As long as they are good fakes, other people won’t know any different. Even so according to the journal of Psychological Science, “Although the wearer intends them to signal positive traits, wearing counterfeits can in fact send a negative signal to the self.”

So Gino et al. wondered if this has consequences for the self, like an increase in unethical behaviour. To test this out four experiments were carried out in which participants were given designer sunglasses and told in some conditions they were real and in other conditions fake—actually they were always real.

The results showed that, when told the sunglasses were fake, people behaved in more unethical ways than when told they were real. In one experiment, those wearing sunglasses they were told were authentic cheated on a task 30% of the time, while those told they were fake cheated 71% of the time. People even became more cynical, “…participants who believed they were wearing fake sunglasses interpreted other people’s behavior as more dishonest, considered common behaviors to be less truthful, and believed that others would be more likely to behave unethically.”

This suggested that people did feel less authentic when wearing the fake sunglasses, and this led to more unethical behaviour, which came as a surprise: “…when we asked a separate set of students [..] to predict the impact of counterfeits, they were unaware of the consequences for ethical behaviour.” So it seems for designer clothes, far from shrugging off inauthenticity, people sending fake signals about their wealth to others make themselves feel fake, with negative consequences for their behaviour.

This study could well have been commissioned by Gucci, Armani or any other brand (it wasn’t), but still it raises the question of whether these types of findings would extend into areas of everyday life unrelated to branding. Perhaps in general faking it cues feelings of inauthenticity and consequently unethical behaviour? Given this research, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Psyblog Understand Your Mind.

Approximately 1% of the population has, at one time or another, used self-inflicted physical injury as a means of coping with an overwhelming situation or feeling.

It’s important to remember that, even though it may not be apparent to an outside observer, self-injury is serving a function for the person who does it. Figuring out what functions it serves and helping someone learn other ways to get those needs met is essential to helping people who self-harm. Some of the reasons self-injurers have given for their acts include:

• Affect modulation (distraction from emotional pain, ending feelings of numbness, lessening a desire to suicide, calming overwhelming/intense feelings)
• Maintaining control and distracting the self from painful thoughts or memories
• Self-punishment (either because they believe they deserve punishment for either having good feelings or being an “evil” person or because they hope that self-punishment will avert worse punishment from some outside source.
• Expression of things that can’t be put into words (displaying anger, showing the depth of emotional pain, shocking others, seeking support and help)
• Expression of feelings for which they have no label – this phenomenon, called alexithymia (literally no words feeling), is common in people who self-harm.

People who self-injure often never developed healthy ways to feel and express emotion or to tolerate distress. Studies have shown that self-harm can put a person at a high level of physiological arousal back to a baseline state.

It’s natural to want to help people who self-injure develop healthier ways of coping when they feel overwhelmed, but it’s important not to let your discomfort with the concept of self-harm cause you to issue ultimatums, punish self-harming behaviour, or threaten to leave if the person self-harms again. Ideally, you should set boundaries to keep yourself feeling safe while respecting the person’s right to make his or her own decisions about how to deal with stress.

For more information about self harm, its causes and some common myths click here

The study was published in the March 2010 issue of the Psychological Bulletin, an American Psychological Association journal. It reports that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive thoughts and behavior, and decreased empathy and pro-social behavior in youths.

“We can now say with utmost confidence that regardless of research method – that is experimental, correlational, or longitudinal – and regardless of the cultures tested in this study [East and West], you get the same effects,” said Anderson, who is also director of Iowa State’s Center for the Study of Violence. “And the effects are that exposure to violent video games increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior in both short-term and long-term contexts. Such exposure also increases aggressive thinking and aggressive affect, and decreases prosocial behaviour”.

To read the full story click here . If you are a parent how do you feel about this research and its findings? Does it put you off buying violent games for your children? Or had you already made a decision to ban such games?

Neurotransmitters are biochemical substances which carry signals from one neuron to the next. These signals are sent via a complex web of synapses, which are essentially junction points between neurons. The role of neurotransmitters is important to us because they have a significant impact on our mental health. What are the types and what roles do they play?

Dopamine: involved in movement, attention and learning. Too much has been associated with schizophrenia, while too little has been associated with depression.

Acetylcholine: involved in learning, voluntary movement, sleep and memory. Too much has been associated with depression, while too little has been associated with dementia.

Epinephrine: involved in energy and glucose metabolism. Too little has been associated with depression.

Serotonin: involved in sleep, appetite, mood and impulsive and aggressive behaviour. Too little has been associated with depression and anxiety, although this can be treated with some anti-depressant medications such as SSRI’s. To read more about this click here

Norepinephrine: involved with alertness and eating. Too much has been associated with schizophrenia, while too little has been associated with depression.

GABA (Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid): inhibits excitement and anxiety. Too little GABA is associated with anxiety.

Endorphins: involved in feelings of pleasure and pain relief.

It is worth noting that these increases and decreases in certain neurotransmitters are one possible cause for the mental health issues described.

Psychologists believe that child run away syndrome is caused by stress and anxiety, and in the majority of cases it involves males. Many runaway children feel isolated and that they have little or no support. After escaping from the stressful situation the child will, in most cases, realise that they cannot survive without the emotional and financial support of their parents/guardians. At this point they will either return home, contact their parents/guardians directly, or try to let them know where they are surreptitiously. On return the child is likely to feel shy, embarrased, full of guilt and submissive. What can be done to help the run away child?

It is important to remember that children are fundamentally insecure and lack maturity, but this is all part of the process of growing up. If the family develops an environment where thoughts and feelings can be discussed openly the child may feel able to explore the stress they are experiencing and what is causing it. The child should not be told off for running away but gently encouraged to talk about how they feel. Their behaviour should be discussed rather than them as a person, so personal criticism such as “you are a bad child” should be avoided at all cost. Help the child to adopt healthier coping strategies when similar stressful situations occur. If the behaviour persists, or becomes more serious, professional help should be sought.

Common reasons for the stress that causes children to run away include feeling unloved, constant arguments between parents/guardians, sibling rivalry, the fear of being punished, school related anxieties or if susceptible to impulsive behaviour. To find out more go to runawaychild

In recent years we have all experienced an increase in the amount of time we spend stuck in traffic, sat staring at a computer screen both at home and at work, or plugged into our iPod or similar device. We are working longer hours and eating more convenience food. The extended family has broken down and we are much more likely to be able to live alone – the list goes on and on.

Were we really designed to live this way? If you look back over the history of the human race we used to live in close knit communities. Businesses would hold family days and you were less likely to work outside of your county. People lived and worked together in small communities. In the town where I live the last train crash happened 100 years ago. Local residents went to the train station to offer assistance, and in many cases helped people who had been stranded by giving them a bed to sleep in for the night. Would this happen today?

The truth is we have started to become hermetically sealed in our homes. We are never too far from the TV, the DVD, the computer or our mobile phone. Friendships and relationships have been replaced by screens and gadgets. We text, email or twitter rather than actually engage each other on a richer level. Yet all the while we claim that family and friendship is more important than money, status and technology.  So what are the consequences of this increase in social isolation?

Psychologists believe that increased isolation can lead to the onset of depressive illness and in some cases addiction.  In fact depression is on the increase year-on-year. So what can we do to break this cycle? Make a promise to yourself that from today your friendships and relationships will be your highest priority, and say it with conviction. Remind yourself that having personal and meaningful contact with friends and family can make life richer and more rewarding.