“Comfort Zones” – Could introverts be depriving themselves of happiness? – Social Psychology Press Release

“Comfort Zones” – Could introverts be depriving themselves of happiness?

Personality and Affective Forecasting: Trait Introverts Underpredict the Hedonic Benefits of Acting Extraverted

Most people enjoy parties but for introverts, the idea of large social gatherings may be daunting. The thought of getting out of their comfort zone could be enough to induce a sense of nervousness in them; an experience unfamiliar to confirmed extroverts. On the other hand, once they’ve been convinced to go out, they may (heaven forbid) enjoy themselves! Research conducted by John M. Zelenski and his team at the University of Carleton attempted to delve deeper into what goes on in the mind of introverts. How is it that they can enjoy extroverted activities, such as going to a party, whilst seemingly dreading them beforehand? It seems that introverts are just more pessimistic when it comes to predicting the outcome of social events.

Seen as common to most of the population, the traits of introversion and extroversion have been studied widely by psychologists. A number of theories as to why, on the whole, introverts avoid extroverted situations have been discounted; it seems that they don’t tend to feel more mentally taxed, unhappy in social situations or that they’re not being ‘true’ to themselves in the moment. There is another possible reason: the faulty ability of introverted people to predict the effect a situation will have on their emotions compared to extroverts. In a series of five studies, Zelensky was able to show that this last assumption has some validity and could provide strategies to help introverts enjoy themselves a bit more.

The first study directly tested how the traits would impact predictions of feelings. In a questionnaire, University students were first tested for introversion or extraversion. They were then asked to imagine acting in extroverted and introverted ways in different situations, such as attending a big party or sitting in a quiet library, and rated their level of enjoyment in each situation and whether it would cause them anxiety. As expected, introverts had more negative predictions for extraverted settings and that said they’d be more self-conscious.

The remaining four studies aimed to demonstrate the findings of the first in practice. A mixture of students were asked at random to act in either an extraverted or introverted way, apart from a control group with no instructions, in particular group tasks in the lab. Before the tasks, they were asked about how much they would enjoy them. Afterwards, they were asked to rate their actual experiences. The extraverts predicted more pleasantness for the tasks, and indeed did enjoy them. The introverts, however, were more pessimistic to begin with, but it was found that they had significantly more enjoyment from them than they had anticipated. This research demonstrates that most people do enjoy being extraverted, but that introverts find it more difficult to predict this enjoyment.

What does this mean for introverts? As a group, they tend to suffer from higher levels of depression and anxiety. This research could provide clues about helping people with this trait overcome their worries about new situations and possibly offer a whole new range of therapeutic opportunities for them.

 

For more information, contact John M. Zelenski at: john_zelenski@carleton.ca

To read the article: Zelenski, J., Whelan, D., Nealis, L., Besner, C., Santoro, M., & Wynn, J. (2013). Personality and affective forecasting: Trait introverts underpredict the hedonic benefits of acting extraverted. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(6), 1092-1108.

 

History

The Story of Two Identity Crises in the Weimar Republic

 

Justice Kurt Soelling

 

As published in the Jewish News: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-story-of-two-identity-crises-in-the-weimar-republic/ on 23rd March 2017

In 1927, Judge Gellin, of the Breslau District Court in the state of Silesia, had become drunk at a popular Breslau wine bar. Free from his self-control, the judge proceeded to embark on an unremitting, inebriated tirade. Gellin began by accusing the popular newspaper Berliner Tagelblatt of being a “vulgar Jewish paper” and then directed his anger towards a member of parliament, Deputy Herrmann, who was present at the bar. Gellin labelled Herrmann a “dirty Jew” amongst other anti-Semitic insults. A policeman was called in, and Gellin was suspended from his judgeship after a disciplinary trial in January 1929. During the short trial, it was revealed that Deputy Herrmann was not Jewish at all. According to a report in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, “The democratic press made merry over the fact when it came out in the course of the proceedings that the anti-Semite in the case was by birth a Jew, while the man whom he attacked as a Jew was a non-Jew.” Judge Gellin was, in fact, born to a Jewish family.

Five years later, on the 20th of May 1932, the Chairman of the Berlin District Court, Kurt Soelling, launched a libel action against the Jewish journalist Felix Hirsch, editor of the 8 Uhr Abendblatt — a Berlin evening newspaper. A year earlier, the judge had stopped attending meetings of the German Social Democrats, in favour of Nazi party gatherings. At the meetings, he was seen giving the Nazi salute.

The libel case revolved around an article in which Hirsch had revealed that Soelling was actually born Kurt Seligsohn; the son of active members of a Silesian Jewish community, like Gellin. Also like Gellin, in adulthood Soelling had decided to convert to Protestantism. The article went on to allege that the judge had rejected his community in order to further his career and that he was a “dishonest politician”.

A day later, Soelling won the case and Hirsch was ordered to pay damages of 500 Reichsmarks, a not insubstantial sum. That wasn’t before the defence had put forward an embarrassing procession of witnesses and picked apart Soelling’s career through the lens of his personal choices. Although he successfully managed to argue that he had been baptised out of religious conviction, it emerged that he had waited for a wealthy but pious uncle to pass away before his conversion. He also defended his attendance at the Nazi meetings, and participation in the Nazi salute, by claiming that it was his duty as an office holder to keep an eye on political developments, and that it was essential that he should blend into the crowd by raising his hand when necessary. Indeed, it probably was necessary for such investigations to take place, if Soelling’s account is to be believed.

Upon the Nazi accession to power in 1933, and owing to his prominence on the Berlin legal circuit, Soelling was one of the first judges to be ordered to hand in his resignation on the grounds of his racial identity. In 1938, he was marched out of his home at gunpoint, by local thugs in the Bavarian town of Marzoll, and subsequently fled to Canada with his wife. In 1944, his sister Hedwig was transported from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz, where she lost her life.

The point of outlining these somewhat obscure but shocking, uncomfortable and ultimately tragic cases is not to chastise a couple of men who are no longer around. However, it is clear that both men exemplify, to an exaggerated extent, the internal and external conflicts of being members of a persecuted and increasingly marginalised minority community. Even more, they exemplify the magnification of those pressures during a period of national identity crisis; a problem that plagued European nations after The Great War. Although both judges profoundly rejected their communities by birth, Soelling’s case, at least, demonstrates that identity is necessarily composed of both chosen and un-chosen elements; that are independent of individual expressions of politics or life decisions. It would be unthinkable for such situations to arise in or around the Jewish community today (although some would wrongly claim that they’re rather common), but these cases provide us with a stark and important example of the extremes that might emerge when one is presented with a conflict between multiple aspects of identity, in the midst of cultural uncertainty and upheaval.

The Sharing Economy

The Increasing Trust in Online Platforms

The tech-giant Google has recently discovered the importance of trust in the modern online marketplace; and it’s discovered it the hard way. As businesses, and even governments, pull away from their online advertising platform over the undesired placement of ads around controversial websites, the necessity of trust-based online relationships has never been more apparent. Given the need for trustworthy transactions, it’s no wonder that we’re increasingly turning to platforms that foster and facilitate ‘trust’ between individuals contributing to the booming sharing economy.

In the UK, which has seen incredible innovation over the past few years, the sharing economy has grown from £2.1bn in transactions in 2013 to £7.4bn in 2015. This means people are increasingly feeling able to connect with others and put their trust in other individuals. Why are people turning to Airbnb and their counterparts in other sectors, such as the online rental platform Fat Lama?  the growth in the market reflects a change in attitudes towards communication and the ability of these firms to smooth out the relationships involved.

People are closer now than ever before.  People are used to communicating with each other at a global level, and instantaneously at that. This taps into one of the major components of a sharing relationship; that is, a general feeling of closeness to those around us. Whether we’re ranting in the comments section of a national newspaper, or sharing our thoughts on Facebook and Twitter, never before have we been so familiar with each other. These online communities have opened us up to the possibility of trusting one-another and feeling able to share not only our thoughts, but increasingly access to our homes and possessions.

This personal connection has also been facilitated and enhanced by the sharing platforms we use. With Airbnb, we feel sufficiently connected to the world to allow others to temporarily use our homes. With Fat Lama, the same feeling of connection allows us to trust someone with, say, our camera or even our drone for a period of time. What both services have in common is that they provide a safety net that would not be there in a merely personal exchange. So, our willingness to trust in online communities comes with a very real guarantee. If co-operation is increasingly becoming an option, and if trust is an essential component of that, then online platforms have played a major role in encouraging us to share. That can only be a good thing.

Communal Memory

As published in the Jewish News: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/communal-memory-and-where-we-are-now/  on 13th December 2016

When members of a community pass on, the memories they have shared and left behind take on a life of their own. We remember the happy moments, their habits, their ways of being. We remember the good and the bad. They leave behind oral histories and physical objects that act as evidence of life in a difference world. And ultimately, elements of their past are assimilated into our collective wisdom; lessons to be learned and profound truths to be examined and re-examined. The Jewish community is no different in this regard, and I believe the experiences of our predecessors are invaluable cultural tools.

Last year, I was helping my dad clear out his parents’ house; a chore that he had left undone for nearly 20 years. Looking through the garage, I came across several boxes. Mainly containing a variety of books my grandparents, Fritz and Lilli, had brought over in 1930s, having made the journey as refugees from Berlin. By the luck of history (the garage was damp and unattended to) I discovered an extraordinary cache of letters sent from my grandpa to my grandma during the summer of 1938. My grandma never spoke about her experiences, but I believe she kept these mementoes in the hope they would speak for her.

According to the letters, sent every other day for a month, my grandpa had made the journey from Berlin to New York in late July 1938, in order to look for an opportunity to resettle, undoubtedly a luxury and rare opportunity at the time. They mostly outline his meetings with other German Jewish friends and contacts. But there is a more personal side. As the month goes on and his efforts begin to look increasingly fruitless, his sense of sadness and desperation becomes clear.

His unsuccessful fact-finding trip had reinforced in his mind that the family needed to leave immediately. I was then struck by his letter dated the 20th of August 1938. In a parenthesised side-note he asked my grandma: Hast Du diese Verordnung schon gelesen, nach der wir jetzt Israel und Sarah heissen? Or,“Have you read the regulation, after which we are now called Israel and Sarah? [referring to a law passed on the 17th of August 1938, requiring Jews to use identifiably Jewish names].” For me, this side-note was the most personally profound part of the letters. My grandparents were Germans, they had always considered themselves German, but this letter captures the moment, in the mind of Fritz, that the sentiment was called into question. According to the law of their homeland, the essence of their being was now Jud. They eventually found a safe haven later that year in London, retaining their German identity and love for Germany out of pure defiance.

So where does this lead us now? Well, as the people with first-hand experiences of this period are becoming fewer and fewer, it is now up to us to finally consolidate their assorted memories into our communal culture. Of course, we should remember and document their stories, but culture is more than that. It informs the way we think, and the way we act. It informs how we interact between ourselves, and with others. 2016 has been a year of crisis, and we are now entering 2017. Not only are there millions of people fleeing their homes across the world, but the discourse in our own nations is turning sour. Our politicians are starting to hint at an essence of identity, “You cannot be a citizen of the world,” and subtly questioning the loyalty of certain British citizens and those who have recently arrived.

In the UK, Prime Minister Theresa May and Home Secretary Amber Rudd have just unveiled new legislation regarding anti-Semitism. Yet both are on record as using rhetoric and forming policy intended to ‘essentialise’ communities, and not just in relation to immigration levels. In that case, what about anti-Semitism do they actually oppose? These views are often informed by superficial polling of these communities, often reduced to mere data cleavages, as well as unscrupulous and selective focuses generated by certain sections of the media; sections, by the way, that labelled Ralph Miliband an “enemy of the people”. Although the situation for our community now is very different, if we are to take the lessons of our families seriously, we can’t just look at protecting our own communities, but must engage with and stand by all communities subject to prejudiced essentialism.

Political Writing

On the Left

So I’ve been really distracted by the politics of the last few years, and I think a lot of us have been scrambling for ways to explain what’s happening, and especially where the “Left” fit in to this and can push forward our agendas. So far, in the US and UK at least, this opposition has been rather ineffectual if incredibly valiant, hence your call to populism.

I think the problem is that the traditional ‘left’/’right’ paradigm is misleading and no longer applicable to our political culture. For instance, even if one takes the four dimensional political spectrum, most major political parties and much of political thought, fall within a very limited distribution (although many lay test-takers will find themselves to the left of Gandhi).

Instead, it is clear that there are now two main opposing ideologies in the world that one can define oneself against:

• The traditional “elite” (or the new ‘right’) – these people value progress, technological advancement, profits and efficiency and the formation of global supply chains. They promise that progress is scientific, and that our existential problems will be solved by our top minds. Aldous Huxley refers to this cultural development in his extremely prescient 1946 essay ‘Science, Liberty and Peace’. This ideology has had a number of consequences:
  1. ‘Technological unemployment’ – groups of people rendered unemployed by efficiency and changing work patterns. It takes years to rectify, and by that time, technology and context has advanced again. Inequality can only become more apparent as fewer and fewer people are in a position to adapt.
  2. The centralisation of resources, and therefore finance and power, around the sources of these technological advances (e.g. the ubiquity of Google, Amazon, Uber etc and their ability to shape national laws). The democratic process is also affected, as the government contracts public services out to private companies, shifting accountability.
  3. Advances in communications enable these changes to come quickly, with great cultural implications.
  4. This centralisation leads to the increasing loss of individual liberty. Professionalisation locks out many would be small entrepreneurs and discourages small scale enterprise in favour of large amorphous conglomerations.
  5. The promise of unlimited wealth and prosperity if we hold out through the current sacrifices.
• The radical millenarian ethnocentric extremists – ‘We are at the end of days, follow the prophet and you will be saved.’ This applies as much to Trump and Brexit as it does to other extremist ideologies, although they are expressed in different ways. In Brazil at the end of the 19^th century, and in light of the fall of the monarchy and the end of slavery, a number of Catholic priests declared that ‘the end was nigh’ and led their communities deep into the North Western Jungle. Communications have meant these communities are no longer isolated and they can connect and recruit.

They offer an alternative vision to unlimited scientific progress, in which power is ideally redistributed amongst their ethnic, religious or class grouping (of course, at the expense of all others). Umberto Eco outlines the general recipe for these groups in his 20 year old essay on ‘Ur-Fascism’. In the British context, it is clear that UKIP, and not the conservatives have been influenced by our own Ur-Fascist, Enoch Powell.

1. A renewed focus is placed on the 19^th and early 20^th century conception of the nation state, as homogenous and culturally pure. Past glories are revived, and loyalty is required, and questioned if opinions do not fall into line. This manifests itself in a sort of faux-traditionalism. Minority groups are marginalised.
2. Technology is used in opposition to the other ideology. It is used to organise incredibly successfully, making these ideas difficult to counter. Misinformation becomes the currency of choice.
3. Eco places importance on irrationalism, or action for the sake of action. Brexit meant ‘change’ – and that’s what people wanted. What happens with that change is almost irrelevant. It was an insurrection.
4. Immigration (or other nations, or groups, or religions or etc) is cited as the biggest threat to the people and their ‘way of life’, when actually the real cultural change has occurred in the way we communicate with the world, over the internet and via 24 hour access to rolling news and information.
5. As change is the goal, the sacrifices on the way to this bright national future are for the greater good. People will suffer now, but the nation will be “cleansed” of its current problems.
6. As this ultimately fails, scapegoats will be punished. If that means abandoning the rule of law, then fine

So that is the new ‘left/right’ paradigm. In my opinion, the traditional left needs to position themselves in the exact centre. A focus on personal liberty, acknowledge community bonds, the rule of law, a fair redistribution of wealth and power. Along with the rules of cricket, these are traditional British values and they are also the traditional values of the left. International corporate power has eroded democratic accountability and people are in the process of adapting to the massive cultural changes linked to globalism and technology. I think in order to achieve popular success, we have to define ourselves in terms of the balance between these two dominant ideologies. Perhaps taking sentiments from both, but ensuring they are extremely checked and limited.

We need to talk about emotional topics, such as identity and cultural change, but in doing so, we must emphasise that the solution does not lie in an ethnically pure, authoritarian paradise.

 

Example Sales Material

Disclaimer: I am not associated in any way with Suunto, this is merely a writing exercise.

Choosing the right watch can be difficult, especially for a seasoned traveller looking for a timepiece to accompany you on your adventures. You might have spent hours searching the internet, asking friends and browsing shops, but to no avail. There are hundreds of brands to choose from and in your frustration, you’ve decided to take to Twitter to let off some steam from the festooned Presidential suite of your new Washington abode. We’ve all been there.

So, in order to make your choice a little bit more simple, we’ve assembled a short guide that will convince you that he Suunto Core is the ultimate travel companion.

Features

So, you’re looking for a watch that tells the time? You’ve come to the right place. But there’s more to choosing a travel companion than the time on their face. You might own a phone that does everything, but ten hours into your Amazon trek and several hundred photos of that beautiful parakeet later, the battery will undoubtedly desert you for pastures new. That is why having those useful tools around your wrist is so important.

The Suunto Core is equipped for every eventuality. It has a compass for when you get lost, a thermometer and barometer for when you need to prepare for the day, an altimeter for when you make your ascent, a depth meter for diving and importantly, a storm alarm that lets you know when it’s probably better to take shelter. The watch is designed specifically for adventurers, and unlike any other on the market.

Reliability

The next thing to look out for in your new watch is reliability. It’s all well and good that your watch enables you to navigate Mont Blanc, but what you really want to know is whether it will survive the descent and the trip to the alpine bar afterwards. And we can proudly say that the Suunto Core will last even the wildest of post climb celebrations.

Suunto has over 80 years of experience in producing some of the finest outdoor instruments for the consumer market and the military. With that experience, we’ve gained a true insight in how to produce quality timepieces. The watch itself is composed of aluminium, whilst the glass is a strong crystal composite. At 64g, its lightweight and easy to wear, but whether you drop it down a ravine or accidentally step on it as you stumble on your way home to your chalet, the watch will remain intact. The watch is waterproof and you can bring it with you whilst you dive. The batteries are also long lasting user replaceable, so you can be sure that it won’t let you down after long periods in the wilderness. This watch is durable.

Style

The watch is both functional and reliable, but every traveller knows that none of this matters without style. Well, perhaps that’s an exaggeration. But it’s important to be able to enjoy the accessories you wear. The Suunto Core can compete with the best sports watches in terms of sleek design. The watch face is simple and minimalist, the strap is unassuming. This isn’t a statement watch for those big occasions, but you’ll look the real deal when you tell the people from home about your worldly adventures.

Price

Sports watches can be expensive. So expensive that you might not want to bring them out of the house without a retinue of security guards. If that’s the case, you might as well leave it at home and pack the thirty year old compass from when you were in the scouts.

With all its functionality and style, you might assume that the Suunto Core is one of those watches. That isn’t the case, and you can be safe in the knowledge that at £199, you might even be able to book an extra excursion to Machu Picchu or take those surfing lessons you’ve always promised yourself with the money saved. This watch is a canny investment that won’t blow the bank.

Why should you invest in this watch?

This watch is ideal for travellers. It is a versatile tool that is designed specifically to suit your needs, and to make sure that it won’t let you down when you most need it. Not only will you be able to tell the time, you’ll have access to five other essential pieces of kit all in one place. The watch is lightweight but stylish; It really is the travel companion all adventurers should bring with them, and for a price that makes sense.

Where can you buy it?

The watch is available from major retailers, including AllOutdoor.co.uk, and comes with a 3 year watchmaker guarantee.