I promise to do better
Wow, this has got to be one of the most boring blogs ever. I checked and saw that I haven't added to it since APRIL! Ouch. Well, I have been very busy, but then I doubt there will ever be a time when I can't say that.
I'm going to expand my blogging a bit, too. I'll be putting up a more personal blog and link it one-way to this one. Something to connect people to what I'm personally up to.
I've been doing some interesting reading lately. A few months ago, I finished a book called Authentic Happiness, which was very interesting. It's from Seligman, a psychologist who is promoting positive psychology. It's and interesting book, and unlike so many of the self-help books out there, is based on some actual research, not just philosophizing or mining past literature. Well, there's some mining of past literature there as well. I am struck by how he differentiates between Pleasures and Gratifications. Pleasures are those things that feel really good at the time. Stuff like sex, drugs, and (for me) eating good foods. These things trigger a pleasure response that feels really good, but is ephemeral. What's worse, is that you're immediately driven to repeat the experience, but it takes more of a hit to get the same surge of pleasure, because you accomodate to it right away. You develop tolerance, in other words. This is supported by recent research into addictions, and addictive personalities. It has to do with receptors in areas of the brain, and the neurochemical dopamine. Dopamine appears to be related to a feeling of well-being and is triggered by a lot of behaviors and drugs, including alcohol, cocaine, speed, nicotine, etc. I think you also get a surge of dopamine and serotonin when you eat certain foods, if you happen to be susceptible.
This is supported by a recent article in Science News (http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20050903/bob10.asp). The article describes the neurochemistry of eating and supports the theory that yes, there are indeed carb addicts, or just food addicts in general. As a card carrying carb addict, I can attest to the problem with not being able to stop, and to the gradual need for a more intense hit if you overdo.
Gratifications, on the other hand, aren't noticeably pleasurable, but are absorbing. The sense of well being you get from them isn't as intense, but is more satisfying and lasts for a longer time. It appears to be tied in with a sense of accomplishment. For instance, I can get a gratification from customizing a chief complaint in the EMR, something that keeps me going into the wee hours of the night when I really should be sleeping. It's what keeps me going back to karate and advancing up the belt ranks. It was the deep gratification I got when I was working on my MBA, and accounts for how much I enjoy listening to my Great Courses CD's that I'm currently running in the car while I drive to work.
The book also helps me make sense of how it is that people (and I include myself here) can have a great life, with no real wants, pursuing rewarding careers and with great families and still be depressed. It seems to have to do with the feeling that you are missing some great, unknown "Happiness" somewhere that some people have and which hasn't come your way as of yet. It comes from mistakenly thinking pleasure will lead to happiness. What you really need to do, I think, is to find a way to work your gratifications into your life in such a way that is most fulfilling to you. I'm still pondering that one.
Other good books? Well, I went through the entire Stephen Covey set on CD (took FOREVER, too). Lots of good stuff there, but a lot of presentation to get through. When you listen to Covey, after a while you realize that he could probably easily fit it all onto one CD without missing a drop of wisdom. It's interesting to listen to the set and get an idea how the inside of his mind works, as well. Occasionally, he will make some historical gaffes, and he has an interesting tendency to quote popular films about historical figures (like Gandhi, for instance), as if they were all historical fact. This probably flies really well with a lot of Americans, since they share this tendency, but makes me look at him somewhat askance. Metaphorically speaking of course, since he's not really here for me to look at anyway. All that aside, he has some excellent points to make about time management and getting things done. His latest, the Eighth Habit, primarily focuses on a paradigm shift in management brought about by the rise of the information worker. Good stuff, but there's a long way to go before this concept takes hold of most of coporate America. Interestingly, lots of what he's talking about is stuff covered by the Gallup poll everyone is so fired up about at work. At this point, we're like some giant hybrid organization--all set to roll on Gallup, but no one really wants to commit to changing the management paradigm to fit.
Some of the best stuff I've read is Malcolm Gladwell's two books, The Tipping Point and Blink. These books are terrific. The Tipping Point ranks right up there with Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. It's important stuff for people who want to influence others, and to help protect those who would like to avoid being unduly influenced, if at all possible. In face, I think the entire Democratic Party should read The Tipping Point, if they want to have any chance of regaining some power in the next decade or two.
Blink is great on a more personal level. It explains the basis of expertise (a really well-trained sub-conscious) and shows how you can learn things so well, they go below the level of consciousness. It explains why you sometimes muff up a kata when you start consciously thinking too much about it, and why mentally practicing a sport while sitting down can train you as well as practicing physically. Since reading it, I have decided to go back to playing with my ACLS video game to try to get some training in. Knowing right away what to do is much faster than having to think your way through a decision tree and could make the difference between life and death. Given I have no actual opportunity to practice this in real-time (thank God), training via computer game is kind of like logging simulator hours for a pilot. In fact, it's probably something that should be required, but isn't.
Well, must go now. Going to go set up that other blog and do something on there as well. I hope to long on and write another post of two here, though I'm not sure this blog sees much traffic. At least it will be entertaining to go back and read what I was thinking about at some time in the future...
I'm going to expand my blogging a bit, too. I'll be putting up a more personal blog and link it one-way to this one. Something to connect people to what I'm personally up to.
I've been doing some interesting reading lately. A few months ago, I finished a book called Authentic Happiness, which was very interesting. It's from Seligman, a psychologist who is promoting positive psychology. It's and interesting book, and unlike so many of the self-help books out there, is based on some actual research, not just philosophizing or mining past literature. Well, there's some mining of past literature there as well. I am struck by how he differentiates between Pleasures and Gratifications. Pleasures are those things that feel really good at the time. Stuff like sex, drugs, and (for me) eating good foods. These things trigger a pleasure response that feels really good, but is ephemeral. What's worse, is that you're immediately driven to repeat the experience, but it takes more of a hit to get the same surge of pleasure, because you accomodate to it right away. You develop tolerance, in other words. This is supported by recent research into addictions, and addictive personalities. It has to do with receptors in areas of the brain, and the neurochemical dopamine. Dopamine appears to be related to a feeling of well-being and is triggered by a lot of behaviors and drugs, including alcohol, cocaine, speed, nicotine, etc. I think you also get a surge of dopamine and serotonin when you eat certain foods, if you happen to be susceptible.
This is supported by a recent article in Science News (http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20050903/bob10.asp). The article describes the neurochemistry of eating and supports the theory that yes, there are indeed carb addicts, or just food addicts in general. As a card carrying carb addict, I can attest to the problem with not being able to stop, and to the gradual need for a more intense hit if you overdo.
Gratifications, on the other hand, aren't noticeably pleasurable, but are absorbing. The sense of well being you get from them isn't as intense, but is more satisfying and lasts for a longer time. It appears to be tied in with a sense of accomplishment. For instance, I can get a gratification from customizing a chief complaint in the EMR, something that keeps me going into the wee hours of the night when I really should be sleeping. It's what keeps me going back to karate and advancing up the belt ranks. It was the deep gratification I got when I was working on my MBA, and accounts for how much I enjoy listening to my Great Courses CD's that I'm currently running in the car while I drive to work.
The book also helps me make sense of how it is that people (and I include myself here) can have a great life, with no real wants, pursuing rewarding careers and with great families and still be depressed. It seems to have to do with the feeling that you are missing some great, unknown "Happiness" somewhere that some people have and which hasn't come your way as of yet. It comes from mistakenly thinking pleasure will lead to happiness. What you really need to do, I think, is to find a way to work your gratifications into your life in such a way that is most fulfilling to you. I'm still pondering that one.
Other good books? Well, I went through the entire Stephen Covey set on CD (took FOREVER, too). Lots of good stuff there, but a lot of presentation to get through. When you listen to Covey, after a while you realize that he could probably easily fit it all onto one CD without missing a drop of wisdom. It's interesting to listen to the set and get an idea how the inside of his mind works, as well. Occasionally, he will make some historical gaffes, and he has an interesting tendency to quote popular films about historical figures (like Gandhi, for instance), as if they were all historical fact. This probably flies really well with a lot of Americans, since they share this tendency, but makes me look at him somewhat askance. Metaphorically speaking of course, since he's not really here for me to look at anyway. All that aside, he has some excellent points to make about time management and getting things done. His latest, the Eighth Habit, primarily focuses on a paradigm shift in management brought about by the rise of the information worker. Good stuff, but there's a long way to go before this concept takes hold of most of coporate America. Interestingly, lots of what he's talking about is stuff covered by the Gallup poll everyone is so fired up about at work. At this point, we're like some giant hybrid organization--all set to roll on Gallup, but no one really wants to commit to changing the management paradigm to fit.
Some of the best stuff I've read is Malcolm Gladwell's two books, The Tipping Point and Blink. These books are terrific. The Tipping Point ranks right up there with Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. It's important stuff for people who want to influence others, and to help protect those who would like to avoid being unduly influenced, if at all possible. In face, I think the entire Democratic Party should read The Tipping Point, if they want to have any chance of regaining some power in the next decade or two.
Blink is great on a more personal level. It explains the basis of expertise (a really well-trained sub-conscious) and shows how you can learn things so well, they go below the level of consciousness. It explains why you sometimes muff up a kata when you start consciously thinking too much about it, and why mentally practicing a sport while sitting down can train you as well as practicing physically. Since reading it, I have decided to go back to playing with my ACLS video game to try to get some training in. Knowing right away what to do is much faster than having to think your way through a decision tree and could make the difference between life and death. Given I have no actual opportunity to practice this in real-time (thank God), training via computer game is kind of like logging simulator hours for a pilot. In fact, it's probably something that should be required, but isn't.
Well, must go now. Going to go set up that other blog and do something on there as well. I hope to long on and write another post of two here, though I'm not sure this blog sees much traffic. At least it will be entertaining to go back and read what I was thinking about at some time in the future...
posted by Samuraidoctor | 11:14 AM
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