Psychology Discussion
As a former psychology major, I've completed the 83% of the required curriculum for a B. S. in Psychology. While the mind interested me in high school and college, I realized I didn't want a 4 year psychology degree. That degree, just like a 4 year astronomy degree would have doomed me to years and years spinning my wheels doing uninteresting things and not advancing the science. The point is, I'm a real expert on human psychology, so there's the premise for this thread.
Please feel free to contribute, or post whatever you want in here. Consider it a 'safe space' for anything you'd like to talk about regarding psychology.
First : you are your own worst critic. Take it easy on yourself, take time to enjoy the amazing gift you've received that is life. You are beautiful, you are loved and you are worthy.
Here's a great study once again proving that people are lousy at objectively judging their own appearance.
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall – You’re Probably More Attractive Than You Think
People rate their own bodies as more attractive when viewed from a third-person perspective
Are we the best at judging our own attractiveness?
New research out in Frontiers in Robotics and AI shows that we might not be after all. Researchers from the Experimental Virtual Environments (EVENT) Lab at the University of Barcelona examined the difference between how we believe we look, and how we view our own body from an outsider’s perspective.
What they found was that people rate their own body more negatively when embodied in it, compared to viewing their exact same body except as an outsider. So, how exactly do we view our own body as an outsider?
The researchers set out to answer this by recruiting 11 men and 12 women from the University of Barcelona. Participants filled out one questionnaire on eating disorders and one on body shape perception.
The team used virtual reality to create three virtual bodies (“avatars”) for each participant: one based on how participants indicated measurements of their own body as their own image of it, one based on their ideal body shape, and one based on their real body measurements. Once these computer models were created, participants were immersed in virtual reality to view these three avatars from two different perspectives — first-person (like how we see our own bodies day to day) or third-person (how others in public would see us). They were then asked to rate the attractiveness of each of these virtual bodies.
“Our results suggest that a change in perspective affected the evaluation of the attractiveness of a virtual body. For female participants, when the same virtual body was perceived from a third person perspective, it was evaluated as more attractive than when it was perceived from a first-person perspective,” says lead author Dr. Solène Neyret.
“Importantly, we also observed that the internal representation that people create of their own body is highly inaccurate.”
The researchers found that individuals’ prior beliefs about ‘the self’ may be responsible for this effect and could prevent people from accurately judging their real appearance. Interestingly, the researchers also noted that the “ideal body” described by participants often had similar physical attributes one to another. This points towards the predominance of an ‘ideal body shape’ within the study’s cultural environment.
By using virtual reality, the researchers were able to give participants a new perspective on themselves — in more than just a physical sense. The gap between the reality of how we look versus how we perceive how we look can often be at the root of many body perception disorders, and the techniques described here may have future applications for treatment.
“By showing their real body to our female participants from a third person perspective, it appeared more attractive to them than when the same body was seen from a first-person perspective. We believe that this method can be particularly efficient for increasing body satisfaction in patients with eating disorders”, states Neyret.
“This method could help patients to understand the biased representation they have of their own body. This knowledge could re-orientate their attention to the real features of their body shape in a more accurate and objective way, that isn’t affected by the negative prior beliefs they have about themselves”, says Neyret.
By being able to see ourselves as from an outside perspective, we might learn to get a more objective perception of our bodies, and start to live with a healthier and more accurate body image.
Reference: “Which Body Would You Like to Have? The Impact of Embodied Perspective on Body Perception and Body Evaluation in Immersive Virtual Reality” by Solène Neyret, Anna I. Bellido, Xavi Navarro and Mel Slater, 18 March 2020, Frontiers in Robotics and AI.
DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2020.00031/full
Spring-Breakers Pack Florida & Texas Beaches As Pandemic Threatens Societal Collapse
Borders shut, markets in nose-dive, restaurants and bars closed in some major American cities, super market shelves empty, professional sports canceled, and even the Las Vegas Strip shuttered — and yet many beaches and bars which typically serve as popular Spring Break destinations are still packed with oblivious college students determined to party till the end.
While yes it's true that Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale are closed, other water front areas across Florida as well as Texas and southern states are packed out with young revelers, many entering their second week of "extended" break given university closures across the US.
The party will go on, undaunted by the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has seen much of the country grind to a halt, apparently.
Previously in announcing temporary closures in his areas, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said, “We cannot become a petri dish for a very dangerous virus.” He declared: “Spring break is over. The party is over.”
But clearly many other areas didn't get the memo and witnessed an influx of bikini clad, beer guzzling partyers to their towns and beaches.
Sarah J. Hollenbeck✔@SarahHollenbeck
BUSY BEACH! This is what @MyClearwater Beach looks like right now as spring break crowds flock to the sand. #Clearwater leaders haven’t decided if they should add a curfew or close beaches but they may vote on measures related to the #coronavirus this Thursday. @abcactionnews
“As cities and states across the country shutter bars, restaurants and other gathering places, Pinellas County plans to keep beaches open until state emergency officials request the popular destinations to close,” Tampa Bay Times reports.
The scene just before Fort Lauderdale closed its beaches early this week:
Here are the young men and young women (I refuse to call them “kids“) celebrating spring break in Fort Lauderdale. They are going to bring coronavirus home to their parents & grandparents. And they do not care. pic.twitter.com/SmJAwr7Lpk
— Tommy Krasker (@TommyKrasker) March 15, 2020
And further, the report notes at a time that the White House and CDC has urged that gatherings should be limited to no more than ten people:
“We are minimizing interactions and encouraging people to keep social distance,” Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton said Monday afternoon.
Officials are monitoring the beaches to make sure crowds don’t swell.
Also Daytona Beach was determined to keep reservations and beaches open as of the start of the week. Scott Edwards, manager at Daytona Beach Welcome Center, said: “We’re holding our own this week, but next week does not look good.”
Thus far it looks like local officials at many Spring Break destinations are actually on the side of the youthful and seemingly blasé beach revelers, with Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri cited as saying that given the large-scale event cancellations and business closures, people are “going to need some sort of an outlet."
Ken Webster jr@KenWebsterII
Good to see young people are taking this whole pandemic thing seriously. https://kprcradio.iheart.com/featured/walton-and-johnson/content/2020-03-16-spring-break-continues-at-south-padre-island-despite-coronavirus/ …
Spring Break Continues at South Padre Island Despite Coronavirus | KPRC AM 950 | Walton And Johnson
kprcradio.iheart.com
Meanwhile it's the same scene at what's been dubbed the "Spring Break Mecca of southern Texas" - South Padre Island.
This is where among the masses of carefree college students "the deadly coronavirus is barely an afterthought" — as Bloomberg describes:
The tightly packed throng lingered for hours Thursday, soaking up the sun and other typical Spring Break fare, including bikini and push-up contests and free music shows, seemingly oblivious to the market upheaval and the warnings from health experts to practice social distancing.
The previous day, as the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic, hundreds of them had partied for hours at a nearby nightclub where rapper Silento performed. And on Sunday, many headed to a massive pool party at a beachside resort.
According to local reports, many town residents are increasingly outraged that events haven't been canceled; instead, "students are coming here from the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, the West Coast for several weeks."
Darren Rovell✔@darrenrovell
Picture of Spring Break on South Padre last night. Time for a legally mandated, required shutdown of our country.
But in a move that appears too-little-too-late, South Padre as of late Monday issued a Local State of Disaster for the area, and while it cancelled remaining "large-stage events," the beach and other major popular spots are reportedly still open.
Elsewhere around the country as colleges and universities canceled classes, many going to an on-line remote learning format for the rest of the semester, students treated the whole thing as a "snow day" - and flooded local bars.
Philip Laycock@AstralHammerStudents formed lines outside Rick’s, Harper’s, Dublin Square, and other local bars that extended around corners and down blockshttps://www.newsbreakapp.com/n/0OR3ZAVz?s=a99&pd=04GdayTN …
MSU President 'concerned,' 'troubled' by crowded EL bars amid COVID-19 | News Break
President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. expressed concerns in a recent email about recent student lines outside East Lansing bars following the decision to suspend in-person classes due to the COVID-19...
newsbreak.com
And this surreal scene played out on Bourbon street end of last week and into early this week...
Reported journalist Darren Rovell: "3 p.m. Friday: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announces the closing of all schools for a month to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. 8 hours later...Bourbon Street."
"Your actions are jeopardizing public health," police bullhorns blared to drunk and oblivious should-to-should crowds at New Orleans' most famous and historic party spot.
Brantly Keiek✔@BrantlyWx
The brazen disregard for what's happening all around them is perhaps driven by a widespread perception and media reports that younger and healthier individuals are much less likely to get seriously ill by Covid-19.
But given the rising rates of infection and even hospitalization among young adults in places like Italy, this is far from confirmed at this point, and of course misses the point altogether of community-wide efforts to contain to the spread.
