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November 03, 2005
Free expression is a basic human need
I still don't appreciate how DNC or RNC types characterize bloggers as "angry" but I do think these two news stories are probably related.
Anger is good for you, as long as you keep it below a boil, according to new psychology research based on face reading.People who respond to stressful situations with short-term anger or indignation have a sense of control and optimism that lacks in those who respond with fear.
"These are the most exciting data I've ever collected," Carnegie Mellon psychologist Jennifer Lerner told a gathering of science writers here last month.
Lerner harassed 92 UCLA students by having experimenters ask subjects to count backward on camera by 13s starting with an odd number like 6,233, telling them it was an intelligence test and then telling them they weren't counting fast enough and to speed it up as they went along....
The researchers also recorded people's blood pressure, pulse and secretion of a high-stress hormone called cortisol, which can be measured in the saliva and collected with a cotton swab.
The people whose faces showed more fear during the test had higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. The findings were the same for men and women.
“When you find out you have cancer it changes your life completely. You go through shock you go through denial you go through a lot of deep emotions,” admitted Kairis.So after chemotherapy, came a new prescription: online therapy, in the form of an internet journal.
Kairis' doctors now encourage patients to help themselves, and others, by writing about their experiences on the hospital's website.
“The benefits are tremendous,” according to Dr. Chinn treating Kairis. “You're basically creating your own virtual therapy and the good thing is you can cut in and cut out when you choose to and you can do it at your own pace.”
Kairis said, “It was a good chance to vent to tell the good and the bad and then other folks can know what to expect on a cancer journey.”
Posted by Mike at November 3, 2005 01:12 PM
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