Pi Magazine, Issue 716 - The Mind

november 2016 issue 716

THE MIND What’s in a name?

Seeking help at UCL: a Fresher’s perspective

nomadism in the 21st century

the rise of the post-truth era

the reality behind the online profile

the year abroad: how to survive

politicans and mental health

overheard on campus

mind games: how do we decide what qualifies as a sport?

geniuses of expressionism why do we love reality tv?

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS A (SORT OF) EULOGY TO 2016 2016 - the year the world went mad.

From the deaths of David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman and Leonard Cohen, to name a few, to Brexit and the rise of ‘the big orange one’, 2016 seems to have been nought more than an unkind practical joke. From the rise of ‘the Post-truth era’ to the warmest year in recorded history, we wouldn’t blame anyone who followed through on their urge to gallop down the street bellowing that the end is nigh.

The thing is, too often we see as ourselves as mere observers of the global chaos, mere atoms bobbing around in the big smoke, complaining that the fumes we inhale were excreted from the asses of the elite. This year has seen a sense of global unity, or at the very least Western unity, ripped apart like those smelly old trainers your dog got hold of because you left them lying around. Or perhaps you thought, ‘hey, those trainers have served me well, but I fancy some new ones, some new flashier, cooler ones!’ - so you happily let your dog tear them to shreds, only to realise afterwards that in fact you must now go barefoot to the shops to buy a new pair. What were you thinking? Were you thinking? Probably not. Regret sets in. Your feet get cold. Then you look out the window and realise - hey, you were only following the 2016 trend. It’s not your fault. The whole world is doing it. Why did we invent shoes in the first place? And so, in that frame of mind, you happily leave the house barefooted, skip along to the Nike shop, tread on a rusty nail, get a blood infection, and die a few weeks later, cursing this record-breaking, poll-denying year that made you forget why things like shoes were important in the first place.

We are all a little mad - the best of us more than a little. But when humanity as a collective wants to throw reason out the door because the very people we think we are defeating by doing so told us to, the best thing to do is to sit down and have a cup of tea and think things through. Therefore, we decided to dedicate this last edition of Pi, of what will become the infamous year of 2016, to the mind. We hope that in reading its pages you will remember that not everything is terrible. Emotional decisions are only valid within the realm of love, we decree. In fact, love is something we ardently advocate at this dismal time. Love your friends, love your family, and most importantly, love those strangers you cross for the first and last time every day. Forge connections with people and remember that we are all in this together, and not for very long. In fact, we may only be here until next January, when he who must not be named begins his four-year long battle against his urge to press the big red button. So, let us strive for sanity together, let us cherish our minds in unison and remember: everything is down to our individual choices - the past, the present, and crucially, the future.

We hope you enjoy the magazine!

Beatrix Willimont & Nancy Heath Editors-in-Chief, 2016-17

PI MAGAZINE ISSUE 716 NOVEMBER 2016

CONTENTS COMMENT

p. 4-5: Seeking help at UCL - a Fresher’s perspective p. 6-7: What’s in a name?

FEATURES

p. 8-11: Deconstructing Psychotherapy

POLITICS

p. 12-13: Should politicians open up about mental health? p. 14-15: The Rise of Post-truth Politics

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

p. 16-17: The Thought Experiment p. 18-19: Inside UCL’s Dementia Research Centre

SPORT

p. 20-23: Mind Games

TRAVEL

p. 24-25: The Year Abroad: A Survivor’s Guide p. 26-27: Nomadism: identity and wanderlust

LIFESTYLE

p. 28-31: The reality behind the online profile p. 28: Overheard on campus

MUSE

p. 34-35: ART - The misunderstood geniuses of abstract expressionism p.36-37: MUSIC - Coping with Treble p.38.39: TV - Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality (TV) p.40-41: LITERATURE - ‘I belong to this notebook’

Pi Magazine 716 | comment

Seeking Help:

A Fresher’s Perspective SASHA BAKER reviews UCL’s mental health services from the perspective of a first year

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hough I have never before seen a therapist, I feel confident in saying I experience mental health issues. However, not attending any form of therapy has worked for me so far. The only kind of therapy available on the NHS where I used to live was Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which I never felt was appropriate for the kind of problems I have, as it is a very specific kind of therapy. Therefore, when I arrived at UCL, I was pleased to see that psychotherapy was also on offer.

One of the reasons I avoided therapy for my entire secondary school career is that I have always had a very strong support system in my life. My parents, along with a couple of teachers to whom I am immensely grateful, were always there to help me through many dark times. Dark times concerning school-related anxiety as well my greater (and sometimes crippling) existential angst.

I probably would not have persevered with having therapy at all if not for the fact that I was already committed to writing this article Seeking help doesn’t mean you suffer from serious mental health issues. We all need support sometimes, and admitting it is always for the best. Being a fresher in London can be isolating and tough. I feel a mixture of jealousy and incredulity when I see fully formed groups of friends that have already emerged amongst first year students.

How can people possibly know each other so well and become so close in a matter of weeks? The academic pressure and social isolation combined can be overwhelming for the more reflective, less outgoing and self-assured among us. I imagine there are actually many students who end up seeking some counselling to cope with their transition to university.

At UCL however, it surprises me that student psychological services at first glance seems so inaccessible. On their website, it says that student psychological services are open from 10-4 during the week with a lunch breaks from 1-2, and that they are not available on Wednesday afternoons. As a History student with a grand total of 5-8 contact hours a week, I have plenty of time to get in touch with a therapist if I wish. However, it strikes me as ridiculous that the students with maybe 25 contact hours a week – those who have the most potentially stressful degrees – are very likely completely unable to access these services.

Since I am fortunate enough to sometimes be available when student psychological services are open, and am currently missing the emotional support to which I am accustomed, I decided it might be good for me to see a therapist. This was not an easy decision, having on various occasions vehemently denied needing therapy whilst in a flood of unexplainable tears. The issue was that the process for getting access to student psychological services is rather gruelling. Simply attempting to book an appointment over the phone yielded no results, I was instead asked to fill in a registration form in order to place me with the right person for my first consultation. I don’t wish to be overly dramatic, but the process of filling in the form was emotionally draining, to say the least. When one is asked to list the reasons they want to see a therapist in order of importance, and when it is compulsory to declare whether or not you have had suicidal thoughts, considered or attempted suicide, it can make you perceive the significant but not serious issues you are experiencing seem much more serious that they may be. This in turn can potentially create issues where there previously were none. The questions are strange to answer in writing when you know someone will read them. Having an online questionnaire is sensible but I wonder if it could be a little less severe and arduous. Does anyone actually think about the mental effects of seeking help rather than only the actual help itself?

That said, since filling in the questionnaire everything has actually gone smoothly. Though there was apparently a long waiting list (surprise surprise), student psychological services offered me a 9am appointment – outside of their usual operational hours – which I really appreciated despite having to get up very early. After filling in the questionnaire I realised I probably would not have persevered with having therapy at all if not for the fact that I was already committed to writing this article but I’m very glad I did.

The woman I met with was kind and attentive, she made me feel comfortable when I was nervous, and she ultimately concluded that she should refer me for psychotherapy rather than CBT – which made me really glad. She apologised that there was a waiting list for appointments with an assigned therapist and that it might take a few weeks.

I thought this was somewhat problematic until she then mentioned that if my condition worsened in any way, I should visit and they would make sure that I had the support I needed.

I started out with a fairly negative impression of student psychological services but in the end they actually did exceed my expectations. Filling in the form when I was feeling emotional and vulnerable was unpleasant but it became clear that it was helpful in guiding the discussion in my consultation. My only real criticism is the lack of office hours and the long waiting lists. In an academic environment, where students are exposed to new kinds of perpetual stress, it seems inevitable that mental health issues arise for many among us. There really needs to be more provision to help students to gain access to the services when they need them, as mental health issues, not matter how minor or severe, are extremely time sensitive, and this needs to be recognised more. Also, for students on degrees with packed timetables, how they find time to attend between 10-4pm on only four days of the week beats me. However, what my experience has proven is that once one has gone through the pain of registering, and the waiting, the treatments offered are certainly beneficial.

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Pi Magazine 716 | comment

What’s in a name...?

LEO YUNG discusses the importance of implementing gender pronouns into everyday conversation

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hey’re an ingrained part of everyday life, and yet they easily escape our notice. We use them every time we refer to someone, and yet often we don’t process which ones we use and why. Gender pronouns and gendered terminology permeate our language, and it’s almost a reflex action to fix on one of ‘he’ or ‘she’ to use whenever we first meet somebody, if only because that’s what we’ve been conditioned to do. But sometimes appearances are misleading, and we assume someone’s gender wrongly.

der dysphoria – the distress felt by someone when their gender identity does not match the sex or gender they were assigned at birth – often results from and is worsened when they feel their body doesn’t represent their gender identity, and causes them to be mistaken as their assigned gender, someone else using their preferred pronoun can make a world of difference to them. It allows a trans person to feel like they are being recognised as their correct gender, and correspondingly helps them feel more relaxed in social situations.

if a friend does come out to you, don’t worry! They are still very much the same person

UCL’s LGBT+ Network is currently running a gender pronouns campaign, as well as the ‘They for Them’ movement to encourage greater acceptance and understanding of non-binary people and other individuals who prefer non-gendered pronouns. The campaign also seeks to make it easier for people to introduce themselves with their preferred pronoun, so that people can say, ‘Hi, my name is ____ and my pronoun is ___’ without it seeming unusual or being a conversation-stopper. The university debating circuit has a similar practice, where in competitive debating, everyone is expected to mention their preferred pronouns before beginning a debate. As such, trans or gender variant individuals do not have to pipe up and draw attention to themselves in order to have the room address them by their desired pronoun. This has been im-

Does it matter if we misgender someone?

Certainly, because gender pronouns represent the very epitome of you and the gender you wish to be recognised as. For most people, it might not be a big issue. For trans individuals, however, being referred to by the correct gender pronoun is vital to their sense of identity and self-esteem, especially if they have been struggling to transition and present as their real gender. Since gen-

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plemented fairly smoothly at most competitions, and an appointed ‘Equity Officer’ is always on hand to ensure that people of all genders feel comfortable and included.

While it has been suggested that ‘they’ be used as a universal pronoun, it can cause discomfort for transgender men and women who have tried for long to be accepted as their gender and who may feel that ‘they’ implies that they haven’t truly been able to present or been recognised as ‘he’ or ‘she’.

Additionally, some people prefer alternative gender-neutral pronouns such as ze, and it would be disrespectful to insist on calling these individuals ‘they’.

If you’re meeting someone for the first time, or a friend has come out without specifically stating their gender identity and you aren’t sure what pronoun(s) to use, just ask! Trans individuals are more likely to be pleased that you care and you’re willing to take the first step, rather than be offended. In any case, asking first is less likely to cause awkwardness than tiptoeing around the issue or accidentally misgendering your acquaintance. It also helps if you’re around a genderqueer or genderfluid person who might use different pronouns and different times, just to make sure you’re on the same page.

comment | Pi Magazine 716

And if a friend does come out to you, don’t worry! They are still very much the same person, and all you need to do is remember their preferred name and pronoun. It does take time to adjust, and they will probably be quite forgiving if you accidentally misname or misgender them. Just bear in mind that apologising excessively may make things more awkward, and sometimes they might not correct you not because they’re okay with it, but they don’t want to be seen as making a fuss. After all, if we can remember that Christopher Wallace went

by Biggie, Biggie Smalls and the Notorious B.I.G. it shouldn’t be the hardest thing in the world to remember what name your friend goes by now.

if you wouldn’t ask the same questions about anyone else’s personal life, identity or relationships, you should probably avoid asking at all

Unless you’re very close to the person who’s just come out and/or have asked them if they’re okay with talking about it, it’s probably not appropriate to ask them about how they figured out they were trans, if they feel sure about being trans, or if they’ve come out to other people. Coming out can be an incredibly harrowing process and a trans individual is likely very anxious to feel accepted immediately after coming out, especially in the face of a lot of prejudice. A question such as ‘How did you know you were trans?’, though meant well, might increase their anxiety and make them feel as though their identity is being called in question. The rule of thumb is not that you have to tiptoe around a trans person, but rather that if you wouldn’t ask the same questions about anyone else’s personal life, identity or relationships, you should probably avoid asking at all.

Above all, it’s important to remember that as important as gender is, it doesn’t necessarily shape someone’s personality. And it’s the small things that count – you can make someone’s day a lot better just by using the right pronoun. Like all other habits, it’s just a matter of taking the first step – and isn’t there always a first time for everything?

(NB: For the sake of convenience, the author will be using the term ‘trans’ to describe individuals who are transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, third gender and/or have a gender identity distinct from their assigned gender. Additionally, while the author is transgender, his opinion does not represent the opinion of trans people or the trans community.)

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pi magazine 716 | features

DECONSTRUCTING PSYCHOTHERAPY F. Skinner’s Behaviourism was concerned omises this important step towards a therwith the analysis of behaviour and learning apy made for the individual rather than or physiological processes through conditioning (most re- society as a whole.causes, like any physical sychological treatments and mental illness and thus curable through similar membered in Pavlov’s experiment with his health have historically had both of the mind outside one’s control, tomedication. which dogs – negative the food the rein-andModern trendsIn many cases, addictive opiand the positive connotations. the origins forbell; mostand complaints oids, harmful hormonal treatments and forcement or punishment ofofone behaviour As the Mental Health Foundation notes, and symptoms mental issues could fi-physical ‘cures’, including shock other in order to or decrease its frequenIn the of 21st century, psychology has moved around 1 increase in 5 people worldwide suffer nally be traced, changing the perception therapy, were employed, with many such cy). themental other hand, cognitive therapy on from of these debates on treatfromOn daily mental health issues, but seekhealth. Through Psychoanalysis, no manytreatments psychotropic continuing into similarly dealt with processes learning ment towards an approach that is varied ing mental health support is stillof sometimes longer were mental health problems theroot20th century. and unlearning, but with a bigger focus on and depends on the individual.

It has invarapproached with disbelief and doesn’t reed in organic dysfunctions, but in a chaotic thoughts and Bothdespite are goal-oriiably been concerned with the human psyceive adequate attention many andcognition. obscure apparatus – the dynamics of other Amongst ideas, its Wundt looked at the ented typesthe of therapy, as opposed to psyche and, accordingly, health.

As mental high-profile campaigns to change attitudes. psyche became more complex mind and the and consciousness in an individualchoanalytic or of psychodynamic therapy, However, ideas treatment are often skirt- health issues have become more accepted solutions reinterpreted. istic manner, and been used aconcepts such as which are Freudian lengthier, sometimes intensive in society shift away from ed around and surrounded by many mis-its share theory has received of thereinhas introspection psychological experimenprocesses that can go on for years. the discourses of ‘perfect solutions’ toconceptions, it can seem unapproachable. criticism, but it should be kept in mind that whereas James examined topics tation; wards much more divergent approaches.

This is not atrue at all: therapy is for different theory originating inmeant an entirely as emotions and mental perception.

The major to differences, however, emerged everyone, help deal withbeeverything.

It such zeitgeist cannot taken without a grain One prominent characteristic of this psycholoin Behaviourist theraA useful metaphor to understand modcanapproaches. be aimed atWhile many different issues and of salt.

Despite this, Freud is not the only gy in the later part of the 19th century was py was popular and focused on rewarding ern change is that of the way doctors may people in name different situations.

This artiof significance in the modern it histoconnections with physiology (Wundt desirable behavioural patterns and punishtreat patients.

Modern mental health treatcle will walk through the development of ry of therapy. Carl Jung (who incorporated and James, asaround well asthe many others, were ing undesirable into extinction itideas, did and ment revolves understanding of psychology fromones its of roots to modern elements spirituality, religion, innograduated physicians).

Nevertheless, their not regard internal mental processes or causes rather than symptoms.

Though the focusing on how attitudes and treatments vative personality concepts into his theo- laid solid foundations for later findings examine the psychical apparatus usage of anti-depressions and other medihave been transformed. ry), Jacques Lacan (whowith usedthe and critiqued developments in psychology. in most same attention that has been expended by cal drugs are used to reduce theAs immediate many Freudian ideas and influenced fields sciences,the no process movement, discovery, or thepsychoanalysts – the concepts of mind and danger, of understanding the such as linguistics and post-structuralism), ory in of psychology has existed in isolated. psyche, for and example, do not matter here as issues mental health have been much Melanie Klein (a main influencer in the rise of psychology, these were Prior to much as behavioural patterns. In contrast broader.

Yet, mental health issues are not English Psychoanalysis and child psycholall dominant approaches, however a more Humanisticogy) therapies, concerned with an uniform treatments require a all provided necessary critiques to and these multi-faceted approach to dealing with individual’s experience and emotions, fonuanced approach.

Throughout all the deDrugs and Experimental Psychology original ideas of Psychoanalysis and con-health issues has now developed. mental cused on individuality and its subjectivity. velopments, theories and viewpoints we’ve tributed towards interdisciplinary ap- Psychoanalysis Freudian Most the ‘Person-Centred examined here, the human subject can reMentalprominently health has been considered in many proach to mental health.

Approach’ developed Carl Rogers epitdifferent ways acrossbythe centuries: as a ceive attention to mental health problems medical and biological conditions, demonThe 20th century welcomed a myriad of ic possession, corruptionincluding of the spirit. neworapproaches cognitive psyBefore psychology wasBehaviorism. established as chology and Onan one hand, B. academic discipline in the 19th century, concepts such as psychology, the mind, the psyche, and the subject were discussed as part of the collective imaginary. The late 19th century saw a rise in interest in experimental psychology and attempts to turn the study of the mind into an empirical science.

Experimental psychologists of this period – such as Wilhelm Wundt and William James – are typically considered precursors As psychology made its way into laboratories and universities as an empirical science, of modern psychology. interest rapidly grew. Toward the turn of Psychotropic medications were prescribed the century, psychology underwent a revfor all kinds of mental distresses in the 19th olution led by none other than Sigmund century including depression, psychosis, Freud. However out-dated and clichéd it anxiety, etc. It was thought that such dis- may appear today, his contributions were orders were caused mainly by hormonal undeniably essential to the development of

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therapy is for everyone

As psychology made its way into laboratories and universities as an empirical science, interest rapidly grew

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pi magazine 716 | features

Luna Campos examines how our understanding of mental health and its treatment has transformed over the centuries

in different ways. Looking at the individual subjectively and respecting the complex psychotherapy we –know it. of Freud, and dynamics of the as mind instead reducing successors,processes helped or reshape theviews way ithis to biological to broad theso-called western insanity world understood treated of or hysteriaand – are immental ailments across the 20th century. perative in psychology. This is something we are still learning.

Freud did not invent psychotherapy. Treatments of the sort were used by psychiatrists throughout and before the 19th century in asylums in western Europe and the United States. But the reality was far harsher than the ideal: mental asylums were often negligent and used cruel treatments to fix socalled insanity. Even ‘therapeutic’ practices would disregard concepts such as subjectivity and personal history – concepts central to the Freudian approach. Michel Foucault argued that such institutions were a method of ‘hygienisation’ of those believed to be mad by removing them from society. However, there were very few places where medical care and therapeutic treatment could be sought. A rise in criticism towards psychiatric institutions’ methods provides an example of the way in which attitudes towards mental health started to change and were reshaped in the late 20th century.

Freud’s role in this shift is critical. He and Josef Breuer, when developing the psychoanalytic method, proposed the concept of the ‘talking cure’ as the main ingredient in therapy. Freud recollected how his method was perfected and changed to best delve into the unconscious mind. Breuer (who first used this method for the ‘talking cure’) believed that via hypnosis and catharsis the subject could recall a trauma and identify with its causes and emotions – and recognising it would then lead to its cure. However, these methods were abandoned for not being able to long lasting, positive results. Thus, a method of free association was crafted instead, a technique still used in psychoanalytic therapies today in which the patient focuses on whatever is on their mind at present, bringing censored unconscious elements to the surface of the patient’s mind, which can then be worked through. The main idea in this approach is that patients will freely express

their thoughts and emotions to deeper understood ideas or memories they may have repressed.

Freud was unequivocal in his affirmation that his ‘discovery’ was the “third narcissistic wound” in the history of humanity However, while there are more nuances to this technique, the notions of the unconscious mind and the Id were still clearly revolutionary in Freud’s approach. His theory revolved largely around his different triads of the mind – the Id, Ego, and Superego; and the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. This was the turning point in psychology’s history in the 20th century. Freud did not discover the unconscious per se – the concept had already been used and cited by philosophers and theorists before him. Yet, Freud was unequivocal in his affirmation that his ‘discovery’ was the “third narcissistic wound” in the history of humanity, after Copernicus and Darwin (thanks to whom the earth was no longer the centre of the solar system, nor humans the centre of evolutionary history respectively). His own contribution with the “third narcissistic wound” was to demonstrate, with the “discovery of the unconscious”, that an individual is not their own master.

Beyond Freud into the 20th century?

Since then, critics of Freud have reconsidered many of his theories and perspectives.

In the 21st century, concepts of Freud’s are still used, ideas of subjectivity and psychodynamics, but have been adapted it fit a modern methods and audience. Certain

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pi magazine 716 | features

concepts of Freud’s of course have become obsolete, such as penis envy and ideas of the heteronormative. Gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and other elements have therefore shaped psychology and been incorporated into current ideas of psychoanalysis. Yet, the power and truths in some of Freud’s arguments should not be overlooked. The idea that there is a part of the mind outside of one’s control, where most symptoms of mental health issues originate from changed the perception of mental health and has shaped ideas up to today.

After psychoanalysis became more accepted, mental health problems became less mysterious and misunderstood – people realised that the dynamics of the psyche were more complex than previously thought and old solutions were reconsidered.

Freudian theory has received its share of criticism, but it should be kept in mind that a theory originating in an entirely different zeitgeist and period cannot be taken without a grain of salt and the fact that any of Freud’s ideas can be applied today is unprecedented. However, of course Freud is not the only name of significance in the history of therapy. Carl Jung (who incorporated elements of spirituality, religion, and innovative personality concepts into his theory), Jacques Lacan (who used

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and critiqued many Freudian ideas and influenced fields such as linguistics and post-structuralism), and Melanie Klein (a main influencer in English psychoanalysis and child psychology) all provided necessary critiques to the original ideas of psychoanalysis and contributed towards its development, helping to create more interdisciplinary approaches to mental health.

The 20th century welcomed a myriad of new approaches including things like cognitive psychology and behaviorism.

Behaviourism, created by B. F. Skinner’s, was concerned with the analysis of behaviour and learning processes through conditioning (most remembered in Pavlov’s experiment with his dogs – the food and the bell; and the reinforcement or punishment of one behaviour in order to increase or decrease its frequency). Cognitive therapy similarly dealt with processes of learning and unlearning, but with a bigger focus on thoughts and cognition. Both are goal-oriented types of therapy, as opposed to the psychoanalytic or psychodynamic traditional Freudian therapies, which are lengthier, sometimes intensive processes that can go on for years.

The major differences, however, emerged in approaches. While behaviourist therapy was popular and focused on rewarding de-

sirable behavioural patterns and punishing undesirable ones into extinction it did not regard internal mental processes or examine the psychical apparatus with the same attention that psychoanalysis does – the concepts of mind and psyche, for example, do not matter here as much as behavioural patterns.

As mental health issues have become more accepted and less clouded in confusion and stigma in society there has been a shift away from the discourses of ‘perfect solutions’ towards much more divergent, progressive approaches.

pi magazine 716 | features

In contrast, it was humanistic therapies that were concerned with an individual’s experience and emotions. These theories focused on individuality and subjectivity.

Most prominently the ‘Person-Centred Approach’ was developed by Carl Rogers, and this epitomises this important step towards a therapy made personally for the individual rather than one approach to fit society as a whole.

Modern trends In the 21st century, psychology has moved on from many of these debates on treatment towards a varied, nuanced approach shaped around the individual. It has invariably been concerned with the human psyche and, accordingly, its health. As mental health issues have become more accepted and less clouded in confusion and stigma in society there has been a shift away from the discourses of ‘perfect solutions’ towards much more divergent, progressive approaches.

A useful metaphor to understand this modern change is how doctors treat patients.

Modern mental health treatment revolves around understanding causes rather than tracing symptoms. Although anti-depressions and other medicinal drugs are used

to reduce the immediate danger, the process of understanding the issues of mental health are now much broader and less prescriptive. It is now widely accepted that mental health issues are not uniform and thus any treatments require a nuanced approach.

Looking at the individual subjectively, and respecting the complex dynamics of the mind – instead of reducing it to biological processes or to broad, stigmatising views – are both imperative in modern approaches to psychology

mental health problems in different ways.

Looking at the individual subjectively, and respecting the complex dynamics of the mind – instead of reducing it to biological processes or to broad, stigmatising views – are both imperative in modern approaches to psychology. Psychology and psychotherapy have come a long way and still has a way to go but this need for constant development and individualisation is now accepted: approaches to understanding and helping the psyche are things we are still learning and developing.

Throughout all of these developments, theories, and viewpoints, people have obviously received attention and reaction to

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pi magazine 716 | politics

Should more MPs open up about mental health?

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n 2008, a confidential survey showed that 1 in 5 MPs had suffered mental health issues in the past – a statistic markedly similar to the wider figure of 1 in 4 among the general public. But the fact is that as accurate as this figure may be, we don’t know who these people are. The 1 in 5 – roughly 130 elected officials are faceless. That is unfortunate.

While issues to do with mental health are becoming more openly discussed, there are still far too many people who feel it is something to be ashamed of and to help them, we need relatable role models to enforce positive messages rather than ones of fear, stigma, or silence. I believe that MP’s can occupy this role.

On the 14th June, 2012, a remarkable event occurred in the House of Commons, one that’s still worth discussing four years later.

On this day, four MPs spoke openly about their mental health issues, and how important this problem is to the country at large.

Kevan Jones, a Labour MP, gave an emotional speech in which he highlighted the issues MP’s face with this disclosure. While actors tend to attract sympathy for these revelations, people working in Parliament most generally do not – after all, every five years a large proportion of the public decide whether these people should keep their jobs. Who’d want to disclose a history of mental illness in the Commons – a toxic hive of theatrical insults, shouting and degradation? So a speech that should have focused markedly on mental health spent a good deal of time

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explaining the possible detriments of the decision to disclose said medical information. Indeed, Mr Jones hinted himself that his career could be “blighted” by the speech.

Millennials tend to be far more prepared to discuss mental health, but millennials also have a tendency not to vote.

Kevan Jones’ statement made me question whether our politicians need to be ‘tough’.

The answer is complicated. Although politics has moved on, and positive stances on mental health are often used as canvassing opportunities for parties, a large part of society has not followed suit. The Commons, for one, is still very ‘masculine’ (less than a third of MPs are female), and it is often men who struggle most with openly discussing their mental health. Furthermore, a significant portion of the electorate still holds ‘traditional’ values that discourage talking about mental health, believing it to be something to be ashamed of, or worse, non-existent. Millennials tend to be far more prepared to discuss mental health, but millennials also have a tendency not to vote. So politicians like Mr. Jones are led to the lion’s den. Yet the reception to his speech was warm, considerate, and in praise. To me this shows that the Commons is prepared to answer sensitive questions in a sensitive manner – and, if it continues to do so, we will gain valuable ground in battling this damaging stigma.

An energetic Charles Walker, a Tory MP, followed up with a humorous speech about his OCD. Good-natured laughs and admiration followed throughout, showing that the

politics | pi magazine 716

James Witherspoon discusses the benefits of MPs talking openly about their mental health

Commons can handle adult conversation now and then. But what Walker did particularly well was to explain the realities of his situation. He stated how his OCD makes him do everything four times; how he frequently has ridiculous thoughts; and told a heart-breaking story about the time he took a photo of his boy, and then had to destroy it as his mind told him he would die if he did otherwise. His openness, in the heart of Parliament, gave hope and a helping hand to sufferers of mental health problems.

With MP’s openly discussing the realities of these issues, the benefits are twofold.

Firstly, people with illness are told that they’re not alone. For leading political figures to talk openly about their own mental health helps legitimise it as an issue. Secondly, mental health is propagated as an important area for more funding and attention– causing no end of benefit to the 1 in 4 people. It seems to make logical sense for more MPs to talk about their experiences with mental health: if it is to benefit the nation, then it is surely worth doing.

Knowing serious public figures have suffered the same problems can help people Sarah Wollaston gave a stirring speech on Post-Natal Depression. By doing so, once again, she highlighted the tragic reality of mental health by showing that even when she ‘should’ have been at her happiest with a new-born child, she was going through the process of considering suicide.

Such issues are important to get out there.

Knowing that serious public figures have suffered through the same problems, and moved past them, can help people who are suffering through the same issues. I seri-

ously believe that if more of these experiences are shared in parliament, then the situation of mental health in the UK can change for the better.

Only good can come of more MPs speaking publically about their mental health Andrea Leadsom, who challenged Theresa May for leadership of the Conservative Party in the summer, has also discussed the issue and has been known for pushing legislation such as the Mental Health (discrimination) Bill which would put an end to a series of discriminatory laws including one which prevented people with certain types of mental health problems from becoming Company Directors.

However, that’s 4 people. Where are the other 126? 4 years have passed and there’s not an equitable storyline to appear on the Google search of ‘MP’s mental health’. It’s disheartening: only good can come of more MPs speaking publically about their mental health. But it’s understandable. Mental health issues are intensely personal, and it takes great bravery to discuss them on one of the most public stages in the country. But we must hope that more choose to discuss it publically. With upfront clarity we can have a more in-depth discussion, solve more problems, and make life better for the huge number in society who still feel like they have to suffer in silence.

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pi magazine 716| politics

Post-Truth Politics F

rom the Profumo Affair and Suez in the post-WWII to the Lewinsky Scandal and the Iraq Dossier in the 21st century scandal upon scandal has eroded faith in the political classes. In the United Kingdom, this reached a zenith in the 2009 expenses crisis. In the wake of a global economic recession and cuts to public services, MPs’ use of tax-payers’ money for unoccupied second homes – and duck-houses – painted parliament as out of touch and elitist. Subsequent elections have seen a rise in support for minority populist parties.

UKIP’s growth and the Brexit referendum are in many ways a protest vote against mainstream politicians. On the other side of the Atlantic, Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign reflected a similar trend: chants of ‘lock her up’ at his rallies indict an entire political class perceived as corrupt. Hillary Clinton herself became a symbol of this despised establishment.

This protest against politicians has grown alongside a form of ‘Post-Truth Politics’.

Coined in the post-9/11 era, this initially referred to George Bush’s hyperbolic ‘War on Terror’ and the claims of weap-

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ons of mass destruction used to justify the Iraq War. Politicians have always lied and twisted the truth to suit their own agendas.

Yet the theory of post-truth follows that policy and information no longer matter, replaced entirely by hyperbolic, emotional appeals. Slogans are prized over fact.

the Daily Mail’s depiction of Remain voters as a ‘metropolitan elite’ Allowed Brexit to become tied with a form of protest against the political class.

The past year has seen this taken to a new extreme. Prominent Brexit campaigner Michael Gove claimed that Britain has ‘had enough of experts’ and by extension, fact.

Within hours of winning the Brexit vote, the Leave campaign had begun to backtrack on their claims. After months of pa-

rading around on buses emblazoned with a promise of £350 million extra for the NHS, they confessed that it was made up. Within a week of winning the Presidential election, Donald Trump had already backtracked on a handful of his ‘campaign promises’.

The rhetoric of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, continuing in the tradition of the Tea-Party wing of the Republican party, was similarly built on a foundation of inaccurate hyperbole. Despicable racially charged statements about Mexican ‘rapists’ and the assertion that America’s inner-cities are ‘living in hell’ revealed a candidate content to rely on outright lies. Politifact, a US fact-checking organisation, found that 70% of Trump’s statements in his campaign were basically untrue. In comparison, just 26% of both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s claims were found false. Yet, Trump’s voter base, largely formed of white American’s without college education, persisted in supporting him, even when he questioned the legitimacy of democracy itself.

It would be a mistake to believe this trend is found only within the right wing. In the 1960s and 70s, a widespread coalition of activists in the US campaigned against

politics | Pi magazine 716

NIALL adams explores voters’ disaffection with the political class the Vietnam War, directly challenging both Democratic and Republican leaders.

More recently, the election of Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders’ campaign grew from liberals’ distrust of New Labour and Hillary Clinton. The international Occupy movement and more recently Momentum in the UK have both acted as populist anti-establishment, left-wing campaigns.

Across the political spectrum, voters and activists have had enough. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Governments across the world have always, justifiably, been open to scepticism and public opposition. The simple right to vote was once restricted to an elite minority of society.

It was movements like the Chartists and Suffragettes, opposing established political norms, which opened the vote to the public.

Even further back the American Revolution (1765-83) was a reaction against British rule to create an independent, democratic nation. The continued dominance of the British political establishment was rocked in all cases, as the common people refused to continue being ignored and rose en masse.

Yet anti-establishment movements have always held volatile and dangerous implications. In the 1930s, a wave of elections

across Europe allowed fascist parties to gain power. The Nazi Party’s rise to totalitarian dictatorship began under democratic votes. With the onset of the Great Depression, Germany was economically devastated, leaving a public feeling betrayed by political and business leaders. Hitler’s exploitation of this sentiment, alongside their stoking of the hatred of minority groups, led to a gradual growth in electoral success and eventually dictatorship and world war.

Trump consistently positioned himself as the anti-establishment candidate, citing an international alliance between politicians and the media to silence his campaign.

Rather than the robust policy platforms of a normal election cycle, Trump focused upon attacking the ‘corruption’ and ‘weakness’ of his opponents. Undoubtedly, many of his supporters have been swept along with this narrative: a candidate outside of the Washington bubble becoming a champion for the disaffected. Similarly, the image of Nigel Farage quaffing a pint and the Daily Mail’s depiction of Remain voters as a ‘metropolitan elite’ (all 16 million of them) allowed Brexit to become tied with a form of protest against the political class.

It’s difficult to judge how many of those

who voted for Trump and Brexit genuinely believed the claims of either campaign.

Polls have shown that a minority of Leave voters have since changed their mind, but most still stand by their original vote despite the revelations of false campaign promises. Their concerns about the EU clearly run much deeper than many Remainers would like to believe – to dismiss this vote as a simple protest or a mistake built on lies overlooks why so many feel this way and only strengthens the narrative of an elite class despising the public.

Whether you agree with their viewpoints or not, the supporters of Trump and Brexit genuinely feel abandoned by politics. Parliament and Washington can seem detached, buffeted by waves of scandal, and out of touch.

That both the Trump and Leave campaign, with their spine-chilling rhetoric reminiscent of the 1930s, were successful should send a stark warning to politicians everywhere. To remain complacent and continue to act above the public and behind closed doors will only allow this distrust to fester and remain an opportunity for populist movements to exploit.

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pi magazine 716 | Science & Tech

The Thought Experiment

Tom Rivlin explains how the turing test is influencing research into ai today

E

ven though we rely on our computers to do very human-like tasks like answering questions, setting appointments, plotting routes, and auto-completing sentences, we understand their limits very well. As impressive as their feats are, we know our laptops aren’t really ‘smart’ because they’re not actually ‘thinking’.

But how can we justify this assertion?

How smart really is your smartphone?

In our eyes, smartphones aren’t conscious beings. But what does this even mean? What does it mean for someone or something to be capable of thought?

What does it mean to have a mind, or to be conscious?

Philosophy has struggled with the question of consciousness for millennia. One famous thinker who provided key insights into the issue was none other than Alan Turing, one of the great founders of computer science, who famously helped decrypt Nazi communications using early computers. Turing proposed one of the most famous answers to these philosophical questions in 1950. He called it the imitation game.

Now we know it as the Turing test.

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The Turing test is an experimental concept that, in Turing’s opinion, defined the ability to think. The test is simple: a human must communicate with both a machine subject and a human subject via text. If the machine can successfully convince the tester that it, too, is human, then it has passed the test. Turing assumed humans were thinking beings, and then proposed that anything human-looking enough to pass the test was, essentially, a thinking being too.

if we can emulate and imitate how a human brain works, we can make something that thinks just as well as a human can.

Turing contributed greatly to both the theoretical and applied sides of computer science, but it was his engineering hat that he was wearing most firm-

ly when he designed this test. The key advantage of the test is its usefulness.

It relies only on empirical evidence – information we obtain from the real world. It doesn’t need a detailed definition of what thought and consciousness are (which no one has determined definitively), and it makes no reference to information about the inner workings of the machine, or what it’s made of. Turing essentially proposed that the definition of consciousness should be that on the outside it looks like consciousness.

And so, over the years, we have steadily improved the intelligence of machines, in part driven by the goal of creating one that could pass the Turing test.

As such, much of modern AI research is directed towards so-called natural language processing: in other words, understanding normal human conversation. The reason the likes of Siri and Cortana are so good at answering our questions is because of the decades of research that have gone into teaching computers how to process and parse speech.

Of course, ‘parsing speech’ is some-

Science & Tech | pi magazine 716

thing humans learn to do as toddlers, and this fact brings to light a counter-intuitive principle in AI research: problems which humans find hard, computers find easy, but problems which humans find easy, computers find hard. Computers are great at chess and arithmetic, but to make them better at the creative, open-ended task of talking to people, AI researchers are turning to neural networks – a different kind of imitation game.

Although the ultimate source of consciousness is still unknown, most scientists believe it’s entirely physical: arising solely from interactions between cells that make up your brain, and not from any non-physical, spiritual entity.

What this means is, if we can emulate and imitate how a human brain works, we can make something that thinks just as well as a human can.

As such, neural networks are designed to imitate neurons – human brain cells – and the connections between them.

They then work by ‘learning’ in the same way we learn new things – repetition and practice. When you practice

the piano, the neurons in your brain continuously re-wire themselves until playing is second nature – eventually you hit the right notes automatically.

Neural networks work the same way: they are given an objective and some inputs and then coded to try different combinations of processes, connections and outputs until they reach it. It’s an ‘organic’ form of AI design, so, like with human thought, it doesn’t necessarily behave in ways you can predict or control. But also like with human thought, it can be a powerful tool.

Neural networks are getting more sophisticated all the time, and if you happen to have an advanced language-parsing AI you want to show off, you can enter real-life ‘imitation game’ competitions, like a less aggressive Robot Wars. One example is the Loebner prize, where people can win money for doing the best job of making ‘chatbot’ software give human-like responses.

No one ever actually passes the Turing test by tricking judges into thinking their bots are human (despite media claims to the contrary), but one year a bot called Eugene Goostman did ‘win’ when it excused its bad English and

lack of knowledge by claiming to be a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy. Its creator said the age choice was deliberate: “13 years old is too old to know everything and too young to know nothing.” Not exactly in the spirit of the original test, but the mission goes on.

If a machine does ever end up passing the Turing test, whether thanks to neural nets or some more futuristic means, there would be interesting ethical consequences. If we accept that a machine that passes the test is a thinking machine, then to what extent would this thinking machine have ‘rights’? How would we know what it ‘wants’, and how would we give it that? It sounds like a silly question to ask, but we might be getting to the point where we need to take it seriously. Science fiction has been grappling with these concepts for a century, since the 1920 play by Karel Čapek first coined the term ‘robot’.

Now technology is catching up, and soon we may have to worry about the real-world consequences of Turing’s thought experiment.

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pi magazine 716 | SCIENCE & TECH

A GLIMPSE INSIDE UCL’S DEMENTIA RESEARCH CENTRE

W

hen we think of dementia, the typical example that comes to mind is that of Alzheimer’s disease: a classical picture of memory loss, difficulties with higher cognitive functions such as problem-solving and language, and issues with daily functioning. However, this isn’t all that dementia entails.

In fact, the term refers to a wide range of disorders, no two of which are quite alike.

As of 2015, roughly 850,000 people in the UK were diagnosed with dementia, representing approximately 1.3% of the entire population; predictions show an increase in dementia diagnoses of up to 40% in the next twelve years (Alzheimer’s Society). So what’s being done about it?

“These are such complex diseases - My view is that only by understanding how they work at a mechanistic level can we really design rational treatments” The researchers at UCL’s Dementia Research Centre (DRC) focus on diagnosis, measurement, analysis and treatment of

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dementia. The DRC primarily works with cases of Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Parkinson’s dementia, as well as other less common manifestations of the condition. Each of these types of dementia prove to be both unique and complex, so we contacted both Professor Jason Warren and Dr Martina Bocchetta to learn more about their work at the DRC and their thoughts on the general trends of dementia research.

Professor Warren leads a research group focused on systems neuroscience, which he studies using neuropsychological measures as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional MRI scanning: the group’s aim is to better understand the changes in information processing mechanisms in patients. His ultimate goal, in his own words, is to “link [dementia] symptoms back to proteins.” In dementia, many of the initial low-level changes that occur during the early stages of the disease are related to accumulations and changes of brain proteins, making such research vital to a better understanding of the disease.

This, he explains, is looking more feasible than it ever has before, as different research groups begin to build bridges between parallel studies. However, he does specify that the research into treatment is only at its early stages. “These are such complex diseases… My view is that only by understanding how they work at a mechanistic level

can we really design rational treatments.”

Professor Warren’s research group uses patients’ emotional responses to complex sounds such as speech and music to locate the areas of the brain affected by dementia.

They were also part of the team that suggested that a change in a patient’s sense of humour could be a potential tool for early diagnosis.

symptoms of dementia only become noticeable when the damage is so great that even these ‘emergency protocols’ fail Dr Bocchetta’s research focuses particularly on the genetic form of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a neurodegenerative disease that primarily targets the frontal and temporal areas of the brain and affects control, empathy, behaviour, mood, speech and personality. She explains, “I use magnetic resonance imaging of the brain to characterize the pattern of brain damage in the different genetic forms of the disease, and to identify markers which can be detected before the onset of symptoms.” It is proposed that this will help in tracking the progression of the disease.

PI MAGAZINE 716 | SCIENCE & TECH

shravanti Shankar & Charlotte Holtum investigate how UCL research into an increasingly widespread disease

When asked to suggest strands of current research that show the most promise, Dr Bocchetta emphasised the importance of projects that focus on the stages preceding the onset of dementia symptoms, especially in cases of dementia with a genetic basis.

Such research would be able to provide clearer models of disease onset and progression. According to her, previous drug trials involving dementia may have failed because “they focused on patients who already had symptoms, and so people were treated too late in the course of the disease to stop or slow down their dementia.” Professor Warren highlighted the advances of molecular-level research, specifically within genetics, which could potentially offer a way to prevent the onset of dementia by switching certain genes ‘on’ or ‘off’. He also noted that stem cell research shows promise, raising the possibility of a future program to ‘grow your own’ neurons to replace damaged ones. One very promising route (currently being followed up) is the idea of attaching an antibody to damaged brain cells to stimulate regeneration.

Unfortunately, despite these advances, there is a long way to go before dementia is considered a curable disease. Dr Bocchetta explains that dementia has several different causes, and that in her opinion the greatest challenge going forward will be to find “the correct targets for drugs

that will modify the disease process.”

This, she hopes, can be done via imaging studies that may enable us to understand how symptoms develop “by detecting the pattern and progression of what is going on in the brain”. As with many neurodegenerative diseases, the brain can retain a standard level of functioning when only a slight amount of damage has occurred, and symptoms of dementia only become noticeable when the damage is so great that even these ‘emergency protocols’ fail. Before this point, we cannot diagnose any form of dementia; only, in specific genetic cases, predict its onset. Treatment, once symptoms have begun, is purely palliative. In order to treat dementia, we need early diagnosis. To do so, however, Professor Warren believes that funding priorities need to be reviewed. “The goal is obviously a cure, but there is a direction in current research away from physiologically related research and we need a number of groups engaging with that progress. [Funding involves] emphasising ‘big science’ to measure as many things as we can. But the problem with this approach is that funding priorities don’t get directly informed by any hypothesis of how the disease is working… you don’t open your car bonnet and throw in a piece of equipment and expect it to work.”

Professor Warren is keen to increase awareness of other forms of dementia There is a consensus that public awareness of dementia has increased, although it’s mostly still centred around Alzheimer’s disease. Professor Warren is keen to increase awareness of other forms of dementia; some of which, such as FTD, can occur at a relatively early stage in life and are often mistaken for psychiatric disorders.

“Among the crucial initiatives are dementia support groups, such as raredementiasupport.org, which provide important information to carers and the wider public,” explains Dr Bocchetta. And overall, Professor Warren remains hopeful: “There is a lot of optimism [in the field] and a lot of reasons to be excited for the future of dementia research.”

PAGE 19

Pi Magazine 716 | sports

MIND MIND

GAMES

Nicola Chew, Ross Ryan and Casper Pages tread the blurred line between mental and physical strength in sport

“S

port: an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.”

This is how the OED defines ‘sport’..

When we think of sport we look at outlines, we mimic movements: Serena Williams, muscular; Viktoria Komova, petite; Usain Bolt, toned; Michael Phelps gliding; Rafael Nadal, pummelling; LeBron James, flying. This is what is presented to us. Physicality has, for so long, defined our perception of sport.

But let’s look a little deeper. The word ‘sport’ actually originates from an Old French word, ‘desport’, which simply means ‘leisure’ – the key being a source of amusement or entertainment. Today, an international definition that has been loosely agreed upon comes from Sport Accord. Their criteria for activities that qualify as ‘sport’ include: having an element of competition, leaving any living creatures unharmed, being non-reliant on a single supplier for equipment, and being non-reliant on any ‘luck’ element specifically designed for the sport.

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Yet only a few mental sports have been recognised by Sport Accord, some of which are chess and bridge. And even their status as ‘sports’ has been a contentious issue. The typical argument against these activities is that they are seen as games, not sports. But how do we draw the line? A Guardian reader may have provided us with a clearer idea: “you can smoke while playing a game, but not while playing a sport.”

you can smoke while playing a game, but not while playing a sport And that’s true. People underestimate the rigour that mental sportspersons have to endure before and during tournaments. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, English bridge player Rhona Goldenfield said that the top bridge players work out like any other athlete before tournaments, which can last from eight hours to a week.

And since chess and bridge are recognised sports federations, they are subject to the same Olympic-style drug testing measures athletes in any other

sports might go through. So why the exclusion, the staunch belief that these ‘mind games’ do not constitute as ‘real sports’?

Showcasing the topmost tier of sporting ability, the Olympics is another global institution that has cast our perceptions of sport into a rigid mould.

The international bridge and chess federations were granted the status of Recognised International Sports Federations in 1995 and 1999 respectively by the International Olympic Committee, and have been unsuccessfully campaigning for a spot on the Olympics sports register ever since (although chess has been featured as an exhibition sport at the Games). IOC spokesperson Emmanuelle Moreau gave Time magazine a rather cryptic reason for their continued exclusion: they lack physical activity. “Mind sports, by their nature, cannot be part of the programme,” she said.

Granted, many other sports such as squash, baseball, and softball are campaigning for Olympic status. But the fact that mental sports are excluded because of ‘their nature’ makes the IOC’s actions seem rather incongruous – if,

Sports | Pi Magazine 716

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Pi Magazine 716 | sports

fundamentally, they are ineligible for inclusion in the Olympic Games, then why open the door and make them Recognised International Sports Federations in the first place?

What lies beneath this claim is what may be a much more practical, functional purpose for mental sport’s exclusion: the highly televised nature of the Olympics has sensationalised the entire affair. Action, thrill, spectacle – that is what defines the Games. It needs to draw people to their screens and keep them on the edge of their seats.

Not that mental sports lack that element. But chess and bridge are so niche and constrained by so many rules that they aren’t easy to understand or explain. It will be hard for an ordinary person who switches on their television to a channel showing chess or bridge to understand the situation on the table. But with physical sports such as basketball, tennis, and football, a detailed knowledge of the rules isn’t necessary to pick up on the action: put the ball in the hoop, don’t hit into the net or out of the box, kick into the goal. Basically, unlike mental sports, the rules don’t need much explaining. And that is what the Olympics serves its spectators at home – a mainstream selection of sporting content that doesn’t always require a detailed knowledge of the sport. Unfortunately, mental sports do not have enough basic entertainment value – when it comes to the Olym-

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pics, it seems that the body trumps the mind.

it’s clear that the leaders of society, the drivers of progress are those with mental intelligence Yet nowadays in society, you’d be hard pushed to find an individual willing to state the case for physical strength as more important than mental strength.

In sport a player is often judged in terms of their quickness of thought and mental toughness, not their physical ability alone. In the world of work, the doctor or lawyer is likely to earn more than the manual labourer – in society as a whole it is clear that your brain is considered more important than your biceps. But surely this was not always the case and so we must ask the question - why is mental strength perceived as more valuable? And is this a new development?

If you look back in time, physical strength was more important. We like to think of the past as more brutal, more physically demanding and less

developed than us. At the top of society, war was considered more effective than diplomacy: you might expect a fight to settle an argument between two people rather than a discussion.

Certainly, physical strength was more central to society than nowadays, but the brain was still the master of the body. From the classical thinkers of Ancient Greece to 20th century heroes like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, it’s clear that the leaders of society, the drivers of progress are those with mental intelligence. It’s a misconception to argue that there has been a swing in the perceived value of mental strength, the physical has always been subordinate and subject to the guidance of the those who can think through situations. Mental ability drives society forward.

This is reflected in sport. At first glance it’s all about physicality. Whatever the sport, the focus seems to be on who can be the fastest, who can be the strongest, who can jump furthest and highest, ultimately who can beat their opponent in a physical arena. However, sport isn’t about physicality alone. It’s easy to be mesmerized by Cristiano Ronaldo as he executes blisteringly fast stepovers, or at Steph Curry’s silk-smooth three-point stroke. Those skills are the result of proper technique being practiced for thousands hours, something that we could all try and replicate if we really wanted to. Mental skill, in contrast, is not visible at first glance.

Sports | Pi Magazine 716 We only start to think about the mental aspect of sport when it is suddenly lacking – for example, when Italy and Germany combined to provide the comedy show of the year in their Euro 2016 quarterfinal, missing six penalties in the shootout. It was all the more intriguing because Germany was meant to be immune to the pressure of penalties (they had not missed in a shootout since 1982). But it illustrates perfectly how the lack of mental strength can cause even the absolute world’s best to falter. In an interview with the BBC in 2014, Judy Murray, mother and former coach of world number 2 Andy Murray, said “Mental toughness is what separates the ones at the top…There are a lot of good players out there, but it’s only the [mentally] tough ones that survive”. Murray believes what many in professional tennis do: it is those who can combine physical prowess with mental strength who are the most successful.

The mind does for sport what a sharpener does for a blunt pencil The mind does for sport what a sharpener does for a blunt pencil. Sure, that blunt pencil will write, but it’ll be a whole lot more accurate, precise and in general more successful if sharpened.

Mental strength is valued more highly than physical strength because physical strength, at least in sport, is useless without the mind to harness it.

The inverted U arousal model, created over a century ago by psychologists, states that emotional arousal, at its optimal level, helps athletes maximize their performance. It is only when arousal is excessive and goes beyond that optimum level that it begins to have a detrimental effect on the performer. Harnessing only the best of stress is thus a skill unlike any other – some are better at it, and others are worse. It can help define the legacies of certain athletes. Michael Jordan and Jonny Wilkinson, due to their last-second heroics in famous matches, are accepted as the quintessential examples of winners, while golfer Phil Mickelson, who famously blew a three-stroke lead on the final hole of the 2006 US Open, has gained the moniker of “Golf’s best loser ever”. Stress can make or break careers.

We only start to think about the mental aspect of sport when it is suddenly lacking Dealing with pressure is just one aspect of mental skill in sports. All team disciplines, as well as individual disciplines performed against an opponent, have an inherent mind-game element inside them. Team sports players have to focus not only on their own play, but on synchronizing it with their partner’s: an offside trap in football only works if all the defenders step up together in a line, otherwise it may lead to a disastrously easy goal for the opposition. Beyond coordinating actions with teammates, athletes also need to outfox the opposition. A well-timed drop shot in tennis may completely stupefy the other player and lead to an easy point, while a good feint in boxing may leave the confused opponent open for a knockout blow. The examples are endless, but the conclusion is clear: the mind is just as important as the body in these sports.

Given all that, is there any sense is classifying the two groups as separate?

It is tempting to think about what actually differentiates so-called ‘traditional’ sports from mental games. The two are becoming more and more amalgamated with time, with physical athletes focusing more on their mental sides in their routines, while mind games are reaching a level of competitiveness and intensity identical to that of physical sports. Chess players train just as hard for their world championships as Olympians do for theirs. In both cases, competitors push themselves to their limits to be at the peak of their capabilities, both erupt just as much with joy when they triumph, and with grief and dismay when they fail. Given all that, is there any sense is classifying the two groups as separate? More and more people are beginning to say: no. There isn’t.

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Pi Magazine 716 | Travel

The Year Abroad: A Survivor’s Guide O

pting to go on a year abroad can be a daunting decision. You leave everything you’ve come to know behind and find yourself having to make new friends, find your way around a new city, eating different food and speaking in a different language (your knowledge gaps becoming glaringly obvious). Some of us even literally ending up going away to the other side of the world. Money may be tight too. You might worry about failing your classes because you don’t know how the system works, or don’t understand what your professor is saying. If my experience is anything to go by, you might even get robbed. If you’re female and choose to come to South America, street harassment is practically a given. If you’re male, there still also remains a sizeable risk. The general drama of university life and being young also continues, of course. You’ll probably want to call home and cry at least once, but you might not because you don’t want to worry your friends and family.

make sure you’re getting enough sleep, eating well and moving about because this can have a major positive impact on how you feel Even in the best case scenarios, many things become a little more difficult. At worst, life abroad can start to seem insurmountable.

Your year abroad is meant to be the experience of a lifetime, but sometimes you will

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just want your home. Especially if your friends also on years away decide to post flashy, “having the time of my life” Instagrams to make you feel like you’re the only one struggling.

So what happens to your mental health when you go on a year abroad? For many of us, we applied to take our year abroad years ago when personal statements were the most pressing problems in our lives.

Course guides and prospectuses sold it as an incredible experience that would magically and instantly make us more hireable. But then over two years down the line you’re about to leave and the reality of leaving everything you know behind can strike hard.

Maybe in the two years of living away at university prior to the year abroad you developed a mental health issue that you didn’t suffer with before. Maybe you’re currently sat in a room in France, the U.S. or Singapore, wondering why you feel like this. Maybe you’re about to head off and aren’t sure you can do it anymore.

First of all, quite frankly, if you do feel like that, it sucks doesn’t it? But taking a second to recognise that and accept it can really help. Even if it doesn’t feel fair, it isn’t what you wanted, and everyone else seems to be having a ball.

It is okay to feel like this. Punishing yourself for having struggles only makes situations worse, so if you are on or about to go on your year abroad next year, take out this magazine, open to this article, read this, and then try to take an analytical stance rather than a self-critical one.

There is no way in hell it’s just you.

You are definitely not alone There is no way in hell it’s just you. You are definitely not alone. In fact, it’s so very much “not just you” that we have found students currently on their year abroad and put together a list of their tried and tested tips and tricks for coping when you need a little self-assurance, that you might want to try.

Before you go: • Try to think seriously about where you are going to be living. In a lot of countries, students live at home whilst studying, so unless you’re in America, halls are probably going to be a disappointing and lonely option in comparison with the UK experience. Try taking a flat with locals (which provides you with some independence) or a host family (which provides you with a support system). But think practically about whether you’d rather be cooked for or be able to choose your own food, particularly if you can be weird about food.

• Some people find that putting together a small box of things to pull out when you’re having a bad day can provide a little slice of home when you need it. Things like tea, photos and face masks make nice pick-meups and won’t take up too much room in your luggage.

• Do your best to tell someone in your

Travel | Pi Magazine 716

Mary Katherine Newman gives advice on how to survive and thrive during your year abroad

new city that you could use someone that is willing to support you if needs be. This way you can drop them a message when you’re having a bad day without having to explain everything. Friends like this can be difficult to find initially, but being honest helps and having such a friend can potentially provide you with great relief and reassurance when you need them.

• A talk with your doctor and/or personal tutor could help to ensure that you are medically and academically supported. It might be scary to make an appointment, but know that they’ve heard it before and know what to do to make sure you’re in your best possible place before you go.

While you’re there: • The first months are usually the toughest - but remember everyone is feeling this strain. Many universities will have tandem programmes in place that will set you up with someone looking to learn English, providing a great way to meet locals with minimal pressure. Also look out for Erasmus groups and other societies. Again, getting good people around you can help you to feel much more settled and welcome.

The year abroad is an incredible opportunity • Don’t worry if you have to take a day off.

Go and watch a movie by yourself or spend the day in your room with the stash of digestives you brought from home and some Netflix (in English). Although this may be

harder in a work placement than if studying on Erasmus, what you’re doing is difficult, there are no two ways about this and at times you deserve a break.

• Try to assemble a set routine. It is easy to slip into permanent holiday mode, but making sure you’re getting enough sleep, eating well and moving about because this can have a major positive impact on how you feel.

don, live a different life and travel the world is an indescribably rewarding experience.

For others, it can prove more of a challenge because the experience itself, however rewarding, is intrinsically demanding. Recognising your own limits when the challenging turns into the damaging is a key message here. Whether you’re having a tough time, or if you’re dreading leaving, from one year abroad student to the next: you can ask for help anytime, so do.

getting good people around you can help you to feel much more settled • If things get tough, UCL should be there for you. Contact UCL Study Abroad and your Year Abroad Tutor. They have handled this before and it is quite literally their job to care about your situation and support you. They can offer you practical guidance with online counselling programmes, provide project extensions and even set up help at your placement university or workplace.

• Sometimes, it is okay to give up. A year abroad is not for everyone. If after some thought you decide that you can’t do it anymore, let UCL know as soon as possible and they will work with you. In the end, your happiness and wellbeing will always be the most important thing and needs to be taken into utmost consideration.

The year abroad is an incredible opportunity. For some, the chance to get out of Lon-

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pi magazine | travel PI MAGAZINE 716716 | TRAVEL

Nomadism: Identity and Wanderlust

T

here is little to set people like Stef Roberts and Alex Hill apart from the madding crowd in the hubbub of the train that takes weary-eyed commuters to work each morning. Even the most observant of us would never suppose that Roberts spends each night sleeping amongst the trees and runs his animation business from his computer, whilst IT worker Hill lives in his van on London’s side streets.

Their lifestyle is just part of a melange of cultures and ways of life that increasingly define our identity, but what is so attractive about nomadism when there is ‘just no place like home’?

“Generation Nomad”: a lifestyle choice that promotes a similar idea to wanderlust, but on a tighter budget Ours is a generation that, at one end, avidly follows the growth of “clean eating”, wan-

page2626 PAGE

derlust and a hipster aesthetic, while at the other makes sacrifices in a time of economic hardship. Finding a middle ground is one of the motives attracting growing numbers of people, such as Stef Roberts and Alex Hill, to “Generation Nomad”: a lifestyle choice that promotes a similar idea to wanderlust, but on a tighter budget.

Scrolling through Instagram, we see countless picture-perfect scenes uploaded by self-proclaimed “wanderers”: a moment in time pierced with an inspirational quote endorsing travel. Technology has released us from the neat confines of an office block and a life governed by nine to five: the internet has become our new governing force as more and more of us work from coffee shops, libraries and from home. The endorsement of so-called “digital nomadism” has become a growing trend: a sort of “new-age nomadism”.

Nomadism, both physical and spiritual, is often met with thoughts of “hippie” Instagram idols, with ideas of long-standing tribal tradition or with a desire to escape the world and find isolation. It is however, in varying degrees, something that is ‘close to home’ for many of us at a “global uni-

versity” like UCL. The university campus becomes a base for affiliate students and international students alike, nestling them down in the Big Smoke for times spanning from a couple of months to a few years.

London is a melting pot for different cultures, or perhaps put otherwise, a home for nomads. What is it then that draws people away from their culture to pass into another one, and hence possibly pass into creating another identity?

Nomadism draws many people for this very idea: contrary to popular belief, it does not promote isolation or ‘hermitism’ but rather creates a unique culture of its own For many, nomadism is less about moving physical boundaries and more about

travel | pi magazine 716 PI MAGAZINE 716 | TRAVEL

Eleanor Clarke ponders the nomadic identity and what it means today

moving those between the self and others.

We make ourselves porous: open to letting new beliefs and customs pass into us to be felt, in turn changing our identity and dismissing any concept of the ‘Other’. Travel provides us with an in-between space for reflection; our mental space is influenced in new ways which then lets us reinvent ourselves as people.

Our first contact with cultural identity is likely to be from the culture we were born into which determines the identity that many of us take on for life. Our home culture may encompass factors like our language, religion, birth country or the customs that we understand and utilise, such as the bise (kissing on the cheek) as a form of greeting in France. However, more and more of us now understand elements and customs of many cultures: we may be English but understand cultural conventions such as the bise. We may no longer say, “I am English”, but instead align ourselves with several different cultures or subcultures. Culture therefore has the ability to flow across national frontiers and have blurred borders; it has become something that joins people with shared experiences

rather than merely joining those in geographical proximity.

If we take the time to open our eyes, the ordinary may affect us more than we know Nomadism attracts many people for this very idea: contrary to popular belief, it does not promote isolation or ‘hermitism’ but rather creates a unique culture of its own. Nomads do not passively submit to the culture we were born into but instead create their own identity from different aspects of several cultures that resonate with us, and thus nomadism encourages a constant process of becoming. Perhaps this in turn enables us to find a sort of ‘home’ in ourselves as we create this identity that is is uniquely personal. On the other hand, perhaps many followers of nomadism seek not to form a new identity but to escape the

compartmentalisation of the self into one identity, preferring to treat their identity as something that is in flux and that changes.

Maybe a nomad is constantly becoming and never settling.

Travel is at the heart of nomadism and can act, according to the philosopher and translator Alphonso Lingis, as a “visceral encounter between the flesh of the body and the flesh of the world”. As we move through the myriad of cultures and subcultures even just in London, it is worth focusing on just how many planes we may span and just how much “flesh of the world” we may encounter. It may well be that we can remould ourselves and our identity day by day even as we share the train on our commute into university or work each morning. If we take the time to open our eyes, the ordinary may affect us more than we know.

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PI MAGAZINE 716 | LIFESTYLE

OVERHEARD ON CAMPUS

“There’s literally no time for skiing!”

“I’m pretty p*ssed, this kale is overly shredded” “I wish I could be my own child” “It’s a good answer… it’s wrong, but it’s a good answer.”

“Waitrose ran out of avocados. This is the worst day of my existence.”

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HEARD SOMETHING FUNNY AROUND CAMPUS? TWEET US AT @OVERHEARDATUCL OR WITH THE HASHTAG #OVERHEARDATUCL

L

iving in an age where your online personality can be almost as important to employers as how you present yourself in reality, it comes as no surprise that people will go to great lengths to portray themselves in the most positive light possible. Over time, our digital presence is becoming indistin-guishable from real life.

We let it become an integral part of our personalities.

Before the rise of social media what we wore, how we wore it, what posters we had hanging on your walls and what books we read were sufficient to convey our

LIFESTYLE | PI MAGAZINE 716

THE REALITY BEHIND THE ONLINE PROFILE Prescious Adesina looks into how it’s not all as it seems identity to the world. However nowadays things have been taking a step further. One just has to look at Instagram pages, such as Rich Kids of Instagram, to understand that it is no longer just about having it, but documenting it, too. Did you really go to that party if there’s no pictures of you there? Your new ring is awesome, don’t forget to strategically get it into your next selfie.

The question we have to ask here is: what fuels us to want to share every detail of our private lives and show off our possessions so publicly? For things like Rich Kids of Instagram, it seems it may

be a narcissistic drive to ensue jealousy in others, deeply rooted in the idea that their wealth is literally what brings them value.

Why else you’d want your name under the bracket of Rich Kids of Instagram, I don’t know.

Social media pages enable us to represent ourselves in the way we want to be perceived, rather than how we actually are. It allows us to take control and fashion a ‘better’ version of ourselves through only showing the particular attributes of our lives that we are happy, or proud (or sad) about.

Deliciously Ella, a popular food

blogger, recently posted an open letter summarizing how she feels about social media: “I often look through my feed and think, ‘wow that person looks so great’ or ‘I wish I could do that’ and when I feel low that certainly doesn’t help me, and that’s exactly the moment that we need to remind ourselves that we’re not seeing the full picture […] That’s not to say it’s an inauthentic image and social media is totally false, I don’t think it is, it’s just that we tend to post the most exciting parts of our lives - so it’s a heavily edited, curated reality.”

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PI MAGAZINE 716 | LIFESTYLE

Anyone who hasn’t felt like this about social media is either lying, not using it properly or doesn’t use it at all.

After looking at the social media articles on anxiety.org, I found some interesting facts about, well … social media anxiety.

Apparently, the two main factors that contribute to the way we experience social media are termed ‘compare-and-despair’ and, our old enemy, Fear of Missing Out (#FOMO)!

‘Compare-and-Despair’ is the tendency to make a comparison between our real life and someone else’s virtual life. We ask ourselves why we don’t seem to be having as much fun, have as many friends or go on holiday as much as someone else. What we forget it that this

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is only a minute fraction of their lives. Kylie Jenner, for example, the “queen” of everything social media, reminded us this year that “on Snapchat I show people what I think they want to see…That’s not me. It’s a pro-jected image. A brand. I’m not a different person.

I just don’t show all of me.”

Though we all know to take everything Kylie Jenner says with a pinch of salt, the key phrase I would like to emphasise is “I show people what I think they want to see.” This is something that, if you read Deliciously Ella’s entire letter (or any letter by a social media personality who “has some-thing to confess”) you will find it is repeated incessantly throughout. But yet, somehow we find hundreds of girls buying Kylie Jenner and the rest of the

Kardashian clang’s lip glosses, clothing lines, and desperately sucking on to cups to achieve a look like Jenner’s. Apparently it takes Kylie herself sixty-five takes before she is happy with the photo in which she shows off said look. De-spite the heavy amounts of make up, and the excessive editing.

The other cause of ‘social media anxiety’ is FOMO. Now, everyone has, at least once, not been invited to a party or decided to stay in, whether that be innocently or maliciously. The sad part comes when you are constantly reminded about how much fun everyone else is having via Face-book, or Snapchat. You suddenly feel guilty about that third tub of icecream and ask yourself whether staying in to watch Gossip Girl

LIFESTYLE | PI MAGAZINE 716

staying in to watch Gossip Girl was really all that worth it. I often find myself feeling that way, but I also often find myself at an event that looked really great on Facebook last week, but is an absolute dud this week. They always have the same response: “Oh, it was so great last time.

You missed it.” I’m sure it was.

“How convenient that there is no way to verify other than through your crazy photos” I think before tactfully posing for the camera preparing to lure another victim into this unnerving FOMO state.

Now, we can’t discuss social media without discussing social interactions. One thing everyone loves about social media is that it helps us to build and maintain relationships with people, even while not seeing them. This is a

very positive thing for people with social anxiety, according to some psychologists, as it enables them to create a relationship without the woes of being physical-ly present. For others, it enables us to communicate with people without emotional involvement, thus requiring less cognitive effort. When it comes to instant messaging, we no longer have to ponder over the facial expressions, tone of voice, eye contact and body language that comes with physical communication.

Although this is great for quickly and effectively getting a message across, the most important part of interaction is those non-verbal signals. Communicating purely in this way however can genuinely ruin relationships. How many times have you read someone’s message and thought “what a

bitch” only to realise your reaction was completely misconstrued?

Countless.

Don’t get me wrong, social media is great. It enables us to bond with our friends, even at the most difficult of times, and reaffirm our friendships through group cover and profile photos. But one thing we have to remember is that it is not a substitute for real life and neither is it an accurate representation. Social media represent fragments of someone’s true self.

Thus, we should never take it too seriously, but rather take it for the fun it is supposed to be. So, next time someone tells you that they don’t use Facebook, rather than looking at them like they are severely unhinged, congratulate them for being unafraid to live their life completely unfiltered.

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MUSE Pi MAGAZINE’S ARTS & CULTURE SECTIONS

ART & PERFORMANCE - FILM & TV - MUSIC - LITERATURE

muse | ART & Performance

A

bstract Expressionism is one of the most misunderstood art movements in history. The term coined by critic Robert Coaters from German expressionism and European abstraction covers a vast variety of artwork that bloomed just after the Second World War in Germany, but Abstract Expressionism then claimed New York City as its centre. Frustration with society and the ominous presence of the Cold War lead to the exploration of new techniques. The pioneering artists of this time were looking for a new way to express themselves through their art. Upon visiting the Royal Academy of Arts’ Abstract Expressionism exhibition, I discovered how misunderstood the artists of this era were, and how, even today, understanding their true intentions is hard.

The exhibition is massive in size and rich in collection. All the greatest pioneers of the movement are represented: Jackson Pollock, Arshile Gorky, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning etc. With 12 rooms in total, each one is dedicated to a different artist or movement.

I was especially impressed with the Pollock collection, which gather together some of his greatest and pioneering works including “Male and Female”, “Blue Poles”, and “Mural”. I had the privilege of joining a group of schoolchildren standing in front of “Mural”.

Their teacher was telling them the legend of Pollock painting the vast canvas of colours and shapes for Peggy Guggenheim overnight. The teacher went on to explain how the unlikely figures are supposedly showing farm animals.

And just like that, all of the eight year-old children pointed out the cows and dogs they saw in the mixture of brushstrokes. I began to wonder, was this not exactly what Pollock had in mind? To create art worthy of exploring and to challenge the admirers of his work to think beyond the image.

“Mural” is a masterpiece without a doubt. Interestingly, there is more difference between the layers of colours than the contrast itself.

The lighter, whiter background is cheap wall paint, while the others are expensive aquarelle.

The painting certainly has similarities to Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, both in size and in mood.

They were also made at almost the same time.

However, these two artists belonged to completely different movements, and their works received fascinatingly different receptions.

Picasso is one of, if not the biggest, names of modernism and his work was never as harshly critiqued as Pollock’s.

Abstract expressionists explored the art of creating. They often paid more attention to the materials and the techniques than the actual painting. Such is the story of Pollock’s “Blue Poles”. The artist laid the canvas on the floor of a farmhouse in the suburbs of New York, and let gravity do the art. This technique raised an interesting question in presentation: if the

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The misunderstood geniuses of ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM Bori Bernát reads the layers of Abstract Expressionism

ART & Performance | MUse piece of art came into being on the ground, why is it not displayed as such?

In a sudden change of mood, the next room in the exhibition is dedicated to Mark Rothko.

Rothko’s rectangular fields of colour and light remind the observer of children’s paintings.

The artist wanted to remind people how the naivety of childhood drawings came back to haunt the post-war society. Or perhaps this reminder was necessary following the evils encountered during the early twentieth century. This is exactly where the abstract meets the expressionism. The abstract work itself is hard to understand. It’s no wonder the pioneers of this movement are considered the most misinterpreted of all twentieth century artists. However, this didn’t stop them from continuing creating simple art with complex meanings.

“Darkness visible” was probably one of my favourite rooms of the exhibition. It combined black and dark pieces of artwork featuring the works of great artists such as Adolph Gottlieb.

The darkness represents the ethnic difficulties in equality for African Americans after the Second World War,. It is a prime collection of art pieces aiming to explain the situation at a specific, landmark historical time of an ethnic group not often represented.

Throughout history, talent and innovation often led to the artist being misunderstood, which in turn lead to unhealthy lifestyles, scandal, and the imminent early death of the ‘tortured genius’. We have all heard of the “27 Club”, a made up group for artists, who died tragically young before reaching the age of 28, in most cases, through complications of drug or alcohol abuse. Their most famous members include Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. Despite having lived to an older age, the Abstract Expressionists had their own troubled lives, which often ended in unnatural deaths. Pollock was a volatile alcoholic who died in a car crash at the age of 44. Rothko committed suicide when he was 66. While Willem de Kooning lived to see the age of 92 but his life was plagued by alcoholism, bankruptcy, and turmoil with his fellow artist wife, Elaine de Kooning.

Abstract expressionism is the most critiqued art movement of our age. One look at Barnett Newman’s colour field paintings and most people’s reaction is: “I could have painted that!” My answer every time is: “Well did you?”. Although no one can ever be sure of what the artist meant when creating their masterpieces, all works of art undeniably have a hidden side. It is when this hidden side is discovered that the works are granted their artistry. The pioneers of this movement explored possibilities in a way that still affects the artists of today. The observation of these pieces of art requires thought, time, and patience, but they all hold deeper beauty than just paint on canvas.

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Muse | Music

Coping with Treble Conor Hodges explores the therapeutic qualities of music

T

here comes a time when you realise that your whole life can be summed up with a few angsty Radiohead song titles: you feel like you’ve been left ‘High and Dry’, you wish you knew ‘How to Disappear Completely’, and you’re just a ‘Creep’. It’s not looking good. At all. But that’s fine, just whack on ‘Ok Computer’ and it’ll all be sound. Music, as a medium that engages us on both a sensory and emotional level, is often therapeutic. It can lift you up, or simply provide some nostalgia.

And it doesn’t even have to be deep; something as cheesy as Spandau Ballet’s ‘True’ is enough for me. But why music? Why shouldn’t people choose a film, or a book?

Simply put, it’s been a part of human social life for millennia. Music as a social practice can be traced back at least 2500 years.

We’re also pretty hardwired to respond to it. Think about all those videos out there of kids dancing. Enough was enough years ago, but there’ll never be a shortage of tiny humans bobbing to a song whilst their parent sadistically cackles behind the camera.

This is because we respond to music early on, which is lucky for exploitative parents,

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but unlucky for the rest of us (and their children.)

Music could have such deep roots because of its multi-dimensional nature: music has been found to provide wellbeing, therapeutic benefits and escapism for the listener. With this being said, there should be no surprises that music therapy is a very real thing. It can help with physical elements like motor development, but its best results are with the mind, giving aid to social skills and emotional development. Most relevant to us today is that it has been found to significantly help those with depressive disorders, both in mood improvement and articulation of problems.

Many artists have found creating or performing music an immensely cathartic Experience

Does this history and science lecture really matter though? Maybe its effectiveness lies in that it’s a unique experience for everyone and we interact with it on a personal level. Sasha Baker, (first year, History) named Belle and Sebastian’s ‘Get Me Away from Here, I’m Dying’ as a song that gets her through tough times, as “it’s melancholic and escapist without being unbearably depressing”. Georgina Sánchez (first year, Social Sciences) spoke about the nostalgic aspect of music, as her father listened to Mark Knopfler when she was young, so hearing him “brings me back to the past and calms me”. Jake Crossland (second year, linguistics) says “I tend to listen to familiar stuff that reminds me of happier times”, which for him is Chance the Rapper and Kaytranada. Personally, I’d just mope around to The Smiths, which just goes to show that there’s a lot of potential to make strong connections to songs or artists that help us individually.

Music | Muse

Aphex Twin captures this feeling, saying that the “amazing thing about music” is that “you can’t express it in words”. He’s right.

Sometimes a song – not just the words, but the beat, the mood, or the atmosphere – can be more effective than trying to explain it yourself.

This isn’t just a benefit for a listener. Many artists have found creating or performing music an immensely cathartic experience.

During the creation process Aphex Twin adds, “all the stuff you do is a part of you”, meaning there’s potential for emotional liberation. Morrissey, the media-proscribed ‘Pope of Mope’, has said that he’s “absolutely naked” in his music and that “it’s easier to be oneself” when performing and singing. ‘How Soon Is Now’ is a classic example, as it lays bare Morrissey’s crippling shyness, yet goes further and expresses what that sounds like. It’s an incredibly powerful experience, hearing someone’s interpretation of their emotion, and it can have a lasting effect. The late Jeff Buckley, for one, spoke of “things changing in myself” when he heard the song. LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Someone Great’ can similarly be seen as a way to process emotions, in this instance coping with the death of a loved one and acknowledging it – something which is never easy to do for anyone

.

When artists write their music, they want to evoke emotion. They want people to feel what they feel But what would this article be without mentioning David Bowie? Absolute shit, that’s what. Prone to constant reinvention, Bowie’s a perfect example of someone who captured the potential duality of music. It could help to express the self, or just be a way to escape. With his first commercially successful album, The Man Who Sold the World, Bowie explored personal and family issues, particularly regarding mental health. As his career went on, however, he instead gave way to ambiguity; spawning Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and Thin White Duke. Each alter-ego offered a chance for Bowie to not be for a while, which though potentially confusing, was also needed. With someone as prolific as he was, under constant pressure and always in the public eye, these snippets of fantasy may have given him back control of his life.

He killed Ziggy when he wanted to. Not when the public chose to, when he chose to.

It was a part of his work that his fans didn’t decide, which is pretty damn liberating.

On a sadder note, his final release, Blackstar, was seen as a way for him to come to terms with his impending death. ‘Lazarus’ betrays an element of acceptance on Bowie’s part, with the repetition of ‘I’ll be free’ being a particular giveaway. Could he have used his music much like he originally had

done, as a way to come to terms with his own feelings as opposed to a character’s? I hope so, Bowie. I hope so.

When artists (good ones, that is) write their music, they want to evoke emotion. They want people to feel what they feel. Yes, there’s a lot of shallow music out there, but music worth listening to has something to say. Maybe the artist wants to help themselves. Maybe they just want to offer some comfort, whatever it’s worth. Who knows?

What’s important is finding those songs, albums, or bands that speak to you, that lift you up, that get you on the upswing. In any case, if you do want your life to be summed up by a Radiohead song, make sure it’s something like ‘Fitter, Happier’, and not ‘Paranoid Android’.

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MUSE | FILM & TV

Caught in a Landslide, No Escape from Reality (TV)

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udists shopping for a home in Buying Naked, and men cheering on their sperm in the hopes of winning a Porsche in Sperm Race. “Did these shows actually air on TV?” you might ask. The answer is yes, and so did Vanilla Ice Goes Amish and Sex Sent Me to the ER. Everyone can find something for themselves because nowadays reality shows are popping up like spots on a hormonal teenager.

“It’s got so bad that half the people on TV, inside the TV, they’re watching TV,” - Kevin Katchadourian, We Need to Talk About Kevin.

there are around 8 subgenres of reality TV Reality television shows document real-life situations that are unscripted, usually featuring unknown individuals or, on the contrary, celebrities. These TV shows tend to focus on drama, personal conflict and entertainment. Although there are around 8 subgenres of reality TV, the two most popular ones are docusoaps, which are shot like a documentary but the plot resembles a soap opera, like Made in Chelsea, and talent contests, such as American Idol.

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WHy are we so taken by other people’s lives?

It is no secret that reality shows have been taking over our lives. There were only 4 in 2002, but the number skyrocketed to 320 in 2010. This surge in variety of the shows is relatively easy to explain: reality TV is much cheaper to produce than regular TV shows because it does not require professional scriptwriters and celebrities - an episode of ER costs around $13million, while an episode of Dateline would only cost $500,000. However, the reason for why people have a constant craving for these shows is harder to pinpoint. Why are we so overtaken by other people’s lives? Why do we thrive on other people’s misfortunes?

One reason would be that we all, as humans, like to see other people suffer and embarrass themselves. This is a phenomenon called schadenfreude “pleasure derived from the misfortune of others”. It can be explained using social comparison theory which suggests that we judge our own self-worth by comparing ourselves to others. So, when you see someone fail you feel better about yourself. It also looks like schadenfreude is not based on envy, but rather on resentment. Imagine: you

have two students on your course - one of them studies day and night, doesn’t go out, and gets a First on his final essay. The second one spends every evening at Phineas, sleeps until noon, and cannot be bothered with attending lectures. But they get a First, too.

Sure, you would be envious of both of them - but now imagine, instead, that both of them failed their final essay.

Who would you feel schadenfreude towards? Probably the second one.

Similar idea with reality TV: you watch celebrities like Kim Kardashian on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, or the rich botox-filled fake-tanned women in Real Housewives of Whatever, and you resent them. You wonder what on Earth they did to have their own show and be rolling in money. As each new episode airs, you cannot wait to watch Kim K or another ridiculous and obnoxious TV star make a fool of themselves and fuck up. Because it makes you feel good about yourself, doesn’t it?

It is an escape from reality (ironic, isn’t it?)

Moreover, reality TV shows give viewers the rare opportunity to take a peek at the lives of the rich & famous. This

FILM & TV |MUSE

Nikol Chen reflects upon the deluge of reality television and what makes us keep watching kind of voyeurism may be the reason as to why people are so fascinated with these shows. You do not usually have the chance to see the home life of stars: what they do in their spare time, how they interact with their family, the ridiculous scandals they get into. It is an escape from reality (ironic, isn’t it?)

- the shows allow the viewers to vicariously live the stars’ melodramatic, theatrical lives, while they are on their sofa, arm deep into a Pringles can.

Shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians let you do exactly that. Maybe you watch because they are your idols and you want to know as much as possible about them, or maybe (if you’re like me) you watch because you enjoy condescendingly judging their incredibly nonsensical actions.

But maybe it is not all that grim? Maybe we are not a generation of sadistic, voyeuristic narcissists?

Another possible reason is that we’re narcissists. According to research, fans of reality television score higher on

the Narcissism Personality Inventory (NPI), which reveals that those viewers have more prominent narcissistic tendencies, while those who preferred news actually had the lowest scores (Lull & Dickinson, 2016). However, it is unclear whether people with narcissistic traits are attracted to reality TV, or watching reality shows actually leads to the appearance of those traits, in conjunction with the rise of social media in the past decade.

But maybe it is not all that grim? Maybe we are not a generation of sadistic, voyeuristic narcissists? Perhaps the reason reality television is so popular is that people like influencing other people’s lives and making a change. This mainly applies to shows that are based on viewer voting, such as The X Factor and American Idol. Wouldn’t you like to help a puppy-eyed kid from Middlesborough, who’s come from a broken home to achieve his dreams of being signed by a record label? Wouldn’t it feel fantastic if just by sending an SMS you could change someone’s life and feel important? You feel like you’re making a difference. And it feels bloody incredible. The show takes you on an emotional journey, only it is vastly better than some soap opera because those people on the TV, they are real.

There is no one single reason for the rise of reality television Perhaps you feel that the puppy-eyed kid could be you. The “If they can do it, so can I!” thinking also drives the rise of reality TV. Just take a look at Nicole Polizzi, a.k.a. Snooki, from The Jersey Shore. Unless choosing foundation that is several tones darker than the rest of your body is considered to be a talent, Snooki did fuck all to get to where she is now - doing appearances on shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, earning $150,000 per episode of The Jersey Shore, and securing three book deals. So, if Snooki can do it, you definitely can, right?

There is no one single reason for the rise of reality television. One thing is clear, however: even though it is extremely despised, people watch it. And they watch it a lot - will it be because they love to gloat over a celebrity’s hardship, or because they want to help someone come closer to their dreams.

And just like the spots on the hormonal teenager - they’re not going away any time soon.

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MUSE | LITERATURE

Dana Moss considers the interior process OF WRITING THE SELF The purpose of all fiction, to a certain extent, is to create a link between the reader and the interior mindset of the writer: in short, to allow the reader access into the writer’s mind. This gives all forms of reading a degree of intimacy. We feel personally connected to stories, even in fiction where the author is still a subtle, hidden presence between the words – but there is no form of literature that exploits this connection more than the autobiography. Whilst the autobiography might seem to focus on the exterior events of a person’s life, the genre comes to life when we are allowed into the writer’s mind to experience their reactions alongside them, and to understand the thought process behind their decisions.

We read these forms of literature to feel less alone, to a certain extent Ernest Hemingway’s ‘A Moveable Feast’ is a great example of how writers conscious-

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ly present themselves to their readers. The memoir draws on Hemingway’s notebooks from the 1920s and uses a vast amount of minute detail to place the reader alongside Hemingway’s real life experiences at that point in time: specific streets are named, specific dates are described, and specific people are quoted (or, as it may be, misquoted).

You get the sense from reading through the memoir that Hemingway is always trying to make you root for him against everyone else he describes, but this sense only really comes into being through Hemingway’s description of his own thoughts. In amongst the conversations Hemingway provides you with are his internal reactions to what he is being told: a lot of his thoughts are contemptuous and sneering, but they are also very funny, and it is difficult to not relate to that in some manner. You don’t really get a sense of what Hemingway is like from reports of what he said in conversation, because he has a real need to prove himself that sinks into all of his writing: but it is in the pithy asides and seemingly

unnecessary observations that Hemingway truly comes alive in his memoir and readers feel they know him. Understanding what he had thought at that particular moment is always more enlightening than discovering what he actually did.

The autobiography creates this sense of unity between reader and writer more thoroughly than any other genre of literature It is comforting to know that writers think the ways that we do - and even more reassuring to be able to think that we understand them. The autobiography creates this sense of unity between reader and writer more thoroughly than any other genre of literature. Jacqueline Wilson’s fictionalised autobiography ‘Jacky Daydream’ manages this;. Wilson’s discussion of her childhood

LITERATURE | MUSE

...I belong to this notebook zeal for literature transforming the way she experienced her personal life events is surely designed to be relatable to her audience, mostly young female readers who share the same passion, but it also reveals something particularly telling about the way Wilson views life. Only from being allowed access to the way Wilson thinks, and the way she writes about thinking, can we get closer to understanding her.

This emotional investment in the inside life of the writer is seen a thousand ways in our modern culture, but the most intriguing is the rise of the blog. For the most part, a blog is a very broadly contained structure of the writer’s thoughts; ones that can be written in an instant and accessed in another. This immediacy allows us as close as we will ever get to being able to look inside the writer’s mind. Whilst there is a degree of mediation in this process, it is less defined than the autobiography itself so the reader truly gets the sense of being allowed access into something intimate, private, and unmediated.

With the rise in personal and private issues being more explicitly discussed – topics such as mental health problems are becoming far less taboo, and far more accessible in the 21st century – the modern conception of the autobiography is even more important.

We read these forms of literature to feel less alone, to a certain extent, and being able to put a name and a face to an issue (particularly the name of a celebrity who has found success and happiness but has also struggled) immediately makes it less terrifying.

Hemingway purposely writes his reader in between every line of his memoir as the silent receiver of all his thoughts.

The confessional autobiography isn’t a new invention but it has developed a particular prominence in our modern era. This can be attributed to a number of reasons: growing globalisation means we have the opportunity to talk to and relate to a diverse range of people, but it also means we feel increasingly alienated the larger the world seems, and these confessions are means of identifying with specific people. Add this to our increasing conception and awareness of mental health, and it makes sense that we are drawn to people’s personal stories as a means of understanding our own.

John Berger writes that all autobiographies begin “with a sense of being alone” - but, if they start with this sense, it seems the autobiography is driven by the attempt to combat it. Hemingway purposely writes his reader in between every line of his memoir as the silent receiver of all his thoughts.

Even the blog, to a point, relies on the unspoken promise of someone reading and understanding at the other end. By reading an autobiography we hit upon the same, interior truth – we are all alone, but at least we are all alone together.

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ISSUE 716 NOVEMBER 2016

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