Synchronised game playing brings children closer together and increases their empathy.

Recent research suggests that time-based synchronised activities like music, dance and sports, could be useful tools in bringing children closer together.

We all want our kids to be thoughtful and empathic, this new study by PLOS ONE showed that a simple game played in unison created a greater sense of similarity and connection between the children.

“Synchrony is like a glue that brings people together, it’s a magical connector for people." 

said lead author Tal-Chen Rabinowitch, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington.

In the experiment, Rabinowitch tested 74 8-year-old children in pairs of two boys and two girls. The children were asked to introduce themselves to each other by name only.

The children sat side by side in front of a video screen. A soccer ball bounced on both halves of the screen, and the children pressed a button whenever the ball on their side of the screen hit the floor. 

They did two 90-second trials of the game. After the game, the children filled out questionnaires about how similar and close they felt to the child they had been paired with. 

A control group of pairs of children answered the same questions, but had not performed the game.

Children in the synchronous group reported a markedly greater sense of similarity and closeness.

Rabinowitch says the key is performing the same behaviour at the same time, which induces this perceived positive connection.

This interaction is bound to enhance a sense of cooperation in the children and have the ability to apply positivity on social attitudes.

It proves that there is a deep truth to the importance of people being together and feeling included.

"The findings might be applied to formulate new strategies for education in our effort to build a more collaborative and empathic future society." 

says Rabinowitch

Rabinowitch hopes to reveal how music, and specifically synchrony, is able to guide and improve social and emotional interactions between humans.

Blog reference : Tal-Chen Rabinowitch, Ariel Knafo-Noam. Synchronous Rhythmic Interaction Enhances Children’s Perceived Similarity and Closeness towards Each Other

If you or someone you know is in need of some counselling in the Southend-on-Sea area, don’t hesitate to contact me by clicking here… Take care, Sam

What is most beneficial: The Therapeutic Alliance or the treatment itself?

Research carried out by the University of Manchester and the University of Liverpool examined the psychological treatment of more than 300 people suffering from emotional disorders.

“A quality level of therapeutic alliance had a beneficial impact on wellbeing, but where the relationship was poor, the treatment could actually be damaging.”

It turns out that the most important part of therapy is the rapport between client and counsellor.

The quality in the treatment from the counsellor had by far the biggest positive effect on the client’s improvement over any Cognitive Behavioural or Transactional Analysis techniques.

“all types of psychotherapy, even though often appearing to be very different from each other, are equally beneficial to patients.”  Says Lucy Goldsmith, a PhD candidate from The University of Manchester’s Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health.

“Groups who received a psychosocial treatment fared much better than those offered only medication and usual care.”

(L. P. Goldsmith et al., 2015) http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S003329171500032X

A good therapeutic relationship relies on trust, respect and honesty, along with a good empathic ability from the therapist. The environment must feel safe and non judgmental for success in achieving the client’s goals.

If you or someone you know are in need of some counselling in or around the Southend-on-Sea area, don’t hesitate to contact me by clicking here

Take care, Sam

Can humans communicate via pheromones as animals do?

Pheromones are substances that facilitate chemical communication between members of the same species.

Most mammals have a special pheromone receptor located at the base of the nasal septum called the Jacobson’s organ, which is useful in the process of communicating chemical messages such as readiness for sexual activity, between members of the same species. 

According to research this organ fulfills no function in humans anymore. 

However, researchers at the Ruhr University in Germany and other institutes have demonstrated (using genetic-analysis techniques) that pheromone receptors also occur in the olfactory epithelium (located in the nasal cavity involved in smell) in humans and in mice.

This pheromone receptor has been detected and activated by using the potent substance ‘Hedione’ extracted from Jasmine essence

Hedione is one of the most popular perfume materials used. It has been described as bringing a ray of sunshine into a fragrance.

They then analysed what happens in the brain when Hedione is smelled. The results were remarkable…

Hedione activated the Limbic system (the area in the brain associated with emotions and feelings) very significantly in comparison to other fragrances.

In addition, Hedione activated the brains hormone control centre in a typical pattern that is recognised as connected to sexual behaviour.

The team headed by Prof Dr Thomas Hummel in Germany are beginning the next stages of the research. To find out which physiological and psychological parameters are affected by Hedione stimulating the pheromone receptor in humans, and to search for traces of the scent molecules in bodily secretions which resemble Hedione.

“Humans could actually communicate with each other via Pheromones" 

says Hanns Hatt a member of the research team.

Research by T. Hummel et al., 2015 Germany

If you or someone you know is in need of some counselling in the Southend-on-Sea area, don’t hesitate to contact me by clicking here… Take care, Sam