Genes/IQ/Reality TV - 3/04

[Smart Marriages ®]

subject: Genes/IQ/Reality TV - 3/04

from: Smart Marriages®

- PERSONALITY, ATTITUDES, GENES LEND SUPPORT TO YOUR WELL-BEING
- FROM IQ TO NO CLUE
- SO, IS IT NATURE OR NURTURE, MOTHERING OR GENES?
- IS YOUR FAMILY READY FOR PRIMETIME TELEVISION?
SWAP PLACES WITH ANOTHER MOM (WIFE) ON "THE SWAP"

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- PERSONALITY, ATTITUDES, GENES LEND SUPPORT TO YOUR WELL-BEING
By Marilyn Elias
USA TODAY
March 9, 2004

******
Here's another research study confirming that relationships and social
support are crucially important health factors.  AND, that certain behaviors
(like softened startup, appreciations, complaints rather than criticism,
empathic listening) invite support from others - and, as we know but this
article doesn't say, for those who are not blessed with the "softened
startup genes", we CAN teach/learn these behaviors.  - diane


> * And Grandma was right again: Honey beats vinegar. Hostile adults don't get
> as much support as those who are pleasant.

> Getting the kind of support you need is important, too, Smith says. ''It's
> very bad to want affirmation or emotional support and get advice instead.''

ORLANDO -- Caring friends or family can protect women's hearts and slow HIV
progression in gay men, but some adults have an edge in getting that
support: Those rich in social capital tend to get even richer, studies
suggested over the weekend.

Personality, attitudes and genes help determine how much support adults
receive, University of Utah psychologist Timothy Smith said at the American
Psychosomatic Society meeting here. A summary of cutting-edge research
shows:

* Optimistic people get more gestures of support than pessimists.

* And Grandma was right again: Honey beats vinegar. Hostile adults don't get
as much support as those who are pleasant.

* Support is ''portable.'' People tend to report the same amount of support
as they change locales. And it's their perception of support that most
affects health, not the reality, Smith says.

* Genes matter. Identical twins who are adopted by separate families and
reunited as adults have far more similar circles of support than do
fraternal twins, who share only half of their genes.

Getting the kind of support you need is important, too, Smith says. ''It's
very bad to want affirmation or emotional support and get advice instead.''

There's some evidence that ''invisible'' support, the kind that is hardly
noticed by a recipient, helps more than grand gestures, perhaps because the
helped person doesn't feel needy or less able. And there's new evidence that
giving to others can extend life more than receiving.

People who feel supported take better care of themselves, but that alone
doesn't account for all the health benefits found, Smith says. Support may
lower both blood pressure and stress hormones, which helps the immune and
cardiovascular systems.

In a new study of 84 HIV-positive men, those who had disclosed their HIV
status to family and friends showed significantly slower disease progression
over six months than men who hadn't disclosed their condition. The health
benefit from telling was found to be related to the support they received as
a result, says study leader Gail Ironson of the University of Miami.

''Maybe they take their meds more often because people know, or they have
less stress,'' Ironson says. ''But those who disclose seem to have some
sense it's going to help them, because they do get support, and that's
what's affecting their health.''
 
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- FROM IQ TO NO CLUE
The Washington Post
Sunday, March 7, 2004
Unconventional Wisdom
Richard Morin

> He claims that brainy people are no better than the rest of us at making smart
> decisions in finding mates, maintaining relationships with family members,
> getting married, raising children, finding the way home and handling a wide
> variety of basic life skills.

 . . . which I guess means you don't come by a "smart marriage" naturally,
but, instead have to learn how.....either from your family or through
education - through marriage education courses. - diane


On Christmas Day, 1999, CNN's Larry King was interviewing Stephen Hawking,
the famous cosmologist and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge
University. 
 
"What, professor, puzzles you the most?" King asked. "What do you think
about the most?" 

"Women," Hawking instantly replied.

It's comforting to me that Hawking, one of the smartest guys in the world,
is baffled by the opposite sex. But it's not surprising, said Satoshi
Kanazawa of the London School of Economics.

He claims that brainy people are no better than the rest of us at making
smart decisions in finding mates, maintaining relationships with family
members, getting married, raising children, finding the way home and
handling a wide variety of basic life skills.

That's because there are several kinds of formal "intelligence," Kanazawa
argues in a forthcoming article in Psychological Review, and being smart one
way doesn't necessarily mean you're smart in another. It is a view that is
sure to be controversial among scientists who think about thinking, as it
contradicts the prevailing view that general intelligence -- the G Factor
purportedly gauged by IQ tests -- is a single thing and not, as Kanazawa and
others claim, a set of independent mental "domains."

Kanazawa said some kinds of intelligence evolved slowly over time, and in
response to identical pressures and recurring needs. Everybody's heard about
"emotional intelligence," popularized in a best-selling book almost a decade
ago. Evolutionary psychologists have now identified several other types of
intelligence, including the ability to acquire language, win a mate,
recognize faces, orient oneself in a physical or geographical environment,
and detect "cheaters" (those who violate social norms, such as people who
lie to us). 

There's another kind of intelligence, which Kanazawa and like-minded
researchers call "improvisational intelligence." It's what most people think
of when they think of intelligence -- the ability to reason inductively or
deductively, and to synthesize information to solve problems. Kanazawa
argues that this type of brainpower evolved in response to short-term
pressures and unique stimuli, such as the occasional flood, famine or other
natural disaster. 

Well, perhaps. It's a heck of a claim, professor. But is there any actual
evidence to support your theory that intelligence comes in multiple forms,
only one of which is measured by IQ tests?

Actually, there's quite a lot, Kanazawa said. If there were only one type of
intelligence -- the G Factor -- then people with high IQs should be "smart"
in every domain. 

But that's not the case. Individuals with a high IQ are no more or less
likely to get married or have children than low IQ individuals. (He
interprets mating success as a measure of "reproductive intelligence.")

High IQ types are no more likely than anyone else to engage in social
activities such as spending an evening with friends; if anything, the Mensa
crowd demonstrates less of what psychologists call "social intelligence."
About a quarter of all autistic children have normal IQs, but lack language
ability, a clear indication that the G Factor is separate from other types
of intelligence, he said.

To read the full article, go to:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35484-2004Mar6_2.html

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- SO, IS IT NATURE OR NURTURE, MOTHERING OR GENES?

I don't know about this one.....pretty nutty! I get so much stuff and edit
so much out, and thought I'd share it as you might find this one
entertaining and also shows that reality shows are still a big deal. Maybe
this will inspire one of us to think of a good "marriage education reality
show".  Or, just maybe, it will give one of you a chance to "swap/move in"
and show what good speaker/listener skills can do for a family and a
marriage?? - diane 

IS YOUR FAMILY READY FOR PRIMETIME TELEVISION?
SWAP PLACES WITH ANOTHER MOM ON
"THE SWAP!" (working title)

New ABC Network Reality Show Looking for Participants

New York, November 13, 2003 Š. Swap:  to exchange, to barter, to trade.
People regularly swap clothes, cars, jewelry, and homes, but what about if
you could swap familiesŠfor ten days?  Moms have a chance to do just that on
ABC¹s new reality show "The Swap."

"The Swap" delves into all the particulars in the lives of American families
by having the mothers from two families switch places for ten days.
Families (and viewers) will quickly discover that what is deemed
"conventional" in one family can be considered unorthodox and completely
bizarre in another.

During the first five days the Moms try to fit into the routine and adopt
the lifestyle of their new family, giving all a chance to become familiar
with each other.  For the second five days the new Moms make any changes
they see fit and run the home in a way that suits them.

"The Swap" will document all the details:  how couples share (or don¹t
share) housework and child-rearing responsibilities, how they spend their
money, how they spend their leisure time.  At the end of each show, the
families get a chance to take a step back and look at their own family
dynamics from a slight distance ­often gaining new and fascinating insights
in the process.  

"The Swap" is currently looking for families interested in participating in
the fun!   If you¹re a Mom who would like to trade in her family for a bit,
or a family who¹d like to see what life would be like with a different kind
of Mom, then call: 212-905-6059 or email: theswap at rdfmedia.com.  You can
visit ŒThe Swap¹ website at www.theswaptvshow.com

Contact: Kirsty Mitchell
                (212) 905-6053
                For additional information

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