The Power of Affection

Everyone loves a good cuddle, right? Cuddling with a boyfriend makes me feel calm and safe. Touch from a friend makes me feel supported. A hug from my parents makes me feel loved. However, when it comes to affection, everyone is different in the amount of touch they enjoy. Some people love the simple feeling of holding a loved one hands, hugging a friend, cuddling with their significant other, or getting a back massage. On the other hand, some individuals are uncomfortable by the graze of a strangers arm or even a tight hug even from someone they know well. You may think it's no big deal to be someone who doesn't enjoy touch, but affectionate touch has been found to be good for your mind, body, and even livelihood.

There are a number of theories that explain why the simple act of touch is in fact so important to humans' health.  One theory entitled Tend and Befriend argues that affectionate expressions actually improve our ability to respond to stress. This seems to make sense when you think of getting a professional massage. You have no idea who this person is, but you pay them money, take off your closes, lay on their little table, and let them touch you all over in a way no one else really ever does. Why would you do such a thing!? Because it feels amazing and it relaxes you. However, the Tend and Befriend theory isn't telling the world to get a massage. What the theory does purpose it that fighting and fleeing is not the primary adaptation for responding to threat. The theory goes on to explain how it doesn't make sense for a woman to go through the fight or flee response because doing so would mean potentially leaving her children behind to deal with danger on their own. Instead, women "tend and befriend" in order to respond to a stressful or dangerous situation. I don't about you, but I find this rather far fetched. What does make sense is this... imagine you've just had a long and stressful day at work and you come feeling like you have a million things to do and not enough time. You walk in the door and you're greeted by a smile and long cozy hug from someone you love. Immediately you feel a little better. The point is that "affectionate behavior leads to a reduction in physiological markers of stress, which leads to better health and well-being"(Westcott-Baker, 2011)

A second theory on the benefits of affection is called Somatosensory Affectional Deprivation Theory. This theory takes touch and affection out of the context of a relieving stress, and focuses on fundamental developmental needs. The theory explains how infants need stimulation of three sensory modalities in order to develop. The first is the vestibular-cerebellar system. The vestibular system is the "sensory system that provides the leading contribution to movement and a sense of balance"(Wikipedia, 2011) The vestibular-cerebellar system is where the vestibular system sends signals to cerebellum, and is necessary for postnatal movement. The second sensory modality is the somesthetic system, where "sensory data is derived from skin, muscles, and body organs"(Medilexicon, 2011) Finally, stimulation is required in the olfactory system, which enables us to smell. For infants, sense of smell is exceptionally important because it gives them the "ability to identify their caregivers by scent" (Westcott-Baker, 2011). The theory goes on to explain evolutionary reasons for affectionate communication, such as that it "promotes the establishment and maintenance of significant pair-bonds, which leads to gaining access to material and emotional resources" (Westcott-Baker, 2011). For example, by having a tight knit group of friends and family who share affection, love, and trust, together you all increase the accessibility of material resources such as food and shelter, but also you gain an increase in emotional support, all of which help you survive and reproduce. 


Who knew affection could actually help you survive!? Think of days you have more affection than others... you most likely felt happy and more at ease on the days you experienced the affectionate. Think of life without a support system of friends and family. It not only sounds lonely, but it sounds scary. Could you cope with that? Realizing how therapeutic and positive affection can be has the ability to make you a happier, healthier, less stressed out, and can have positive influences on your relationships as well!

Lecture: Amber-Westcott Baker. (May 26, 2011).

http://www.medilexicon.com/medicaldictionary.php?t=89361

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestibular_system
 

Hormones, Sex, and Relational Satisfaction

As a 23 year old woman, I haven't had an extensive amount of sexual experience by any means. However, I know from myself, as well as from friends, just how different sex is when you're in a close committed relationship versus sex with someone you just meet, someone just began dating, or even a guy friend who you don't have romantic feelings for. It's not a coincidence or simply random that a sexual experience will be different with different people. Sexual satisfaction is often directly correlated with relationship status, and relationship satisfaction and positive communication after sex is often a direct result of the quality of the sexual experience. 


In a study by Amanda Denes, 200 college students involved in a sexual relationship, both casual and committed, completed a survey after having sexual intercourse. The participants answered demographic questions, described the nature of the sexual activity, answered whether or not they orgasmed, and for women if the orgasm was clitoral or penile-vaginal. Additionally, the participants completed a checklist of certain sexual acts they did or did not do, including hugging, kissing, oral sex, and hand stimulation. Next, the students answered what kind of verbal communication they had during sex, and after sex, and rated whether it was positive or negative. Finally, the participants responded to questions on relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment and love, trust, closeness, and whether or not they have regrets in regards to disclosing to their partners. 

The results of the study found how relationship status, communication during sex, and orgasm all effect sexual satisfaction and communication after sex. First of all, "positive relational disclosures after sexual activity are significantly and positively correlated with trust, relationship satisfaction, and closeness"(Denes). Second, women who orgasmed had more positive disclosures than men, and as the amount of positive disclosures after sex increased, so did both men and women's reports of "trust, relationship satisfaction, and closeness". Third, for the women who did orgasmed, whether the orgasm was from clitoral stimulation or pineal-vaginal intercourse, did not affect any results. Finally, "individuals in monogamous/committed relationships engage in more positive relational disclosures than those in open/casual relationships and have less feelings of regret and more relationship satisfaction after their positive relation disclosures following sexual activity." (Denes) 

So bottom line - sex is better for both people involved when both the male and female has an orgasm, saying positive things to your partner during and after sex will better the relationship, and sex is better with a close loved one compared to a casual partner. It seems like common sense or obvious information, but the emotions that individuals feel during and after sex are correlated with a hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin is best known for its role in female reproduction, but studies have found that this hormone is also released after stimulation of the nipples and genitals, and after orgasm. "Oxytocin evokes feelings of contentment, reductions in anxiety, and feelings of calmness and security around the mate. Additionally, it has been shown to correlate with human bonding, increases in trust, and decreases in fear"(Dixie, 2007). No wonder it's known as the "love hormone"! 

Everyone could use more of this hormone, and it's cool to know that you can get it through a positive sexual experience with someone you feel close, loving, and committed to. I think casual sex for many people is kind of a quick fix, but when you have the opportunity to be sexual with a loved one, it is sooo much more satisfying. 

Denes, A. Pillow talk: Exploring disclosures after sexual activity. Currently in press at the Western Journal of Communication. 

Meyer, Dixie (2007). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and their effects on relationship satisfaction. The Family Journal 15(4): 392–397.

Evolution Has the Answers

I will never stop being fascinated by the human brain and it’s capabilities. After taking my first psychology class during my senior year of high school, I looked at life from a whole new perspective. And when I took my first anthropology of human evolution class at UCSB, I realllllly looked at life in a whole new way. The evolution of human beings’ physical bodies and cultural life has all been dependent on the evolution of the human brain, which is dependent on natural selection. Why is this idea of evolution so controversial? Why do people chose to ignore amazingly interesting and thought provoking facts and information that explain why humans are the way we are?

Maybe it’s hard for me to imagine questioning evolution because I never grew up religious. I had the opportunity to be open minded about how life came to exist and never thought there was a simple answer to everything. Once I took classes like astronomy, anthropology, and psychology, there was really no way else to understand this crazy world and the creatures that live in it, except through an evolutionary lens. 

From an evolutionary psychology view, “the mind is a set of information-processing machines that were designed by natural selection to solve adaptive problems faced by our hunter-gatherer ancestors. This way of thinking about the brain, mind, and behavior is changing how scientists approach old topics, and opening up new ones” (Comsides & Tooby, 1997). Taking this perspective enables us to understand how humans with normal functioning brains are able to do certain things and behave in certain ways, which solved problems and increased the chances of survival for our ancestors.

For example, how is it that you can toss an apple to your friend and it flies perfectly in reach of their hand? Not only did you just judge their exact distance from you, but you also threw the apple in a perfect mathematical arch and with just the right amount of force for them to easily catch it. Consciously, throwing something seems so simple, but your brain had to evolve a very complicated neural circuitry in order to complete this action. Why did your brain evolve to pull this off? Because natural selection favors brain circuitry “that was good at solving day-to-day problems of our hunter-gatherer ancestors” (Comsides & Tooby, 1997). Those whose brains were able to solve such problems as finding mates, hunting food, and defending themselves against predators were the ones who survived. By surviving you are able to reproduce, and through reproduction you carry on your genes – the very genes that give your offspring the same mechanisms to problem solve. The act of throwing something the perfect distant, with the right arch, and the right force, was most likely favored by natural selection because this action allowed our ancestors to hunt animals with precision and success. While modern humans can pop over to the grocery store and have no need to spear a buffalo, the mechanism for hunting remains in our brains. “Evolution provides us with mechanisms within which the environmental influences may act” (Beaty, McCroskey, & Floyd, 2009). Because the evolution of neural circuitry is such a long process, our brain still has the precision to throw things, but the environment has caused us to use the mechanism for purposes other than hunting.

The beauty of science is that it always continues to seek the truth. As new information arises, what we thought we knew is reconsidered and adjusted accordingly. Before science, one might look up to the sky or the world around them and think, “how was this world created?” The easy answer is to believe that a magical higher power simply spun a wand and designed everything in mere moments; humans being one of those things. However, today we have such a vast amount of knowledge acquired through scientific research and evidence, that to conclude humans are able to toss an apple or throw a baseball because God made us that way is not only the easy route, but the foolish route. By studying evolution, and taking an evolutionary psychology perspective, understanding the human brain might be much more complicated, but it’s so much more fascinating.

Beaty, J. M., McCroskey, J. C., Floyd, K. (2009). Biological dimensions of communication. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press Inc.

Cosmides, L., & Tooby, J. (1997). Evolutionary psychology: A primer. Retrieved from UCSB, Center for Evolutionary Psychology Website: http://www.psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep
primer.html

The Odd Couple?

I often hear men call certain women “gold diggers”. It’s no lie that there are women out there seeking a man who will provide her with financial stability. However, if you ask a woman if she’d prefer love or money in a relationship, almost all will say love. Although most women are not solely seeking money when they chose a man, they are seeking men with qualities such as a sense of responsibility, organization, and stability. Why? Because these men are more likely to help a woman take care of a child.

According to evolutionary psychology, mammalian women have a better chance of reproducing and successfully passing on their genes if they select a male mate who proves himself to be fit. Proving strength and power shows the female that his genes are strong, and additionally shows her that he will be more equipped to help her rear her children.

Mating in most species is promiscuous, in which members of both sexes copulate with multiple partners throughout each mating period. However, for mammals promiscuity doesn’t ensure reproductive success as well as forming mating bonds. According to theorist Trivers, forming a mating bond evolved in mammals because mammalian females give birth to only a few number of young, who are slow to develop and cannot fend for themselves without the help of an older caretaker. Because of this, men are more inclined to stay with the female they copulated with in order to ensure that their offspring will survive.

When a human female becomes pregnant for nine months, there is no benefit (reproductively speaking) for her to mate with any other males besides the one she became pregnant from. You cannot pass on any genes and produce any more offspring when you already have a child growing inside you. Because of this, it’s understandable that women are attracted to men who have qualities and resources that will help her to successfully raise a child. When it comes to evolution, the whole point of our existence is to survive and reproduce.

But women aren’t the only ones who seek qualities to ensure reproductive success. Men are just as guilty as being attracted to and seeking specific qualities as well. It’s not a shocker that men love beautiful women. For men, youth and beauty are indicators of fertility, and therefore women with those qualities are more likely to pass on the men’s genes and be successful in producing a healthy child.

As humans, we are not so different from all other species in the sense that much of our life, in one way or another, is fueled by the desire to survive and successfully reproduce healthy offspring. Not all women live their lives seeking out a rich man, and not all men spend their lives trying to pass along their genes with a beautiful young woman. However, evolution has without a doubt shaped us to desire certain qualities in the opposite sex, qualities that better our chances of spreading our genes successfully.

Pinel, J.P.J. (2011). Biopsychology (8th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

Flowing

In the midst of the madness of alumni weekend, I had an interesting conversation with my friend Diego about the harsh realities of graduating college and getting a "real job". Diego, my best friend's boyfriend, moved to California from Costa Rica and graduated college with a degree in mechanical engineering. Luckier than most, after graduation he was offered a full-time, paid internship. "Working 60 hours a week really put into perspective the kind of job I don't want to have", Diego explained. "I wake up, drive to work, work all day, drive home, go to sleep, and the cycle continues. Although the job is fine, and I enjoy some parts of it, I'm missing the old aspects of my life that made me truly happy."

Diego was experiencing a bittersweet feeling, as he had just discovered that the company he was interning at decided not to hire him. In a way he was bummed out, but I could see his face light up at the thought of being free for a couple months. "I saved up some money to get me by for awhile. All I want to do is surf all day, every day", he said smiling. As I sat there next to him, he suddenly went off on a tangent about his obsession with surfing. Growing up in Costa Rica, surfing was always a part of Diego's life. Most of my guy friends surf, but Diego is on a whole different level. When the waves are bad, most surfer's couldn't be bothered by paddling out because it's more annoying than fun. For Diego, he'd surf rain or shine, small waves or big waves, windy or calm, any day, any time... if he could. He explained to me how even when the waves are s**t, he gets the greatest satisfaction from being in the water. "I don't care if it's so small that no one else wants to go out, or if it's so huge that it's scary. I make the most of it, and I get the greatest satisfaction from doing well when it's challenging." I immediately thought of flow theory from class and could tell his obsessive love and passion for surfing was a result of achieving that state of flow.

Flow theory began by Hungarian psychology research Csikszentmihalyi as an explanation of human's experiencing a feeling of perfect balance and happiness while doing an activity. When the human mind enters a state of flow, they are doing an activity in which it's level of challenge is a perfect match for the individual's skills. The person "in flow" gains intense control and focus of the activity they're doing and loses a sense of time and reality around them. They become mentally locked into the activity, focused only on the current actions and proximal goals of the what they are doing, and losing any feeling of self-consiousness. While amongst the activity they become consumed with a feeling of content happiness, as they feel they are successfully taking control and capable of achieving their goal.

For Diego, entering this state of flow is what makes his life worthwhile. What's funny is that his girlfriend Jessica complains about how the second he has free time he goes straight to the beach, and stays in the water for 4 to 5 hours. "How does he not get bored or tired out there!?" She'll complain to me. Well, according to flow theory he's in the zone and a normal conception of time just doesn't exist. You may have a boyfriend or girlfriend who is the same way. How can he play video games for 6 hours straight??? How can she go on a 10 mile run??? We wonder how people can become consumed by an activity that to us sounds annoying or boring. Everyone has different interests, different skill levels and different perceptions of what's challenging. Because of this, entering a state of flow depends on the person and the activity.  From surfing, to playing a video game, to being on the soccer field, or even writing a paper, once your brain's attentional and reward neural networks become synchronized during a challenging task, we enter this amazing state of flow.

Westcott-Baker, A. Lecture: Synchronization Theory of Flow. 4/27/11.