Tuesday 27 June 2000

Pic of the day: Cornered! "On second thoughts, I think I prefer the long-handled shower brush..." (Screenshot from The Sims.)

Annotated quotes

I can't keep it for myself any longer. I've recently noticed that sometimes people say something so well, I could not have said it better myself. OK, so it's not often. Still ... it happens. For instance, the ever vigilant New Scientist refer to some research by Daniel Offer of Northwestern University, Illinois. The guy had interviewed some 14 year old boys way back in 1962, and now got the great idea to ask them what they had felt like in 1962. "He found that the men were no better remembering what they felt like as adolescents than a stranger taking a guess."

Fascinating, isn't it? That would explain why I don't remember a lot from my childhood. I just haven't filled in the gaps with fiction, like most people have. (My fiction tends to be so weird that I'm not likely to mistake it for my adolescence, and neither should you...)

***

The very same magazine in the very same issue (June 10, 2000) prints an interview with the famous (but not wealthy) Shere Hite, of Hite report fame. Yes, that was when I was young. I think I read it, even, though I don't remember any more of it than a stranger taking a guess. Anyway, here's a quote from the lady, singled out by my marker pen: "In my research for The Hite Report on Men and Male Sexuality, one of the most important conclusions was that most men don't marry women they most passionately love. Not only that, but they're quite proud of it."

Bright lady that there Hite. As she not too subtly points out, men want to keep control of their lives.

***

On a much lighter note, two readers of the above mentioned distinguished magazine of popular science have suggested that people grow grumpy when tired so as to reduce the workload of social interaction. The editor reflects: "There is almost certainly a research grant somewhere in the evolutionary psychology of grumpiness."

***

Lo and behold! Scientific American Presents: The Quest To Beat Aging. They have found out that the elderly cope badly with stress. As we grow older, we are as easily stressed as before, if not more so, but the stress hormones does not return as easily to normal level. One way to reduce stress is to retreat from society and isolate oneself. "The 'Grumpy old man' view of the aged takes on new meaning considering the hormonal state elderly men (and women) often endure. If your balance of cortisol is off, those crying children in the supermarket can be REALLY irritating.

Of course, the author like all other conformists insist that social isolation is a Bad Thing: "Withdrawing from society, however, is one of the worst things an elderly person can do; study after study has shown that social support and active engagement with other people combat depression."

So, take your pick: Stress or depression. No wonder old people tend to die eventually! Evolutionary psychology of grumpiness indeed.

***

But all is not hopeless! For a shining ray of light, let us turn to the irrepressible, ever active Psychology Today. Take this statement from Tiffany Field, Ph.D.: "Everybody needs to either get massaged by a therapist or a significant other, or self-massage by doing yoga or using a long-handled shower brush."

I knew that brush was going to come in handy some day. And it was cheap, too!

And on that cheerful note, I hope to be back with a more normal entry tomorrow, God willing (or at least not actively stopping me). In the meantime, you can find out what's eating my days over at the Sim Diaries. Enjoy!