social bullying.

Read the full story at:

Originally post by the University of Rochester

http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=5702