26. August 2009 by John Schinnerer.

Psycho Humor 

Q: How do crazy people go through the forest?

A: They take the psycho path.

The Bill from the Vet

A man rushes his limp dog to the veterinarian. The doctor pronounces the dog dead. The agitated man demands a second opinion.

The vet goes into the back room and comes out with a cat. The cat sniffs the body and meows. The vet says, “I’m sorry, but the cat thinks that your dog is dead, too.”

The man is still unwilling to accept that his dog is dead.

The vet brings in a black Labrador. The lab sniffs the body and barks. The vet says, “I’m sorry, but the lab thinks your dog is dead, too.”

The man finally resigns to the diagnosis and asks how much he owes. The vet answers, “$650.”

“$650 to tell me my dog is dead?” exclaims the man.

“Well,” the vet replies, “I would only have charged you $50 for my initial diagnosis. The additional $600 is for the cat scan and lab tests.”

Posted in Psychology humor, Men's emotions, Happiness, Dr. John Schinnerer, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

21. August 2009 by John Schinnerer.

Via Ken Pope

*Science*: Neuropsychogy of Resilience & emotional trauma; predicting how people respond to stress

Tomorrow’s issue of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s journal *Science* (21 August 2009. Volume 325, Number 5943) includes an article: “The Telltale Amygdala.”

Here are some excerpts:

[begin excerpts]

Brain scans of Israeli paramedics suggest that it’s possible to predict how well an individual will respond to stress.

Scientists at Tel Aviv University have performed an unusual prospective study to see if they could identify brain differences between emotionally resilient people and those who respond poorly to traumatic events.

<snip>

They scanned them with functional magnetic resonance imaging while flashing photographs of military medical scenes.

The recruits were also scored on stress-related symptoms such as anxiety and difficulty sleeping.

Eighteen months later, all the paramedics had been through rough emotional experiences dealing with combat casualties.

The scientists, led by brain imager Roee Admon, again put them through the brain-scan experiment.

Reporting online 5 August in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers found that the paramedics who reported the largest increase in stress symptoms had also showed the most activity in the amygdala–the seat of fear in the brain–in the first test.

<snip>

The study shows that these factors “can be sensitively identified with brain imaging in otherwise healthy subjects,” says psychiatrist Amit Etkin of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

Remain resilient. Bounce, baby, bounce.

Have a wonderful weekend!

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Guide To Self, Inc.

Posted in Emotional management, Resiliency, Overcoming failure, Emotional mind, Anxiety, Dr. John Schinnerer, Emotional IQ, Managing stress | Print | No Comments »

19. August 2009 by John Schinnerer.

As you know, I write occasionally about the effect of music on our mood and emotions. Here is a wonderful, bouncy song by Great Big Sea that has a strong chance of lifting your spirits, buoying your mood and making you smile. It doesn’t get much better. Enjoy!

A Wonderful Wednesday to You All!

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.
Positive Psychology Coach, Entrepreneur, Author, Radio Show Personality, National Keynote Speaker

Posted in Hope, Music psychology, Emotion & learning, Danville CA, Resiliency, Positive mood music, Dr. John Schinnerer, Guide to Self, Emotional IQ, Happiness, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

17. August 2009 by John Schinnerer.

Sony Computer Entertainment America has filed patents for software which is able to recognise emotions, including, laughter, sadness, joy, anger and boredom.

Uncovered by Siliconera, the patents are not limited to home consoles, although artwork filed by Sony depicts a PlayStation 3 and Bravia TV.

The patents may be related to Sony’s PlayStation 3 motion-tacking technology, first revealed at E3 this year, which follows player movement and can detect facial expressions as well as spatial recognition.

The technology also sounds similar to Microsoft’s Project Natal, and in particular Lionhead’s demo of Milo and Kate – software that as well as following movement, can detect emotional responses through facial and voice recognition.

Full article is available here

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/sony-patents-reveal-emotion-recognition-software

Have a wonderful week!

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Guide To Self, Inc.

Danville CA

Positive Psychology Coaching

Posted in Emotion and technology, Emotion & learning, Emotion recognition software, Emotional management, Emotional mind, Dr. John Schinnerer, Happiness, Depression, Measuring emotions | Print | No Comments »

11. August 2009 by John Schinnerer.

Here is a great clip to keep you laughing…

Keep smiling!

I feel good!

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.
:>)

Posted in Psychology humor, Men's emotions, Gratitude, Curiosity, Emotion & learning, Emotional management, Emotional mind, Dr. John Schinnerer, Creativity, Guide to Self, Happiness, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »