Psychology Research Bits & Pieces

From the June 2009 Monitor on Psychology:

  *Infants exposed to anesthesia during surgery may be at greater risk for learning disabilities.  Researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that:

            -infants who had been anesthetized two or more times before age 4 had a 60% increased chance of having learning difficulties;

            -infants who had three or more exposure to anesthesia by age 3 doubled the child’s risk for learning problems later in life.

*Nearly one in 10 youth gamers addicted to video games.  A study of over 1100 youth 8 to 18 found that addicted gamers exhibited behavioral patterns similar to pathological gamblers and they played video games 24 hours a week (2x as much as non-addicted gamer).  Addicted gamers were also twice as likely to have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.

*Research does not support many age-biases that exist in the workplace.   Research reported in the June 2009 APA Monitor on Psychology  states that:

            -Older workers are happier with their work than younger workers and were in as good physical shape as their colleagues.

            -Older and younger workers want many of the same things from their work:

Schedule flexibility, opportunities to learn, a supportive supervisor, and promotion fairness.

            -There is no evidence to support the belief that Millennials and Gen Y workers are not hard workers.  They do, however, look for identity-based work – something they enjoy that suits their abilities and interests.  And younger workers tend to asset themselves and question the status quo.  Dr. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett from Clark University states, :  The fact that they are willing to question and offer criticism is something that can make an organization better.”

            -Millennials do look to change jobs more frequently but are willing to explore career alternatives within the same company.

One interesting point raised by Dr. Elisa Perry at Columbia University: “It’s hard to know how many of the things we are seeing are about generational differences or age differences. . . Those are potentially very different things.”  For example, will these characteristics of different age groups still exist in 15 or 20 years as the younger generations move into later life stages?

“East versus West: A psychology professor dares to compare how Asians and Americans think.”  Forbes, May 11, 2009.

Richard Nisbett, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Michigan has been researching the differences in how North Americans and Asians think.  He proposes the following differences:

            -Asians see things in context, while Westerners focus on the point in hand.

            -Asians are more holistic in their thinking while Americans are more analytic and reductionistic.

            For example, in presenting a virtual aquarium on a computer screen, “The Americans would say, ‘I saw three big fish swimming off to the left.  They had pink fins.’  They went for the biggest, brightest moving object and focused on that and on its attributes,”  Nisbett explains.  “The Japanese in that study would start by saying, “Well, I saw what looked like a stream.  The water was green.  There were rocks and shells on the bottom.  There were three big fish swimming off to the left.”

            A key difference Nisbett found may help explain differences in financial thinking and choices.  Canadians predict a stock whose value is rising will continue to rise, while Chinese think what goes up will come down. This might help explain why we are prone to economic “bubbles” and suggests, when things are going well, Americans should possibly temper their optimism.

            Nisbett, in his book, Intelligence and How to Get It: Why Schools and Cultures Count, examined why Asian-Americans score higher on the SAT than other Americans and why Asian students do significantly better on math and science exams than U.S. students.  He concludes, “Asian intellectual accomplishment is due more to sweat than to exceptional gray matter.”  The Asian cultural value of obligation to family drives a deeper work ethic, Nesbitt believes.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

For me, personally, the two most interesting findings are the high rate of video game addiction and the debunking of the myth that Asian students are brighter than students in the U.S. — they just tend to work harder.

Recently, the reality of people losing their jobs has been hitting quite close to home.  Living in the city where most aircraft are built in the U.S., and the struggles aircraft manufacturers are experiencing have made knowing individuals who have been laid off from work a personal experience.  And the secondary job losses are significant as well — suppliers to the aircraft manufacturers, graphic designers, retail sales, professionals in the real estate arena — all are experiencing the effects.

I am reticent to personally give advice to individuals who are walking on paths I have not had to walk yet.  However, I did find the following ideas in some recent articles, and thought they might be of some help.

Given the current financial crisis, Psychology Today decided to interview a number of successful professionals and find out the role that “failure” played in their personal and professional development.  Here are a few of the comments and findings:

• There is a difference between failures and Failure, just like the difference that exists between financial diminshment and bankruptcy, and marital strife / divorce.
• Failure hurts but can pay off in the form of learning, growth, and wisdom.  Some psychologists … go even further, arguing that adversity, setbacks, and even trauma actually may be necessary for people to be happy, successful and fulfilled.
• J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series of books experienced a series of failures including a broken marriage, and poverty that bordered on homelessness.  She states:  “Failure stripped away everything inessential.  It taught me things about myself I could have learned no other way.”
• Paul MacCready, Jr., a famous aeronautical engineer who won the Kremer Prize for the world’s first human-powered airplane, depended on failure to help him succeed.  He designed his airplane to crash well, so that it would protect the pilot and the plane could be quickly repaired, so he could learn quickly from his failures.
• The difference between people who come out of failure successfully and those who do not seems to be related to the degree of ‘rumination’ that is allowed to continue.  “Failing better” is related to three aspects: controlling our emotions, adjusting our thinking, and recalibrating our beliefs about ourselves and what we can do in the world.
• Many argue that failure is necessary for growth.  So protecting ourselves (or our children) from failure limits our exposure to growth opportunities.  Conversely, too much failure can discourage and lead to one’s spirit being crushed — to the point of giving up.  How much failure is too much?  Two really helpful answers (being sarcastic):  “It depends” (on the stage of life and unique characteristics of the individual; and “We don’t really know.”

From a companion article, here are “Nine ways to fail better” by Bruce Grierson.

1. Lighten up — have a sense of humor.
2. Join the club — commiserate with others in similar situations.
3. Feel guilt, not shame — learn from your mistakes,but don’t accept the belief that “I am a failure”.
4. Cultivate optimism — put yor negative thoughts on trial and rebut them; they often are not based in reality.
5. Ask not what the world can do for you . . .  –  you now have the opportunity to do something different with your life.
6. Scale down your expectations for yourself — repeatedly failing to meet your expectations for yourself may indicate you need to re-evaluate realistic expectations for yourself.
7. Keep a journal, learn from what you are thinking and feeling, and use those lessons to take action.
8. Don’t blame yourself — blaming yourself for the bad things that happen to you (i.e. attributing all cause to yourself) is an error in thinking that causes people to become stuck, rather than to become stuck, rather than moving forward.
9. Act! — failure provides an opportunity to do something different, but only if you act on the opportunity.

I hope some of these thoughts may be helpful to you — or forward them to a friend or family member you know who finds themselves in this difficult situation.

An entry I wrote in April about the challenges owners and managers of businesses face in today’s economic environment was published in today’s business section of the Wichita Eagle.  If you missed it previously, you can read the article on the Wichita Eagle website.

I live outside of town (for those who grew up in a rural setting, it would be a stretch to say we live in the “country” — although for those who live in an urban setting, they would think so — lots of trees and animals, and we live on a dirt road).  And I love to take walks in the woods.  This morning I hiked around in the early morning sun, through some surprisingly thick woods and undergrowth.  And it “got me to thinking”.

For many of us, our daily lives are quite segregated from nature.  Hence, we tend to miss many of the foundational lessons we can learn by making some basic observations (and observations that would seem self-evident to most of our ancestors).

• Growth occurs naturally when necessary conditions are met.  In nature this includes light, nutrients, and water.  In business, core conditions include customers who have the ability to pay, the goods or services you are providing to others, getting the word out about your product (marketing), and collecting payment for your product (there are probably more I am missing).  Interestingly, in both nature and business, the lack or absence of one core ingredient means eventual death.
• Controlled growth produces more fruit.  When all of the necessary conditions are present, and especially in times of abundance, there actually can be too much growth.  Pruning, cutting out unwanted growth, planning and planting desired plants, taking out weeds, thinning out plants to provide more room, light and nutrients for selected plants — all are mechanisms for controlling growth.  In business, too many products or services offered, or not being able to manage large surges in demand can actually hinder the company’s ability to maximize their profits.
• Unrestrained growth leads to chaos and little beneficial results.   Have you ever seen a tree or plant that has grown for years without any management of its growth?  They are typically unattractive, not well organized, and don’t produce as much fruit as a tree which has been systematically pruned and thinned.  Similarly, businesses that just grow everywhere and in every direction possible become difficult to manage, and the resources needed to be productive (time, energy, human capital, financial capital) are squandered in helter-skelter fashion rather than in a focused direction.
• Healthy production comes from a combination of planning, preparation, hard work (at the right time), monitoring, maintenance, and long-term effort.  Contrary to some business books (usually in the sales & marketing field), there is no one solution that will make a company successful.  Rather, healthy businesses — like healthy gardens — require a combination of planning & preparation, long hours (at times), monitoring what is actually happening and taking corrective action.  Generally speaking, both in nature and in business, there is no quick pathway to success.  Rather, a series of actions over a long time period lead to healthy production.
• For good results to occur, challenges, lack of resources and destructive elements must be dealt with successfully.  To make plants and trees grow, it is not just a matter of providing what they need (focusing on the positive).  Healthy plants come from dealing with the threat of destructive elements as well — insects & pests, being eaten by animals, fungus or mold or blight, and a harsh environment (drought, extreme heat or cold).  In the same way, focusing on one’s “business plan” without taking into consideration the risks that may be encountered can lead to failure.  Unforeseen competitors, changes in tax law or governmental rules & regulations, or a harsh economic environment — the lack of available financial capital, the lack of adequate human capital and expertise — can tank an otherwise healthy business.

I am sure there are other lessons and metaphors from nature that apply to business-life.  Take a minute and reflect (or better yet, go on a walk, observe and ponder).  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

This past week we had the privilege of attending a family union with my wife’s family in Chicago.  There were almost 40 of us, ranging in age from 3 to 74, including my wife’s parents, six of the seven adult siblings (and spouses), and 23 of the 25 grandchildren (and two spouses).  Although it was a cool and sometimes rainy Memorial Day, we had a grand time together.

What made it especially enjoyable was reconnecting with each family member — seeing how they are still the same person they were a few years ago, how the younger family members have changed and developed their unique abilities, and hearing about plans for the future (it was also fun to retell some funny incidents from past gatherings). But what was most fun for me was to play together (or watch others play).  We played whiffleball (where I experienced the classic American tradition of pulling a muscle while running from first base to second).

Some enjoyed just “hanging out” together, but we all delighted in the homemade ice cream.

Just a couple of observations I want to note.  Although family reunions seem to have a negative connotation in our culture, I believe they can be a wonderful celebration of loving relationships, caring for one another, and the heritage of one’s family.  As part of the Sawyer clan, we are blessed to having loving parents, siblings, in-law’s, and cousins — and it is a joy to feel supported in your life’s journey as well as give encouragement to others.

Family reunions provide an opportunity to reflect on how we are the same — our common values, similar talents, and how we look alike (well, how they look alike).

But we also are able to see and celebrate how we are different — from different generations, how individual families differ, and the unique giftings each person has. It seems that healthy families value their commonalities but also cherish the uniqueness of each person.

As we often talk about the importance of ongoing communication and relationships among families who own businesses, it is clear that getting together as a large family unit is important, valuable and enjoyable whether or not a shared business is involved or not.

If you haven’t had a large family gathering in a while, think about planning one.  Start with whoever can attend (don’t wait for everyone to be able to come — it will rarely happen).  Keep it short.  Have good food.  And play together.  It can be a great time!

This past week I had the privilege in being involved in a number of school graduation ceremonies, in different roles.  I had a daughter who graduated from high school (along with all of the receptions involved).  I had a son who graduated from college, but who didn’t “walk” — not because he didn’t want to, but because he is pursuing a masters and the two degrees are tied together.  I had a number of my friends whose teenagers and young adults graduated, so we are going through the journey simultaneously.  And I had a number of teens and young adults whom I consider to be friends of mine who graduated.

It is interesting to me to observe the different perspectives different age groups bring to the graduation process.  (Although the following observations are broad generalizations, I think they are true for many in each age group.)

• High School graduates seem to be largely focused on “getting done”.  They view the process of completing high school as a significant long term task to complete — it is the culmination of twelve (or more) years of elementary and secondary education.  Given that most high school students are looking toward college or some other form of further training, they often are looking forward to the future with anticipation (mixed with some anxiety, depending on the student).
• College graduates are glad to be done, for sure.  But they more typically are facing the harsh realities of “real life” — trying to find a job, determining the next steps in their lives (not only where they will work, but where they will live).  There generally seems to be a deeper sense of accomplishment than with high school graduates, as it should be.  Some college grads busted through in four (sometimes three) years, while others took five years.  For others, it truly has been a long term goal stretched over several years or decades.  College graduates seem to exude a deep appreciation along with a measured hope for the future.
• Older family members (aunts, uncles, grandparents, older siblings) usually are filled with pride for the accomplishment of the younger family member.  Their experience seems to be mellower, just enjoying the moment and appreciating the time together with family.  With older siblings there is a fair amount of teasing of their younger brothers and sisters, in a good natured way, but one which also seems to communicate “Don’t get too stuck on yourself.  There’s more life to conquer.”
• Parents are the ones who seem to experience the widest range of feelings and emotions — pride, relief, sadness, anxiety about the future, gratefulness for one less tuition payment.  And reflection.  In listening to many parents’ conversations, they often are reflective on the past few years’ life experiences, and sometimes on the child’s entire lifetime.

Interestingly, it is this process of reflection that has caught my attention.  Both for myself, for other friends who are parents, and for many family members (aunts, uncles, siblings, grandparents), graduation ceremonies and the traditions which accompany them seem to bring back numerous memories.  These memories include their own graduation and school experiences, prior family members’ graduations, and their life experiences with the graduate.

Not an earthshaking observation, but it does seem that “ceremonies” help mark points in time.  Graduations, weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties — all provide a memory touchstone that we can connect memories, feelings, and lessons of life to.

And this can be a great starting point for meaningful conversations with others.  Questions like:  “Grandma, what was your high school graduation like?”   Or, “What do you remember about your college graduation?” can be great ways to learn more deeply about those you love.

For me, the graduation time has been a helpful reminder to ask myself:

a) Am I investing my time and energy into those activities and relationships that I really want to — that are most important to me?   and

b) What do I want (and need) to do to continue to build the relationships that I want to keep close and growing?

A lesson I have learned from having three of our four children move into young adulthood — maintaining and growing relationships with young adults takes time, perseverance, and commitment.  You no longer have “dinner time” to catch up on the day’s activities and you don’t tend to have them in the car as much just running errands together and chatting.  So I am in the midst of planning how to maintain and build the relationships with all four of my young adult children as they move into new phases of their lives.

Recently, the American Psychological Association recognized 14 companies as leaders in creating healthy workplace environments.  Besides just helping their employees “feel good” (the ubiquitous reply to anything psychologists do), there are some practical economic benefits for the companies as well:

• One company has reduced absenteeism by 34 percent
• The average employee turnover for the top five award winners was 11 percent, in comparison to the national average of 39 percent
• At these companies, 85 percent of employees reported being satisfied with their jobs, in comparison to only 61 percent nationally
• And only 5 percent of the employees indicated they intend to seek employment elsewhere within the next year, compared with 32 percent nationally.

What are these companies doing that is making such a difference with their employees?  Here are some of the resources, policies and action steps they have taken (this is not an exhaustive list):

1. Having an on-site nurse to see sick employees
2. Offering health screenings to employees
3. Parental leave for parents to attend school functions (plays, luncheons)
4. Discounts on private gym memberships
5. Financial incentives to employees who reach health-related goals
6. Tuition-assistance programs
7. On-site child care
8. Workshops on money management and debt reduction
9. Cash rewards for recruiting new hires
10. A wellness day once a month with access to chiropractic, massage and nutritional services
11. Smoking cessation help
12. A mentoring program between junior and senior management
13. Executive coaching for senior managers
14. Nutrition classes

One final note:  87% of the employees at these 14 top companies would recommend their place of employment as a good place to work (while the national average is only 44%).  How would your company fare in such a survey?

If you are an owner, manager or supervisor, take a minute and revisit the list — see what small steps you could possibly take to make your workplace more employee-rewarding.  Often there are community resources (e.g. for nutrition classes, for money management courses) available for no cost.

And if you are an employee, take a look at the list and see if there is a characteristic that is especially inviting to you.  Talk to your colleagues, and maybe your supervisor, and see how you might work together to get this resource at your workplace. You never know — a little initiative and communication can create positive results.

“Finding a job” continues to be a common topic that comes up in conversations — with friends, clients, families, friends of my kids.  The types and levels of job positions is quite broad — from laid-off professionals to young adults looking for their first career position, to high school and college students searching for summer jobs or internships.

In discussing the topic with individuals, three different methods repeatedly come up regarding ways to find jobs:

1. Have unique abilities, training and experience that set you apart from the competition.   If you are in this category, you probably are in good shape for finding work.  Unfortunately, most people currently looking for work may not have the combination of unique skills and experience desired.
2. Networking among current relationships.  I have written previously on this topic, and it is a hot topic in the media, so it is easy to find helpful information in this area.
3. Pursue positions that have high “negative” aspects that make them undesirable to most people. If you are really hurting to find work, then you may need to start considering those positions which aren’t really desirable — to you or others.

To help you think about jobs and positions to investigate, let’s look at the types of characteristics which make some work opportunities less than desirable:

• Dangerous or hazardous conditions.
• Low pay.
• Boring, tedious work.
• Manual labor.
• Bad hours required (graveyard shift, weekends, holidays).
  
• Travel is required.
• Less than desirable location (rural; inner city; away from friends & family)
• Low prestige
• Difficult clientele

I am sure there are other characteristics you may think of.  The point is — if there are characteristics about a job or work setting that makes it difficult for them to find good employees (lots of time they are able to find transient employees), then that is a possible good starting point.

For example, my first “counseling” job was working as a “night counselor” (clearly a euphemism) at a residential treatment facility for out-of-control adolescent guys.  I was essentially a night watchman, did bed checks to make sure they hadn’t run away, and dealt with crisis situations (fights, drug use, etc.)  But it was a start and went on my resume as experience, and I worked my way up from there. Another personal example — while getting my masters degree in counseling I did tree-trimming in homes that were built in orchards.  Not especially fun, hot, sticky work, but there was a need and I could make decent money part-time.

In almost every discussion I have with a teenager to twentysomething who is looking for work, I encourage them to “shoot low” to start out.  Start “beneath” where they think they really should; be willing to learn from the ground up, demonstrate your work ethic and character — and then they will consider you for a higher level position.  I can give you a lot of stories of people who have done this successfully.

In tough times, be willing to do what others typically aren’t, and I am pretty sure you will be able to find and land a job, and hopefully use that as a springboard for your future positions.

Today’s economic environment is taking a huge emotional toll on business owners and managers.  Given the shrinking economy, with orders for manufacturing being canceled or put on hold, with little happening in the construction industry, and with the general public spending less at the retail level — many businesses are having to either cut back employees hours or let them go altogether.

The “hidden” story behind this pattern is the huge emotional strain business owners and managers are experiencing.  And I am hearing from more and more of them each week.

One manufacturing executive told me he volunteered to take a 50% pay cut (his company is owned by a larger private corporation), even though his superiors suggested a 4% reduction for management.  He told me he couldn’t, in good faith, see his employees take a 20% reduction (by means of going to 32 hours per week from 40 hours), and not take at least the same level of reduction.

Other business owners are sharing with me the pain of having to let good team members go, because they don’t have the work needed to cover the overhead.  Some owners are losing sleep and experiencing a level of anxiety they state they never have had previously.

I grew up in a family-owned business.  My father, mother, grandfather and uncle worked together in a manufacturing firm.  And I vividly remember during the economic struggles of the 1970’s conversations during mealtimes about my dad’s concerns.  As a teenager, I was struck by the level of responsibility he felt for providing work (and thus, income) for his employees.  He frequently would share he felt terrible whenever he would have to let someone go, because of the impact it would have on the family — especially the children.  So he tried everything he could to keep them employed, even if it meant having them do tasks that were not directly revenue producing.  The stress of the situation wore him down emotionally, and physically.

Today, business owners struggling with the same issues.  Here are some of the burdens I see them carrying:

• A sense of responsibility in providing for others.  Often, in our culture, business owners are viewed enviously of “having it all” — financial success, time freedom, prestige … Those who own businesses know the other side of the coin — the financial stress of making payroll and paying creditors, and the knowledge that other individuals and families are counting on you to provide for their income.
• Balancing competing needs and demands.  Yes, your employees need work and income.  But the owner must also “keep the ship afloat” — you can’t keep people employed and risk losing the whole business.   Similarly, a business’s vendors and suppliers need to be paid (they have employees, too), but if you pay them, you may not be able to have sufficient funds for your own payroll.
• Guilt.  “I should have …”  or “I shouldn’t have …”  Business owners are experts at second-guessing themselves and expecting themselves to have perfect judgment.  Business owners feel guilty for having to let employees go.  They feel guilty to the remaining team members for not letting other employees go sooner.  And they especially feel guilty for “not having seen this coming.”
• Lack of knowledge about the future.  As the saying goes, no one knows what the future holds.  This is also true for business owners.  But, ironically, they are often asked by others (colleagues, employees, customers, family members, friends) to divine the future:  “When do you think this will turn around?”  And the lack of predictability in our current economic environment wears heavily on business leaders — it is very difficult to make decisions about the future when even the short term (3 to 6 months) is highly unpredictable.
• Pressure from numerous fronts.  Business owners have numerous parties who place pressure on them — their customers, their vendors, their employees, the community, their family, their church and charitable organizations.  And most of these groups are generally unaware of the other parties involved in the business leader’s life — and they are primarily focused on their needs.
• Need for wisdom and discernment.  Most successful business owners (that is, those who have endured difficult times previously) are humble individuals.  They know that they don’t know everything, and that, almost more than anything, they need wisdom and discernment in how to manage during these tumultuous times.   The goal often becomes survival, and they are willing to do what is necessary to accomplish this goal — even if it means not “looking” successful, or taking on responsibilities that are beneath their title and position.  And they are almost always willing to accept counsel from others.

So, the next time you are interacting with someone who owns or manages a business, take some time to listen to them.  Ask them how they are doing.  Give them a word of encouragement or appreciation for all they do for their employees and the community.  And try not to ask them to do something for you — they have enough demands in their life as it is now.