Psychology of Giving and Other Stuff

http://ucresearch.tumblr.com/post/43085813026/if-your-valentines-day-is-less-than-ideal-dont

I am thoroughly enjoying getting to explore scienceblog.com. It is helping me feel more connected to the world while here in seminary without having to watch or look at the news and feel depressed about all the bad things being reported. I do care about the bad stuff that is happening in the world, and it is now very close by with the internet, however I do not need to be depressed about it all everyday. I would like to be able to think that there is good stuff going on in the world every day. I know there is. Good stuff happens in my life, so it has to happen in others' lives too. That is one reason I am liking exploring the science. There are good and bad things going on in science and obviously people are passionate about these things. Passion makes life more vivid. I really enjoyed the comic above, not because I have broken up ever, but because of how the science was easy, accessible, funny, and makes you feel better. Your hat is awesome. Especially if someone who puts you down regularly speaks against it, as a general rule. And speaking of people who build you up versus people who put you down, I also read this article: http://scienceblog.com/60480/in-rich-and-poor-nations-giving-makes-people-feel-better-than-getting/ about how people feel better after buying something for someone else rather than for themselves. It is really funny in a culture that highlights and emphasizes retail therapy and buying stuff for oneself, that we actually feel better when we buy stuff for other people. Even more interestingly enough, people across the world have the same feeling when it comes to buying stuff for other people. How great! We should spend more of our money on others and making sure other people have what they need as well as ourselves. Sadly, as the person who commented pointed out, this does not work in some situations. We do not feel the same way about giving part of our money to the government or other organizations who will then buy stuff for the poor themselves. I wonder if it also has to do with the reception. One of the reasons I was turned down from a summer mission trip to Panama was that I would not be able to eat the food the poorer folks I would be working with would try to feed me. I was slightly appalled when I read that the trip planners allow the volunteers to eat the food of the poor. However, I know how hospitality works. When you invite someone into your house, you like to be able to offer them something. I have myself gotten told off for being rude for bringing my own food into other people's houses, even when they know that they cannot adequately feed me without making me sick. I get stuck in that catch twenty two frequently. Most people just then shy away from inviting me into their homes. It works. The feeling of being able to give something to someone else, to share what we have, to provide for someone is powerful. Psychology and science may link it to the evolutionary needs of humanity. Humans helping humans probably will allow the species to live longer than us always cutting each other throats. Religion will link it to the gifts of God. I think both are true. Loving one's neighbor is sometimes easier than you might think.

What do you take for Granted?

http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2013/02/20/implanted-bionic-eye-allows-the-blind-to-see-again/

This article is very cool. It is impressive that scientists have been able to make forward progress in helping some people to see again. The article does say that the picture is not very good and the analogy is a fuzzy black and white tv, but for someone who has lost all their sight, being able to see anything would be very exciting. Obviously, I have never been blind. I could end up being blind at some point in my life, but I am hopeful that it won't happen any time soon. I have though lived with broken bones and the implication of not being able to use my dominate hand for a good while. That was painful and interesting enough to make me think differently about what I take for granted. I do not take my abilities to move and write and braid my hair and tie my shoes for granted anymore. When I am good, I remember to be thankful for all the things which I can do easily that other people struggle with. It is also kind of like being on a special diet. Knowing one's limits really makes a difference. There are not many worse things than trying to go too far with a broken bone or a health problem and then being in pain because of your own challenge. I am so glad that we can use some of our scientific knowledge to be helpful to people who feel that they have lost something. There are always opportunities in things, but we have to mourn our loses first. Lots of people get stuck on one side or the other, without allowing themselves to either hope or mourn properly. I am glad the article mentions about the perspective of the people in the study for whom even the littlest bit of returned sight is a gift. We should all be thankful for the gifts we are given, even if other people do not think they are gifts. I am grateful for every chance to be with my Latro. I am grateful for everyone who has struggled with dietary problems before me and has allowed me to use their recipes to make wonderful things without what everyone else takes for granted. Because even food isn't for granted.