All posts tagged: connection

11 Struggles Only Self-Aware People Have To Deal With

11 Struggles Only Self-Aware People Have To Deal With

Published by skeptic

Mastering the art of self-awareness isn’t just about having a grasp on your own emotional wellbeing, feelings, and situations, it’s also instrumental in shaping our social connections and behavior in relationships. Being aware of ourselves — both as individuals and as partners, friends, workers, and people within society — gives us a better foundation for healthy interactions and personal emotional stability. Of course, there are also specific struggles only self-aware people have to deal with, as this kind of knowledge isn’t always inherently beneficial. Sometimes, we’re made to acknowledge an awareness about ourselves and others that can be uncomfortable, unproductive, and taxing on our emotional wellbeing. Here are 11 struggles only self-aware people have to deal with 1. Feeling overworked Marjan Apostolovic | Shutterstock.com Considering self-aware people tend to have more effective critical thinking skills, according to a study published by the Human Resource Development Review, analyzing uncertain and stressful situations, working towards solutions, and even improvising, they’re often put in leadership roles in various avenues of their lives.  Even in seemingly minor situations, like traveling …

Individuals with dark traits have a heightened connection to certain types of fictional characters

Individuals with dark traits have a heightened connection to certain types of fictional characters

Published by José

A new study published in Psychology of Popular Media sheds light on why some people are drawn to morally ambiguous fictional characters, such as villains and antiheroes. The research suggests that antagonistic personality traits like Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and everyday sadism—collectively known as Dark Tetrad traits—are associated with admiring and identifying with these types of characters. This association appears to reflect how individuals view their own values, motivations, and personalities in relation to these fictional figures. Fictional heroes, antiheroes, and villains play a central role in popular media, captivating audiences with their moral clarity, ambiguity, or outright malice. Previous studies have established that people are often drawn to characters who share traits with themselves, but much of this research has focused narrowly on single types of characters or excluded key personality traits like everyday sadism. This study sought to expand on that foundation. “Fiction is a big part of a lot of people’s lives, and a lot of people have pretty personal relationships with their favorite fictional characters. What draws certain individuals to certain characters?” …

peer2peer Celebrates a year of growth and connection at annual Christmas boards meeting

peer2peer Celebrates a year of growth and connection at annual Christmas boards meeting

Published by skeptic

peer2peer celebrated the end of the year in style when it held its annual Christmas Members Boards meeting at the Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa. The event brought together its local Boards – Limewood Hotel, The Captain’s Club Hotel, Chewton Glen, New Place Hotel, and The Old Bond Store peer2peer Boards. Co-Founder Simon Hawtrey-Coombs acted as host and introduced a packed, but fast-moving agenda, which included a diverse mix of speakers; Motivational speaker Craig Goldblatt who gave a captivating, inspirational and thought-provoking talk entitled, ‘Living on Purpose’, discussing peoples values, motivations, intentions, purpose and identity. peer2peer co -founder and CEO John Acton sharing peer2Peer news, updates and ambitions for the future, launch of the peer2peer new Surge programme for Solo & Duo preneurs and much more. Poole based Marketing guru Mark Masters from You Are The Media gave a lively talk about marketing shifts in the last decade and reflected on his book, ‘The Content Revelation’. Gretta Acton highlighting the importance of understanding your DNA profile profiling with the tool, Contribution Compass, the positive effects …

I Tried NordVPN’s Free Remote Connection Tool and Found It Super Useful

I Tried NordVPN’s Free Remote Connection Tool and Found It Super Useful

Published by skeptic

NordVPN introduced Meshnet in 2022. Yet, there’s a chance you haven’t checked out this powerful feature (as I hadn’t). Since this tool is now free, it may be the right time to give it a second look. What Is Meshnet and How Does It Work? Although the name implies that Meshnet is a technology that could usher in the end of the world, it’s relatively simple. This NordVPN feature is a virtual network you can utilize to connect external devices, plus devices where you’re logged into your Nord account. If you remember the olden days when LAN networks (as opposed to WAN networks) reigned supreme, you’ll have the gist of it. However, while a LAN requires physical connection and proximity, Meshnet eliminates this limitation and allows you to remotely connect different devices into a singular secure network. By combining the NordLynx protocol and P2P technology, Meshnet connects two or more points (devices with unique IP addresses you add to the network), thus forming an encrypted tunnel and turning the device into a VPN of sorts. …

A Tale of Climate and Connection

A Tale of Climate and Connection

Published by skeptic

The Shutouts is Gabrielle Korn’s second novel set in her richly imagined dystopian universe, following her acclaimed debut Yours for the Taking. In this compelling narrative, Korn weaves together multiple timelines and perspectives to create a tapestry of human connection against the backdrop of environmental collapse and societal fragmentation. Complex Characters in a Collapsing World The novel follows several interconnected narratives spanning nearly four decades. In 2041, we meet Kelly, a young mother desperate to reunite with the daughter she left behind seven years ago. Her story unfolds through letters written to her daughter Orchid, revealing her involvement with the Winter Liberation Army, a group of climate activists turned survivalist community. Fast forward to 2078, and we follow Orchid herself, now grown, alongside other survivors navigating a world ravaged by climate change. The strength of Korn’s writing lies in her ability to create fully realized characters whose personal struggles resonate deeply despite their extraordinary circumstances. The relationship between Ava and her daughter Brook forms the emotional core of the 2078 timeline, while Max and Camilla’s …

Use the Holidays to Promote Social Connection

Use the Holidays to Promote Social Connection

Published by skeptic

Source: Drobot Dean/Adobe Stock Millions of people will gather with family and friends this week to celebrate what may be one of the most quintessential American holidays— Thanksgiving. For most people, the holiday revolves around turkey, football, and the start of the holiday shopping season. More Americans are also focusing on gratitude—the “thanks” part of Thanksgiving—which is demonstrated to promote physical, mental, and social well-being. But there’s another aspect of Thanksgiving that is worth focusing on: gathering. Why? There is clear evidence that Americans are experiencing unprecedented levels of loneliness. In a poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association earlier this year, 30 percent of adults reported feelings of loneliness at least once a week over the past year; 10 percent said they felt lonely every day. A 2020 report by the U.S. Surgeon General documented a decline in social connections across all age groups. The report found more than one-third of adults aged 45 years and older felt lonely, and nearly one-fourth of adults aged 65 years and older were socially isolated. It also …

Liam Payne: Three charged in connection with death of One Direction star, prosecutor’s office says | Ents & Arts News

Liam Payne: Three charged in connection with death of One Direction star, prosecutor’s office says | Ents & Arts News

Published by skeptic

Three people have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction star Liam Payne in Argentina, the public prosecutor’s office in the country has said. The 31-year-old pop star died after he fell from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on 16 October. The prosecutor ordered the arrest of the three and charged one with “abandonment of a person followed by death” and supplying drugs. The suspect “accompanied the artist on a daily basis” during his stay in the Argentinian capital, according to a statement from the office of prosecutor Andres Esteban Madrea. A hotel employee and a third person were charged with supplying drugs. Prosecutors rule out ‘self-harm’ The prosecutor’s office also said there was nothing to indicate any third-party involvement in his death and ruled out “self-harm”. The statement said Payne did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself from the fall, meaning it can be inferred he may have fallen “in a state of semi or total unconsciousness”. “Liam Payne was not fully conscious …

How Car Chase Scenes Have Evolved Over 100 Years: The Technology Behind Bullitt, The French Connection, Driver, and Other Action Movies

How Car Chase Scenes Have Evolved Over 100 Years: The Technology Behind Bullitt, The French Connection, Driver, and Other Action Movies

Published by José

For many a clas­sic action-movie enthu­si­ast, no car chase will ever top the one in Bul­litt. The nar­ra­tor of the Insid­er video above describes it as “the scene that set the stan­dard for all mod­ern car chas­es,” one made “icon­ic part­ly because of the char­ac­ters, but also because of their cars.” The pur­suer dri­ves a Dodge Charg­er, a mus­cle car that “explod­ed in pop­u­lar­i­ty dur­ing the late six­ties in the U.S.,” with a V‑8 engine and rear-wheel dri­ve that made it “basi­cal­ly built for infor­mal drag rac­ing.” The pur­sued, Steve McQueen’s detec­tive pro­tag­o­nist Frank Bul­litt, dri­ves an instant­ly rec­og­niz­able High­land Green Ford Mus­tang, “the first major pony car, a more com­pact, sporty take on the mus­cle car.” Bul­litt could change the game, as they say, thanks not just to the cars but also the cam­eras avail­able at the time, not least the Arri­flex 35 II. “Small­er and more rugged” than the bulky rigs of ear­li­er gen­er­a­tions, it made it pos­si­ble to shoot on actu­al city streets rather than just stu­dio sets and rear-pro­jec­tion setups. (To get a …

Scientists reveal strong connection between zinc levels and Type 2 Diabetes

Scientists reveal strong connection between zinc levels and Type 2 Diabetes

Published by skeptic

In an important new study, scientists have found a strong connection between zinc levels in the human body and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This research, published in the journal eLife, has greatly improved our understanding of how crucial zinc is for our body’s metabolic functions. Deep Dive into the Study Academics and experts have lauded this investigation as pivotal to our grasp over zinc’s involvement in metabolic processes. The research team has employed cutting-edge genetic analysis techniques on a large cohort of human participants. Loss of the Zinc transporter SLC39A5 protects from obesity-driven hyperglycemia and liver pathology. (CREDIT: eLife) The outcome? A potential therapeutic target for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes. Such a revelation holds interest for those engrossed in both metabolism research and trace element biology. Zinc’s significance in the world of insulin production and glucose metabolism isn’t a new revelation. Shek Man Chim, the lead author and Principal Scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., New York, US, shed light on this, stating, “We …

The Brain-Body Connection and the Vagus Nerve

The Brain-Body Connection and the Vagus Nerve

Published by skeptic

Interoception and emotions Communication between the body and the nervous system is called interoception and it allows the brain to sense internal states, such as hunger, pain, or heart rate. The vagus nerve is an important part of interoception that can have a profound effect on how we are feeling, even influencing emotions such as anxiety and depression. Although the link between interoception and emotion is known, it is unclear how the vagus nerve changes due to stress. A recent study by Okonogi and colleagues delved into this topic using powerful methods in laboratory mice. (2024) The vagus nerve is changed by stress and anxiety To better understand how the vagus nerve is changed by stress and anxiety, the authors of the study exposed mice to a form of psychosocial stress called social defeat. In social defeat, a mouse is repeatedly exposed to a more aggressive mouse, which increases stress in a way like what would be experienced during bullying. Some mice are resilient to this form of social stress and their social and exploratory …