Lawyer Well-being Newsletter: Helping Lawyers Improve Brain Health & Mental Strength
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Take a Breath to Induce Calm, Apr. 9, 2020
You can engage the rest-and-digest recovery system to help control the fight-or-flight stress response. Your tool is your breath. Slow managed breathing can reduce anxiety. Sit comfortably, feel the ground beneath your feet, and slowly inhale followed by a gradual exhale. You can count the beats, such as inhale for 4 beats, hold for 2 beats, and exhale for 4 beats.
Enhance your rest-and-digest healing capacity with a regular meditation practice. Meditation involves sitting quietly and focusing on the breath, noticing if your mind wanders to a thought, and gently nonjudgmentally returning your attention to your breathing.
Alicia Keys taught Stephen Colbert to meditate on his April 2, 2020 episode. She says that at the end of her meditation sessions, she asks the universe for what she needs, such as more strength, patience, sleep, or peace.
Meditation and mindfulness can be taught to our children during these unprecedented times to help reduce their fear and anxiety. A study that examined the impact of a mindfulness and meditation curriculum on 6th graders found that the students who received the training reported feeling less stress and fewer negative feelings such as anger or sadness. Brain scans of these kids also showed reduced right amygdala activation, which is where the stress response is initiated. According to researcher Clemens C.C. Bauer, the study indicates that “mindfulness training recalibrates the automatic and unconscious response to fear, which leads to a ubiquitous resilience to stress. It is easy to learn and can be practiced everywhere.”
Takeaway: Empower your rest-and-digest recovery system with self-care practices. Leverage online resources, including those suggested below, to explore the options and identify what works for you.
Bonus Resource: Watch Alicia Keys at the YouTube link below with her Stay Home adaptation of Flo Rida’s My House.
Debra S. Austin, Windmills of Your Mind: Understanding the Neurobiology of Emotion, 54 Wake Forest L. Rev. 931, 967 (2019) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3374006.
Alicia Keys Interview on The Late Show (where she teaches Stephen Colbert how to meditation), Apr. 2, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KspZeWRa0c.
Eric W. Dolan, Neuroscience study indicates mindfulness training can recalibrate the brain’s response to fear in school kids, PsyPost, Mar. 28, 2020, https://www.psypost.org/2020/03/neuroscience-study-indicates-mindfulness-training-can-recalibrate-the-brains-response-to-fear-in-school-kids-56285.
Zee Krstic, The 11 Best Meditation Apps to Help you Find Inner Peace, Good Housekeeping, Mar. 30, 2020, https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/g31945544/best-meditation-apps/.
Alicia Keys Puts an At-Home Spin on Flo Rida’s “My House”, The Late Show, Apr. 2, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h2BqSS5R3U.
Controlling Negativity During Stressful Times, Apr. 2, 2020
The nervous system has two parts: the fight-or-flight stress response and the rest-and-digest relaxation counterbalance which returns the brain and body to equilibrium. While the fight-or-flight system evolved to help us escape predators, the threats that activate the stress response in modern society are mostly psychological. A study of 2,000 participants in the UK, examining mental health the day before and the day after the national COVID-19 lockdown, found that the rates of anxiety (17%) and depression (16%) before the lockdown had increased to 35% reporting anxiety and 38% experiencing symptoms of depression the day after the social distancing mandate. In the days that followed the lockdown, the rates dropped to 20-24% with anxiety and 21-23% with depression. You can learn how to manage the psychological impact of the stress response.
Our brain’s stress response is largely automated, and its negativity bias leads us to imagine worst case scenarios and develop insecurities that can paralyze us. If you feel exhausted and ineffective, you might try four steps recommended by Dr. Shannon Irvine for taking control of that automated system:
- Identify Them: Acknowledge and name the thoughts you are having.
- Write Them Down: Pull the thoughts out of the subconscious by putting them on paper.
- Challenge Them: When we become aware of destructive thoughts, our brain naturally begins to refute them.
- Establish New Thoughts: Rewire your brain with an affirmation, that you remind yourself of daily, that reflects the truth. This process creates a new path of neurons that can disengage the automated negative thoughts initiated by the fight-or-flight stress response.
Takeaway: Challenge your automated negativity bias by rewiring your brain toward the truth. Taking a few minutes each day on this process can free up your brain to focus on your family and work.
Debra S. Austin, Killing Them Softly: Neuroscience Reveals How Brain Cells Die From Law School Stress and How Neural Self-Hacking Can Optimize Cognitive Performance, 59 Loy. L. Rev. 791 (2013) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2227155.
Initial Research Findings on COVID-19 and Mental Health in the UK, The University of Sheffield, Mar. 2020, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A95KvikwK32ZAX387nGPNBCnoFktdumm/view.
Briana Wiest, How to Rewire your Brain to Succeed During Uncertain Times, Forbes, Mar. 26, 2000, https://www.forbes.com/sites/briannawiest/2020/03/26/how-to-rewire-your-brain-to-succeed-during-uncertain-times/#7445de053b6f.
Tai Chi for Spring, Mar 26, 2020
None of us is having the spring we planned on. We are not going to Opening Day, watching our kids play soccer, taking vacations, hosting BBQs, preparing our kids for Prom and graduation, or getting together with friends and loved ones. We are conducting emergency planning, learning to work from home, and figuring out to stay close without being close. It is stressful.
What we could do while we are all stuck at home is learn something new. One suggestion is Tai Chi, a graceful low impact form of exercise that originated in China as a martial art. It is considered both meditation in motion and medication in motion. Research indicates Tai Chi can provide the following health benefits: better balance, improved flexibility, enhanced muscle strength, improved mood, and decreased stress, anxiety, and depression.
Veterans with PTSD symptoms reported that Tai Chi improved their concentration and helped them manage intrusive thoughts. The participants wanted to continue their training and would recommend Tai Chi to a friend. Tai Chi improved insomnia, fatigue, and depression in breast cancer survivors. And in a small study, 6 healthy adults were given 12 weeks of Tai Chi training and scientists used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure biochemical markers of brain health. Researchers found increased N-acetylaspartate, an indicator of brain cell health, suggesting that Tai Chi may promote neuroplasticity, stimulate the birth of new brain cells, and/or protect brain cells against aging.
Takeaway: Tai Chi can relieve stress and improve brain health. YouTube is a great source of free instruction.
This Gentle Form of Exercise can help Maintain Strength, Flexibility, and Balance, and could be the Perfect Activity for the Rest of your Life, Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, Aug. 20, 2019, https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-health-benefits-of-tai-chi.
Tai Chi: A Gentle Way to Fight Stress, Mayo Clinic, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/tai-chi/art-20045184.
Tai Chi Helps Manage Intrusive Thoughts in Veterans with PTSD, Neuroscience News, Nov. 30, 2016, https://neurosciencenews.com/tai-chi-ptsd-veterans-5638/
Tai Chi Relieves Insomnia in Breast Cancer Survivors, Neuroscience News, May 10, 2017, https://neurosciencenews.com/btai-chi-insomnia-cancer-6642/.
Marlynn Wei, Tai Chi May Improve Brain Health and Muscle Recovery, Psychology Today, Apr. 24, 2018, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/urban-survival/201804/tai-chi-may-improve-brain-health-and-muscle-recovery.
The Neuroscience of Stress and Cognition, Mar 19, 2020
Chronically stressed brains cannot think as effectively as non-stressed brains. Stress hormones damage or kill brain cells in the memory-processing hippocampus, while at the same time slowing the birth of new brain cells there. The hippocampus is simply not as functional in times of chronic stress, making learning, memory formation, and recalling information very challenging.
While we deal with the health and economic challenges of the current environment, this version of The Lawyer Well-being Newsletter is much longer than normal and the recommendation is that you do what you can to minimize your stress and that of your loved ones, because long-term stress is very harmful to the brain and body.
Semantic memory is the knowledge-base that education enhances, such as the acquisition of terminology, facts, and concepts. It is declarative memory because it requires conscious thought to be recalled, and it is stored in a neural network of brain cells that loops between the memory-processing hippocampus and the cerebral cortex.
The life cycle of declarative memory has four stages: encoding, storing, retrieving, and forgetting. Encoding begins when information in the form of memory traces enters the cerebral cortex via the senses, and travels to the hippocampus for processing. The hippocampus starts to encode the information for permanent storage along chains of firing neurons. The strongest information travels back to the cerebral cortex where it was first registered by the senses. During law school, “consolidation (enhanced by creating and studying law class outlines) makes temporarily stored fragile information (from reading and class lectures) more stable for later retrieval (on law school exams) by strengthening neural connections of the information circuit between the hippocampus and the cortex.”
Complete consolidation of a fragile memory to a stable memory takes from two to ten years. The memory retrieval process, used by law students during exams or lawyers recalling a statute number, relies on the same circuit of brain cells that is used for memory consolidation, demonstrating the need for a healthy hippocampus. When law students and lawyers work to develop expertise in a course or discipline, the brain is consolidating information for later retrieval.
The Stress Response
There are two kinds of stress: acute stress where the fight-or-flight system is initiated to martial resources to deal with a physical or psychological challenge; and chronic stress where long-lasting life challenges prolong fight-or-flight system activation. The fight-or-flight stress response evolved to help humans escape from predators, and the rest-and-digest system curbs the stress response, calming the body and brain.
The stress response begins in the brain’s panic button, the amygdala, which signals the hypothalamus to release the stress hormones adrenalin (epinephrine) and glucocorticoids (the main glucocorticoid is cortisol). Stress hormones mobilize energy, and elevate heart rate and blood pressure to help law students deal with challenges, while at the same time suppressing digestion and immune response. Chronic stress, when the stress response is in overdrive, can cause psychological problems such as irritability, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression; and physical effects including increased blood pressure, heart palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness, chest pain, digestive problems, muscle tension, sweating, and chills. Long-term elevated levels of stress hormones have been associated with impaired immune response; increased appetite, food cravings, body fat, PMS and menopause symptoms; and decreased muscle mass and bone density.
Chronic stress triggers inflammation in the body and brain, which increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Inflammation in the brain can impair motivation and mental agility. Elevated stress hormone levels disrupt sleep, and increase the risk of anxiety, depression, and burnout. Chronic stress can also impact serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is important to mood regulation, cognition, and well-being.
Stress and Cognition
One of the brain’s superpowers is its ability to grow new brain cells in the hippocampus in a process called neurogenesis. This process is suppressed during the stress response. The hippocampus is also extremely vulnerable to damage from stress hormones because it has extensive glucocorticoid receptors. Chronic high levels of glucocorticoids cause hippocampal neuron degeneration and death. The hippocampal brain cells that remain after damage from stress are not as effective, and the complexity of neural networks is degraded as the connections at the synapses are weakened or disconnected.
Research reveals that cognitive performance deteriorates during the stress response. The negative effects of stress on cognition include impaired concentration, memory, problem-solving capacity, and language and math processing. Motivation, creativity, and curiosity are inhibited as well. Jessica Minahan describes anxiety as a transient learning disability that interferes with a student’s working memory, learning, recall, and capacity to complete tasks.
Brain cells in the hippocampus, critical to memory processing and recall, can be weakened or killed by exposure to stress hormones creating significant implications for lawyers, law students, and legal educators. Brain scans indicate that the hippocampi (there is one in each brain hemisphere) shrink in people who experience stress, depression, and PTSD. Adults in midlife with increased levels of cortisol had reduced brain structure and cognitive capacity. Data from 2,018 Framingham Heart Study participants, of an average age of 48, showed that participants with an elevated cortisol level performed worse on memory and other cognitive tasks than participants with average cortisol levels. Higher cortisol was also associated with smaller brain volumes in those subjects.
Takeaway: Lawyers and law students should strive to manage their stress during challenging times. Exercise, yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and gratitude are protective against stress.
Note: For a detailed explanation of stress and cognition, as well as the science behind the recommendations for managing stress, see Killing Them Softly below. For recommendations for enhancing mental strength, see Windmills of your Mind below.
Debra S. Austin, Killing Them Softly: Neuroscience Reveals How Brain Cells Die From Law School Stress and How Neural Self-Hacking Can Optimize Cognitive Performance, 59 Loy. L. Rev. 791 (2013) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2227155.
Muzaffer Kaser, Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian and Christelle Langley, How Chronic Stress Changes the Brain, and What you can do to Reverse the Damage, Neuroscience News, Mar. 14, 2020, https://neurosciencenews.com/chronic-stress-reversal-15918/.
Katrina Schwartz, 20 Tips to Help Deescalate Interactions with Anxious or Defiant Students, Mind/Shift (April 21, 2016) available at https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/04/21/20-tips-to-help-de-escalate-interactions-with-anxious-or-defiant-students/.
Debra S. Austin, Windmills of your Mind: Understanding the Neurobiology of Emotion, 54 Wake Forest L. Rev. 931 (2019), https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3374006.
Exercise & Appetite Control, Feb 13, 2020
It’s the day before Valentine’s Day, and candy is everywhere, nearly impossible to avoid for a sugar addict like me. A new study demonstrates that exercise can protect against overeating.
Researchers from the Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science (WELL Center) at Drexel University found exercise to be a protective factor in a study where 130 participants in a weight loss program followed a reduced-calorie diet and also engaged in exercise in their real-world environments. The study revealed that exercise helped participants refrain from overeating. When participants did not exercise, the risk of overeating was 12%. When participants did 60 minutes of exercise, the risk of overindulging was cut by more than half, to 5%. Every 10 minutes of additional exercise reduced the risk of overeating by 1% in the hours following the workout. Researchers think exercise helps regulate appetite and/or eating behavior.
Takeaway: Exercise may make it easier to refrain from overeating, so keeping that commitment to your workout routine can help you stay on track with healthy eating goals.
Crochiere, Rebecca J.,Kerrigan, Stephanie G.,Lampe, Elizabeth W.,Manasse, Stephanie M.,Crosby, Ross D.,Butryn, Meghan L.,Forman, Evan M., Is physical activity a risk or protective factor for subsequent dietary lapses among behavioral weight loss participants?, (2020)
Health Psychology, https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fhea0000839
Exercise Slows Brain Aging, Mar. 12, 2020
Everybody talks about wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself. And that’s a lot. Because if you can fix yourself, it has a ripple effect.
~ Rob Reiner
Exercise has been shown to protect against cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. A new study adds to that data by demonstrating that active older adults have bigger brains than inactive folks.
Researchers divided 1,557 multi-ethnic participants, with an average age of 75, into three groups. They collected information on leisure time physical activity and conducted MRI scans on the participants. When they compared the brain volume of the most active third to that of the least active third of participants, they found that the active group had larger brains, and that was equivalent to a reduction in between 3 and 4 years of aging. Activities reported by the participants included walking, gardening, swimming, and dancing.
Exercise is associated with larger brain volume in the elderly, which helps to explain how it defends against cognitive decline.
Takeaway: Exercise, anything that raises your heart rate, is probably the most important self-care activity you can commit to for enhanced brain health.
- Eric Garner, The Art of Leadership: 500 Quotes on How to Lead Others 6 (2012), https://books.google.com/books?id=2BUloV1PVAMC&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=%E2%80%9CEverybody+talks+about+wanting+to+change+things+and+help+and+fix,+but+ultimately+all+you+can+do+is+fix+yourself.+And+that’s+a+lot.+Because+if+you+can+fix+yourself,+it+has+a+ripple+effect.%E2%80%9D+%E2%80%95Rob+Reiner&source=bl&ots=YwZ16qOsaZ&sig=ACfU3U12vaO-BeQ5XUH5h4-dMk9gBlDEXQ&hl=en&ppis=_e&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwibyfuK243oAhXfAp0JHVotD_oQ6AEwDXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Yian Gu, Jennifer Manly, Nicole Schupf, Richard Mayeux, Adam Brickman, Leisure Time Physical Activity and MRI-based Brain Measures in a Multi-ethnic Elderly Cohort, a preliminary study to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 72nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, April 25 to May 1, 2020, https://aanfiles.blob.core.windows.net/aanfiles/71556e42-2d07-4ea5-b147-a1698a4c4593/EMBARGOED%202020%20AAN%20AM%20Abstract%20-%20Leisure%20Time%20Physical%20Activity%20and%20MRI-based%20Brain%20Measures%20in%20a%20Multi-ethnic%20Elderly%20Cohort%20-%20Gu%20titled.pdf
Nature Therapy, Mar 5, 2020
We turn the clocks ahead on Saturday night to begin Daylight Saving Time. Time-shifting can be a grind and it has been shown to impair our health. There is an upside, more time to spend in nature.
Metadata research synthesizing 143 studies of over 290 million people reveals that exposure to greenspace lowers the stress hormone cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure, as well as reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. Participants lived in 20 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, and Japan where forest bathing is popular. Greenspace includes both undeveloped land with natural vegetation and urban parks.
Forest bathing is a practice meant to reverse the effects of nature deficit disorder, for those of us who spend most of our time indoors. A slow and mindful walk through a forest, appreciating the experience with all your senses, can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, while also improving sleep, the immune system, and cardiovascular health. The health benefits of the forest may come from the higher oxygen concentration and the presence of phytoncides, natural oils that defend plants from insects, bacteria, and fungi. Evergreens are the greatest generators of phytoncides.
In an effort to determine an effective dose of nature therapy, researchers reviewed 155 studies and included 14 studies in their analysis. Participants were age 15 to 30 from Japan, the US, and Sweden, and time spent in natural settings was compared to time spent in urban settings. The research revealed that 10-30 minutes of sitting or walking in nature decreased cortisol, heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety, while improving mood and boosting the rest-and-digest recovery system (parasympathetic nervous system activity).
Takeaway: You may benefit from a nature therapy prescription, now that the days are lighter and longer.
- Anisha Kalidindi, Yes, Daylight Saving Time is Bad for your Health: Here’s the Science, Massive Science, Nov. 4, 2019, https://www.sciencealert.com/need-more-convincing-daylight-savings-is-bad-for-us-here-s-a-summary-of-the-science
- Caoimhe Twohig-Bennett and Andy Jones, The Health Benefits of the Great Outdoors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Greenspace Exposure and Health Outcomes, Environmental Research July 5, 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29982151
- Karin Evans, Why Forest Bathing is Good for your Health, Mindful, Sept. 10, 2018, https://www.mindful.org/why-forest-bathing-is-good-for-your-health/?mc_cid=845d550759&mc_eid=57aaf1254a
- Genevive R. Meredith, Donald A. Rakow, Erin R.B. Eldermire, Ceclia G. Madsen, Steven P. Shelley, and Naomi A. Sachs, Minimum Time Dose in Nature to Positively Impact the Mental Health of College-Aged Students, and How to Measure It: A Scoping Review, Frontiers in Psychology, Psychol., 14 January 2020, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02942/full
Calm your Inner Critic, Feb 27, 2020
We all harbor an inner critic. Negative self-talk and self-criticism can impair our confidence and self-esteem. It can also lead to imposter syndrome, where we doubt our expertise or competence.
A recent study revealed that practicing self-compassion decreases the stress response and lowers heart rate. Researchers divided 135 healthy University of Exeter students into 5 groups, each receiving a different 11-minute audio treatment. Researchers measured heart rate and sweat response, and they collected self-reported information about how likely participants were to be kind to themselves, how safe they felt, and how connected they felt to others.
The 2 groups who received self-compassion instructions experienced lower heart rates and sweat responses. They also reported feeling safe and relaxed, as well as more self-compassion and connection with others. Researchers stated that the findings demonstrated that practicing self-kindness downgrades the stress response and promotes regeneration and healing. The recordings for these groups were a compassionate body scan, where participants were instructed to notice body sensations with an attitude of interest and calmness, and a loving kindness exercise, where participants were guided to direct kindness to themselves and their loved ones.
The other treatment recordings induced a critical inner voice that led to increased heart rate and sweat response. Self-criticism has also been associated with anxiety and depression.
Takeaway: Self-compassion practices empower emotion regulation and dampen stress response, including reducing heart rate. To learn more about self-compassion practices, check out the resources below.
- Jack Kornfeld, A Meditation on Lovingkindness, (short article): https://jackkornfield.com/meditation-lovingkindness/.
- Sharon Salzburg, Why Loving-kindness Takes Time, Jan. 19, 2018 (article plus 47 minute guided meditation): https://www.mindful.org/loving-kindness-takes-time-sharon-salzberg/
- John Kabat-Zinn, This Lovingkindness Meditation is a Radical Act of Love, Nov. 8, 2018 (article plus 45 minute guided meditation): https://www.mindful.org/this-loving-kindness-meditation-is-a-radical-act-of-love/
- Mount Sinai Health System, Compassionate Body Scan (20 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS_iqfGjL78
- Inner Critic: GoodTherapy, https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/inner-critic.
- Imposter Syndrome: Debra Austin, Windmills of your Mind: Understanding the Neurobiology of Emotion, 54 Wake Forest Law Review 931, 964-65 (2019) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3374006 .
- The Study: Hans Kirschner, Willem Kuyken, Kim Wright, Henrietta Roberts, Claire Brejcha, and Anke Karl, Soothing Your Heart and Feeling Connected: A New Experimental Paradigm to Study the Benefits of Self-Compassion, Clinical Psychological Science Volume 7, Issue 3 545-565, May 1, 2019, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2167702618812438.
Your Brain on the Mediterranean Diet, 2-20-20
A new study has revealed that consumption of the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) promotes healthier aging by improving brain function and reducing frailty.
Aging results in inflammation and deterioration of body functions, which contribute to frailty. Researchers found that consuming the MedDiet for a year reduced frailty and improved cognitive function in 323 elderly participants (age 65-79) from the UK, France, Netherlands, Italy and Poland. The beneficial outcomes were correlated with improving the diversity in the gut microbiome ecosystem of the participants. A high adherence to the MedDiet resulted in enhanced global cognitive ability; improved immune function, blood pressure, and arterial stiffness; and reduced bone loss in individuals with osteoporosis.
The MedDiet includes lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, olive oil and fish; some eggs and dairy; and very little red meat, sugar and saturated fats. Some of the healthiest foods include broccoli, berries, almonds, walnuts, and salmon. A large variety of fruits and vegetables is recommended. The MedDiet can also reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. For the third year in a row, the MedDiet has been ranked first in the US News and World Report’s “best diet” rankings.
Takeaway: It is never too late to adjust your diet for improved health and cognitive function.
- Tarini Shankar Ghosh, Simone Rampelli, Ian B Jeffery, Aurelia Santoro, Marta Neto, Miriam Capri, Enrico Giampieri, Amy Jennings, Marco Candela, Silvia Turroni, Erwin G Zoetendal, Gerben D A Hermes, Caumon Elodie, Nathalie Meunier, Corinne Malpuech Brugere, Estelle Pujos-Guillot, Agnes M Berendsen, Lisette C P G M De Groot, Edith J M Feskins, Joanna Kaluza, Barbara Pietruszka, Marta Jeruszka Bielak, Blandine Comte, Monica Maijo-Ferre, Claudio Nicoletti, Willem M De Vos, Susan Fairweather-Tait, Aedin Cassidy, Patrizia Brigidi, Claudio Franceschi, and Paul W O’Toole, Mediterranean diet intervention alters the gut microbiome in older people reducing frailty and improving health status: the NU-AGE 1-year dietary intervention across five European countries, BMJ Journal Gut, Feb 17, 2020, https://gut.bmj.com/content/early/2020/01/31/gutjnl-2019-319654.full.
- Sandee LaMotte, Mediterranean Diet: How to Start (and Stay on) one of the World’s Healthiest Diets, CNN, Mar. 27, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/03/health/mediterranean-diet-starting-tips/index.html.
- Sandee LaMotte, Best and Worst Diets for 2020, Ranked by Experts, with a Popular One Near Last, CNN, Jan. 2, 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/02/health/best-diet-worst-diet-2020-wellness/index.html.
- US News & World Report, Best Diets Overall, https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-diets-overall.
Anxiety & Social Support Feb 6, 2020
Four of the six primary human emotions initiate the fight-or-flight stress response: fear, anger, sadness, and disgust. Anxiety involves fear of anticipated negative circumstances. Many current treatments for anxiety are ineffective or result in negative side effects. Anxiety triggers the stress response, which impairs our brain, as well as our cardiovascular and immune systems.
Animal studies have revealed that the presence of an animal of the same species will reduce the behavioral and physiological responses to negative events. Most studies show that people dealing with undesirable life events who have social support from a friend or loved one have reduced stress, anxiety, and pain.
A recent study demonstrated that anxiety can be reduced in humans when in the presence of other people, even when they are not providing direct support. The study subjected human participants to unpleasant sounds, while alone or in the presence of a stranger who did not provide any support other than being in the room. The researchers also tested the difference between when the person was a member of the participant’s ethic group or not. The mere presence of another person reduced the stress responses to the negative sounds, particularly in participants with high situational anxiety. The anxiety reduction was even stronger if the participant perceived the person in the room to be of a dissimilar ethic group. “There is evidence that perceived dissimilarity can buffer anxiety, because anxious individuals perceive dissimilar others as confident, while similar others are perceived as anxious.” The participants and additional individuals in this study all identified as women, so there is no information about whether the results would differ if the participants identified as men.
Pets and therapy dogs can also reduce the fight-or-flight stress response. Interacting with therapy dogs reduces stress hormones and improves heart rate and blood pressure. A large study of the most common type of campus therapy dog program, where dogs interacted with 246 students during exam time, demonstrated that 20-30 minutes of contact resulted in immediate stress reduction, as well as improvement in student happiness and energy levels. And these impacts lasted for 10 hours after contact with the therapy dogs. The company of a pet reduced the stress response during mental math testing more effectively than the presence of a spouse or friend.
Takeaway: When you are experiencing stress or anxiety, seeking support from a pet, friend, or loved one can help reduce your stress response and anxiety levels.
- Debra S Austin, Windmills of Your Mind: Understanding the Neurobiology of Emotion, 54 Wake Forest L. Rev. 931, 945 (2019), https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3374006.
- Yanyan Qu, Martin J. Herrmann, Luisa Bell, Anna Fackler, Shihui Han, Jurgen Deckert, and Grit Hein, The Mere Physical Presence of Another Person Reduces Human Autonomic Responses to Aversive Sounds, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Biological Sciences, Jan. 22, 2020, https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2019.2241.
- Stanley Corin, Petting Away Pre-Exam Stress: Therapy Dogs on Campus, Psychology Today, Mar. 20, 2018, online at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201803/petting-away-pre-exam-stress-therapy-dogs-campus.
- Nancy R. Gee, Aubrey H. Fine, and Peggy McCardle, How Animals Help Students Learn: Research and Practice for Educators and Mental-Health Professionals 102 (2017).
Fasting, Jan 30, 2020
If you participated in Dry January, you were alcohol fasting. That may have reset your dopamine system.
The dopamine system was meant to drive eating and procreation to ensure survival. When we overindulge in alcohol, comfort food, technology, or other substances or activities of abuse, our brains experience large doses of dopamine. These dopamine levels are much higher than our ancestors processed due to our capacity to concentrate substances or create intense experiences. Dopamine, once believed to be the neurotransmitter of pleasure, is more accurately in charge of inspiring us to obtain the substances or adventures we crave. It is the transmitter of repeat behavior. When we eat too many sweets or spend too much time on social media or gambling, we train our brain to expect these larger hits of dopamine. That is one reason bad habits are so hard to break.
Fasting is a part of many religious traditions, and is currently fashionable in some communities. Research indicates that fasting can improve physical and psychological well-being. Temporarily abstaining from something may make it more pleasurable after a fast. While scientists disagree about the brain benefits of fasting, some think it can inhibit addictive behaviors.
Takeaway: If you are struggling to change a habit, consider fasting and you may reset your dopamine system.
- Debra S. Austin, Drink Like a Lawyer: The Neuroscience of Substance Use and its Impact on Cognitive Wellness, 15 NEV. L.J. 826, 833-839 (2015).
- Neuroscience News, Silicone Valley’s Latest Fad is Dopamine Fasting – and That may not be as Crazy as it Sounds, Jan. 25, 2020, online at https://neurosciencenews.com/dopamine-fasting-trend-15562/.
Exercise & Working Memory Jan 23, 2020
If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.
~ Martin Luther King Jr.
A recent study demonstrated that a single session of moderate exercise, such as a brisk 20-minute walk, can improve working memory as much as the caffeine in your morning cup of coffee. Working memory is the ability to store and manipulate information, such as following directions to a store, remembering items on a grocery list you accidentally left at home, or making a purchasing decision between two items.
Takeaway: Exercise and caffeine enhance cognitive capacity. Those folks who are unable to consume caffeine can enjoy the same cognitive boost from 20 minutes of moderate exercise.
- Quote: Literary Devices, online at https://literarydevices.net/if-you-cant-fly-then-run/
- Anisa Morava, Matthew James Fagan & Harry Prapavessis , Effects of Caffeine and Acute Aerobic Exercise on Working Memory and Caffeine Withdrawal, Scientific Reports, Sci Rep 9, 19644 (2019) doi:10.1038/s41598-019-56251-y, online at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-56251-y.
- How Working Memory gets you Through the Day, Neuroscience News, Oct. 24, 2018, online at https://neurosciencenews.com/working-memory-day-10084/.
Exercise & State of Mind, Jan 16, 2020
Exercise improves brain health in three important ways, it:
- increases blood flow (which improves the distribution of nutrients and the elimination of waste);
- raises important neurotransmitter levels (serotonin influences mood; norepinephrine impacts motivation; and dopamine improves satisfaction); and
- produces the brain cell building block Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF, which protects existing brain cells, helps the birth of new brain cells in the memory-processing hippocampus, and encourages brain cell connections, important for learning and thinking).
Moderately challenging exercise also enhances state of mind. Endocannabinoids, the neurotransmitters that are mimicked by the THC in marijuana, improve mood and diminish pain. The amygdala (the brain’s panic button) and the prefrontal cortex (responsible for reasoning and planning) have extensive endocannabinoid receptors. When endocannabinoids dock in these receptors, anxiety is calmed and feelings of contentment surge. Jogging, cycling, walking on an inclined treadmill, and hiking cause an increase in endocannabinoids. Participating in a physical activity that is moderately difficult for you for at least 20 minutes will increase endocannabinoids in your brain.
Exercise can make it easier to cope with stressful experiences. Researchers called over 2,000 participants, ages 33 to 84, every night for eight days. On days when participants were active, stressful work and personal events were less taxing.
Busy lawyers should not miss workouts. Research requiring active adults to reduce their physical activity resulted in impaired mental well-being. Participants experiencing forced periods of inactivity reported increased fatigue, anxiety, hostility, and depression, as well as a decline in life satisfaction.
Takeaway: A commitment to regular exercise is an investment in enhanced brain health and state of mind.
- Debra S. Austin, Killing Them Softly: Neuroscience Reveals How Brain Cells Die from Law School Stress and How Neural Self-Hacking can Optimize Cognitive Performance, 59 Loy. L. Rev. 791, 828-834 (2013), online at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2227155.
- Kelly McGonigal, The Joy of Movement 13, 16-17, 23 (2019); Debra S. Austin, Killing Them Softly: Neuroscience Reveals How Brain Cells Die from Law School Stress and How Neural Self-Hacking can Optimize Cognitive Performance, 59 Loy. L. Rev. 791, 802, 815-16 (2013), online at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2227155.
- Kelly McGonigal, The Joy of Movement 24 (2019).
- Kelly McGonigal, The Joy of Movement 13 (2019).
Adequate Sleep is Critical to Brain Health & Cognitive Function, Jan 9, 2020
Sleep deprivation causes cognitive decline including impaired attention, working memory, executive function, and logical reasoning ability. Getting inadequate sleep also accelerates the aging process.
A study on the sleep quality and brain atrophy of 147 middle-aged adults found that poor sleep quality was correlated with reduced brain volume in the frontal, temporal, and parietal regions of the brain. The study did not reveal whether poor sleep quality was a cause or a consequence of reduced brain volume. Difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep have been linked to cognitive decline and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The areas of the brain that shrank are responsible for reasoning, planning, and language processing (frontal); hearing and memory (temporal); and movement, taste, and touch (parietal). These areas of the thinking brain process information and conduct higher-order reasoning.
Takeaway: If you sleep poorly, your brain shrinks. Strive for the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep to maintain your brain health.
- Debra S. Austin, Killing Them Softly: Neuroscience Reveals How Brain Cells Die from Law School Stress and How Neural Self-Hacking can Optimize Cognitive Performance, 59 Loy. L. Rev. 791, 834-837 (2013), online at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2227155.
- Claire E. Sexton, DPhil, Andreas B. Storsve, MSc, Kristine B. Walhovd, PhD, Heidi Johansen-Berg, DPhil, and Anders M. Fjell, PhD, Neurology. 2014 Sep 9; 83(11): 967–973, online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4162301/#!po=2.08333.
- Debra S. Austin, Killing Them Softly: Neuroscience Reveals How Brain Cells Die from Law School Stress and How Neural Self-Hacking can Optimize Cognitive Performance, 59 Loy. L. Rev. 791, 801-802 (2013), online athttps://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2227155.
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Argentinian Director Sebastian Lopez (last seen on DN here), reaches into the proverbs of the good book for his visual maelstrom of a short Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood.
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An electricity meter, electric meter, electrical meter, energy meter, or kilowatt-hour meter is a device that measures the amount of electric energy consumed by a residence, a business, or an electrically powered device.
Electric meter or energy meter measures the total power consumed over a time interval.
Electric utilities use electric meters installed at customers' premises for billing and monitoring purposes. They are typically calibrated in billing units, the most common one being the kilowatt hour (kWh). They are usually read once each billing period.
When energy savings during certain periods are desired, some meters may measure demand, the maximum use of power in some interval. "Time of day" metering allows electric rates to be changed during a day, to record usage during peak high-cost periods and off-peak, lower-cost, periods. Also, in some areas meters have relays for demand response load shedding during peak load periods.
As commercial use of electric energy spread in the 1880s, it became increasingly important that an electric energy meter, similar to the then existing gas meters, was required to properly bill customers, instead of billing for a fixed number of lamps per month.
DC meters measured charge in ampere hours. Since the voltage of the supply should remain substantially constant, the reading of the meter was proportional to actual energy consumed. For example, if a meter recorded that 100 ampere hours had been consumed on a 200-volt supply, then 20 kilowatt-hours of energy had been supplied.
Many experimental types of meter were developed. Thomas Edison at first worked on a direct current (DC) electromechanical meter with a direct reading register, but instead developed an electrochemical metering system, which used an electrolytic cell to totalise current consumption. At periodic intervals the plates were removed and weighed, and the customer billed. The electrochemical meter was labor-intensive to read and not well received by customers.
An early type of electrochemical meter used in the United Kingdom was the 'Reason' meter. This consisted of a vertically mounted glass structure with a mercury reservoir at the top of the meter. As current was drawn from the supply, electrochemical action transferred the mercury to the bottom of the column. Like all other DC meters, it recorded ampere hours. Once the mercury pool was exhausted, the meter became an open circuit. It was therefore necessary for the consumer to pay for a further supply of electricity, whereupon, the supplier's agent would unlock the meter from its mounting and invert it restoring the mercury to the reservoir and the supply. In practice the consumer would get the supply company's agent in before the supply ran out and pay only for the charge consumed as read from the scale. The agent would then reset the meter to zero by inverting it.
In 1885 Ferranti offered a mercury motor meter with a register similar to gas meters; this had the advantage that the consumer could easily read the meter and verify consumption. The first accurate, recording electricity consumption meter was a DC meter by Dr Hermann Aron, who patented it in 1883. Hugo Hirst of the British General Electric Company introduced it commercially into Great Britain from 1888. Aron's meter recorded the total charge used over time, and showed it on a series of clock dials.
The first specimen of the AC kilowatt-hour meter produced on the basis of Hungarian Ottó Bláthy's patent and named after him was presented by the Ganz Works at the Frankfurt Fair in the autumn of 1889, and the first induction kilowatt-hour meter was already marketed by the factory at the end of the same year. These were the first alternating-current watt-hour meters, known by the name of Bláthy-meters. The AC kilowatt hour meters used at present operate on the same principle as Bláthy's original invention. Also around 1889, Elihu Thomson of the American General Electric company developed a recording watt meter (watt-hour meter) based on an ironless commutator motor. This meter overcame the disadvantages of the electrochemical type and could operate on either alternating or direct current.
In 1894 Oliver Shallenberger of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation applied the induction principle previously used  only in AC ampere hour meters to produce a watt-hour meter of the modern electromechanical form, using an induction disk whose rotational speed was made proportional to the power in the circuit. The Bláthy meter was similar to Shallenberger and Thomson meter in that they are two-phase motor meter. Although the induction meter would only work on alternating current, it eliminated the delicate and troublesome commutator of the Thomson design. Shallenberger fell ill and was unable to refine his initial large and heavy design, although he did also develop a polyphase version.
The most common unit of measurement on the electricity meter is the kilowatt hour [kWh], which is equal to the amount of energy used by a load of one kilowatt over a period of one hour, or 3,600,000 joules. Some electricity companies use the SI megajoule instead.
Demand is normally measured in watts, but averaged over a period, most often a quarter- or half-hour.
Reactive power is measured in "thousands of volt-ampere reactive-hours", (kvarh). By convention, a "lagging" or inductive load, such as a motor, will have positive reactive power. A "leading", or capacitive load, will have negative reactive power.
Volt-amperes measures all power passed through a distribution network, including reactive and actual. This is equal to the product of root-mean-square volts and amperes.
Distortion of the electric current by loads is measured in several ways. Power factor is the ratio of resistive (or real) power to volt-amperes. A capacitive load has a leading power factor, and an inductive load has a lagging power factor. A purely resistive load (such as a filament lamp, heater or kettle) exhibits a power factor of 1. Current harmonics are a measure of distortion of the wave form. For example, electronic loads such as computer power supplies draw their current at the voltage peak to fill their internal storage elements. This can lead to a significant voltage drop near the supply voltage peak which shows as a flattening of the voltage waveform. This flattening causes odd harmonics which are not permissible if they exceed specific limits, as they are not only wasteful, but may interfere with the operation of other equipment. Harmonic emissions are mandated by law in EU and other countries to fall within specified limits.
In addition to metering based on the amount of energy used, other types of metering are available. Meters which measured the amount of charge (coulombs) used, known as ampere hour meters, were used in the early days of electrification. These were dependent upon the supply voltage remaining constant for accurate measurement of energy usage, which was not a likely circumstance with most supplies. The most common application was in relation to special-purpose meters to monitor charge / discharge status of large batteries. Some meters measured only the length of time for which charge flowed, with no measurement of the magnitude of voltage or current being made. These are only suited for constant-load applications and are rarely used today.
Electricity meters operate by continuously measuring the instantaneous voltage (volts) and current (amperes) to give energy used (in joules, kilowatt-hours etc.). Meters for smaller services (such as small residential customers) can be connected directly in-line between source and customer. For larger loads, more than about 200 ampere of load, current transformers are used, so that the meter can be located somewhere other than in line with the service conductors. The meters fall into two basic categories, electromechanical and electronic.
On a single-phase AC supply, the electromechanical induction meter operates through electromagnetic induction by counting the revolutions of a non-magnetic, but electrically conductive, metal disc which is made to rotate at a speed proportional to the power passing through the meter. The number of revolutions is thus proportional to the energy usage. The voltage coil consumes a small and relatively constant amount of power, typically around 2 watts which is not registered on the meter. The current coil similarly consumes a small amount of power in proportion to the square of the current flowing through it, typically up to a couple of watts at full load, which is registered on the meter.
The disc is acted upon by two sets of induction coils, which form, in effect, a two phase linear induction motor. One coil is connected in such a way that it produces a magnetic flux in proportion to the voltage and the other produces a magnetic flux in proportion to the current. The field of the voltage coil is delayed by 90 degrees, due to the coil's inductive nature, and calibrated using a lag coil. This produces eddy currents in the disc and the effect is such that a force is exerted on the disc in proportion to the product of the instantaneous current and instantaneous voltage. A permanent magnet acts as an eddy current brake, exerting an opposing force proportional to the speed of rotation of the disc. The equilibrium between these two opposing forces results in the disc rotating at a speed proportional to the power or rate of energy usage. The disc drives a register mechanism which counts revolutions, much like the odometer in a car, in order to render a measurement of the total energy used.
Different phase configurations use additional voltage and current coils.
The disc is supported by a spindle which has a worm gear which drives the register. The register is a series of dials which record the amount of energy used. The dials may be of the cyclometer type, an odometer-like display that is easy to read where for each dial a single digit is shown through a window in the face of the meter, or of the pointer type where a pointer indicates each digit. With the dial pointer type, adjacent pointers generally rotate in opposite directions due to the gearing mechanism.
The amount of energy represented by one revolution of the disc is denoted by the symbol Kh which is given in units of watt-hours per revolution. The value 7.2 is commonly seen. Using the value of Kh one can determine their power consumption at any given time by timing the disc with a stopwatch.
- t = time in seconds taken by the disc to complete one revolution,
- P = power in watts.
For example, if Kh = 7.2 as above, and one revolution took place in 14.4 seconds, the power is 1800 watts. This method can be used to determine the power consumption of household devices by switching them on one by one.
Most domestic electricity meters must be read manually, whether by a representative of the power company or by the customer. Where the customer reads the meter, the reading may be supplied to the power company by telephone, post or over the internet. The electricity company will normally require a visit by a company representative at least annually in order to verify customer-supplied readings and to make a basic safety check of the meter.
In an induction type meter, creep is a phenomenon that can adversely affect accuracy, that occurs when the meter disc rotates continuously with potential applied and the load terminals open circuited. A test for error due to creep is called a creep test.
Two standards govern meter accuracy, ANSI C12.20 for North America and IEC 62053.
Electronic meters display the energy used on an LCD or LED display, and some can also transmit readings to remote places. In addition to measuring energy used, electronic meters can also record other parameters of the load and supply such as instantaneous and maximum rate of usage demands, voltages, power factor and reactive power used etc. They can also support time-of-day billing, for example, recording the amount of energy used during on-peak and off-peak hours.
The meter has a power supply, a metering engine, a processing and communication engine (i.e. a microcontroller), and other add-on modules such as a real time clock (RTC), a liquid crystal display, infra red communication ports/modules and so on.
The metering engine is given the voltage and current inputs and has a voltage reference, samplers and quantisers followed by an analog to digital conversion section to yield the digitised equivalents of all the inputs. These inputs are then processed using a digital signal processor to calculate the various metering parameters.
The largest source of long-term errors in the meter is drift in the preamp, followed by the precision of the voltage reference. Both of these vary with temperature as well, and vary wildly when meters are outdoors. Characterising and compensating for these is a major part of meter design.
The processing and communication section has the responsibility of calculating the various derived quantities from the digital values generated by the metering engine. This also has the responsibility of communication using various protocols and interface with other addon modules connected as slaves to it.
RTC and other add-on modules are attached as slaves to the processing and communication section for various input/output functions. On a modern meter most if not all of this will be implemented inside the microprocessor, such as the RTC, LCD controller, temperature sensor, memory and analog to digital converters.
Remote meter reading is a practical example of telemetry. It saves the cost of a human meter reader and the resulting mistakes, but it also allows more measurements, and remote provisioning. Many smart meters now include a switch to interrupt or restore service.
Historically, rotating meters could report their metered information remotely, using a pair of electrical contacts attached to a KYZ line.
A KYZ interface is a Form C contact supplied from the meter. In a KYZ interface, the Y and Z wires are switch contacts, shorted to K for a measured amount of energy. When one contact closes the other opens to provide count accuracy security. Each contact change of state is considered one pulse. The frequency of pulses indicates the power demand. The number of pulses indicates energy metered.
The KYZ relay generates pulses. The term KYZ refers to the contact designations: K for common, Y for Normally Open, and Z for Normally Closed. When incorporated into an electrical meter, the relay changes state with each full or half rotation of the meter disc. Each state change is called a "pulse." When connected to external equipment, rate of use (kW) as well as total usage (kWh) can be determined from the rate and number of pulses.
KYZ outputs were historically attached to "totaliser relays" feeding a "totaliser" so that many meters could be read all at once in one place.
KYZ outputs are also the classic way of attaching electricity meters to programmable logic controllers, HVACs or other control systems. Some modern meters also supply a contact closure that warns when the meter detects a demand near a higher electricity tariff, to improve demand side management.
Some meters have an open collector or IR LED output that give 32-100 ms pulses for each metered amount of electrical energy, usually 1000-10000 pulses per kWh. Output is limited to max 27 V DC and 27 mA DC. These outputs usually follow the DIN 43864 standard.
Many meters designed for semi-automated reading have a serial port that communicates by infrared LED through the faceplate of the meter. In some multi-unit buildings, a similar protocol is used, but in a wired bus using a serial current loop to connect all the meters to a single plug. The plug is often near a more easily accessible point.
In the European Union, the most common infrared and protocol is "FLAG", a simplified subset of mode C of IEC 61107. In the United States and Canada, the favoured infrared protocol is ANSI C12.18. Some industrial meters use a protocol for programmable logic controllers (Modbus or DNP3).
One protocol proposed for this purpose is DLMS/COSEM which can operate over any medium, including serial ports. The data can be transmitted by Zigbee, Wi-Fi, telephone lines or over the power lines themselves. Some meters can be read over the internet. Other more modern protocols are also becoming widely used, like OSGP (Open Smart Grid Protocol).
Electronic meters now use low-power radio, GSM, GPRS, Bluetooth, IrDA, as well as RS-485 wired link. The meters can store the entire usage profiles with timestamps and relay them at the click of a button. The demand readings stored with the profiles accurately indicate the load requirements of the customer. This load profile data is processed at the utilities for billing and planning purposes.
AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) and RMR (Remote Meter Reading) describe various systems that allow meters to be checked remotely, without the need to send a meter reader. An electronic meter can transmit its readings by telephone line or radio to a central billing office.
Monitoring and billing methodsEdit
Large commercial and industrial premises may use electronic meters which record power usage in blocks of half an hour or less. This is because most electricity grids have demand surges throughout the day, and the power company may wish to give price incentives to large customers to reduce demand at these times. These demand surges often correspond to meal times or, famously, to advertisements interrupting popular television programmes.
Home energy monitoringEdit
A potentially powerful means to reduce household energy consumption is to provide convenient real-time feedback to users so they can change their energy using behaviour. Recently, low-cost energy feedback displays have become available. A study using a consumer-readable meter in 500 Ontario homes by Hydro One showed an average 6.5% drop in total electricity use when compared with a similarly sized control group. Hydro One subsequently offered free power monitors to 30,000 customers based on the success of the pilot. Projects such as Google PowerMeter, take information from a smart meter and make it more readily available to users to help encourage conservation.
Plug-in electricity meters (or plug load meters) measure energy used by individual appliances. There are a variety of models available on the market today but they all work on the same basic principle. The meter is plugged into an outlet, and the appliance to be measured is plugged into the meter. Such meters can help in energy conservation by identifying major energy users, or devices that consume excessive standby power. Web resources can also be used, if an estimate of the power consumption is enough for the research purposes. A power meter can often be borrowed from the local power authorities or a local public library.
This section possibly contains original research. (January 2018)
Electricity retailers may wish to charge customers different tariffs at different times of the day to better reflect the costs of generation and transmission. Since it is typically not cost effective to store significant amounts of electricity during a period of low demand for use during a period of high demand, costs will vary significantly depending on the time of day. Low cost generation capacity (baseload) such as nuclear can take many hours to start, meaning a surplus in times of low demand, whereas high cost but flexible generating capacity (such as gas turbines) must be kept available to respond at a moment's notice (spinning reserve) to peak demand, perhaps being used for a few minutes per day, which is very expensive.
Some multiple tariff meters use different tariffs for different amounts of demand. These are usually industrial meters.
Domestic variable-rate meters generally permit two to three tariffs ("peak", "off-peak" and "shoulder") and in such installations a simple electromechanical time switch may be used. Historically, these have often been used in conjunction with electrical storage heaters or hot water storage systems.
Multiple tariffs are made easier by time of use (TOU) meters which incorporate or are connected to a time switch and which have multiple registers.
Switching between the tariffs may happen via ripple control, or via a radio-activated switch. In principle, a sealed time switch can also be used, but is considered more vulnerable to tampering to obtain cheaper electricity.
Radio-activated switching is common in the UK, with a nightly data signal sent within the longwave carrier of BBC Radio 4, 198 kHz. The time of off-peak charging is usually seven hours between midnight and 7:00am GMT/BST, and this is designed to power storage heaters and immersion heaters. In the UK, such tariffs are typically branded Economy 7, White Meter or Dual-Rate. The popularity of such tariffs has declined in recent years, at least in the domestic market, because of the (perceived or real) deficiencies of storage heaters and the comparatively much lower cost of natural gas per kWh (typically a factor of 3-5 times lower). Nevertheless, a sizeable number of properties do not have the option of gas, with many in rural areas being outside the gas supply network, and others being expensive upfront to upgrade to a radiator system.
An Economy 10 meter is also available, which gives 10 hours of cheap off-peak electricity spread out over three timeslots throughout a 24-hour period. This allows multiple top-up boosts to storage heaters, or a good spread of times to run a wet electric heating system on a cheaper electricity rate.
Most meters using Economy 7 switch the entire electricity supply to the cheaper rate during the 7 hour night time period, not just the storage heater circuit. The downside of this is that the daytime rate per kWh is significantly higher, and that standing charges are sometimes higher. For example, as of July 2017, normal ("single rate") electricity costs 17.14p per kWh in the London region on the standard default tariff for EDF Energy (the post-privatisation incumbent electricity supplier in London), with a standing charge of 18.90p per day. The equivalent Economy 7 costs are 21.34p per kWh during the peak usage period with 7.83p per kWh during the off-peak usage period, and a standing charge of 18.90p per day. Timer switches installed on washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers and immersion heaters may be set so that they only switch on during the off-peak usage period.
Smart meters go a step further than simple AMR (automatic meter reading). They offer additional functionality including a real-time or near real-time reads, power outage notification, and power quality monitoring. They allow price setting agencies to introduce different prices for consumption based on the time of day and the season.
Another type of smart meter uses nonintrusive load monitoring to automatically determine the number and type of appliances in a residence, how much energy each uses and when. This meter is used by electric utilities to do surveys of energy use. It eliminates the need to put timers on all of the appliances in a house to determine how much energy each uses.
The standard business model of electricity retailing involves the electricity company billing the customer for the amount of energy used in the previous month or quarter. In some countries, if the retailer believes that the customer may not pay the bill, a prepayment meter may be installed. This requires the customer to make advance payment before electricity can be used. If the available credit is exhausted then the supply of electricity is cut off by a relay.
In the UK, mechanical prepayment meters used to be common in rented accommodation. Disadvantages of these included the need for regular visits to remove cash, and risk of theft of the cash in the meter.
Modern solid-state electricity meters, in conjunction with smart cards, have removed these disadvantages and such meters are commonly used for customers considered to be a poor credit risk. In the UK, customers can use organisations such as the Post Office Ltd or PayPoint network, where rechargeable tokens (Quantum cards for natural gas, or plastic "keys" for electricity) can be loaded with whatever money the customer has available.
In South Africa, Sudan and Northern Ireland prepaid meters are recharged by entering a unique, encoded twenty digit number using a keypad. This makes the tokens, essentially a slip of paper, very cheap to produce.
Around the world, experiments are going on, especially in developing countries, to test pre-payment systems. In some cases, prepayment meters have not been accepted by customers. There are various groups, such as the Standard Transfer Specification (STS) association, which promote common standards for prepayment metering systems across manufacturers. Prepaid meters using the STS standard are used in many countries.
Time of day meteringEdit
Time of Day metering (TOD), also known as Time of Usage (TOU) or Seasonal Time of Day (SToD), metering involves dividing the day, month and year into tariff slots and with higher rates at peak load periods and low tariff rates at off-peak load periods. While this can be used to automatically control usage on the part of the customer (resulting in automatic load control), it is often simply the customer's responsibility to control his own usage or pay accordingly (voluntary load control). This also allows the utilities to plan their transmission infrastructure appropriately. See also Demand-side Management (DSM).
TOD metering normally splits rates into an arrangement of multiple segments including on-peak, off-peak, mid-peak or shoulder, and critical peak. A typical arrangement is a peak occurring during the day (non-holiday days only), such as from 1 pm to 9 pm Monday through Friday during the summer and from 6:30 am to 12 noon and 5 pm to 9 pm during the winter. More complex arrangements include the use of critical peaks that occur during high demand periods. The times of peak demand/cost will vary in different markets around the world.
Large commercial users can purchase power by the hour using either forecast pricing or real-time pricing. Some utilities allow residential customers to pay hourly rates, such as in Illinois, which uses day ahead pricing.
Power export meteringEdit
Many electricity customers are installing their own electricity generating equipment, whether for reasons of economy, redundancy or environmental reasons. When a customer is generating more electricity than required for his own use, the surplus may be exported back to the power grid. Customers that generate back into the "grid" usually must have special equipment and safety devices to protect the grid components (as well as the customer's own) in case of faults (electrical short circuits) or maintenance of the grid (say voltage on a downed line coming from an exporting customers facility).
This exported energy may be accounted for in the simplest case by the meter running backwards during periods of net export, thus reducing the customer's recorded energy usage by the amount exported. This in effect results in the customer being paid for his/her exports at the full retail price of electricity. Unless equipped with a ratchet or equivalent, a standard meter will accurately record power flow in each direction by simply running backwards when power is exported. Where allowed by law, utilities maintain a profitable margin between the price of energy delivered to the consumer and the rate credited for consumer-generated energy that flows back to the grid.
Lately, upload sources typically originate from renewable sources (e.g., wind turbines, photovoltaic cells), or gas or steam turbines, which are often found in cogeneration systems. Another potential upload source that has been proposed is plug-in hybrid car batteries (vehicle-to-grid power systems). This requires a "smart grid," which includes meters that measure electricity via communication networks that require remote control and give customers timing and pricing options. Vehicle-to-grid systems could be installed at workplace parking lots and garages and at park and rides and could help drivers charge their batteries at home at night when off-peak power prices are cheaper, and receive bill crediting for selling excess electricity back to the grid during high-demand hours.
The location of an electricity meter varies with each installation. Possible locations include on a utility pole serving the property, in a street-side cabinet (meter box) or inside the premises adjacent to the consumer unit / distribution board. Electricity companies may prefer external locations as the meter can be read without gaining access to the premises but external meters may be more prone to vandalism.
Current transformers permit the meter to be located remotely from the current-carrying conductors. This is common in large installations. For example, a substation serving a single large customer may have metering equipment installed in a cabinet, without bringing heavy cables into the cabinet.
Customer drop and metering equationEdit
Since electrical standards vary in different regions, "customer drops" from the grid to the customer also vary depending on the standards and the type of installation. There are several common types of connections between a grid and a customer. Each type has a different metering equation. Blondel's theorem states that for any system with N current-carrying conductors, that N-1 measuring elements are sufficient to measure electrical energy. This indicates that different metering is needed, for example, for a three-phase three-wire system than for a three-phase four-wire (with neutral) system.
In Europe, Asia, Africa and most other locations, single phase is common for residential and small commercial customers. Single phase distribution is less-expensive, because one set of transformers in a substation normally serve a large area with relatively high voltages (usually 230 V) and no local transformers. These have a simple metering equation: Watts = volts x amps, with volts measured from the neutral to the phase wire. In the United States, Canada, and parts of Central and South America similar customers are normally served by three-wire single phase. Three-wire single-phase requires local transformers, as few as one per ten residences, but provides lower, safer voltages at the socket (usually 120 V), and provides two voltages to customers: neutral to phase (usually 120 V), and phase to phase (usually 240 V). Additionally, three-wire customers normally have neutral wired to the zero side of the generator's windings, which gives earthing that can be easily measured to be safe. These meters have a metering equation of Watts = 0.5 x volts x (amps of phase A − amps of phase B), with volts measured between the phase wires.
Industrial power is normally supplied as three phase power. There are two forms: three wire, or four wire with a system neutral. In "three wire" or "three wire delta," , there is no neutral but an earth ground is the safety ground. The three phases have voltage only relative to each other. This distribution method has one fewer wire, is less expensive, and is common in Asia, Africa, and many parts of Europe. In regions that mix residences and light industry, it is common for this to be the only distribution method. A meter for this type normally measures two of the windings relative to the third winding, and adds the watts. One disadvantage of this system is that if the safety earth fails, it is difficult to discover this by direct measurement, because no phase has a voltage relative to earth.
In the four-wire three-phase system, sometimes called "four-wire wye", the safety ground is connected to a neutral wire that is physically connected to the zero-voltage side of the three windings of the generator or transformer. Since all power phases are relative to the neutral in this system, if the neutral is disconnected, it can be directly measured. In the United States, the National Electrical Code requires neutrals to be of this type. In this system, power meters measure and sum all three phases relative to the neutral.
In North America, it is common for electricity meters to plug into a standardised socket outdoors, on the side of a building. This allows the meter to be replaced without disturbing the wires to the socket, or the occupant of the building. Some sockets may have a bypass while the meter is removed for service. The amount of electricity used without being recorded during this small time is considered insignificant when compared to the inconvenience which might be caused to the customer by cutting off the electricity supply. Most electronic meters in North America use a serial protocol, ANSI C12.18.
In many other countries the supply and load terminals are in the meter housing itself. Cables are connected directly to the meter. In some areas the meter is outside, often on a utility pole. In others, it is inside the building in a niche. If inside, it may share a data connection with other meters. If it exists, the shared connection is often a small plug near the post box. The connection is often EIA-485 or infrared with a serial protocol such as IEC 62056.
In 2014, networking to meters is rapidly changing. The most common schemes seem to combine an existing national standard for data (e.g. ANSI C12.19 or IEC 62056) operating via the internet protocol with a small circuit board for powerline communication, or a digital radio for a mobile phone network, or an ISM band.
Electricity meters are required to register the energy consumed within an acceptable degree of accuracy. Any significant error in the registered energy can represent a loss to the electricity supplier, or the consumer being over billed. The accuracy is generally laid down in statute for the location in which the meter is installed. Statutory provisions may also specify a procedure to be followed should the accuracy be disputed.
For the United Kingdom, any installed electricity meter is required to accurately record the consumed energy, but it is permitted to under-read by 3.5%, or over-read by 2.5%. Disputed meters are initially verified with a check meter operating alongside the disputed meter. The final resort is for the disputed meter to be fully tested both in the installed location and at a specialist calibration laboratory. Approximately 93% of disputed meters are found to be operating satisfactorily. A refund of electricity paid for, but not consumed (but not vice versa) will only be made if the laboratory is able to estimate how long the meter has been misregistering. This contrasts with gas meters where if a meter is found to be under reading, it is assumed that it has under read for as long as the consumer has had a gas supply through it. Any refund due is limited to the previous six years.
Tampering and securityEdit
Meters can be manipulated to make them under-register, effectively allowing power use without paying for it. This theft or fraud can be dangerous as well as dishonest.
Power companies often install remote-reporting meters specifically to enable remote detection of tampering, and specifically to discover energy theft. The change to smart power meters is useful to stop energy theft.
When tampering is detected, the normal tactic, legal in most areas of the United States, is to switch the subscriber to a "tampering" tariff charged at the meter's maximum designed current. At US$0.095/kWh, a standard residential 50 A meter causes a legally collectible charge of about US$5,000.00 per month. Meter readers are trained to spot signs of tampering, and with crude mechanical meters, the maximum rate may be charged each billing period until the tamper is removed, or the service is disconnected.
A common method of tampering on mechanical disk meters is to attach magnets to the outside of the meter. Strong magnets saturate the magnetic fields in the meter so that the motor portion of a mechanical meter does not operate. Lower power magnets can add to the drag resistance of the internal disk resistance magnets. Magnets can also saturate current transformers or power-supply transformers in electronic meters, though countermeasures are common.
Some combinations of capacitive and inductive load can interact with the coils and mass of a rotor and cause reduced or reverse motion.
All of these effects can be detected by the electric company, and many modern meters can detect or compensate for them.
The owner of the meter normally secures the meter against tampering. Revenue meters' mechanisms and connections are sealed. Meters may also measure VAR-hours (the reflected load), neutral and DC currents (elevated by most electrical tampering), ambient magnetic fields, etc. Even simple mechanical meters can have mechanical flags that are dropped by magnetic tampering or large DC currents.
Newer computerised meters usually have counter-measures against tampering. AMR (Automated Meter Reading) meters often have sensors that can report opening of the meter cover, magnetic anomalies, extra clock setting, glued buttons, inverted installation, reversed or switched phases etc.
Some tampers bypass the meter, wholly or in part. Safe tampers of this type normally increase the neutral current at the meter. Most split-phase residential meters in the United States are unable to detect neutral currents. However, modern tamper-resistant meters can detect and bill it at standard rates.
Disconnecting a meter's neutral connector is unsafe because shorts can then pass through people or equipment rather than a metallic ground to the generator or earth.
A phantom loop connection via an earth ground is often much higher resistance than the metallic neutral connector. Even if an earth ground is safe, metering at the substation can alert the operator to tampering. Substations, inter-ties, and transformers normally have a high-accuracy meter for the area served. Power companies normally investigate discrepancies between the total billed and the total generated, in order to find and fix power distribution problems. These investigations are an effective method to discover tampering.
Power thefts in the United States are often connected with indoor marijuana grow operations. Narcotics detectives associate abnormally high power usage with the lighting such operations require. Indoor marijuana growers aware of this are particularly motivated to steal electricity simply to conceal their usage of it.
Regulation and legislationEdit
Following the deregulation of electricity supply markets in many countries, the company responsible for an electricity meter may not be obvious. Depending on the arrangements in place, the meter may be the property of the meter Operator, electricity distributor, the retailer or for some large users of electricity the meter may belong to the customer.
The company responsible for reading the meter may not always be the company which owns it. Meter reading is now sometimes subcontracted and in some areas the same person may read gas, water and electricity meters at the same time.
The introduction of advanced meters in residential areas has produced additional privacy issues that may affect ordinary customers. These meters are often capable of recording energy usage every 15, 30 or 60 minutes. Some meters have one or two IR LEDs on the front: one used for testing and which acts as the equivalent of the timing mark on the older mechanical meters and the other as part of a two-way IR communications port for reading / programming the meter. These IR LEDs are visible with some night vision viewers and certain video cameras that are capable of sensing IR transmissions. These can be used for surveillance, revealing information about peoples' possessions and behaviour. For instance, it can show when the customer is away for extended periods. Nonintrusive load monitoring gives even more detail about what appliances people have and their living and use patterns.
- E.g., Minnkota Power's Load Management System Archived 2006-06-16 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 22 August 2009.
- Graeme Gooday The morals of measurement: accuracy, irony, and trust in late Victorian electrical practice, Cambridge University Press, 2004 ISBN 0-521-43098-4, p 232–241
- Whyte, Adam Gowans (1930). Forty Years of Electrical Progress. London: Ernest Benn. pp. 31, 159.
- Eugenii Katz. "Blathy". People.clarkson.edu. Archived from the original on June 25, 2008. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- Ricks, G.W.D. (March 1896). "Electricity Supply Meters". Journal of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. 25 (120): 57–77. doi:10.1049/jiee-1.1896.0005. Student paper read on January 24, 1896 at the Students' Meeting.
- The Electrical engineer, Volume 5. (February, 1890)
- The Electrician, Volume 50. 1923
- Official gazette of the United States Patent Office: Volume 50. (1890)
- W. Bernard Carlson, Innovation as a Social Process: Elihu Thomson and the Rise of General Electric, Cambridge University Press, 2003 ISBN 0-521-53312-0, pages 1 and 258
- U.S. Patent 388003
- Stephen A. Dyer (ed.) Survey of instrumentation and measurementWiley-IEEE, 2001 ISBN 0-471-39484-X, page 875
- "Shallenberger Integrating Wattmeter". watthourmeters.com.
- IEEE Recommended practice for industrial and commercial power systems analysis Standard 399-1997, IEEE, ISBN 1-55937-968-5 page 47
- Jehl, Francis (1941). Menlo Park Reminiscences. Kessinger Publishing. p. 841. ISBN 978-0-7661-2648-0.
- Fleming, J.A. (1914). Magnets and Electric Currents. New York: Spon & Chamberlain. pp. 335.
- "Volume 3-10" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- "What are KYZ Pulses?". SolidState Instruments. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- Handbook for Electricity Metering. EEI. Archived from the original on 2008-10-24.
- "CBPHydroOneReprint" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- Verne Kopytoff; Ryan Kim (2009-02-22). "Google plans meter to detail home energy use". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- "Residential — Home Energy Audit — Watts Up". Austin Utilities. Archived from the original on 2009-03-12. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- "Portable Energy Meter". Mge.com. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
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- "EDF Energy Tariff Information Label checker". Retrieved 2017-07-28.
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- See the National Electrical Code, a large book, revised yearly, widely available for purchase.
- Measuring Instruments (Active Electrical Energy Meters) regulations 2006, Schedule 1, Paragraph 15. These errors apply between +5°C to +30°C and a power factor of 0.8 leading to 0.5 lagging. Outside of these limits larger errors are permissible.
- Electricity meter accuracy disputes
- the Gas (Meters) Regulations 1983
- Limitation Act 1980, Chapter 58, Part 1
- Teridian Semiconductors Application Note, "Antitamper Features Enabled by the 71M6511" The 71M6511 is a single chip metering device widely used in computerised meters.
- Arooka. "Theft of power". James Bong's Ultimate SpyGuide to Marijuana. pp. 234–242. ISBN 9780973892802.
- Hart, G.W. (June 1989). "Residential energy monitoring and computerized surveillance via utility power flows". IEEE Technology and Society Magazine. 8 (2): 12–16. doi:10.1109/44.31557. S2CID 41307271.
- "Attested Metering". Illinois Computer Security Laboratory.
- "Handbook for Electricity Metering" by The Edison Electric Institute
- Media related to Electricity meters (kWh) at Wikimedia Commons


A rare gem where to eat typical cheap food, some of which I never heard elsewhere in Sardinia. The “Pane lentu con purpuzza” is soft carasau bread filled with crumbled local sausage. The “Coccone di Candelaria” is soft bread filled with smoked ricotta cheese. Two delights. And the owners are friendly and extremely pleasant. Stop here for something different from the usual restaurant. Only few tables on the street to share with other customers and enjoy the local atmosphere!
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Let’s talk about wearables and how retailers can capitalise on a category that, contrary to some people’s opinions, will in 2015 continue to grow in sales and value.
It’s becoming clear that wearables are not a fad. As more brands and products enter the market, some may disappear – Google Glass for one – but those that have demonstrated their credentials in 2014 will remain a fixture in 2015 and possibly beyond.
As the hype around a particular brand of watch spirals ever more out of control, the benefits of heightened exposure for the category is naturally index-linked for retailers, so now is the time to ride that wave and ignore the sceptics.
As of the end of 2014, three million Brits owned a wearable device, with Dixons Carphone reporting a 710 per cent increase in wearables sales over the year.
The UK wearables market value was predicted to have hit £313.6 million by the end of 2014 and many shoppers had wearable devices at the top of their lists for Christmas 2014.
The same research conducted by Dixons Carphone confirmed that Sony’s Smartwatch, Fitbit’s Flex and Samsung’s Gear Fit were the top-selling wearables during the Christmas period. It’s clear they are growing in popularity among consumers, with research from Samsung suggesting that sales during Christmas 2014 were 182 per cent higher than the same period in 2013. One can only assume that again this will increase in 2015.
With growth in mind, ranging of core lines is essential to appeal to a wide demographic, coupled with a greater in-store experience.
Staff need not only to understand the products well enough to sell them as standalone or add-on sales, but also become advocates themselves.
Think about giving your staff devices to use and live with for a sustained period. This could be done in partnership with a specific market leader like Fitbit or a relative newcomer like Epson Sensing to immerse them in the wearables experience and improve their sales technique – as they do when training to sell other CE products in your store. It may also make your staff healthier, happier and more productive – a win-win for all.
But seriously, with almost a quarter (23 per cent) of wearables purchased as gifts, the person buying may not know anything about the product and store staff therefore need good product knowledge to help seal the deal. Also, with two-thirds of consumers citing ease of use as an important factor when selecting a wearable product, a demonstration becomes crucial.
Shoppers need reassurance that products are easy to use and include useful functions. Effective staff training for product knowledge and demonstrations reassures shoppers and potentially increases not only unit sales, but also the value of each sale.
Displays are also important. Think about the location in-store and connectivity to other devices you may range. The customer journey should be one that enables the customer to see how wearables work with the phone in their pocket, TV or even a washing machine.
With an estimated 17 million Brits set to own a wearable in 2015, creating a potential UK market worth £1.7 billion, the opportunity is clear for all.
Don’t just think traditional wearables – the market will grow through innovation. Soon you’ll see a number of wearable devices for pets, including a smart dog collar from Motorola, which includes a remote 720p camera, GPS connectivity and speakers to communicate with your dog via your smartphone, accompanying the various GPS tracker collars already on the market.
Also expect connected clothing and jewellery – wearables developed more as fashion accessories – beginning to emerge, making tech more mainstream and commonplace among customers.


Gradinata Nord with the 7 logo’s of Genoa during the years
After the victory in Rome against Lazio (0-1 by a penalty of Perotti) the gialloblu of Hellas Verona came to Marassi. Especially because of the many extreme-right fans of Hellas it was very nice that this was the match of our coloured player M’Baye Niang who scored 2 of our goals in the 5-2 victory. The other 3 goals were scored by Bertolacci, Perotti and an own goal of defender Agostini of Verona. With this victory we have just like Sampdoria 35 points and we raise to the 6th position in the standings.
M’Baye Niang scores 2-0 against Hellas Verona after a cross of Falque
On Saturday 21st February the derby was postponed because of the heavy rainfall the last 3 hours before the match. After hours of discussion about the new day the match again took place on Tuesday 24th February at 18.30 hours. In the 17th minute Iago Falque opened the score after a perfect cross of M’Baye Niang. The happiness lasted only 2 minutes when Roncaglia lost the ball just outside the penaltyarea and Eder scored the equalizer. In the 94th and last minute Genoa was very close to score the deserved winning goal, but Kucka headed the ball on the crossbar and the rebound of Bertolacci was saved by goalkeeper Viviano. Genoa stays 6th in the standings with 36 points.
Iago Falque celebrates his openinggoal in the derby


“Anxiety, itself isn’t the enemy,” writes Michele Kambolis, author of Generation Stressed. The best way to help anxious children is by learning how to stop (or at least manage) the irrational thoughts and thinking traps that play a big role in reinforcing anxiety.
Negative thinking (often developing into habits) creates thinking traps that children can get stuck in, fuelling anxiety and unhealthy coping behaviours. The trick, instead, is to notice these patterns, see the signs of negative thinking and stop before getting snagged in the trap. With self-awareness and practice, children can learn to see their own thinking traps and reframe their thoughts in a positive way.
In Generation Stressed, Kambolis describes eleven thinking traps and the methods to overcome them. Each is offered in a child-friendly way by giving the trap a delinquent persona so children can recognize them as the real culprits of anxiety. All or Nothing Andy and Eddie Exaggeration are among the culprits.
Find the thinking trap that is fuelling a child’s anxiety. This will help to focus in on the unhelpful thoughts that need to be targeted. Click the link to each thinking trap to learn one of Kambolis’ strategies to avoid the trap.
Perfectionist Thinking shows up as "all or nothing," "good or bad," "perfect or disasterous."
Doomsday Thinking focuses on the worst possible outcomes and catastrophic situations that fuel worries.
Exaggerated Thinking blows things out of proportion making small problems into big ones that seem insurmountable.
Should and Shouldn’t Thinking makes us feel that every decision will turn out to be a mistake. This results in feelings of constant disappointment in ourselves.
Black and White Thinking accepts that things either “always” or “never” happens. “Sometimes” is harder to believe in this thinking trap.
Loopback Thinking shows up when we firmly predict that if something bad happens, it will continue to happen again and again.
Mind Reading “knows” what others are thinking and concludes that it is always negative.
It’s All About Me Thinking adds blame, points fingers and lays on the guilt for things we did or didn’t do.
Skeptical Thinking downplays strengths and positive qualities and rejects any positive feedback from others.
“ISM” Thinking labels a flaw and generalizes it into an entire character description.
Blame Thinking jumps to conclusions and quickly assigns blame.
If any of these thinking traps sound familiar (within yourself or a child), you are not alone and not destined to be stuck! Getting out of thinking traps and then avoiding them altogether is a skill that requires practice.
Step one: Be aware of thinking traps.
Step two: Notice the signs (the thoughts, words or behaviours) and name the thinking trap when it happens.
Step three: Challenge thinking. Kambolis has children thank the thinking culprit for trying to help and then uses trap-specific techniques to focus on using the opposite, more positive thinking style.
Step four: Repeat as needed.
Michele Kambolis is a Child and Family Therapist, Registered Clinical Counselor and Parent Educator. Generation Stressed (2014) is filled with evidence-informed information and engaging exercises for families to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety in children.
Research has shown that Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is one of the most effective treatments for anxiety. CBT focuses on the way people think ("cognitive") and act ("behaviour"). Our thoughts about a situation affect how we feel (emotionally and physically) and how we behave in that situation. CBT helps to find out how we can interrupt a negative cycle of thoughts and behaviours.
Sign up (free) and download the 11 Thinking Culprits like All or Nothing Andy and Eddie Exaggeration.
Strategy: Deliberately do a so-so job on a task to prove that it isn't the end of the world when things aren't perfect.
Strategy: Bring attention to the here and now and acknowledge that the worst possible outcome is not currently a reality.
Tell yourself, "I can do this!"
Be ok with a "good enough" decision and remind yourself you can always make a different choice next time.
Brainstorm a list of exceptions to a situation.
Think about a time when a situation ended in disappointment once, but then went well the next time. Tell someone about it.
Remind yourself that you can't actually read people's minds and that it's only a guess.
Make a list of things that you are responsible for and things that you are not.
Name a strength you have.
Draw yourself in the middle of a piece of paper and list your thoughts, emotions and body sensations - giving the whole picture.
Remind yourself that learning happens with mistakes and blame isn't required.
One example from Generation Stressed is Blindfold Bob - the Skeptical Thinking culprit. If you notice your child downplay a compliment.
1. Thank Blindfold Bob for trying to help.
2. Remind Blindfold Bob "I am a worthwhile person and can be kind to myself."
3. Remind him of your strengths; for example, "I really did do well at track and field today."