Sunday, August 30, 2009
Scientific American has an article on the evolutionary history of depression, as the article states, although depression isn't just a problem for the young, surely by now we would have evolved our way away from such problems if they were just brain malfunctions.
So what could be so useful about depression? Depressed people often think intensely about their problems. These thoughts are called ruminations; they are persistent and depressed people have difficulty thinking about anything else. Numerous studies have also shown that this thinking style is often highly analytical. They dwell on a complex problem, breaking it down into smaller components, which are considered one at a time.
This analytical style of thought, of course, can be very productive. Each component is not as difficult, so the problem becomes more tractable. Indeed, when you are faced with a difficult problem, such as a math problem, feeling depressed is often a useful response that may help you analyze and solve it. For instance, in some of our research, we have found evidence that people who get more depressed while they are working on complex problems in an intelligence test tend to score higher on the test.
The snarky side of me suggests that the article is arguing that all mathematicians should immediately be put in mental hospitals before they slit their wrists and that all those scientists who said that quantum theory was 'mindblowing' weren't talking in metaphor. But then six or seven years ago, when I was less of the happy bunny you see before you today, I found writing a lot easier than I do today and that a big mental Iron Curtain of a block has been raised as I developed techniques to either deal with or avoid bouts with the Black Dog. Seeing as Winter is a more difficult time for me I have been pondering doing the opposite of what I do normally and actually follow the habits that tended to lead to depression and see whether it actually has a corresponding increase in my creativity once more. I'm not saying 'great depression is necessary for great art', more like 'a little moodiness is necessary to write piddling little stories'.
So what could be so useful about depression? Depressed people often think intensely about their problems. These thoughts are called ruminations; they are persistent and depressed people have difficulty thinking about anything else. Numerous studies have also shown that this thinking style is often highly analytical. They dwell on a complex problem, breaking it down into smaller components, which are considered one at a time.
This analytical style of thought, of course, can be very productive. Each component is not as difficult, so the problem becomes more tractable. Indeed, when you are faced with a difficult problem, such as a math problem, feeling depressed is often a useful response that may help you analyze and solve it. For instance, in some of our research, we have found evidence that people who get more depressed while they are working on complex problems in an intelligence test tend to score higher on the test.
The snarky side of me suggests that the article is arguing that all mathematicians should immediately be put in mental hospitals before they slit their wrists and that all those scientists who said that quantum theory was 'mindblowing' weren't talking in metaphor. But then six or seven years ago, when I was less of the happy bunny you see before you today, I found writing a lot easier than I do today and that a big mental Iron Curtain of a block has been raised as I developed techniques to either deal with or avoid bouts with the Black Dog. Seeing as Winter is a more difficult time for me I have been pondering doing the opposite of what I do normally and actually follow the habits that tended to lead to depression and see whether it actually has a corresponding increase in my creativity once more. I'm not saying 'great depression is necessary for great art', more like 'a little moodiness is necessary to write piddling little stories'.
Labels: depression, mental health, science
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Fuck PETA Part #1305
PETA calls all overweight people 'whales'. Seriously, this makes me want to go out and hunt foxes. To break their legs and watch them die slow, agonising deaths. While wringing the necks of baby chickens. Before smearing myself all over with duck liver pate. I mean, why don't PETA just put out a press statement saying 'Dear World, we all think you're arseholes' and then slit their throats so their astral forms can go join the vegetarian spaceship? I can only assume that PETA are actually a huge prank being played on the world by Chris Morris. Oh sure, he says he's making a movie, but who really knows what he's up to?
Labels: fatism, PETA, stupidity
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
London Mela 2009, I'm Going to Marry That Girl
London Mela 2009, Joga and Parichay
London Mela 2009
London Mela 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
I don't think there's much point saying anything about the whole health plan nonsense in America because it does seem that everyone against it is a dick. I'm sorry, it's not particularly incisive political commentary but I've yet to see anyone open their mouth or put key to keyboard against it who has not them proceeded to prove themselves to be an arse of the highest district. In the meantime, Stephen Hawking, ha ha ha!
Labels: Barack Obama, health, NHS, stupidity, United States, YouTube
Sunday, August 09, 2009
The Daily Mail produce one of their typical hatchet jobs on Harriet Harman for daring to suggest something should be done to try and stop domestic violence against women and Liberal Conspiracy retort with what is probably the best response so far. Mailwatch goes into the detail of the Mail report.
Mail: The Government claims that violence against women is costing Britain an astonishing £40billion. It has emerged they are carrying out five separate reviews into the causes and how women can be better protected. This is despite evidence showing that boys and young men are more than twice as likely to fall victim to violence, and that young women are becoming increasingly aggressive.
Mailwatch: The Mail is trying to destroy the feminist arguement by shouting that boys are a bigger victim than girls and Harriet is just looking after the girls. But just like any comparison, it needs to be like for like and this is not it. Boys and men are victims of domestic violence too, but not in the same numbers as women. It would be good if boys as victims were included in this report too, they may well be, but to try and beat Harman with the feminist stick by making incompatible comparisons between these two levels of victims is wrong.
A quarter of all violent assaults in England and Wales are carried out by women, and it is the most common reason for females to be arrested, recently overtaking theft and handling stolen goods.
So three quarters of all violent assaults are carried out by men.
Liberal Conspiracy: The plans are being rolled out despite evidence showing that boys and young men are more than twice as likely to fall victim to violence, and that it is in fact young women who are becoming increasingly mean: a staggering 25% of all violent assaults in England and Wales are carried out by vicious ladette women, and it is the most common reason for females to be arrested.
The other 75% of violent assaults are thought to be carried out by transvestites and gays, not men.
Mail: The Government claims that violence against women is costing Britain an astonishing £40billion. It has emerged they are carrying out five separate reviews into the causes and how women can be better protected. This is despite evidence showing that boys and young men are more than twice as likely to fall victim to violence, and that young women are becoming increasingly aggressive.
Mailwatch: The Mail is trying to destroy the feminist arguement by shouting that boys are a bigger victim than girls and Harriet is just looking after the girls. But just like any comparison, it needs to be like for like and this is not it. Boys and men are victims of domestic violence too, but not in the same numbers as women. It would be good if boys as victims were included in this report too, they may well be, but to try and beat Harman with the feminist stick by making incompatible comparisons between these two levels of victims is wrong.
A quarter of all violent assaults in England and Wales are carried out by women, and it is the most common reason for females to be arrested, recently overtaking theft and handling stolen goods.
So three quarters of all violent assaults are carried out by men.
Liberal Conspiracy: The plans are being rolled out despite evidence showing that boys and young men are more than twice as likely to fall victim to violence, and that it is in fact young women who are becoming increasingly mean: a staggering 25% of all violent assaults in England and Wales are carried out by vicious ladette women, and it is the most common reason for females to be arrested.
The other 75% of violent assaults are thought to be carried out by transvestites and gays, not men.
Labels: Daily Mail, domestic violence, Government, Harriet Harman, journalists, newspapers, women
Friday, August 07, 2009
ID cards haven't been issued yet and already they can be cloned in under a quarter of an hour.
Labels: Government, ID cards, Labour, privacy
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Not Safe For Work, Not Safe For Sanity
Have you ever wanted to see portraits of a naked President Obama riding a unicorn while fighting with Stalin, the Russian Bear and Newt Gingrich (I think) while Gregory House and Ugly Betty look on? You have? Weirdo.
Labels: art, Barack Obama, strange
This article is classic Liz Jones, even though it's being written by someone else. There is just that indefinable something about her that, as the details of her sad life are laid out before us once again, just as we start to feel sorry for her there is some hateful detail that derails the whole process. She does it to herself, she does, and that's what really hurts... She has a clutch of emotional issues which, when turned inwards, help sustain her as an anorexic, low self-esteem and a feeling that she is unlovable. But they are also projected outwards into how she views everyone so that there's no real understanding or empathy when she hurts other people (such as calling her sister an 'alcoholic'). If the cliché for comedians is that they are crying inside then the cliché for Liz Jones is that she writes about beauty and beautiful things because inside she's aware of her own ugliness.
Labels: journalists, Liz Jones, Nirpal Dhaliwal
