LISBON - STARTUP CITY

Young foreign entrepreneurs who chose Lisbon to live and work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NkJ9QrO2xo&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Clara Pracana Ph.D.
http://www.lisboncpc.org/
http://pt.linkedin.com/in/clarapracana

Platonic friendship: possible or not?

Since I started to come more regularly to Portugal, I started to notice how easy and natural male-female friendships seem here. A recent research performed by the University of Wisconsin (400 men and women participated) found however that men tend to be sexually attracted to their female friends more often than the other way around. And this could get in the way of their friendship. A Dutch research performed by 'Psychologie Magazine' (5000 participants) showed the same results.
I wonder: is my impression of Portuguese mixed friendships based on reality? Are there cultural differences?

HITCHCOCK'S DEFINITION OF HAPPINESS

Who would have guessed, uh?

OUR OTHER HALF

Another interesting study on creativity and insight on Big Think:

http://bigthink.com/humanizing-technology/undisciplined-the-creative-insight-of-the-outsider?utm_source=Big+Think+Weekly+Newsletter+Subscribers&utm_campaign=695f3944b5-The_Creative_Insight_of_the_Outsider5_4_2012&utm_medium=email

I quote:
"Numerous studies (...) are honing in on inspiration as a function of the right hemisphere of the brain – the less literal half that exceeds at making associations between things that don't obviously go together.
(...)
It turns out that sitting around waiting is definitively the wrong way to trigger right-brain creative activity. What gets the alpha waves flowing, facilitating the semi-dream-state in which we're best able to connect those unlikely dots, is a change of scenery"

SPRING AND COLOUR

Spring at last!
I took this photo while strolling under the sun. Life seems better with sun and flowers, doesn't it? It's all a question of perception - see my previous post of Rory Sutherland's TED Talk.

CYCLECHIC

Let's make Lisbon as cool as Copenhagen!
Esther posted about joggers, this one is about cycling.

http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/2012/05/four-gents-five-hats.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CycleChic-CopenhagenGirlsOnBikes+%28Copenhagen+Cycle+Chic+-+Bike+Advocacy+in+High+Heels%29

PERCEPTION AND REALITY

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/rory_sutherland_perspective_is_everything.html

A brilliant TED Talk by Rory Sutherland.

Jog to live longer

A long-term research project, in which 2000 Danish joggers were followed since 1976 by cardiologists (amongst others), shows that jogging for a minimum of 1 hour a week could increase our lives with years. Also interesting is that slow or average paces seem to be enough!
Read more about this Copenhagen City Heart Study at http://www.escardio.org/about/press/press-releases/pr-12/Pages/regular-jogging-increases-life-expectancy.aspx

Bhutan supports Gross National Happiness (GNH)

Last month there was a UN conference about happiness hosted by Bhutan, the country that supports the idea that the Gross National Happiness (GNH) is a more important measurement for the quality of life than the Gross National Product (GNP). A list of the happiest countries in the world was presented here (created by the 3 economists John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs, and based on several recent research reports). The top 5 exists of Denmark, Finland, Norway, Holland and Canada. Least happy country is Togo.
Read the whole World Happiness Report at http://issuu.com/earthinstitute/docs/world-happiness-report.

Who are the happiest kids of the Western world?

The recent World Health Organisation (WHO) study called 'Health Behaviour in School-aged Children' shows that Dutch children are the happiest in the Western world (39 countries: Europe, Canada and the US). Other happy kids are living in Armenia, Finland and Iceland. Children in Turkey, Poland, Ukraine and Romania feel least happy. Read more here: http://www.hbsc.org/news/index.aspx?ni=1064.

LIFE AND DEATH

A beautiful and poetic animation with words by Edar Allan Poe


http://vimeo.coRm/40291524

TARANTULA NEBULA

The coloured photo of the tarantula nebula, on account of what seems to be spider legs. Man has this tendency to recognize shapes already known. So many worlds out there and here we stay put and try to discover familiar shapes in spatial images. Melanie Klein used to say that the small baby started to build a geography of his world based on his mother's body.


(photo: NASA)

THE ORIGINS OF MARRIAGE

An interesting and provocative article on the origins of marriage. The author teaches anthropology.

http://bigthink.com/ideas/the-origin-of-marriage-and-the-evolution-of-divorce?utm_source=Big+Think+Weekly+Newsletter+Subscribers&utm_campaign=cd0bfeda32-You_Are_Not_Your_Brain4_27_2012&utm_medium=email

PHOTO

Talking about creativity, I've been struggling with the lack of subjects to take photos of where I stay the weekends. Then I decided to take what I have at hand and make the most of it. This was the result, a BW photo with a weird light coming in.

WHY DO WE LOOSE CREATIVITY?

Picasso once famously said that every child is an artist. This article in BigThink explores the reasons you loose creativity when you grow up.

http://bigthink.com/ideas/killing-creativity-why-kids-draw-pictures-of-monsters-and-adults-dont?page=2

'Alone time'

Some people like to spend time alone, some people don't...it appears to be very healthy though!
Gregory Feist (San Jose State University, California) found out that when being alone, our brains get some space to organize and settle our thoughts. This brings us solutions or new ideas. This relates to the fact that people are more creative when they are alone. As Picasso once said: “Without great solitude, no serious work is possible”.

Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy

Dr. Sue Johnson is one of the leading couple therapists in the world. She wrote the book 'Hold me Tight', in which she explains the 3 different types of 'demon dialogues' that couples can use when trying to communicate or reach each other: find the bad guy, freeze and flee, and the protest polka.
Since I read about these 3 types of dialogues, I can never look at a relationship differently anymore. They are quite easy to recognize, and once we do recognize them: we can tackle them and fight them together, as a couple!

Read more about this at http://www.holdmetight.com/hold_me_tight.php

WHAT IS COACHING

Coaching is a tool designed to bring out a person's potential. It's aim is development, specially professional development.
A coach differs from a psychotherapist not only by education and training but also by using a different tool.
Although there are similarities, the tool the coach uses is made of observation ad questions.
The coach and the client have to reach an agreement about the wanted goals. Observable results are quite important and so is feedback.
In psychotherapy the issue(s) are more about the patient's problems and his personal history. It goes deeper and it takes of course longer.
Coaching is well suited when one wants a quick and showable result, focused on a specific target.

POETRY: INVICTUS by William E Henley

The poem Invictus is a high moment in poetry. Listen to Sir Alan Bates.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pJcwnS1c0I&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Clara Pracana Ph.D.
http://www.lisboncpc.org/
http://pt.linkedin.com/in/clarapracana

Food for thought

Odewire is a great website with many interesting subjects: from food to business, from energy to technology, to health and back! There is something for everyone's taste and it's nice to get lost here.

http://odewire.com/

Christophe Andre

Another French psychiatrist that wrote inspiring books about happiness: Christophe Andre.
In his opinion, human beings are unhappy by nature. The cause is evolutionary: in the past we always had to be alert for and worried about threats. According to him, it takes hard work to be happy. Two important things to achieve happiness, besides food and a home, are social bonds and contact with nature. And last but not least: to be able to enjoy the small things in life and to live in the moment because we never know what tomorrow brings...

See his website for more information (albeit in French): http://christopheandre.com/

COACHING: WHO CAN BENEFIT

Lately I've been pretty interested in this new tool. Coaching is for someone who wants to learn, grow and maximize his/her performance.
It may be done with individuals or teams and the aim may be personal improvement or organizational change. Many clients are time-pressured executives who want to maximize their performance or the team's.
The book in the picture is one of the basic readings.

Music and memory

 

See in which way music can make people revive....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKDXuCE7LeQ

In other nursing homes they also use dolls, teddy bears, softly dimmed light, fluffy blankets or pillows, and other attributes in so called 'toy rooms' or 'cuddle rooms' to enliven their residents.

Alcohol strategies and policies

While the UK government just announced their 'alcohol strategy' (consisting of, amongst others, plans for a ban on the sale of multi-buy alcohol discounting, read more at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/alcohol-drugs/alcohol/alcohol-strategy), Holland also has some plans. These exist of raising the excise duty on alcohol with 50%. On a yearly basis, this will generate 350 million euros for the Dutch government. Besides, less alcohol would be used (-5%) which will lower healthcare expenses.
I'm curious about other government's plans!

Alcohol in Europe

(map created by: GunnMap, http://gunn.co.nz/map/)

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently wrote a report about the use of alcohol in Europe. In this continent, alcohol is the 3rd leading risk factor for disease and death (after tobacco and high blood pressure).

Apparently, people living in Europe are consuming two times more alcohol than people living in other parts of the world. On a yearly basis, Europeans drink 12,5 liters of pure alcohol, which is 3 alcoholic drinks a day.  In their report, the WHO gives information about effective alcohol policies.

Read more here:
http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/disease-prevention/alcohol-use/publications/2012/alcohol-in-the-european-union.-consumption,-harm-and-policy-approaches

THE FREUDIAN UNCONSCIOUS

New brain images confirm Freud's concept of the unconscious.
http://bigthink.com/think-tank/the-importance-of-magical-thinking

Chocolate dreams

Hmmm...this should be nice for Easter!

A chocolate hotel room!

http://www.london24.com/news/quirky-london/the_cavendish_london_hotel_opens_edible_chocolate_room_1_1332015

DREAMS AND BEDROOMS

It may be a bit voyeuristic but who doesn't wonder about the intimate life of one's favourite writers?
The photo shows Emily Dickinson's spartan bedroom - she's a wonderful poet.
Clicking on the link below you may also see Ernest Hemingway's bedroom, surprisingly formal.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/literary-style-15-writers-bedrooms-168023

THE SELF-CENTERED MAN

Water surfaces may be illusive. I called this one "the self-centered man". He has a nucleus in the center of his body.
We all have in a way. When it's fully established we call it the "self".
One of the good things you get from psychotherapy is to allow your self to be more cohese and complete. The self is more than the ego. It has to do with your identity and personality.

Salivating and longing

American researchers (led by David Gal, Northwestern University) found that we don't only salivate while thinking of food...we also salivate when we are looking at pictures of money. Probably all objects of desire trigger the same general reward system in our brain, which leads to salivation.

healthy sleeping habits

Researchers at the University of Antwerpen found that smartphones, tablets and laptops disturb our quality of sleep when we use them just before sleeping. Our brain needs to process the information-stimuli as well as the evoked emotions (positive or negative). Besides, the radiating light of these devices will inhibit the creation of the sleeping hormone melatonin.
Watching tv is slightly better because the screen is further away. But even more relaxing and healthy for the quality of our sleep would be to read a book, or....to watch a starry sky!

STARRY SKIES

25,000 light years from us...
They say, however, that most of the universe is made of dark matter. Be as it be, light is beautiful and makes the mind twinkle.
(photo by NASA
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_2204.html)

THE BEAUTY OF THE EPHEMEROUS

Art on sand by the San Francisco based artist Andreas Amador:

http://www.andresamadorarts.com/

ISLANDS 5

This time is the island of Pico seen from Faial (Azores)
Photo by UrPortugal

ISLANDS 4

I love islands. They make such a fantastic stuff for imagination. I already posted here with another photo of another island:



This one, I wonder where it is. There was no legend to it (seen in lifecool.com)

Silence - Nyepi

This friday, March 23th, it will be 'Nyepi' in Bali.

Nyepi is the Day of Silence for the Hinduistic Balinese. From 6 a.m. till 6.a.m. the next morning, the whole island is silent and dark. The Balinese will fast, meditate and reflect all day. They are not allowed to leave their houses...This way, evil spirits will think Bali is deserted, and then won't visit the island.

DAYDREAMING AND CREATIVITY

As play is important for children's psychic growth, so is daydreaming for the mentally healthy adult. Between reality and fantasy, that's the space for creativity. At whatever age.

Financial psychopaths

For success in the financial world, some traits that are associated with psychopathy come in handy.

It is estimated that 10% of the employees on Wall Street are a clinical psychopath. They are thrillseekers, have no problem with taking risks, they lack empathy, are charming and intelligent, and are good liars and manipulators.

Ronald Schouten is working on an interesting book about this subject. Read more about this at his post
on Harvard Business Review.

PLAY AND CREATIVITY: DRAWASTICKMAN

Melanie Klein was a child psychoanalyst who showed the crucial importance of the play in the psychic growth of the child. Playing and its interpretation was also the basis of her therapeutic method.
The following animation allows us to experiment the joys of drawing as a child. At least that's what I felt. Have a try.
http://www.drawastickman.com/episode1

EARTHQUAKES OVER THE WORLD

Here is the link for a video map of all earthquakes that happened in 2011:
http://www.likecool.com/brand-Gear-Video.html

DEALING WITH ANGER

A interesting testimonial on taking issues personally and becoming easily angry, very angry.
We sometimes don't know how to deal with narcissistic issues and when you really should speak up - or not.
http://www.thefrisky.com/2012-03-12/girl-talk-im-going-back-to-therapy-to-deal-with-my-anger/?TrackID=ENC

Training the happiness muscles

Positive psychologist Miriam Akhtar says that around 40% of our happiness can be controlled by ourselves. The most important thing she has learnt during the years, is that happiness is like a muscle we can train. People who want to be happy have to focus on what they want (instead of what they don't want). Just like successful athletes: they focus on winning (instead of losing). When we focus on what we want, there is space to think about ways to reach those goals.

Miriams research has led to 12 practical steps to be more happy. Read more about this here

Invisible Children

In case you haven't seen this one yet: a much talked about documentary about Joseph Kony (especially on social media).
Opponents say this documantary is based on fake facts, while supporters prefer to focus on the intention this documentary has: to make Joseph Kony and his acts known, worldwide.

See also www.invisiblechildren.com

BALL OF SCRUNCHED-UP PAPER OR METEOR?

"Meteor", series of photos by Thomas Brown.

http://trendland.net/thomas-browns-meteors-series/?utm_source=Trendland+List&utm_campaign=0cf8b2985a-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email

A tribute to introverts

Susan Cain gives an interesting tribute to introverts on www.ted.com.
Click on the title of this post to see it!

What do you think?

SATURN II

Saturn seen by spacecraft Cassini in the XXI century. To the upper right its largest moon Titan.
(photo: NASA)

SATURN I

Saturn the god of harvest and agriculture, as depicted by Goya. He is said to devour his own sons lest they might take his place.

The holiday-effect

A few weeks per year we are living life as it is meant to be and we change into the person we would like to be. Being outside, having good and nice conversations with our loved ones, experiencing new things, etc. When we are on holidays, we are healthier, happier and more relaxed. We experience calmness as we have no obligations. We are feeling more free and autonomous. Our self-esteem is getting a boost.
It's interesting to think about which activities make us happy on holidays: could we integrate parts of them in our daily lives?

FREEZING THE EGGS

More and more young women with careers are opting for freezing their eggs as a way of assuring fertility when the right time comes - either because of their careers or because they haven't found the right guy yet.
In this video Leigh Gallager, a Fortune's editor, discusses her option.
http://bigthink.com/think-tank/fertility?utm_source=Big+Think+Weekly+Newsletter+Subscribers&utm_campaign=eb957bfb15-Fertility_Revolution_3_2_2012&utm_medium=email

DIVING IN TONGA

A wonderful video : diving in Tonga.
It made me remember my days of scubadiving.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/mcbHKAWIk3I