Are your coping mechanisms healthy? | Dr. Andrew Miki | TEDxSurrey
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
- đ§ The connection between a pigeon's counting ability and human mental health lies in learned behaviors and the reinforcement of habits in the brain.
- đïž 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.
- đ Unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as procrastination or overusing smartphones, can initially provide relief but may lead to long-term anxiety and depression.
- đ The concept of 'insanity' in the context of the script refers to repeating the same unhelpful behaviors and expecting different outcomes.
- đ€ Awareness of one's own patterns and coping mechanisms is crucial for mental health improvement, as it allows for the unlearning of unhelpful habits.
- đšâđ§ The speaker shares personal insights from being a father, emphasizing the importance of building self-confidence in children to combat anxiety and depression.
- đ± The overuse of smartphones as a coping mechanism can reinforce anxiety, as it trains the brain to seek instant reassurance rather than building resilience.
- đïžââïž 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.
- đȘïž 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.
- đĄ The script encourages self-reflection through two questions: understanding one's reactions to stress and the effectiveness of those reactions over time.
- đ± 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
đ§ 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.
đ” 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
đĄCoping Mechanisms
đĄShaping
đĄHabits
đĄInsanity
đĄMental Health
đĄSelf-Confidence
đĄAnxiety
đĄDepression
đĄResilience
đĄSmartphones
đĄMental Fitness
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.
Transcripts
[Music]
what do you think is a connection
between a pigeon's ability to count and
human mental
health the answer has to do with learned
behaviors when I was on the path to
becoming a clinical psychologist my
career veered in the direction of animal
cognition and Neuroscience I found
myself teaching pigeons to count using a
process called
shaping you start by giving it some food
every time it looks at a touchcreen this
creates Connections in its brain that
become stronger over time even as the
rules become more complex so just like
teaching a dog to stay I eventually
trained the pigeon to Peck at a red
square when it saw two flashes of light
and a green square when it saw three I
now had a pigeon that could count
this process happens gradually day after
day until that learned behavior becomes
a
habit I've worked in mental health over
25 years and I've learned that just like
the pigeon our brains reinforce certain
habits or coping mechanisms that help us
feel better in the
moment I've seen thousands of Educators
healthcare workers and First Responders
rely on coping mechanisms like
procrastination overusing their
smartphones or working harder through a
tough time this can backfire and train
them to become anxious and
depressed for example do you scroll
endlessly on social media instead of
getting to that task that fills you with
anxiety or dread or late at night do get
a dopamine hit when you click on the
next episode button procrastination can
feel good at the time but oh the next
day is going to be a real
grind these coping mechanisms help us
feel better in the moment so it is not
crazy that we do them but if we kept
repeating them and wonder why we're
still stressed or anxious or burnt out
then what we're doing might be
insane insanity is doing the same thing
over and over again and expecting a
different response now we might not be
aware of our own insane patterns but
chances are we all have them myself
included the good news is that if we
understand our unhelpful coping
mechanisms we can all unlearn them to
improve our mental
health now I'd like to share with you
what I've learned from being a
father my awesome daughter Italia is now
a teenager but luckily for her having a
psychologist as a father means that I've
worked hard to shape the connections in
her
brain so she understands that the 90s
grunge music is the absolute peak of all
music
ever my goal is for Natalia to be
self-confident because I've never had a
patient with clinical anxiety or
depression also have high
self-confidence at the same
time anxiety erodes confidence we tend
to overestimate the amount of danger
that we're in and underestimate our
ability to
cope with depression we end up beating
ourselves up to the point that we feel
worthless and
hopeless but as people overcome
depression and anxiety their
self-confidence grows they begin to talk
to themselves like a coach instead of a
Critic to see how threats can become
opportunities about 5 years a ago
Natalia desperately wanted a smartphone
but I saw this as a threat to her
self-confidence while she would plead
her case over dinner I'd lean over to
her and say hey do you generally feel
pretty good about yourself and she'd say
yeah are you
anxious no not compared to some of the
people I
know well all of the research shows that
the more kids are on a smartphone the
more anxious and depressed they become
so do you want to be less confident and
more
anxious then I'd watch her face change
from that youthful optimism to the cold
reality that it just wasn't going to
happen once Natalia finally got her
smartphone I could see how she was
becoming like many of us who use it as a
coping mechanism to seek
reassurance for example imagine you're
meeting a friend for dinner at 700 p.m.
and they haven't arrived you start to
worry am I in the right place did they
forget are they
okay as the uncertainty increases you
start to feel anxious you fidget you
feel butterflies maybe a little
uncomfortable eventually you pull out
your phone to get reassurance by texting
your friend where are you when they
respond just part
your worry and anxiety is washed away
and you feel
better now if you sat with that
discomfort and uncertainty you'd
strengthen your resilience to
anxiety there's a network in our brains
that's like a muscle it gets a workout
every time we sit with anxious
Sensations and worrisome thoughts but
most of us don't sit with it instead we
look for reassurance and instant relief
by
texting so just like the pigeon that
learned to count our smartphones can
train us to become more anxious every
time we use them to seek
reassurance the danger of our coping
mechanisms is that they make sense at
the time but they go undetected until we
hit a perfect storm a time in our lives
when it seems like everything is going
wrong and the energy in our internal
batteries becomes
depleted for
example let's say over the past 6 months
months Natalia's friends have treated
her horribly she got cut from her soccer
team and our family dog
died this perfect storm depletes her
internal battery to 40% and she no
longer feels like
herself when she gets a bad report card
Natalia will revert to another coping
mechanism to work harder through a tough
time this has helped her succeed in the
past but with a depleted battery she
just can't get things back on track this
reinforces negative thoughts what's
wrong with
me nothing is
working I'm such a
loser every time Natalia has these
thoughts the self-critical muscles in
her brain become stronger her self
confidence crashes and her depression
grows
if Natalia is like most of us what can
we do to break these patterns and
improve our
self-confidence well if it was physical
fitness we'd all have to start moving
more the mental Fitness equivalent is to
talk more the issue is that there's
still a lot of stigma attached to mental
health we tend to keep our struggles to
ourselves because we're afraid that
we'll be seen as weak or
incapable
we need to change this narrative by
talking more about the issues in our
lives by talking we uncover our and
helpful coping mechanisms and that
awareness is the first step to
unlearning
them now here's the sobering truth
mental health is complicated and
nuanced you are all unique and your
behaviors have been shaped over a long
time
so I can't tell you what's best for you
in your situation without knowing more
about you instead I hope to inspire you
to take the time right now to learn more
about
yourself and you can start by asking
yourself these two
questions first what do you do when you
feel stressed anxious or
sad and second have these feelings
gotten better or worse over time
if the answer is worse then you're
relying on an unhelpful coping
mechanism just like the pigeon that
learned count our brains have an amazing
capacity to build new connections and
unlearn unhelpful Habits by trying
something new it could be learning new
strategies like sitting with your
anxiety breathe to take the edge off or
my favorite balance your thought
thoughts to become more
self-confident it all starts with us
talking more about our own patterns of
insanity and admitting that we all have
them even us ' 90s grunge
psychologists thank
you
[Music]
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