6. October 2009 by John Schinnerer.

The video of this 1-year-old dancing to Beyonce’s Single Ladies video cracks me up. He has fantastic moves for a toddler!

Posted in Emotion & learning, Music psychology, Emotional mind, Positive mood music, Happiness | Print | No Comments »

6. October 2009 by John Schinnerer.

November 21, 2009

Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center

San Ramon, CA

Top Experts Explore Techniques to Maximize Your Child’s:

• Academic Performance
• Interpersonal Skills
• Self Esteem
• Health
• Hidden Talents
• And Much More!

LIVE Event Speakers!

Jack Canfield
Self-Esteem Expert & Best Selling Author: Chicken Soup for the Soul Series
Topic: Raising Children with Positive Self-Esteem

Terri Khonsari
Founder of Great Parenting Academy & Best Selling Author: Raising A Superstar
Topic: Raising A Well Balanced Child: Happy, Healthy, Responsible and Successful

Dr. Brenda Wade
Child Psychologist & Best Selling Author: Power Choices: 7
Signposts on Your Journey to Wholeness; Love Lessons
Topic: Discover Your Child’s Unique Genius

Janet Attwood
Educator and Best Selling Author: The Passion Test
Topic: Helping Your Child Find His / Her Passion and Live a Passionate Life

This may be a great full day seminar to check out for parents in the San Ramon Valley. I just got off the phone with Terri. Sounds like time well spent!

All the best,

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Positive psychology coach

Guide To Self, Inc.

Posted in San Ramon CA, National speakers, Raising optimistic children, Parenting, Happiness | Print | No Comments »

6. October 2009 by John Schinnerer.

October 5th, 2009  PhysOrg.com

‘Scientists have long struggled to understand the body’s biological clock. Its tick-tock wakes us up, reminds us to eat and tells us when to go to bed. But what sets that circadian rhythm?

New research now shows that daily fluctuations in powerful hormones called glucocorticoids directly synchronize the biological clock as an integral part of our mechanism for regulating blood sugar.

“The most surprising part of our findings is that our internal biologic rhythms are embedded directly into another pathway, one that is essential to regulate metabolism,” said senior study author Brian Feldman, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pediatric endocrinology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Feldman also practices at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

The new findings give the first in vivo evidence of a direct link between glucocorticoid hormones and genes that regulate our biological clock. The research may eventually help doctors reduce disabling side effects of glucocorticoid drugs such as prednisone, Feldman said. The work could also help diabetics control their blood sugar levels and may shed light on why night-shift workers are at risk for obesity and diabetes.

The study will be published online Oct. 5 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Feldman worked previously at the University of California-San Francisco, where much of the research was conducted.

The result shows that blood sugar regulation and the biological clock are closely entwined.

The close link between daily cycles of glucocorticoids, the body’s daily rhythms and blood sugar fluctuations should prompt doctors to examine how they use glucocorticoid drugs, Feldman said. For instance, prednisone is a powerful immune-suppressing glucocorticoid used to treat everything from severe asthma to cancer. Unfortunately, its side effects include poor regulation of blood sugar, weight gain and diabetes.

“Some very simple modifications in how we use glucocorticoids may change whether these drugs cause diabetes,” Feldman said. Giving prednisone in a daily pattern that matches the body’s natural glucocorticoid cycle — with a daily peak in the early morning — might help solve the problem, he said. And because prednisone is already approved for human use, clinical trials of this idea would be fast and simple.

Feldman’s findings might also be applied to aid people who already have diabetes, possibly making it easier for them to artificially control their blood sugar with medications. And the work provides the beginnings of a concrete explanation for the down side of night-shift work.

“We know that disturbed sleep patterns predispose people to metabolic syndrome,’ or a combination of obesity and elevated diabetes risk, Feldman said. ‘But our molecular understanding has been poor. Now we’re fleshing out the beginnings of those molecular details.’

Source: Stanford University Medical Center (news : web)

 For full article click here.

Have a happy day!

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Positive Psychologist

Danville CA 94526

Posted in Danville CA, Circadian rhythms, Neuropsychology, The human brain, Guide to Self, Happiness, Dr. John Schinnerer | Print | No Comments »

6. October 2009 by John Schinnerer.

ScienceDaily (Oct. 5, 2009) — Sitting up straight in your chair isn’t just good for your posture – it also gives you more confidence in your own thoughts, according to a new study.

Researchers found that people who were told to sit up straight were more likely to believe thoughts they wrote down while in that posture concerning whether they were qualified for a job.

On the other hand, those who were slumped over their desks were less likely to accept these written-down feelings about their own qualifications.

The results show how our body posture can affect not only what others think about us, but also how we think about ourselves, said Richard Petty, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at Ohio State University.

“Most of us were taught that sitting up straight gives a good impression to other people,” Petty said. “But it turns out that our posture can also affect how we think about ourselves. If you sit up straight, you end up convincing yourself by the posture you’re in.”

Petty conducted the study with Pablo Briñol, a former postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State now at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Spain, and Benjamin Wagner, a current graduate student at Ohio State. The research appears in the October 2009 issue of the European Journal of Social Psychology.

For full article, click here.

All the best!

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Positive Psychology Coach

Danville, CA 94526

Guide To Self, Inc.

Posted in Danville CA, National speakers, Positive expectations, Employee engagement, Body posture & the mind, Awareness, Mindfulness, Happiness, Guide to Self, Consciousness, Subconscious mind, The human brain, Dr. John Schinnerer | Print | No Comments »

6. October 2009 by John Schinnerer.

Haas School of Business study - many business people report purposefully exaggerating their anger to negotiate a better deal but paid later in lowered reputation (person who used anger knowingly later viewed as more volatile, unstable and unapproachable). Eduardo Andrade and Teck-Hua Ho

UCLA Study - people who meditate 5 to 40 years have greater development in certain brain areas. They have a larger hippocampus and right OFC (orbito-frontal cortex). This translates to greater clarity of thought, a higher degree of emotional regulation and a better ability to maintain perspective during trying times.

UC Berkeley Psychology Study - Dacher Keltner & Mike Kraus discovered that individuals can readily figure out a person’s socioeconomic status merely by watching them converse with another person. Those who hail from a less affluent background tend to maintain eye contact, nod their head in approval, and raise eyebrows in response to comments from others. The more affluent tend to mess with their hair, engage in self-grooming, and fidget with objects such as watches, cell phones and jewelry. Interestingly, those from less affluent backgrounds were more engaged with and focused on the subject matter of the conversation.  In other words, they were more polite and active listeners. Those from affluent background, on average, behaved in inattentive and impolite ways.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!
John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Positive Psychology Coach

Guide To Self, Inc.

913 San Ramon Valley Blvd. #280

Danville, CA 94526

Posted in Assertiveness, Mindfulness, Resiliency, Awareness, National speakers, Emotion & productivity, Danville CA, Relationships, The human brain, Dr. John Schinnerer, Business & psych, Staying calm, Emotional management, Men's emotions, Anger Management, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »