Res Novae 2020 December Newsletter

RES NOVAE MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL | DECEMBER 2020 | VOLUME VI ISSUE I

The two largest planets in the Solar System, Jupiter and Saturn, came in conjunction with each other on Dec. 21, 2020, for the first time in 400 years.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

december newsletter

PAGE 03

psychology

CHANGING THE CLIMATE THROUGH THE MARKETPLACE

Identifying the truths and misconceptions behind the usage of consumerism to combat climate change

PAGE 09

psychology

Z E

FOLL

GIVE LUCID DREAMING A TRY The science behind lucid dreaming and its positive impacts on metacognition and mental health

RES NOVAE STAFF 2020-2021 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Riya Ranjan LEAD EDITOR Fiona Luo SECTION EDITORS Ritu Atreyas Malavika Eby VISUALS LEADS Fiona Luo Jannah Sheriff Jennifer Zhao DESIGN LEAD Marvin Wu VISUALS TEAM Piyush Shanbhag Divya Venkataraman Angela Zhang

PAGE 06

climate change

E RO

LOWERS The dangers of social media addiction

TREASURER Nika Zamani STAFF WRITERS Ananya Dua, Avani Durve, Eric Feng, Mika Kato, Aishwarya Manoj, Shreya Mantripragada, Shalini Rao, Arnav Rathee, Angelina Alex Roopa, Piyush Shanbhag, Anika Sharma, Samhita Srivatsan, Divya Venkataraman, Angela Zhang ADVISER Kyle Jones Cover and Page Design by Marvin Wu

ABOUT US

Res Novae is Monta Vista’s student run STEM publication. Every month, we publish news, opinion, and science fiction articles on mvresnovae.org. We answer questions ranging from “How have MVHS students contributed to cancer research?” to “Can intelligent robots cook my dinner for me?”

ILLUSTRATION | DIVYA VENKATARAMAN

GIVE LUCID DREAMING A TRY

The science behind lucid dreaming and its positive impacts on metacognition and mental health

BY DIVYA VENKATARAMAN

A

t one point or another, we all have had to make a tough choice. We think, should I rent or buy this house? or should I stay in Cupertino or move to Fremont? More often than not, when we don’t know what to do, we start to feel anxious and apprehensive. In situations like these, one of the most common pieces of advice heard is: “sleep on it.” Yet, is this just another excuse to procrastinate on the big decision, or is this actually a good idea that helps our mental wellbeing?

ACADEMIC STRESSORS BEHIND MENTAL HEALTH The truth is, “sleep on it” is one of society’s most useful sayings. In fact, according to WebMD, a good

03

PSYCHOLOGY

night’s rest is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, improving attention, behavior, learning, memory, and overall mental and physical health.

However, many students at MVHS do not get the minimum 8-10 hours of sleep, struggling to balance various extracurricular activities, college applications, homework, balancing a social life or studying for standardized tests and finals. It is safe to say that we are sometimes swamped with the different commitments we take on. Dr. Leena A Khanzode, child adolescent and adult psychiatrist and an adjunct clinical faculty at Stanford University, shares her insight on the ideal of biting off more than we can chew, and how this leads to sleep deprivation which in turn causes stress and anxiety.

“School work tends to be a big factor that [my patients] talk about.

They have to stay up and finish their homework or study for a test,” Khanzode said. “But I also see that a lot of the kids are overscheduled with other activities, which is why they get to their homework pretty late.

And then, when they [want] to finally sleep, they haven’t finished their work, and they’re stressed.”

ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS BEHIND MENTAL HEALTH Unfortunately, with all this work comes a price, and that price is deteriorating mental health. Of course, as mentioned above, sleep deprivation plays a huge part in longterm mental illness, but this is just one example of the many stressors

that can lead to mental health issues if not taken care of, including the shear stress and isolation faced during the Pandemic.

Surprisingly, mental health concerns among all ages have been increasing as social distancing has increased. In fact, according to the Household Pulse Survey, a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 47% of those sheltering-in-place reported negative mental health effects resulting from worry or stress related to COVID-19, greater than those not sheltering-in-place (37%). This indicates that not only are MVHS students at risk of deteriorating mental health from the pressure they put on themselves, but also from external factors happening around them. We have heard many stories about quarantine and its harmful effects on our brains, and MVHS junior Anika Nagavara shares her story about quarantine’s effect on her mental well-being as well.

“I think I’ve definitely noticed that because we’re in quarantine and doing online school, it’s a lot harder to stay motivated... especially after sitting in front of a computer screen for six hours, and then having to, on top of that, spend extra time after school trying to finish [all the] homework and assignments,” Nagavara said. “And on top of work, I also think that while being remote, it’s very easy to lose sight of the bigger picture or goal because of the monotony of doing the same routine every day and feeling like [you] don’t have a support group or people to reach out to if [you] need to talk.”

THE PROBLEM: DISREGARDING MENTAL HEALTH Unfortunately, time and mental health care are both two very important factors of our lives, and time often holds more priority than the latter. It comes as no surprise that we tend to completely disregard our mental health and mental wellbeing, leading to the increasing rates of depression and anxiety among youth. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, although anxiety and depression are both treatable, 80% of kids with a diagnosable anxiety disorder and 60% of kids with diagnosable

depression are not getting treatment.

unified system.”

Once you come to this revelation that the brain and mind are a unified system, you not only have adopted a new way of thinking, but are also showing more awareness, both of which have been countlessly proven to suppress mental illness symptoms and boost mental well-being.

THE SOLUTION: LUCID DREAMING It turns out that one of the best ways to boost our mental health is the psychological phenomenon known as lucid dreaming. According to SleepFoundation.org, lucid dreaming is having an awareness that you’re dreaming while you’re dreaming, instead of thinking that LUCID DREAMING’S EFFECT ON you are awake as you normally do. SLEEP In other words, Lucid dreaming you develop a can also assist in hybrid state of “Once you accept the idea overcoming sleep consciousness, difficulties such that [the mind and brain] as which is in part nightmares. waking and in may be integrated, then you According to the part dreaming.

National Center Hence, you would [have] made a huge break- for Biotechnical know that you through in terms of thinking I n f o r m a t i o n , are dreaming, neurocognitive but still not leave about yourself and about models of the your dream state, your psychological realities, generation of thus allowing nightmares actually yourself to have because you realize that you illustrate a hypermore control over are using your brain and your responsivity of the your dreams. But amygdala along how exactly can mind as a unified system.” with the prefrontal lucid dreaming HARVARD PROFESSOR J. regions of the brain boost our mental failing to function.

ALLAN HOBSON health and This dampens the metacognition? distinction between reality and the nightmare itself. Recurring LUCID DREAMING’S EFFECT ON nightmares can then lead to many METACOGNITION mental health complications, such Professor of Psychiatry, Emeritus, as post-traumatic stress disorder at Harvard Medical School, (PTSD), depression, anxiety, stress, psychiatrist, and dream researcher sleep disturbances (insomnia) and J. Allan Hobson, shares his research substance abuse. Thankfully, lucid on lucid dreaming and how it can dreaming has been shown to help benefit one’s way of perceiving in getting rid of these recurring themselves and their mental health. nightmares; while lucid dreaming, He begins by explaining one of the dreamer will be aware that the his most important contributions nightmare that they are “in” is just to psychology, the questioning of an augmentation of their reality, the dream theory. His claim is that allowing them to take control of dreaming is brain-based, in turn the psychological aspect of the leading to his conclusion that the nightmare, thus eliminating any fear. mind and the brain are connected.

School-based therapist and student “[Lucid dreaming will] educate you advocate Richard Prinz shares his about the most important question in experience with lucid dreaming. all of philosophy and science, are the Prinz explained a nightmare he had brain and the mind separate systems and how he was able to overcome it or are they integrated,” Hobson said. by becoming aware of the fact that “And once you accept the idea that he was in a dream. they may be integrated, then you “There’ve been times where I’ve [have] made a huge breakthrough in been in a dream [and was] tortured, terms of thinking about yourself and and then I realize [I’m] dreaming about your psychological realities, because [I’m] becoming aware of because you realize that you are where I actually am, in a bed. And so, using your brain and your mind as a I think the benefit [of lucid dreaming] RES NOVAE

04

is that you don’t have to buy into [the dream], you don ‘t have to become part of it,” Prinz says. “You can fly away [and] there’s no pain. You can leave a lot of suffering and a lot of mental anguish by being aware of your situation.”

TIPS TO LUCID DREAM There are many benefits of lucid dreaming, all fitting under the umbrella of improving mental health, metacognition and neurological ability as a whole.

Lucid dreaming is a hard thing to master — luckily, Professor Hobson, a vivid lucid dreamer himself, shares tips on getting started with this phenomenon. Hobson’s first tip reflects on his own personal experiences with this neurological art. He explains that after he stopped sleeping past midnight and instead started sleeping at the recommended time (the National Sleep Foundation recommends going to bed anytime from 8pm to midnight), he was able to change his views on dreaming and pay more attention to the dreams themselves, allowing him to become more aware of himself and the world around him.

“I myself learned to lucid dream by altering my sleep cycle. If you alter your sleep cycle, you will almost certainly alter your perception of sleep and dreams, and, [as] I did, become lucid,” Hobson said. “[My second tip is to] just pay attention to your dreams. If things are very peculiar, if things are happening that are impossible, then you know that you’re dreaming.”

Hobson’s second tip is based upon the fact that if we are aware of when we are dreaming, it is easier to come to the realization that the events taking place are a figment of our imagination, thus allowing us to have the ability of changing those events. However, Hobson mentions that although these tips are quite efficient, his third and final tip is probably the best to get started with lucid dreaming.

“Give yourself ‘free’ sleep: go to your bedroom, lie down, turn off the light, lie there in the dark and [tell yourself], tonight, I’m going to have a lucid dream. And I’m going to know that I’m dreaming.” Hobson said. “[Know that] things are going

05

PSYCHOLOGY

to happen that couldn’t possibly be true. Install the dream in your mind, just before you go to sleep. Give it a try.”

This tip is based off of the mnemonic induction of lucid dreams (MILD). Based on a behavior called prospective memory, MILD allows us to effectively set intentions and carry them out in the future, according to a 2017 study in the journal Dreaming.

This technique essentially trains us to increase our self-awareness, and thus makes it easier for us to actually recognize when we are dreaming.

When we recognize that we are dreaming, we realize that we can change the dream to our liking, and begin to lucid dream. Hence, when we tell ourselves that we will lucid dream, it is easier to be aware and recognize that our dreams are not our reality.

LOOKING AHEAD Lucid dreaming is a neurological and psychological phenomenon that not only frees and relieves you, but also has many renowned benefits on our mental health and neurological function. Hence, the next time you are stressed, swamped with work or struggling from feelings of loneliness,

depression, anxiety and more, stay calm and remember to lucid dream.

In the words of Professor Hobson, “Give [lucid dreaming] a try.”

Note: It is important to understand that if done improperly, lucid dreaming can have potentially harmful effects, as articulated in Healthline’s Article (See the ‘Cautions’ section and onwards).

“You can fly away [and] there’s no pain. You can leave a lot of suffering and a lot of mental anguish by being aware of your situation.”

SCHOOL THERAPIST RICHARD PRINZ

ILLUSTRATION | JENNIFER ZHAO

CHANGING THE CLIMATE THROUGH THE MARKETPLACE Identifying the truths and misconceptions behind the usage of consumerism to combat climate change

BY ERIC FENG

RES NOVAE

06

U

ncontrollable wildfires rage them. across the state of California.

By and large, such a claim is Storms, heat waves, and supported by psychology.

In droughts increase in both particular, the famed Austrian frequency and intensity, wreaking neurologist Sigmund Freud havoc across the nation. One study suggested in his 1925 essay Negation predicts a 23% fall in average global that any form of denial stems from income by the turn of the century. a mental process that attempts to All are a result of the ever-increasing use one’s own perceptions to twist climate crisis the world faces today. and reinterpret reality. Modern As the evidence behind climate psychology identifies a similar change, one of our generation’s concept with the idea of “motivated greatest scientific challenges, grows reasoning”: as the facts of science stronger, so too grows the number come into conflict with individuals’ of those who write off this evidence preconceived ideas and beliefs, they as nonsense or conspiracy. This form will attempt to reason around the of denial in itself should come as no facts and defend themselves from surprise, of course—the rejection any further revision. of scientific proofs and findings has a history that stretches back as far THE MARKETPLACE: A VIABLE as science itself. However, when STRATEGY, OR A DANGEROUS the future of our planet as we know MISCONCEPTION? it may well lie in the balance, the In recent years, though, a new implications of what may come off as plan to combat climate change has casual skepticism begun to emerge. get a lot more According to “At its heart, climate change economics writer serious.

For years, the denial is a conflict between Michael Rieger, primary goal such a solution lies behind efforts to facts and values. People deny in the marketplace combat climate to the climate crisis because, to itself—left change has been their own devices, to convince the them, it just feels wrong.” it is actually rejectors and more profitable naysayers of SENIOR RESEARCHER IN for companies climate science. POLITICS DAVID HALL to invest in However, a more sustainable and radical theory, one which claims the environmentally-friendly practices, population can subconsciously be Rieger claims. driven to fight climate change, has Indeed, such claims do make recently begun to take shape. Before intuitive sense. After all, if a product the possibilities and shortcomings is both more environmentally of such a theory can be analyzed, friendly and also of higher quality though, it is first important to than its counterparts, consumers understand where the denial of would be more incentivized to buy science comes from. the former, regardless of whether they themselves care about THE CREATION OF DENIAL environmental friendliness - being “At its heart, climate change environmentally friendly would only denial is a conflict between facts be an added benefit. and values,” David Hall, a senior Outside of the theoretical realm, researcher in politics at the Auckland such arguments are also supported University of Technology, writes in an by real-world evidence: electric article for The Conversation. “People vehicles are indeed better for the deny the climate crisis because, to environment than their gasolinethem, it just feels wrong.” powered counterparts. “Electric cars Hall’s assertion provides a simple, are less polluting, and producing blunt answer to this complex issue: more EVs will help reduce total people are constantly at conflict carbon emissions,” James Ellsmoor, between their intuition and the facts entrepreneur and Forbes contributor, they are presented with, and they will said. “EVs are responsible for deny the things that feel wrong to considerably lower emissions over

07

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

their lifetime than vehicles running on fossil fuels.”

Despite this, most people do not actually buy electric vehicles for their environmental benefits.

“Environmentalism is not a substantial area of interest [for Tesla buyers],” reporter John Voelcker told Forbes. “This indicates that Tesla interest is driven by the technological or aspirational aspects of the brand rather than it’s [sic] environmental benefits.” Voelcker’s observation paints a similar picture: psychologically speaking, the average consumer is only incentivized to buy the best, most desirable products— yet if that product also happens to be the most environmentally friendly, then consumers will unconsciously purchase in a more environmentally friendly manner without realizing it.

When asked to consider the general public’s buying habits, MVHS junior Kevin Kim shared similar sentiments. “I do think that between two similar products, most people would try to choose the more environmentally friendly one,” Kim described. “However, if there were other factors such as a huge price difference, or huge inconvenience, that would hinder your ultimate decision as to what you buy, because ultimately, those are the things that matter to the consumer the most.”

THE MISCONCEPTION Unfortunately, this endless consumerist desire for the best product over sustainability leads to the emergence of disparities in this theory, as there is in fact substantial evidence to suggest that energy companies actually have little incentive to invest in renewable energy sources at all. Notably, it has been well established that fossil fuel companies, such as ExxonMobil, have known and acknowledge the existence and potential harm of climate change since as early as 1977, yet have purposely paid for and promoted the spreading and publication of studies playing down or outright refuting such evidence.

In fact, this sort of behavior from fossil fuel companies directly contradicts the notion made by proponents of consumer-oriented environmentalism. If it is indeed more profitable for companies to

In Norway, the country with the most EVs in accordance with population, the perceived environmental benefits of EVs was only the main factor in around 13% of EV owners’ decisions to purchase their vehicles. Other factors such as technology, financial savings and fun factor, were just as or more substantial factors in their buying decisions.

seek sustainability, then companies be educated in the danger of climate would hope to promote the dangers change and the sustainability of the of climate change to consumers, products they buy.” not attempt to hide Hong’s claims them up. were echoed “I think that more education by sophomore When junior Ryan Hong first or more information [on Ethan Tarng. considered this “I think that scenario, he initially climate change] is still needed more education shared a similar to successfully combat the or more view. “At first, I would information [on think that people problem. In the end, good climate change] could be directed consumer habits are a part is still needed to unconsciously to successfully buy more of the solution, but they combat the e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y are not all that is needed.” problem,” Tarng friendly products,” explained. “In Hong stated. “But SOPHOMORE ETHAN TARNG the end, good really, though, consumer big companies don’t care about habits are a part of the solution, but the environment at all, they just they are not all that is needed.” care about profit, and if it’s more The idea that consumerism profitable to lie to consumers will force producers to push for about the climate rather than seek sustainable, environmentallysustainability, they would choose to friendly practices sounds good on lie. It’s still most crucial for buyers to paper, and it works to some extent.

Yet, a consumer’s desire for the best, and only the best, products results in such an idea’s ultimate downfall.

In the end, if the average individual is to truly make an impact in the fight against climate change, simply buying what they want and looking to the market to direct itself is just not enough. One’s own knowledge of what they are buying is still just as important as their desire to buy, and as a result, combating the denial of those who reject science still remains the most crucial step in the fight against climate change.

RES NOVAE

08

ZE RO

FOLLOWERS The dangers of social media addiction

S

BY ANGELA ZHANG

wipe. A girl cuts open the packaging to her brand new phone. Click. She powers it on. Tap, tap. Logging on to the boundless expanse of the internet...

Meanwhile, her brain facilitates all her bodily functions and thought, serving as a never-resting machine.

Chemical messengers, hormones and neurotransmitters, deliver messages from the brain to all throughout the body. Within the brain, a factory known as the “hypothalamus” exists, equipped with creaky pathways and dull sensors. It is the control center connecting reward pathways throughout the body.

When activated, these pathways alert memory centers, taking note of positive events that should be repeated. Presently, it lays still.

Her phone is new so she immediately navigates to the App Store. Predictably, the first few automated recommendations are top social media applications: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. As a young girl, she had never experienced the online world because her house only recently had Wifi installed, thanks to her father’s bonus.

“Should I download them?” she murmurs, scratching her head, “It seems pointless anyways.”

The reward system rumbles.

It unconsciously yearns for the

09

PSYCHOLOGY

attention and love she never received.

Her thumb, almost on its own accord, clicks the download button.

Immediately, she feels the urge to post an image that highlights her past achievements. As she frantically swipes through her photo library, she realizes that nothing lives up to the confident online persona she seeks to create. Just as she begins to despair, she spots an old picture at the beach and the perfect idea lights up inside her brain.

“Surfing the dream,” the caption reads. In reality, the girl has never surfed in her life. But her newly formed online persona has.

Ding! A push notification from Facebook lights up the dark room.

Her first follow! The factory whirs to life. Gears whirl, steam spouts and the engine rumbles. It sends a message to other glands, instructing the production of a special golden liquid, dopamine. As both a hormone and a neurotransmitter, dopamine reinforces the brain to repeat pleasant activities, which causes a sense of happiness and euphoria.

A drop of this luminescent golden liquid is created, oozing into the different pathways leading out of the factory. The brightness lights up the system, turning rust into glimmer.

Slowly, she begins to smile.

Outside her room, her parents’ voices fade and the lights click off. It

is well past her bedtime, but her eyes continue being glued to the screen.

Even if she tried, she would not be able to move them.

Ping! A notification sounds to corrupt this innocent explorer: a prompt to navigate to the Discover page. Curious, the girl clicks to a stranger’s post of a huge trophy, celebrating the win of a championship.

“Gratitude,” the modest caption reads.

Her smile fades.

An ominous black liquid, oxytocin, seeps out of glands under the direction of the factory. Like a coin with two opposite sides, this hormone is responsible for both love and envy. It infects the machine like poison, overwhelming the light.

All of the sudden, the girl begins to feel unexplained anger and aggression, coupled with misery and self depreciation. Swipe after swipe, she sees people with amazing achievements, each one more beautiful and popular than the one before. The black liquid gushes out in greater and greater quantities, reinforcing the powerful emotion of jealousy.

Time flies by and her eyes begin to sting. Sitting up, she notices for the first time the cramps in her back from spending eight hours in bed, mindlessly scrolling through her

feed. Yawning, she rolls out of bed to start her day.

Her phone display reads: 100 followers.

A few days pass.

Since the initial post, the factory has changed- its circuits have warped to be unrecognizable. The brain has rewired itself to the positive reinforcement social media gives.

Pathways strengthen in a process called long term potentiation, which increases the signal transmission between neurons to intensify the response to stimuli. The machine has become ultra-sensitive, reactive to even the slightest drop of dopamine.

With each new like and comment, a new burst of golden liquid motivates the factory to seek more rewards.

With each new follow, the hypnotized machine forces her fingers to create new posts. When she hits 500 followers, she laughs hysterically out of pleasure, no longer thinking but acting purely to quench her thirst for validation.

Meanwhile, her online self, like an onion, continues to form new layers, developing into a new being entirely. Not only does it surf, it also has a boyfriend, loving parents and a huge wardrobe. It is the equivalent of a human being but with no physical form, existing only within the boundaries of the Internet.

And with each new trait added, the factory churns out yet another spike of golden liquid.

1000 followers.

A week passes. Nobody, not even her parents, can get her out of bed.

All day, the girl lays in her bed. The dull white light of her screen enforces a superficial cycle designed to churn out “happiness”. Her phone stays attached to the charger, day in and day out, allowing never ending use. The machine slowly becomes flooded with artificial gold.

5000 followers.

Ping! A different kind of notification pops up. The girl furrows her brow. It’s not from any of her social media apps.

Apprehensively, she clicks it open.

“You have received 6 Fs this semester. Please set up a meeting with your school counselor immediately. Have a

nice day!,” the email reads.

“What?” she gasps, dumbfounded.

Her past self was a straight A student whose worth was directly associated with her transcript. “But...this can’t be possible!”

Tears form in her eyes, but she hastily wipes them away. For the first time in days, she reflects on reality, imagining the reactions of her parents and teachers. Creak. The factory’s gears whirl and several glands swiftly release a gush of a deep blue liquid, cortisol. As the stress hormone, it is the epitome of misery, spreading sadness throughout the blindingly bright machine.

Abruptly, she sits up and aggressively throws her phone to the ground without thinking. Thud! A resounding crack echos through the stuffy room.

Horrified, the girl rushes out of bed to retrieve her most prized possession. She falls to her knees as she runs her finger over the deep fissure through the screen.

The factory creaks to a stop, halting the dopamine production. The light of the machine goes out. It is not pitch-black dark, but it is no longer artificially bright. It is….normal.

But the girl has been blinded by the golden light. She desperately pushes the power button, hoping for a miracle that can revive her phone.

Blue liquid comes booming out as broken, helpless sobs wrack through her body. She curls up in a fetal position on the ground.

Black liquid is released as she thinks about the billions of people who, unlike her, have functional phones.

Overwhelmed, the imbalanced machine spirals out of control.

Suppressed emotion of restlessness, agitation, anxiety and depression hit her in a massive wave.

As her sobs recede, she sees a mirage in her blurred sight. Just before she loses consciousness, she squints and her eyes make out a luminescent figure. Her online persona appears in front of her eyes, laughing and showing off shining trophies. A trace of a smile appears on her face and she feebly raises her shaking hand to touch the mirage.

But despite how close her online self seems, the girl is unable to reach it.

As she lowers her hand in defeat, a lone tear falls down her cheek and she realizes an important truth.

It has 5K followers. She has 0.

ILLUSTRATION | MOHAMED HASSAN LICENSED BY CREATIVE COMMONS

RES NOVAE

10

HOW TO JUSTIFY SUFFERING JENNIFER ZHAO

A REMOTE LIFESTYLE: THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND ZOOM FATIGUE SHREYA MANTRIPRAGADA

MENTAL HEALTH DURING THE PANDEMIC AVANI DURVE

find these stories and more

AT MVRESNOVAE.ORG