Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Appreciation or Appropriation?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, otherwise known as BJJ, is a fairly young martial art that has surged in popularity in the Western world as a cousin of the older Japanese art of Jiu-Jitsu ground fighting. Gyms and competitions all over the world attract people of various cultures and nationalities. The Gracie family is well-known and credited for developing the art of BJJ, but was this process done to appreciate or appropriate? 

Jose Cairus, a PhD in Modern Latin American History, was raised by a Lebanese-Brazilian family that practiced Kodokan Judo, another cousin of the Jiu-Jitsu arts, and one of his articles explores the nationalism and anti-immigration sentiment that fostered and promoted BJJ in Brazil. The Gracie family adopted the techniques of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu from Japanese soldiers in WWI and introduced their version to Getúlio Vargas’ Special Police force in the 1920s to restore their social status after economic hardship [1]. This allowed the Gracies to have security throughout Vargas’ regime and set up their own practices near the government palace, as opposed to the hubs of Japanese immigration (where other instructors taught). 

The Gracies would also take challengers in public fights, fighting Brazilians as a display of social power and Japanese people as a display of ethnic superiority, since in the 1930s, Japanese instructors were being recruited to teach their form of Jiu-Jitsu to the Brazilian Navy. One of these instructors was Yano Tokeo, whom Gracie fought for superiority [1]. Yano threw Gracie 26 times, but the fight was deemed a draw. These fights led the Gracies to focus their art entirely on the ground, since the Japanese had superior standing techniques. Another match that filled a stadium and brought honor back to the Gracies led directly to the popularization of the sport in mainstream Brazil, compared to football as a part of national identity under a regime that was officially a dictatorship in 1937 [1,2]. Headlines like the one below show BJJ being used as a model for the regime to promote masculinity and strength as virtues, reading “Sporting Evening at Gracie Academy with the Best Individuals of Our Society” [3].

“Sporting Evening at Gracie Academy with the Best Individuals of our Society.” Adapted from [3].

BJJ was also part of a government program, partially based in eugenics, to regulate combat sports and develop physically strong Brazilian men, which was seen as the ideal of manhood. Helio and Carlos, the brothers best known for BJJ, took advantage of this program to make their own local style, sometimes by breaking government requirements for the state-sanctioned sport, yet their objections do not represent a stance against the more racist parts of the regime. Helio was also found to be part of Integralism, an off-shoot fascist party promoting church and state as one, which Vargas despised [1].

As time moved on through and past WWII, Carlos became very esoteric, but this spirituality is put into question based upon some of his practices. He also heralded the Gracie Diet, a vegetarian diet still used today, and he created more spiritual pillars of Jiu-Jitsu that still hold today. 

Today, the art of BJJ can seem very removed from the xenophobia rampant in the environment it flourished in, since the art is practiced by so many cultures around the world. However, we must acknowledge its xenophobic origins in order to get a full picture of how the art developed.

References

1. Cairus, J. Nationalism, Immigration and Identity: The Gracies and the Making of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 1934–1943. Martial Arts Stud. 2020, 0 (9), 28.

2. Lesser, J. Negotiating National Identity: Immigrants, Minorities, and the Struggle for Ethnicity in Brazil; Duke University Press: Durham, NC, 1999.

3. Torneio de jiu-jitsu reúne os melhores indivíduos de nossa sociedade. Jornal dos Sports [Print], June 15, 1936.

The Paleo Diet: Good or Bad?

In today’s world, everyone seems to be searching for a simple, sustainable, and healthy, yet tasty diet. Often, there are advertisements that claim that they have discovered a “new secret formula” that makes weight loss and good health quick and easy, yet as most people know, these diets are often too good to be true. There is, however, one diet that has been around since the dawn of humanity: the paleo diet. The paleo diet has endured hundreds of thousands of years of testing, yet it has stuck around. What makes the paleo diet so special?

First, let us address what a paleo diet is. It’s based on the foods that early humans most likely would’ve eaten. This includes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, and seeds. Some foods to avoid are grains, legumes, dairy products, refined sugar, and processed foods in general [1]. The goal of the paleo diet is to return to a diet that is similar to what our ancestors ate thousands of years ago. The idea behind it is that our bodies are still genetically programmed to match a hunter-gatherer society, so we are mismatched to modern society’s diet [2]. This mismatch arose because of how much more rapidly agriculture evolved in comparison to our genome, leaving no room for our bodies to adapt to the changing conditions. By going back to our ancient diet, we are feeding our bodies the foods that it was meant to eat. 

Short term studies with the paleo diet have found beneficial effects: lower body mass index (BMI), lower blood pressure, lower triglycerides, healthier microbiome, mental clarity, reduced acne, and better appetite management overall [2]. These studies indicate that on a short-term basis, the paleo diet can provide numerous benefits. 

However, on the long-term basis, a couple concerns arise. As the paleo diet restricts intake of certain food groups, vitamin/mineral deficiencies can develop. For example, the diet excludes dairy products, a great source of calcium and Vitamin D, both of which are critical to bone health. In one study, researchers found that participants who followed the paleo diet had an average of 50% of the recommended daily intake of calcium [3]. Furthermore, while meats are a primary source of protein in the paleo diet, they are also high in saturated fats, which can result in elevated cholesterol levels and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke in the long term. 

Although the paleo diet has been around for millions of years, it’s most definitely not the “perfect diet.” While it can provide amazing health benefits, it can also increase the risk of certain diseases over an extended period of time. What’s most important is that your diet is balanced, which can be met through a variety of eating habits. 

References

1. Paleo diet: Eat like a cave man and lose weight? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182 (accessed Oct 18, 2020).

2. Health benefits of the Paleo diet https://www.brightwatermedicalcentre.com.au/health-benefits-of-the-paleo-diet.html (accessed Oct 18, 2020).

3. Lawler, M.; Cdces, L. G. R. Paleo diet short- and long-term effects to expect https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/paleo-diet/potential-short-long-term-effects-paleo-diet/ (accessed Oct 18, 2020).

4. Paleo diet [Image]. https://static.parade.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/paleo-diet-FTR.jpg (accessed Oct 25, 2020).

G-Forces and Greyouts: The Science Behind Roller Coasters

There is something enticing about roller coasters: the drop in your stomach as you plummet down a hill, the weightless feeling as you hover at the top of a loop, or the pressing sensation on your head as you fight to maintain consciousness...no, not that last one.

On certain coasters, it is common for riders to experience a momentary loss of vision and/or consciousness. Commonly called “greying out,” this phenomenon is a result of high amounts of G-force acting on your body during high-intensity points of the ride. G-force is a measure of acceleration divided by the gravitational constant, g (acceleration due to gravity), and can induce serious physiological effects on the human body [1]. In particular, a strong force in the +z direction (from your head downwards, as shown in Figure 1) will push blood towards your feet and away from your brain [2]. This is often caused by powerful upward movement. The sudden decrease in brain oxygen can cause a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from the loss of peripheral vision, to the loss of color vision (greying out), to temporary blindness (blackout), to G-Induced Loss of Consciousness (G-LOC) [1].

G-force directions and resulting responses. –Gz acts upwards (weightlessness), and can cause redouts (blood rushes to the brain and causes vision to redden). +Gz acts downwards (pressure), and can cause greyouts, blackouts and G-LOC. Created with Biorender.com.

Greyouts commonly occur in airplane maneuvers or certain roller coasters with high levels of G-forces. The human body is equipped to handle a max +Gz-force of up to 4.7 G, based on a +Gz-time tolerance curve predicting the point at which G-force exceeds human tolerance [3]. To put this number in perspective, the force of gravity we experience daily has a magnitude of 1 G; however, there are several Six Flags roller coasters that have reported much higher G-forces, such as Taz’s Texas Tornado in Six Flags AstroWorld (6.5 Gs) and Batman and Robin in Six Flags Great Adventure (5.0 Gs) [1]. 

However, although prolonged exposure to high G-forces can cause serious brain damage, the vast majority of roller coasters are engineered to keep the rider under safe force thresholds [2]. The negative physiological effects of G-forces are time-dependent: a study has shown that although exposure to a force of any G level for more than 4.2 seconds can induce G-LOC, the human body can withstand up to 10 Gs for a very brief period of time [1]. In the cases of rides with extreme G-force measurements, as long as these values are only maintained for a fraction of a second, there is not enough time for blood to pool in the extremities and induce G-LOC [2]. In fact, it is very common to experience high levels of G-force––for safe amounts of time––in everyday activities such as sneezing (2.9 Gs) or sitting down quickly (10.1 Gs) [1]. In the case of amusement parks, greyouts are likely exacerbated by a variety of outside factors: hypoxia (low blood oxygen), heat stress, dehydration, fatigue, and consecutive rides can all increase the risk of greying out [4].

So the next time you buckle yourself into a scary-looking coaster, make sure you’ve had plenty to drink and adequate rest time between rides; this way, you can enjoy every loop or corkscrew, and keep plenty of blood in your brain!

References

1. Braksiek, R. J.; Roberts, D. J. Amusement Park Injuries and Deaths. Ann. Emerg. Med. 2002, 39 (1), 65–72.

2. Smith, D. H.; Meaney, D. F. Roller Coasters, g Forces, and Brain Trauma: On the Wrong Track? J. Neurotrauma 2002, 19 (10), 1117–1120.

3.  Whinnery, T.; Forster, E. M. The +Gz-Induced Loss of Consciousness Curve. Extrem. Physiol. Med. 2013, 2 (1), 19.

4. McMahon, T. W.; Newman, D. G. G-Induced Visual Symptoms in a Military Helicopter Pilot. Mil. Med. 2016, 181 (11), e1696–e1699.

5. Batman and Robin [Image]. https://www.screammachine.net/rideinfo.php?ridecode=11139&active= (accessed Oct 15, 2020).

The Psychology Behind Political Ideologies

It is abundantly clear that Democrats and Republicans have vastly different opinions. Discussions bloom into heated arguments, and it is near impossible to end a political discussion with a consensus that's more significant than to “agree to disagree.” Why is this? Discussions and debates should logically be meant for individuals to understand and become educated about different perspectives, is there a reason this rarely occurs? Is there a correlation between political involvement and individual psychologies? Or does it differ between different opinions? 

In short, there is a correlation and a relationship between political identification and personal psychology. Especially in terms of liberal and conservative opinions, there have been psychological trends in individuals that correlate with certain beliefs. For instance, liberals are generally more creative and curious about the world around them, while conservatives tend to be more driven by fear or stress [4,6]. This could explain why conservative beliefs are generally more resistant to change, especially socially, and have strong connections to the past [1], which in turn creates strong sentiment towards political slogans or ideas, like President Trump’s campaign promise to “Make America Great Again.” Similarly, conservatives tend to have very focused and reliably consistent ideas relating their self-identity and values; it was found that conservatives associated their beliefs and values with words like honor, tradition, and religion [6]. 

Contrastingly, liberals are much more open to change and tend to feel safer and more confident about the amount of control they have in both daily tasks and their general livelihoods [4]. In the same studies that found the words which conservatives associate themselves with, liberals were found to describe themselves as loving and compassionate [6,11].  Furthermore, the circle that liberals empathize with has been found to be more extensive than liberals, reaching “non-human and imaginary subjects like animals and aliens” [6]. This logically connects to the lesser feeling of fear, as conservative ideologies show a need to prioritize themselves and their closest ones out of their comparatively cynical view of the world [2,13].

Physically, these traits have been noticeable through research of brain structure using MRI scanning. In liberals, there is a larger gray matter volume of anterior cingulate cortex, which has been associated with feelings of pain, or empathy, and impulse control. Contrastingly, conservatives have increased right amygdala sizes, which has a correlation with stronger reactions to fearful or negative stimuli [9].

Overall, such research seems to be taken advantage of in political campaigns and the media to garner support from each side [3]. As Psychology Today describes, conservatives are “pro-family because being surrounded by close relatives is the best defense against threats that surround them” [2]. Conservatives have been shown to view social inequalities - where the status quo is frequently challenged - to be zero sum, that is, one party can only gain if another party loses [7]. On the other hand, liberal media and politicians trends towards focusing on the need for change, and drawing empathy for larger, marginalized groups [5,12]. 

While it may feel like political divisions are currently at an all-time high, John Hibbing, a political scientist  at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, argues that “we have always had this very same division, this very basic difference between people who are fairly sensitive to threats and think we need to be vigilant and those people who are more into experimentation and trying new things” [8]. But what if we could use this information to instead alleviate tensions and partisan thinking? With an understanding of our common differences—that our political opponents are not inherently bad people but simply view the world differently—we can finally begin to bridge the gap that divides us, even if we ultimately disagree with their conclusions.

References

1. Andreasson, S. Conservatism. Political Ideologies: An Introduction 2014, 47–70.

2. Barber, N. Why Liberal Hearts Bleed and Conservatives Don't.; 2012 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-beast/201210/why-liberal-hearts-bleed-and-conservatives-dont 

3. Bovard, J. Why Presidents Want You Scared: James Bovard. https://mises.org/power-market/why-presidents-want-you-scared (accessed Oct 16, 2020).

4. Brueck, H. A Yale psychologist's simple thought experiment temporarily turned conservatives into liberals. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-turn-conservatives-liberal-john-bargh-psychology-2017-10 (accessed Oct 16, 2020).

5. Brueck, H. Scientists have discovered two simple psychological differences that make you liberal or conservative. https://www.businessinsider.com/liberals-and-conservatives-process-disgust-and-empathy-differently-2018-1 (accessed Oct 16, 2020).

6. Brueck, H. These key psychological differences can determine whether you're liberal or conservative. https://www.businessinsider.com/psychological-differences-between-conservatives-and-liberals-2018-2 (accessed Oct 16, 2020).

7. Davidai, S.; Ongis, M. The Politics of Zero-Sum Thinking: The Relationship between Political Ideology and the Belief That Life Is a Zero-Sum Game. Science Advances 2019, 5 (12).

8. Hibbing, J. Nature, Nurture And Your Politics. NPR, 2018.

9. Kanai, R.; Feilden, T.; Firth, C.; Rees, G. Political Orientations Are Correlated with Brain Structure in Young Adults. Current Biology 2011, 21 (8), 677–680.

10. Kiley, G. Political polarization? Don't blame the web, Brown study says. https://www.brown.edu/news/2017-03-20/internetpolarization (accessed Oct 16,  2020). 

11. Public Opinion on Patriotism, Personal Traits, Lifestyles and Demographics. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2014/06/26/section-9-patriotism-personal-traits-lifestyles-and-demographics/ (accessed Oct 16, 2020).  

12. Teaching the Children: Sharp Ideological Differences, Some Common Ground. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2014/09/18/teaching-the-children-sharp-ideological-differences-some-common-ground/ (accessed Oct 16, 2020).

13. Waytz, A.; Iyer, R.; Young, L.; Haidt, J.; Graham, J. Ideological Differences in the Expanse of the Moral Circle. Nature Communications 2019, 10 (1). 

Romance from Afar: Navigating Long Distance Relationships

College is a time of great uncertainty. It is a world of new friends, experiences, and challenges. For many students, one of these challenges is navigating a long-distance relationship (LDR). Some have had to move far away from their partner for college. Others start LDRs in their time at college, perhaps with someone they met on the Internet or from traveling abroad. Regardless of the situation, LDRs can be difficult to navigate, but stick around, and you will see that LDRs can be meaningful and rewarding experiences.

Why are long-distance relationships so challenging?

Relationships are complicated, and when distance is a factor the consequences can be overwhelming. One such consequence is loneliness: in a study by Firmin, Firmin, and Lorenzen (2014), female college students in LDRs reported that their feelings of loneliness increased at certain points (e.g. after seeing their boyfriends or when seeing other happy couples) and that these feelings contributed to “needy” behaviors like calling their boyfriends often [1]. LDRs also affect other aspects of the college experience: Waterman et al. (2017) found that students going into college in LDRs had more difficulty adjusting to college life and that they participated in university activities less than single students [2]. 

Are long-distance relationships so terrible after all?

There are challenges involved in being in an LDR, but that does not mean that you should avoid them. In fact, they may be comparable to geographically close relationships (GCRs). For instance, in a study by Dargie et al. (2015), researchers compared participants in LDRs and GCRs and found that few differences existed between them in terms of relationship quality [3]. Goldsmith and Byers (2018) found consistent results from comparing people in LDRs and GCRs: those in both types of relationships had similar satisfaction despite observers perceiving those in LDRs to be less satisfied [4]. LDRs can also actually be rewarding in their own ways. From the results of questionnaires about the LDR experiences of a group of college students, Mietzner and Li-Wen (2005) found that participants reported gaining skills from being in an LDR including time management, independence, trust, patience, and better communication [5]. 

How can I navigate being in a long-distance relationship?

Along with the challenges of being in a relationship, the distance means that partners are not able to meet face-to-face, meaning that there are fewer opportunities for physical intimacy. However, this does not mean that there aren’t ways to maintain a healthy LDR. Firstly, it is important to begin the relationship with a strong foundation. Arditti and Kauffman (2004) interviewed participants in LDRs and found that strong foundations of friendship and trust were important aspects of the relationship. It is crucial to keep in touch, such as through the use of technology (phones, e-mail, video chat) [6]. Maintaining healthy relationships with others is also beneficial; having close family and friends to talk to can be helpful in difficult times and can also solidify the trust and commitment in the relationship [1]. Much like in any other relationship, the key is to have a good foundation, to keep in touch, and to also maintain other aspects of your life.

References

1. Firmin, M. W.; Firmin, R. L.; Lorenzen, K. A Qualitative Analysis of Loneliness Dynamics Involved with College Long-Distance Relationships. Coll. Stud. J. 2014, 48 (1), 57–71.

2. Waterman, E. A.; Wesche, R.; Leavitt, C. E.; Jones, D. E.; Lefkowitz, E. S. Long-Distance Dating Relationships, Relationship Dissolution, and College Adjustment. Emerg. Adulthood Print 2017, 5 (4), 268–279. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696817704118.

3. Dargie, E.; Blair, K. L.; Goldfinger, C.; Pukall, C. F. Go Long! Predictors of Positive Relationship Outcomes in Long-Distance Dating Relationships. J. Sex Marital Ther. 2015, 41 (2), 181–202. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2013.864367.

4. Goldsmith, K. M.; Byers, E. S. Perceived and Reported Romantic and Sexual Outcomes in Long-Distance and Geographically Close Relationships. Can. J. Hum. Sex. 2018, 27 (2), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.2018-0016.

5. Mietzner, S.; Li-Wen Lin. Would You Do It Again? Coll. Stud. J. 2005, 39 (1), 192–200.

6. Arditti, J. A.; Kauffman, M. Staying Close When Apart: Intimacy and Meaning in Long-Distance Dating Relationships. J. Couple Relatsh. Ther. 2004, 3 (1), 27–52. https://doi.org/10.1300/J398v03n01_03.

7. The Telegraph, 2020. Lonely Hearts. [image] Available at: <https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/university-checklist/can-long-distance-relationships-work/> [Accessed 25 September 2020].