Dr Adam's Blog

We all want it but it appears that most of us don’t have nearly enough of it. What am I talking about? Happiness!
Happiness research is now big business. Where once the secret of happiness was left to the philosophers to ponder, the world of science has since joined the party. Scientists want to know what makes us happy, psychologists want to know why, and marketers want to know how to make money out of our desperate need to be happy.
Why has research is this area exploded? Despite rises in the standard of living and greater and fancier possessions, depression rates have risen to 1 in 4 people. While our external world is getting more luxurious, our internal world is struggling.
Why isn’t our happiness scale climbing in parallel with our quality of life? I set about answering this question. Having spent the last three months analysing the research, I’ve found that everything we thought we knew about happiness is wrong.
It’s time to debunk some common myths about happiness.

1.    Don’t the big things make us happy?
Major positive events such a promotion, a new relationship or house or even winning the lottery may provide a boost of happiness but they do not always promote long-term happiness – we eventually return to our previous level of happiness. Research shows that few positive experiences affect our happiness for more than three months.
The frequency of our positive experiences rather than the intensity of our positive experiences is a better indicator of happiness.  A person who experiences a number of good things in one day is likely to be happier than another who has one great thing happen. It really is the little things in life that matter.

2.    Aren’t I happiest when things are easy and I am cruising along?
We mistakenly tend to think that relaxing and not working hard or cruising in life with no pressure will make us happy but the truth is boredom equals discontent. Communities with high youth crime rates often cite the root cause of crime as boredom in kids who then look for trouble to overcome the boredom.

Matthew Killingsworth from Harvard university has created an iPhone web app called Track Your Happiness, tracking more than 15,000 people in 83 countries. The app queries users at random intervals on their mood and what they are doing at the time, as well as their level of productivity and their social interactions.
His findings show that for 50 percent of our day our mind wanders away from what we are doing during which time we are incredibly unproductive. When our mind wanders and we are no longer ‘present’ we experience our greatest level of unhappiness. Why? Because our mind tends to wander to unpleasant thoughts or personal concerns.
Most importantly he showed that when our attention is completely absorbed in a task we experience our greatest level of happiness.
So how does this relate in the business world?
We are happiest when we are challenged and engaged – working to achieve difficult goals, yet those within our reach. Most employees do not want to be bored at work. Bored employers are neither content or productive.
If you are a manager and want more engagement from your team give them challenging work, keep track of their progress and debrief it with them.

3. Surely you can’t be happy at work?
In terms of overall wellbeing, career wellbeing has been shown to be more important than physical, financial, social or community wellbeing. In other words, whether we are happy at work or not is more important than the other aspects of our lives. Why? Because work makes up so much of our time and we often relate work to your self image and identity. Also, it is vital for employers to ensure their staff are happy as the research linking happy employees to greater productivity and performance is so strong that it is no longer up for debate.

4. Don’t I have to focus on myself to be happy?
A study was conducted where people were given a sum of money and asked to either go buy something for themselves or for someone else. Afterwards, the group that bought a gift for someone else had much higher levels of happiness than the group that bought something for themselves. When we do things for others we get a much bigger happiness bump than doing something for ourself. Same goes for the workplace, when we help others improve and develop their skills, our happiness is far greater than if we just focus on getting ahead.

5. That’s just me I am not a happy person!
Researchers have since discovered that happiness is not solely linked to genetics. While genes and heritage determine about 50 percent, the rest depends on lifestyle decisions and daily habits. While there is no magic pill for happiness and wellbeing, we can make daily habitual changes to make a difference.

6. When I have nice things then I will be happy!
While we certainly get a bump in pleasure after we buy something beautiful for ourselves, the effect is short lived. What gives us a bigger and longer lasting impact on happiness is when we spend money on great experiences. A holiday, a concert, hot air ballooning. If you want to use money to get you happiness, spend it on experiences rather than possessions.

7. Don’t I have to be a tortured soul to be creative and successful!
Is happiness really desirable since it is often thought that to write a best selling book or song you need to have pain or heartache? There is no solid evidence to support this theory. These people are the exception, not the rule. It’s like saying my grandfather smoked every day until he died at 99 years of age, therefore cigarettes must make you live longer. Happier people are generally more creative and successful than tortured souls.

Hints for greater happiness
•    Regular exercise
•    Practicing meditation
•    Daily reflection on what you are grateful for
•    Striving to experience happiness in each moment
•    Do things for others
•    Get absorbed in each task you do
•    Invest in your personal relationships
•    Focus on experiences not possessions

Looking at that list it is a list that would make the people around you happy too and the world a better place. Looks like personal happiness is a win for everyone.

Taken from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/annie-toro/a-flexible-workplace-is-a_b_342260.html

As National Work and Family Month and Mental Health Awareness Month draw to a close, it's a good time to reflect on the impact of flexible work arrangements on the health and well-being of employees and their families.

Years of psychological research provide a strong foundation for flexible work arrangements, demonstrating the benefit to employees' physical and mental health, as well as their family life. To promote this knowledge, the American Psychological Association created an Office on Work, Stress and Health that promotes research, training, practice and policy addressing these matters, including:

a) Promoting understanding of work stress and its impact on the well-being and productivity of workers;

b) Exploring organizational and behavioral interventions to reduce stress, illness and injury in the workplace;

c) Studying the impact of changing work force demographics (e.g., aging workers, increasing proportions of ethnic and racial minorities and women) on health and safety in the workplace; and

d) Building collaborative partnerships among psychology, industry, labor and federal agencies to reduce stress and health and safety risks in the workplace.

For APA, issues impacting work, stress and health are of utmost priority. Our dedication to furthering initiatives that lead to a healthy workplace environment stems from our association's mission to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.

These issues are particularly important under the sustained pressures of global competition on the U.S. work force. Psychologists are uniquely trained to address the behavioral aspects of change faced by our work force.

Research provides us with essential information regarding changes in our society that speak to the critical need to prioritize workplace flexibility. However, public policy has not kept up with the realities of working families. Today's families are more likely to include single parents, unmarried couples, same-sex couples -- sometimes with children, and stepchildren.

One of the most striking changes in U.S. families in the past 30 years is the increasing number of working women and the rate of mothers who work, especially mothers of infants and young children. Recently, California first lady Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress released a provocative report entitled "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything" on the status of women in the United States and the drastic changes that have taken place in our country as a result of women's entrance into the work force. The study is aimed at inciting what it calls "a national conversation about what women's economic power means for our way of life."

Research tells us there is a positive connection between workplace flexibility and an individual's work-life balance. For instance, employees who work in environments that provide flexible work hours also tend to experience fewer conflicts within their work, family and personal lives. However, when a workplace does not provide adequate flexibility, women are more likely than men to experience work-family conflicts and health-related distress, some studies show.

Another key factor is employee perception of workplace culture. Many employees do not use such policies, even when they are available, because they are concerned that taking advantage of parental leave or flexible work schedules, for example, may be perceived as a lack of job commitment and could negatively affect their career advancement. Thus, it is imperative that employers not only support the employees by promoting their company's flexible schedule options, but also create and maintain a culture that encourages use of these policies.

Research shows that employers benefit from offering greater workplace flexibility. When employees receive the flexibility they need, there is less absenteeism and greater job satisfaction. Employees are more motivated to adopt healthier behaviors, sleep better and be involved in employer-promoted health education programs. Additionally, employers have lower health care utilization costs.

Given the interest in issues affecting working families demonstrated by the Obama administration through the development of initiatives such as the White House Middle Class Task Force and the first lady's efforts to bring much-needed attention to issues involving work-family balance, we hope to see the development of sound federal policies and initiatives that will lead to positive outcomes for employees, employers, families and our country as a whole.

to find out more about culture and engagement go to http://www.dradamfraser.com/CustomContentRetrieve.aspx?ID=216930

Posted by Dr Adam Fraser
Taken from http://www.naturalnews.com/025616.html

If you want to stay mentally sharp all your life and haven mental health, new research shows the time to intervene is now. Alzheimer's disease and dementia have complex causes that involve nutritional neglect as well as genetic risk factors and predisposition. Genetic risk factors for cognitive decline may remain dormant and never get switched on unless deficiencies in key nutrients are present. This suggests that nutritional status throughout the lifetime determines cognitive outcome. This is very good news because it means that people willing to make good nutrition a priority may not need to experience cognitive decline and the diseases that go with it.

Study spotlights key nutrients needed to prevent brain damage and improve performance

The importance of early nutritional intervention and prevention of deficits in critical brain nutrients was the finding of researchers at the Center for Cellular Neurobiology and Neurodegenerative Research at the University of Massachusetts. Their study, reported in the January edition of Nutrition Research, hypothesized that a combination of nutritional additives may be able to provide neuro-protection.

They used alpha-lipoic acid, acetyl L-carnitine, glycophosphocholine, DHA, and phosphatidylserine to reduce reactive oxygen species in normal mice by 57%, and prevent the increase in reactive oxygen species normally observed in mice eating a vitamin-free, iron-enriched, oxidative-challenged diet. They demonstrated that supplementing with these nutrients prevented the marked cognitive decline otherwise observed in normal mice maintained on this challenging diet.

The results of this study spotlight what a difference eating a healthy diet and supplementing can make. They also vividly portray the destructive force of a diet lacking in nutrients.

Short-term memory is improved by a supplement regimen

In another study done at the University of Toronto, researchers demonstrated that old dogs can be taught new tricks. Their purpose was to examine whether commercially available dietary supplements thought to be protective of neural tissue could improve mental function in aged beagles. The supplements they studied were phosphatidylserine, Ginko biloba, vitamin E and pyridoxine (a B6 vitamin). As reported in the April, 2008 Canadian Veterinary Journal, baseline data was obtained for nine beagles that were then grouped in a crossover design. One group received the supplements and the other group served as a control, with these conditions reversed for the second phase of the study.

The researchers discovered that performance accuracy on neuropsychological tests of short-term, visual-spatial memory was significantly improved in the supplemented dogs compared with control dogs, and the effect was long lasting. The fact that both groups of dogs could be powered up with the supplements helps make these results particularly conclusive.

These super nutrients for the brain are easily obtainable

Many relatively young and healthy people have digestive systems that work well and are populated by lots of friendly bacteria. These people usually have no problem assimilating an abundance of nutrients from diets consisting of whole foods. But as the bloom of youth is left behind, it becomes more difficult to assure optimal nutrition through food alone.

Production of pancreatic enzymes slows as people age, leaving a lower level of enzymes available to help break down foods for digestion. Intestinal bacteria can be compromised by use of antibiotics, pesticides in food, chlorine in drinking water, and general environmental pollution. A lowered intestinal population means less digestion and assimilation of food. Stress is another factor influencing how well a person is able to digest and assimilate food.

The health of a person's digestive system along with his age is a determinant of how well even the best of food is digested. It is also a criterion for deciding whether to depend completely on the diet for good nutrition or to make the decision to use supplements. Taking supplements of these nutrients will allow assurance that a quantified amount is consumed. Supplements of these nutrients are readily available, but in come cases can be costly. Whether the decision is to obtain nutrients exclusively from diet or to use supplements, it is important to understand what these nutrients do and from what foods they can be obtained.

Phosphatidylserine leads the pack of compounds beneficial to the brain

Used in both studies because of its known effects on the brain, phosphatidylserine (PS) is a member of a class of chemical compounds known as phospholipids. It is present in the inner leaflet of every cell in the body, but the largest amounts are found in brain cells, where it is responsible for keeping cell membranes fluid, flexible, and ready to process essential nutrients. PS has been implicated in a myriad of membrane-related functions.

As a cofactor for a variety of enzymes, PS is thought to be important in cell excitability and communication. It has been shown to regulate a variety of neuroendocrine responses that include the release of acetylcholine, dopamine and noradrenaline. PS has been demonstrated to influence tissue responses to inflammation, and has the potential to act as an effective antioxidant, especially in response to iron-mediated oxidation.

Signs of reduced PS levels can appear as early as the mid 30s. When PS levels begin to decrease, so do the abilities to learn, remember, and stay mentally alert. Depression may also develop as a result of PS insufficiency. Eating foods rich in PS or taking it in supplemental form may raise the levels in the brain and prevent or even reverse age-related declines in brain function. Numerous double-blind studies have suggested that PS can be used as an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease and dementia

Parris Kidd, Ph.D., the authority on PS who has written several definitive books about the compound, recommends intake of 300 mg of PS a day. The best dietary source for PS is fatty fish such as mackerel. A quarter pound serving of mackerel will provide about 450 mg of PS. Organ meats are another source, and fermented soybeans contain PS. It is also found in small amounts in some leafy greens.

Alpha-lipoic and acetyl L-carnitine dubbed "fountain of youth" for the brain

A combination of alpha-lipoic acid (LA) and acetyl L-carnitine (ALC) made research headlines recently when it was given to old lab rats that then began acting like young lab rats. In the words of the lead researcher, they "got up to do the Macarena". This definitive study underscored the impact of these key nutrients on the brain.

LA and ALC work in the mitochondria of the cells, where energy is generated by burning food in the presence of oxygen. When cells are fully oxygenated they have a higher level of energy. But this firing process subjects the mitochondria to high levels of free radical damage. As people age, their mitochondria become so damaged by free radicals that they lose their ability to function efficiently, and the result is less energy in the cells of the brain and body resulting in diminished activity. Adding the LA/ALC combo helps prevent oxidative damage and helps restore mitochondrial decay.

Supplementing with LAL/ALC has also been shown to improve spatial and temporal memory by either masking or reversing metabolic problems caused by cellular aging and oxidative stress. Adding AL/ALC as a preventative may increase mitochondrial biogenesis and reduce free radicals, greatly slowing deterioration of the mitochondria.

Dietary sources of LA are spinach, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, beef, brewer's yeast, and organ meats. Dietary sources of ALC are meat, fish, poultry, and dairy products. Fruits, vegetables and grains contain very little ALC.

The combination of these compounds as a supplement is available in a patented product. Each compound is readily available separately. When combined, LA and ALC work at significantly lower concentrations than they each do individually.

GPC optimizes mental focus, memory and brain repair

Over twenty clinical trials have been performed on glycerophosphocholine (GPC), and its effects on more than four thousand humans have been studied. Results have shown that GPC is a high effective brain nutrient that supports focus, concentration, recall, and cognitive processing. It was found to revitalize declining mental function and promote healthy mood levels, including positive attitude and sociability. GPC has been used to aid recovery of brain function following injury or circulation deprivation.

In two double-blind trials, GPC was found to restore memory and concentration in young people with drug related memory impairment. Older adults showed improved reaction time when taking GPC, indicating their brains were more alert and focused. Brain wave patterns were improved by the addition of GPC.

Clinical trials have shown that GPC helps the brain recover functions lost during aging, and may benefit those with dementia and Alzheimer's. When given 1200 mg of GPC for six months, Alzheimer's patients showed improvement in cognition, behavior and daily living activities.

An authority on GPC as well as PS, Parris Kidd, Ph.D. says "GPC is unquestionably the most important nutrient for anyone who has suffered a stroke or a brain injury." He refers to five published trials in which GPC was successfully used to enhance stroke recovery. GPC was injected intramuscularly daily for a month and then administered orally for the following five months. In the first phase of treatment, neurological function recovered 20-30 percent, and recovery continued during the second phase.

Food sources of GPC are fish, meat, poultry and dairy products. Dr. Kidd's advice for anyone using the supplemental form is to start by taking 300-1200 mg in the morning. After 1-2 days, the dose can be increased if more mental focus or neuronal repair nutritional support is needed. Taking it within 6 hours of bedtime may make it difficult to fall asleep.

DHA makes people say fish is great brain food

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the building block for the brain and retina of the eye. The brain is 60 percent fat, and DHA is the most abundant fatty acid in the brain, comprising 25 to 35 percent. DHA is essential for supporting a healthy brain and nervous system. It has been associated with memory function, visual acuity, and maintenance of positive mood. It is the only fatty acid associated with reduced risk of age related cognitive decline.

DHA promotes electrical activity at the cellular level. The cells in the brain, retina and other parts of the nervous system have a complex network of connecting arms that transport electrical messages throughout the body. The presence of DHA in nerve cell membranes is critical because this is where messages are transmitted. It is at the membrane that nerve cells perform their unique function of generating electric impulses that are the basis of all communication in the nervous system. When DHA is in short supply, this communication system breaks down or becomes less effective.

DHA is critical for the developing brain, and is found in abundance in breast milk. The young body can synthesize DHA , but as aging beings, this ability declines and DHA must be obtained from food sources or supplements. The richest sources of DHA are fatty fish, red meats, animal organs and high quality eggs. Supplemental DHA can be obtained from fish oil, however cod fish oil is low in DHA.

Sources:

Parris Kidd, Ph.D., Phosphatidylserine, springboard4health.com.

Lipoic Acid, Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.

Acetyl L-carnitine, Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.

Parris Kidd, Ph.D., and Suzanne Copp, M.S., GPC: Optimizing Mental Focus, Memory, and Brain Repair, crayhonreseach.com.

Essential Fatty Acids, Linus Pauling Institute at Orgeon State University.

ScienceDaily (Apr. 10, 2008) — Just 20 minutes of any physical activity, including housework, in a week is enough to boost mental health, reveals a large study published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

While regular exercise is known to be good for mental health, no one seems able to agree on how much, or what type of activity, is best.

The findings are based on a representative sample of almost 20 000 men and women who were quizzed for the Scottish Health Survey about their state of mind and how much weekly physical activity they engaged in.

Over 3000 participants were deemed to be suffering from stress or anxiety, using a validated scoring system.

But any form of daily physical activity was associated with a lower risk of distress, when other influential factors, such as age, gender, and the presence of a long term condition, were taken into account.

The range of activities, which proved beneficial, included housework, gardening, walking, and sports, although the strongest effect was seen for sports, which lowered the risk of distress by 33%.

The results also indicated that while just 20 minutes improved mental state, the more activity a person indulged in, the lower were their chances of psychological distress.

Physical activity curbs the risks of a range of serious diseases, such as heart disease and certain cancers.

And it improves several biological risk factors, such as glucose intolerance and inflammation, which have themselves been linked to depression and dementia, say the authors.

Posted By Dr Adam Fraser 7/2/09.
taken from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409205840.htm