Carol’s Summary:

A new study suggests children who spend more than two hours a day watching television or playing computer games may be at a higher risk for psychological problems, regardless of the child’s sex, age, stage of puberty, level of education, poverty level, or activity during the day.

Over 1,000 kids between the ages of 10 and 11 were asked to fill out questionnaires describing their mental states after watching television or gaming. The study found children who spent longer than two hours a day engaged in these activities raised the odds of having psychological difficulties by 60 percent.

The study also found that even though physical activity didn’t compensate for the damage done after watching television or gaming, psychological problems were further increased if the child had under an hour of physical activity a day.

Dr. Thomas N. Robinson of the Stanford University School of Medicine, says there needs to be further research comparing a control group of children who limit screen time with a group that does not limit screen time before being able to decipher if there is a correlation. Robinson is conducting related research and agrees his research is showing similar results that limiting screen time leads to reduction in weight and aggression in children.

What happens to students who have spent as many as twelve or more mind-numbing years in front of the T.V? This reminds me of one of my first coaching clients from ten years ago.  Her parents brought her to me after she graduated from high school because they couldn’t get her off the couch where she was glued to the TV.  In our first session I asked if she would be willing to turn off the TV for just one week. She agreed, shook my hand and left my office. One week later, she came back, eyes alive and full of stories about how she had spent her week. Three months later, she was enrolled in a fire science program, secured a job as an administrative assistant and moved into her own apartment. I am a big believer that getting students engaged to do meaningful work is the key to success.

Article: Mental problems rise with kids’ screen time: study

(Reuters Health) – More than two hours a day spent watching television or playing computer games could put a child at greater risk for psychological problems, suggests a new study.

Read the full article at: uk.reuters.com

Along with analytical and problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence is key to productivity. MIT recently conducted a study on brain activity surveying Buddhist monks, who for years have practiced meditation. They discovered that the frontal cortex of the brain, where emotions are regulated, is actually more developed in these Eastern meditators than most people’s, resulting in increased emotional and physical well-being.

For those of us strapped for time, a collection of studies titled “Destructive Emotions: How Can We Overcome Them?” by co-authors Daniel Goleman of Yale and the Dalai Lama suggests the following practices to develop emotional intelligence:

1. Introspection – the monitoring of one’s own mental states.
2. Meditation – taking time to notice and respond to a full range of emotions from the negative to the positive.
3. Seeing things from another person’s point of view – shows you how your own ego can be overly selfish or arrogant and opens up new solutions.
4. Practicing compassion - opening the heart.

As workers and citizens, perhaps we can use some of these proven techniques from the East to bring more meaning and contentment to our Western world.

Carol’s Summary:

Research has found that the old advice to study in the same, quiet workspace with the same study schedule may be an ineffective way to get the most out of your study time. Psychologists believe adding variety to a study routine makes learning more effective. When you are studying, the brain is subconsciously making subtle connections between the study material and the background sensations, which is thought to enrich the information, making you less likely to forget.

Psychologists also recommend spacing study sessions, like studying one hour tonight, one tomorrow and one this weekend. Retention is more effective because every time the student has to relearn pieces of information, the knowledge is reinforced from the last study session before piling on new information. The same effect comes into play when someone has to dig for information when taking a test. Researchers call it “desirable difficulty” which translates to:  the harder something is to remember, the harder it will be to forget once the material is revisited. These studies show students should be pushed to love difficulty and thrive in an environment enriched with diverse learning, peppered by mini-tests, quizzes, essays and on-the-spot oral reviews. Encouraging students to have diverse minds will help prepare them for the world of work where much of the chaos has to be ordered on a daily, hourly and by the minute.   LifeBound’s curricula feature many ways to test students–multiple choices, essay, true/false, fill in the blank and oral review–so that students can test what they know in diverse ways.  We applaud the concept of “desirable difficulty” and think it has many applications for success in school, career and life.

Article: Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits

Every September, millions of parents try a kind of psychological witchcraft, to transform their summer-glazed campers into fall students, their video-bugs into bookworms. Advice is cheap and all too familiar: Clear a quiet work space. Stick to a homework schedule. Set goals. Set boundaries. Do not bribe (except in emergencies).

To read the full article: nytimes.com