Notes from a Psychologist
Dr. Mel Whitehurst

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                                               CONCLUSIONS

Over 45 plus years as a psychologist, I have read an innumerable number of research articles and talked with thousands of patients regarding human problems.  The following are some of my conclusions about human behavior based on my research and experience with patients.
 
There is some, while sketchy, experimental evidence that direct mind-to-mind communication from one person is at least plausible.  Distant healing such as prayer and other forms of healing thoughts/prayers show a positive treatment effect in a limited number of research studies.

If your physician personally believes the medical treatments he/she prescribes will work, patients will improve more than when your physician is doubtful.  Find a physician who believes in the treatments he/she recommends.

As people get older, they tend to get quicker at processing negative emotions, resulting in lower anxiety levels. 

Most people when directly confronted with proof that they are wrong, do not generally change their point of view or course of action but justify it even more tenaciously. 

People love to get even. Given the opportunity, most of us are generally more than happy to seek revenge if we think we will not get caught.  The results of revenge makes us feel better for the short-term but we will ultimately makes us feel worse as guilt tends to creep in.

The ability to elicit positive emotions is one the best predictors of success for a political leader.  “The first and most important goal of any political leader, then, is to associate the leader with positive feelings.

Political liberals and political conservatives are different.  Conservatives are more polite while liberals are more compassionate.  Liberals have a more sympathetic affiliation with others and conservatives a more reasoned approach affiliation.

People will stand up more forcefully for political beliefs that cannot be proven factually than for beliefs that can be demonstrated precisely by facts.

Individuals in the American population who more frequently endorsed cynical beliefs had comparatively lower incomes than less cynical.

Non-violent political movements are twice as successful as violent movements.

Everything is changing.  We must all be verbs.

Participation online in the cyber world increases anonymity and escalates disinhibition, giving people the mistaken illusion they are safe in the things they say or do. 

Reading the reduced cheating just before taking a test, reduced cheating.  Simply reading a moral code before undertaking a task increased honesty. 

Seniors are extremely susceptible to suggestions about aging.  Tell seniors that old people slowly lose their memory, don’t get around as well as in the past, gradually lose their intellect and they will respond by acting like it most of the time!  Tell a senior they can do just about anything they could do in the past their memory is good as ever…they are smarter than in the past….and they will act like it most of the time! 

Excepting injury or disease, the fact is with accumulated experience, seniors can in many situations out-perform those with less experience.  Our memory or intellect does not diminish with age unless we have disease or injury!

Happy and unhappy people tend to have similar life experiences, both good and bad.  However, the difference is that on the average, unhappy people spend more than twice as much time thinking about unpleasant events in their lives, while happy people tend to seek and rely upon information that brightens their personal outlook.

There is a general acceptance that deceased persons communicate with living individuals after death.  In after-death communication, an extremely high number of living individuals reportedly experienced positive direct contact with a deceased entity, usually someone with whom the living person had a personal relationship.

Singing, especially with others, has a strong tendency to elevate mood and increase self-esteem, while merely listening to music has minimal influence.

Carrying some money with you in your pocket increases a greater sense of well-being than when not carrying money.

It takes an extraordinary amount of emotional energy to keep a secret during social interactions. according to four university researchers.  Secret keeping generally has some harmful social effects.  It may increase guilt over not being honest, and fuels regret for keeping the secret. 

If you feel the need to shade the truth or simply pull the wool over somebody’s eyes in order to make a point or achieve a goal, talk faster than normal.  When people rapidly responded by talking faster they were viewed as more sincere.  Slower responding people were viewed as less genuine.  The success of prosperity gospel as a religious belief system is the ability to generate positivity in people, not in its theological teachings.

Political issues that gain attention, no matter how ridiculous, gain importance.

Hate speakers are more destructive than constructive.  Hate speech generally does not change attitudes, but increases polarization.  Groups or individuals attacked with hate speech will isolate themselves from the hate speakers, therefore, increasing schisms.

Consciously using positive words will elevate mood and consciously using negative words will lower mood. 

Making a private promise to yourself without anyone knowing, increases your chances of achieving that promise.

If political leaders can first cause you to feel insecure, threaten you with fear-loaded information, and then subsequently provide you with a solution that will take away the threat, you are considerably more likely to vote for them.

People will stand up more forcefully for beliefs that cannot be proven factually than for beliefs that can be demonstrated precisely by facts.

Being connected to others is much important to subjective well-being (happiness) than being rich.

People evaluate civil people more favorable than uncivil people.  Political leaders who were uncivil (discourteous) in speeches and debates are seen as less warm and less honest regardless of their political ideology

Happy people do not experience one success after another and unhappy people, one failure after another.  Happy and unhappy people tend to have very similar life experiences, both good and bad.  However, the difference is that on the average, unhappy people spend more than twice as much time thinking about unpleasant events in their lives, while happy people tend to seek and rely upon information that brightens their personal outlook.

It’s easier to fool you with fake news than with factual information.  Fake news, conspiracy theories, hate speech, junk science, and rumors require less effort to read and understand than real news.

Getting all the anger out, therefore, produces more anger.  Venting anger will reduce it temporarily, but the level of anger will soon return and the overall level of anger will actually go up. 

Slow walkers have greater markers of aging such as lower brain volume, lower mean cortical thickness, and higher incidence of small white matter lesions associated with small vessel disease. 

Behind every negative statement from anyone is a demand--something that person wants, a goal. 

Having a near-death experience will reduce your fear of death, strengthen belief in life after death, increase love for others and lessen concern for material gain, recognition of status.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the Season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the season of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.

Confessing minor weaknesses before others challenge them and then connecting them to your strengths can be turned into positive messages and increase perceived trustworthiness.

People get stronger when they take action. 

Trash talk is a behavior often used by athletes targeted at distracting an opposing player.  Trash talk increases athletes' self-motivation and sidetracks their opponents.

Each person has an individual destiny open to us if we choose to pursue it.  When we move toward our destiny life gets easier, but if we move away from our destiny troubles await us. 

Most people make up their minds first then search for supporting reasons.

People react faster to darker colors and slower to light colors.

Most people are satisfied with a choice when there are fewer choices. 

People are motivated to follow other people’s behavior. 

If you help someone they will feel the need to return the favor in kind sooner or later.  Furthermore, when you maltreat someone they will feel the need return the maltreatment sooner or later.

Being a positive force in other people’s lives will raise your level of happiness.

Silently sending positive thoughts to others will raise your level of happiness.

Pulling for the underdog increases your self-worth and self-confidence.
                      

Any time you encourage hope and positivity in another person, you’ve elevated that person’s world even though it may be only a millimeter.  

Some people spend most of their lives looking for bad news.  It they can’t find in on their own, they will listen for somebody else’s bad news.  Don’t become one of these pessimists, instead keep on the sunny side of life.

Send positive thoughts to others.  Experimental evidence, while sparse, has shown that healing thoughts from one person to another can be mentally transferred to improve another person’s health.  Distant healing such as prayer and other forms of healing thoughts show a positive treatment effect in a limited number of research studies. 

Stay away from negative people.  Negative people will inevitably drag you down.  If you cannot avoid negative people in your life, at least do not buy into or accept their negativity. 

Search for a person like this.  Do you know any person with a generous and kind heart and the rare ability to make you feel as if you were the only one in the room, a person who always has a kind word to say about everyone and is incapable of being unkind to anyone?  Through their actions do you know anyone that shows the importance of forgiveness, and the necessity of loving each other.  Most of all do you know anyone with a compassionate and gentle spirit. 

If you know anyone like this, immediately secure them as your mentor and friend.  Do your best to be imitate them.  If you don’t know anyone like this, keep looking until you find one.

Note: The above is a summary description from a remarkable woman’s obituary that I read in a local newspaper.  In my opinion, we should all aspire to be like her.  Anyone who possess her positivity can change the world.  I think this is a great example of a woman who demonstrated how to be happy.

Make a personal commitment to notice anything that inspires you.  Consciously look for inspirations add happiness and meaning to your life.  

If you stay politically neutral (on the fence), liberals will think you are conservative and conservatives will think you are liberal, therefore, eroding trust and cooperation.  Both sides will think you are up to something nefarious and can’t be trusted.  Get off the fence if you want more credibility.

Happy and satisfied people selectively pay more attention to positive things in the world than unhappy and dissatisfied.  Seeing the world through rose colored glasses actually has value. 

Smiling people get more attention and cooperation than unsmiling people.





     

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