Sex an Unnatural History

29th July 2011

Tonight there is a program on SBS 10pm, Sex an Unnatural History, which I have been interviewed for and covers the dramatic shift in human sexuality over the past 50 years.

The release of the contraceptive pill in 1961 triggered a chain-reaction: a collision of sex and science that resulted in staggering transformation -not just in people’s sex lives, but in their biology and the social order. With sex becoming less about procreation and more about gratification, this provocative and playful six-part series questions the danger of humans becoming ‘unnatural’ sexual beings. Well worth watching for those interested in this topic.

 

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Ageing well

13th July 2011

Research confirms the importance of supportive relationships as we age and keeping them harmonious. Even the best relationships go through difficult times and having strategies to implement good communication skills is important.

 

Psychology Professors Kenneth Gergen at Swarthmore College, and Mary Gergen at Penn State University, Delaware USA, looked at stratergies of older adults in maintaining good relationships. They found the following

  • when their is conflict in a relationship not to dwell on it, and focus on other things that are going well.
  • Expand the conversation to include things that are positive in the relationship rather than the things that are not working. When discussing the issue do not blame, look at the bigger picture.
  • They did not find that by devaluing the relationship or comparing oneself to someone less fortunate was helpful.

 

Positive emotions broadens people’s visual attention, expands capacity for action, increase capacity to cope in crisis, as well as expanding flexibility and creativity.

In a recent BBC TV program by Dr Michael Mosley The Young Ones,  ageing adults went back in time by living and dressing as if they were back in1975. After one week of comradeship, support and responsibility, their health and general well-being improved. This gives us hope that we all have the capacity to turn back time by thinking ourselves young again, I have started by listening to the music I grew up with and reintroduce a few fashions from my past.

 

 

 

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Brain Power

7th July 2011

There are key things to remember about creating new brain functioning and cognitive ability, it is that all change involves learning because it optimizes arousal. This can consist of learning a new skill, language, weight training or dance routine (especially recommended for people who are middle aged) or learning to distress and relax. This is because mediation and mindfulness practices thicken the brains walls while stress shrinks the brain.

One of the most amazing things is how research has shown that men & women relate differently to stress. Women when stressed read faces and want to bond, while men show classic fight and flight symptoms. This plays out in my couple’s sessions where the woman wants to discuss the issue in depth and keep working on it, while her male partner wants space. I often use Professor Gottman’s advice to introduce a subject and then only discuss it in a relaxed manner for about 5 to 10 minutes, and leave it to another day to build on each other’s thoughts, rather than to create pressure to resolve the issue there and then.

Another factor affecting Neuroplasticity is exercise ( SPARK How exercise will improve the performance of your brain by Ratey & Hegerman) as this impacts on the brain 24 hours afterwards through new neuron growth and also reduces depression. So it might be worth while to discuss issues with your partner after you have exercised so that you are more open to new communication styles. I would really like to hear of peoples experiences in this regard so please leave a comment.

 

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Mother Nature

1st July 2011

I recently have been on holiday in South Africa’s wildlife reserve Sanbona home of the white lions. As we watched a majestic giraffe eat leaves from the top branches I remarked that the marking were much darker than I had seen on TV, our guide informed us that it was an old male and that testosterone increases with age making the markings darker. This is opposite to humans where males starting to experience a decrease in testosterone from 35 years onwards, while women notice a decline around menopause. Testosterone not only affects our sex drive but our energy level and muscle growth.

I was further enthralled during my time on the reserve by the magnificent animals I saw and had the joy of being close to wild cheetahs, a mother with her two adolescent sons. The guide once again informed us that because of the 7 year drought that had recently broken in South Africa the cubs had been born in a time of limited resources and that offspring would always be male, where as resources became more plentiful females would be born. I looked up  research to see if the gender differentiation applied to humans and countries resources, but I could not find a correlation. It is interesting that as the world’s resources diminish more couples in the western world are finding it hard to conceive, I am interested in opinions on this subject so please write and tell me what you think.

 

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