Health News

Why Bacteria Keeps You Healthy

We have more bacteria in our gut than cells in our body. Here’s why minding these microbes can help you get healthy from the inside out.

As foreign as it sounds, the word micro biome may soon be part of the mainstream lexicon. The term refers to the microbes or bacteria that naturally inhabit the body from the surface of your skin to your gut. We tend to think of microbes as bad-pathogens that need to be killed-but new research suggests that storing scores of them is paramount to our health and metabolism.

“We have 100 trillion microbes in our gut-more bacteria than cells in the body. They aid in digestion and detoxification, help support our immune system, and manufacture key vitamins, among other functions. Western medicine is catching on to the importance of all the bacteria in our bodies-especially in our gut. In Functional Medicine we’ve been manipulating this microbiome for some time, but it’s primarily been guesswork.” says Frank Lipman, MD, the founder of Eleven Eleven Wellnessin Manhattan. “Understanding these microbes is the future of medicine.”

The Human Microbiome Project, a National Institute of Health initiative, is working to shed light on the topic. “It’s such a new field and there are so many studies underway. But we do know that it’s important to keep your flora in a balanced state,” says Lipman. “A disturbed microbiome, where bad bacteria and yeast overtake the good ones can cause all sorts of health problems from autoimmune diseases to weight gain.”

Thus far, gut microbes have been shown to influence metabolism, and certain types may play a role in obesity. In fact, one family of bacteria called Firmicutes can even cause you to absorb more calories from your food. Another, called Bacteroidetes, is associated with leanness.

Wondering how to keep your belly balanced-and flat? Your trump card may be a healthy diet, which can prevent microbes associated with obesity from flourishing. No real surprises there, and until more is known Lipman suggests keeping your microbiome in mind when you eat. Here are his five tips:

1. Eat pre-biotic foods.

Healthy gut bacteria thrive on pre-biotics, which are non-digestible fibers found in foods like root vegetables, onions, leeks, garlic, artichokes, beans, asparagus, oats, nuts, and bananas. Think of it as giving the good microbes something to chew on.

2. Drink your green juice.

There are thousands of bacterial strains, and while we don’t know enough about all these organisms yet, greens appear to help improve the diversity of healthy organisms in the gut. Plus, research shows that the greater the diversity, the greater the health benefits.

3. No more processed foods.

The additives in processed foods can kill off good bacteria. Refined carbs are also problematic because sugar feeds bad bacteria, allowing it to proliferate and leading to physical cravings for more sugar. Stay away from wheat and soy, too. Most are genetically modified and GMOs disrupt gut flora.

4. Limit antibiotics-the over-the-counter meds and the ones in your meat.

There’s a place for antibiotics, but don’t take them every time you have a runny nose. They’re overused and even though they target bad bacteria, they also kill off the good guys. Another surprising problem is factory-farmed meats. Seventy percent of antibiotics in the U.S. are used in livestock, leading to chronic exposure; when you consume the meat, you’re absorbing those antibiotics, too.

5. Get your probiotics.

Fermented foods like kimchi, kombucha, and sauerkraut are making appearances on more menus as people learn more about body ecology. They’re important because they naturally contain probiotics, which encourage the growth of good bacteria. Some people also respond well to a supplement. Choose one containing some of the most studied probiotic strains: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium lactis.

Source: Yahoo shine

 

 

Going vegan? Here are 5 foods to help you get your protein

Many people turn to a vegan diet in search of better health and love it so much they can’t imagine ever going back. No matter what the reason, a common challenge for non-meat eaters is keeping their carbohydrate levels within a moderate range and making sure to get enough protein, every day.

The Mayo Clinic recommends getting 10 to 35 percent of total daily calories from protein, which amounts to between 50 and 175 grams of protein per day, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Proteins are the building blocks for life; they break down into amino acids that promote both cell growth and repair. Protein is important to a variety of physiological functions, from building and maintaining muscle and bone, to keeping cells functioning properly.

Studies have shown that protein is also important for maintaining a healthy body weight. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that an increase in protein from 15 percent to 30 percent of total calories resulted in sustained weight loss. This could be because protein takes longer to digest than carbohydrates, helping you feel fuller longer.

Here are some foods that will help you get a healthy amount of protein while eating vegan.

Legumes
Whichever you prefer, from kidney beans to chickpeas and green peas, they are all a great choice. Full of fiber, protein and magnesium they are versatile enough to eat in salads, soups, veggie burgers, dips or all by themselves. When cooking beans, try adding a piece of seaweed kombu which can help soften them and make them more digestible, thanks to its amino acid profile. Simply add a four to six inch strip of kombu to the pot of cooking beans, it will disintegrate after an hour or two of cooking and any remaining pieces can be eaten.

Hemp and Chia Seeds
These tiny little seeds are protein powerhouses. Hemp seeds contain about 10 grams of protein in 3 tablespoons, and chia seeds are just short of 5 grams of protein in only 2 tablespoons. Both can be sprinkled over salads, blended into smoothies, and made into delicious sauces.

Quinoa
Many think it’s a grain, but it’s actually a seed that packs a giant punch. It provides nine essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce on their own and is known as a complete protein while containing more than 8 grams of protein per cup. This versatile little seed is most well known in its beige variety, but is also available in red and black varieties, which offer a slightly different taste profile. Quinoa can be eaten alone, added to soups, tossed with vegetables to make a salad, cooked with vegetable juices instead of water to change the flavor, or even served warm with a touch of cinnamon and coconut oil for a great breakfast.

Leafy Green Vegetables
Even though they don’t have as much protein as legumes, seeds or nuts, they still contain significant amounts while also being low in carbohydrates, rich in fiber and antioxidants and alkalinizing to the body. Spinach, kale and broccoli are some of the most protein-rich vegetable choices.

Avocados
While not the highest in terms of protein count, avocados should be a staple of any vegan diet. They provide all 18 essential amino acids necessary for the body to form a complete protein. They also boast an excellent combination of vitamins C and E, selenium, zinc, carotenoids and omega-3 fatty acids that protect against inflammation. Don’t shy away from this fruit because of its fat content; its healthy fats can actually boost your “healthy” cholesterol levels, and help protect against damage caused by free radicals.

Any healthy diet centers around fresh vegetables, and quality protein. Avoid empty calories from processed foods whenever possible, and strive to stay on the higher side of the recommended amount of protein – that will ensure you always get an adequate amount. And always remember to consult with your doctor before making diet and lifestyle changes.

Source: News.nom

Vancouver bans doorknobs for future construction projects

Hold on to your knobs while you still can. Humanity is about to embark on an era of doorknob prohibition, and it’s all starting with our friendly neighbor to the north, right in Vancouver, Canada.

Look at any door in your immediate vicinity; there’s a good chance it’s bearing a classic doorknob beloved by utilitarian’s and highly specific enthusiasts alike. In Vancouver, they’re about to become a dying breed. This past September, the city’s council amended its building code—the only city-specific building code in all of Canada—to mandate lever handles and lever faucets only.

Don’t kiss your knobs goodbye just yet, though. While all new construction projects will be required to follow the no-knob mandate, all buildings currently standing will be have their knobs grandfathered in. But this pro-lever movement isn’t about mere aesthetics; there’s something more important at play—a developing concept known as universal design.

As Tim Stainton, a professor and director of the School of Social Work at the University of B.C., told the Vancouver Sun, the movement focuses on the idea of a society that’s as physically accessible as possible:

Basically, the idea is that you try to make environments that are as universally usable by any part of the population. The old model was adaptation, or adapted design. You took a space and you adapted for use of the person with a disability. What universal design says is let’s turn it around and let’s just build everything so it is as usable by the largest segments of the population as possible.

A really simple version is the cut curbs on every corner. That helps elderly people, people with visual impairments, and moms with strollers. It makes a sidewalk that could otherwise be difficult for parts of the population universally accessible.

In fact, the Americans with Disabilities Act’s (ADA) guidelines for small businesses explicitly emphasize the problems with inaccessible door hardware and goes on to recommend the most universally accessible option: the lever.

Because Vancouver is the smallest sector of Canada that has its own building code, ideas that come to fruition there are often pushed out into the B.C. Building Code and, eventually, Canada’s National Building Code. And at that point, it’s not at all unlikely to expect the lever law to start making its way down towards the US.

As the ADA’s guidelines prove, universality of design is hugely important in creating a world of equal opportunity. So though we’ll still be able to keep our precious knobs for the time being, let’s hope for everyone’s sake that, one day, we’ll all be telling our grandchildren tale of the great doorknobs of yesteryear

Source: Gizmodo

Exercise may help pregnant women quit smoking

For pregnant women who want to quit smoking, a brisk walk can temporarily stave off tobacco cravings, says a Canadian study.

Previous research has shown that exercise can interrupt nicotine cravings for both men and women. Whether the same was true for expecting mothers was unclear because pregnant women have increased metabolism, which can intensify longings for a cigarette, the researchers write in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

“This was the first time we have been able to replicate the findings with pregnant smokers,” Harry Prapavessis said.

Prapavessis, director of the Exercise and Health Psychology Laboratory at Western University in Ontario, Canada, led the research.

According to his team’s results, 15 to 20 minutes of walking at a mild to moderate pace is sufficient to ward off cravings.

For the study, researchers recruited 30 pregnant women in their second trimester in Canada and England. All of the women smoked more than five cigarettes a day and were not regular exercisers.

Half of the women were assigned to walk on a treadmill and the rest to watch a home gardening video for 20 minutes. Both groups did not smoke for between 15 and 19 hours before entering the lab.

The walkers reported an average 30 percent reduction in the desire to smoke based on a seven-point scale. But the cravings returned. Thirty minutes after exercising, the same group of women reported only a 17 percent craving reduction.

The exercising women also reported less irritability, restlessness, tension and other withdrawal symptoms. But because of the study’s small size, those results could have happened by chance.

“This translates not as a cure for quitting, but it can be part of a strategy,” said Dr. Sharon Phelan, who was not involved in the study.

Phelan is a fellow with the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and professor at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque.

“The challenge is that there isn’t one reason why pregnant women have an addiction,” Phelan said.

“I think it’s a very positive study,” said Dr. Raul Artal of Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri. Artal helped write exercise and pregnancy guidelines for ACOG.

He said the new study will need to be repeated according to medicine’s gold standard of testing – a randomized, controlled trial. “But, based on common sense, the message is good,” he said.

Prapavessis said his team’s results can only be applied to women about 25 years old, the average age in the study. But, “I would like to think that we can repeat the findings with older or younger pregnant smokers.”

Prapavessis pointed out that because of the social stigma associated with smoking while pregnant, recruiting pregnant women for such studies can be extremely difficult.

The next step, he said, would be to repeat the results with women walking in natural environments outside of their homes. “We want to see if this craving effect can be reproduced when women go for a brisk walk for about 15 minutes in their natural setting,” he said.

Pregnant women also have the option to try nicotine replacement therapy drugs, like skin patches or lozenges, but more evidence is needed to know if these are completely safe during pregnancy, Phelan said.

To help pregnant smokers quit, Phelan stressed the importance of understanding the underlying reasons why a pregnant woman smokes. “It’s like when someone has a fever. You can treat it with an aspirin, but you haven’t gotten to the underlying cause.”

“One therapy for everyone isn’t going to fit all,” Phelan noted. Still, regardless of whether a woman has stopped smoking, exercise offers positive benefits, like improved circulation and muscle tone she said.

ACOG supports 30 minutes of light exercise like walking three or four times a week during pregnancy, Phelan said, but pregnant women should always talk with their healthcare provider before beginning exercise.

To beat cigarette cravings, she said, “This is a valid option to suggest to women and it may be helpful for some, but not to others.”

Source: Zee news

Mid life economic recessions linked to later cognitive decline

The greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression may wreak lasting neurological damage on a generation of Americans who lost jobs, homes, and even marriages — with steeper levels of cognitive decline as they age.

Older, wizened Americans recognized trouble on Sept. 28, 2008, as Congressmen rejected a massive Wall Street bailout, voting one by one as the Dow Jones Industrial Average continued to slide, thus beginning the Great Recession. Although Washington later approved controversial bailouts and fiscal stimuli, macroeconomic malaise blossomed millions of times over as personal recessions deeply ingrained in the mind.

Now, economic recovery continues in the United States with record corporate profits and broad public support for raising the federal minimum wage to more than $10 per hour, restoring the wage floor to pre-inflation 1968 levels. However, painful repercussions from the past half-dozen years of recession and recovery continue with downward career mobility and lowered expectations for millions of Americans, with many European populations faring worse throughout the 28-country economic block.

Those personal recessions may later hit middle-aged people the hardest, investigators from the University of Luxembourg find. In analyzing data from more than 12,000 Europeans throughout 11 countries in the European Union, investigator Anja Leist finds recessionary troubles most damaging to middle-aged men in their mid- to late-forties and women ages 25-44.

“Our study was motivated by previous evidence that working conditions are associated with later-life cognitive function and decline,” Leist and her colleagues wrote in a study published Wednesday. “Our findings provide evidence that economic recessions experienced at vulnerable periods in midlife are associated with decreased later-life cognitive function and that part of this association may operate through the link of recessions with working conditions and career trajectory.”

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When hit by economic setbacks at this most vulnerable point in career trajectory, people in early middle-age suffer a hampered ability to build “cognitive reserve” — the neurological equivalent to a retirement savings account.

Despite some beliefs held by conservatives and libertarians, the investigators assumed for the purpose of study that individuals wage little control over large macroeconomic forces, meaning that people across a broad spectrum of intellectual functioning would be harmed by massive shocks to the economy, such as the recent global recession. Leist and her colleagues analyzed data from study subjects assessed for cognitive ability in 2004 through 2005, and then again in 2006 through 2007, to determine whether past recessions had affected them as they aged into retirement.

Those results they linked to detailed work histories collected retrospectively between 2008 and 2009, and analyzed along with factors, such as self-rated health, material deprivation, occupational status, self-reported language and math skills, educational attainment, and even the number of books in the home. Among men, those in their mid- to late-forties had lived through an average of 0.73 recessions, whereas women, between the ages of 35 and 44, had lived through 1.33.

In the analysis, men and women who’d endured economic recession scored lower on cognitive tests than others, suggesting effects lasting a lifetime.

Source: Medical daily

Too Much Sport for Teenagers May Be bad for health

Peak scores of well-being for teenagers occurred with about 14 hours a week of sport practice, or twice the recommended 7 hours, but higher sport durations independently predicted poor well-being, according to a Swiss survey study published online November 21 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

“Sport practice is widely encouraged, both in guidelines and in clinical practice, because of its broad range of positive effects on health,” write Arnaud Merglen, MD from the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and colleagues. “However, very limited evidence directly supports this statement among adolescents and the sport duration that we should recommend remains unknown. We aimed to determine sport durations that were associated with poor well-being.”

Between February 2009 and January 2010, the investigators recruited 1245 adolescents, aged 16 to 20 years, from various settings in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, including sport centers, peers of sport-practicing adolescents, and Web sites.

Using answers to a Web-based questionnaire, the investigators categorized weekly sport practice of the participants into 4 groups, from low (0 – 3.5 hours) to average (approximately equal to the recommended 7 hours; 3.6 – 10.5 hours), high (≈14 hours; 10.6 – 17.5 hours), and very high (>17.5 hours). The 5-item World Health Organization well-being index, scored from 0 to 25, with scores below 13 indicating poor well-being, allowed evaluation of well-being.

Participants had an average age just younger than 18 years, half were male, and 8.9% were overweight or obese. Sports participation was low in 35.2%, average in 41.5%, high in 18.5%, and very high in 4.8% of participants.

Very High Sports Practice Predicts Low Well-Being

The average well-being score for the entire sample was 17. Those in the very high sports practice group had more than twice the risk for poor well-being than those in the average group (odds ratio [OR], 2.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 – 4.72), as did those in the low-activity group (OR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.58 – 3.44). In contrast, those in the high-activity group had about half the risk for poor well-being as those in the average group (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.23 – 0.93).

“We found an inverted, U-shaped relationship between weekly sport practice duration and well-being among adolescents,” the study authors write. “The peak scores of well-being were around 14 h per week of sport practice, corresponding to twice the recommended 7 h. Practicing higher sport durations was an independent risk factor of poor well-being.”

Limitations of this study include possible selection bias, observational design, reliance on self-report, and unknown direction of causality.

“[H]igher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines have been reported in very high and chronic sport practice, with a negative impact on physical and mental health,” the authors conclude.

“These results highlight the importance for physicians, caring for adolescents, to follow-up their level of sport practice and concurrently inquire about their well-being.”

Source: Med scape

PTSD Linked to Obesity in Women

Women with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more likely to become overweight or obese, according to a study published online Nov. 20 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Laura D. Kubzansky, PhD, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues used data from the subsample of the Nurses’ Health Study II (54,224 participants aged 24–44 years in 1989) to examine whether women with PTSD symptoms were more likely to gain weight and become obese compared to trauma-exposed women without PTSD symptoms or women without trauma exposure or PTSD symptoms.

The researchers found that body mass index (BMI) increased more steeply during follow-up for women with ≥4 PTSD symptoms before cohort initiation (1989). BMI trajectory did not differ by PTSD status before onset of PTSD among women who developed PTSD symptoms in 1989 or later. Women with ≥4 PTSD symptoms had a faster rise in BMI after PTSD symptom onset. For women with a normal BMI in 1989, onset of ≥4 PTSD symptoms in 1989 or later correlated with a significantly increased risk of becoming overweight or obese (odds ratio, 1.36). After adjustment for depression, these effects were maintained.

“The presence of PTSD symptoms should raise clinician concerns about physical health problems that may develop and prompt closer attention to weight status,” the authors write.

Source: MPR

 

Rotavirus Vaccination Protect Children Against Seizures

A new study suggests an additional—and somewhat surprising—potential benefit of vaccinating children against rotavirus, a common cause of diarrhea and vomiting. Besides protecting kids from intestinal illness caused by rotavirus, immunization may also reduce the risk of related seizures, according to findings published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online.

Lead study author Daniel C. Payne, PhD, MSPH, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and colleagues from CDC and other institutions carried out a retrospective analysis that included roughly a quarter of a million U.S. children born between March 2006 and November 2009. All were enrolled in the Vaccine Safety Datalink, a nationwide project that collects data for vaccine safety research, and included 186,502 children fully immunized against rotavirus (74.4 percent) and 64,099 who were not (25.6 percent).

The researchers found that children who were fully vaccinated against rotavirus had an approximately 20 percent reduced risk of seizure-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits during the year following vaccination, compared to unvaccinated children. “The protective association we found between rotavirus vaccination and seizures is another good reason for having your child fully vaccinated against rotavirus,” Payne says.

Although several mechanisms could explain the protective association, the most probable, the study authors wrote, is that “vaccination directly prevents systemic rotavirus infection, including extra-intestinal complications involving the central nervous system.” Seizures have been observed in children with acute intestinal illness caused by rotavirus: A large multi-center Canadian study from 2007, for example, estimated that 7 percent of young patients hospitalized with rotavirus illness experienced seizures.

The authors of this latest study estimated that rotavirus vaccination could potentially save more than $7 million in U.S. health care costs each year by preventing approximately 1,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 emergency room visits for seizures among young children. “Caring for children who have seizures can be expensive and emotionally taxing for families,” Payne says. “Seizures sometimes lead to painful procedures, medication regimens, trips to the emergency room, or hospital stays.”

The reduction in seizure risk the researchers found complements the already well-documented benefits of vaccinating kids against rotavirus—declines in doctor’s office visits, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations for severe diarrhea—noted Geoffrey A. Weinberg, MD, of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, in an accompanying editorial.

“Work such as this not only is interesting scientifically, but provides yet another reason to strongly promote universal rotavirus immunization,” Weinberg wrote. “In addition, the work provides us an opportunity to reflect on the fact that sometimes, unexpected effects of vaccination are beneficial and are a cause for celebration, rather than the more commonly publicized concern for unexpected adverse effects.”

Source : ICT

Babies Seem To Know Themselves Soon After Birth

Understanding you exist as a person happens a lot sooner than you might think.

A study involving 40 cute, pudgy babies found that they were aware of their bodies — and even displayed a sense of ownership of them — less than two days after being born.

Both of those qualities are key ingredients in realizing your own existence, says the study’s lead author, Maria Laura Filippetti, a doctoral candidate specializing in cognitive development at Birkbeck College, University of London.

“Body awareness refers to the feeling of being alive,” she told Shots. “Body ownership refers to the feeling of having a body, the sense that this body belongs to me.”

Past studies reveled how important these two aspects of human life were for infants, but this study was the first to discover it in newborns at birth.

How did the researchers figure it out? Filippetti and her colleagues tested the infants’ ability to recognize themselves using a test similar to the old rubber hand illusion.

That test tricks the mind into thinking a fake rubber hand actually belongs to a person’s body. Researchers lightly stroke a person’s real hand with a paintbrush while it’s hidden from his or her view. Simultaneously, the researchers stroke a rubber hand that’s in plain sight. Stroking the two at the same time and in the same places means the person feels the paintbrush while seeing the action elsewhere.

Normally, a person’s brain associates the feeling of one’s hand with the sight of the hand. But the brain can be confused by a trick like this and start to think the rubber hand is the one it should pay attention to.

For the infants, the test was very similar. Again, a paintbrush was used, but this time the researchers stroked the babies’ cheeks as they watched a video of the same thing happening to another baby.

The researchers tested how the babies behaved when the paintbrush was touched at different times and at the same time on their faces. Since babies can’t talk, their researchers gauged the babies’ reactions by measuring how long they looked at the baby in the video, Filippetti says.

“A longer looking time for a stimulus compared to another one is a measure of discrimination and preference for that stimulus,” she tells Shots.

The newborns did watch the other baby in the video longer when the paintbrush strokes on both happened simultaneously, rather than at different times, or not at all. That response to simultaneous stimulation shows a sense of body awareness and ownership, the researchers say. Here’s a video of how the test went.

The researcher also performed a second experiment with a twist: They showed the babies the same video turned upside down. The babies tested didn’t respond to the simultaneous paintbrush strokes.

The study was published Thursday in Current Biology.

Filippetti concedes that her tests don’t prove with absolute certainty that the infants identified themselves. But she says the work suggests that “the same factors known to be involved in body awareness in adults are present at birth.”

Filippetti says that understanding the typical development of self could someday lead to insights into atypical developments, such as autism spectrum disorder.

For the babies in the experiment, a long nap was probably a richer reward than any contribution to science they might have made.

Source: NPR

Video Game Creators Are Using Apps To Teach Empathy

Much of the modern education reform movement has centered around the drive for data. Standardized tests now gauge whether children are at grade level seemingly every few months. Kids are observed, measured and sorted almost constantly.

In Silicon Valley, a $20 billion industry does much the same thing — but for a different purpose.

Video game design has become a data-driven industry where games evolve depending on how they are played.

Now, some game designers are hoping to take these new skills and apply them back to education. But not in a classroom — they want to teach with a game on an iPad.

From Football To Feelings

More than 30 years ago, Trip Hawkins left Apple and founded Electronic Arts, the company behind EA Sports. The man who helped make Madden NFL a cultural icon now has a new vision for games: He wants to teach.

For sports video games, Hawkins brought game designers together with experts in the field — athletes and statisticians. Now he’s bringing counselors into the mix. He wants to give those counselors data about what kids are actually doing in the games they play.

Analyzing data on how people play has become a huge part of the gaming industry.

“It’s incredibly important,” Hawkins says. “In the past you couldn’t do it at all because the customer was playing a game in the basement on a machine that’s not hooked up to the Internet. Once you bring the Internet into the equation, it’s much easier to figure out what your problem is and how to improve the product.”

So now, he says, they can apply that to other new markets, like education and social development.

Hawkins thinks a well-designed video game can teach kids empathy — how to listen to each other and control negative emotions. It could teach children basic skills that would ultimately help them get along better with each other and adults out in the real world.

Working Through Failure

Hawkins has gathered experts in social development and learning, and they’re creating a new game called If. In the game, players visit an imaginary village called Greenberry.

“Greenberry is a world in which there are cats and there are dogs, and they don’t get along well,” says Jessica Berlinski, who helped design and write the game’s story. “So part of the challenge is to figure out why, and then working to heal that.”

As kids progress through the game, they begin to rebuild the village of Greenberry. And kind of like in Pokemon, they collect magical creatures who enhance their power.

Sometimes the creatures might die — but the game does something totally different: It helps them work through it. There’s a virtual counseling session with a community leader, who teaches kids deep breathing exercises and has a dialogue about feelings of loss.

Berlinski, a founder of the educational tech company If You Can, says one goal of the game is to get kids to navigate interpersonal challenges and failures.

“The messaging that kids get in real life and certainly in schools is not that failure is OK — but in game environments, 80 percent of the time, gamers are failing, yet they are completely motivated to keep going,” she says. “So something is going on there that is very positive. And we need to capitalize on that.”

Will It Work?

But Catherine Steiner-Adair, a clinical psychologist at Harvard and author ofThe Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age, is concerned that kids and their parents already spend too much time on devices.

“Nothing — no new app, no new game — can replace the old truth, I think, that children thrive, that families thrive, in the context of healthy real-life relationships,” she says.

Still, Steiner-Adair says, a game that helps kids practice skills like listening and working through difficult emotions might be useful if it’s played in moderation. “I am cautious, but I am guardedly optimistic that there could be some kind of computer game that could strengthen children’s social and emotional intelligence,” she says.

In the end, even Hawkins is the first to admit that kids won’t actually play this game or learn anything unless the game is fun.

And building a kind of virtual counseling session into a fun video game is a tough trick.

Source: KAWC