Graphic by Eilidh McNaughton by maja milewskaOne of the fascinating aspects of psychology is its intersectionality with other research disciplines. An intriguing area of research is the influence of cultural differences on the experience of people with psychological and psychiatric disorders. In this post, I will present an anthropological study, which explored how voice-hearing experiences in schizophrenia patients vary depending on their cultural context.
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By Eilidh McNaughton By Eilidh mcnaughtonStress is a natural response to any demand placed on us. It can be described as when a person experiences or perceives physical or emotional challenges that exceed their coping abilities. Many factors including pressure at work, financial instability, family dynamics and social problems can trigger stress. Multiple biological processes are involved when we are stressed: Our heart rate and hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, otherwise known as the ‘stress hormone’, are released. This ‘fight or flight’ response is supposed to be a short-term process that helps us escape or conquer a threat. However, nowadays, we often have to cope with prolonged stress without relief and so the biological response does not stop as it should. This can have damaging effects on the human body (Hooley et al., 2016)
Graphic by Eilidh McNaughton By urška veberičDéjà vu can be described as being strangely familiar with the situation that one finds
themselves in, meaning that an individual experiences the sensation of being in the same environment and encountering an identical sequence of events at some point in their lives prior to the present occasion taking place. The term déjà vu is therefore appropriate to describe this feeling as it is a French phrase meaning “already seen”. The phenomenon is most commonly felt during stressful periods: it happens on average once a year and is equally experienced by men and women (Saleh, 2016). Although déjà vu is extremely common, the concept has not been researched extensively as the experience is very brief and occurs without notice. Despite this lack of extensive research, there has been a continuous emergence of theories that seek to explain the phenomenon. Amongst these theories are dual processing, familiarity based recognition and delayed neural transmission. Graphic by Eilidh McNaughton By julia staszelisYou’ve probably heard the saying “A smile is worth a thousand words” one too many times. As clichéd as it may be, there is no escaping the fact that it holds a considerable level of truth from a cognitive and psychological standpoint. The ability to produce and recognise facial expressions is oftentimes completely overlooked as a vital component of social interaction because of how instinctive it feels to the average person. A smile can transcend the barriers of language to connote messages in instances where words may not suffice, making it a primary method of communication between friends, family, and strangers alike.
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