This was previously (and still is) posted at http://gamerchic-amusingmusings.blogspot.com/
Today was interesting, all of my classes over lapped with each other. They were all teaching Thorndike and his law of effect.I really like this concept, even though I don't agree with everything he says. For those who don't know, Thorndike's Law of Effect essentially says that a behavior that produces something positive for the person exhibiting the behavior is more likely to be repeated than a behavior that produces something painful or something repulsive to the individual. If you really think about this, isn't this how basically all of our society is today? If you think back to today, your probably today have done this yourself at least once in the past 24 hours. I am not saying that this is a bad thing or a good thing. I just find it to be very interesting that we effect each other, and this law, everyday.
I think that we can use this law to improve our society using only our facial muscles. How is this you ask?
How many of you have smiled at someone and they smiled back? Did that make you feel good? Odds are highly in favor that it did, and you were more likely to smile at them again in the future. Guess what, that is Thorndike's Law of Effect in play.
Take this one step further, the person that you smiled at was also probably more likely to smile at someone else, who was likely to smile back at them. (It is human nature for when someone smiles at you, for you to smile back.) This chain reaction could very well continue all day.
Now, I am going to apply some of the principles of Positive Psychology to our smile chain reaction. Positive psychology has done extensive research on smiling. It has been shown the even if an individual is in a horrid mood, that if they smile at or over a certain amount of time (off of the top of my head, I believe the number is 5 minutes) their bodies will produce the physiological symptoms and effects of being happy.
So, in an ideal world, as our smile chain reaction spreads like a pandemic throughout the country, we are making our society happier and a better place to live.
Smile!
Peace, Love, and Psychology
-Gamerchic
P.S. Tomorrow's Post = Maslow and Llamas: Llamas Have Needs Too
We as a society are becoming over run by hysteria. When a person helps another often times it is why are you helping me. Some people and I would go so far to say as most feel this way. Altruism is becoming a thing of the past. When you help someone they are usually thinking what do I have to do in return.
I have been actively working to organise the neighborhood that I live in so that we can work to benefit of one another. I have suggest since the beginning of summer to have a neighborhood bbq, and I cannot get many people on board. I wanted to have it for Labor Day, but I could not get people behind me.
I know we are in economic downturn, and I wanted to organise a pot luck, and a donation drive for canned goods, clothing, and school supplies. I had the distinct feeling that most of them looked at me as a fool for wanting to help others and make the neighborhood more cohesive.
Before it was time to plant vegetable gardens I suggest that we each plant something different than the other, and then we could trade with one another and have more diversity in the vegetables we produced. I got a what are you crazy kind of look.
More recently my efforts have gotten are you a socialist, a communist type of reaction. They looked at me as more like I was stealing from them rather than trying to help the neighborhood as a whole.
About six months ago I passed out at a downtown bus terminal, and I had a nasty gash on my head. No one stopped to help, no one called 911, and when I came through I went across the street to the market, bought bandages, an antiseptic, and went into the bathroom and cleaned it up and went home. I was dismayed by the lack of concern that I cried thinking what the hell has this world come too.
A smile can only go so far, but so many people in our society are overcome by hysteria. I think it is a "Reality" Television type syndrome. As a society we are becoming more detached as a whole.
When everyday good intention are questioned you have to wonder about the state of the world.
Like I said, in the last sentence or so- in an ideal world. I know all too well that we don't live in an ideal world. I used to deal with severe panic attacks on a daily basis, and if I had an attack on campus, people just kinda looked at me like I had six arms or something. I have also experienced the issue of people thinking I had ulterior motives for helping them. We as a society are driven by panic and fear a lot of the time. The media doesn't always help with this issue either (Swine Flu).
However, I don't think all hope is lost. In my grandmother's community, they all essentially do what you were suggesting with the gardens. I have also seen some very altruistic acts occur around the area that I live in, however, they are few and far between now.
I personally think it is a television/ technology thing. I know that I personally am as guilty as anyone else of doing it though. I think that we as a society in order for us to reconnect would have to reduce the extreme amount of technology in our daily lives (cellphones, laptops, iphones) and remaster the art of face to face communication.
Thanks for reading, and giving me feedback.
-Gamerchic
I remember reading about this in a Psychology book, how if you smile at someone their first reaction is to smile back.
Not a bad idea. I think we could all do better with a little happiness, and seeing others in a good mood helps to. When you're stuck seeing angry or depressed people, you'd typically get to feel like that too. So it makes sense to just smile every now and then.
When my instructor first suggested it to us, I thought he was out of his mind...until I tried it and had several friends try it who were in terrible moods (and knew nothing about Positive Psychology, or what I had learned.) to control for any placebo effect I may have experienced. I think we could all do with more happiness in our lives.
Thanks for reading!