Article Critique: Adolescent Social Networking by Oberst and Colleagues (2017) [Part 1]

According to Oberst, Wegmann, Stodt, Brand, Chamarro (2017), severe social networking sites (SNS) use affect the mental health of adolescents. They study the role of fear of missing out (FOMO) and the intensity of checking SNS on mobile devices from this walk of life (p. 51). The purpose of this research is to study how these two factors mediate the negative consequences for young SNS users with psychopathological symptoms, like anxiety or depression (p. 57).   
The researchers (2017) used the cross-sectional method. They collected the available answers from the online questionnaires of the participants from age 16 and 18. These social media users were from Spanish-speaking Latin-American countries (p. 54).
Oberst, Wegmann, et al. (2017) conclude that the participants with psychopathological problems, especially female adolescents, are more likely to develop FOMO. This contributes to the maladaptive use of SNS and its negative consequences to these social media users. The result of this research is supposed to be a potential for further studying of SNS addiction (p.58).
The research reflects one of the biggest mental crisis of adolescents nowadays. Within the digital age, children have earlier and more access to mobile devices and access them. Newport Academy (2017) reports that many teens get used to social media since age 13. This technological attraction accidentally turns into a nightmare when addiction occurs among youngsters. According to Newport Academy (2017), one in every two teens believes that he or she is addicted to mobile devices. Teens can either spend their time chatting, playing games, or checking social media. The most favorable activity of all is social media involvement, which is chosen by 76% of teens (par. 2).

Oberst, Wegmann, et al. (2017) provide a persuasive aspect of how social media addiction is a product of psychological equifinality. Teens are more likely to stick with their phones when they have unstable, insecure feelings toward a situation or themselves. For instance, a teen can't help checking Facebook because he is afraid that he might miss an outstanding event, a meme, or a trend. He feels distressed by the fear of being left behind. Based on the material of Oberst, Wegmann, et al. (2017), he is suffering FOMO. A teen also tends to engage in social media more often when they feel unsatisfied with themselves or disconnected with people around. Shepherd’s Hill Academy (n.d.) claims that involving in the virtual world might help unhappy teens gain confidence. They suppose that social media is a safe place where they can receive attention and comforting messages (par. 7). In these cases, teens use social media as a shield to protect their emotional stability.

Understandably, teens with psychopathological problems who have poor self-control will suffer tolerance. When they repeatedly use social media to ease their anxiety and release their stress, they tend to increase the amount of time going online, which negatively affects their daily routine. Moreover, Newport Academy (2017) claims that intense social media use also increase anxiety in many teens. On the other hand, poor self-control in this activity can cause withdrawal. Teens will find it difficult to reduce social media time. Whenever they are not online, they can't stop thinking about being on social media (par. 9).

Poor self-control has a direct effect on the amount of time that an adolescent uses social media. Since it relates to our thinking and resistance, if one has SNS addiction, cognitive-behavioral therapy is an ideal choice to cope with this mental impairment. However, the therapy requires cooperation between the patient and the therapist. How can an adolescent realize that they need help with their intense SNS use before the negative consequences come to him or her? This is the remaining question that could be addressed in further studies. Because it's always the patients who decide the start and the success of their treatment, they should seek for help on time to prevent undesired outcomes that can further affect their emotional stability.

Oberst and colleagues (2017) studied the differences in SNI in different genders. However, the research has limited information about the LGBT+ community among adolescents. It gives readers confusion about whether the researchers were studying the psychopathological symptoms associated with biological sex or gender identity. In this case, the remaining question for further studies would be if LGBT+ adolescents are more likely to suffer FOMO. LGBT+ adolescents tend to cope with the greater stress from physical changes. They can also suffer isolation, prejudice from peers and the community. Studying this aspect means providing society with a chance to feel empathy and support LGBT+ adolescents.

To measure the correlation between psychological effect and FOMO, negative consequences, Oberst and colleagues (2017) used self-reports such as Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), FOMO scale, the intensity of social network use, and Cuestionario de Experiencias Relacionadas con el Movil (CERM) which determined negative outcomes from intense mobile phone use (p. 54). The result showed that HADS- depression affected directly to CERM. On the other hand, HADS- anxiety had an indirect effect on CERM. HADS- anxiety and HADS- depression had a direct effect on FOMO which developed social network intensity (SNI) and CERM. However, both HADS- anxiety and HADS- depression had no direct effect on SNI (p. 56).

Through this report, we understand that both anxious social network users and depressed ones tend to suffer FOMO. They can either experience negative outcomes from this fear without the intense mobile phone use or increase the amount of social network use and get distracted from their daily life. Moreover, the terms "FOMO" and "negative consequences of mobile device use" were explained thoroughly and supported with specific examples (p. 53). Therefore, “the effect of psychopathological symptoms such as depression and anxiety lead to FOMO and negative consequences of mobile device use” is a clear conclusion drawn from the study (Oberst, Wegmann, et al., 2017, p. 58).

There is also a group of depressed social network users experience negative consequences using SNS without FOMO and SNI. The explanation for this case remains unclear. Because of that, if I could make a small change to the conclusion to make it more accurate, I would add that the word "might" or "can" before the phrase "lead to FOMO".


Eurus Thach.

__________________

References:

CBS Staff. (2019, May 27). Girls more on social networks than boys. CBS. Retrieved from https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/news/2019/22/girls-more-on-social-networks-than-boys.  

Newport Academy Staff. (2017, March 27). Looking for ‘Likes’: Teens and Social Media Addiction [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/teens-social-media-addiction/. 

Oberst, U., Wegmann, E., Stodt, B., Brand, M., Chamarro, A. (2017). Negative Consequences from Heavy Social Networking in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Fear of Missing Out. Journal of Adolescence, 55, 51-61.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.12.008.

Shepherd’s Hill Academy Staff. (n.d.). Teens and Social Media Addiction. [Blog post]  Retrieved from https://www.shepherdshillacademy.org/resources/teens-social-media-addiction/.

Steingard, R. (n.d.). Mood Disorders and Teenage Girls: Why They Are More Vulnerable Than Boys, and What Signs and Symptoms You Should Look For. Child Mind Institution, Depressive and Mood Disorders. Retrieved from https://childmind.org/article/mood-disorders-and-teenage-girls/. 

Diagnosing on Children and Adolescents (part 2)

     Over-diagnosing or under-diagnosing may bring unwanting consequences to children and adolescents. The syndromes will go worse from the original. In other words, a seasonal depression may develop into a major depression. Another more fortunate case can occur is that the syndromes don't change at all. To picture the scene of under-diagnosing, imagine that a child has a fever but his mother only gives him vitamin. The mother in this situation lacks medical knowledge. It seems to be ridiculously obvious in the physical world for an individual who acknowledges some common medical knowledge. However, in psychological language, can that person identify what “fever" or “vitamin" is? That person might end up like the mother in the situation above when he or she tries to treat the child's mental problems. Over-diagnosing is similar but in the scene that the mother gives her child medicines for hemorrhagic fever. The chances of wrong diagnosing are not always low, especially to the people whose psychological knowledge needs more improvements.

     Let's say the parents have some basic psychological knowledge and find a proper treatment for their mentally ill sons or daughters. All they need to do is heading straight to the essential goal of reducing the syndromes with patience. However, both parents have jobs. How many people can balance families, who now need more attention,  and work, which always requires attention, at the same time? The unfulfilled treating process can affect the victims negatively. Specifically, the child might feel abandoned or even create a greater distance to his or her parents.

     Diagnosing is a thing that every parent should do to know their children better. Parents can also be great psychiatrists if they can guarantee positive outcomes for their patients. However, if they need more improvements and knowledge in the field, it's time for seeking help from the specialists. During the professional treating process, parents can stay involved and help their children overcome mental issues. Receiving positive effort from both professional psychiatrist and parent, it's more positive that the child will heal quickly.           

Eurus Thach.     

Diagnosing on Children and Adolescents (part 1)

     In the century of technology and civilization, mental health has received a myriad of attention from the community. Hence, besides bacteria and diseases, people are protecting their beloved ones from psychological causes of mental illness. Since more and more painful stories about suicidal teenagers are published and shared, the cautions have increased in society. Parents start caring more about the behaviors of their children and adolescents. In the digital age, it is not hard to find an article about a mental issue. When online diagnosis becomes popular among the parents, children and adolescents can either receive an effective treatment or a risky, reverse effect for their mental problems.

     Now, let’s discuss the advantages of this method. Since the Internet includes a large amount of data about mental health among the young generation, many parents decide to use this source to diagnose their children and adolescents. The benefits of diagnosing using online sources are saving time and budget for every family. It’s the fastest way to acknowledge whether a teenager or a child is typical or atypical. Through some typings and several clicks, parents can now form a general theory about their sons and daughters’ mental situations, save them from confusion. Based on the available syndromes, parents can find ways to treat the mental problems for their young, beloved ones. At this point, two main decisions might come to their mind: treating the victims themselves or seeking help from an expert in the field. Why does the first decision seem to be dominant in the game? The reason is that mental treatments are always provided on psychological websites. Are the sources trustful? Only if they are published by the specialists. Are the published treatments effective? They obviously work great. So what is the problem here? 

Eurus Thach.

Power and Conflict - Hunger Games (2012)

Power can control the conversation. People use power to influence others and events. Everyone can grant power to affect the situation. In the video presented in the class, the character Katniss, who was only a normal citizen with no influence in the society, was an example. She had no voice to fight against the government and its cruelty through the killing game called the Hunger Game. However, when her sister Prim was chosen to be the participant in the game, Katniss shouted in the middle of the crowd that she would volunteer to replace her sister. Depends on the individual, the power can be ethical or unethical. The government in Katniss's world represents for the unethical power. Especially, they use their influence to run the killing game with their own interest and force citizens to participate. Although Katniss has the power to change the event, she can't stop it from happening. The Hunger Game still on and she can do nothing about it. In this case, the power between the government and Katniss is imbalanced. The government and the noble grant their power through the resource currency, which means their properties help them gain influence.

Eurus Thach.

Some Thoughts About Society In The Photograph I Took

The road to my home is also a piece of art because it sparks joy to me. When my fiance was stopping for the red light on the way home, I looked outside. The cars, the sunset, the traffic lights, and the trees had created a harmony altogether. Their presences support each other's original beauty. Every object in the scene presents its own kind of grace. With no doubt, I ensure each of them can be well solo in a frame. However, the viewer (or the photograph taker) decided to zoom out the lens to see a bigger picture. She sees different individuals co-exist in society with their own unique style. A small group of identification, personality, or same thinking can survive without the others but it is the others who help elaborate on the success of a whole community in various ways. 

Variation is bittersweet. Me and my fiance, two ordinary individuals were on the same moving vehicle. My gut tells me that together, we're a team. I felt the warmth, the affection sitting next to the person with whom I would start a life journey. Although there are always influences under many circumstances from other groups of individual, one more happy moment is one more bag of treasure. The influences might leave good or bad effects. No matter what they are, we decide to co-exist with them. Well, we can't elaborate the strength with only joy. The strength elaborated would be a masterpiece.

 It's 5 minutes from this location to my home, it's long enough for me to expect and imagine all the hugs we were about to give to each other after a long day at school.

Eurus Thach.

Power and Conflict - Domestic Violence

Apparently, we can't change how people grant or use their power. However, we can learn who to grant power to influence and change events. For example, in a long-lasting relationship, we have a male partner who has more control to ask and expect the other partner to satisfy his needs. The other partner can't either fight against him or deny his power. The suggested solution is that the victim should learn how to grant power with a power currency which the perpetrator can't expect. The victim can contact their family, friends, or seek help from the community to get them protected. In this case, the victim grant power through the social network currency.

Eurus Thach.

Threat of Bacteria and Gene Defects on Pharmaceutical Value of Cow Milk in Producing Human Antibodies, Proteins that Fight Pathogens (Part. 2)

Results

     The success of the USDA/Agricultural Research Service is revealed through the numbers:

“71 percent of the mammary glands that were exposed to S. aureus from nontransgenic animals became infected--compared to only 14 percent for the transgenic animals” (Bliss, 2005, par.8). 

The scientists from the article of the Times (2017) report that “when calves that were modified were tested, they showed an increased resistance to the TB bacterium” (par. 6). In Xu et al. (2011)’s experiment, after introducing the environmental impact in transgenic cows, a report records on page 1044 that:

“GE–cows expressed high content of these three proteins, the highest content was up to 25.96 μg/ml of lysozyme (paper being submitted), 3.4 mg/ml of lactoferrin (Yang et al. 2008), 1.55 mg/ml alpha lactalbumin (Wang et al. 2008).”

While the proteins in human milk are 0.03–3 mg/ml (lysozyme), 2.0–5.8 mg/ml (lactoferrin), 1.8–3.1 mg/ml (alpha-lactalbumin). The proteins of the milk from transgenic cows after the experiment is utterly higher than the ones in bovine milk whose amounts are 0.05–0.22 μg/ml (lysozyme), 0.03–0.49 mg/ml (lactoferrin), and 1.47 mg/ml (alpha-lactalbumin).

Discussion

    Genetically engineered cows with diseases are the biggest liabilities in pharmaceutical development. Being aware of this, scientists have tried their best to control the loose of bacteria attack.

     One of the common diseases, tuberculosis, can now be prevented by using “gene editing tool called Crispr Cas9 to remove and replace pieces of the genetic code, opening up the prospect of a future where culls may not be necessary” (Whipple, 2017, par. 3) with no side-effects. Another common disease is the “widespread bacterial infection called mastitis” (Bliss, 2005, par. 1) now have a positive, temporary solution. With the use of gene-transfer technologies, Robert J. Wall and his team were trying to build “a transgene--genetic material” to produce “a naturally occurring, antimicrobial protein called lysostaphin” (Bliss, 2005, par. 4). Although this results in more than 80 percent animals and cows are protected, the milk containing lysostaphin will have to pass to the careful food safety testing by the government. This reveals that not all transgenic cows who are treated can provide standard medical products.

     Why vaccines are no longer the top priority of development and studying? Many institutions such as Tractor Supply Company (n.d) suggest using various antibiotics and vaccines for the cattle: “Biologicals are products designed to stimulate an animal’s immune system in response to an invasion of viruses or bacteria” (par. 6). Despite that, not every bacteria can be prevented by this way, especially the mastitis-causing bacteria. Rosalie Marion Bliss (2005) writes that “vaccines, antibiotics and a cow's own immune system cannot effectively fight the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, a major cause of mastitis” (par. 3). Therefore, the gene assessment is more focused on than the development of biologicals and antibodies.

     Besides the diseases, gene deficits also cause problems for the medical products of transgenic cows. Interpreting this phenomenon, Xu et al. (2011) points out that transgenic cows can be affected by the environment, especially bacteria from soils, because of their gene system (p. 1044). Moreover, the cause can be from the gene of their families. How can we produce a transgenic cow without the gene deficits?

     The results from Xu et al. (2011)’s paper have proved the efficiency of assessing “the potential environmental impact of transgenic cows” before introducing them into the environment. This makes up the gene that naturally helps them survive in the environment like other animals. The experiment successfully shows the number of high proteins in transgenic cows milk. Another suggestion from the Veterinary World (2008)’s paper is to “mate ‘normal’ cows with genetically modified bulls so that the next generation of calves will produce the desired protein” (p. 319). Although this sounds ideal, this method contains a high risk of being attacked by the bacteria. According to Xu et al. (2011), the appropriate method is to insert the extra gene into cows:

“The most likely environment for HGT (Horizontal gene transfer) to occur is the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (Farthing 2004), because many species of bacteria may develop natural competence, or the ability to take up naked DNA, in the GI tract (Kelly et al. 2009).” (p. 1044)

Both of the papers mention this method. Since then, there is more support for inserting the extra gene is an ideal solution for this problem.


     The further work in this paper is to study the development of gene assessment effect on transgenic cows. The reason is gene assessment can solve both problems from the threat of bacteria and gene deficits. By studying and researching about this topic, pharmaceutical development will have an evolution of natural medicine.

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References:

Bliss, R. (2005). Transgenic Cows Resist Mastitis-Causing Bacteria. USDA/Agricultural Research Service. Retrieved from https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2005/transgenic-cows-resist-mastitis-causing-bacteria/.

Magnus, P. (2008). Transgenic Milk. Veterinary World, 1(10), pp. 319-320. Retrieved from http://www.veterinaryworld.org/2008/October/Transgenic%20milk.pdf.

Potenza, A. (2016). Are These Genetically Engineered Cows The Future of Medicine? The Verge. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2016/12/3/13819482/genetically-engineered-animals-drugs-sab-cows-pharming-future.

TestBiotech. (2017). Genetically Engineered Cows. TestBiotech. Retrieved from https://www.testbiotech.org/en/limits-to-biotech/cow/basic_paper.

Tom Whipple Science Editor. (2017). Genetically Engineered Cows Are Resistant to Tuberculosis. Times [London, England], p. 12. Retrieved from GALE.

Tractor Supply Company. (n.d). Livestock Antibiotics and Vaccines. Tractor Supply Company. Retrieved from https://www.tractorsupply.com/know-how_pets-livestock_cattle_livestock-antibiotics-and-vaccines.

Xu, J., Zhao, J., Wang, J., Zhao, Y., Zhang, L., Chu, M., & Li, N. (2011). Molecular-based Environmental Risk Assessment of Three Varieties of Genetically Engineered Cows. Transgenic Research, 20(5), pp. 1043-1054. Retrieved from ProQuest. doi: 10.1007/s11248-010-9477-3.



     Eurus Thach.

Threat of Bacteria and Gene Defects on Pharmaceutical Value of Cow Milk in Producing Human Antibodies, Proteins that Fight Pathogens (Part. 1)

Abstract

     Cows are now a potential source for pharmaceutical development by the values of their milk, which helps human prevent diseases. For that reason, scientists believe cows should be one of the top picks for genetical engineering in order to provide humans with antibodies. Although the results are promising, the process is still running slow. The reason is the attack of bacteria among cattle is still on the loose. Scientists are trying to assess the environmental impact, which is believed to be an effective solution. Besides the environmental issue, transgenic cows also have to deal with gene defects. One of the suggestions that stand out is to use the gene-transfer technology.   

Introduction

     Thanks to the advances of biotechnology, the pharmacy has been developing with more natural aspects. Hence, the pharmaceutical purpose, “animals can now be generated”, according to Xu, Zhao, Wang, Zhao, Zhang, Chu & Li (2011), “ for the production of dairy, meat, or fiber” (p. 1043). Despite that, scientists favor animals that produce eggs or milk (Potenza, 2016, par. 8). Cows, chicken, goats, general cattle are now on running experiments. This paper focus on reporting the dairy production of cow and the problems go with it such as bacteria and gene defects.

     Why cows are medically potential source? Alessandra Potenza (2016) shares that:

“The genetically altered cows are particularly valuable because they create polyclonal antibodies, antibodies that can attack bacteria, viruses, and even cancer cells in multiple areas.” (par. 13)

Cows are natural sources for medicine. The term “natural” doesn’t only mean the origin of this species but only reveals the character of the benefit they carry. Specifically, the polyclonal antibodies created from transgenic cows are “the natural way our bodies fight diseases” (Potenza, 2016, par. 13). The rich source of proteins such as lysozyme, lactoferrin, or alpha-lactalbumin is the reason cow milk is valuable ( Xu et al., 2011, p. 1044). The amounts of lysozyme and lactoferrin and alpha-lactalbumin are especially approximate to the protein value in human milk.

     With such beneficial contribution, still, many cows are not healthy enough for the success of genetical engineering. TestBiotech organization (2017) reports that in 2014, “hundreds of attempts to genetically engineer a cow that would produce hypo-allergenic milk” (par. 2). The reasons include gene deficits and diseases. Since then, scientists have been researching solutions to improve gene system and prevent diseases for transgenic cows. 

Materials and Methods

     Diseases, the attack of bacteria, is the main factor that makes cow milk unsafe for human use. In order to find a prevention for diseases in genetically engineered cows, I find and study the research that contains the keywords transgenic cows, diseases, prevent, bacteria. To deal with mastitis-causing bacteria, Rosalie Marion Bliss (2005) suggests assessing lysostaphin, an antimicrobial protein. This experiment results in success with positive numbers. Another solution for preventing common diseases in transgenic cows reported by Tom Whipple Science Editor (2017) is that “scientists used the tool to insert a tuberculosis resistance gene” (par. 3). This article states that this solution brings a positive result though there aren’t specific numbers for it.

     Gene deficits are also the reasons the milk of transgenic cow can’t reach the basic standards to be released into the market. This means a transgenic cow can’t have a healthy life because of its gene system. The research of Xu et al. (2011) interprets that genetically engineered animals such as cows lack the conditions to survive in the environment, which impacts their transgenic products. These scientists (2011) suggest that “the potential environmental impact of transgenic cows should be assessed before they are introduced into the environment” (p. 1044). There are specific numbers which are easy for me to make comparisons between the protein amount in human milk, bovine milk, and cow milk, which reveals the success of the experiment.
______________________________________________________
References:

Bliss, R. (2005). Transgenic Cows Resist Mastitis-Causing Bacteria. USDA/Agricultural Research Service. Retrieved from https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2005/transgenic-cows-resist-mastitis-causing-bacteria/.

Magnus, P. (2008). Transgenic Milk. Veterinary World, 1(10), pp. 319-320. Retrieved from http://www.veterinaryworld.org/2008/October/Transgenic%20milk.pdf.

Potenza, A. (2016). Are These Genetically Engineered Cows The Future of Medicine? The Verge. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2016/12/3/13819482/genetically-engineered-animals-drugs-sab-cows-pharming-future.

TestBiotech. (2017). Genetically Engineered Cows. TestBiotech. Retrieved from https://www.testbiotech.org/en/limits-to-biotech/cow/basic_paper.

Tom Whipple Science Editor. (2017). Genetically Engineered Cows Are Resistant to Tuberculosis. Times [London, England], p. 12. Retrieved from GALE.

Tractor Supply Company. (n.d). Livestock Antibiotics and Vaccines. Tractor Supply Company. Retrieved from https://www.tractorsupply.com/know-how_pets-livestock_cattle_livestock-antibiotics-and-vaccines.

Xu, J., Zhao, J., Wang, J., Zhao, Y., Zhang, L., Chu, M., & Li, N. (2011). Molecular-based Environmental Risk Assessment of Three Varieties of Genetically Engineered Cows. Transgenic Research, 20(5), pp. 1043-1054. Retrieved from ProQuest. doi: 10.1007/s11248-010-9477-3.

   

     Eurus Thach.

Introversion Is A Healthy Choice and An Appreciated Lifestyle

     Susan Cain (2012), a lawyer, shares her experiences transferring into extroverted and thoughts about introversion. “In the 20th century”, she (2012) claims, the world started favoring the charismatic type of personality that the introverted personality has been underrated. Especially, educational institutes always pick teamwork as their top encouragement, even if the activity is individual dependence like creative writing. Obviously, teamwork is what we need in the modern lifestyle. However, according to Susan Cain (2012), too much teamwork has created a lack of balance of the introvert-extrovert spectrum. The first observation of the introverted traits was love soft-speaking and an amount of quiet time on their own. This private time doesn’t have any relation to being mellow, it is just one of the ways people choose to enjoy their life or their youth. Exemplifying for such common, misunderstanding situation, Susan Cain (2012)  recalls her summer camp experience from her childhood. Growing up favoring reading, Susan Cain had her suitcase packed and filled with books for the camp.  When Cain was caught reading books, the counselor expressed her worry about Cain’s introversion. She encouraged Cain to be outgoing with “R-O-W-D-I-E”. One of her campmates even came and wonder if Cain was being so mellow. Through the stories, Cain implies that the world needs to see the importance of the introversion. Specifically, Cain reveals, the introverted are great leaders and deep-thinking individuals, which is as worth appreciating as the extroverted.

     From this video, I have learned that influences on other people don’t only involve extroversion, the introversion also has its unique impact on others through its deep-thinking speciality. Although the introverts have their difficulties communicating with others such as making eye contact or the fear of wasting others’ time, they can make efficient communication thanks to the properly stimulations. What I mean is to create an environment when the introverts can gain confidence as much as the extroverts to express their ideas to the crowd. To this idea, Cain (2012) suggests creating a chatty, friendly meeting in the workplace as well as working privately. This point, I believe, relates to the principles “become genuinely interested in other people” (Carnegie, 1937, p. 74), and “remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language” (Carnegie, 1937, p. 88). Both of these principles can supercharge one’s confidence and the friendliness of a conversation. In doing so, the introverts will believe that they are important and their ideas are listened, which make them comfortable to express themselves in a later communication. Moreover, the emotion- sharing, which is “a form of communication that we talk about our emotional experiences with others” (McCornack, 2014, p. 76), might also be a solution. Interpreting my suggestion, Rosario Cabello and Pablo Fernandez-Berrocal claim in their research that “ the level of perceived social support interacted with emotional intelligence to produce higher positive affect” (2015), which indicates that emotion-sharing is a way to make the introverts feel happier working with others. However, too much emotional expressions, such as venting: “allowing emotions to dominate our thoughts and explosively expressing them (McCornack, 2014, p. 82)”, creates the opposite effect. In her article, Elizabeth Scott revealed that the introverts “are often more affected by the moods of others, which can lead to “contagious” stress reactions” (2018).

     If you are worried about someone's lack of outgoing trait, it's ok. However, you don't have to worry that he or she will close his or her heart. How about trying your best to get to know more about that individual and his or her choice of living? Communication efficiency is the key to a person's soul and opens our world. It links people together, either one's introvert, extrovert, or ambivert.

Eurus Thach.

References:

Cabello, R., & Fernandez-Berrocal, P. (2015). Under which conditions can introverts achieve happiness? Mediation and moderation effects of the quality of social relationships and emotion regulation ability on happiness. PeerJ, 3. Retrieved from NCBI https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4614904/. doi:10.7717/peerj.1300.

Cain, S. (2012, March 2). [TEDx Talks]. The power of introverts [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4.

Carnegie, D., 1937. (2005). How To Win Friends And Influence People. Cornerstone Publishing, Self-Improvement-eBooks.com.

McCornack, S. (2014). Interpersonal Communication and You: An Introduction. Boston, New York: Bedford. St. Martin’s.

Scott, E. (2018). Stress Management for Introverts. Stress Management, Management Techniques. Retrieved from Verywell Mind https://www.verywellmind.com/stress-management-tips-for-introverts-4065397.

"We Are What We Eat", Woolly mammoths and Neanderthals

"Woolly mammoths and Neanderthals may have shared genetic traits. Findings point to the molecular resemblance in climate adaptation traits of the two species" (Tel Aviv University, 2019).

"We are what we eat". It sounds somewhat creepy. Unfortunately, it happened to Homo sapiens, our human beings.

Specifically, our ancestors, Neanderthals, hunted Woolly mammoths for food. It would be completely normal if these species have nothing in common. However, according to the study of Professor Ran Barkai and Meidad Kislev, Neanderthals and Woolly mammoths have the same "thermogenesis and the regulation of adipose tissue and fat storage throughout the body", keratin protein activity and the genes MC1R and SLC7A11. Another hypothesis also supposes that these species might have " genetic similarities between evolutionary adaptation paths" (Tel Aviv University, 2019).

Thermogenesis is the heat production within a living organism (Busbridge & Rothwell, 1993). Adipose tissue's function is "store energy in the form of fat, although it also cushions and insulates the body". Keratin is a structural protein that makes up hair, nails, or horns (Bragulla & Homberger, 2009). MC1R gene helps to build up melanocortin 1 receptor whose role involves pigmentation which is the natural coloring of a living organism (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2019). Lastly, SLC7A11 "encodes a member of a heteromeric, sodium-independent, anionic amino acid transport system that is highly specific for cysteine and glutamate" (HGNC, 2019).

If the Neanderthals acknowledged this fact, would they find another food source? In Ice Age, mammoths seemed to be the biggest threat to humans because of their size. Also with that reason, mammoths the ideal target for humans. Since then, humans would have a larger amount of food than hunting other species. Plus, the living condition in Ice Age is limited. With these reasons, even if they had been aware of the similarities between them and mammoths, they could hardly replace their habits and food choices.

If the Neanderthals and Woolly mammoths share the same genetic traits, will Homo sapiens has anything in common with Loxodonta africana, elephants?

Eurus Thach.

References:

American Friends of Tel Aviv University. (2019, April 8). Woolly mammoths and Neanderthals may have shared genetic traits: Findings point to molecular resemblance in climate adaptation traits of the two species. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 28, 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190408123240.htm

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Our Beliefs, Religions, and Morality

     People do things by their beliefs. What is the origin of belief? Imagine that at early ages, we learn things from the people we meet and interact without clear interpretations. With a lack of experience, a child can innocently take what he or she learns as "gospel", especially things that satisfy his or her wants and help him or her overcome obstacles. Imagine a sick child who is given sweet treats during his or her ill time. He or she might end up believing that sweet treats can make his or her sickness better. In further walks of age, we step out of the community where people have different notions and judgments. Our “gospel” is now questioned. At that time, the notions that we have been carrying throughout ages are challenged. Till this point, we can either choose to open our mind to correct the “gospel” or fight to protect it. If one chooses the second option, arguments will take place.

     The moment the belief is built-up is the moment the morality is created. In case that a person chooses a religion to be his or her reliable core, morality is set up by the bible. The religious believe in the existence of heaven, the help they might get from the magic of God, etc. They also believe in karma, which motivates them to be a nice individual. Each religion has its own style of bibles and coherence. Despite that, all religions heading in a direction: giving people reliances.

     Throughout human history, religious wars occurred. People have fought for what they believe. They were doing the right thing as they were trying their best to protect their gods, who to them, were the most respectful ones in the world. They have acknowledged it as their human right. However, solving personal problems by causing conflicts with others might make people want to question their morality again.

Eurus Thach.