• Question: What is the most interesting thing you have found out in the feild you are in?

    Asked by shona to Jack, Gem, Jermaine, Michelle, Steve on 10 Jun 2017.
    • Photo: Michelle Jamieson

      Michelle Jamieson answered on 10 Jun 2017:

      One of the most interesting things I’ve found out in my research was how the way we treat mental health conditions in the UK has spread to other countries throughout the centuries, and at the same time how ‘pagan’ beliefs (sometimes called witchcraft) around mental health, and how to deal with it are still much in use throughout the UK.

    • Photo: Gemma Taylor

      Gemma Taylor answered on 12 Jun 2017:

      My PhD research found that when people quit smoking their mental health improves, and the improvement is almost as great as taking anti-depressant medication.

    • Photo: Jermaine Ravalier

      Jermaine Ravalier answered on 12 Jun 2017:

      When I first started studying stress in my MSc I didn’t realise how bad it could be for you (I don’t think a lot of people do actually…). But I found out that stress can lead to things such as heart disease, and lots of chronic stress can be as bad for your heart health as things like smoking and having high blood pressure – that’s both interesting and a little scary!

    • Photo: Steven Brown

      Steven Brown answered on 12 Jun 2017:

      As a Psychologist, I find out something mind-blowing every single day. One of the most interesting is that after the terrorist attacks in New York in 2001 (“9/11”), people over-estimated the dangers of flying – flying is known to be the safest mode of transportation. As a result, people took to using cars to get around more often than before, and there was a huge increase in car-related deaths due to the increased volume of traffic. It is estimated that more people died from car-related deaths than from the terrorist attack itself.

      People are emotional, and they make decisions based on their emotions. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it does not. We are not as smart as we think we are when it comes to making decisions.

    • Photo: Jack barton

      Jack barton answered on 14 Jun 2017:

      Sleep is a broad and weird subject. I’ve learned a lot of strange and cool things while getting acquainted with my topic. I would have to say that the most interesting is how researchers have managed to manipulate specific stages of sleep to further boost the memory enhancing quality of sleep. A good night’s sleep, or nap, has consistently been shown to improve your memory for things you learn just before drifting off (pro tip for revision – make sure you get enough sleep). Building on this, by playing a very quiet noise during the deepest stage of sleep it is possible to boost memory for things learned the night before to a greater degree than normal. It’s not directly relevant to my research but there are groups which have brought this research to mental health populations in the hope they can provide treatment for those struggling with their memory or capacity to think clearly.

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