The Human Condition

trust and avoidance -

a journey

from ignorance to dependence;

cognitive dissonance at work in a familiar play-

The Human Condition

ACT I

Ignorance is Bliss When it Comes to Challenging Social Issues

By remaining unaware, people can justify trusting government, study finds

WASHINGTON—The less people know about important complex issues such as the economy, energy consumption and the environment, the more they want to avoid becoming well-informed, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

And the more urgent the issue, the more people want to remain unaware, according to a paper published online in APA’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology<sup>®.

"These studies were designed to help understand the so-called ‘ignorance is bliss’ approach to social issues," said author Steven Shepherd, a graduate student with the University of Waterloo in Ontario. "The findings can assist educators in addressing significant barriers to getting people involved and engaged in social issues."

Through a series of five studies conducted in 2010 and 2011 with 511 adults in the United States and Canada, the researchers described "a chain reaction from ignorance about a subject to dependence on and trust in the government to deal with the issue."</sup>

http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2011/11/ignorance.aspx

ACT II

Meanwhile-

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine are studying oxytocin -

In humans,

oxytocin enters the stage during hugging-

the pleasant physical touch scene,

as the supporting actor/ess in the part of the play-

The Human Sexual Response Cycle.

Part of altering the brain signals related to social recognitions,

whilst changing the firing of the amygdala,

-whose starring role is the processor of important emotional stimuli dialogue.

oxytocin -

a potential mediator of human social behavior.

"That’s why oxytocin is sometimes called 'the love hormone...

It's said that the eyes are the window to the soul…

they certainly are the window to the emotional brain.

We know that the eye-to-eye communication

—which is affected by oxytocin—

is critical to intimate emotional communication for all kind of emotions –

love,

fear,

trust,

anxiety."

Kai MacDonald, M.D., assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCSD.

http://oxytocincentral.com/2010/11/what-is-oxytocin/

Is 'IT' as simple as a chemical imbalance
playing the primal part of 'IT'S' woes?

Does 'IT' need a hug today?