A bad joke

What is the indication that you are an evil experimental psychologist? - Only the guys from the control group love you.

by Philipp

Toxoplasmosis and psychology

Toxoplasma can cause behavioral changes in animals and people. There is now a neurological proof that the parasite increases risky behaviour. Therefore the host animal takes more impulsive risky actions, die soon and can be eaten by other animlas, which then transport the parasite. A little bit creepy...

Economist´s audio report:

Dutch clinic helps alcoholics by 'binding them with beer'

'Open since last October, Centrum (Centre) Maliebaan in the central Dutch city of Amersfoort allows its residents to drink up to five litres of beer on the premises every day, with an hour between each 500 ml (half-quart) serving. It goes through nearly 4,000 half-litre cans every month, bought at wholesale prices and sold with no mark-up.
"Our main goal is to stop binge drinking: it is better for the individual and for his environment," the centre's psychiatrist Eugene Schouten told AFP on a recent visit to the centre, which he believes to be a first for Europe.'
view the AFP article

The idea sounds rational. Some psychiatrists mention that being guilty is a very important part of the alcoholic´s 'social role'. If drinking is allowed it´s much harder to feel guilty. "Here I can drink a beer in the morning without anyone laughing at me or calling me names," a patient says.

Anton Chekhov´s study of Sakhalin

Chekhov was not only an extraordinarily gifted writer, he was also one of the first 'self-made' Russian sociologists. His book 'The Island of Sakhalin' (1894) was a documentation of his extended journey to the far East of the Russian Empire. Sakhalin was a penal colony, dominated by prisons and settlements for 'free peasants' (those who already served their sentences).

Chekhov describes the alarming state of the penal system in the XIXth century Russia, the ways of living in penal colonies and a total moral degradation of  the settlers. He masterly analyses the economic system of the island where illegal activities can only help settlers to survive if there is no harvest. Total prostitution by women is a norm.

In order to collect personal impressions Chekhov was looking for a direct access to simple people and  so he arranged an impromptu population census. He tried to visit every house in every community. For the census he invented small cards to note basic demographic data for each person. Chekhov collected over 10000 of such personal cards and  so he have interviewed almost every person at Sakhalin.

The influence of the civilisation on indigenous people - the Ainu and the Nivkhs, is among the highlights of  the study. The birth rates of natives has been dramatically decreasing since the Russians settled down at the island of Sakhalin. Although the aborigines were healthier than the Russians and were not suffering from epidemics or wars, and though the local authorities were friendly or at least indifferent to them, the natives died out. The fact of the decreasing birth rates by indigenous peoples was also mentioned by Darwin in his 'Descent of Man'.
There migth be a psychosocial explanation for the extinction of natives. Even if the contact with the civilization increases the living standard and the medical care it often destroys traditional social structures and cause social stress. The fertility seems to be very sensitive toward it.

An Ainu man (about 1890) 

link to `The Island of Sakhalin´ (in Russian)

Let´s start...

I´m going to post here facts, statistics and links from the psychological research. The interaction between social factors and physical and mental health would be the main focus.