Blumenthal Scholars Journal 2025

Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School ‫בית הספר התיכון של ישיבת פלטבוש על שם יואל ברברמן‬

The May & Bernard Blumenthal Scholars Program

Dinner Journal

May 30, 2024 ‫כב אייר תשעד‬

Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School ‫בית הספר התיכון של ישיבת פלטבוש על שם יואל ברברמן‬

Rabbi Joseph Beyda Head of School

Dr. Michael Atlas Associate Principal

Rabbi Yigal Sklarin Associate Principal

Ms. Esther Hidary Associate Principal

Rabbi David Galpert Assistant Principal Dr. Sari Mayer Program Coordinator

The May and Bernard Blumenthal Scholars Program is dedicated in memory of two people who fully embraced the Yeshivah of Flatbush vision and philosophy. It is a meaningful and lasting tribute to their enduring affiliation with the school, their commitment to Jewish education and their desire to prepare strong leaders for the future. Bestowed by their children, Sharon and Avram Blumenthal and Janice and Alan Blumenthal, it defines the family’s 50+ year long relationship with the Yeshivah. Avram and Alan are proud alumni, as are their respective children, Judah and Benjamin and David, Joseph and Leora (only Avram’s son Chaim is not a graduate). All of the grandchildren enjoyed a special relationship with their grandparents. They were influenced by the impact they had on other people’s lives and inspired by their generosity and acts of chesed.

The loyalty to community and Jewish causes and the tradition of giving displayed by May and Bernard Blumenthal set an example for the family. Bernard’s distinguished record shows he served as President and Executive Board member of the Jewish Community House in Bensonhurst, was a member of the UJA/Federation Executive Committee, a patron of the Wingate Institute in Israel and a member of the Jewish War Veterans and B’nai Brith. He supported many yeshivot both here and in Israel and was a Master Builder at Yeshiva University, as well as a major benefactor of his local shul, Congregation Sons of Israel. May was a woman blessed with inner strength and sensitivity who created a home of Torah, Mitzvot and Ma’asim Tovim. She was a lifetime member of Yeshivah of Flatbush, as well as Yeshiva Ohel Moshe, Hadassah and AMIT. The May and Bernard Blumenthal Scholars Program offers a high-profile curriculum that introduces a challenging and innovative course of study to an elite group of students and is based on independent study and the development of research skills, leadership qualities, talents and abilities in academics, the arts and sciences. The generosity of Sharon and Avram Blumenthal and Janice and Alan Blumenthal has enabled the Yeshivah to advance its ongoing mission of excellence in an exciting and vital way.

Table of Contents

Eden Amram: Alcoholism

1

Eliana Bonduransky: The Influence Color Grading Has on Audience’s Emotions

10

Irene Cohen: Covid’s Effect on Social Anxiety

17

Baruch Elmann: Behavioral Economics

22

Kelly Fatiha: Gene Therapy on Cancer Cells

28

Abigail Fuzaylova: The Healing Power of Art

35

Sam Gindi: Chaos Theory and Fractals in Nature

43

Lili Hanan: The Tortured Genius

49

Sarah Kezra: Extreme Extraversion and the Neuroscience Behind It

55

Fortune Khabih: Alzheimer’s Disease and the Bredesen Protocol

60

Rachael Kopylov: Behind Cupid’s Arrow

68

Susie Masri: The Effects of Being in an Honors Program

79

Caroline Palacci: Collective Delusion

83

Oliviah Shamah: The Correlation Between Social Media and Body Image

90

Emily Tarrab: GMOs: The Universal Remedy?

100

Alcoholism

2 Eden Amram From many teenagers’ point of view, a party is not considered a party if alcohol is not involved. In reality, drinking even one time can do a lot of damage. Therefore, it is crucial for people to know what they put into their bodies and the effects that it can have on them.

Alcohol, which is more accessible to kids than drugs, can cause an individual to feel calm and mellow. This sometimes drives a person to rely on alcohol in order to feel that sense of calmness again. A reliance on alcohol is not a modern phenomenon. People all around the world have been using fermented grains or fruits in order to create some form of alcohol. As Dr. Smith explains, “from ancient times, when beer recipes were recorded on tablets, to Prohibition in the United States, to the staggering modern rates of alcoholism, alcohol consumption has brought people together and torn them apart” (“The History of Alcohol Throughout the World”). The earliest proof of alcohol was found in pottery jars in China from about 7000-6600 B.C. Later on, the English immigrated to America and did not feel comfortable drinking water because they felt that it was contaminated and unsafe to drink. By the 1630s, colonists started making their own beer using the barley that was shipped to them from England. By the end of the 17th century, Americans started consuming rum on the regular and it became one of the common substances of alcohol. Later on, during the Civil war, alcohol was used for medical purposes. This was good until the soldiers took advantage of the alcohol and liquor, which led to many war crimes, including rape (“The History of Alcohol Throughout the World”).

Reasons for drinking alcohol include, but are not limited to, emotional distress, social engagement, mental illness, relaxation, or to escape their problems. Emotional distress can lead people to do things that they feel might help with their strong emotions, such as drinking alcohol.

When an individual goes through a certain occurrence, they may feel as if alcohol is their only

3 route to relief (Bradizza). This occurrence can be an intense breakup, the passing of a loved one, or even the divorce of their parents.

Almost a quarter of the American population has or currently experience mental illnesses.

Whether anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder, these mental illnesses require a certain amount of attention and care. Drinking alcohol, however, is not the right approach to treat a mental illness; in fact, alcohol has the ability to make a mental illness more severe. Despite this reality, alcohol use among people with mental illnesses is greater than the average use of alcohol among people without a mental illness. For example, a person with depression might crave alcohol in order to “feel” something again, and a person with anxiety might turn to alcohol to suppress their feeling of anxiousness (“Alcohol and Depression”). Alcohol has also been proven to be connected to social anxiety. Some teenagers and adults with social anxiety feel they need to consume alcohol before having social interactions, as they feel that it will ease their communication, which may be an important event, meeting, date, or even celebration. Many individuals believe that drinking alcohol will help “loosen” them up and take the edge off in order for things to have a smoother outcome.

Alcohol use is also common among people who need to relax or enjoy themselves. After a long day of work or a hard day at school, people may find that a glass of wine or a cold bottle of beer is exactly what they need to destress. “Alcohol use disorder most often develops when alcohol becomes a tool for a person to cope with their emotions,” states Kara Nassar (“How Alcohol Impacts the Brain”). Although it is only temporary, the feeling that comes from alcohol can actually help delay a problem or situation that a person is trying to avoid. The key word here is temporary because that is all that it is. The feeling will eventually wear off and that person will still have to deal with the problem or issue that they originally ran away from. Cowan J.D tests

4 the theory that alcohol assists users in forgetting their feelings. After Cowan’s procedure to test out this theory, a close inspection revealed “no basis for such a finding,” (Mueller). His subjects rated their emotions on three separate occasions, including the one they were asked to recall, and each time reported almost identical moods. To highlight the problems of interpretation encountered in this design, an alternative analysis of Cowan's data is offered, suggesting that alcohol may enhance, rather than impair, memory for feelings. His study, similar to Nassar’s, revealed that alcohol does not help a person forget their feelings; rather, it helps delay their feelings. These delayed feelings are enhanced once the alcohol wears off (Mueller).

Just like any addiction, alcohol addiction has many stages. The first stage of addiction is the experimental stage. This is when a person is only interested in the taste or feeling of alcohol and wants to try it out of curiosity. Once a person tries it, they start to build their tolerance for it which brings us into the second stage, when the person will begin to drink regularly and start to become comfortable with the feeling, normalizing their actions. This brings us to the third stage of addiction: comfortability. Drinking alcohol will eventually become a routine and a person will begin to rely on it. The last and final stage is officially addiction. At this point, the consumer will start to have a constant craving for alcohol and experience withdrawal symptoms without it.

Alcohol triggers a person's brain to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that causes this person to feel pleasure. Because of this, the brain associates these positive feelings with the consumption of alcohol which strengthens the addiction. The more often a person drinks, the more their tolerance grows, the more dopamine they receive to stimulate the addiction developed. As the tolerance increases, the feeling of the alcohol decreases. This enhances the person’s craving for alcohol, and will cause the person to consume more than usual in order to obtain the original feeling they received when the addiction first began. In response to this, the

5 person begins to drink more alcohol, gradually losing themselves to addiction. It is not uncommon for alcohol use disorder to present in people who drink a great amount of alcohol, perhaps more than they intended. On the other hand, there may be psychological causes for addiction. Some of these causes include a history of issues with impulse control, constant issues with self-love and self-esteem, mental health disorders (including depression and anxiety), and any type of trauma, including PTSD (“The History of Alcohol Throughout the World”).

Alcohol can control a person's life without the user being fully aware of the effects. Once someone takes a drink of alcohol, it gets absorbed through the lining of their stomach. It then spreads into the tissues throughout the whole body and in about 10 minutes, they will already start to feel the effects like laughing a lot or feeling a rush of emotions. Around 20 minutes after consuming alcohol is when the liver will start to actually process the alcohol. Although the entire body absorbs the alcohol, the brain is primarily affected by the alcohol because alcohol interferes with the Brain’s communication pathways. Because of this, when a person is drunk, they do not have control over their feelings and will do or say what they truly feel. Jeffrey T. Johnson states that “intoxication occurs when alcohol intake exceeds your body’s ability to metabolize alcohol” (“How Alcohol Impacts the Brain”). In other words, everybody has a limit to metabolize the alcohol that is consumed. There are actually seven stages to intoxication. Let's use John as an example. Stage 1 is subliminal intoxication. This occurs when the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.01-0.05. During this stage, John will not look or feel drunk, but his behavior may be a bit different than usual. He might start to feel the alcohol kicking in, but can still perform tasks as usual. Stage 2 is euphoria and occurs when the BAC is 0.03-0.12. At this stage, John will start to feel extra relaxed and calm. Because his body is in the process of releasing dopamine, he will feel extra confident and mellow. During this stage it would be wise for John to stop drinking

6 alcohol in order to prevent further intoxication which brings us to stage three. Stage 3 is Excitement, when the BAC is 0.09-0.25. This is the stage where John will start to have blurred vision and have trouble speaking. He may feel like he cannot hold up his body and the “good feelings” will pass. During this stage John’s body's reaction time is extremely slow and on occasion, he will experience a feeling of nausea. This is usually the stage where most people vomit because their body cannot metabolize anymore alcohol. Stage 4 is the confusion stage where the BAC is 0.18-0.30. During the stage of confusion, John usually needs help walking or even standing up straight. His body can not function normally and he has a hard time doing anything by himself. He also starts to forget certain memories and his brain has difficulty creating new ones. Stage 5 is stupor and occurs when John’s BAC is 0.25 or higher. At this stage, John has reached the point of alcohol poisoning and may pass out or vomit. This is also the stage where many individuals, including John, are rushed to the hospital in need of pumping their stomach. Stage 6 is coma where the BAC is past .3. John’s BAC is now 0.35 and given from the name of the stage, this is when John is at high risk of slipping into a coma and is also at high risk of death, which is our last and final stage. Stage 7 is death and should never be something that John should let himself or anyone else reach. BAC is 0.45 and can happen from alcohol poisoning due to the high consumption of alcohol (“How Alcohol Impacts the Brain”).

Alcohol can have a negative effect on the brain like blurred vision, difficulty walking, and even slurred speech..Another effect that is commonly experienced by addicts is memory lapses. This is when a person is unable to remember certain events and will have trouble creating new memories. Scientists have hypothesized that “blackouts are much more common among social drinkers than previously assumed and should be viewed as a potential consequence of acute intoxication regardless of age or whether the drinker is clinically dependent on alcohol.”

7 Hundreds of college undergraduates were surveyed about their experiences with blackouts and were asked if they had ever woken up after a night of drinking, not being able to decipher what had happened the night before. Among the students who had ever consumed alcohol, 51% reported black out episodes at some point in their lives due to alcohol consumption. About 40% reported experiencing a blackout in the year prior to the survey. Of those who admitted to drinking in the two weeks leading up to the poll, 9.4% confessed to blacking out during that time frame. The students later reported that they had participated in a wide range of potentially dangerous events they could not remember, including vandalism, unprotected sex, and driving. (“How Alcohol Impacts the Brain''). This was done to prove that blackouts happen from extreme intoxication and are extremely dangerous. Individuals who have been drinking for a long period of time may also be at risk of developing brain damage. Additionally, it is common for users to develop thiamine deficiency which normally results in poor nutrition habits. Another common effect of alcohol is liver damage. Because alcohol is metabolized by the liver, consuming too much alcohol can and will damage the liver, which can also end up damaging the brain as well.

These are effects that can happen to almost anyone, but it requires many different factors to lead up to these effects. The amount of times and alcohol a user drinks, the age he or she first began drinking, and how long he or she has been drinking, impact the effects that alcohol has on their body. A person’s age, level of education, gender, genetic background, and family history of alcoholism will also impact their bodies reaction to alcohol.

Many factors can lead to an individual turning to alcohol for help. The number of deaths per year caused by alcohol is approximately 88 thousand, and it is important for us to help to make sure that number does not continue to increase. There is no such thing as a “quick fix” and we should strive to lower this number each year. We need to stay in touch with ourselves and do

8 what is necessary to prevent this from happening to us or to someone we love. We should never drink alcohol to forget about problems, turn to alcohol when anxiety or depression feel overbearing, or feel embarrassed to speak about our problems. It is also important not to lie about drinking or feel pressured into doing something that we do not feel as comfortable doing.

Instead, we should remember to always admit when we have a problem, speak to a therapist if you have an urge to drink, and discuss ways to help prevent an addiction. Always be in touch with yourselves and your emotions and take care of your mental health. Alcohol will never be the answer that you are looking for and, regardless, life is too short to waste it over a good drink.

Works Cited

9 Alcohol and Depression. Alcohol Rehab Guide, 8 Jan. 2024, www.alcoholrehabguide.org/resources/dual-diagnosis/alcohol-and-depression/#:~:text=A buse%20And%20Depression-,Individuals%20who%20suffer%20from%20depression%2 0are%20more%20likely%20to%20abuse,how%20people%20think%20and%20act.

American Addiction Centers Editorial Staff. (2022). “The History of Alcohol Throughout the World.”https://recovery.org/alcohol-addiction/history/ Bradizza, C. M., Reifman, A., & Barnes, G. M. (1999). Social and Coping Reasons for Drinking: Predicting Alcohol Misuse in Adolescents. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 60(4), 491. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A55017659/AONE?u=nysl_me_touro&sid=summon&xid =af9006d2 Carpenter, K. M., & Hasin, D. (1998). A prospective evaluation of the relationship between reasons for drinking and DSM-IV alcohol-use disorders. Addictive behaviors, 23(1), 41–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0306-4603(97)00015-4 Mueller, C. W., & Klajner, F. (1984). The effect of alcohol on memory for feelings: Does it really help users to forget? The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 172(4), 225. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6707621/ Northwestern Medicine., (2021). How alcohol impacts the brain. Northwestern Medicine. https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/alcohol-and-the-brain Reagan, R. W., (2012). Acute Alcohol Effects on Narrative Recall and Contextual Memory: An Examination of Fragmentary Blackouts, National Center for Biotechnology Information, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3101897/ Solomon, W. (n.d.). (2022). What causes alcohol addiction? WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/what-is-alcohol-abuse

10 Zahr, N. M., & Pfefferbaum, A. (2017). Alcohol's Effects on the Brain: Neuroimaging Results in Humans and Animal Models. Alcohol research : current reviews, 38(2), 183–206. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5513685/

The Influence Color Grading Has on Audience’s Emotions

11 Eliana Bonduryansky When they watch movies and view images, the audience usually is not aware of how impactful the color grading is in the work. A slight change in the technique of the color grading could drastically change a person’s internal emotional response, impacting the comprehension of the piece. Color grading is the process of adjusting various elements such as hue, saturation, brightness, and “Red, Green, Blue”; this form of aesthetic alteration is a method that creates a particular emotion throughout the scene (“What is Color Grading?”). The emotional and neurological aspects that correlate with color grading are immensely complex. To fully measure the extent color grading presence in cinematography affects the audience's emotions, it is significant to examine both the chemical and physical reactions.

Many may describe emotions simply as a feeling, like anger or sadness. However, emotions consist of three components: behavioral, physiological, and cognitive. For instance, when encountering a bear, one would experience an increase in heart rate (physiological) and would respond by running away (behavioral); the whole response is based on the interpretation (cognitive) of the situation. The order in which these three components of emotion occur is debated and categorized into three theories: James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and Schachter-Singer.

James-Lange theorized that when one experiences a stimulus, it triggers a physiological response, and then based on the response, the emotion is constructed. The Cannon-Bard theory speculates that the physiological response and emotion occur simultaneously after the stimulus.

12 Lastly, the Schachter-Singer theory states that the physiological response occurs first, followed by a cognitive interpretation that is then identified as a specific emotion (Wright).

The system involved with color processing is called the limbic system, consisting of the thalamus, amygdala, hippocampus and hypothalamus. These four components in the brain work together to construct emotional responses. The thalamus stores emotional experiences, particularly those facilitated by the amygdala and the amygdala communicates with the hypothalamus, which is responsible for the physiological arousal aspect of the emotions and the hippocampus works with the amygdala in storing memories and the emotions conjoined with those memories. Although the prefrontal cortex is not officially part of the limbic system, it is still greatly involved throughout the whole process due to its function of orchestrating the behavioral quality of emotions. All these structures work together to assemble emotional understanding and as an extension color-processing (Wright).

When color-graded scenes are viewed, a great deal of chemical responses occur in the brain. To calculate the brain's response a controlled experiment was conducted, examining participants' electrical activity to RGB (red, green, blue) in limbic system structures. The experiment initially tested the Beta-Bands, Theta-Bands, and Delta-Waves. Located in the prefrontal cortex, beta bands are responsible for the motor system. Secondly, in the hippocampus, Theta-Bands manage the cognitive and behavioral processes, including sensations, learning, and memory. Lastly, delta waves in the thalamus are involved in various functions such

13 as sleep, brain development, the release of growth hormones, emotional processing, and more.

The results of the experiment showed a latency shift in the beta bands when participants viewed green compared to red and blue, indicating a linkage between green and alertness. Blue caused a significant decrease in Theta-Bands power, while red and green experienced a slight increase, suggesting blue has a calming effect while green and red have a more stimulating effect on viewers. Finally, the Delta Waves experienced a latency when green was introduced, proposing that green has an inhibition mechanism, restraining enzymes from activity. Later on, green caused a decrease in theta waves indicating a possible emotional shift towards a more calming effect (“Brain Activity Characteristics of RGB Stimulus: an EEG Study”).

The psychological aspect of colors is incredibly complex. Each color and shade contributes to the influence it has on a person’s emotions. The psychology behind each color has an impact on the effect color grading has on the audience. Many factors contribute to how specific colors and hues affect each person. There have been various studies testing the psychology behind colors and how they affect people’s emotions in modern-day life. One study focused on the color of sports teams’ uniforms, measuring the effects the colors have on the players' performance. It has been proven that red sportswear-wearing teams tended to be more successful compared to teams with other colors. This is due to red being perceived as a dominant and aggressive color. However, not all sports teams aligned with this analysis; this contradiction suggests that multiple factors influence color processing and emotions. First, there is the biological response, which is a cellular reaction. Second is the collective unconscious, also known as mutual understanding. Cultural influence comes third, with conscious symbolism following, simply meaning the way one might learn to comprehend color. Lastly, personal relationships are also dependent on an individual's preference. This information reveals that there

14 is no fixed way to process color (“Color Psychology: Effects of Perceiving Color on Psychological Functioning in Humans'').

Additionally, cinematic lighting, particularly warm and cold hues, serves as a powerful tool to influence emotions. The intensity and placement of these hues induce emotions, providing visual focus and more. As Professor Dondis said, ‘‘Perception of color is the single most strongly emotional part of the visual process, it can be utilized to express and reinforce visual information to a great advantage.’’ This notation is proven continuously by various experiments, such as Scanalon’s experimental study, suggesting that different colors evoke specific emotions. According to Scanlon’s experiment, blue evokes calmness, yellow evokes caution and warmth, green evokes security and relaxation, red evokes passion, orange evokes adventure, white evokes purity, black evokes mystery, brown evokes masculinity, and silver and gold evoke regality. One experiment tested the impact different cinematic lightings had on viewers' emotions by showing nine cinematic shots lit by three different colors: blue, orange, and white, each hitting an image from different directions (frontal, cross, and side). Each individual was provided with sheets listing contrasting adjectives to potentially describe the image before them. The results revealed that characters in white lighting generally seemed neutral, with the perception directly based on the direction of the light, creating either an alert or relaxed mood. Orange lighting was associated

15 with an alert or a tense appearance and was occasionally described as warm. Blue lighting was linked with a range of emotions, including happiness, relaxation, mystery, tension, and even depression, all depending on the lighting location. Frontal warm lighting was found to be more effective in creating a happier appearance for the characters. White and orange lighting, either a frontal or cross, caused the character to be perceived as alert. Anger is constructed using side lighting, specifically with blue lighting. Blue side lighting also created a mysterious-looking character. A key takeaway is that color grading can evoke a variety of emotions, depending on the techniques used (Matbouly).

This exploration dives into the usage of color grading in the cinematic world by exploring the works done by famous producers, specifically Wes Anderson. Anderson has directed various well-known films, including Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel, among others.

The aim is to fully understand the power of color grading and how colors, in general, impact the overall mood and understanding of cinematic artwork. Throughout The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson uses an assortment of bright colors such as red, yellow, and blue. He saturates the piece, which allows Anderson to exaggerate other aspects of the film; “when we see a silly prison escape occur where the prisoners climb a rope over the guards, we accept it more readily” (Bedard). Colors in a film play a crucial role in portraying the story. Deeper hues and lifeless colors throughout a film helps define it into a depressing story, whereas bright hues and lively colors paint an entirely different picture.

Color grading’s effect on the audience's emotions is undeniable. Every factor that goes into the development of color grading could greatly influence how cinematography is interpreted. Color grading is a powerful tool because of the substantial presence of technology and social media in our everyday lives. Although color grading plays a crucial role in how

16 cinema is perceived, there are still many factors that contribute, including music, setting, dialogue, etc. Producers must understand the psychological and neurological aspects of color grading to take advantage of its power and use it effectively.

Works Cited

17 Bedard, Mike. “The Wes Anderson Color Palette: Bright Colors Meet Dark Subjects.”

StudioBinder, 14 Mar. 2023, www.studiobinder.com/blog/wes-anderson-color-palette.

"Brain Activity Characteristics of RGB Stimulus: an EEG Study.''Scientific Reports (Nature Publisher Group), vol. 13, no. 1, 2023, pp. 18988. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/brain-activity-characteristics-rgb-stimulus-e eg/docview/2885680767/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46450-z.

"Color Psychology: Effects of Perceiving Color on Psychological Functioning in Humans."

Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 65, 2014, pp. 95. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/color-psychology-effects-perceiving-on/dre view/1491419187/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115035.

Matbouly, M.Y. "Quantifying the Unquantifiable: the Color of Cinematic Lighting and its Effect on Audience’s Impressions Towards the Appearance of Film Characters: Research and Reviews." Curr Psychol 41, 3694–3715 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00900-3 "What is Color Grading?" Videomaker, vol. 34, no. 1, July 2019, pp. 36+. Gale OneFile: Fine Arts, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A592785812/PPFA?u=nysl_me_yeshivah&sid=bookmark-PPFA &xid=46b1b58f. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.

Wright, Judene. MCAT Psychology and Sociology Review. 2nd Edition.United States: Penguin Random House.

Covid’s Effect on Social Anxiety

18 Irene Cohen During the transitional stage of life also known as adolescence, which is typically marked by puberty, a shift occurs in both one's physical and emotional wellbeing. Emotionally, there is a shift from parental influences to influences of friends and peers. These developments may lead to emotional vulnerabilities. Studies have shown that adolescents are likely to encounter heightened levels of social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and depression. These mental health disorders can be caused by school, along with parental and peer pressures. Exacerbated by these external pressures is the effect of Covid 19, a global pandemic that shut down the world for months. This pandemic led to a large rise in mental health disorders, such as social anxiety.

The developmental stage between childhood and adulthood, the age of puberty, is one of the most critical stages in one's life. As their body changes during these years, so does their focus. Adolescents shift from themselves and their family to focusing on social relationships with friends and those surrounding them. This shift in their life, along with outside pressure, leads to emotional vulnerabilities in teenagers (Bosaki). During this period, teenagers focus on encounters with their peers, typically during school hours. The overall atmosphere of a school affects how one can act and feel. If a student does not perceive a school climate as a compassionate place, it may affect the mental wellbeing of that teenager (Gábor).

Teenagers who perceive school with a negative connotation may encounter mental disorders such as anxiety, avoiding social encounters and depression (Bosacki). Additionally, during adolescence, students typically have heightened levels of anxiety due to stress inflicted by school, leading to 10 percent of children under 16 to have anxiety. Stress is inherent to life but can also be a precursor to other disorders such as depression. This can occur because stress

19 affects the homeostasis also known as the balance in one's body (Gábor). Students are likely to have high anxiety during school hours due to work and interactions with peers (Bosacki).

While some anxiety stems back to childhood, anxiety is often present because of stress during adolescence. The amount of stress and anxiety can be measured accurately by testing one's cortisol levels. Cortisol, also known as a stress hormone, can be measured over time and indicate if one has high levels of stress and anxiety. The average hormone levels are depicted by a non-invasive testing process. A study of cortisol levels has shown that girls experience more stress than boys. The amount of anxiety among girls may align with an increase in social anxiety in women. Additionally, social anxiety may intensify in school atmospheres due to peer interactions (Gábor).

Social anxiety is a persistent fear of being judged in social situations. Some people tend to get anxiety before a big day, but social anxiety interferes with everyday activities. For example, speaking in class, leaving a room, and drinking water can inspire anxiety in those who have this disorder. This feeling leads adolescents to avoid social situations out of fear of being judged for normal activities. When this feeling is intense, adolescents miss out on opportunities with friends and family. Some other symptoms of social anxiety are intense anxiety that does not correlate with the “normal” amount of anxiety for that situation, racing heart, twitching, and sweating before or in social situations (“Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just Shyness”).

During Covid-19, the world went on lockdown for many months.The transmission of Covid 19 occurs between those who are in close contact with each other. As a precaution, for months people were urged to wear face masks covering their nose and mouth and maintain a minimum of six feet distance between others. The objective of this precaution was to protect others alongside oneself from contracting harmful germs. Despite these measures, the spread of

20 this virus still caused thousands to fall ill. As fear grew, with thousands dying every day, many stayed home to avoid the chances of contracting this disease. The world stopped for weeks with no set time of when life would return. Everyone, whether it was children or the elderly, had their daily routines disrupted–whether it was going to work, school or gathering with friends and family (Graf). During the pandemic, adolescents did not have day to day interactions with those who they are used to. For example, they did not see their friends, family, and coworkers for many months. This void was not later filled until many months after when life returned semi “back to normal.” At the start of this pandemic adolescents felt like this was a “gift from heaven.” It was not until later when they realized the toll this virus would have on social experiences later on in life (Rodriguez).

Research has found that an additional 76 million people, roughly 26 percent, had an increase in social anxiety after Covid. For some, this period of isolation temporarily relieved their symptoms of social anxiety, but when the time came to go back to normal life after months, adolescents were greatly challenged and found their social anxiety rose immensely since they had not had interactions that put them in “anxiety filled situations” in a while. Therefore, these adolescents had trouble coping with their feelings (Kindred).

Although there is not a specific cure, there are many available options that may improve social anxiety. A popular treatment is physcotherapy, which is also known as verbal therapy. A branch of this therapy is Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Cognitive Behavior Therapy, also known as CBT, teaches one different way to behave and think so people feel in control of their anxiety in situations. This therapy helps confront fears causing anxiety (“Social Anxiety Disorder: More Than Just Shyness”).

21 Additionally, if one exposes themselves to more anxiety producing situations, they are likely to learn how to cope properly. As one does this, they tend to realize that nothing bad came out of a social interaction leading their fears to be slightly reduced. Medications like beta blockers, which help slow down heart rate and other symptoms of social anxiety, may also help.

Other options are antidepressants and anti anxiety medication (Harenberg).

Although social anxiety can be prevalent in both men and women, it is found that more women have social anxiety than men after the pandmeic. It is also shown that women have higher levels of social anxiety than men (Graf).

Covid- 19 has significantly impacted adolescents regarding social anxiety. The pandemic's disruptions to daily routines and isolation led to heightened social anxiety upon returning to normal life. Although there is no cure, there are many types of therapy that can help one struggling.

22 Works Cited Bosacki, Sandra, et al. “Critical Review: Secondary School Climate and Adolescents’ Emotional Well-Being.” MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 14 Aug. 2023, www.mdpi.com/2673-7051/3/3/36.

Harenberg, Madi. “Social Anxiety: What It Is, Symptoms, Treatments & More,” www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-03-03/social-anxiety-what-it-is-sympt oms-treatments-more. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kindred, Reuben, and Glen W. Bates. “The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Anxiety: A Systematic Review.” MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 29 Jan. 2023, www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/2362.

“Social Anxiety Disorder: More than Just Shyness.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/social-anxiety-disorder-more-than-just-shyness.

Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Stephanie, Rodriguez-Besterio. “Social Media, Anxiety and Covid-19 Lockdown Measurement Compliance,” www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Social-Media,-Anxiety-and-COVID-19-Lockdown-Rodr iguez-Besteiro-Beltr%C3%A1n-Velasco/71bc09acbadadd1e884b7de18b2acb86331a5f5b.

Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Stromájer, Gábor Pál, et al. “Stress and Anxiety among High School Adolescents: Correlations between Physiological and Psychological Indicators in a Longitudinal Follow-up Study.”

MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 14 Sept. 2023, www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/9/1548.

23 The Interconnectedness of Emotions and Decisions Baruch Elmann Economics and psychology may seem like they are two very different fields. People are likely to assume that what makes up people’s culture, emotions, beliefs and political views surely has no effect on economic outcomes. In fact, economics and psychology are not only clearly inextricably linked, there is an entire field that studies the relationship between the two called behavioral economics. Recognizing the significance of behavioral economics is vital, as it underscores that external triggers influence every aspect of human behavior. This field of study emphasizes the role of emotions in decision-making. Emotions are crucial in life because they guide a person's decision-making, affecting their moral capacity and economic decisions.

Behavioral Economics is the field that merges psychological and behavioral ideas together to help understand how people make day-to-day decisions (“What Is Behavioral Economics?”). It is crucial to understand human behavior and other people's perception of life with their irrational minds– why they make the decisions they make and how to make those decisions better. Emotions drive individuals to make these important decisions that could have significant impacts on their lives; in fact, many researchers say that emotions account for about 90% of decisions made a day (“How Emotions Play an Important Role in Decision-Making”).

Therefore, it is important to consider emotional responses when studying and predicting human behavior–the many judgments people make, no matter how large or small, and how they shape people's lives and the way they approach certain situations.

Researchers from the University of San Diego and Duke University created a study in which an actor gave out sheets of paper with tasks on at a coffee shop, promising a $5 payment for their completion. In round one of this study, the actor simply gave the instructions and then

24 paid the participants. Crucially, however, the actor overpaid by a few dollars. Most people in the study returned the extra money, suggesting that in normal conditions, people are ethical. In the next version of the study, the actor received a personal phone call midway through giving the task’s instructions and then carried on with no apology. In this case, the overpaid dollars were rarely returned. But if the actor instead apologized after the phone call, the participants reverted back to their normal behaviors (“What Is Behavioral Economics?”).

Many people think that economic decisions are made only through logic; however, in actuality, the complete opposite is true–emotions control the decisions people make. In economic models, people choose between alternative courses of action by assessing the desirability and likelihood of their consequences. The desirability is called utility and making the most out of the desirability is referred to as “maximizing utility” (Rick and Lowenstein). People have two types of emotions: immediate and expected. Expected emotions are anticipated and occur as a result of the outcomes associated with different possible courses of action. For example, if someone is considering entering a stock, they will consider the happiness they will get from the stock rising, the despair they will feel if the stock drops, and the regret they will have if they did not purchase it. Immediate emotions, however, are based on thinking on the spot in a situation that puts the person making it in shock and in need of a decision (Rick and Lowenstein ). While the decisions are made through emotional factors, the complex brain is constantly changing as a result.

According to a Princeton Bulletin, “People's choices can depend in part on what region of their brain emerges victorious from a battle between centers of emotional impulse and rational thinking.” These scientists used brain imaging technology to track a person's brain's behavior while they are making decisions involving money. In the “Ultimatum Game,” two strangers meet each other and have to find a way to split 10 dollars. One person has to propose an offer, while

25 the other is the receiver who either accepts or rejects the offer. The receiver's brain was scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI), a technology that allows researchers to see what brain areas are active at all moments during the study. They found that the more unfair the offer, the more activity they saw in an area called the anterior insula, which is associated with disgust and other negative emotions (Schultz). Standard economic theory suggests that the proposer should always offer $1 or some other minimal amount and that the receiver should always accept, preferring to receive $1 rather than nothing. Many other studies, however, have shown that people often reject what they see as unfair offers. Another area of the brain, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is associated with working memory and deliberative thought, also responds to unfair offers. It not only tells them that there is an emotional response but that there seems to be competition between these different considerations or ways of processing the situation (Schultz). Through this simple but interesting game, it is clearly displayed that brain activity changes based on emotional responses.

The ideas that people hate losing more than they enjoy winning, that rationality can lead to implications, and that mathematics are not the sole factor of economics are explored in behavioral economics (“Nobel Perspectives”). The integration of behavioral economics into the study of decision-making reveals that emotions play a crucial role in economic choices, challenging the traditional assumption of purely rational decision-making in economic models.

The multifaceted emotions that someone is experiencing is extremely complex as even small factors can drive their decisions and could have a large impact on their economic selections. While it may not seem that surrounding things make a difference in economic decisions, there are many components that join together and make sure the shopper is having the most enjoyable experience in their store. The key to creating emotional connections with

26 customers is by providing the right combination of sights, sounds and smells to put shoppers in the mood to buy. Creating an emotional connection with customers and designing a positive and engaging shopping experience through the use of experiential media allows retailers to tap into the power of human emotion and see greater business success (“Emotions Drive Sales”).

According to Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, 95% of people make purchasing decisions based on unconscious emotional connections. Retailers who become more emotionally driven can significantly increase profits and build a stronger connection between their customers and their brand. These factors lead to increased loyalty, repeat business, and more purchases to these shops. These all change depending on the store that is being shopped at though. For example, there are tactics that stores use to choose music that fits the environment of the store. Studies show that 83% of people like listening to music in a store. However, 57% of consumers say they will disengage from shopping at a store that plays music too loudly or does not fit the shopping environment (“Emotions Drive Sales”). Lighting also plays an essential role in customer perception and mood within the retail store. By changing the way customers perceive their environment, lighting has a powerful influence on emotions, engagement, and loyalty toward products or brands. For example, Apple stores keep a consistent tone in all their stores worldwide, which represents their brand perfectly; clean, bright, and premium feel. When shoppers enter a store, the lighting plays an important role in how they perceive the space and overall customer experience. It can influence their moods, sense of comfort, and receptiveness to browse and explore products (“Mood Media”).

While sights and sounds are the most noticeable and exciting solutions to creating connections with customers, a lot of emotional connections are developed through humans' sense of smell. Human beings are 100 times more likely to recall a memory based on smell over

27 something we have touched, seen or heard. Considering that 75% of all emotions are generated by scent, this is what makes behavioral economics so interesting and engaging. In a work environment, to resonate with the target audience, stores have to do whatever they can to engage their customers. Once they are driven in by the sights, smells, and noise, then they will buy products in the shopping environment, driving sales for a business.

Emotions are integral to human experiences, influencing our perceptions, attitudes, and responses to various stimuli. They are not isolated from decision-making but rather intricately woven into the fabric of our choices. By recognizing this connection, we gain insight into how emotions guide moral reasoning and influence economic decisions. Emotions serve as a compass, guiding individuals in determining what is best for them.

28 Works Cited “Emotions Drive Sales: The Power of Behavioral Economics.” Retail Dive, 13 March 2023, www.retaildive.com/spons/emotions-drive-sales-the-power-of-behavioral-economics/643 967/.

“How Emotions Play Important Role in Decision Making.” | Mental Health Magazine /Psychology Magazine | Self-Help Magazine, 31 Oct. 2023, www.psychologs.com/how-emotions-play-important-role-in-decision-making/#:~:text=S ome%20researchers%20have%20found%20that,experience%20strong%20and%20compl ex%20emotions.

“Importance of Lighting in Retail: Full Guide [2024].” Modern.Place, 21 Oct. 2023, https://www.modern.place/importance-of-lighting-in-retail-stores/ “Is There a Link between Emotions and Economic Outcomes?” Nobel Perspectives, www.ubs.com/microsites/nobel-perspectives/en/latest-economic-questions/success/article s/emotional-economics.html.

Pedersen, Morten, et al. “What Is Behavioral Economics?” iMotions, 15 Nov. 2022 imotions.com/blog/learning/research-fundamentals/what-is-behavioral-economics/.

Rick, Scott and Lowenstein, George. Homepage - CMU - Carnegie Mellon University, www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/docs/loewenstein/RoleEmotionEconBehav.pdf.

Schultz, Steven. “Princeton - Weekly Bulletin 12/08/03 - Brain Imaging Study Reveals Interplay of Thought and Emotion in Economic Decisions.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, pr.princeton.edu/pwb/03/1208/7a.shtml.

29 Gene Therapy on Cancer Cells Kelly Fatiha Once perfected, gene therapy can become the cure for all living species struggling with genetic mutations or diseases such as cancer. The purpose of gene therapy is to correct any mutation in the genetic makeup of any biological cell; since its discovery in 1972, it has come a long way and has exhibited successful results in areas involving cancer.

Cancer is the uncontrollable division of cells causing a tumor or a mass of mutated cells.

It could grow and spread to other parts of the body causing many biological functions to fail or function differently than usual. Sometimes the tumors are malignant, meaning fatal and harmful, and sometimes they are benign. There are many different causes to cancer such as genetic factors, smoking, and exposure to radiation. Because the places that cancer occurs varies, each form of cancer requires different treatments and care (“What Is Cancer?”).

Three of the most common cancer treatments used in America today are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The goal of all three of these treatments is to annihilate the uncontrollably dividing cancer cells. As stated in the article “What Is Cancer Surgery?,” “Cancer surgery is an operation or procedure to remove a tumor from the body. Sometimes, some surrounding healthy tissue is also removed. It is the oldest kind of cancer treatment, and it still works well to treat many types of cancer today.” On the other hand, “Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body. Many different chemotherapy drugs are available. Chemotherapy drugs can be used alone or in combination to treat a wide variety of cancers” (“Chemotherapy”). This treatment uses beams of intense rays of energy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy most often uses X-rays, but other types of radiation therapy are used such as proton radiation (“Radiation Therapy”).

30 One of the most new and modernized forms of treatments for cancer is gene therapy.

Gene therapy is a medical approach that treats or prevents disease by correcting the underlying genetic problem. Gene therapy techniques allow doctors to treat a disorder by altering a person’s genetic makeup instead of using drugs or surgery. The basics of the process are the identification of the gene in question, duplication of that gene, and insertion of the gene into the human genome needing the gene (Trites). The gene that needs to be altered or replaced must be identified. The correctly functioning gene that replaces the defective gene must first be isolated and after, duplicated. The gene in question can be isolated by attaching a molecular marker to the gene. The gene is then removed from the genome by a restriction enzyme that will break the genome only at the desired base junctions (i.e. when ATA is next to GAT). Genes removed from the genome can be duplicated easily by PCR. PCR is the process in which the genetic sequence of the gene is replicated by the introduction of base pairs in the sequence along with replication enzymes, which induce, cause, and proofread replication (Trites). Next, that gene must be inserted into the body. The vector (a DNA molecule–often plasmid or a virus–that is used as a vehicle to carry a particular DNA segment into a host cell) can be injected or given intravenously directly into a specific tissue in the body, where it is taken up by individual cells. Alternatively, a sample of the patient's cells can be removed and exposed to the vector in a laboratory setting (“What is Gene Therapy?”). The most frequent side effects are fever and symptoms that resemble a cold.

Gene therapy can be utilized in order to treat many sorts of inherited or genetic diseases, such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, heart disease, diabetes, hemophilia, and AIDS. Researchers are still studying how and when to use gene therapy (“What is Gene Therapy?”). However, gene therapy does raise some ethical concerns. People with genetic defects may not want the therapy

31 or feel the therapy should not be given because fate has dealt them this hand and they should play it. Not all people may be able to handle the therapy, either due to the vector or the "foreign" gene reacting with their system. Many people may feel that if a treatment does not work for some people, then no one should attempt to take the treatment because of the potential risks (Trites).

Some worry that perhaps the widespread use of gene therapy will make society less accepting of people who are different and ostracize them. Another potential problem is that people could find a way to utilize gene therapy in order to formulate desirable traits for themselves or for their unborn children, which would put harmful standards onto human society and promote the idea of one having to appear perfect. Although the ethical concerns do, in fact, remain standing, the benefits outweigh the risks. The possibility of standards of society being changed does not support the idea that treating cancer patients with gene therapy should not be researched or even used.

Gene therapy was first discovered in the 1960s. In 1961 a scientist by the name Dr. Lorraine Marquardt Kraus managed to genetically alter the hemoglobin of cells from bone marrow taken from a patient with sickle-cell anemia. Immunotherapy, or the concept of boosting the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells, has been a goal of cancer treatment for over 100 years. However, limited success has been achieved with traditional immunotherapy, because cancer cells tend to evolve mechanisms that evade immune detection (Cross and Burmester). Currently, there are many ongoing trials happening in order to analyze the safety and ability to treat cancer of these new treatments. Recent clinical trials with GVAX, a vaccine made from autologous tumor cells modified to express granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), have led to further clinical testing. The first phase I/phase II trial resulted in 3

32 of 33 subjects experiencing complete remission and an additional 7 who achieved stable disease for an average of 7 months. (Cross and Burmester).

There have been very few FDA approved gene therapeutic treatments as of today. An article published by Alliance For Cancer Gene Therapy states, “At the beginning of 2022, the FDA approved a T-cell receptor therapy for a rare type of melanoma in the eye, called uveal melanoma. The therapy, Kimmtrak, is the first cancer cell and gene therapy approved for a solid tumor” (Golden). Several gene therapy approaches are still being developed for the management of cancer, including anti-angiogenic gene therapy, suicide gene therapy, immunotherapy, siRNA therapy, pro-apoptotic gene therapy, oncolytic virotherapy, and gene directed-enzyme prodrug therapy. Research explains that oncolytic virotherapy has proven to be the most promising of the therapies as a treatment for cancer; “OV uses replication-competent viruses that can proliferate selectively at tumor cells. The therapeutic use of oncolytic viruses for cancer treatment is an immune-related treatment alternative. Oncolytic viruses act by directly lysing tumor cells and by introducing wild-type tumor suppressor genes into cells that lack the tumor suppressor gene” (Belete)” Suicide gene therapy is a therapeutic strategy in which cell suicide inducing transgenes are introduced into cancer cells, therefore stopping the cells from formulating a worsening tumor (Belete). Antiangiogenic therapy is a new way to treat cancer by targeting the blood vessels in tumors. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a protein that helps blood vessels grow, and it's involved in both normal and abnormal blood vessel growth (Folkman). Therefore, targeting these blood vessels would terminate the growth of the tumor and what has already been grown can be simply removed by surgery or any other means (Folkman). Immunotherapy is treatment that uses a person's own immune system to fight cancer. Immunotherapy can boost or change how the immune system works so it can find and attack cancer cells.

33 Gene therapy for cancer treatment has made good progress in the last three decades, and there are still trials ongoing. Relatively gene therapy has better safety with tolerable adverse effects than chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer (Belete). With the enhanced biological research, cheaper gene vectors will soon be available in the market, which increases gene therapy accessibility for most cancer patients. This will change the future of cancer treatment, from generalized cancer treatment strategies to individualized cancer treatment. It will be based on the patient’s specific genome, immune status, and genetic profile of the tumor (Belete).

34 Works Cited Belete, Tafere Mulaw. “The Current Status of Gene Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer.”

Biologics : Targets & Therapy, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 Mar. 2021, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7987258/.

“Cancer Treatments.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 May 2023, www.cdc.gov/cancer/survivors/patients/treatments.htm#:~:text=Common%20Types%20o f%20Cancer%20Treatment,-Cancer%20treatment%20may&text=Surgery%3A%20An%2 0operation%20where%20doctors,rays)%20to%20kill%20cancer%20cells.

“Chemotherapy.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 13 Mar. 2024, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/chemotherapy/about/pac-20385033#:~:text=Overv iew,different%20chemotherapy%20drugs%20are%20available.

Cross, Deanna, and James K Burmester. “Gene Therapy for Cancer Treatment: Past, Present and Future.” Clinical Medicine & Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Sept. 2006, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1570487/.

Folkman, Judah. “Antiangiogenic Therapy.” Antiangiogenic Therapy - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/antiangiogenic-therapy#:~:text=A ntiangiogenic%20therapy%20constitutes%20a%20new,both%20physiologic%20and%20 pathologic%20angiogenesis. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Golden, Devin. “Top Stories for Cell and Gene Therapy in 2022.” Alliance for Cancer Gene

35 Therapy, 28 Mar. 2023, acgtfoundation.org/news/top-stories-cancer-cell-and-gene-therapy-2022/#:~:text=T%2Dc ell%20receptor%20therapy%20approved,approved%20for%20a%20solid%20tumor.

“Radiation Therapy.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 20 Apr. 2023, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/radiation-therapy/about/pac-20385162#:~:text=Ra diation%20therapy%2C%20also%20called%20radiotherapy,therapy%20exist%2C%20in cluding%20proton%20radiation.

Trites, Jason. “Basics of Human Gene Therapy.” Basics of Human Gene Therapy, www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~mcclean/plsc431/students/jason.htm#:~:text=Gene%20therapy %20has%20now%20become,needing%20the%20gene%20(CIS)%20. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

“What is Cancer?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Oct. 2023, www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/cancer.html#:~:text=Poisons%20in%20tob acco%20smoke%20can,and%20create%20a%20cancer%20tumor.

“What Is Cancer Surgery?” Cancer.Net, 9 Aug. 2023, www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated/surgery/what-cancer-surgery.

“What Is Gene Therapy?” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/therapy/genetherapy/. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

36 The Healing Power of Art Abigail Fuzaylova When hearing the words “art therapy,” what comes to mind? Coloring in a coloring book? Painting a picture? Cutting out pieces to create a collage? Sculpting? Although art therapy does include art and may make one feel calmer, that is not exactly what art therapy is. The main goal of art therapy is to learn about self-expression and improve overall well-being in a way that no other therapy can.

Many people have emotional struggles and mental issues. Some may have tried to discuss their problems in psychotherapy but found it difficult to express their feelings in words. For some of those people, art therapy is the solution. Art therapy is a therapeutic approach that heals people's emotions by allowing them to express their thoughts and feelings more creatively. In addition to talking with the art therapist, the patient expresses and communicates their feelings through art. This helps individuals articulate complex thoughts and feelings very differently from speaking one’s mind. Its main goal is to reduce stress and improve mental health. Art therapy helps overcome issues such as anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental illnesses. In addition, art therapy is especially beneficial to those who have difficulties communicating their emotions verbally. People can express themselves with physical things and then reflect on, process, and understand those feelings to heal and feel better (Carr).

Margaret Naumburg was one of the first people to develop the idea of art therapy. She was an educator and a therapist. In the 1940s, she defined art therapy as a form of psychotherapy.

She viewed it as an expression of unconscious thoughts through the arts. Anything that people would feel but could not express verbally, they expressed through drawing and painting. She was one of the first people to utilize psychoanalysis in the U.S. In the twentieth century, she began

37 practicing as a therapist, and, often, she would ask her clients to draw their dreams, goals in life, and feelings (Susanu).

In many cases, art therapists are found to be useful in hospitals. They focus on helping patients with the experience of being hospitalized. This includes helping reduce stress, anxiety, pain, coping with the situation, and long hospital stays. Medical art therapists provide help to their patients to overcome their issues. A 2014 study by Girija Kaimal of Drexel University included 39 healthy adults; the study found that when patients in the hospital had a very high cortisol level, the main stress hormone, a 45-minute art therapy session helped lower the stress.

Moreover, an art therapist addressed the cause of the situation through the art that the client created and helped find a new perspective. Another study completed in February 2018, on The Arts in Psychotherapy, found that an average of 50 minutes of art therapy sessions benefit hospitalized patients by lowering stress, and pain, and improving their mood (Otto).

Patients using art therapy can engage with any type of art form that they choose. In fact, in hospitals, clients need to have choices because they often feel like they do not have a say.

Sometimes, it depends on what the doctor says is the goal of the art therapy session. If the goal is to reduce stress, the art therapist may recommend using flowy watery paints as they appear calm.

If the goal is to relieve anger and tension, they would suggest using clay as their art form because it’s easy to punch and reduces rage.

Art therapy is beneficial for both physical and mental health. It helps people lessen depression and overcome anxiety and stress. As shown in Sarah Courture’s article “Crochet as Art Therapy to Reduce Stress,” she found many college students experiencing high-stress levels.

They needed to engage in stress-relieving activities to relieve their stress, and art therapy was the way to go. For instance, some students did crochet. It may not be what first comes to mind when

38 thinking of art, such as drawing or painting, but it was a very effective form of art that helped many college students. Hofstra University wrote a research paper on how much crochet affected their well-being and reduced stress. The results demonstrated positive experiences through crocheting (Couture).

In addition to reducing stress, art therapy helps people handle their strong emotions or even uncover unconscious ones. For instance, a mother noticed that her 13-year-old girl was having behavioral issues. She would constantly lie and cheat. Her mother felt powerless and was on the verge of sending her daughter to a girls’ home. However, as her last resort, she decided to send her to an art therapist to figure out what was wrong. This is where they discovered she had a poor sense of self. Ms. Amanda Chen, the art therapist, said that “the girl had feelings of inferiority and difficulty processing her emotions from major life changes.” These include transferring to secondary school, puberty, and her parents’ divorce. Art therapy helped clarify her feelings and express her emotions better. Now, they understand the cause of the problem and will work on ways to fix it. Furthermore, other art therapists in similar organizations say that art therapy helps you be aware of your issues and can express and uncover unconscious emotions (Singh).

A common misconception is that art therapy is only for children. Art therapy is suitable for people of all ages and all stages of life. Moreover, art therapy is not only offered at hospitals, but also in schools, rape crisis centers, domestic violence centers, and even in private practice.

Art therapy benefits adults in various ways. For example, it has helped adults overcome traumatic experiences, cope with grief, reduce stress, and improve self-esteem and well-being.

For instance, mindful drawing or painting has helped reduce the current pressure adults would go through. Another technique is Zentangle drawing. This method “allows lines and shapes to

39 emerge, reducing stress and promoting relaxation.” It can also be a group activity. Sometimes being part of a group that supports you is more helpful than doing it alone. Overall, it helps adults become less stressed, more relaxed, and healthy (Batool).

Art therapy has helped a lot with illnesses and mental health. Cancer patients found that art therapy helped them feel less pain. Patients with dementia found art therapy to boost their mental health, and people with Parkinson’s disease felt a decrease in depression and an increase in self-worth (Batool).

It is important to remember that art therapy is not only for artistic people. Patients who are not knowledgeable about art can benefit from art therapy as much as anyone. Art therapy is about being open-minded and being willing to create something. The process itself is the part that helps people express themselves. It does not have to look professional or be a beautiful art piece — even though most of the time it is; it just needs to be creative and enjoyable. The main benefit art therapy has that cannot compare to talk- therapy is that one can communicate through art instead of speech. This is very useful to people who have difficulty expressing their feelings and emotions verbally. They might find expressing their emotions through art more effective than speaking about them, and they do not have to be artistically skilled.

In addition to creating art, art therapists might ask them to speak about their feelings and what they have created. This helps the patient and the therapist better understand what they are going through and how to make them feel better. They use various techniques for different purposes, for instance, active imagination. This technique, invented by Carl Jung, allows the patient to express the thoughts or feelings that come into their mind. This helps the patient better understand what they are feeling. Another method commonly used is gestalt. Gestalt focuses on the emotions the client has at the moment. It is about the whole rather than the sum of different

40 parts. The main goal is the process of creating the art piece. After the client has drawn his/her art piece, the art therapist asks the client to describe it from their perspective. This allows the client to speak about their experiences and thoughts through artwork. As Keleman explains, “Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its initial mode of communication.” It reduces the need for words. Through making images and discussing them, clients learn how to express themselves better with words. Therefore, art therapy helps teens with anxiety, trauma, and depression and to find their identity. There is a humanistic form group called Art Therapy Open Studio (OS) where the focus is not on the product but on the process because the process itself is what does the healing. Furthermore, many people find individual sessions more effective than group ones. When working in a group, there might not be enough emotional safety. Working individually reduces anxiety more efficiently than in group work (Kelemen).

Art therapists sometimes use the “third-hand” technique. This is when the therapist helps with the process of creating the art itself. For example, people with disabilities or mental illnesses found it hard to cut and paste pictures for their collages, so the therapist helped them out. At the same time, the client picked out the images he/she wanted to paste. In addition to helping them out physically, this helps deepen the relationship between the therapist and the client. The client begins to feel like they can trust her therapist which will help them open up to their thoughts and feelings (Malchiodi).

Art therapy has also been very beneficial for treating cancer. Although it is not a cure, it helps cope with the stress and anxiety one may feel as a result of the illness. Moreover, it can help improve one’s mood, reduce depression, and maybe just be a distraction from the diagnosis.

By drawing or painting, patients are distracted from feeling pain or anxiety. Cancer patients who use art therapy tend to feel better mentally which also helps with physical well-being. Art

41 therapists believe that this works because creating art affects the brain. It releases unconscious emotions and provides a sense of freedom to speak one’s mind (Singh).

Art therapy has been around since the 1940s and still helps clients with their overall well-being. With no artistic skills required, art therapy is beneficial, and enjoyable and can be much more helpful than talk therapy.

42 Works Cited Batool, Zohra, and Tahira Yosuf. "Augmented Reality Based Art Therapy for Borderline Personality Feature of Self Destruction in Young Adults” Pakistan Journal of Clinical Psychology, vol. 22, no. 1, 2023, pp. 41. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/augmented-reality-based-art-therapy-border line/docview/2920590064/se-2.

Carr, Catherine E., et al. "Effectiveness of Group Arts Therapies (Art therapy, Dance Movement therapy and Music therapy) Compared to Group Counseling for Diagnostically Heterogeneous Psychiatric Community Patients: Study Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial in Mental Health Services (the ERA study)." Trials, vol. 24, no. 1, 2023, pp. 557. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/effectiveness-group-arts-therapies-art-thera py/docview/2857166290/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-023-07232-0.

Couture, Sarah. Crochet as Art Therapy to Reduce Stress, www.proquest.com/docview/2818619316?fromopenview=true&pq-origsite=gscholar&fr omunauthdoc=true. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.

Kelemen, L. J., & Shamri-Zeevi, L. Art Therapy Open Studio and Teen Identity Development: Helping Adolescents Recover from Mental Health Conditions. Children, 9(7), 1029. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/children9071029 Malchiodi, Cathay. “Cool Art Therapy Intervention #1: The Art Therapist’s Third Hand.”

Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/arts-and-health/201010/cool-art-therapy-intervention -1-the-art-therapist-s-third-hand. Accessed 5 May 2024.

43 Otto, Frank. “At Any Skill Level, Making Art Reduces Stress Hormones.” Drexel Home, 23 Jan. 2023, drexel.edu/news/archive/2016/june/art_hormone_levels_lower.

Singh, Bryna. “Mending Parent-Children Ties Through Art Therapy: More Parents and Children with Emotional Struggles are Turning to Art Therapy to Heal Broken Relationships.” The Straits Times Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/mending-parent-children-ties-through-art-therapy/ docview/2007811400/se-2 Susanu, Neaga. "Art-Therapy - Cognitive-Behavioral Approach Art-Therapy Method of Working with Children with T.S.A." New Trends in Psychology, vol. 1, no. 2, 2019. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/art-therapy-cognitive-behavioral-approachmethod/docview/2585933845/se-2.

44 Chaos Theory and Fractals in Nature Sam Gindi Chaos Theory and fractals can provide explanations for the way things are in nature and show how a pattern can be found in areas where they were deemed impossible to be found. With the use of Chaos Theory and fractals, scientists can better understand things from social dynamics to weather reports to changing the way people study, all based on an intricate array of systems and chaotic collisions of behavior patterns.

Chaos Theory is the idea that the randomness of something can be predicted by the initial state, and that the end result can be controlled by changing the initial state. It helps us understand how to predict career progression and how we can make training as efficient as possible by predicting the trainee’s outcome with different styles of teaching. In the area of medicine and surgery, it highlights the sensitivity of the initial state of the dynamic system (Bowman).

According to Chaos Theory, systems that appear chaotic may actually have hidden complexity or order (Bolland).

One example of Chaos Theory in nature is weather patterns. These two things are inherently connected to the complexity of each of them. They are both heavily influenced by the initial conditions, and they both use nonlinear dynamics. Nonlinear dynamics are similar to chaotic systems, where small changes can have random and severe effects on the outcome of the system. While long term weather predictions are still very difficult to make because of the exponential changes to the system over time, meteorologists have found ways to effectively predict short term weather patterns. One of these ways is ensemble forecasting, where meteorologists run many simulations of how the weather will, each time slightly altering how the system starts, in order to get a nice range of possible outcomes for the weather. This system is

45 also more commonly known as the Lorenz system, which is the most common and one of the most accurate ways of predicting weather (Buizza).

Another place where Chaos Theory is commonly found is in ecology. Chaos Theory was first applied to ecology in the 1970s, when scientists wanted to see if population fluctuations in nature could be explained and a pattern could be found, or if they were seemingly random. They thought that there was no pattern. However, with new advanced algorithms, ecologists have found that over 30% of population fluctuations in nature have an underlying pattern that can be predicted by applying Chaos Theory. One reason that Chaos Theory was found in a recent study and not in the 1970s was because of the ability to study more information and data points. The more information you have, the easier it is to find underlying chaotic patterns in many things that they were not found in before (Rogers).

Gleick writes in “Chaos: Making a New Science” how Chaos Theory revolutionized scientific understanding by showing that complex systems, like weather reports and patterns of the human heart, all can be predictable if you have a large enough sample. Chaos Theory is also used in healthcare, particularly when it comes to the concept of chaos within individuals (Zt) and environments (Ut), showing their impact on how well things perform and their behavior patterns.

It also shows how some of these chaotic collisions can change the predictions of where that thing will end up.

Chaos Theory also comes into play in the field of physics. One of the most famous chaotic systems is the double pendulum, where you can swing it forever, and to most people it seems completely random. While a single pendulum is very easy to predict with a simple mathematical formula, a double pendulum has a much longer formula (Johnson). While it may seem strange that one extra stick can make something very easy to predict be seemingly possible

46 to predict, it actually makes a lot of sense. Because of the transfer of energy from one stick to another, it makes them very unpredictable. While there is a formula that can predict a double pendulum very precisely, none can truly predict in 100%.

Fractals are when a shape can be found within the same shape, and it goes on infinitely.

Fractals are related to Chaos Theory because depending on the starting position, some things can go into an infinite loop when Chaos Theory is applied to them, like fractals. They can be found in spheres, cones, and most cylinders. When you take a deeper dive into the world of fractals, you can see that fractals can be found in many different abstract shapes as well. For example, it can be found in the head of a broccoli and in the flower of a Queen Anne's Lace. These things can be divided into smaller parts that still look like the whole thing when you zoom in. Even some mountain ranges are made up of smaller mountains that can look similar to the entire range. An important thing to remember about fractals is that in the smaller sample, you should be able to divide it into even smaller portions that still look similar.

While to some Chaos Theory and fractals may seem like advanced mathematics that the everyday person will never be able to understand, it is much deeper than that. Chaos Theory is a way of living life, knowing that everything is going according to plan, even though that plan may sometimes be chaotic. It also relates to many core ideas of many religions, that no matter what happens, God is watching over you and has a plan for you. Even the idea of different states of a dynamic system can relate to how many people have different upbringings, which can drastically affect how their life unfolds. Fractals, on the other hand, can be a very calming idea to some people. Knowing that when they look at something new there are tiny patterns that they are familiar with is comforting to them, and can encourage them to try things that look very different because they are familiar with them in a way. Chaos Theory and fractals are a new and

47 complicated area of mathematics, and yet they affect people in so many different ways outside of math.

48 Works Cited Bolland, Kathleen A., and Charles R. Atherton. "Chaos Theory: An Alternative Approach to Social Work Practice and Research." Families in Society, vol. 80, no. 4, 1999, pp.

367-373. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/docview/230173813/8456DA4DAA6248A1PQ/12?accountid =37425 Bowman, Chris, et al. "Chaos Theory: Lessons on Educating Equality and Leadership."

Postgraduate Medical Journal, vol. 98, no. 1165, 2022, pp. 813-815. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/docview/2729122433/5252069BF07F48CBPQ/9?accountid=3 7425 Buizza, Roberto. “Chaos and Weather Prediction.” ECMWF, 2002, www.ecmwf.int/en/elibrary/79859-chaos-and-weather-prediction#:~:text=The%20weathe r%20is%20a%20chaotic.

Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York, Penguin Group, 1987.

"Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature." Kirkus Reviews, vol. LXXXII, no. 4, 2014.

ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/mysterious-patterns/docview/1497199360/se-2 Johnson, Oliver W. “The Double Pendulum and beyond: Investigating Chaos with Multi-Armed Pendulums.” Medium, Towards Data Science, 3 Apr. 2024, towardsdatascience.com/the-double-pendulum-and-beyond-investigating-chaos-with-mul ti-armed-pendulums-7a5751d059db.

49 Rogers, Tanya. “Chaos in Ecology Is More Common than You Think.” Research Communities

by Springer Nature, 26 Feb. 2024, communities.springernature.com/posts/chaos-in-ecology-is-more-common-than-you-thin k.https://trinket.io/glowscript/a6ce7ae94b?toggleCode=true

50 The Tortured Genius Lili Hanan Creativity is the cognitive and imaginative capability of the human mind to generate concepts, ideas, and solutions through the synthesis of diverse knowledge and man’s ability to perceive and formulate information in unique or “creative” ways. The manifestation of expression can be used as a fundamental understanding of the importance of creativity and its relationship to the negative behaviors of the human mind and the decline of mental health.

The concept of the left and right brain helps scientific research understand the relationship between creativity and mental health. The cerebrum, a part of the brain responsible for perception of the five senses, intellect, memories, emotion processing, etc., is the area of the brain divided into two left and right hemispheres (Hanes). A “left brained” person is most likely expected to think logically and quantitatively, resulting in exceptional ability in mathematics and physics. A “right brained” person, in contrast, is most likely expected to think freely, qualitatively, and intuitively, often considering the bigger picture resulting in creativity and artistic abilities. Studies have shown that humans were born with the inclination to the full function of the right hemisphere because it is fully developed at an earlier rate, leading its abilities to be present at an early age. On the other hand, the left hemisphere develops later on and the function can actually change depending on other factors. One example can be high emotional intelligence at an early age, which usually occurs as a result of coping with mental health disorders or significant situations that force a child to mature (Olivine).

The term “tortured genius” captures ancient Greek philosopher Socrates’s theory that exceptional creativity is a result of madness or trauma. “Madness is the channel by which we receive the greatest blessings,” says Socrates. Similarly, in 1961, art critic Clement Greenberg

51 noted that the greatest artists of his time were alcoholics, schizophrenics and manic depressives.

For example, Vincent Van Gogh, a famous Dutch artist who produced 150 greatest paintings in a psychiatric hospital in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in southern France (including The Starry Night), and Sylvia Plath, a famous author produced her work while in and out of a state of depression in her 20s (commiting suicide at the age of 30). As intriguing as this concept is, many people also shy away from this idea because they feel it discredits great art and its greatness, by crediting it to the creator’s neurosis or psychosis. On the other hand, the “tortured genius” concept has intrigued the scientific world; “Johns Hopkins University psychiatry professor Kay Redfield Jamison, found strong evidence that mood disorders, such as depression and bipolarism, are more prevalent among artists and writers than in the general population.” USC neuroscientist Antonio Damasio contributes to this idea by stating, “The experience of suffering that is a hallmark of mood disorders may well stimulate creative endeavors, especially in the arts” (Woo).

Nancy C. Andreasen, a famous psychiatrist and neuroscientist, contributed to many revolutionary scientific theories and ideas, aiding in the understanding of the seemingly opposed term “the tortured genius.” Andreasen researched the social forces contributing to the nature nurture osmosis of genius, and how many individuals who are born throughout history whose genius was never manifested due to the lack of nurture. This statement can be applied to how we view creative individuals. Is their “genius” only manifested because of their psychosis? Or can this relate to human beings and their capability to the optimum function of the right hemisphere of the brain? Andreasen’s revolutionary novel The Creating Brain: The Neuroscience of Genius combines her knowledge on neuroscience, psychology, and cultural history in order to talk about the significance of genius and its relation to humans, brain function, and society as a whole. One of Andreasen's chapters deals with the understanding on the correlation between creativity and

52 mental illness, combining all of her knowledge in order to scientifically base classic examples as those evidenced in Sylvia Plath's journals, Leo Tolstoy's diary of depression, or Virginia Woolf suicide note. In this chapter she asks, “Did mental illness facilitate these creators' unique abilities… or did mental illness impair their creativity after its initial meteor burst in their twenties? Or is the relationship more complex than a simple one of cause and effect in either direction?” There is an implication that there could be a vast variety of reasons in order to prove this correlation, which makes it extremely hard to run studies because of the many intricate factors to this idea (Popova).

Despite this challenge, Andreason was determined to run a study in order to help the scientific community better understand the “tortured genius” concept. Andreasen rigorously studied writers with different environmental factors and mental factors that correspond to negative mental health. For example, she tested writers with bipolar disorder, any mood disorder, alcoholism, and drug abuse. To her astonishment, she discovered that not a single writer with these traits visibly displayed any symptoms of these traits while creating. The monumental importance of this study is portrayed after Andreasen found that their creative habits shined while at the most “normal” state. Through this study, two contradicting statements were formed.

The first idea being that the gifted individuals are in fact superior. She states, “My writers...

They were charming, fun, articulate, and disciplined. They typically followed very similar schedules; they would rarely let a day go by without writing. They manifested the Freudian definition of health: “to love and to work.” On the contrary, the second idea presented is that these individuals' talent can possibly be credited to their madness. As said in the chapter, “...To Madness near Allied. Many definitely had experienced periods of significant mood disorders, importantly though handicapping creativity when they occurred these disorders were not

53 permanent or long lived. In some instances they may have even provided powerful material upon which the writer could later draw as the words worthy in emotion recollected in tranquility.”

The concept of “emotion recollected in tranquility,” introduced by poet William Wordsworth in the 1800s, can be applied to the understanding of outcomes to Andreasen's study results. Wordsworth was a poet himself, and he wrote multiple works on Poetics. Within one of his essays, he states that “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility,” explaining that poetry and the ability to create it is prevalent in the time of tranquility after feeling extreme and powerful emotions (“What is Psychosis?”).This is similar to the results of Andreasens’s study, where writers produced their work in a calm state, showing no symptoms of their disorder. This idea is significant in scientists' understanding and research on the correlation between emotion and mental health to creativity because now it can be acknowledged that the only time the distressed can produce their unique creative talents is in the peaceful time frame after (not during) the moment of distress.

The euphoric state that humans subject to mental disorders experience after an episode of psychosis is a polar extreme unique to these people, that can aid in their creative ability.

Psychosis is a response to mental disorders including bipolar disorder, melancholia (depression), and anxiety. An episode of psychosis can consist of alteration in perceptions of reality, extreme paranoia, and zero control over emotions and oneself. This extreme episode is a response to many of these mental disorders, and continuous improper management of these disorders.

Commonly in the nature of human emotion, when one endures an extreme they soon endure the opposite extreme; in this case, the extreme is the episode and the opposite extreme is the euphoric state of tranquility, similar to Wordsowrth’s words (“What is Psychosis?”). The urge to

54 create in this state can seemingly be understood as the humans need to be present and find the middle ground of both extremes. Whilst in the process of creating, it can be possible that humans in this situation can detach from this false state of tranquility, and slowly ground themselves back to the present. Their ability to tap into themselves (their right hemisphere) and produce works through unique abilities in extreme states can resemble the idea that their work is not credited solely to their psychosis, but to how they as human beings respond to their psychosis.

The tortured genius concept can aid in the scientific research in the correlation between creativity and mental health. The paradoxical question challenges the notion of the tormented artists and highlights the complex interplay between mental well-being and artistic expression; beginning to portray the dichotomy that is the potential of a human's ability to create. The tortured genius reminds us that the line between genius and madness is often as thin as the pages and canvases upon which their legacies are written.

55 Works Cited Ashley, Olivine. “Left Brain vs. Right Brain: Functions, Traits, and Misconceptions.”

Verywell Health, 2 Feb. 2023, www.verywellhealth.com/left-brain-vs-right-brain-7093257 Forthmann, Boris, et al. “The Manic Idea Creator? A Review and Meta-analysis of the Relationship Between Bipolar Disorder and Creative Cognitive Potential.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 20, no. 13, 2023, p. 6264, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20136264 Hanes, Elizabeth. “The Anatomy of the Cerebrum.” Verywell Health, 3 August 2023, https://www.verywellhealth.com/cerebrum-anatomy-4798564 Popova, Maria. “The Relationship between Creativity and Mental Illness.” The Marginalian, 23 June 2016, www.themarginalian.org/2014/07/21/creativity-and-mental-illness “What is Psychosis?” Yale.edu https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/step/psychosis/ “Winnowings from Wordsworth.” Yale.edu, 30 April 2015, https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/article/winnowings-wordsworth Woo, Elaine. “The Link between Creativity and Mental Illness.” Getty News, 6 November 2023, www.getty.edu/news/the-link-between-creativity-and-mental-illness

56 Extreme Extraversion and the Neuroscience Behind It Sarah Kezra Extraversion is a personality trait that allows people the ability to be interactive, outgoing, and sociable. Influencers, media moguls, and celebrities are all people that have to attain- or is it that they must be born with?- such a quality in order to succeed in their respective occupations.

Neuroscience, the study of the nervous system and brain, can be used to study personality traits. One branch of neuroscience is “behavioral neuroscience.” Behavioral neuroscience studies the relationship between psychological and biological functions, or, in simpler terms, it is the study of how a person’s brain influences a person’s behavior, such as the nature of one’s personality traits and characteristics, which include extraversion.

The biggest question that can be asked about all of this is where does the extraversion, or any personality trait, for that matter, root from. Is it genetic? Can it be attained or sought after or do you have to be born with it? The Minnesota Study of Reared Twins (1979-1990) has been referenced over 1,500 times since it was first published, and it explores answers to the questions about the source of human characteristics. The study brought together over 100 sets of monozygotic (identical) twins, who were separated from each other at a young age. Monozygotic twins stem from a single sperm cell and the fertilization of a single egg cell that is then split into two. Unlike dizygotic twins, monozygotic twins share all of the same genes. Because of this, scientists can assume that any significant differences between a set of monozygotic twins come from environmental factors. After intense IQ and personality testing, researchers reached the conclusion that “genetic factors have a large influence on behavioral habits” (Bahjat). Although this is true, it is not to say that traits are not also somewhat reliant on environmental factors.

57 Culture, religion, family (or lack thereof), etc., do not also impact personality. Because of this, they often take an approach with “interactionism” to explain a combination of genetics and environmental factors on personality. Interactionism is a concept that combines the two beliefs by suggesting that they build off of one another and interact with each other. This biocognitive description also suggests that one’s behavior is different from one’s personality. For example, someone who is usually introverted may come out of their shell in certain environments, but that does not mean they have an extroverted personality. Personality undoubtedly affects behavior, but the environment in which a person is placed in plays an important role as well.

If extraversion–and personality in general–comes from a combination of both genetics and environmental factors, where is that trait stored? What part of the human brain holds on to personality traits like extraversion? Human personality traits are broken into five different categories known as “The Big 5”: “conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, intellect/openness, and agreeableness” (“Neuroanatomical Correlates of Extraversion and Neuroticism.”). The levels a person has of each of these main categories is what dictates their personality. The frontal lobes of a human brain are responsible for voluntary movement, cognitive skills, the ability to organize, self-control, expressive language, and ability to reach a goal. The frontal lobes are accredited for being the headquarters to personality, emotion, and behavior. The frontal lobe, or more specifically, the orbitofrontal cortex, works with the amygdala to dictate behavior. The amygdala controls social and emotional behavior by sending responses towards social cues. These responses include, but are not limited to facial expressions, speech and body language, all things that contribute to one’s personality.

Normally, the human brain and body will adapt to the habits of the people surrounding them. If extraversion is a trait that can be specifically observed in evolutionary context, why has

58 natural selection and adaptation not ruled out different levels of extraversion? Why is the scale still so varied? Keeping in mind evolution and adaptation, people should have adapted to have similar levels of extraversion. “In evolutionary perspective, the mystery of extraversion’s origins boils down to the question of why natural selection has maintained variability along this continuum” (Lukaszewski). There still remain people with traits all along the extraversion continuum. According to Science Direct, this phenomenon could be defined by genetic diversity and flexible adaptations. Firstly, since genetics are a contributing factor to personality, no natural selection can change the fact that genes can dictate traits causing someone to be more reserved or more outgoing. Secondly, personalities have to be diverse within a person so that one can adjust to their surroundings accordingly. If someone is put in a position where they might need to act more introverted, they need to have that ability. The same goes for a situation where it may be beneficial to act more extroverted.

Extraversion is a trait that can also be defined by outgoing, gregarious or sociable. Since it is one of the “Big Five” traits that make up a human’s personality, it is studied in correlation to behavioral neuroscience and behavior analysis.

59 Works Cited Bahjat, Mudhaffar. “Sources of Human Psychological Differences: The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart” (1990), by Thomas J. Bouchard Jr, David T. Lykken, Matthew McGue, Nancy L. Segal and Auke Tellegen.” ASU Embryo Project Encyclopedia, 19 October 2019, https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/sources-human-psychological-differences-minnesota-studytwins-reared-apart-1990-thomas-j Bowden-Green, et al. “How is Extraversion Related to Social Media Use? A Literature Review.”

Science Direct, 2020 October, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886920302294 “Brain Map Frontal Lobes.” Queensland Government Health. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/abios/asp/bfrontal#:~:text=The%20frontal%20lobes%20ar e%20considered,and%20home%20to%20our%20personality.

Ewing, Tony. “5 Belief-Shattering Advantages Of Extreme Extraverts And How You Can Imitate Them.” Forbes, 31 October 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/tonyewing/2020/10/31/5-belief-shattering-advantages-of-ex treme-extraverts-and-how-you-can-imitate-them/?sh=2aefcbab45b0 “Frontal Lobe.” Cleveland Clinic, 2 December 2022, (Last Reviewed) https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24501-frontal-lobe Kihlstrom, John. “Personality: A Cognitive-Social Psychological Perspective.” University of California, Berkeley, 17 August 2022, (Last Revised) https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~jfkihlstrom/PersonalityWeb/Ch11Interactionism.htm Lukaszewski, Aaron W. “The Extraversion Continuum in Evolutionary Perspective: A Review

60 of Recent Theory and Evidence.” Science Direct, April 2015, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886915000070 Schlinger, Henry D. “Behavior Analysis and Behavioral Neuroscience.”

National Library of Medicine, 17 April 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4400857/ Wright, Christopher I., Williams, Danielle, Feczko, Eric, Feldman Barrett, Lisa, Dickerson, Branford C., Schwartz, Carl E., Wedig, Michelle M. “Neuroanatomical Correlates of Extraversion and Neuroticism.” Oxford Academic, 18 January 2006, https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article/16/12/1809/277951

61 Alzheimer’s Disease and the Bredesen Protocol Fortune Khabih More individuals are living with Alzheimer's disease than the population of a large American city. Alzheimer’s is a disease where memory and other critical mental functions are ultimately lost due to the worsening and death of brain cell connections. Alzheimer’s disease has no cure. However, there is a program called the Bredesen Protocol which might help reverse and enhance cognitive decline.

Many people do not truly understand how serious Alzheimer’s can be and how it impacts much more than just the patient. Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that slowly attacks memory, thinking skills, and the ability to carry out everyday tasks. According to research, “Changes in the brain may begin a decade or more before symptoms appear.” Some people even experience changes in behavior and personality (“Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet”).

In order to start a treatment plan for Alzheimer’s, we need to find the type of Alzheimer’s the patient has. There are six subtypes of Alzheimer’s. Type one Alzheimer’s disease is “hot,” meaning that ongoing inflammation puts them at greater risk. Type two Alzheimer’s disease is cold, which occurs when the person has an unhealthy lifestyle. Type one in a half (1.5) Alzheimer’s disease is sweet, which has to do with high blood sugar levels in the body. Type three is toxic because there is exposure to toxins in the environment. Type four Alzheimer’s disease is pale; this is when one has heart disease. Type five is dazed, which is when one has head injuries that increases their risk for Alzheimer’s (“The Six Types of Alzheimer’s”).

Additionally, there are three stages of Alzheimer’s: mild, moderate and severe. The Dementia Resource Center stated, “Since Alzheimer's affects people in different ways, each person will experience symptoms - or progress through Alzheimer's stages - differently.” When a

62 patient is in the mild stage of Alzheimer’s, they have memory loss, they wander and get lost, cannot pay bills, and have personality and behavior changes. Patients are usually diagnosed during this stage. When a patient has moderate Alzheimer’s, damage occurs in areas of the brain that control language, reasoning, and sensory processing. This is when patients begin having problems recognizing family and friends. The severe stage is when they are near death. They can no longer communicate and completely depend on others to take care of them (“3 Stages of Alzheimer’s”).

Alzheimer's disease starts years before the symptoms show. The cause of Alzheimer’s is not clear. However, it can be age-related, passed down by a family member, or health and environmental factors, such as exposure to pollutants, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. There are many symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The first one being memory loss. This is the most common sign of Alzheimer’s disease in the early stage. A patient with Alzheimers can forget the most basic or recently learned information. It is also common for a patient to ask the same question many times.

Alzheimer’s does not only impact the patient, it also impacts the family; “The demands of caregiving can limit a caregiver’s ability to take care of themselves. Family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias are at greater risk for anxiety, depression, and poorer quality of life than caregivers of people with other conditions.” Caregivers for Alzheimer's patients are mainly family members. Most of the time those caregivers have children of their own. According to the CDC, “In 2019, these caregivers will provide an estimated 18.5 billion hours of care.” Alzheimer’s patients can become aggressive and violent, which makes it harder for a family member to take care of them. There are other ways to treat Alzheimer’s for example, some medications can help with the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Additionally, it can help relieve

63 the caregivers stress. These medications can help provide the people with comfort, dignity and independence (“Caregiving for a Person with Alzhiemr’s Disease or a Related Dementia”).

Many Alzheimer's patients get referred to a neurologist for further testing. The human brain is extremely complex, and Alzheimer's disease is one of the most complex diseases of the brain. It will take funding and time to investigate a cure. As of now, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s but there are ways to help. For example, the Bredesen Protocol is a program that aims to reverse and enhance cognitive decline. Dr. Dale Bredesen is a neurologist who created a modern approach to prevent the decline of the brain through lifestyle changes. He says many causes and factors contribute to Alzheimer’s; therefore, there are multiple steps to its prevention.

The Bredesen Protocol is a personalized approach to reverse and prevent brain decline. It begins with a “cognoscopy” at the age of 45. A cognoscopy consists of blood tests and a cognitive assessment. It is to give a plan for a healthy brain. The main goal of the Bredesen Protocol is to remove exposed causes that lead to cognitive decline, enhance health support, and rebuild the neural network. Burning fat is important in addressing insulin sensitivity. It is important that one's body receives all the nutrients that can rebuild the brain system. It is recommended to eat a plant-rich, fiber-rich, low carbohydrate diet, and have healthy fats. Fasting overnight for 12 hours, and exercising frequently can help with health support. The second step is being insulin sensitivity, to be insulin resistance and restoring insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity can be restored by having essential nutrients such as zinc, reducing stress, treating sleep apnea if one has it, and more. The third is health support. It’s important to improve nutrient, hormone and trophic (growth factor) support. With this support, it strengthens immune systems, maintain mitochondria, create resilience and start to restore the brain’s synaptic networks. Cognitive decline is linked to low levels of trophic factors (growth factors) including

64 nerve growth factor, vitamin B12, vitamin D, testosterone, estrogen and vitamin B1. Reducing inflammation will also help since the inflammation around the brain blocks signals. There are so many triggers that can cause inflammation in our body, such as dental disease, gut health, air pollution or mold toxins, and sinus infections. Once the bacteria causing inflammation is removed, it is important to prevent it from happening again by taking supplements. Treating chronic pathogens is also crucial. Infections that are chronic and undiagnosed can be a contributing factor in cognitive decline. The infection needs to be found and treated. Certain toxins can also lead to cognitive decline. Lastly, one should make sure there are no sleep problems. When one is sleeping the oxygen in our blood can decrease, which makes brain functioning decrease. This can be addressed with devices such as CPAP, which can improve one's oxygen through the night. Or one can simply reduce weight and inflammation. Identifying these factors early on show the greatest results in treatment (“The Bredesen Protocol: 6 Strategies”).

Many people have different opinions on the Bredesen Protocol. The Amos Institute, which specializes in patients with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, believes Alzheimer’s can be reversed at any stage and that there is hope. However, the more time that passes, the further the brain will decline, making it harder. Apollo Health, a medical information company, has a different view of Alzheimer’s. They consider it an insufficient network and stated, “Coordinated set of molecules governing neuroplasticity by supply and demand: too little supply and/or too much demand, and you end up creating a framework for developing the pathophysiology that leads to Alzheimer’s” (“Criticism of the Bredesen Protocol”). This led to a personalized protocol which reported its first success in 2014.

With success came much destructive criticism, therefore Apollo Health responded,

65 “While we welcome constructive cooperation with other health professionals — who claim to desire best patient outcomes — some destructive criticisms have persisted, despite the fact that the critics have nothing effective to offer their own patients” (“Criticism of the Bredesen Protocol”). The first criticism is for “poor science.” Some people thought that before combining each of the strategies into a protocol, it should’ve been confirmed with a clinical study. Dr. Bredesen says that this misses the purpose of the research and treatment since Alzheimer’s is a complicated disease with numerous routes involved. This means that there is less benefit to treating any single one of them. They believe that Alzheimer’s is a complex disease that should be treated by recognizing and addressing the causes of the cognitive decline and not treat it blindly with a drug that’s useless.

The second criticism is that the protocol was published in the “wrong journals.” Since this protocol is new and unknown to a lot of people, medical journals will not publish the work.

They do not want to risk their reputation so less popular ones are published and they run the risk of not being taken seriously (“Criticism of the Bredesen Protocol”).

The third criticism is that it is “too soon.” People suggest that before the protocol is out to the public, it should be peer-reviewed in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.

According to Apollo Health, “However, there is a time-honored tradition in medicine called compassionate care: when dealing with a fatal illness, it is common practice to offer promising experimental treatments while concurrently working to build scientific evidence.” This is what Dr. Bredesen and his team did. They also started in the laboratory and transitioned to clinical practice and studied a few case studies, and then a proof-of-concept clinical trial. If they did not do this and waited, the patients using the protocol would not be successful (“Criticism of the Bredesen Protocol”).

66 The fourth criticism is that the standard of care is not offered. Standard of care is always available for patients, however it does not work so many people do not do it. There are also other things that are offered when there is standard care; however, none of these things turn out to be successful. For example, patients often get spinal taps, even though they have not been found to have any benefit (“Criticism of the Bredesen Protocol”).

The fifth criticism they give is that the protocol is that it is too expensive. Alzheimer’s disease is progressive and fatal and living with it is more expensive than treating it with the protocol. Nursing care and assisted living is also expensive and the outcome of it does not turn out to be successful. Another thing is that currently mainstream medicine does not have anything to give. The FDA approved Aduhelm, a medication for Alzheimer’s, which cost $50,000 annually–and that does not take into account the cost of doctor visits, monthly infusions, and MRI’s. Dr. Bredesen believes that care and a fighting chance at survival are what Alzheimer’s patients deserve (“Criticism of the Bredesen Protocol”).

The last criticism is the title of Dr. Bredsen’s book, The End of Alzheimer’s. Many people thought that the title was an exaggeration of what is possible. However he wanted to share the good outcomes of the protocol and help those in need. There are many reviews on patients who have done this protocol. There was one patient who was 64 years old and got diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He had many risk factors, but no gene. His neurologist put him on a medication for Alzheimer’s called donepezil. After that he started the supplement protocol using The End of Alzheimer’s book. Three months later he took a medication called namenda. He returned to 80% of baseline after six months, and to 95% of baseline after a year. His neurologist said he never heard of this protocol. He did Addenbrooke’s testing, which is composed of attention, memory, language, orientation and more. He was on the protocol for two years and listened to some of the

67 guidelines. For example, he exercised more, and got seven-eight hours of sleep a night. His score went from 83 to 97. His neurologist now diagnosed him with MCI along with memory loss instead of dementia. His wife explained, “He does have some long-term memory loss, but his day-to-day executive functioning is intact.” Another patient who did the Bredesen Protocol was a psychiatrist and got diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The patient did a neuropsychological test and three months after he began the protocol, the test results returned two levels. He also continued to do his work-related tasks and was better than before. There was another patient who before starting this protocol had many hallucinations. However, after starting the protocol, the hallucinations disappeared with a change in diet.

The Bredesen Protocol is geared to reverse and enhance cognitive decline through diet, tests and other important factors that can impact life. The goal is to reduce the global burden of dementia through widespread collaboration to enhance the overall treatment for patients.

68 Works Cited “3 Stages of Alzheimer’s.” Act Now Foundation, May 5, 2024 https://www.actnowfoundation.org/3-stages-of-alzheimer-s Amos, Amylee. “Is It Too Late to Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease?” Amos Institute, https://amosinstitute.com/blog/is-it-too-late-to-reverse-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-disease/ “Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet.” National Institute on Aging, https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-and-dementia/alzheimers-disease-fact-sheet “Caregiving for Person with Alzheimer’s Disease or a Related Dementia.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 30, 2023 https://www.cdc.gov/aging/caregiving/alzheimer.htm “Criticism of the Bredesen Protocol.” Apollo Health, August 4, 2022 https://www.apollohealthco.com/criticism-of-the-bredesen-protocol/ “Customer Testimonials.” Apollo Health, December 7, 2021 https://www.apollohealthco.com/customer-testimonials/ “How is Alzheimer’s Disease Treated? | National Institute on Aging,” https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-treatment/how-alzheimers-disease-treated Rafatjah, Soyona. “The Bredesen Protocol: 6 Strategies (plus, Does It Work?).” PrimeHealth Denver, 5 May 2023, https://primehealthdenver.com/bredesen-protocol/ “What Is Alzheimer's Disease?: National Institute on Aging.” Alzheimers.gov, https://www.alzheimers.gov/alzheimers-dementias/alzheimers-disease.

69 Behind Cupid’s Arrow Rachael Kopylov In all of human experience, few phenomena encapsulate the unique emotional journey that falling in love seems to capture. As English dramatist W.S. Gilbert famously said, “love makes the world go round.” Love, being a complex and multifaceted human experience, manifests itself as a profound force shaping relationships, inspiring creativity, fostering personal growth and serving as a key element in the development of culture and society.

On a psychological level, the process of falling in love is a union of emotional dynamics and cognitive processes that shape one’s thoughts and behaviors. American psychologist Robert Sternberg’s triangular love theory discusses the three main reasons why people fall in love: intimacy, passion, and commitment. Sternberg defines the intimacy component of love as “feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness in loving relationships,” including “those feelings that give rise, essentially, to the experience of warmth in a loving relationship” and “largely, but not exclusively, deriving from emotional investment in the relationship.” Intimacy plays a medium role in short-term relationships but plays a significantly larger role in long-term relationships.

Sternberg defines the passion component of love as “the drives that lead to romance, physical attraction, sexual consummation, and related phenomena in loving relationships.”

According to him, passion is

70 unstable in the sense that it can change at any moment, but it is also unstable in the sense that a person cannot control it. Passion plays a large role in short-term relationships and a medium role in long-term relationships. Finally, Sternberg defines the decision/commitment component of love as “in the short term, the decision that one loves someone else, and in the long term, the commitment to maintain that love.” Commitment includes “the cognitive elements that are involved in decision making about the existence of and potential long-term commitment to a loving relationship” and “deriving largely, although not exclusively, from cognitive decision in and commitment to the relationship.” It plays a negligible role in short-term relationships and a substantial role in the long term. According to Sternberg, the three components of love come together to create eight different types of forms of love that manifest themselves in different ways: nonlove, liking, companionate, empty love, fatuous love, infatuation, romantic love, and consummate love (Sternberg).

Another theory, by Canadian psychologist John Alan Lee, uses the analogy of a color wheel to explain what he believes are the three dimensions of love. He argues that, like a color wheel, love has three “primary” elements, or “colors,” that can be mixed to create every other element. This theory, proposed in the 70s, says that the most

71 authentic kind of love is ludus (blue), or love as a game; eros (red), loving an ideal person; and storge (yellow), love as friendship. When one mixes the three colors, they get new and fascinating shades; however, nothing is more important than the primary color base. Ludus is a Latin term that means game. Having a ludic relationship is having fun, full of laughter and flirtatious behavior, but without any serious attachment or desire for anything long-term. It is essentially the opposite of Sternberg’s element of commitment in his theory. Eros, the name of the Greek god of love, is, according to Lee, an erotic and romantic kind of love. It is intense, formed by physical chemistry, instinct, lust, and intensity. Storge is the kind of love between family members, but is also viewed as friendship and stability. The Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon defines storge as “cherishing one’s kindred, especially parents or children; the mutual love of parents and children and wives and husbands; loving affection; prone to love; loving tenderly; chiefly of the reciprocal tenderness of parents and children.” When these three primary elements are mixed, the result are three different secondary elements: pragma, a mix of ludus and storge; mania, a mix of eros and ludus; and agape, a mix of storge and eros. Pragma is an abbreviation for the word pragmatic, meaning to deal with things sensibly and realistically. This relationship style, sometimes considered to be calculated, is ruled by logic, rather than emotion and passion.

Mania, which stems from the word manic, meaning euphoria and delusions, is often a codependent relationship where need and obsession are sometimes seen as fits of passion and intensity. This style is marked by periods of vehement excitement, jumping extremes between overly possessive and overly distant. In the Greek New Testament Lexicon, agape means goodwill and benevolence. This relationship is based on mutual respect out of devotion and pure love, with partners sacrificing some of their needs for one another without bitterness (Lebis).

72 For centuries, people have thought that the feeling of love stems from the heart, but as it turns out, it is really the brain which causes the classic symptoms of love like sweaty palms and a racing heart. At a chemical level, falling in love is driven by an orchestra of neurochemical reactions, releasing hormones such as oxytocin and dopamine in the brain, which play an integral role in creating the emotional bonds and romantic sensations associated with falling in love.

According to a team of scientists led by Dr. Helen Fisher at Rutgers, romantic love can be broken down into three categories: lust, attraction, and attachment, with each being categorized by its own set of neurological hormones. Lust stems from the human’s evolutionary desire to reproduce, a need shared by all living organisms. The endocrine system is mainly responsible for lust (Wu). The process starts with a part in the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus secretes a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which signals to the pituitary gland to secrete luteinizing hormone (LH). The pituitary gland then produces LH, the hormone that stimulates the release of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone (Hiller-Sturmhöfel). In the pituitary gland of a woman, LH is released only in the second part of the menstrual cycle after the release of an egg, also known as ovulation. LH is released at a steady pace for two weeks, which signals to the ovaries to make estrogen. For men, LH signals to the testes to secrete testosterone. LH is released at a constant rate over time over time, causing testosterone to be produced at a constant rate as well (“Luteinizing Hormone”).

73 Testosterone produces libido for everyone, but the effects are less pronounced with estrogen, with women reporting feeling it the most around ovulation.

Meanwhile, attraction, which may seem closely related to lust, is a distinct phenomenon, but the two often go hand in hand. It involves the brain pathways that control “reward behavior,” which can explain why the first few months of a relationship can feel exhilarating. Brain scans of people in love have actually shown that the “reward” centers of the brain get extremely stimulated when shown a photograph of someone they are extremely attracted to (Wu).

Attraction is mainly regulated by the central nervous system system, but has a lot of overlap with the endocrine system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord, and its responsibilities include receiving, processing, and responding to sensory information (Thau). The overlap between the two systems occurs in the hypothalamus, which plays a pivotal role in both lust and attraction. Because the hypothalamus is a part of the nervous system, hypothalamic hormones are actually produced by nerve cells. One of the hormones that the hypothalamus produces is dopamine (Hiller-Sturmhöfel). Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that acts on areas in the brain to give feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. It also has a role in controlling mood, concentration, movement, and other bodily functions. Dopamine is released when one does something that feels good to them, such as spending time with loved ones. Dopamine is a major “reward” part of the brain (“Dopamine”). High levels of dopamine and a similar hormone, norepinephrine, are released during attraction (Wu). Norepinephrine, also known as noradrenalin, is a neurotransmitter and hormone made from dopamine that plays a significant role in the brain’s “fight or flight” response, which kicks in when one is stressed to keep them on high alert (“Norepinephrine”). Both these chemicals can cause someone to feel extra perky and energetic, but can also lead to insomnia and decreased appetite. This can mean that a person can

74 be so “in love” that they can no longer sleep or eat. Attraction also often leads to reduced levels of serotonin, the hormone that deals with regulating mood and appetite. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder, a condition characterized by obsessive and repetitive thoughts and behaviors, typically also have low serotonin levels, leading scientists to hypothesize that this may contribute to the intense infatuation in the early stages of love.

The final category is attachment, which is arguably the most important factor in long-term relationships. While lust and attraction are exclusive to romantic partners, attachment is also involved in bonds between friends, siblings, parents and children, and more. The primary hormone that appears in attachment is oxytocin, also known as the “cuddle hormone” (Wu).

Oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus and is released into the bloodstream through the pituitary gland. While its main function is to facilitate childbirth, oxytocin is a hormone that promotes positive feelings (“Oxytocin”).

While this may paint love out to be a perfect picture, where hormones are released making us feel rewarded and close to our partners, that is not the whole story. Love is often accompanied by jealousy, irrationality, and erratic behavior. This is because too much of the hormones that, when in moderation, can cause the positive feelings of love, will also lead to the downsides of love. For example, because dopamine is responsible for the brain’s “reward” pathway, it controls both the good and the bad. The dopamine pathways actually play a role in addictions. The same regions that light up in the brain when someone is attracted to someone also light up when addicts take cocaine. Cocaine maintains dopamine signaling for much longer than usual, leading to a “high.” One can say that attraction is just like addiction because the same regions in the brain light up when one becomes emotionally dependent on their partners and when one becomes dependent on material goods. Too much oxytocin can have a similar effect.

75 Recent studies on party drugs like MDMA, commonly called ecstasy, and GHB (Wu), a nervous system depressant (“GHB”), have shown that oxytocin may be the hormone behind the cheerful and untroubled feelings that these drugs cause. In this case, these positive feelings are taken to an extreme level, causing the user to disassociate from their environment and act recklessly. Additionally, oxytocin’s role as a “bonding hormone” seems to strengthen positive feelings that people feel towards people they love, resulting in people becoming more attached to their friends, family, and significant others.

This may seem like it does not have a downside, but oxytocin is also suggested to play a role in ethnocentrism. It increases the love for people in one’s established culture group and causes other people to seem more foreign (Wu). Too much of anything is not good for anyone, and oxytocin and dopamine are no exception to that rule.

Falling in love unleashes a waterfall of emotions and intensified cognitive states, impacting a person’s creativity and fostering artistic expression. Love has fostered innumerable works of creativity, from the architectural masterpieces like the Taj Mahal, to modern pop songs like “Cardigan” by Taylor Swift. This leads to the question of why falling in love, or even just thinking about love, can stimulate creativity so much. Psychologists Jens Förster, Kai Epstude,

76 and Amina Özelsel at the University of Amsterdam hypothesized that being in love actually makes one think differently. The researchers found that love triggers global processing, which promotes creative thinking and hinders analytical thinking, and that romantic love produces a long-term perspective. To test this idea, the researchers asked people to imagine a romantic date, and found that they imagined the dates as occurring farther in the future as opposed to to immediately (Liberman). This connects to the Construal Level Theory, called CLT for short. CLT focuses on the idea of psychological distance, which is the removal of an object from direct experience. The brain considers events that are far in physical distance, time, and likelihood as interchangeable (“Construal”). This kind of thinking triggers a more global processing style, as opposed to a local processing style, which promotes analytical thinking and interferes with creativity. A global processing style raises remote and uncommon association, thereby stimulating creative thinking. The psychologists presented a study to support this idea. First, after being told that it was an attention task, the participants were subliminally presented with words relating to love, sex, and a non-word string of letters, which was the control group. They were then presented with problems from the Graduate Record Examination, which are problems that assess analytical thinking. Then they were tested on their creative thinking through a generative task, where they were asked to devise as many uses for bricks as possible. The experiment resulted in participants in the love condition formulated more creative uses and solved less analytical problems than the control group, and participants in the sex conditions displayed the opposite pattern (Liberman).

“There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment,” wrote Sarah Dressen in her 2004 novel, The Truth About Forever. While there have been innumerable hypotheses, theories, and studies about what love is

77 and where it comes from, there is no one formula for love. Love is a quintessential part of human experience that cannot be confined to a science; it can only be explained through experience.

78 Works Cited “Construal Level Theory.” The Ohio State University, u.osu.edu/construalleveltheory/theory/.

Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

“Dopamine.” Healthdirect, 17 Oct. 2023, www.healthdirect.gov.au/dopamine.

“GHB.” Better Health Channel, Department of Health & Human Services, 13 June 2000, www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/GHB. Hiller-Sturmhöfel, S, and A Bartke. “The Endocrine System: An Overview.” Alcohol Health and Research World, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1998, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6761896/.

Lebis, Ethane. “Colour Wheel Theory of Love by John Alan Lee.” Medium, Medium, 20 Dec. 2022, medium.com/@ethanelebis/colour-wheel-theory-of-love-by-john-alan-lee-95cabd6398b5.

Liberman, Nira, and Oren Shapira. “Does Falling in Love Make Us More Creative?” Scientific American, 29 Sept. 2009, www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-falling-in-love-make/#:~:text=The%20clever% 20experiments%20demonstrated%20that,and%20interferes%20with%20analytic%20thin king.

Lovering, Nancy. “The Psychology of Love: Theories and Facts.” Psych Central, Psych Central, 20 Sept. 2022, psychcentral.com/relationships/the-psychology-of-love.

“Luteinizing Hormone: Levels, Function & Testing.” Cleveland Clinic, 8 Jan. 2022, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22255-luteinizing-hormone.

“Norepinephrine: What It Is, Function, Deficiency & Side Effects.” Cleveland Clinic, 27 Mar. 2022, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22610-norepinephrine-noradrenaline.

79 “Oxytocin: The Love Hormone.” Harvard Health, Harvard Medical School, 13 June 2023, www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/oxytocin-the-love-hormone.

Sternberg, R. J. “A Triangular Theory of Love. Psychological Review, 93(2), 119–135. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.93.2.119 Thau, Lauren. “Anatomy, Central Nervous System.” StatPearls [Internet]., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 10 Oct. 2022, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542179/ Wu, Katherine. “Love, Actually: The Science behind Lust, Attraction, and Companionship.”

Science in the News, Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 19 June 2020, sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/love-actually-science-behind-lust-attraction-companions hip/.

80 The Effects of Being in an Honors Program Susie Masri Being a part of an honors program may seem like a wonderful opportunity at first glance; honors students often have access to certain classes, such as APs, that other students do not have the opportunity to take. However, participation in honors programs have been shown to lead to problems that include anxiety, perfectionism, fear of failure, and the inability to develop strong study habits. These disadvantages can prove to be very detrimental to students, such as when they are faced with new challenges in the future. Honors students have shown to be wary of challenges and tend to avoid them out of fear of failure. This can harm them when they enter careers where they need to overcome a challenging obstacle. Advanced courses and honors programs have many benefits, but it is important to also consider the many disadvantages when choosing to apply to one of these programs.

Honors courses are designed for students who want a more challenging curriculum and are prepared to put in the extra work in order to demonstrate their academic motivation. High school honors classes are generally considered exclusive high level classes that are not available to non-honor students. Honors students are given higher expectations, learn at a faster pace, and are assigned more individual work. Their classes differ from AP courses, however, because they do not give college credit (“What are Honors Courses?”).

Honor programs requirements vary with the school. In some cases, students may need to complete a project or take a test in order to qualify for the program. Most programs have a GPA requirement, such as having an average of above a 90 in all classes. These requirements are to ensure that the student can handle the challenging coursework, along with the demanding environment (“What are Honors Courses?”).

81 Before considering an honors program, one should weigh the advantages and disadvantages to the program, along with the skills needed to participate in the program. Some of these skills are time management, given the amount of coursework in these programs. Strong note taking skills and organization skills help students prepare for tests and assignments. A large amount of work is independent so it is also important to have strong independent working skills.

Having these skills will help ensure success in honors courses or programs (“What are Honors Classes in High School?”).

The effects of taking part in honors programs can be affected by those around you. A Cornell study from 1989 shows that children labeled as gifted by their parents experienced more adjustment difficulties than those who did not because parents pushed their children and expected them to easily complete their work. When the child struggled with their work, parents were unsympathetic to the struggle. High demands from parents typically lead to self-inflicted expectations from the student. Even if students reach the high expectations they have for their grades, if they find out others did better, they often feel disappointed. Furthermore, siblings not in the program might be made to feel as though they are not good or smart enough (Bonaventura).

An important part of being an honors student is finding balance. Between extra class work, extra curriculars, friends, and family, there is a lot to manage. Therefore, it is important to prioritize and sometimes drop out of certain activities. It is also important to find your strengths.

Given the competitive nature of the program, students have to remain motivated (Brush).

Honors programs do not just exist on the high school level. Being placed in an elementary school honors course may appear as a wonderful opportunity, but there are downsides to being in such a program. Firstly, being placed into such a program at a young age shapes the

82 child's academic and social life. At first, it may feel great to be deemed intelligent and be assigned stimulating work. As time progresses, however, the student might develop high expectations for themselves, viewing anything below an A as disappointing. This sometimes leads to perfectionism and failure to develop proper study habits (Bonaventura).

Many colleges offer honors programs, as well. Some positive aspects of the program is that students in the program live together in a specific dorm. This is helpful in meeting new people that share similar interests and are in the same classes. This helps large universities feel more small and friendly. Furthermore, many honors students receive financial aid and some may even earn a full ride. The academic experience and opportunities of students in honors programs can rival those of Ivy Leagues. Classes tend to be smaller in honors programs, allowing easy connections with professors when in need of recommendations for graduate school. Students also receive priority registration, special opportunities, and additional graduate admissions assistance (Vaccaro).

The choice of participating in an honors course or program requires a lot of thought and consideration. Whether it is an elementary school, high school, or college course, it is important to consider both the advantages and the disadvantages. Along with the skills and requirements necessary to excel in the course. Honors courses or programs are not for everyone and it is beneficial to consider that before choosing to apply.

83 Works Cited Bonaventura, Allison. “Gifted Programs and Their Negative Effects.” The Holly Spirit, 23 January 2022, https://thehollyspirit.org/4661/showcase/gifted-programs-and-their-negative-effects-and-e xperiences/. Accessed 27 March 2024.

Brady, Anne Vaccaro. “The Pros and Cons of a College Honors Program.” Parents' Guide to the College Puzzle, 13 June 2019, https://parentsguidetothecollegepuzzle.com/2019/06/13/the-pros-and-cons-of-a-college-h onors-program/. Accessed 27 March 2024.

Brush, Katelyn. “An Inside Look at College Honors Programs: Pros and Cons.” Student Cafe Blog, 27. March 2016, http://blog.studentcaffe.com/inside-look-college-honors-programs-pros-cons/. Accessed 27 March 2024.

“What are Honors Classes in High School? | GreatValueColleges.” Great Value Colleges, https://www.greatvaluecolleges.net/faq/what-are-honors-courses/. Accessed 27 March 2024.

84 Collective Delusion Caroline Palacci Since the dawn of time, people have been confronted with a simple yet perpetual question: How do we build a functional society? The base of all intercontinental society must be an omnipresent set of rules, but how can 7 billion people simultaneously agree on these rules; we cannot even agree on things as simple as common language, measurements, or monetary systems! The answer lies in our subconscious employment of mass delusion and every day imagined realities, through which we devise laws of humanity insignificant to anything else in the universe yet all-encompassing of us. These objective realities are the pillars of our lives and necessary for our continued collective existence; in other words, integral parts of society are complete figments of the imagination.

Collective delusion can be understood as a shared belief or perception that is not based on objective reality but is accepted and reinforced by a group of individuals. This shared belief may be irrational, unfounded, or contrary to empirical evidence. Nevertheless, it persists within the group's collective consciousness. Collective delusions can take various forms, ranging from conspiracy theories and mass hysteria to cultural myths and religious dogma (Briggs).

Psychologically, collective delusions play a pivotal role in shaping individual and collective beliefs. Research in cognitive psychology has identified a range of biases, such as confirmation bias, availability heuristics, and groupthink, that influence social behaviors. Bias such as "groupthink" does "not allow for each individual to examine their particular values and beliefs to see if the prevailing trend is something with which they choose to take part" and, in turn, creates an atmosphere in which people are easily able to adopt the ideas of others, however intangible they may be, and that can contribute to the formation and perpetuation of collective delusions

85 (Bloom). These biases influence how information is processed and interpreted within groups, reinforcing shared delusional beliefs (Bojke).

Social identity and self-categorization theories also offer insights into how group membership and social identity can influence individuals' susceptibility to accepting and promoting collective delusions. For example, in a study by scientist Henry Trajfel, "Participants were assigned to groups designed to be as arbitrary and meaningless as possible. Nevertheless, when people were asked to assign points to other research participants, they systematically awarded more points to in-group members than to out-group members" (Ellemers). The need for social belonging and the desire for coherence and consistency within the group can override critical thinking and rational evaluation of information, leading to the adoption of imagined restrictions and social laws.

Collective delusions are imagined realities. Following the sociological theory of social constructionism, society places an undue burden on each community as subjective ideas become ingrained as necessary dogmas (Mitcham and Martin). I was scrolling on my phone this week when I came across a Reddit post by user eccentricshift7: "A woman should stay at home and take care of kids. Not because men are superior but simply because it is the original, simple, and happy way of life." The user takes the attributes of their mother and the mothers in their community and comes to the following fallacy: my mother raised me, and I am grateful she did so. Therefore, women should not pursue careers and should all be homemakers.

Furthermore, the user believes anything else is unoriginal, complicated, and unhappy. Although the user bases his experience on an emotional bias, he and his followers have tricked themselves into fully believing the role of a woman is in the home and only in the home, and anyone who believes otherwise must be innocent. They have made historical and psychological laws out of

86 claims with no basis other than "it works for us, so it must work for everyone." In this way, communities can develop all sorts of social constructs and restrictions, and these restrictions, building off already deceptive "facts," are what comprise many widespread, though not always harmful, collective delusions.

It is easier to spot delusion in things we deem "wrong," yet they are ingrained in our lives even in things we know to be beneficial. For example, human rights laws exist nowhere else in the universe and among no other species. However, most rationally minded people believe them to be a "natural right" that every human is born with. This delusion has been incredibly successful in maintaining a good quality of life for many people and even saving lives, however, it is no less a delusion than the belief that women belong in the home or that one race is superior to any other.

Collective delusions are prominent across culture and history. Cultural anthropology provides valuable insights into the diversity of belief systems and the cultural norms that shape collective delusions within specific societies. Cultural myths, legends, and rituals often reflect collective delusions integral to a community's cultural identity and worldview (Mitcham and Martin). For example, the Aztecs believed that human sacrifice would ensure the world's continued existence. Without sacrificing, life as they knew it would cease to exist, and killing was simply a cultural ritual. Christian Spanish conquistadors found the prospect worrying and used sacrifice as an excuse to massacre and conquer the Aztecs (Wade). This is the cycle of delusion. Without some communal delusion, whole religions and cultural practices that comprise a person's actions and identity would not exist, nor would justification for the action. The Aztecs made a community ceremony of sacrifice, and the conquistadors connected through massacring the Aztecs; all of this is simply the fault of the nurturing of communities and their willingness to

87 agree with others like them. What one group views as murder may seem just like any other natural cycle. Instead of biological need, collective imagination, and communal encouragement cause people to differ widely in their justification yet act similarly on their beliefs.

Furthermore, historical analysis reveals how collective delusions have shaped significant events and movements, from witch hunts and moral panics to political ideologies and mass movements. Studying historical examples, such as the rise of totalitarian regimes, offers valuable lessons about the dynamics of collective delusion and its impact on individuals and societies. In George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, totalitarian leaders, based on the famous regimes of Orwell's day, easily convince their citizens to believe in ridiculous laws and give their lives and individuality to a meaningless cause. While readers of the novel may view the blind conformity of the dystopian world as unimaginable, Orwell's novel is a social commentary on what we as a society are susceptible to believing (Orwell 328).

Collective delusions can also take on less detrimental but no less prominent forms. For example, any limited liability companies running the global economy survive from imagined perception. These companies exist independent of their products, workers, and even founders.

Dr. Yuval Noah Harari brings the example of the car company Peugeot, citing that even if all its current cars were destroyed, current employees gone, or leaders were replaced, the company would not cease to exist as long as it still produces. Additionally, one may sue limited liability companies independent of their owners. This imagined construct has allowed for industrial growth as it has taken much of the risk out of owning a company; however, it is still not tangible and does not exist anywhere aside from the human mind (Harari 23).

The phenomenon of collective delusion is a complex and multifaceted aspect of human behavior and society that is essential to our flow. By drawing on insights from psychology,

88 sociology, anthropology, and historical studies, one can better understand the psychological, social, and cultural dynamics that warrant collective delusions. As society continues to navigate an increasingly interconnected and information-saturated world, it is necessary to explore and understand the concept of collective delusions.

89 Works Cited Bloom, Linda. “The Bandwagon Effect.” Psychology Today, 11 August 2017, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/stronger-the-broken-places/201708/the-bandw agon-effect . Accessed 19 November 2023.

Bojke, Laura, et al. "Developing a Reference Protocol for Structured Expert Elicitation in Health-Care Decision-Making: A Mixed-Methods Study." Health Technology Assessment, no. 25.37, NIHR Journals Library, Southampton (UK), June 2021. Chapter 6, Reviewing the Evidence: Heuristics and Biases. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK571047/ Briggs, Jonathan. “Human Progress and Collective Delusions.” Eastside Preparatory School, https://www.eastsideprep.org/human-progress-and-collective-delusions /. Accessed 19 November 2023.

Eccentricshift7. “A woman should stay at home and take care of kids. Not because men are superior but simply because it is the original, simple and happy way of life.”, 9 November 2017, https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/evrtmo/a_woman_should_stay_at _home_and_take_care_of_kids/?rdt=33922 . Accessed 7 March 2024.

Ellemers, Naomi. “Social identity theory | Definition, History, Examples, & Facts.” Britannica, 16 February 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-identity-theory. Accessed 5 March 2024.

Harari, Yuval Noah. Sapiens. Harper Collins, 2015.

Mitcham, Carl, and Ryder Martin. “Social Constructionism.” Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 21 February 2024, https://www.encyclopedia.com . Accessed 5 March 2024.

90 Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. 1949.

Wade, Lizzie. “,.” , - YouTube, 6 January 2023, https://www.science.org/content/article/feeding-gods-hundreds-skulls-reveal-massive-sca le-human-sacrifice-aztec-capital. Accessed 7 March 2024.

91 The Correlation Between Social Media and Body Image Olivia Shamah It is no secret that there is a correlation between body perception and the media. Social media exposes users to harmful narratives, even subconsciously, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy in comparison to influencers and peers seen on social media. Comparison between oneself and others, specifically regarding body image, can result in unhealthy behaviors and beliefs, such as disordered eating, a skewed view towards body perception, and compulsive exercising.

Body ideals have shifted dramatically throughout the past century, heavily influenced by the media and current events. Whether it be the painfully thin “cocaine chic” body influenced by supermodels in the 1980s and 90s, or the curvy hourglass shape from the late 2010s, predominantly influenced by figures such as the Kardashian family, society’s expectations for the shape of women’s bodies have been changing at the fastest and most unattainable pace in history, thanks to the ever-rising popularity of social media. Additionally, these fast-paced changes in ideals for women’s bodies leads to a surge in demand for plastic surgery, specifically breast surgery, as well as disordered eating and exercise behaviors (Aparicio-Martinez 3). A study published in 2019 by the National Library of Medicine found a strong association between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating by college-age women, and a universal desire for a thin body influenced by social media content.

Even before the age of social media, traditional media has played a role in body ideals and has influenced women in their body perception. A study published in 2004 proved the correlation between social comparison theory or sociocultural theory and body image. The study hypothesized that the viewing of unrealistic body ideals in media such as magazines and

92 television results in a skewed view towards one’s body and disordered eating. Results showed that unconscious comparison between oneself and celebrities seen in the media leads to a bad perception of the body and therefore can result in eating disorders (Morrison 585).

The rise of social media has only contributed to a stronger relationship between the two, as media containing these images and ideas is now more accessible than ever, whether or not the subjects of the images are celebrities. A series of interviews published in 2023 concluded that teen girls feel less confident when comparing themselves to peers than to celebrities. The researchers attribute this to the feeling of relatability that the subjects felt with their peers resulted in a sense that they should be able to attain similar goals to their peers who they viewed as their equals, as opposed to the celebrities who they perceive as being on a higher level (Papageorgiou 5).

Despite being a fairly new innovation, social media is one of the most powerful tools for influencing people in our society, so much so that content creators on social media platforms have been dubbed “influencers.” Social media saw a very rapid rise in popularity following the conception of platforms such as Facebook and MySpace in the early 2000s (Ortiz-Ospina 1).

These sites paved the way for the exponential growth of many popular contemporary platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, which amass well over a billion active users per month combined.

These massive and extremely popular social media sites are a recipe for widespread influence at a pace never seen before.

With great power comes great responsibility, and as previously stated, pretty much anyone can become very powerful and influential at the hands of social media. Even well-intentioned posts, such as a “What I Eat in a Day” video or someone sharing their workout routine, can steer a viewer towards body-image related mental health issues. “Fitspiration,” or

93 fitness inspiration, content on social networking sites has been linked to body dissatisfaction, a negative opinion of oneself, and low self-esteem. A poll taken of 182 Pakistani students found that the majority of participants agreed that social media, especially fitness and fashion content, promotes a negative body image, even if it is well-intentioned (Nasir 43-45). This is a prime example of the damaging effects of social media usage and how it can impact everyday life.

Since the beginning of the popularization of mainstream media, body ideals have shifted considerably several times, and each time, the public is influenced in terms of beauty standards and body ideals. One study states, “The mass media play a critical role in people’s self‐image by informing and reflecting what people consider to be beautiful or attractive” (Mills 2). One’s surroundings play a critical role in how they view themselves. If the public has a unanimous opinion on the acceptable appearance of someone’s boy or what is considered beautiful or acceptable in society, it is bound to have a negative effect on people, especially young women and girls who do not fit that standard. A poll conducted on 30 high school students, all female, showed that an overwhelming 83% of participants have experienced body dissatisfaction at some point in their lives. Additionally, over 66% of the students responded that their frequent activity on social media correlated to their body image. This is proof of the harmful toll that social media is taking on the minds of young people and of the ways that it can warp their views of reality.

With so many hurtful and harmful messages circulating social media surrounding women’s bodies, it is hard not to become a victim of these narratives.

Confirmation bias is also a considered factor in social media-driven body insecurities.

During a person’s formative years, which include adolescence, they are extremely impressionable and therefore vulnerable to the aforementioned narratives which can be detrimental to their self esteem and cause physical side effects. This can cause a child to innately

94 believe they are something that they are not and provide an instrument that exposure to more acceptable body types on social media can use to dig false or tainted beliefs even deeper. Social media leads users to become “highly susceptible to ‘confirmation bias’... where individuals ‘hear their own voice’” (Mogdil 1). An article published in 2021 by the Journal of Research and Innovation discusses the phenomenon of “Social media induced polarization,” or SMIP, which is when a social media user is provided with confirmation of their beliefs. A relevant example is the political polarization that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were constantly perusing social media. This can be applied to the current pandemic plaguing the youth of modern countries, in which social media is confirming their biases that they have internalized over the course of their lifetimes about their bodies. Growing up in a world with unattainable and highly unrealistic beauty standards can help to internalize beliefs of the socially acceptable ways for someone’s body to look or what is considered beautiful in the eyes of society.

Furthermore, social media influencers and public figures can perpetuate unhealthy ideas which can influence its audience, such as the need to look or feel a certain way, even if it is realistically unattainable. A study on the association between celebrity worship and mental health also discusses the association between celebrity worship and body image dissatisfaction (Zsila 9). The study suggests that this is proof of the influence celebrities and public figures have on the well-being and mental health of the public, especially women and girls who are already more susceptible to having a negative outlook on their bodies when compared to others. This same logic can be applied to social media and influencers who outwardly show what some would consider to be private parts of their lives to the public. Relatability and vulnerability are critical components of the popularity of social media. One of the main reasons for popular video themes like “What I Eat in a Day,” or “A Day in My Life,” is so viewers can gain a sense of relatability

95 towards the creator of the video, as well as feeling like the creator is being vulnerable towards them by publicizing typically private aspects of their lives. Additionally, as previously mentioned, teenage girls feel a greater sense of relation towards their peers or people who live more similar lives to them. This drives home the point made previously about the correlation between public figures and mental health.

Influences like these on social media and traditional media can lead to unhealthy behaviors, like disordered eating and exercising. As mentioned earlier, social comparison through the media is a major catalyst for eating disorders and disordered eating. Viewers of social media influencers often feel as if the only way for them to be beautiful or to be perceived as beautiful is for them to be thin, and the only way for them to achieve that would be through disordered eating and/or exercising. Additionally, “there are significant associations between internet exposure and internalization of the thin ideal, increased dieting, body surveillance, and reduced body esteem” (Mader 2). This study also found that the longer someone spent on social media, the more likely they were to fall victim to eating disorders such as anorexia, orthorexia, and bulimia, all of which can be extremely destructive to both mind and body; anorexia is the most fatal mental illness, surpassing even depression and other common illnesses (Heywood 2).

Eating disorders are also very common among adolescents, especially women, with one in three women developing one at some point in their life. This can be directly linked to the objectification of women in the media. The media has always portrayed women as redeemable only for their beauty, and thereby only redeemable if they are thin and following conventional beauty standards. Social media has only circulated this narrative faster and more efficiently than ever before, with billions of people using social media networks like TikTok and Instagram every

96 day. The widespread use and influence of social media has undoubtedly led to an increase in body image insecurity and eating disorders.

Messages containing unhealthy and unrealistic body ideals perpetuated on social media have many consequences on its users, including both mental and physical repercussions. One of the most widely accepted theories for why body dissatisfaction is so well conveyed through the media is objectification theory (Holland 3). Objectification theory describes the phenomenon of how it is so common for women to be dissatisfied with their bodies as a result of the objectification of women’s bodies by the media. The media has historically objectified women’s bodies, from World War II propaganda posters portraying conventionally beautiful women in strong roles, which can perpetuate the underlying message that one must be beautiful to be useful, to 2010s tabloids with eye catching and objectifying headlines like “Jessica’s Diet Disaster,” which appeared on the cover of the September 2, 2013 edition of The Sun. As demonstrated, the objectification of women’s bodies by the media has been around for a very long time. This theory is so widely accepted because of how common these messages are in both social and conventional media. They are hard to escape and hard to suppress because they are pretty much everywhere. It is also extremely common on social media to see photos that are not obviously edited, yet photo and video editing software has developed so much in recent years that it is so easy to inconspicuously edit Instagram photos to make the subject look thinner or fix blemishes without leaving a trace.

It is frightening to look around and see just how many young women and girls are affected by social media. Social media has become such a powerful tool for influencing people both consciously and unconsciously. It also carries a massive stigma around larger and less conventionally beautiful bodies, which compels users to edit their content before posting online.

97 Exposure to this type of content on social media can lead to viewers feeling inadequate and ugly in their own bodies, and therefore take extreme measures to try to achieve a more socially accepted figure, even if it comes at a harmful price towards their physical and mental health.

Social media is like a drug in that it is so dangerous, yet so addictive. Social media addiction is real, and plagues much of our youth. Social media shapes the everyday lives of most young people, but its influences should not be disregarded for how trivial or inconsequential they may seem to be. Adopting harmful or destructive behaviors in order to look a certain way should not be the norm in today’s society, and there is something seriously wrong with the world if it is.

98 Works Cited Aparicio-Martinez, Pilar et al. “Social Media, Thin-Ideal, Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating Attitudes: An Exploratory Analysis.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 16,21 4177. 29 Oct. 2019, doi:10.3390/ijerph16214177, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6861923/ Heywood, Lauren, et al. “Key-in-Session Identity Negotiations in a First Line Treatment for Adult Anorexia Nervosa.” Journal of Eating Disorders, vol. 12, no. 1, 31 Jan. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-00979-0. https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-024-00979-0 Holland, Grace, and Marika Tiggemann. “A Systematic Review of the Impact of the Use of Social Networking Sites on Body Image and Disordered Eating Outcomes.” Body Image, vol. 17, June 2016, pp. 100–110, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.02.008.

Jiotsa, Barbara, et al. "Social Media use and Body Image Disorders: Association between Frequency of Comparing One’s Own Physical Appearance to that of People being Followed on Social Media and Body Dissatisfaction and Drive for Thinness."

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 18, no. 6, 2021, pp. 2880. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/social-media-use-body-image-disorders-ass ociation/docview/2628161487/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18062880.

Mader, Lisa, et al. "Is (Disordered) Social Networking Sites Usage a Risk Factor for Dysfunctional Eating and Exercise Behavior?" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 20, no. 4, 2023, pp. 3484. ProQuest,

99 https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/is-disordered-social-networking-sites-usage -risk/docview/2779511539/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043484.

Mills, Jennifer S., et al. ‘Beauty, Body Image, and the Media.’ Perception of Beauty, InTech, 25 Oct. 2017. Crossref, doi:10.5772/intechopen.68944. https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/55388 Modgil, Sachin et al. “A Confirmation Bias View on Social Media Induced Polarization During Covid-19.” Information Systems Frontiers : A Journal of Research and Innovation, 1-25. 20 Nov. 2021, doi:10.1007/s10796-021-10222-9 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8604707/ Morrison, Todd G., Rudolf Kalin, and Melanie A. Morrison. "Body-Image Evaluation and Body-Image Investment Among Adolescents: A Test of Sociocultural and Social Comparison Theories." Adolescence, vol. 39, no. 155, 2004, pp. 571-92. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/body-image-evaluation-investment-among/ docview/195940965/se-2.

Nasir, Tahreem, and Emaan, Imran. "Impact of Fitspiration Images on Social Media and Body Image Comparisons Among Youth." Journal of the Research Society of Pakistan, vol. 60, no. 1, 2023, pp. 35. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/impact-fitspiration-images-on-social-media -body/docview/2789205675/se-2.

Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban. “The Rise of Social Media.” Our World in Data, 2019. https://ourworldindata.org/rise-of-social-media Papageorgiou, Alana, et al. “‘Why Don’t I Look Like Her?’ How Adolescent Girls View

100 Social Media and Its Connection to Body Image.” BMC Women’s Health, vol. 22, no. 1, June 2022. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.avoserv2.library.fordham.edu/10.1186/s12905-022-01845-4.

Zsila, Ágnes, et al. “Individual Differences in the Association Between Celebrity Worship and Subjective Well-being: The Moderating Role of Gender and Age.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12, 14 May 2021, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.651067.

101 GMOs: The Universal Remedy?

Emily Tarrab Our world continues to grapple with naturally pressing issues, facing various challenges that have long had a significant negative impact on both our people and environment. Currently, 828 million people, about 10% of the world's population, are suffering due to the terrible plight of hunger. Meanwhile, climate change is intensifying, with 34% of CO2 emission originating from food production and about 40% of those emissions attributed to agriculture. Is it possible to address world hunger without having to limit food production to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Utilizing a biological approach by engineering crops to create Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) presents a viable solution to world hunger while simultaneously decreasing the volume of CO2 emitted from agriculture.

A GMO is a living organism whose genetic material is edited by advanced technology so that the altered organism could have desirable characteristics. Regardless of the species type, genes can either be introduced or deleted through engineering. The general process of inserting a gene starts off by identifying the desirable trait in another organism, then “copying” the gene, and finally “pasting” it inside the organism. Although bioengineering may seem like an alien process to many, we have, in fact, been doing this for thousands of years. Circa 8000 BCE cross-breeding began, the breeding of two different species together to produce a better organism, in addition to selective breeding, when humans choose to only breed animals of the same species with better traits together to produce an elite offspring (Rangel). Both of these breeding methods result in the modification of the species genetic material, making it no different from modern genetic engineering and GMO foods. One of the most significant cases of artificial selection began 9,000 years ago in ancient Mexico when a wild grass species, teosinte,

102 was bred throughout hundreds of years to eventually become what we know today as corn, yielding much bigger ears and many kernels in comparison to its initial form (“Ancient DNA Continues To Rewrite Corn’s 9,000-Year Society-Shaping History”). Utilizing genetic modification, we are actively cutting down hundreds to thousands of years required to cross or selectively breed organisms, allowing our world to advance more rapidly and efficiently than it ever has before.

The revolutionary process of genetic engineering was invented in 1973, when biochemists Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen transferred a gene giving a bacterial strain antibiotic resistance to another strain of bacteria. A year later, Rudolf Jaenisch and Beatrice Mintz further developed this practice by inserting DNA from Simian Virus 40 into mouse embryos. Once they reached adulthood, the virus DNA was present in their cells, showcasing the success of genetic engineering and furthering our understanding of how foreign DNA can integrate into an organism's genetic makeup, potentially impacting their health. Less than a decade later, the FDA approved the first biosynthetic genetically engineered pharmaceutical and the most significant of them all-- human insulin. Inserting two polypeptide chains, A and B, which make up human pancreatic insulin, into a common bacterial strain, which was previously genetically modified to produce large amounts of insulin, enabled the biosynthetic insulin to be commercially available (“100 Years of Insulin”). Insulin therapy, utilizing recombinant DNA, DNA artificially created through the combination of genes from multiple organisms, is still in practice today, helping about 200 million people globally.

103 The FLAVR SAVR tomato, the spark that ignited the modern industry of GM agriculture, addressed the frustrating problem of fruits and vegetables ripening too quickly by reversing it.

Evidence in the 80s concluded that tomato softening was due to polygalacturonase (PG), an enzyme which dissolves the cell wall. Calgene, a California based biotech company, focused on creating a reverse-orientation copy of the gene producing PG, in order to suppress the quantity of PG present in the fruit, thus allowing the tomato to remain ripe for longer and have a longer shelf life. Once inserted into the tomato, the new tomato line only comprised 1% of the PG found in standard tomato lines, turning this project into a success. All the elements of the FLAVR SAVR tomato are exactly the same as its pre-genetically engineered counterparts. It was approved for the market by the FDA in 1994, followed by 1.8 million cans of food labeled “derived from genetically engineered tomatoes” being sold through supermarket chains. A British doctor, Arpad Pusztai, then publicized that he believed the biological changes he observed in his test rats were the result of feeding them GMO potatoes, Zeneca, a tomato paste company and large customer of the FLAVR SAVR tomatoes, had to pull their products off the shelves. Afterwards, it was concluded that Dr. Pusztai disseminated an incorrect hypothesis as a result of prematurely analyzing the data of his experiments before it was completed. Zeneca tomato paste never returned to the market, resulting in a noticeable decline and profit loss in California agriculture (Bruening and Lyons).

Misconceptions and myths circulating around abstract projects and ideas are always inevitable; an obvious and popular example of this being GMOs. While many countries require GMO products to label their products informing consumers, it is also very common to see produce or ingredient packaging proudly displaying their non-GMO status, in the hopes of encouraging shoppers to buy their “safe and healthy” product. According to Pew Research

104 Center, over 51% of U.S adults are “wary” of GMO safety because they are “unnatural” and “toxic,” leaving many concerned due to the crop’s change in nutritional content and the possibility of an allergic response. Additionally, many are afraid of the possible negative effect GMOs may have on offspring. A group of researchers from South Dakota State University took it upon themselves to test this theory by feeding a group of rats GMO corn that was made to carry Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a microbe that produces a natural insecticide endotoxin. The fertility and health of the embryos of rats fed GMO corn were compared to those fed organic corn, and no difference was found. An additional test for the potential toxicity buildup and negative impacts on the organs of the Bt corn fed rats’ offsprings was conducted through thorough examinations over four generations of rats that all consumed this corn, tracking their testicular developments. The researchers concluded that GMOs had no effect on them (Norris).

For decades, numerous experiments and research projects have been conducted, all proving that consuming GMOs are as healthy and safe as consuming their organic counterparts.

Despite this evidence, the false belief that GMOs are extremely harmful persists, hindering our ability to fully utilize this product of biotechnology to benefit countries with large malnourished populations and challenging climate. Some countries, including India, China, Russia, and certain EU and African countries, have implemented complete or partial bans on GMOs (Sohi). On the other hand, in the U.S, many GM crops make up more of the crop grown than their non-GMO

105 equivalents, such as soybeans (94% GMO), corn (92% GMO), canola, and cotton; many of which are used as ingredients in the mass production of cereals, chips, and oils, rather than being directly sold in the produce aisle, a fact that many people are unaware of.

Given the UN’s prediction that by 2050 humans will need to produce 70% more food, CRISPR/Cas9, a groundbreaking gene editing tool that uses enzymes and guide RNA to precisely alter an organism's DNA, can help us achieve higher crop yields. This emerging technology is crucial for mitigating the minimal risks associated with DNA modification and will enhance the efficacy of GMOs in agriculture.

Considering this, our technologically and agriculturally advanced world is equipped with what it needs to address both world hunger and the significant volume of carbon dioxide emissions. Genetically modified (GM) crops can be engineered to exhibit three key traits to achieve this goal. Firstly, these crops can resist specific harmful insects, reducing the need for pesticide sprays according to the FDA. This not only decreased the emission of toxic air and water pollutants but also reduces the CO2 emissions associated with pesticide production.

Secondly, they can be herbicide resistant, reducing the necessity for soil tillage to control weeds, thereby enhancing soil health and lowering fuel and labor requirements. Lastly, GM crops can withstand plant viruses and drought conditions, leading to an increased crop yield, especially in regions where it is more difficult for agriculture to thrive and provide for communities (“Agricultural Biotechnology”).

While some struggling countries, such as Nigeria with its GM cowpea (Black-eyed peas) and South Africa with GM maize and soy, have embraced GMOs in agriculture, many other developing nations remain hesitant. The primary causes of malnourishment and hunger in these regions are harsh weather conditions and poverty. Agriculture contributes approximately 60% to

106 a country's gross domestic product (GDP), so when crop yields fail due to adverse climatic factors, food prices soar and the national economy plummets, leaving the country and its people in a vulnerable position. Instead of increasing food production and transportation to these regions, which significantly increases CO2 emissions, GMOs can break this everlasting economic cycle. By providing these regions with crops that possess the unique ability to withstand their extreme temperatures and terrain, it can maintain the country's agricultural economy, keeping it afloat (Omotoso).

However, if this were simply the case, world hunger would have already been solved by now, and poverty would no longer exist to the extent that it does. Almost all countries suffering from food insecurity have a common exacerbating factor, which is conflict. The Taliban, throwing 20 million Afghan men, women, and children into severe hunger. The Yemenite Civil war, starving 17 million. And intercommunal violence in Sudan, forcing a third of its population into famine. Despite this, GMOs can still make a significant impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in other countries, abating climate change globally (“Global Food Crisis”).

Genetically Modified Organisms represent one of the most innovative, realistic, and sustainable technologies introduced to our 21st century society, yet its fruits cannot be maximized without the education of others on the health and safety of GMOs. With a feasible solution in our hands, we must not dismiss it simply because it cannot fully address the humanitarian issue of world hunger or the challenge of climate change. The first step to maximizing the integration of GMOs into our global population is to inform and promote understanding in the market of their potential benefits. This approach can pave the way for more informed decisions and wider acceptance of GMOs, ultimately accelerating the arrival of a long-awaited sustainable future for all!

107 Works Cited “100 Year Anniversary of Insulin.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-history-exhibits/100-years-insulin.

“Agricultural Biotechnology.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA. www.fda.gov/food/consumers/agricultural-biotechnology.

“Ancient DNA Continues to Rewrite Corn’s 9,000-Year Society-Shaping History.” Smithsonian Institution, www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/ancient-dna-continues-rewrite-corns.

Bruening and Lyons. “The Case of the FLAVR SAVR Tomato.” California Agriculture, University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, calag.ucanr.edu/Archive/?article=ca.v054n04p6.

“Climate Change and Farming: Economists Warn More Needs to Be Done to Adapt in Sub-Saharan Africa.” PreventionWeb, 17 Nov. 2023, www.preventionweb.net/news/climate-change-and-farming-economists-warn.

“Genetically Modified Corn Seed.” FTI Consulting, 31 Aug. 2021, fti-tas.com/portfolio/genetically-modified-corn-seed/.

“Global Food Crisis: 10 Countries Suffering the Most from Hunger.” World Food Program USA, 9 Mar. 2023, www.wfpusa.org/articles/global-food-crisis.

“How Did They Make Insulin from Recombinant DNA?” U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/fromdnatobeer.

Jaenisch, R, and B Mintz. “Simian Virus 40 DNA Sequences in DNA of Healthy Adult Mice Derived from Preimplantation Blastocysts Injected with Viral DNA.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 1974, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC388203/.

108 Norris, Megan L. “Will Gmos Hurt My Body? The Public’s Concerns and How Scientists Have Addressed Them.” Science in the News, Harvard, 17 Jan. 2021, sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/will-gmos-hurt-my-body/.

Rangel, Gabriel. “From Corgis to Corn: A Brief Look at the Long History of GMO Technology.”

Science in the News, Harvard, 23 Oct. 2016, sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/from-corgis-to-corn-a-brief.

Sohi, Manreet. “Analyzing Public Sentiment toward Gmos via Social Media between 2019-2021.” GM Crops & Food, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 31 Dec. 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC.