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Aston University student and graduate business startup support programme marks 10th year
BSEEN is a collaboration of four Birmingham universities, led by Aston University It has helped over 800 new businesses to launch through intensive startup bootcamps and a network of business mentors An awards dinner was held on 4 May to celebrate a decade in operation. An Aston University student and graduate business startup support programme has celebrated its 10th year in operation. BSEEN, a collaboration of four Birmingham universities led by Aston University, marked a decade of supporting student and graduate entrepreneurs with an awards dinner on 4 May 2023. Mike Bander, an Aston University alumnus and recipient of an honorary doctorate, was guest speaker and gave a keynote speech. The programme has helped over 800 new businesses to launch through 31 intensive startup bootcamps and a network of 85 business mentors. The awards night at Fazeley Studios in Birmingham showcased the student and graduate entrepreneurs supported by BSEEN and the mentors and professional services organisations who have worked to help startups through surgeries, drop-ins and round table discussions. Mike Bandar, international business trainer and speaker and founding partner of Turn Partners, said: “The power of the collective community has changed “I” into “us”. Personal ambition is essential, but the true spirit of entrepreneurship is to unite, collaborate and transform. Diversity gives us strength by not seeing competitors as rivals, but partners.” Professor Zoe Radnor, pro-vice chancellor and executive dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences at Aston University, said: “I have heard so much about BSEEN that was amazing and I am looking forward to supporting young people to achieve their goals despite European funding for the scheme coming to an end.” Paula Whitehouse, deputy dean for enterprise and engagement at Aston University, said: “The programme has delivered a big social and economic impact with businesses ranging from hand-crafted paper goods to medical devices.” Carolyn Keenan, BSEEN project manager, said: “It has been a privilege to be involved with the programme from the beginning.” The eight awards presented during the event went to the following: BSEEN Rising Star Winner: Ruth Mestel and Charis McRoberts, Calathea Arts Highly Commended: Denise Amory-Reid, Amory R Management BSEEN Champion Award Winner: Ben Brophy, Ad Valorem Accountants Highly Commended: Richard Freeman and Jamie Partington, Higgs LLP Award for Technology Winner: Alliyah and Amirah Khan, Our Tied Camel Highly Commended: Safe Queen Team Award for Creative Industries Winner: Morgan Grice, Odd Orange Highly Commended: Andrea Craciun, Sweetest Mango Illustration Award for Innovation Winner: David Akraka, Akreon Technology Highly Commended: Hardeep Randhawa, ProLimbs Award for Social Impact Winner: Cleo Morris, Mission Diverse Highly Commended: Jamaal O’Driscoll, O’D Collective BSEEN Community Award Winner: Shovon Wiggan, Inspire-a-Doll Highly Commended: Janani Prasad, Supabite.com Award for Small Business Growth Winner: Bobby Bradstock, Serenity Psychotherapy Highly Commended: Joseph Housley and Connor Watt, Narce Media and Ben Curtis, Hobby Store Group. To find out more about the BSEEN programme, click here.
Potholes and Cracked Pavement Keep Barton Street East in the Top Spot on the provincial CAA Worst Roads List. The votes are in, and the CAA Worst Road for 2023 is Barton Street East in Hamilton. Barton Street's persistent issues with potholes and severe alligator cracking in the pavement have led to its dubious distinction. The road first appeared on the top 10 list in 2019 and has steadily climbed its way to the top now for the second year in a row. Taking the second and third place spots are roads that at one point have also crowned the top of the list, Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto and County Road 49 in Prince Edward County. "The 2023 CAA Worst Roads campaign provides a valuable snapshot of the roads that the public perceives as pain points," said Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice president for CAA South Central Ontario. "For 20 years, this campaign has served as a powerful advocacy tool, initiating dialogues with decision-makers and driving positive change for safer roads across Ontario." Four new roads have debuted this year on the provincial top 10 list. Laclie Street, Orillia, Steeles Avenue East, Toronto, Aberdeen Avenue, Hamilton and Hurontario Street, Mississauga. Many of the roads nominated have undergone or are undergoing significant improvements. The success stories of the campaign are primarily attributed to the government's prioritization of infrastructure through multi-year capital investments. These investments demonstrate the impact of proactive measures on enhancing road conditions and addressing public concerns. The CAA Worst Road list is verified this year by the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO). “RCCAO is proud to support and partner with this year’s CAA Worst Roads advocacy campaign to give Ontarians a platform to raise awareness about the state of vital road infrastructure in their communities,” said Nadia Todorova, Executive Director of RCCAO. “The campaign highlights once again the need for dedicated funding to address the state-of-good-repair and maintenance of critical infrastructure needed to support our growing province. I want to thank RCCAO members for their initiative to offer their technical expertise to this campaign, including the Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association (GTSWCA), Heavy Construction Association of Toronto (HCAT), and the Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA).” Ontario's Top 10 Worst Roads for 2023 Barton Street East, Hamilton Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto County Road 49, Prince Edward County Carling Avenue, Ottawa Finch Avenue West, Toronto Laclie Street, Orillia Steeles Avenue East, Toronto Aberdeen Avenue, Hamilton Lake Shore Boulevard East, Toronto Hurontario Street, Mississauga Worst Roads by Region Central— Laclie Street, Orillia Eastern— County Road 49, Prince Edward County Halton-Peel-York-Durham— Hurontario Street, Mississauga Niagara— Portage Road, Niagara Falls North— Algonquin Boulevard East, Timmins Southwest— Lauzon Parkway, Windsor Western— York Road, Guelph Ottawa— Carling Avenue, Ottawa For regional lists and historical results please visit: https://www.caasco.com/advocacy/worst-roads
Expert Insight: The Voice of Alexa: How Speech Characteristics Impact Consumer Decisions
In the 2020 film “Superintelligence,” an all-powerful artificial intelligence attempts to take over the world, and it studies an average person, played by Melissa McCarthy, to decide if humanity is worth saving. The AI is voiced by James Corden—a voice it chooses because it knows it’s one McCarthy’s character will engage with. Rajiv Garg, associate professor of Information Systems & Operations Management at Emory’s Goizueta Business School, shows the “Superintelligence” trailer before his research presentations to set the tone. Garg conducts research that explores the impact of artificial intelligence voices on consumer behavior and purchase intent, along with Haris Krijestorac, a professor at HEC Paris, and Vijay Mahajan, a professor from The University of Texas at Austin. Garg’s research began when Amazon launched celebrity voices for its Alexa device in 2019. From Samuel L. Jackson to Shaquille O’Neal, users can now get their news and entertainment, while interacting with their favorite superstars. “I questioned if certain voices could get more engagement or more purchases from consumers,” Garg says. If Alexa starts talking to you in Samuel L. Jackson’s voice, will you continue the conversation? What could Samuel L. Jackson’s voice sell you that you would buy? Garg and his team began their research by collecting more than 300 celebrity voice samples, which they analyzed based on their sound characteristics, such as amplitude, frequency, and entropy. They looked at 20 sound characteristics and identified that all the voices could be segmented into six clusters: ostentatious, colloquial, friendly, authoritative, seductive, and suave. The team then created advertisements for select products using computer generated voices for each of the six clusters, opting for artificial intelligence-created speech instead of celebrity deep fakes due to permission legalities. They chose a shoe and an office chair as their products, and created two different advertisements for each product. One ad was simple, denoting the shoe as comfortable for all-day wear and the office chair as comfortable for sitting in for extended time periods. The other ad was hedonic, denoting the shoe as crafted with Italian leather and the office chair equipped with several massage features. They recorded the four advertisements using both a female and male voice for all six voice clusters. Study participants listened to each of the four advertisements in one of the 12 voices, which was randomly selected. After the advertisement was played, participants were asked if they wanted more information, and later, if they wanted to buy the product (omitting the price as to not add another factor to their decision making). Influencing Consumer Behavior For simple, utilitarian products, they found no significant effect of voice on information seeking behavior. Garg says once participants hear this type of advertisement, they simply decide to purchase or move on. Participants do, however, engage more in information seeking behavior for hedonic products when the voice is ostentatious, seductive, or authoritative. The team also found men were more likely than women to engage with ostentatious or seductive voices, and women were more likely to engage with friendly or colloquial voices. Overall, they found participants did not seek information with male voices. For information seeking, men and women only engage if the voices are female, which is somewhat intuitive. The industry is doing this—Alexa, Google, and Siri all have a female voice. In terms of purchase intention, they found ostentatious voices have higher yields for utilitarian products. Men, especially, were more likely than women to purchase a utilitarian product advertised in an ostentatious voice. Think about advertising a stapler. It’s a stapler—it staples paper—but you advertise it in a French accent to make it sound interesting. Conversely, for hedonic products, an ostentatious voice has a negative effect on purchase intent because Garg says it can make the product sound gimmicky. Their research shows colloquial voices do the best here because people focus more on the advertisement’s content. Across the board, they found seductive voices have a negative effect on purchase intent, but more so on utilitarian products compared to hedonic ones. Men were more likely than women to respond positively to seductive and suave voices. Applying the results Voices are another way smart device companies can personalize their customers’ experiences. Garg says these companies should be aware that there may be a certain voice that will garner the best engagement. Their findings are not isolated to business, but may apply to other industries, such as the media. Garg says, for example, if publications intend to increase reader curiosity and engagement, they should use a female colloquial voice on “click to listen” features. Although not yet tested, Garg says he wouldn’t be surprised if their results extend to real-world settings with real human voices as well. During their research, Garg’s team asked participants if they had heard the advertisement voices before, and about 15 percent of respondents says they had. "These were voices we’d created for the first time,” Garg says. “If they say they’ve heard the voice before, that means they were thinking of them as human voices. Although we didn’t study it that way, I do believe what we’re seeing will be relevant for actual human being’s voices and interactions.” Having researched this for years, Garg says every time he listens to a voice, whether a customer service representative or podcast host, he questions whether or not it is impacting his behavior. A lot of times when I’m making a decision, I know that I’m making that decision passively because of the voice. “I’m acting 50 percent based on the rational information in the voice, but the other 50 percent I just want to listen more. There is an inherent desire for a certain voice.” Garg says his favorite part of the research are those “aha moments,” whether they be the influence of voice in his own life or in the industry—such as large companies using female voices in their products to draw engagement. He says he hopes to continue doing this kind of research to help startups and other companies perform better, as AI-powered voices continue to change the way people interact with technology and consume information. “We’re finding these interesting phenomena that can help create new products that are more effective,” Garg says. “I am trying to increase the economic surplus, in some ways to improve society, and this technology presents numerous opportunities.” Looking to know more? Rajiv Garg from Emory’s Goizueta Business School is available to speak with media – simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Expertise Marketing and Content Marketing - Is There a Difference?
We often get asked the question about how Content Marketing compares to Expertise Marketing. It’s ironic that still to this day many of our academic clients don’t refer to what they do as “content marketing.” But corporate customers are well acquainted with the importance of developing content to build reputation, relationships and revenue. Adding to the confusion are all the names that are bantered about by marketing departments and agencies - There’s inbound marketing popularized by companies such as Hubspot. And there are more bespoke “Thought Leadership” programs that are often developed by outside agencies such as Weber Shandwick and Edelman. While there are a lot of common elements to these programs there are some important differences that we focus on when developing and launching Expertise Marketing programs with our institutional and corporate clients. Here’s a deeper dive to help you better understand the value of Expertise Marketing. Introducing Expertise Marketing Expertise marketing is the practice of making the knowledge and skills of your human resources more visible to your partners and audiences. It draws attention to the value that your people can bring as brand ambassadors and strategically leverages the work your experts are doing to tell a more personal story. In many cases, expertise marketing can also be used to showcase your strengths in research and innovation. Creating a stronger digital presence, expertise marketing more effectively uses your channels to connect with audiences such as media, customers, partners and donors. It builds a sense of trust with your customers and above all else, it helps establish your reputation as an industry leader. ex•per•tise mar•ket•ing 1. The practice of collectively promoting an organization’s experts as brand ambassadors to demonstrate their skills or knowledge. 2. Best practices to publish and connect The Value of Expertise Marketing Reputation - Positions research, client work, thought leadership perspectives and achievements in the context of relevant topics that are in the news. Market Awareness - Expertise marketing makes it easier for key audiences to find expert content and people in search engines and on the organization’s website. Audience Engagement - Provides more intuitive search features for visible content which can be expanded to include assets such as video, social, and publications to drive richer conversations with audiences. Metrics on performance in areas related to expert development, content contribution and audience engagement page views and inquiries can be tracked. Demand Generation - Increased number of direct leads/ inquiries from audiences such as: Customers/Students Industry Partners Alumni Donors Media New Employee Recruits Conference Organizers Talent - Better engage stakeholders, researchers & subject-matter experts in the development and distribution of content while improving recruitment and retention of talent. Internal Collaboration - Better coordinate the knowledge and resources across internal communications teams and other departments as they engage experts. Provide a faster, more efficient way to generate content for breaking news and events. Content Contribution - Increase the size of the organization’s digital footprint by aggregating more content and distributing it contextually to multiple websites and third-party databases. Efficiency - Help employees get their jobs done faster and more efficiently. Enable them to find information faster, speed up internal processes and foster collaboration among people in multiple locations. Leverage Current and Future Infrastructure - Properly integrated, new technology investments should integrate seamlessly to leverage existing/proposed infrastructure such as content management systems (such as WordPress™) and marketing automation systems (such as Hubspot) How is Expertise Marketing Different from Content Marketing? A More Human Approach: People buy from people. That’s why content that is more personalized and attributed to specific experts who are well-identified as expert sources is far more trusted than most company-sponsored content. A More Collaborative Process that Engages Employees: A more structured “win-win” model empowers experts to contribute their knowledge. Expertise marketing is a proven way to build culture and celebrate diversity which assists with talent retention and recruitment. An Efficient Way to Create More Content to Boost SEO & Website Traffic: Engaging your experts creates a larger hub of “owned” content that is proven to boost PageRank in search engines and site traffic. Expert content is used by organizations to enhance their “About Us” page, staff/faculty/physician directories, newsroom pages, research pages and speakers bureaus. Optimized Content Formats Better Connect with Audiences: A variety of short format, long format and visual content formats (such as expert profiles, blogs, Q&A and videos) are designed to engage specific audiences at various stages of the customer journey. Improved Calls to Action & Analytics Boost Demand Generation & Leads/Inquiries: Experts become more approachable as “lead magnets” that generate measurable inbound opportunities, avoiding common issues of lost customer leads due to poor processes and workflow. You might be surprised at how much value expertise marketing can bring to your organisation. The chances are, that the time you are currently spending on ineffective content marketing strategies will be greatly reduced with a redefined focus on expertise marketing. By putting the focus back on the skills and relevance of your experts, as people, you're not only making them more visible but also establishing your brand reputation which will simultaneously generate more leads and increase efficiency.
MEDIA RELEASE: Manitoba’s worst road is Provincial Road 307, again
A rural road that dips, swings, heaves in winter, is riddled with potholes and often floods has been voted as Manitoba’s worst road for the second year in a row. Provincial Road 307 was chosen by Manitobans in CAA Manitoba’s Worst Roads campaign, an annual campaign that runs every spring. According to survey respondents, the main reasons for choosing the road include poor road maintenance and potholes. “We know the campaign works. People vote in the annual CAA Worst Roads Campaign because it gives Manitobans a platform to continue putting pressure on various levels of government to understand what roads they believe are in urgent need of repair,” says Ewald Friesen, Manager Government and Community Relations, CAA Manitoba. For the first time, the top three Worst Roads in Manitoba were outside of Winnipeg. They include 18th Street in Brandon in second place, and Hwy. 34, which moves up the list one spot from fourth place in 2022 to third this year. “The results aren’t surprising, as we’ve seen more rural roads make the list over the past few years,” says Friesen. "Those who responded to the annual Worst Roads campaign have banded together to make sure rural roads are being prioritized.” While 18th street is in Brandon, its designation as a highway means it’s the province’s responsibility to repair. However, media reports earlier this year stated there are no plans to repair the rutted thoroughfare. “The results show that some roads are becoming significant pain points for Manitobans, perhaps more than our government leaders realize,” says Friesen. In Winnipeg, Goulet Street moved up the list from tenth to fourth place to grab the dubious distinction of being the city’s worst road this year. For the first time, Hwy. 75 in Morris makes the list, coming in at number seven. The Top 10 are: 1. Provincial Road 307 2. 18th Street, Brandon 3. Hwy 34 4. Goulet Street, Winnipeg 5. Leila Avenue, Winnipeg 6. Kenaston Boulevard, Winnipeg 7. Highway 75, Morris 8. Hwy 44 9. Saskatchewan Avenue, Winnipeg, 10. Empress Street, Winnipeg Empress Street makes a return, after dropping off the list in 2022. While a large section has been repaired and designed with new active transportation paths, several blocks of the northern section of the road remain in disrepair. Saskatchewan Avenue falls to ninth spot after coming in second last year. The road between Route 90 and Midland Avenue was replaced in 2022, but repairs are needed for the westernmost section of the road. “We are happy to see some roads fall down the list or fall off the list as repairs are made,” says Friesen. “At CAA Manitoba, we are here to advocate for safe transportation for all road users – whether they drive, ride, bus or walk.” Other regional “winners”: Portage la Prairie 1. Provincial Road 240 2. Lorne Avenue East 3. Tupper Street North Brandon 1. 18th Street 2. Provincial Highway 10 Thompson 1. Provincial Highway 6 2. Westwood Drive Morden 1. Provincial Road 432 2. Provincial Highway 3 3. 1 Street Selkirk 1. Eaton Avenue 2. Manitoba Avenue Steinbach 1. Provincial Highway 12 2. Home Street North
UConn Expert: An athletic trainer saved my life as a teen. Student athletes don't have to die
Dr. Douglas Casa was a 16-year-old student athlete when he collapsed during a 10K race -- in the midst of a life-threatening exertional heat stroke, or EHS, the quick action of an athletic trainer saved him. Now a professor of kinesiology a UConn and CEO of the Korey Stringer Institute, Casa is a leading voice on heat-related illnesses and preventing sudden death in sport -- and he has lifesaving advice for parents and policymakers as the summer sports season begins, published recently in the Courier-Journal: Change happens when a few key leaders come together to find a path to advocate for these life-saving policies. The key factor that determines if a high school athlete will live or die is the actions in the first 10 minutes after a condition presents itself. EHS has a 100% survival rate if cooling is done correctly, and proper prevention strategies can prevent nearly all EHS cases. Cardiac conditions survival rates can be as high as 90% when an AED is applied within 3 minutes of onset. When the moment comes and your child’s life lies in the balance, you want to be sure these life-saving policies are in place and that the appropriately trained licensed medical professional (i.e. AT) is on-site. So much hinges on those first few minutes. Most of all, your life will never return to normal if your child dies from a condition that is nearly always survivable when cared for properly. Do whatever you can before they die. Dr. Douglas Casa is available to speak with the media today - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview.
CAA South Central Ontario is excited to announce a partnership with HAAS Alert. The new partnership will send CAA-specific warnings to popular traffic and navigation apps. Through the CAA dispatch system, Safety Cloud© by HAAS Alert will send warning messages of “CAA Rescuer Ahead. Slow Down, Move Over” and “Vehicle Breakdown. Slow Down, Move Over” to the world’s largest navigation apps, including Waze and vehicles covered by the Stellantis Group OEM (Dodge, Jeep, RAM, Chrysler, and Alfa Romeo). The alerts are specific to CAA member rescue calls but will be visible to anyone who uses the alerting platforms. “As longtime advocates for road safety, CAA is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to enhance safety on our roads. The new partnership with HAAS Alert helps drivers obey the law and provides an extra layer of safety to those who are stranded and to our Roadside Assistance Rescuers,” says Teresa Di Felice, assistant vice president of Government and Community Relations at CAA South Central Ontario. Every year CAA clubs across Canada mark the second Tuesday of May as National Slow Down Move Over Day. This year, National Slow Down Move Over Day is on May 9, 2023. Across North America, nearly 100 tow truck drivers are killed every year after being struck by oncoming traffic while helping stranded motorists with flat tires, breakdowns, and collisions. “As we approach the summer driving season, it is important for drivers to slow down and move over when approaching a roadside emergency rescue. By doing so, we can help protect the lives of those who work on our roads and highways and make our roads safer for everyone,” adds Di Felice. In Ontario, the SDMO law requires drivers to slow down, and if there is space and it's safe, move over one lane when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle, including tow trucks, with flashing lights. Fines could range from $400 to $2,000 and 3 demerit points if convicted and possible suspension of driver's licence for up to 2 years. By partnering with HAAS Alert and using this technology to warn drivers of stranded vehicles and tow trucks on the side of the road, CAA is working to make our roads safer for everyone. For more information about CAA’s advocacy for road safety and the Slow Down Move Over Law, please visit caasco.com/sdmo.
King Charles and the Power of Pomp
With the approach of the first coronation of a British monarch in 70 years, the world is watching, dissecting, and analyzing every element involved in the Coronation of King Charles III and his wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort. Cameras, photographers and journalists from across the globe are working overtime on this historic event, as are observers and scholars, including UConn anthropologist Dimitris Xygalatas, who penned a piece for the BBC where he explains the power behind the pomp and ceremony around the crowing of Britain's new king: On 6 May, 2023, one of the most spectacular rituals in the world will take place: the Coronation of King Charles III and his wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort. Shrouded in spectacle and adorned with priceless regalia, the ceremony will be officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Westminster Abbey and attended by a host of foreign royals and heads of state. The whole event will be broadcast around the world, with hundreds of millions of people expected to tune in. Once crowned, the royal couple will return to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach, a carriage so loaded with gold that it needs eight horses to pull it. They will be escorted by thousands of troops from all branches of the armed forces, making up the largest military display in three generations. The festivities will last all weekend – and a long weekend at that, as Monday has been proclaimed a public holiday nationwide. Events include colourful parades, public concerts, spectacular light shows, and thousands of street parties across the UK and the Commonwealth. The scale of this undertaking might seem exuberant. After all, King Charles may have dominion over all swans, dolphins, whales and sturgeons in the UK's waters but he will wield little political power beyond a largely ceremonial role. What is more, a coronation is not even necessary to become king. In fact, Edward VIII reigned as sovereign without ever being crowned. As heir apparent, King Charles III's accession to the throne occurred automatically the moment Queen Elizabeth II died, on 8 September 2022. ... The effects of ceremonial opulence may extend well beyond the Kings’ subjects. To the world at large, they act as status symbols – what anthropologists call “credibility-enhancing displays”. Our minds intuitively link effort with value. A ceremony that requires such enormous cost and effort to organise provides tangible evidence of the importance of the institution it celebrates and people’s commitment to that institution. At a time of political instability, with an increase in Russian aggression, the UK emerging from Brexit and a global pandemic, the British state could use some of that social glue. And above all, so could the royal family. The last few years have been rough on the royals, to say the least. Prince Andrew lost his military titles and royal patronages as he faced allegations of sexual assault that he has consistently denied. Internationally, as the world grapples with the legacy of colonialism, more and more countries seem inclined to cut their ties to the Crown. All the while, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have had a very public exit from the centre of royal life and their media presence has been rubbing salt to these wounds. In light of these developments, the Coronation may play a crucial role in the Royal Family’s struggle to stay relevant. Indeed, as public support for the monarchy has been steadily declining, two recent grand ceremonies, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and funeral, have been accompanied by boosts to British attitudes towards the institution. King Charles III's Coronation will be one of the most grandiose royal celebrations of this century. It remains to be seen whether it can help convince his subjects that he still has a role to play in British society. Dimitris Xygalatas is an associate professor of anthropology and psychological sciences, and head of UConn's Experimental Anthropology Lab, which develops interdisciplinary methods and technologies for studying behavior in real-life settings. He is available to speak with media, answering all your questions about coronations and their rituals and purpose. Click on his icon to arrange an interview today.
When Our Feelings Become Physical: Understanding Our Bodily Responses To Emotion
Alicia Walf is a neuroscientist and senior lecturer at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute whose research interests are fueled by the broad question: Why are there individual differences in stress? This question led to studying hormones' actions for growth and plasticity in the brain and body. She has since refined her pursuit to include consideration of body, brain, and mind relationships as they relate to memory, perception, social cognition, and emotions. Dr. Walf has taken a cross-species and cross-discipline approach in her work. Dr. Walf’s studies of the effects and mechanisms of stress and well-being often occur in the “wild,” such as in architectural built environments, artistic installations, interactions with technology, contemplative practices, conference rooms, and classrooms. Here, Walf examines what we know and what we have yet to learn about the physical manifestations of our emotions. Over 100 years ago, the earliest ponderings of how feelings are reflected in our body were described. Also, several decades ago, the first personality associated with an intense stress response was Type A personality. This personality type is characterized by quickness to anger and competitive drive as well as the negative consequences of chronic stress on the cardiovascular system. Recent work in mice shows that increasing heart rate produces an anxiety-like state (Hsueh et al., 2023, Nature). Now, a focus is trying to link changes in the body with feelings to brain mechanisms. Even after all of these years of study, we do not fully understand if there is a signature bodily response associated with specific feelings. For example, both anger and love (and other feelings that have been studied like jealousy) are associated with changes in the body that look indistinguishable from stress. The heart beat quickens, the eyes widen and the pupils become larger, blood rushes to the muscles and surface of the body. As surface body temperature and blood flow rises with these changes, a blush may become apparent on our cheeks. Indeed, a study showed that people have similar responses in describing which areas of the body are activated or deactivated in different emotional states; that is, where they feel these emotions in their body (Nummenmaa et al., 2013, PNAS). In this study, people said that love most greatly activated the head and trunk, whereas anger’s activation of the body was more focused on the head, arms, and chest. We can agree that love and anger – and all the strong feelings we have – mentally feel quite different from each other and we also have different behaviors. Those differences are likely due to a cognitive component, or how we assess the current situation in relation to what we know and our past experiences. Neuroscientists would argue that there are likely different brain circuits active in an angry and love state (and others), but those precise mechanisms are yet to be figured out. To date, we understand that feelings of love activate a reward pathway. Neurochemical differences may also play a role. For example, release of dopamine in this reward pathway and oxytocin in areas involved in social bonding are tied to love. The challenge of understanding the links between these expressions of emotions in the body to the mechanisms in our brain remains. Walf is available to speak with media - simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
Is there a link between CTE and mass shootings? Let our expert explain
This spring news of mass shootings has dominated the headlines almost weekly with stories of tragedy in Michigan, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. To date, there have been an estimated 160 mass-shootings in America this year. In the wake of each tragedy, Americans are left asking 'How this could happen?' and 'Why did this happen?' In the case of the April 10 shooting in Louisville, the parents of the gunman are also seeking answers as they claim prior trauma and CTE may have played some part in the shooter's actions and motivation. It's a theory that's getting a lot of attention from doctors and journalists. The family of Connor Sturgeon – who was killed after he fatally shot five people Monday morning at the Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky – plans to have his brain tested for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, commonly known as CTE, his father and a spokesperson for the family told CNN on Thursday. “Yes, Connor is being tested for CTE. Probably will take a while to get results,” Todd Sturgeon, Connor Sturgeon’s father, texted to CNN. Pete Palmer, a family friend who is speaking for the Sturgeons, said the family and the state medical examiner are looking to have Connor Sturgeon’s brain tested. April 14 - CNN There's a lot to know when reporting on CTE, especially when it involves the potential links to tragedy and a mass shooting. And that's where clinical experts can help and make sure reporters have the details, terminology and facts correct when covering such important topics. With over 40 years of clinical practice, Wayne Hulon is an American Board Certified Psychotherapist, and is also recognized by the State of Georgia as a Licensed Professional Counselor. In addition to his private practice, Wayne serves as a member of the American College of Psychotherapy and is currently serving as its Executive Director. Wayne is available to speak with media regarding this subject - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
