Are your coping mechanisms healthy? | Dr. Andrew Miki | TEDxSurrey

TEDx Talks

11 May 202410:17

Summary

TLDRThis video explores the connection between learned behaviors and mental health, drawing parallels between training pigeons to count and human coping mechanisms. The speaker, a clinical psychologist and father, discusses how unhealthy habits can develop from seeking immediate relief, like using smartphones for reassurance, which can exacerbate anxiety and depression. He emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, mental fitness, and open conversation to unlearn these patterns and improve self-confidence, suggesting that overcoming depression and anxiety can lead to a more optimistic mindset.

Takeaways

🧠 The connection between a pigeon's counting ability and human mental health lies in learned behaviors and the reinforcement of habits in the brain.
🕊️ Shaping, a process used to teach pigeons to count, involves gradually increasing the complexity of tasks while reinforcing the behavior with rewards, similar to how humans develop coping mechanisms.
🔁 Unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as procrastination or overusing smartphones, can initially provide relief but may lead to long-term anxiety and depression.
📉 The concept of 'insanity' in the context of the script refers to repeating the same unhelpful behaviors and expecting different outcomes.
🤔 Awareness of one's own patterns and coping mechanisms is crucial for mental health improvement, as it allows for the unlearning of unhelpful habits.
👨‍👧 The speaker shares personal insights from being a father, emphasizing the importance of building self-confidence in children to combat anxiety and depression.
📱 The overuse of smartphones as a coping mechanism can reinforce anxiety, as it trains the brain to seek instant reassurance rather than building resilience.
🏋️‍♂️ Mental fitness, like physical fitness, requires active engagement and effort to improve, suggesting that talking more about mental health can help uncover and address issues.
🌪️ The 'perfect storm' of life's challenges can deplete one's internal energy, leading to a reliance on unhelpful coping mechanisms and potentially worsening mental health.
💡 The script encourages self-reflection through two questions: understanding one's reactions to stress and the effectiveness of those reactions over time.
🌱 The brain's capacity to build new connections allows for the unlearning of unhelpful habits, suggesting that trying new strategies can lead to improved mental health.

Q & A

What is the connection between a pigeon's ability to count and human mental health mentioned in the script?
-The connection lies in the concept of learned behaviors and the reinforcement of habits in the brain. Just as a pigeon is taught to count through shaping, which strengthens neural connections over time, human brains also reinforce certain habits or coping mechanisms that provide temporary relief but can lead to long-term issues like anxiety and depression.
What is the process of shaping as described in the script?
-Shaping is a process used in animal training where an animal is gradually taught a complex behavior by rewarding closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior. In the script, it is used to teach pigeons to count by rewarding them with food for looking at a touchscreen and gradually increasing the complexity of the task.
How does the script relate the concept of learned behaviors in animals to human coping mechanisms?
-The script draws a parallel between how animals learn behaviors through reinforcement and how humans develop coping mechanisms that may initially provide relief but can become problematic over time, such as procrastination or overusing smartphones.
What is the definition of insanity as presented in the script?
-In the context of the script, insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different response. This is related to unhelpful coping mechanisms that people repeat without realizing they are contributing to their stress or mental health issues.
Why do people tend to rely on unhelpful coping mechanisms according to the script?
-People rely on unhelpful coping mechanisms because they provide temporary relief or a dopamine hit in the moment, even though they may exacerbate stress, anxiety, or depression in the long run.
What is the role of self-confidence in relation to anxiety and depression as discussed in the script?
-The script suggests that self-confidence is inversely related to anxiety and depression. When people have high self-confidence, they are less likely to suffer from these mental health issues. Conversely, as self-confidence decreases, the impact of anxiety and depression increases.
How does the script use the example of a teenager wanting a smartphone to illustrate the impact of coping mechanisms on self-confidence?
-The script uses the example of the speaker's daughter, Natalia, wanting a smartphone to show how the desire for instant reassurance can undermine self-confidence. The father explains that the more time kids spend on smartphones, the more anxious and depressed they become, which can erode self-confidence.
What is the 'perfect storm' mentioned in the script, and how does it relate to mental health?
-The 'perfect storm' refers to a series of negative events or circumstances that occur simultaneously, leading to a significant depletion of one's internal energy or resilience. In the context of mental health, it can trigger a reliance on unhelpful coping mechanisms and exacerbate feelings of anxiety, depression, and self-doubt.
How does the script suggest we can improve our mental health and self-confidence?
-The script suggests that by understanding and recognizing unhelpful coping mechanisms, we can work to unlearn them. It also emphasizes the importance of talking more about our mental health struggles to uncover and change these patterns, as well as trying new strategies to build mental resilience.
What are the two questions the script encourages individuals to ask themselves regarding their mental health?
-The script encourages individuals to ask themselves: (1) What do you do when you feel stressed, anxious, or sad? and (2) Have these feelings gotten better or worse over time? These questions are meant to prompt self-reflection and awareness of one's coping mechanisms.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Shaping Minds: Animal Cognition and Human Mental Health

This paragraph introduces the concept of learned behaviors and their impact on mental health, drawing a parallel between training pigeons to count and human coping mechanisms. The speaker, a clinical psychologist with a background in animal cognition and neuroscience, explains the process of 'shaping' in which pigeons are gradually taught to perform tasks through reinforcement. This is likened to how humans develop habits that may initially provide relief but can lead to anxiety and depression over time. The speaker also touches on the idea of 'insanity' as repeating unhelpful patterns and emphasizes the importance of recognizing and unlearning these behaviors to improve mental health.

05:02

📵 Smartphones and Anxiety: The Double-Edged Sword of Coping Mechanisms

The second paragraph delves into the relationship between modern technology, specifically smartphones, and the development of anxiety. The speaker uses the example of seeking reassurance through texting to illustrate how instant relief can weaken our resilience to anxiety. The paragraph discusses the brain's network for resilience and how it can be strengthened by enduring discomfort and uncertainty. It also highlights the danger of unhelpful coping mechanisms that can exacerbate negative thoughts and feelings during challenging times. The speaker's personal experience with his daughter, Natalia, is used to emphasize the importance of self-confidence and the potential threats to it from over-reliance on technology. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for increased communication about mental health to uncover and unlearn unhelpful coping mechanisms.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Coping Mechanisms

Coping mechanisms are strategies or behaviors that individuals use to manage stress, anxiety, or other negative emotions. In the video, the speaker discusses how people, like pigeons trained to count, develop habits that provide temporary relief but can lead to long-term negative effects, such as anxiety and depression. Examples include procrastination and overusing smartphones as a way to avoid dealing with stress or anxiety.

💡Shaping

Shaping is a psychological concept where behaviors are gradually modified through reinforcement. The speaker uses the process of shaping to teach pigeons to count, which parallels the way people develop coping mechanisms. It involves starting with a simple behavior and reinforcing it until a more complex behavior is achieved, as illustrated by training the pigeon to peck at different colored squares in response to specific light flashes.

💡Habits

Habits are regular patterns of behavior that are performed automatically. The video discusses how learned behaviors can become habitual over time, such as the pigeon's counting behavior or a person's tendency to scroll on social media to avoid anxiety. These habits can be both beneficial and detrimental to mental health, depending on their nature and the context in which they are used.

💡Insanity

In the context of the video, 'insanity' refers to the repetition of unhelpful behaviors while expecting different outcomes, a concept often attributed to Albert Einstein. The speaker uses this term to highlight the futility of continuing with harmful coping mechanisms that do not address the root causes of stress or anxiety, such as relying on smartphones for reassurance.

💡Mental Health

Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The video emphasizes the importance of recognizing and unlearning unhelpful coping mechanisms to improve mental health. The speaker's 25 years of experience in mental health provide the foundation for the discussion on how habits can impact one's mental state, particularly in the context of educators, healthcare workers, and first responders.

💡Self-Confidence

Self-confidence is the belief in one's abilities and self-worth. The video discusses how anxiety and depression can erode self-confidence, and how overcoming these conditions can lead to its growth. The speaker's goal for his daughter Natalia is to foster self-confidence by helping her understand the potential negative impacts of excessive smartphone use on her mental health.

💡Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. The video script uses anxiety as an example of an emotion that can be exacerbated by unhelpful coping mechanisms, such as seeking reassurance through smartphone use, which can lead to a cycle of increased anxiety.

💡Depression

Depression is a common mental health disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. The speaker in the video relates depression to the negative impact of unhelpful coping mechanisms and the importance of building resilience and self-confidence to overcome it.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or to adapt to challenging situations. The video script suggests that by sitting with anxious sensations and worrisome thoughts, one can strengthen their resilience to anxiety, much like a muscle being worked out. This concept is used to illustrate the importance of facing rather than avoiding discomfort.

💡Smartphones

Smartphones are mobile devices that provide a multitude of functions, including communication and internet access. In the video, the speaker discusses how smartphones can be used as a coping mechanism to seek reassurance, which can inadvertently train individuals to become more anxious. The script provides the example of Natalia using her smartphone to alleviate anxiety when waiting for a friend.

💡Mental Fitness

Mental fitness refers to the capacity to maintain a healthy state of mind and to cope with life's challenges effectively. The video script likens mental fitness to physical fitness, suggesting that talking more about mental health issues can help uncover and unlearn unhelpful coping mechanisms, thus improving mental fitness and self-confidence.

Highlights

The connection between a pigeon's counting ability and human mental health is through learned behaviors.

Shaping is a process used to teach pigeons to count by reinforcing behaviors over time.

Learned behaviors in humans, like coping mechanisms, can become habits that affect mental health.

Coping mechanisms such as procrastination or overusing smartphones can lead to anxiety and depression.

Insanity is defined as repeating the same actions and expecting different results.

Unhelpful coping mechanisms can be unlearned to improve mental health.

The importance of self-confidence in overcoming anxiety and depression.

Anxiety erodes confidence by overestimating danger and underestimating coping abilities.

Depression can lead to self-criticism, reducing self-worth and hope.

The role of a psychologist as a father in shaping his daughter's mental health.

Smartphones as a coping mechanism can reinforce anxiety when seeking reassurance.

The analogy of mental resilience to a muscle that strengthens with discomfort.

The danger of coping mechanisms going undetected until a 'perfect storm' in life.

The impact of negative thoughts on self-confidence and the growth of depression.

Breaking patterns and improving self-confidence through mental fitness.

The stigma attached to mental health and the need to change the narrative by talking more.

The uniqueness of mental health and the importance of self-awareness and learning.

Encouraging individuals to ask themselves about their coping mechanisms and their effects over time.

The capacity of the brain to build new connections and unlearn unhelpful habits.

The importance of talking about personal patterns and admitting to having them.