Why We Love Our Pets

Have you ever wondered how people form such close relationships with their dogs? According to the article "Why We Love Our Pets: They're Just Like Us!", Melanie Greenberg explains that humans become close with their dogs because we tend to choose ones that are most like us, whether it be subliminally or intentionally. In order to objectively study the similarities between owners and their dogs, Greenberg looked at scientific findings and found out that some stereotypes about pet ownership turned out to be true.

One stereotype that was proven valid by the studies was that the more aggressive dogs belong to aggressive owners. Studies showed that aggressive dog breeds such as Rottweilers were most commonly owned by people who scored high on personality assessments that tested anger, aggression  and hostility. The author of this study noted that a possibility of this could be that people who live in bad neighborhoods are more aggressive and tend to choose guard dogs such as German shepherds.

Another stereotype that was proven true in a study is that dog owners and their pets look alike. In the study, researchers found that people were able to correctly match pictures of owners to their pets two-thirds of the time. The researchers believe that this may be an unconscious choice because humans have an "automatic distrust of dissimilar others." In the past, humans have had a tendency to trust other people who are similar to them and are "of their kind." Perhaps humans have a tendency to surround themselves with familiar nonhumans as well.

The reason behind all these similarities is simple. People tend to choose dogs that are like themselves just like we choose friends who we have similarities with. If people surround themselves with other people that are similar every day then why wouldn't they do the same when it comes to choosing a pet? What do you think? Do you think people tend to choose pets that are similar to themselves? If you have a dog, do you think you chose your particular dog based on possible similarities? Do you think you are anything like your pet? 

24/6

 From school, work, and college applications to sports and activities, IHA students certainly have busy lives. But is the constant activity actually hurting us rather than shortening our to-do list? In an interview with CNN Health, Dr. Matthew Sleeth explains that the mindset of 24/7 most people are living in now, is the reason our days feel too short to accomplish everything we want to. How many times have you heard someone in the hall say, “I didn’t have time to finish my homework” or “I got no sleep, I was up all night finishing my essay.” This hectic lifestyle can lead to depression, exhaustion, and anxiety, some of which we are familiar with at IHA. In his book, “24/6: A Prescription for a Happier, Healthier Life,” Dr. Sleeth explains why a “stop day” can solve most of these problems.

Not too long ago, life stopped on Sundays. Stores were closed and families had quiet days together; 30 years ago, “stop days” were common.  Now, life continues regardless of the day, and Dr. Sleeth believes this is the root of our problems. In Bergen County, stores selling non-essential items are closed, but everywhere else around us stores remain open. Each year there is a debate over the blue laws, and every year people vote to keep the malls closed on Sunday, but how long will this last and, really, how effective are the blue laws? Supermarkets are still open, the internet has made working from home over the weekend very easy, and students have universally declared that Sunday is homework day. If Sunday is no longer our “stop day,” what have we replaced it with?

We have replaced it with a 24/7 mindset, and a nation that has the highest rate of depression and highest number of work hours, according to the World Health Organization. We can think about it in terms of an IHA student. Monday through Friday we go to school, do our homework, and go to practice. Saturday, we go to practice, games, or rehearsal and then squeeze in time for friends. Sunday we do homework after sleeping late. This is a vicious cycle that needs to be broken by a “stop day.” This cycle, releases short-term and long-term hormones, meant to meet the stresses of everyday life. These hormones constantly keep us in the “fight or flight” mode and the continuous release of chemicals leads to depression and anxiety.  It’s as if you were given a large amount of adrenaline, which once it wears off leaves you completely exhausted. This is what we are doing to ourselves every day and the only way to stop it is to take a break. A real break, not the hour we take to watch our favorite show or the unavoidable nap we take once a week after school.

Dr. Sleeth believes that by taking a “stop day,” or stopping work for a day, we can reduce the amount of stress in everyday life and find that we really do have enough time to finish everything we need to. Snow days will then no longer seem like a God send and we can actually enjoy our breaks rather than just sleeping them away. Do you think a “stop day” is realistic for an IHA student? How effective do you think a “stop day” would be in terms of reducing stress and anxiety? Are there other ways to reduce stress and anxiety in our life, or is the answer really as simple as a taking a break?

New Year's Resolutions

        As we celebrated the New Year, we began to think about what our New Year's Resolution will be. Everyone usually comes up with an idea, but how many people are able to achieve their resolution? In the article "Solutions to Resolution Dilution," Sadie Dingfelder explores resolutions and ways in which we can stay true to them. 

       If you had to guess, what do you think that the top three resolutions are? According to the article, the goals to "lose weight, quit smoking and exercise regularly" are the top resolutions every year. All of these goals require people to change their behavior, so behavior psychologists use New Year's Resolutions as a way to study habits that help to change peoples behavior. The success of achieving your resolution does not depend on your goal, but instead on the actions you take. 

       In the article, psychology professor John Norcross shares the ways in which to have most success with your resolution. Some ways to be successful include "stimulus control--for example, avoiding a smoky bar after resolving to quit smoking--and reinforcement, or behaviorally contingent rewards," planning ahead of time, and avoid high-risk situations.  Norcross also stated that self-efficiency, " the belief that one can effect and maintain change" and the willingness to accept change helps to predict whether or not you will be able to complete your goal. 

     These behavior changing techniques are part of the transtheoretical model (TTM) of behavior change. I thought it was interesting how the behavior changing model used in clinical programs is also very applicable to self-initiated change. As I begin to work on my New Year's resolution, I am going to try to use some of the tactics mentioned in this article in order to achieve my goal. Norcross' research has concluded that "nearly 60 percent of people will drop their resolutions by the six-month mark, perhaps due to the persistence of old habits as well as reversion to earlier stages of behavior change." 

 What was your resolution this year? How will you achieve your goal? Do you think the techniques that Norcross discusses would work in order to help you achieve your goal? What other techniques can you think of to help achieve your goal?