Infrastructure, Divorce Journaling, Importance of Make-Believe

Infrastructure, Divorce Journaling, Importance of Make-Believe

The Matt Townsend Show - Season 6, Episode 176

  • Jul 26, 2017 4:00 pm
  • 2:21:52 mins

Infrastructure Spending (17:33) Anna Nagurney, Ph.D.,  a professor of operations management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Director of the Virtual Center of Supernetworks. Anna is the author or editor of 13 books, including the book, "Fragile Networks: Identifying Vulnerabilities and Synergies in an Uncertain World." The internet, road systems, and our cell phones all run on systems.  With one major blow, an accident or another country can take down many of the things that we deem necessary for everyday life and national and personal security.  But, what parts of the transportation and communications networks need to be invested in? Anna Nagurney explains the transportation and communications network needs of the United States. Coaches Corner - Dealing With Anxiety (41:51) People more and more are reporting that they are stressed. That stress can lead to health problems. Dr. Matt Townsend shares some tips on how to identify symptoms of stress in your life. Journaling After Divorce (1:06:27) Kyle Bourassa is a third year graduate student in the clinical psychology PhD. program. His main research interests are studying the effect of romantic relationships - and social connectedness more generally - on physical and mental health. More recently, his interests have focused on the effects of past close relationships on well being following close relationship dissolution, such as divorce and widowhood.  Divorce is a common stressor that can increase risk to our long-term physical and mental health. For people struggling with the complications of a divorce, a new technique called narrative expressive writing has proved promising in reducing stress related to not only a divorce but other stressful events as well. The narrative expressive writing approach is not just writing about the emotions, but actually creating a meaningful narrative of an experience. Making meaning out of our emotions helps us process our feelings in a healthier way and has positive effects on our health. Kyle Bourassa shares his research. Importance of Make-believe (1:54:00) Tracy Gleason, Ph.D., is a Professor of psychology and the Psychological Director at the Wellesley College Child Study Center. She is a former preschool teacher and the mom of 10-year-old twins. you were at work and heard someone talking to no one- you might be a little weirded out. Talking to an imaginary person can sometimes be seen as social awkwardness. But for young children, these imaginary friends could actually be the ones who teach kids social skills, to begin with. Dr. Gleason discusses the role imaginary friends play in the lives of children.