NAMI Cobb 2020 Leadership Team

President – Peter Lyons lyonspeterm2@gmail.com Secretary – Rebecca Forester rcforester@yahoo.com Treasurer – Jim Williams Jwilliams007@comcast.net CIT/Newsletter Editor – John Avery namicobbnewsletter17@gmail.com Website Chair/Email - Allen Spetnagel website.namicobb@gmail.com Outreach Co-Chair – Adrienne McGahee-Jackson acemcgahee@gmail.com Outreach, Events Co-Chair - Tiffany Welch auburnaka@hotmail.com Education Chair— Melissa Pike mpike1@att.net Director of Programs - Neill Blake programs.namicobb@gmail.com Hospitality Chair – Debra Howard hospitality.namicobb@gmail.com Communications Co-Chair – Tiffany Conyers tiffanytconyers@gmail.com Communications Co-Chair – Lawrence Forester realtorforester@gmail.com Membership/Advocacy Chair - Donna Hook donnagibbshook@gmail.com Helpline Volunteer/Phone – Sylvia Oliphant sao66@yahoo.com Volunteer Coordinator – Paul Miner pminer@bellsouth.net NAMI Walks Cobb Co-Captains Linda Hicks John Hicks Website: www.namicobb.org Email: NAMICobb1@gmail.com Mailing address: NAMI-Cobb P.O. Box 999 Kennesaw, GA 30156

IN S I DE TH I S IS S U E 1 Monthly Meeting

2 President’s Newsletter

3 NAMI Cobb News

4 NAMI Cobb Support Groups

5 Community Health Expo

6 NAMI Cobb Paintfest

7 Keeping Kids Safe

8 6 Ways Music Can Alter Our State of Mind

10 Shock therapy safe, effective for tough-to-treat depression

12 What You Watch Matters

14 What Is Cognitive Kindness?

16 Meeting and Membership Information

Newsletter Date Volume 1 Issue 1 AUGUST 2021 FRESH START

Next IN Person Educational Meeting August 19, 2021 7:00-9:00 PM

Tommy Nobis Center 1480 BELLS FERRY ROAD,

MARIETTA, GEORGIA 30066-6014

Speaker: Kim Jones, Executive Director, NAMI Georgia

Subject: NAMI GA Update - Advocacy, Conference, Walk

In Person support groups and educational meeting

will resume in August. Contact your program director for more information. programs.namicobb@gmail.com

Page 2 Fresh Start

President’s Letter August

August is an exciting month for NAMI Cobb. This month we move back to in person meetings, and we have a wealth of activities planned. August 2nd will be the first in person meetings of our two weekly support groups in over a year. Connection Support is for those with a mental health condition, and Family Support is for their families and friends. I want to thank our many Connections Support leaders who have kept this valuable community service running on the Zoom Platform for over a year. I also want to thank Jan Hemmings and Jim Williams who have run the Family Support Group every Monday with occasional help from Sylvia Oliphant. Sylvia also helps facilitate the NAMI Family Support Group for family members and friends of incarcerated loved ones living with mental illness.

On August 7th from 11 am to 2 pm, NAMI Cobb will host a table at the Switzer Library for their Community Health Expo. Over the last year NAMI has developed a partnership to provide mental health information to our community through the Cobb County Public Library system. On August 10th from 10 AM to Noon, NAMI Cobb will have a Paintfest event. We will be painting a large mural at the Foundation for Hospital Arts which will then be donated to the Cobb County Community Services Board Outpatient Services.

On the third Thursday of the month, NAMI Cobb will resume our in person Monthly Educational Meetings. Kim Jones, Executive Director of NAMI Georgia will be our speaker. Her presentation will include updates on NAMI GA Activities including the NAMI Walk, the NAMI GA Conference, and Advocacy.

We are delighted to begin offering in person meetings again! However, we must still be vigilant in our response to Covid 19 and pay close attention to Covid 19 procedures in place where we meet. Although there has been an uptick in cases with the Delta variant, new cases and in particular hospitalizations remain a small fraction of what they were. It is extremely important for older people and anyone in a high-risk category due to medical conditions, including obesity, to get vaccinated. Being in the older category myself, most of the people I know have been vaccinated. Perhaps a positive byproduct of Covid 19 will be more emphasis on exercise and a healthy lifestyle both of which improve your immune system and reduce your risk from Covid 19. Please look elsewhere in this newsletter, and at NAMICobb.org, for further information on our many in person August events

Peter Lyons President, NAMI Cobb Affiliate

Fresh Start Page 3

Educational Meeting, Thursday, August 19, 2021, at 7 PM

Speaker: Kim Jones, Executive Director, NAMI Georgia

Subject: NAMI GA Update - Advocacy, Conference, Walk

This event is a FREE community service; all are welcome!

August 19, 2021, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Tommy Nobis Center

1480 BELLS FERRY ROAD, MARIETTA, GEORGIA 30066-6014

As of 7/23/2021, Tommy Nobis Center Covid-19 protocols:

• Before entering the building, there will be a temperature screen • Each visitor should wear a mask in common areas • Each visitor should observe social distancing

Meeting contact: NAMI Cobb President Peter Lyons < lyonspeterm2@gmail.com>

Page 4 Fresh Start

NAMI Cobb Support Groups In-person meetings resume August 2, 2021

They meet from 7-8:30 p.m. every Monday at: First Presbyterian Church of Marietta 189 Church Street Marietta, GA 30060

Connections Peer Support Group Room 049

Family support Group Room 053 Our support groups will return to in-person meetings beginning this week! It will be wonderful to see everyone after holding virtual groups for such a long time. There are a few things to be aware of:

Flexibility is the name of the game! With Covid variant cases on the rise, our in-person meetings may not last for long, but we will continue as long as the church allows us to meet there. If necessary, we will go back to virtual support groups.

The church where we meet (at no charge) follows CDC guidelines regarding the Covid pandemic. All adults not fully-vaccinated are still required to wear masks when entering the building. It is now recommended that fully-vaccinated individuals also wear masks while indoors.

Connections Peer Support Group will meet downstairs in the same room as before - room 049.

Family Support Group will also meet downstairs but in a larger room than before. The new room number is 053.

A huge thank you goes out to our facilitators who made the extra effort and commitment to serve our community virtually when we were unable to have in-

person meetings.

Fresh Start Page 5

NAMI Cobb information table August 7th from 11 am to 2 pm at the Switzer Library Health Expo

Community Health Expo at Switzer Library August 7

Cobb County Public Library is presenting the Community Health Expo at the Charles D. Switzer Library, 266 Roswell Street in downtown Marietta, on Saturday, August 7 from 11 am to 2 pm. The Expo will feature physical and mental health resources offered in the Cobb community by organizations engaged in promoting improved quality of life, said Renate Elliott, supervisor of the library’s Accessibility Services Department. The drop-in program is free and open to the public; no registration is required. Georgia Mobile Audiology, a program of the state Department of Education, will provide free hearing screenings for children during the event and share information with parents and providers on positive language and literacy outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. “The Mobile Audiology team is on the road to address barriers of healthcare access of underserved deaf and hard of hearing children and provide critical support for families facing hearing loss challenges,” Elliott said. “We are very glad for this opportunity to elevate conversations and awareness of audiological services in our community.” Participating organizations in the Expo also include Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Safe Kids Cobb County, NAMI Cobb, Cobb Community Services Board, and Cobb Senior Services. The Expo is intentionally designed to introduce organizations providing a range of resources for health, including behavioral challenges and developmental disabilities, and will be empowering for Cobb adults and children seeking wellness and safety net services, library officials said. For information on the Community Health Expo and resources of the Cobb County Public Library, visit www.cobbcounty.org/library or call 770-528-2320.

Page 6 Fresh Start

NAMI Cobb Paintfest

Tuesday, August 10, 2021, 10 AM to Noon

At our Paintfest event we will be painting the mural below at the Foundation for Hospital Arts which will then be donated to the Cobb County Community Services Board Outpatient Services, on County Services Parkway in Marietta. Our group of 6 -24 people is scheduled for Tues. ~ August 10 ~ 10:00am -12:00pm

You must reserve your spot to participate in this activity. Please reserve your spot by sending an email with your contact information to namicobb1@gmail.com. Total participants can not exceed 24, so reserve your spot at namicobb1@gmail.com as soon as possible. You will be notified whether or not you were able to reserve a spot. The full mural is 4 feet high and 5 feet wide, consisting of 6 panels. Two participants will paint each panel. The black lines of the drawing will already be on the panel. All materials will be provided.

STUDIO DIRECTIONS: Please note spelling of Centre

Foundation for Hospital Art 131 Village Centre W (West)

Woodstock, GA 30188

678-324-1695

Located in THE MILL Office Park behind Aldi’s on Hwy 92. (Aldi’s is between Advance Auto Parts & Public Storage). We are the 2 story, darker brick building. Our signs are high on the sides of the building as well as over the front door. We are on the main floor of the building ~ Suite #100.

Fresh Start Page 7

Page 8 Fresh Start

6 Ways Music Can Alter Our State of Mind How does music shift our emotional state?

Shahram Heshmat Ph.D. Apr 22, 2021

KEY POINTS • Music manages our moods, memories, and motivations. • Pleasurable music activates pleasure and reward system. • Music leads to bonding between groups who are together for any purpose.

Our everyday states of mind (or transient conditions) shape how we think, feel, and act. Each state uniquely influences perceptions, thoughts, feeling, memory, motivation, interpersonal interactions, and the sense of self at that moment. Over time, repeated states become an enduring aspect of our character and behavior (Putnam, 2016). However, we mostly ignore the influence of any particular state that we are in at the moment. Music is an easy way to transform our mood. For example, calming music can reduce physiological symptoms of anxiety thereby activating a relaxation response. 1. Stress management. Music provides calmness and relaxation. Music listening is strongly associated with stress reduction by the decrease of physiological arousal as indicated by reduced cortisol levels, lowered heart rate, and decreases in mean arterial pressure (de Witte et al., 2020). Similar to meditation practices, music listening is linked to significant improvements in mood and sleep quality (Innes, 2016). For example, music with a slow steady rhythm, such as meditative music, is shown to provide stress reduction by altering inherent body rhythms, such as heart rate, resulting in greater relaxation. 2. Emotional effects of music. Music can evoke a wide range of feeling states, such as exuberance, compassion, or tenderness (Cowen et al., 2020). For example, the “Star-Spangled Banner” stirs pride, Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” makes some people feel energized, and “The Last Song” by Elton John triggers sadness. 3. Musical pleasure. Music has the ability to evoke powerful emotional responses (chills and thrills) in listeners. Positive emotions dominate in musical experiences. Pleasurable music may lead to the release of neurotransmitters associated with reward, such as dopamine. Dopamine releases driven by music can increase the attractiveness of the surrounding environment and the motivation to pursue and desire positive feelings. Positive feelings tend to broaden our mindset in ways that are beneficial to health and creative thinking. 4. Social bonding. Music is thought to be the social glue that enhances cooperation and strengthens feelings of unity. Music triggers the hormones oxytocin and serotonin, responsible for bonding, trust, and intimacy (Levitin, 2010). Social isolation and feelings of loneliness can be reduced simply by listening to music.

Fresh Start Page 9 5. Music and time perception. Music is a powerful emotional stimulus that changes our relationship with time. Time does indeed seem to fly when listening to pleasant music. Music is therefore used in waiting rooms to reduce the subjective duration of time spent waiting or in supermarkets to encourage people to stay for longer and buy more (Droit-Volet, et al., 2013). Hearing pleasant music seems to divert attention away from time processing. For example, consumers spend more time in the grocery store when the background music is slow. Music keeps workers happy when doing repetitive and otherwise boring work. 6. Music as a trigger for craving. Music is commonly found in substance-using contexts. Music can act as an auditory cue for cravings in adults with addiction (Short and Dingle, 2015). For example, an individual who has repeatedly smoked cannabis while listening to reggae music may experience cravings for cannabis when s/he hears reggae music during a period of treatment. In sum, emotion is a fundamental aspect of musical experience. Music can regulate mood (cheer us up or calm us down), reflect feelings, enhance group cohesion, and influence shopping decisions. References

Cowen, A.S, X. Fang, D. Sauter, D. Keltner, What music makes us feel: At least 13 dimensions organize subjective experiences associated with music across different cultures. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117, 1924–1934 (2020).

Innes, KE, Selfe, TK, Khalsa, DS, and Kandati, S. A. (2016) Effects of Meditation versus Music Listening on Perceived Stress, Mood, Sleep and Quality of Life in Adults with Early Memory Loss: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. 2016. J Alzheimers Dis. 52 (4): 1277-1298.

Droit-Volet S. et al. (2013), Music, emotion, and time perception: the influence of subjective emotional valence and arousal? Front. Psychol., 17.

Levitin, D. J. (Ed., 2010). Foundations of cognitive psychology: Core readings, 2nd. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

Putnam Frank, (2016). The way we are. Ipbooks.

Short, A. D. L., and Dingle, G. A. (2015). Music as an auditory cue for emotions and cravings in adults with substance use disorders. Psychol. Music doi:10.1177/0305735615577407.

de Witte, M., et al., (2020). Effects of music interventions on stress-related outcomes: A systematic review and two meta-analyses. Health Psychology Review, 14 (2), 294–324.

Shahram Heshmat, Ph.D., is an associate professor emeritus of health economics of addiction at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Page 10 Fresh Start

Shock therapy safe, effective for tough-to-treat depression

by Amy Norton JULY 19, 2021

(HealthDay)—"Shock" therapy often helps lift severe depression, but fear and stigma can deter patients from getting it. Now a large new study is confirming the treatment's safety.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), as it's medically known, has been around for decades. For almost as long, it's been seen in a bad light—fueled by disturbing media portrayals like those in the 1975 film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

But today's approach to ECT is much different from decades ago, and it's now a recommended treatment for severe depression that does not respond to standard antidepressants.

The new study—recently published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry—adds to evidence that ECT does not raise the risk of serious medical complications.

Of more than 10,000 patients hospitalized with a serious depressive episode, those who received ECT were no more likely than other patients to die over the next month or end up in the hospital for a medical problem.

If anything, ECT might have saved some lives, the study found: Patients who received the treatment were less likely to die by suicide after their hospital discharge.

"I think this reinforces what we've known from less-systematic studies and from our own clinical experience," said Dr. Joshua Berman, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

"ECT is a very effective treatment," said Berman, who was not involved in the study. "And though it's not risk-free, it is generally safe."

ECT can have side effects, including short-term problems with memory and learning. Some patients end up with permanent memory gaps about past events.

But people often see the procedure as more dangerous. In one survey, 20% of respondents cited "fear of death" as a major concern with ECT, said study author Dr. Tyler Kaster, from the University of Toronto.

Fresh Start Page 11 Both he and Berman said negative media portrayals are one reason. In other cases, Berman said, people may have heard about a bad experience an older relative had with the treatment.

During ECT, electrodes are placed on the head to deliver small electrical pulses to the brain—intentionally causing a brief seizure. Years ago, that might be done without any medication, and some patients suffered injuries, including bone fractures, during the seizure.

But these days, ECT is performed under general anesthesia, and patients receive muscle relaxants to prevent seizure-related injuries.

A number of studies have indicated that ECT is similar to other "low-risk" medical procedures when it comes to complications.

The new research is more comprehensive—comparing ECT patients with other patients who were similarly depressed but did not have the procedure.

Kaster and his colleagues at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto analyzed medical records from more than 10,000 patients. All had been admitted to psychiatric hospitals in Ontario, Canada, between 2007 and 2017 with serious depressive episodes.

Half of the patients had received ECT, and they were compared with similar patients who had not undergone the procedure.

Of 5,008 ECT patients, the study found, 105 had a "serious medical event" within 30 days. That compared with 135 of 5,008 patients who did not receive ECT. Those events included non-suicide deaths or hospital admission for a medical complication.

Few patients died by suicide after leaving the hospital. But the risk was even lower after ECT: No more than five deaths were attributed to suicide in that group, versus 11 in the comparison group.

This study did not gage the effectiveness of ECT, Kaster said. But it's estimated that up to 80% of patients with severe depression see their symptoms substantially improve after ECT, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

That does not mean they are cured. Without ongoing care—such as medication and "talk therapy"—relapse is likely, Kaster said. Some patients receive "maintenance" ECT sessions over a longer period.

Researchers are not entirely certain why ECT works. But it seems to operate through multiple mechanisms, Berman said.

Studies have found the electrical stimulation can improve communication among cells in brain regions known to respond to antidepressants. Berman said ECT also seems to trigger the release of "neurotrophic" factors, which can help brain cells grow.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-07-therapy-safe-effective-tough-to-treat-depression.html

Page 12 Fresh Start

What You Watch Matters The neurochemistry of content can reshape our lives. Posted May 21, 2020

Source: by Chloe Barron This is a guest blog by Michael Phillips Moskowitz. Michael is the CEO of AeBeZe Labs, a behavioral health company working in partnership with the U.S. Air Force. He previously served as the first entrepreneurship fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, and the Global Chief Curator at eBay.

Restless. Lonely. Bored and blue. We all feel either warped or weary after weeks of quarantine and social distancing. What’s more worrisome is that the secondary shocks of COVID-19—alienation, unemployment, and broader uncertainty—might yet trigger the most severe mental health crisis on record. Researchers warn that the pandemic could inflict long-lasting emotional trauma on an unprecedented global scale. What comes next, in terms of how we will live, function, cope and connect, is not yet clear.

What is clear is that screens are now a constant in our lives as we turn to them for needed solace, relief, and distraction. Recent reports indicate that video game playing is already up 75 percent since the beginning of March, and content streaming has increased by 85 percent. Researchers estimate that Americans devour 12 hours and seven minutes of digital assets every day. On average. That’s more time than we devote to biological imperatives like eating, drinking, and sleeping—combined.

To protect and promote greater emotional resilience, we need far more structured approaches to (and awareness of) the impacts that the digital materials we consume have on us. Moods can slip or rise based on what we choose to watch or read. Taking stock is essential: Does this video make me uneasy, anxious, or sad? Does this film or television show make me feel joy? Hyper-selectivity when it comes to one’s time spent online is a critical first step on the path to better choices that serve the psyche. And that better serve society in turn.

It is our strong belief that content consumption shouldn’t be measured by volume or by frequency of exposure, but rather by the nature of the materials themselves. The contents of your content are paramount. What we choose to watch or listen to can actually make us less healthy, less resilient, and more vulnerable to stress, anxiety, and depression. A 2017 study published in Clinical Psychological Science surveyed around 500,000 adolescents in the U.S. and found increased rates of suicide and depression between 2010 and 2015 (more significantly in females). These increased rates were correlated with prolonged smartphone usage, time spent on social media, and other virtual

Fresh Start Page 13 content consumption. Mothers everywhere used to warn us that TV would rot our brain. Their admonitions, it turns out, had some merit.

Of course, not all content is toxic. Certain types of music, film, television, and digital media can deliver measurable psychological benefits. Many viewers wonder how High Maintenance manages to cast an intoxicating spell over audiences, making them feel eerily under the influence. Or when we watch segments of Planet Earth, why do certain sequences seem to nurse us into a state of semi-meditative calm? The answers lie in brain chemistry.

An ever-growing body of peer-reviewed literature demonstrates a correlation between certain types of digital materials and the release of specific mood-altering brain neurotransmitters. A 2019 study published by the University of Barcelona and New York University examines the impact of “curated” sounds on deep brain systems (like the striatum) that are responsible for regulating dopamine production. Similarly, we know that movie soundtracks and background music have been associated with the activation of these same reward pathways in the brain, as well as with our emotional response. (Ever watch a horror movie with the sound turned off? Not so scary anymore.) Pleasurable ‘skin tingling’ sensations that audio-video media on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram evoke have also been a hot topic in the world of neuroscience.

Does all of this mean that we should apply stricter limits to what we watch? Filter noise? Only tune into programs with a positive emotional rating, or that have a proven positive impact on our brains? This choice, we believe, is best left to consumers, but the ability to carefully and intelligently select nutritious digital materials—supported by research—is new, radically relevant, and, we believe, essential for audiences everywhere.

Cute puppy videos cannot be reasonably expected to cure clinical depression, but what they have been proven to do is trigger the release of oxytocin, the bonding and love molecule expressed during moments of real intimacy or physical caress. There are millions of terabytes of such content online—across every major platform—ready and available to self-administer like micrograms of medicine, with purposeful, positive dividends. What they need is proper labeling.

“Conscientious consumption” has already reshaped every corner of commercial life. Cereal boxes have clear and concise labels. Fast food restaurants display calories on their menus to aid decision-making. Labels also appear on vitamins, health supplements, medications sold over the counter, prescription drugs, and even mattresses. More recently, movie ratings on Netflix have evolved to include abbreviations that describe expected subject matter: N for nudity; AC for Adult Content; V for violence. It’s no longer farfetched to imagine, or demand, that all content come with an equally informative health label. Show us, tell us, what this will do to our mood.

If we apply the principles of careful measurement and mindful consumption, and extend them to the web, mobile apps, and streaming services, we can transform digital life and promote better health at scale. In order to have a significant impact on consumers’ well-being, what’s missing is a simple but robust framework: a digital nutrition table and labeling tool.

Entrepreneurs and educators throughout Silicon Valley, aided by clinicians at leading research universities, are working assiduously on a combination of digital literacy, digital hygiene, and digital nutrition. Short provisions of potent, therapeutic content can be tailored to improve specific mood-

Page 14 Fresh Start states. Some are starting to rely on a digital nutrition table, which deliberately resembles the Periodic Table of Elements. More work is required to make these tools commonly available, easily understandable, and applicable to every programmed moment of digital life in America.

This next period of our lives will require a tremendous amount of resilience. The right digital diet can help us meet these demands. Watch what you watch and see where it takes you. Self-awareness is a great way to take control of your health.

References

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/27/coronavirus-pandemic-could-inflict-long-lasting-emotional-trauma-ptsd.html

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gaming-usage-up-75-percent-coronavirus-outbreak-verizon-reports-1285140

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/490423-nielsen-records-85-percent-increase-in-americans-streaming-video

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-creativity-cure/202005/what-you-watch-matters

What Is Cognitive Kindness? It's time to prioritize being kind to our minds.

Karen Yu, Ph.D. and Warren Craft, Ph.D., MSSW Apr 12, 2021 KEY POINTS

• Our cognitive abilities and resources are among our most valuable individual and collective assets.

• Cognitive kindness honors our abilities to reason and understand, to imagine and create, to dream and design.

• We each have the ability and responsibility to empower the thinking of others.

Being Kind to Our Minds Valuable resources should ideally be requested and allocated intentionally. And while we're often at least aware of the importance of treating resources such as money and time with care, we often fail to even recognize the importance of doing so for what are arguably our most valuable individual and collective assets of all—our cognitive resources. The birth of modern-day cognitive psychology is often referred to as "The Cognitive Revolution." That revolution elevated the study of thought within psychology. We need nothing short of a new kind of cognitive revolution, one that elevates thinking not just within a field of study, but within our lives. A revolution centered on what we call cognitive kindness. Cognitive kindness is a generosity of spirit toward others’ minds and one’s own mind that proceeds from a fundamental valuing of our individual and collective cognitive abilities. Cognitive kindness calls our attention to our tremendous cognitive abilities—our abilities to reason and understand, to imagine and create, to dream and design, to envision and enact. Ideally, cognitive kindness is extended to

Fresh Start Page 15 others without the expectation of any particular return for ourselves. It’s about empowering the thinking of others. Cognitive kindness urges us to consider how we might apply what science tells us about how our minds work to all that we do and design, in ways that liberate and empower the full cognitive potential of each person. What could that look like? Let's consider one example. And because being effectively kind to the mind depends on an accurate understanding of how our minds work, let's begin with a research finding. Research Reveals: The Illusion of Transparency Studies suggest that people often overestimate the extent to which their thoughts, attitudes, and feelings are evident to others—a phenomenon termed the illusion of transparency. For example, participants induced to lie overestimated the extent to which others could tell that they were lying, and in another study, participants asked to drink samples of good-tasting and foul-tasting liquids overestimated the number of people who could tell which liquid they were drinking (Gilovich, Medvec, & Savitsky, 1998). From Research Toward Cognitive Kindness: Some Ideas Now, how might we take that research finding and apply it toward cognitive kindness—i.e., apply it in ways that ease and/or improve the thinking of others in our everyday lives? One Idea: Broadcast Your Intentions Imagine this: You're out for a walk and are about to cross the exit from a parking lot. You notice a car pull out of a parking space and approach the exit. You're not sure whether the driver sees you or is planning to stop; the driver may be wondering something similar about you. The illusion of transparency tells us that even if we think our intentions are obvious, they may not be. Why not broadcast your intention to walk behind and not in front of the vehicle by angling your body accordingly and walking deliberately in that direction? By doing so, you've substantially reduced the challenge for the driver of accurately anticipating your next move. You've just been cognitively kind in multiple ways: You've freed up cognitive capacity for the driver and increased the driver's predictive accuracy. Another Idea: Broadcast (or Even Exaggerate) Your Interest Now imagine you're attending a presentation that you're keenly interested in. You'd expect this would be obvious to the presenter. Yet you also know about the illusion of transparency. What might you do? Intentionally broadcasting—exaggerating even—indicators of your interest can liberate the cognitive capacity of a presenter who is trying to figure out whether the audience cares. Lean forward, nod your head, and make eye contact, perhaps with a bit more gusto than you might feel is necessary. References Gilovich, T., Medvec, V. H., & Savitsky, K. (1998). The illusion of transparency: Biased assessments of others' ability to read one's emotional states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(2), 332-346.

Karen Yu, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Sewanee: The University of the South. Warren Craft, Ph.D., MSSW has taught Psychology and Mathematics as a visiting assistant professor at Sewanee.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/choice-matters/202104/what-is-cognitive-kindness

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NAMI Cobb AUGUST 2021

P.O. Box 999

Kennesaw, GA 30156

TO:

Yes, I would like to join NAMI Cobb of Georgia! Date:____________________ Membership is for NAMI Cobb, includes NAMI Georgia and NAMI Annual Dues: Individual [__] $40.00 Open Door [__] $5.00 Household [__] $60.00 - List specific persons living at the same address. (Please note there has been a slight increase in membership fees nationally).

___________Donation (I would like to give an additional donation

to support NAMI-Cobb programming and outreach) Name(s):______________________________________

Address:______________________________________

_______________________________________

Phone: _______________________________________

Email: _______________________________________

� I am interested in volunteering. My skill is ________________________.

Support Group Meetings

For families of those with a mental illness

1st Presbyterian Church 189 Church St Marietta, GA

MONDAYS Time: 7-8:30 PM

Family Support Group Room 053

Connections Support Group Room 049

Contact Neill Blake at 770-427-5353 or nhblake@earthlink.net with questions

about either support group.

Next Monthly NAMI Cobb In-Person Education Meeting

August 19, 2021

7:00 PM

Our location is:

Tommy Nobis Center 1480 Bells Ferry Road

Marietta, GA 30066

**Please mail this form along with your check to:

NAMI Cobb, P.O. Box 999

Kennesaw, GA 30156

Thank you for your membership!