It's been quite some time since my last blog entry - The most prominent reason being I have been working on something on a much larger scale - So here's a taste of the little nest I've been building.
The Blue Bird has developed a fair amount over its year in existence, originating as a poetry and prose blog graduating into a philosophy and advise research hub.
The next logical step? Psychology. Over the last six months I have been working on a study that embodies most subject matters discussed and analyzed on this blog. Why we do what we do, how we can better ourselves and as always - how to be happy. The chapters so far are as follows:
- The Chore of Choice: Unlimited Options, A Recipe for Digression.
Summary: People always say it's good to have options, keep them open - that way it will be easier to make decisions and figure out what exactly is going to be the correct route for you. Studies, - statistically and neurologically prove the opposite. People with numerous or unlimited options find it more difficult to make a decision and are more often than not disappointed by "what could have been." A person with few or no options is programmed to be happy with whatever they are given, whatever they can achieve. This seems like a simple concept, but - there's a reason for it. I have carried out a comprehensive study on the science of our minds, and the inability to cope with indecision - and why it prevents happiness - the difference between synthesized happiness and "actual". Some of the concept is explained in this TED talks:
In my study, I look at how we can program ourselves to overcome the problems inherited by giving yourself too many options.
- The Jail Sentence of Escapism: Crash Landings
Summary: These are the dreamers, the adventurers - often, read a lot of fiction - watch a lot of movies, travel compulsively and find it increasingly difficult to live a "regular" life. It's all very romantic and very inspiring, those who can pick up at the drop of a hat and disappear, no regrets; just an amazing zest to live. Myself included it all seems like a good idea but there's a problem. A number of studies, including my own portray individuals with the escapist mentality to have a few outstanding similar traits. All have a wide imagination: be it artistically, sexually or subconsciously. A fear of commitment: committing to anything or person may hold you back from an adventure; so they find a place for numerous superficial relationships and responsibilities; but abandon ship before the potential for depth and attachment develops - if they don't, the next stage is resentment. But the saddest element of being an Escapist is in almost all cases explored; every-time a new route is driven, a great idea brought to life; they find themselves deflated, uninspired or let down, and so the cycle continues - keep looking, keep exploring: but the sad fact being, the "pot of gold" in one way or another, never fully lives up to expectations. My study looks into why that is, is it the fault of imagination or expectation? The solution is very simple; bail out of the jail sentence; for people who enjoy change, this shouldn't be a problem - but it is.
- Social Media, The Anti Social Cold War
Summary: Social Media is a revelation and necessity in todays world. It is responsible for 45% of communication between people in the developed world, 65% of office workers in the US alone spend their 9-5 hours on Facebook and there are more pictures published on Instagram daily than photographs printed in the year 2000. So with all this, you would think this has brought us all closer together, more intimate - sharing more information and personality than ever before. No, that's not the case. Statistics have revealed that people spend less "actual" time together in the years 2010-2013 than ever in recorded history. Telephone companies have revealed that 51% less people speak on the phone than they did in the year 2003. People do not put in effort with each other anymore. The anti-personalisation of the internet has revealed that the more people know, the less committed or warm they are. 1,000 people could wish you a happy birthday on Facebook, but who is going to send you a card or present? Obscene amounts of "likes" on a photograph on Instagram but how often do people tell you they " like your meal" or "you look beautiful" in the reality of life? Facebook chat, or twitter continuously throughout a day with people who live in the same city as you - but how often do you just sit down and talk in a cafe? The falsehood of social media has led us to be cold, uncommitted people. We no longer experience loss, because the people are always there - on our screen. We loose the concept of time passing because instead of making plans with people to catch up; we just check out what they're up to on the internet. The fundamental ruling of warmth is that you miss people - and now that we have built a world based on the inability to miss, how do we over come superficial relationships and revert back to spending real time? Seeing as research, including my own has unveiled that people are happier when with people they care about; is there a way to ditch this cold war we have with social media? The answer is yes.
- Peter Pan Generation: The Stand Still Society
Summary: The trend name says it all, the people who don't grow up. It's not that they're immature or incapable - they just don't abide by the guidelines set by generations before. These are the people that miss the "great milestones" in life. No marriage, no kids, no mortgage, no savings. The 30 something is now the 20 something and they're unlikely to grow out of it. It's fair to say generations evolve and priorities become different - it becomes less important to be married with kids and more important just to "live". Procreation is no longer the "greatest achievement" in the larger scale of things. The argument is rather - a lack of responsibility or the fear of responsibility? Instead of committing to buying a home a Peter Pan would rather spend more money renting for eternity; which is not particularly logical. But a home, to some extent, is a commitment - like marriage. So, we are dealing with a generation of commitment phobes. But is this truly an awful thing? Is this human evolution or human digression? I have looked at this in my study; who is affected more comprehensively - men or women? Perhaps this a concept created to reduce the pressure that was unnecessarily created in generations before us, is this the answer to a stress-free, happy, healthy life - or is this a death sentence for development?
I hope you enjoy these teasers. In the full articles, I will have exposed research; containing both data that was outsourced and research that was collated by myself. My purpose is to deal with our ever evolving mentality; identifying the pros and cons and in the end how we can help ourselves in embarking onto the best possible life achievable. The more we understand, the more we learn - the more we will grow. Knowledge is power; so long as we all understand we will never know everything.
Thank you for being so patient!
