Page 77 - Javanan Magazine Issue #1905

PSYCHOLOGICAL
PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUE No. 1905
ISSUE No. 1856
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES JAVANAN
JAVANAN
Dr. Alan A.
Modarressi LOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
Clinical and A SOCIOCULTURAL AND MIND AND BODY OUTLOOK
Neuro-Psychologyst
In this column, we examine the mental health issues in the context
of social, culture, and physiological concerns of the Iranian community

ew research shows that HOW BEING KIND AFFECTS THE BRAIN HEALTH
kindness is powerful and
Nnot only helps the recipient Research Show Compassion Helps Improve Brain Health
to feel good but kindness can also im-
pact an entire family’s brain health.
A cross-disciplinary team of re- To determine how kindness influ- This might be because COVID-19 Parents can learn simple strategies
searchers and clinicians from Center ences brain health, the team asked safety measures significantly lim- for practicing kindness effectively,
for BrainHealth at The University of parents to survey their own resilience ited kids’ normal social and emo- right in their own home, to create a
Texas at Dallas sought to understand and report on their kids’ empathy be- tional learning. brain healthy environment for their
whether an online kindness train- fore and after the training program. The researchers also tested whether kids. In times of stress, taking a mo-
ing program improves preschooler’s They found that parents are more understanding the science behind the ment to practice kindness for yourself
prosocial behaviors and their parents’ resilient, and preschoolers are more kindness training program affects par- and model it for your children can
resilience during the COVID-19 pan- empathetic after kindness training. ents’ resilience. The team discovered boost your own resilience and im-
demic. Both resilience and empathy require that teaching and practicing kindness prove your child’s prosocial behav-
The findings were published re- cognitive skills like responding well at home improves both parents’ resil- iors. Do not underestimate the power
cently in Frontiers in Psychology by to stressors or considering different ience and children’s empathy. Image of kindness, because it can ultimately
BrainHealth researchers Maria John- perspectives. is in the public domain change and shape brain health.
son, MA, director of Youth & Family Their findings therefore support The researchers added that the
Innovations; Julie Fratantoni, Ph.D., the idea that kindness can influence A random group of 21 participat- impacts of kindness may even ex-
cognitive neuroscientist and head of cognitive function and overall brain ing mothers received a few additional tend beyond families. Kindness can
operations for The BrainHealth Proj- health. paragraphs to read on the brain’s flex- be a powerful brain health booster
ect; Kathleen Tate, MA, clinician; and ibility and plasticity, but the research- that raises resilience, not only for
Antonia Moran, a graduate student at Surprisingly, the researchers found ers did not find any differences in the parents and families, but for society
UT Dallas. that children’s empathy levels re- parents’ level of resilience, or their as a whole.
The team discovered that teaching mained below average despite the no- children’s empathy, with the addition
and practicing kindness at home im- ticeable improvement after training. of brain science teachings.
proves both parents’ resilience and
children’s empathy.
The researchers studied the impact
of an online kindness training pro-
gram, adapted from the curriculum of
Children’s Kindness Network, found-
ed by Ted Drier, on 38 mothers and
their 3- to 5-year-old children.
The program, “Kind Minds with
Moozie,” features five short mod-
ules where a digital cow (“Moozie”)
describes creative exercises that
parents can do with their kids to
teach kindness.
Researchers aim to encourage
parents to engage in practical, brain-
healthy interactions with their chil-
dren that aid in a better understand-
ing of one another, especially during
times of stress.
The study result shows that kind-
ness is a strong potentiator of vi-
brant social engagement, which in
turn is a critical component of over-
all brain health.

DANESH FOROUGHI, PH.D. Alan Modarressi, PhD, QME
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, PSY13680 Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Licensed Marriage, Family & Child Psychotherapist, MFC23455 Qualified Medical Evaluator
Certified National Board of Addiction Examiners #4974 Certified Psychophsychologist
Tel: (310) 940-3642 Diplomat, American Academy of Pain Management
15720 Ventura Blvd., Second Fl. #224 Encino CA 91436 (818) 501-6080 (562) 861-7226

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