Tomorrow Sunday, March 8, 2020, in celebration of International Women’s Day, I’m going to give a talk on mental health. The talk is organized by the Muslimah Foundation based in Abuja.
I told them that I’ve no qualifications on mental health, but since I studied for a master’s degree in psychology, I can share some insights from psychology related to mental health. So, following is a synopsis of the five topics I’m going to discuss. They are mostly drawn from positive psychology – also known as the scientific study of happiness.
(In case you want to attend, I will leave the details of the free talk at the end of this piece.)
- Gratitude will improve your sleep, self-esteem and mental health
If we’re grateful, according to what science has discovered so far, we will have more of physical health, mental health, friends, compassion, happiness, improved sleep and self-esteem.
Let’s take a deep dive into the science.
Dr. Robert Emmons is the world’s leading expert on gratitude. Emmons and many others have documented the incredible benefits of the oft-neglected gratitude.
Now let’s list some of the benefits of gratitude.
One: It makes you friends
In a 2014 study published in the journal Emotion, it was found that thanking a new acquaintance makes them want to continue with the relationship. If people want to associate with you, that would open doors of opportunities.
Thank a friend who helped with your home work or your mother for that delicious meal or a business associate for that connection. And people would want to hang around you.
Two: It increases empathy and reduces aggression
According to a 2012 study by the University of Kentucky, people who rate higher on gratitude scale, are likely to behave in prosocial way and are more likely to show kindness to people even when others are less so.
They also show less aggression and don’t seek revenge even when presented with negative feedback.
Three: Improves physical health
A 2012 study published in Personality and Individual Differences reported that grateful people are healthier and reported fewer aches and pains.
Four: Improves psychological health and happiness
“Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions,” Amy Morrin, a psychotherapist, wrote in Forbes, “ranging from envy and resentment to frustration and regret. Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., a leading gratitude researcher, has conducted multiple studies on the link between gratitude and well-being. His research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression.”
Five: Improves sleep
Keeping a gratitude journal and writing in it what you’re grateful for, may improve sleep, according to a 2011 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being.
Six: Makes you more confident
A 2014 study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology reported that gratitude improves self-esteem among athletes.
It also reduces social comparison, a factor that leads to low self-esteem. This makes you more grateful for what you have instead of envying others.
Seven: It improves mental health
At least two studies have reported that people who are more grateful are more resilient. In 2006, a study published in the journal Behavior Research and Therapy discovered that Vietnam War Veterans who had higher gratitude experienced lower PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Another study published in 2003 by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology reported that gratitude was a significant contributor to resilience after the September 11 attack.
- Smiling has immediate impact on your mood – changing it from morose to happy
And one way to make yourself happier within second is by smiling.
Smiling signals to the world that we are happy. In other words, happiness makes us smile or happiness causes smiling. There is however, another area of psychology that tells us to consider the reverse: smiling causes happiness. This area of research is called proprioceptive psychology.
In one significant study, the results show that smiling made people happier even if they don’t know they are smiling.
In the study, Fritz Strack asked participants to rate how funny they found some cartoons. The participants were divided into two groups. One group held a pencil between the teeth and were instructed not to allow the lips to touch the pencil. The other group held the end of the pencil with the lips without touching the teeth. Then they were asked to rate how happy they felt.
Without realising it, those in the “teeth only” group forced their lower faces into a smile and those in the “lips only” forced their faces into a frown.
Results show that those who were forced into a smile found the cartoons funnier and felt happier even though they didn’t know they were smiling.
III. The patient dog eats the fattest bone
We’ve now discovered that it’s not only philosophy and religion that encourage patience, science too has joined the call.
Following is a discussion of the positive outcomes that are due to the patient one according to science.
In a 2007 study, Sarah A. Schnitker and Robert Emmons demonstrated that patient individuals had better mental health because they felt more abundance, experienced less depression, fewer negative emotions, are more mindful and more connected to mankind.
Professor Terrie E. Moffitt, a psychological scientist at the Duke University believes that the developed world needs patience now as they needed education at the dawn of the 20th Century. She said this during her keynote at the inaugural International Convention of Psychological Science in Amsterdam.
In an ongoing longitudinal research since the 1970s, Moffitt and her colleagues measure different life outcomes of over 1,000 people from childhood (beginning at age 3) in the city of Dunedin in New Zealand.
Commenting on her study, PsychologicalScience.org reported:
“According to results, the participants who had measured the lowest on self-control [a measure of patience]in childhood scored the highest on various health problems by age 38, Moffitt reported.”
- Mindfulness de-stresses you and improve your decision making
One of the globally trending topics is mindful meditation. Following are its benefits.
Mindfulness changes our biology. In his book, 10% Happier, Dan Harris reported a Harvard MRI study which found that the gray matter got thicker in the areas of the brain associated with self-awareness and compassion among those who practiced mindfulness for eight weeks.
Also, the study found that areas of the brain associated with stress shrunk.
Overall, research has found that mindfulness meditation improves decision making. And life is all about the decisions we make – minor or major.
Also, Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn argues convincingly that mindfulness increases creativity. That is, you’re more likely to find novel ideas and solutions to problems when you practice it.
It also helps with disorders like depression, anxiety, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder.)
What’s mindfulness ?
Mindfulness is immersing ourselves fully in the present without reacting to our impulses. And meditation increases our mindfulness.
That definition doesn’t say much, but full meaning comes from how it’s done. Many authors have varying views of what you should do during meditation. Author of “ The Surrender Experiment” Michael A. Singer said you should focus on your breath. Andy Puddicombe, author of “Get Some Headspace” said you should focus on one sense, such as sense of smell. Others argue that why focusing, you could intone a word.
However, the one I find more practical and doable is the instruction that says one should focus on a place in front of you – or, to stare.
- One hack for those who want to live long
You want to live long? Follow this insight from the longest study ever conducted. (Details will be discussed at the talk.)
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