Staying inside

4 I Psychology

Staying inside:

How a new sedentary lifestyle affects the human body

BY JULIA BREED, CELL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, 2021

The silence is palpable on Huntington Avenue these

days. During an hour that would have normally seen a frantic commute, an empty Green Line train rumbles by. In a city like Boston that is (wisely) following social distancing guidelines, people’s lifestyles have changed almost overnight — they are staying inside. The act of social distancing is necessary and should continue until the pandemic is appropriately contained. That being said, it comes at the cost of being less physically active. COVID-19 has imposed a new way of life on the country and the world, and it is a sedentary one.

Gyms and fitness centers have been closed until further notice. Team sports and workout classes have been cancelled. Even the more routine activities that people carry out in their everyday lives have changed — less commuting, fewer trips to the grocery store, skipping out on non-essential errands that would have taken them a few miles farther from home. How is this new indoor lifestyle affecting people’s health?

When someone exercises regularly, their body begins to experience long-term changes. Muscle and bone mass increase, ligaments and tendons become stronger, and the size and number of mitochondria in their cells increase. The heart becomes more powerful, and lungs are able to absorb oxygen more efficiently. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists improved cardiovascular, metabolic, bone, muscle, endocrine, immune, and brain health among the long-term benefits of exercise.

Improvements in mental health have also been observed in correlation with regular exercise. A 2018 study in Lancet Psychiatry provided a meta-analysis of over one million American adults to explore the association between exercise and mental health burden. The paper’s findings show that individuals who regularly exercised had fewer days of poor mental health in the past month than those who had not exercised, even when corrected for other variables such as socioeconomic status. In this analysis, all types of exercise were significantly associated with lower mental health burden.

In fact, exercise is one of the most commonly recommended therapies for both healthy people and those with underlying disease. Some have even argued that exercise has such a prominent effect on physiological changes in the body that it should be treated as a drug, with attention paid to dosing and variation among individuals. Exercise can improve life expectancy by reducing the risk of harmful health conditions like coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and breast and colon cancers.

So, what can happen when regular exercise becomes difficult to achieve? Dr. Justin Crane, professor and eponymous researcher of the Crane Lab at Northeastern, has some insight on the physiological changes that occur when regular exercise is stopped. The Crane Lab is a translational biology lab that focuses on cellular metabolism, aging, and degeneration.

“The first things to decline,” he notes, “are the fitness of the cardiovascular system and skeletal muscles, as these are very flexible metabolic systems. In circulation, your body has adapted to exercise such that you have a higher volume of blood and your heart pumps this more forcefully. Additionally, your muscles are rich in mitochondria and other metabolic enzymes and are highly vascularized.

“When you suddenly detrain your body and stop exercising, your blood volume starts to become reduced, and you start to lose the density of mitochondria in your muscles. The same issues happen on a faster timescale when astronauts go to space, or patients become bedridden. In both cases, there is a rapid increase in muscle atrophy and a drop in cardiovascular fitness.”

This sounds alarming, but it is not an inevitability. Dr. Crane defines exercise as “moderate to vigorous physical activity,” where there is at least modest sweating and heavier breathing. This is more difficult to achieve in quarantine, but it is not impossible — the human body is flexible and responds to the changes it is given. This is not to say that exercise is the cure for all physical and mental health conditions, and exercise should not be used as an excuse to avoid social distancing. If you’re tired of crocheting, though, and your sourdough didn’t come out the way you wanted, try yoga. Or pilates, Xtend Barre, or do 100 jumping jacks in your living room pretending you’re in a movie training montage. The most important thing is that you get up and be active for some part of the day. Regular exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your body, and its benefits will last well beyond the point when society’s doors can finally reopen.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2012). DOI:10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.01970.x Lancet Psychiatry (2018). DOI:10.1016/s2215-0366(18)30227-x The Lancet (2012). DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61031-9

Psychology I 5 A Promising Connection Between

Dementia

BY EMMA TAKIZAWA, BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE, 2021

and Meditation

DESIGN BY KAI GRAVEL-PUCILLO, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, 2022

With an estimated 50 million people living with dementia around the world, the recent connection between dementia and meditation shows promise for using mindfulness as an effective practice to delay brain and cognitive changes. Current studies are exploring the benefits of instilling this practice for patients with an early form of dementia called mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, which is characterized by the death of brain cells and loss of brain tissue. One of the cellular pathologies associated with Alzheimer’s is the formation of amyloid beta plaques, preventing communication between neurons and ultimately leading to cell death. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease have trouble memorizing, thinking, multitasking, and making judgements and decisions. However, most of the current meditation studies only include participants with mild cognitive impairment or subjective cognitive decline (SCD). These diseases are considered precursors for dementia and are characterized by milder symptoms including forgetfulness and judgement impairment beyond that of normal aging.

Mindfulness meditation is the practice of focusing an individual’s attention on a single target, such as the breath or a sound in the environment. Anytime their attention drifts away, they gently refocus it back to the target. Two innovative pilot studies show the promise of meditation in delaying the loss of cognitive abilities in patients with cognitive decline.

In 2013, a study by Dr. Rebecca Wells et al. at Harvard Medical School recruited participants with MCI and observed how mindfulness affected the connections and overall health of the brain. In comparison to the control group, meditation participants showed increased neural pathways between the hippocampus, a brain structure important for memory, and the default mode network, a collection of brain regions involved in self-thought. Additionally, participants that meditated displayed less brain tissue loss compared to the control group. Although this was a preliminary study, it shows promising results that for patients with MCI, meditation has the potential to preserve tissue density and strengthen connectivity in regions important for memory and cognitive processing.

A follow up study by Wells et al. compared the cognitive functioning of the participants with MCI before and after meditation. The participants who underwent meditation displayed improved cognitive test scores whereas the control group’s scores worsened. Meditation participants also reported subjective improvements in well-being and decreased stress response. These findings suggest that meditation may delay onset of cognitive decline as well as improve the wellbeing of patients with MCI.

In 2018, a study at West Virginia University recruited participants with SCD, where they attended a music listening class or a meditation class. Their cognitive functioning and blood biomarkers for cellular aging were measured before and after the intervention. One of the biomarkers evaluated was their amyloid beta level, which is positively associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Contrary to the previous study by Wells et al., both groups showed improvement in their memory performances on tests in this study. However, the meditation group showed greater improvements in well-being. This suggests that meditation can be implemented into someone’s routine for the low-risk potential of improved cognitive functioning and well-being. For the meditation group, researchers found that higher amyloid beta levels in the blood after the intervention class correlated with an improvement in participant’s memory skills. It was suggested that higher levels of amyloid beta in the blood meant more plaques were cleared from the brain, reducing neuronal death. This finding shows that meditation may somehow alleviate amyloid-beta burden in the brain, which is linked to improvements in cognition. Subsequent research is now being conducted in order to further examine the association between blood biomarkers, cognitive function, and meditation.

Because of the novelty of this research, researchers cannot conclusively say that meditation delays the process of cognitive decline, but the findings so far provide evidence that it may be able to make neural changes to the brain and improve cognitive ability for those with MCI. Because of some inconsistencies, follow up research is needed, but given the lack of success in finding treatments and preventative measures for dementia, meditation may be a worthwhile alternative for people with cognitive impairment.

J Am Geriatr Soc (2013). DOI: A10.1111/jgs.12179 Neurosci Lett (2013). DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.10.001 J Alzheimers Dis (2018). DOI: 10.3233/JAD-180164

PHOTOS BY PIXABAY

6 I Psychology Self-care and skincare: The importance of routine BY EMMA TUSUZIAN, PSYCHOLOGY, 2023 DESIGN BY KRISTI BUI, COMPUTER SCIENCE, 2021

Where physical health concerns spread, a mental health pandemic followed. There is no question that COVID-19 has shaken most of the world, pausing life as people know it in the face of an uncertain future. The new quarantined reality quickly revealed the psychological impacts of self-isolation and disruption of routine. Mental health has become increasingly relevant as every person faces major changes, challenging them to rebuild peaceful mental spaces from scratch. Finding a new rhythm of life during a time of disruption has been a journey that truly highlights the importance of self-care. Often overlooked, self-care is the purposeful nurturing of an individual’s mental, emotional, and physical health. It is meant to refuel people with small, planned successes defined only by themselves for themselves. Intentionally taking care of oneself is always important, but self-care has become especially valuable for those facing extra challenges to their mental health in quarantine.

If readily practiced, taking self-care pauses can be empowering and comforting amid stress. Normalizing these small changes within daily life can help ground people in continuous proactivity and even uplift entire communities. Research suggests U.S. medical students who report engaging in a range of self-care activities may be more successful in lessening the impacts of stress on quality of life. However, current investigation indicates that students continue to “encounter stigma, time constraints, and other barriers” that often stand in the way of seeking needed support, according to a 2018 study published in the BMC Medical Education Journal. Minimizing these barriers is extremely important to regularly process life stressors in a healthier, planned fashion.

The pandemic is an extreme example of the importance of checking in with one another and speaking openly about mental health. Selfcare is not selfish, but rather necessary and often misunderstood. Many people have different ways of addressing the stressors of daily life, but widespread conversation about self-care can encourage building healthier and more meaningful habits. The benefits of self-care extend beyond behavioral and emotional, evidently found within physical brain function as well. Studies on mindfulness reveal that the practice of self-care can “reduce activity in the amygdala, the brain region responsible for the fightor-flight response,” according to David Creswell, director of the Health and Human Performance Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University. People must take care of themselves in order to take care of others, so speaking openly about activities that help people feel more present can make a difference.

The sudden disruption of routine within quarantine has also highlighted its importance to mental health. Research indicates that routine is not only crucial during quarantine, but may also be significant in building a meaningful life. Engaging in a routine may help a person connect with overarching circumstances and better understand relationships with one’s environment. It can foster a sense of meaning and purpose in one’s life. When routines vanished under quarantine, people naturally found new rhythms to live by. It is evident that routines create structure and help make life more understandable with consistent connections.

One popular mode of self-care is skincare. A skincare routine allows for a truly personalized experience that emphasizes individual needs and overall well-being. It offers small pauses of time with oneself to focus on continuous, routine improvement. A key to building a healthy routine is ensuring the activity does not cause stress to execute, which contributes to the subjectivity and individualization of self-care. Skincare is “a form of self-love, self-acceptance, and healing,” said psychotherapist Zakiyyah Abdul-Mateen in a recent InStyle article. “Using skin-to-skin contact, fingers to face, allows the blood to flow while also allowing the muscles in the face to relax,” thus allowing for an experience separate from broader agendas or pressures.

No matter the outcome of the products, developing a routine alone gains traction for larger change and progress. Deciding to cleanse every night or glide on sunscreen every morning can motivate the meal planning that was put aside and eventually help organize upcoming weeks. The benefits of routine skincare for mental health is even becoming relevant within research, as the FDA asks pharmaceutical companies to include quality of life (QoL) scores in dermatology clinical trials. Improvements in quality of life are in many ways just as important as improvements in skin. Such lasting, impactful outcomes of developing a routine of self-care altogether makes it truly valuable for bringing life positive change, added meaning, and self-love.

Regardless of what self-care means for each individual, taking the time to practice it regularly can strengthen mental health and ease daily stressors. It boosts self-confidence and is a reminder to oneself and others that personal needs are important. Real self-care involves finding small ways to improve without self-criticism for failing to meet expectations. With the added pressures of protecting oneself and others from the spread, it is especially important to maintain personal mental health and availability before supporting the same in others. In the context of a global pandemic, rebuilding a meaningful routine helped people persevere. Implementing selfcare, whether it be seeing a therapist, taking a walk, trying a new hobby, or talking to a friend, is necessary in a fast-paced society. There is still work to be done regarding accessibility in the United States, but mental health has a hopeful future as conversations surrounding it continue to be encouraged. Experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the universal need for meaning and self-love on a global scale.

BMC Medical Education (2018). DOI: 10.1186/s12909-018-1296-x Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2018). DOI: 10.1177/0146167218795133 Frontiers in Psychology (2019). DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02452

Work, reward, and equity: Productivity in the age of quarantine

BY CRISTIAN PIRANEQUE, BIOENGINEERING, 2022

In the age of quarantine, it can easily seem as if nothing can be controlled. The systems and routines that we had developed for ourselves disintegrated within a few days as social safety regulations were implemented. While trying to restore a sense of normalcy to our lives, many have attempted to become more productive with this new surplus of time.

However, in a culture where staying busy is a virtue, the abundance of time for those able to stay home has created the potential for adopting obsessive productivity. One can view the necessary work to be done as a means of escape — a way to cope with the growing uncertainty around us. Whether it be family members at risk, rising fears over the future economy, or uncertainty over how to handle dayto-day finances, there are many factors that can contribute to stress. It is not surprising that many people have used productive behaviors as a safety blanket, since the system of earning rewards for completing work is the backbone of student life and employment in the workforce. Usually, reward takes the form of money, including bonuses offered to employees or scholarships given to students.

While money is widely used as a motivator for behavior, a 2007 study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Science argues that fairness and equity are also important

DESIGN BY KRISTI BUI, COMPUTER SCIENCE, 2021

in behavior modification. One experiment from this study offered participants $2 out of $4 versus $2 out of $10, with the purpose of testing whether participants reported higher happiness ratings with the fair offer in comparison to the unfair offer, although the monetary value was the same. Indeed, the more “fair” option prompted both higher happiness ratings and higher association with reward centers in the brain. Therefore, individuals generally value not only a reward, but the fair distribution of a reward.

But as our workdays and schooldays cease to be normal, some have turned to create their own systems to generate their own fair reward. For example, time spent learning how to bake bread provides the baker with the fair reward of homemade bread. The COVID-19 pandemic has made normal interdependence in work and academic study all that much more important, and all that much more straining. Some have turned to personal productivity to regain a sense of control — an illusion upheld by launching personal projects and at-home workout regimens. It seems that people believe that they can maintain a level of fair reward for work and productivity. Even if that means small rewards, people have been able to find temporary calm through the occupation of their time with new skills and routines.

Annals of the New York Academy of Science (2007). DOI: 10.1196/annals.1412.001

8 | Psychology The psychology of isolation

A double-edged sword

BY ANANYA IYENGAR, BIOLOGY, 2023 DESIGN BY KAI GRAVEL-PUCILLO, PSYCHOLOGY, 2022

Isolation reveals the human mind at its best ... and its worst. Free from some of the distractions and stressors that harangue them, our minds have the time and space to wander a bit. We might find ourselves lost in thought or daydreaming more often. By lifting that which constrains our cognitive processes to the productive or necessary, we’re letting our minds take a stroll through the metaphorical garden, discovering more about ourselves and life overall. However, severed from the usual social supports they rely on, our minds can feel somewhat lost, adrift in a big sea without the anchors of friends, colleagues, and mentors to keep them in place.

Self-isolating takes a variety of forms, but it often means working from home, taking classes online, and cancelling plans. These may seem like unequivocally negative situations, but reducing the rigidity and density of our daily activities can give us extra free time and space to think. We tend to prioritize work and essential tasks to keep up with everything. This leaves less time for our minds to wander to ideas that are valuable, but perhaps not vital. Rather than the day being governed by a series of obligations, selfquarantining allows us to finish tasks on our own schedules and leaves time for longer lunches, and time to sip coffee and daydream. With that reduced cognitive load, the mind gets a well-needed break, and you can spend time thinking about other things. This can have a freeing effect on the mind, and people have reported feeling less stressed and more relaxed. While missing out on things may be disappointing, we can certainly appreciate that in today’s fast-paced society, sometimes our minds could use some respite. Studies by researchers such as J.L. Singer, who pioneered work on daydreaming, have suggested that daydreaming and letting your mind wander actively creates happiness. Recent research has created four functions of daydreaming, all of which are constructive, including future planning, creativity, attentional cycling, and dishabituation. Giving ourselves more time to let the mind wander can provide cognitive benefits, and self-isolation has certainly given us the chance to embrace daydreaming while stuck at home.

However, the freedoms that self-isolation bring to us come with caveats. We may have less work to do, or less rigidity in our daily lives, but we also have to face working without the helpful distraction of friends nearby or access to our favorite places. Psychologically, human minds thrive when others are around. So, while isolation has freed up more of our thinking space, the circumstances could hinder our ability to be productive. The sharp decrease in external stimuli can actually trigger physiological and psychological changes in humans similar to animals going into hibernation. So, despite having more time to do the things we want to do, our brains can have a hard time doing so.

When taken to the extreme, isolation can have striking impacts on the human psyche. Journalist Sarah Shourd was imprisoned in total isolation for nearly 10,000 hours after accidentally crossing the border between Iraq and Iran in 2009. She began experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations and became detached from reality. Her symptoms only abated when short visits with her imprisoned companions were allotted to her. This type of isolation is more extreme than the self-quarantine most Americans have endured this year, but the way isolation impacts the mind is analogous, even when the severity varies greatly. Clearly, seeing and interacting with people plays a significant role in the health of our cognitive processes.

Humans are social creatures, and it is difficult for us to spend lengthy periods of time completely alone. Though we are not totally cut off from our social circles in the digital age, there is something fundamentally different between getting coffee with a friend and calling them on Zoom from a bedroom. Even if that Zoom call seems like a poor substitute for normal social interactions, the human contact it provides adds diversity to our day and exposes our brains to external stimuli that are vital to maintaining a healthy mental state.

Call your friends, even if just to complain about quarantine or reminisce on happier times — your mind will thank you for it.

Lancet Psychiatry (2018). DOI: 10.1016/s2215- 0366(18)30227-x British Journal of Pharmacology (2012). DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2012.01970.x

The Lancet (2012). DOI: 10.1016/S0140- 6736(12)61031-9