Causal Rewrite- Doglover846

Do Zoos Actually Increase the Population of Endangered Species?

In this world today, there is a subsiding slope of endangered animal population, with a result of some species going completely extinct, meaning that species will never exist again. In fact, The World Wildlife Fund estimates that somewhere between 200 and 2000 species go extinct every year. We as a community have tried multiple ways to prevent species from going nonexistent. Examples being, protecting the wildlife habitat, nature reserves, and lastly research and knowledge. By providing “safe habitats, medical care, and a nurturing environment for their animals,” zoos and nature reserves are the best defense we have against a continuing loss of species, according to staff of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Zoos provide a safe place to salvage endangered animals temporarily, but the more permanent solution is to translocate the species to environments that can sustain them permanently. Zoos, aquariums and nature reserves help increase the population of different species and protect endangered animals through different research, funding, translocations, conservation areas and breeding. 

As we know the wildlife population has been substantially decreasing day after day. The declining number of species is putting the world into a biodiversity crisis. In spite of that, conservation translocations could help reverse this situation by rehabilitating small populations or allowing new ones to start. Conservation translocation intentionally moves and releases plants, animals, or fungi into the wild in order to save them from extinction. One of the most well known attempts of conservation translocation is Richard Henry’s attempt to save flightless birds back in 1895. He did this by relocating these birds from New Zealand’s mainland to a predator-free Resolution Island in the Fiordland area. Even though his attempt failed, his effort to save the birds led to countless numbers of conservation translocation throughout the world. However, these practices weren’t popular until the 1970’s and 80’s. That is when the amount of conservation translocations started to increase and gained the reintroduction of eminent species. Many zoological organizations have evolved conservation management. This causes them to strengthen and broaden their activities, increasing the result of wildlife population restrictions. With that being said, “species are becoming ‘conservation reliant’ each requiring a variety of conservation approaches for their continued survival,” according to Tania Gilbert and Pritpal Soorae in The Role of Zoos and Aquariums in Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations. 

Zoos have different strategies to prevent extinction of species who aren’t capable of surviving in their own habitats. A strategy that is popular is captive breeding, where animals are being bred outside of their natural habitat in restricted areas such as farms, zoos, and aquariums. The goal of captive breeding is to grow the population enough to the point where it can be controlled and become stable or where the species is healthy. With this, in Saving Endangered Species: A Case Study Using Global Amphibian Declines Emily Croteau makes a claim: “These objectives ensure that populations will exhibit a healthy age structure, resistance to disease, consistent reproduction, and preservation of the gene pool to minimize and/or avoid problems associated with inbreeding.” An example of a successful breeding in captivity would be the black-footed ferret and the California condor. They were species that were near extinction and with captive breeding were able to increase their population. On the other hand, captive breeding can lead to inbreeding. Causes of inbreeding are lower reproduction and growth rates, higher mortality rates and frequency of hereditary abnormalities. To contradict that from happening, zoos try to prevent this by relying on explicit pedigrees to sustain genetic diversity long term. With captive breeding most of the animals aren’t able to return back to the natural environment, however it isn’t impossible. In some cases animals are strong enough to return back into the wild and live their life as they would if they had never left. 

Not only does captive breeding help grow the species population, there are a lot of benefits that come with it. For instance, it can help educate the people about the different animals and their habitats which can create funds for research and shelters. Education and public awareness is important to helping endangered animals because we can learn how to rescue them and raise money towards funds so more research can be done. Zoos and aquariums are major benefits when it comes to raising public awareness by allowing younger individuals to learn and become interested and appreciate wildlife. Most zoos and aquariums contain information about each species, stating where their habitats are, what they eat, how long they live for and different facts about them. Having this information on display gives the people knowledge on their local environments or environments around the world. This can help citizens to acknowledge the fact that they need to protect and clean the environment around them so the animals can live in safer areas. This then can prevent the animal’s population from decreasing. 

In the end, it is going to be a hard and long process for endangered animals to reach a point where their populations will be strong enough to repopulate on their own. There will also be challenges to overcome as well, examples being, “habitat loss, over-exploitation, the impact of invasive species and climate change”. However, zoos, aquariums and nature reserves have an enormous role in helping this come true through protected areas, translocations, captive breeding and public awareness. Everyday conservationists are adapting to new changes and challenges, but they can’t do it by themselves. They need exposure and help from the human population. And zoos and aquariums are the best way to get public awareness. Regardless of the incline of endangered species, the slope would be tremendously steeper without the help of zoos and nature reserves. Ultimately, By various forms of study, funding, translocation, conservation areas, and breeding, zoos, aquariums, and nature reserves contribute to the growth of various species and the protection of creatures in risk of extinction.

References

Gilbert, T., & Soorae, P. S. (n.d.). Editorial: The role of zoos and aquariums in … – wiley online library. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/izy.12164

Staff, A. (n.d.). How zoos and aquariums protect endangered species. Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.aza.org/connect-stories/stories/how-do-zoos-help-animals?locale=en 

Croteau, E., & Mott, C. L. (2011). Saving Endangered Species: A Case Study Using Global Amphibian Declines | Learn Science at Scitable. Nature.com. https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/saving-endangered-species-a-case-study-using-19445898/

Posted in Causal Rewrite, DogLover, Portfolio DogLover | 10 Comments

Causal-Doglover846

Do Zoos Actually Increase the Population of Endangered Species?

In this world today, there is a subsiding slope of endangered animal population, with a result of some species going completely extinct, meaning that species will never exist again. In fact, The World Wildlife Fund estimates that somewhere between 200 and 2000 species go extinct every year. We as a community have tried multiple ways to prevent species from going nonexistent. Examples being, protecting the wildlife habitat, nature reserves, and lastly research and knowledge. By providing “safe habitats, medical care, and a nurturing environment for their animals,” zoos and nature reserves are the best defense we have against a continuing loss of species, according to staff of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Zoos provide a safe place to salvage endangered animals temporarily, but the more permanent solution is to translocate the species to environments that can sustain them permanently. Zoos, aquariums and nature reserves help increase the population of different species and protect endangered animals through different research, funding, translocations, conservation areas and breeding. 

As we know the wildlife population has been substantially decreasing day after day. The declining number of species is putting the world into a biodiversity crisis. In spite of that, conservation translocations could help reverse this situation by rehabilitating small populations or allowing new ones to start. Conservation translocation intentionally moves and releases plants, animals, or fungi into the wild in order to save them from extinction. One of the most well known attempts of conservation translocation is Richard Henry’s attempt to save flightless birds back in 1895. He did this by relocating these birds from New Zealand’s mainland to a predator-free Resolution Island in the Fiordland area. Even though his attempt failed, his effort to save the birds led to countless numbers of conservation translocation throughout the world. However, these practices weren’t popular until the 1970’s and 80’s. That is when the amount of conservation translocations started to increase and gained the reintroduction of eminent species. Many zoological organizations have evolved conservation management. This causes them to strengthen and broaden their activities, increasing the result of wildlife population restrictions. With that being said, “species are becoming ‘conservation reliant’ each requiring a variety of conservation approaches for their continued survival,” according to Tania Gilbert and Pritpal Soorae in The Role of Zoos and Aquariums in Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations. 

Zoos have different strategies to prevent extinction of species who aren’t capable of surviving in their own habitats. A strategy that is popular is captive breeding, where animals are being bred outside of their natural habitat in restricted areas such as farms, zoos, and aquariums. The goal of captive breeding is to grow the population enough to the point where it can be controlled and become stable or where the species is healthy. With this, in Saving Endangered Species: A Case Study Using Global Amphibian Declines Emily Croteau makes a claim: “These objectives ensure that populations will exhibit a healthy age structure, resistance to disease, consistent reproduction, and preservation of the gene pool to minimize and/or avoid problems associated with inbreeding.” An example of a successful breeding in captivity would be the black-footed ferret and the California condor. They were species that were near extinction and with captive breeding were able to increase their population. On the other hand, captive breeding can lead to inbreeding. Causes of inbreeding are lower reproduction and growth rates, higher mortality rates and frequency of hereditary abnormalities. To contradict that from happening, zoos try to prevent this by relying on explicit pedigrees to sustain genetic diversity long term. With captive breeding most of the animals aren’t able to return back to the natural environment, however it isn’t impossible. In some cases animals are strong enough to return back into the wild and live their life as they would if they had never left. 

Not only does captive breeding help grow the species population, there are a lot of benefits that come with it. For instance, it can help educate the people about the different animals and their habitats which can create funds for research and shelters. Education and public awareness is important to helping endangered animals because we can learn how to rescue them and raise money towards funds so more research can be done. Zoos and aquariums are major benefits when it comes to raising public awareness by allowing younger individuals to learn and become interested and appreciate wildlife. Most zoos and aquariums contain information about each species, stating where their habitats are, what they eat, how long they live for and different facts about them. Having this information on display gives the people knowledge on their local environments or environments around the world. This can help citizens to acknowledge the fact that they need to protect and clean the environment around them so the animals can live in safer areas. This then can prevent the animal’s population from decreasing. 

In the end, it is going to be a hard and long process for endangered animals to reach a point where their populations will be strong enough to repopulate on their own. There will also be challenges to overcome as well, examples being, “habitat loss, over-exploitation, the impact of invasive species and climate change”. However, zoos, aquariums and nature reserves have an enormous role in helping this come true through protected areas, translocations, captive breeding and public awareness. Everyday conservationists are adapting to new changes and challenges, but they can’t do it by themselves. They need exposure and help from the human population. And zoos and aquariums are the best way to get public awareness. Regardless of the incline of endangered species, the slope would be tremendously steeper without the help of zoos and nature reserves. Ultimately, By various forms of study, funding, translocation, conservation areas, and breeding, zoos, aquariums, and nature reserves contribute to the growth of various species and the protection of creatures in risk of extinction.

References

Gilbert, T., & Soorae, P. S. (n.d.). Editorial: The role of zoos and aquariums in … – wiley online library. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/izy.12164

Staff, A. (n.d.). How zoos and aquariums protect endangered species. Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.aza.org/connect-stories/stories/how-do-zoos-help-animals?locale=en 

Croteau, E., & Mott, C. L. (2011). Saving Endangered Species: A Case Study Using Global Amphibian Declines | Learn Science at Scitable. Nature.com. https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/saving-endangered-species-a-case-study-using-19445898/

Posted in Causal Argument, DogLover, Portfolio DogLover | 1 Comment

Definition Rewrite – InspireAngels

Crossword Puzzles Interrupt Binge Eating

Reaching for a crossword puzzle instead of a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos is an example of using a metacognitive strategy to avoid binge eating.

The field of thinking and how cognitive thoughts occur are followed by the notion of a person’s awareness of their own thought process also known as metacognition. This can refer to cognitive mechanisms that involve mental activities such as interpretation, knowledge, perception, and regulation of oneself. Metacognitive emotional regulation and metacognitive knowledge can correlate with changes in eating behavior. Emotional regulation tends to influence people by exerting the experience and expression of their emotions while in metacognitive knowledge an individual is influenced by their own perception of themselves. This can affect how individuals can handle their eating disorders such as binge eating. However, if eating behavior is related to emotional regulation and knowledge then individuals can control the types of adaptive strategies they use to strive away from their destructive eating behavior. Incorporating mental exercises like crossword puzzles in your routine can help benefit a person’s metacognition especially in developing healthy cognitive mechanisms in eating disorders.

Eating disorders and mental illness tend to correspond together since most often excessive negative thoughts or emotions tend to lead a person to overeat or not eat enough. A person with unhealthy eating habits can regularly have obstructive thoughts that prevent them from having a relaxing untroubled day. The theory of Self Regulatory Executive Function of psychological disorders suggests it’s model indicates that there are two types of metacognitive components that guide information processes, interpretations, and the control of thoughts. These two metacognitive components are metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation. Metacognitive knowledge refers to when individuals hold an understanding of themselves and various other cognitive processes. While metacognitive regulation refers to how we control our thinking and use different coping strategies to facilitate our thinking. When it comes to individuals who struggle with psychological disorders, their metacognitive system can be impaired having any metacognitive processes to become unstable. However since individuals can regulate their internal state and control their thoughts using coping mechanisms to facilitate their thinking, it could be said that negative thinking that’s involved with eating disorders can be reduced when the individual can have a better understanding of their disorder to be able to regulate their thought process before they go into a hostile mental state. Using one’s own metacognitive knowledge can help develop a better coping strategy for future binging eating episodes. An individual can use a crossword puzzle to attain knowledge of their disorder to help regulate it effectively.

Most of the time people will take out their crossword puzzle if they have time to spare throughout the day. It’s a fun little activity that can help stimulate the mind as you try to solve each word after other. Crossword puzzles hold many advantages to expanding one’s knowledge of vocabulary, stimulating the brain, encouraging logical thinking, and as well as aid in improving the retention of concepts. A study by Martinez Serna and Francisco Parra Azor demonstrated the positive effects it had on students when learning a new topic. Students had more of a positive attitude toward learning when using crossword puzzles since they associate it with a game. The topic becomes more fun and interactive when it’s approached in a type of game. To be able to understand a topic you need to grasp the knowledge of it so you can have a better idea of what’s going on. This can be applied using metacognitive knowledge in eating disorders when individuals can have a better comprehension of themselves and their thought processes. It’s difficult to prevent one’s own overwhelming thoughts but even so, if a person can stop those thoughts in its track frequently it can become more effective in regulating one’s negative thinking when they have a better understanding of their disorders and habits. Individuals can learn terms or strategies through these crossword puzzles so they can remember what to do when they are having binge eating urges rather than negatively ruminating on the situation.

Rumination can be either a maladaptive or adaptive strategy. When an individual’s rumination thoughts occur, that person is repetitively analyzing their problems, concerns, or any type of feelings of distress. This process only becomes favorable when it relates to personal self-reflection. One example from Sofia Oosterwaal’s research on emotional regulation and the effect rumination has on it states that when picking up a crossword puzzle a person has to deeply think about the words to be able to solve it. During that rumination state instead of the person focusing on the destructive thoughts going through their mind, the person shifts their focus on solving the next word in the puzzle. This allows the person to not have all their focus on those negative thoughts that are occurring in their head but rather focus on positively thinking about their next approach for solving the puzzle.

Emotional regulation tends to influence people by exerting the experience and expression of their emotions hence it corresponds with the changes in eating behavior. When a person consumes an extensive amount of food at a time due to any negative feelings such as anxiety or any type of irritation, they’re experiencing emotional eating. In general, when people experience any negative emotions it leads to less food consumption of the individual however it’s quite the opposite for those who restrict what they consume. An analysis from Cardi and Everts revealed that only those individuals who restrict their eating habits are more likely to intake a large amount of food when feeling any negative emotions. An analysis from Cardi and Everts revealed that only those individuals who restrict their eating habits are more likely to intake a large amount of food when feeling any negative emotions. Along with Cardi and Everts’ analysis, the restraint theory suggests that individuals who restrain their eating become more vulnerable and lose control of their eating, especially under stress. People can use cognitive distraction to help reduce distress and shift their mood to a more positive one. Crossword puzzles were found to be a relaxing, fun activity for people during their free time. As the individual continues to work on the crossword puzzle, the person attains the satisfaction of being able to complete a puzzle after solving one. This can positively alter the person’s mood, encouraging them to continue striving to complete the puzzle task. It provides the individual with a more positive mood than they might have previously been and does not have them immediately go to the fridge to consume a load of snacks when feeling sad. 

Metacognition helps an individual be aware of their thought process through the help of metacognitive knowledge and emotional regulation. When mental exercises like crossword puzzles are included in a person’s routine, it can be very beneficial to their metacognition as it can help develop better cognitive strategies to assist individuals who struggle with eating disorders. 

References

Oosterwaal, S.A.M. “Desire to Eat and Its Relationship with Emotion Regulation, What Does Rumination Has to Do with It? Masterthesis Sofie.” Utrecht University Student Theses Repository Home, Utrecht University , 1 Jan. 1970, https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/35866.

Serna , Isabel Martínez, and José Francisco Parra Azor. “(C-189) Active Learning: Creating Interactive Crossword Puzzles – UPCT.” ACTIVE LEARNING: CREATING INTERACTIVE CROSSWORD PUZZLES, July 2011, https://repositorio.upct.es/bitstream/handle/10317/2237/c189.pdf?sequence=1.

Vann, A., Strodl, E. & Anderson, E. Thinking about internal states, a qualitative investigation into metacognitions in women with eating disordersJ Eat Disord 1, 22 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/2050-2974-1-22

Posted in Definition Rewrite, InspireAngels, Portfolio InspireAngels, Portfolio SP23 | 2 Comments

Definition – InspireAngels

The field of thinking and how cognitive thoughts occur are followed by the notion of a person’s awareness of their own thought process also known as metacognition. This can refer to cognitive mechanisms that involve mental activities such as interpretation, knowledge, perception, and regulation of oneself. Metacognitive emotional regulation and metacognitive knowledge can correlate with changes in eating behavior. Emotional regulation tends to influence people by exerting the experience and expression of their emotions while in metacognitive knowledge an individual is influenced by their own perception of themselves. This can affect how individuals can handle their eating disorders such as binge eating. However, if eating behavior is related to emotional regulation and knowledge then individuals can control the types of adaptive strategies they use to strive away from their destructive eating behavior. Incorporating mental exercises like crossword puzzles in your routine can help benefit a person’s metacognition especially in developing healthy cognitive mechanisms in eating disorders.

Eating disorders and mental illness tend to correspond together since most often excessive negative thoughts or emotions tend to lead a person to overeat or not eat enough. A person with unhealthy eating habits can regularly have obstructive thoughts that prevent them from having a relaxing untroubled day. The theory of Self Regulatory Executive Function of psychological disorders suggests it’s model indicates that there are two types of metacognitive components that guide information processes, interpretations, and the control of thoughts. These two metacognitive components are metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation. Metacognitive knowledge refers to when individuals hold an understanding of themselves and various other cognitive processes. While metacognitive regulation refers to how we control our thinking and use different coping strategies to facilitate our thinking. When it comes to individuals who struggle with psychological disorders, their metacognitive system can be impaired having any metacognitive processes to become unstable. However since individuals can regulate their internal state and control their thoughts using coping mechanisms to facilitate their thinking, it could be said that negative thinking that’s involved with eating disorders can be reduced when the individual can have a better understanding of their disorder to be able to regulate their thought process before they go into a hostile mental state. Using one’s own metacognitive knowledge can help develop a better coping strategy for future binging eating episodes. An individual can use a crossword puzzle to attain knowledge of their disorder to help regulate it effectively.

Most of the time people will take out their crossword puzzle if they have time to spare throughout the day. It’s a fun little activity that can help stimulate the mind as you try to solve each word after other. Crossword puzzles hold many advantages to expanding one’s knowledge of vocabulary, stimulating the brain, encouraging logical thinking, and as well as aid in improving the retention of concepts. A study by Martinez Serna and Francisco Parra Azor demonstrated the positive effects it had on students when learning a new topic. Students had more of a positive attitude toward learning when using crossword puzzles since they associate it with a game. The topic becomes more fun and interactive when it’s approached in a type of game. To be able to understand a topic you need to grasp the knowledge of it so you can have a better idea of what’s going on. This can be applied using metacognitive knowledge in eating disorders when individuals can have a better comprehension of themselves and their thought processes. It’s difficult to prevent one’s own overwhelming thoughts but even so, if a person can stop those thoughts in its track frequently it can become more effective in regulating one’s negative thinking when they have a better understanding of their disorders and habits. Individuals can learn terms or strategies through these crossword puzzles so they can remember what to do when they are having binge eating urges rather than negatively ruminating on the situation.

Rumination can be either a maladaptive or adaptive strategy. When an individual’s rumination thoughts occur, that person is repetitively analyzing their problems, concerns, or any type of feelings of distress. This process only becomes favorable when it relates to personal self-reflection. One example from Sofia Oosterwaal’s research on emotional regulation and the effect rumination has on it states that when picking up a crossword puzzle a person has to deeply think about the words to be able to solve it. During that rumination state instead of the person focusing on the destructive thoughts going through their mind, the person shifts their focus on solving the next word in the puzzle. This allows the person to not have all their focus on those negative thoughts that are occurring in their head but rather focus on positively thinking about their next approach for solving the puzzle.

Emotional regulation tends to influence people by exerting the experience and expression of their emotions hence it corresponds with the changes in eating behavior. When a person consumes an extensive amount of food at a time due to any negative feelings such as anxiety or any type of irritation, they’re experiencing emotional eating. In general, when people experience any negative emotions it leads to less food consumption of the individual however it’s quite the opposite for those who restrict what they consume. An analysis from Cardi and Everts revealed that only those individuals who restrict their eating habits are more likely to intake a large amount of food when feeling any negative emotions. An analysis from Cardi and Everts revealed that only those individuals who restrict their eating habits are more likely to intake a large amount of food when feeling any negative emotions. Along with Cardi and Everts’ analysis, the restraint theory suggests that individuals who restrain their eating become more vulnerable and lose control of their eating, especially under stress. People can use cognitive distraction to help reduce distress and shift their mood to a more positive one. Crossword puzzles were found to be a relaxing, fun activity for people during their free time. As the individual continues to work on the crossword puzzle, the person attains the satisfaction of being able to complete a puzzle after solving one. This can positively alter the person’s mood, encouraging them to continue striving to complete the puzzle task. It provides the individual with a more positive mood than they might have previously been and does not have them immediately go to the fridge to consume a load of snacks when feeling sad. 

Metacognition helps an individual be aware of their thought process through the help of metacognitive knowledge and emotional regulation. When mental exercises like crossword puzzles are included in a person’s routine, it can be very beneficial to their metacognition as it can help develop better cognitive strategies to assist individuals who struggle with eating disorders. 

References

Oosterwaal, S.A.M. “Desire to Eat and Its Relationship with Emotion Regulation, What Does Rumination Has to Do with It? Masterthesis Sofie.” Utrecht University Student Theses Repository Home, Utrecht University , 1 Jan. 1970, https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/35866.

Serna , Isabel Martínez, and José Francisco Parra Azor. “(C-189) Active Learning: Creating Interactive Crossword Puzzles – UPCT.” ACTIVE LEARNING: CREATING INTERACTIVE CROSSWORD PUZZLES, July 2011, https://repositorio.upct.es/bitstream/handle/10317/2237/c189.pdf?sequence=1.

Vann, A., Strodl, E. & Anderson, E. Thinking about internal states, a qualitative investigation into metacognitions in women with eating disorders. J Eat Disord 1, 22 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/2050-2974-1-22

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Causal Rewrite-GoodMusician440

The Cause of Better Health from Music

Music is a very wonderful thing. It is a universal language that is part of everybody’s lives. People listen to music every single day, and they use it for various things such as performing with instruments or singing or even just listening to it while doing activities such as reading or studying. Places such as stores, sports stadiums, and restaurants also use music for the customers. Music is everywhere. A lot of people love to listen to music. That is a really good thing because by listening to music, music can bring a lot of good benefits to people’s lives. They can cause a lot of great improvements in your overall health, especially your physical health and your mental health.

The brain and music are basically connected to each other. According to Harvard, the brain is the one that collects soundwaves, and the waves go right to the eardrum. When the waves strike the eardrum, the eardrum vibrates, and that leads to tons of other chain reactions in our brain that cause us to perceive musical ideas like pitch, melody, harmony, chord progressions, chords, and other musical ideas. With these chain reactions, we are able to combine all of these ideas into what we call “music.” This is important to know here because it shows just how interconnected the brain and music really are. Because they are interconnected, it gives music the opportunity to really improve your health, especially in the mind. For example, the fact that music and the brain are interconnected allows music to calm down stress hormones. This is really helpful especially for those that have anxiety and/or depression. It is especially prevalent when we use certain kinds of musical styles such as classical music and jazz. Not all musical styles would be able to do that for obvious reasons. Some styles such as rap, heavy metal, rock, and some forms of pop would definitely not be able to calm down the stress hormones in your body because those kinds of music are so lively and so chaotic sometimes, that instead of being able to calm down the stress hormones, not only would they not calm them down, they would instead aggravate them and/or even create new ones. Classical and jazz music are definitely genres that can reduce stress hormones significantly because of their more relaxing and instrumental nature.

Listening to causes a lot of benefits to the body as far as physical health goes. In Shanghai University, the scientists were able to prove that music does indeed cause fatigue to be significantly reduced. They also proved, according to healthlin.com, that when the people were engaged into doing a repetitive task over and over again, the music helped them maintain good muscle endurance. There has even been proof of music actually boosting your overall performance on working out. It has been shown to help work out much more efficiently as well as much longer than usual. This is because of the fact that music can really help you relax and get rid of those stress hormones in your body. It kind of makes sense. We see tons of athletes listen to music all the time when they work out. They especially love to listen to high intensity music because it is very fast and intense as far as the tempo, rhythm, and the chord structure goes. If they listened to something like classical music, the vibe would not fit in. It would not help them workout more efficiently, but rather, it would help them work inefficiently. However, with fast songs that are very intense such as some pop songs, rock, and others, they will help a lot more due to the nature and feel of those songs.

Music also causes our emotions to be heavily affected. Certain songs and genres have certain styles and feels to them that do different effects to other people. This is important to note especially for those that have depression. Some songs will not work well for those with depression because they will be too sad, and those kinds of songs will just lead them to more sadness, which is obviously what we do not want. Rite of Spring is an excellent composition to use as an example of what not to show to a person with depression. The song is very chaotic and confusing. There are so many things that happen in that song as far as the harmony and rhythm goes, that it would simply confuse them, and drive them into insanity. Sad songs with sad lyrics would definitely not be good. The songs should have a positive theme in them or sound very happy and positive. Pharrell William’s “Happy” is an obvious example of a very happy song. The lyrics show a very positive message, and the song is in a major key, which helps it sound happy. 

Overall, it is very clear that listening to music causes many great effects to occur to a lot of people. Sometimes, certain genres are very good for improving overall health while others do not. Sometimes, songs might sound too sad or sometimes too crazy or insane, whereas some songs sound a lot happier and might take a more relaxed approach in order to get its message across. Music and the brain are very well connected, and as a result, when music is heard by the human ear, it can cause that person to experience tons of great side effects. Music can help you in your overall physical health, especially when you are working out and especially when you are listening to fast music because fast music is really fitting for the type of environment and feel that working out is. It is also known for helping those with depression and anxiety because the stress hormones are able to be calmed down. Music is a wonderful tool to have in your everyday life and it is not only something used to enjoy yourself, but it is also used to actually improve the health of oneself.

References

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-musical-self/201408/5-problems-music-can-create

https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/music-and-health

https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-music#mood-boost

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/11/music

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Causal Rewrite- PitandthePendulum

Needs a Flippin’ Title!

The death of the independent bookstore can be attributed to one, well-known factor: Amazon. Since its beginning in 1995 as an online bookseller, it launched a brand-new business model that eventually made it grow into the all-encompassing shopping giant that it is today. As Indie bookstores battle to re-emerge from the annals of time, one must be able to acknowledge how and why they faced extinction in the first place. Such reasons as Amazon’s efficiency, variety, and pricing, as well as marketing tactics and advertising can be attributed to its gross victory over the independent bookseller.

Amazon has been able to succeed and triumph over independent bookstores for various reasons. The first and most popular of these: Convenience. Amazon is open 24-hours, 365 days a years, and can essentially be accessed anywhere there is internet connection. The independent bookstore runs on schedules and times set by its owners (who may close early, on holidays, weekends, Mondays, etc), and requires customers to travel to their set location in order to purchase their product. Though these stores offer the instant gratification Amazon doesn’t, Amazon makes up for it in an equally important field: Pricing. Amazon is able to offer sales and cheaper prices for literature that small bookstores are financially unable to match. A personal study conducted at ‘Inkwood Books’ in Haddonfield, New Jersey proved this point. A copy of the book ‘Queens of the Abyss: Lost Stories from the Women of the Weird” compiled by Mike Ashley was priced at a dismal $24. While Inkwood provides a cozy, quiet atmosphere , as well as involvement with the local school districts and local authors, a quick journey to Amazon shows the book priced at $14.14 (with $5.99). Amazon even offers additional options from other sellers and parties, with some used copies being priced at $12.30, and some new copies priced at $11.76. Even with shipping costs, Amazon still proves the wiser seller to purchase from if one doesn’t want to spend a fortune on mere paperbacks.

Another facet of Amazon that proves to be detrimental to the small bookstore business is E-books. Purchasable on Kindle through Amazon, many of these pieces are self-published, meaning that the variety of books offered by Amazon is much vaster than any brick and mortar establishment’s inventory. An article from News24 boasts the claim the E-book sales have more than doubled in the past three years alone, with Amazon’s involvement and the pandemic most likely offering a fair explanation. E-books offer an additional win for Amazon through their convenience. They are able to be downloaded onto any device or e-reader almost instantly after purchase, giving the instant gratification of an independent bookshop over the internet. In this digital age, online bookshops have found how to market their infinite variety to every type of reader. Independent bookstores suffer the consequences of this, as it is nearly impossible for them to keep up with the near-infinite stock of online sellers and near-infinite amount of published works. Many independent bookstores specialize in one subject, making it easier to obtain titles and create a decent amount of stock, but harder to obtain clients, as consumers in such stores must be interested in the specific niche that the store focuses on.

References ( NOT SOURCES )

Chu, CP., Guo, WC. & Lai, FC. On the competition between an online bookstore and a physical bookstore. Netnomics 13, 141–154 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11066-012-9068-y

News24, “E-books Hurt Traditional Bookstores”, News24, (2011). https://www.news24.com/news24/e-books-hurt-traditional-bookstores-20110208

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Causal- PitandthePendulum

I could use some help getting started, professor.

CAUSAL ADVICE PROVIDED, both here as a Reply and at the Causal Argument post.

Posted in Causal Argument, PitAndThePendulum | 1 Comment

White Paper 1st draft- Jasrielle2

Music without lyrics helps your focus better than music with lyrics. Many different people use music as a way to calm down and focus on doing things such as cleaning, work, as well as exercise. The topic I am addressing today is that it is better to listen to music without lyrics to allow your brain to fully concentrate on any task at hand by not distracting you from singing along to music while still being able to have the music. Research in the National Universities shows that music can alter your focus, what they discuss in this article is different genres of music. “Music has the potential to take a person from the Beta brainwave state to deeper Alpha, and then Theta brainwave states, depending on the music,” explained Dr. Masha Godkin. Being able to have brain waves be altered by music is a big key point in this research. It shows that music has the ability to alter your productivity. It was also stated in this article that “According to Godkin, it’s good to stick with classical music. One reason this genre works well is that there are no lyrics to distract you.” When listening to music people tend to sing along whether it is in your head or out loud. Singing in your head is almost enviable because you are aware of the song as well as the words about to be said. When you listen to instrumental music without lyrics your brain will not focus on the lyrics and have music in the background to still aid in the focus you need to do whatever task is at hand. 

When listening to music you might ask yourself, okay if the problem is following and singing along to the lyrics what if i listen to music in a different language. The problem with that is, if you know a percentage of the language you will focus even more on trying to understand what is being said as well as putting pieces together to get an understanding of the phrases being said. “Music is a very useful tool in such situations. It provides non-invasive noise and pleasurable feelings, to effectively neutralise the unconscious attention system’s ability to distract us.” As explained in the article by The Guardian What is being explained in this article is music’s ability to distract us from the task we are doing, making us complete it in a faster and more efficient way. As I am completing this assignment right now I am listening to music. It aids in my production as well as how fast I am working to complete it. On different occasions I find myself focused more on the music rather than the assignment, prompting me to sing along and dance. When I begin to feel like this,  I alter the music genre to something else. I tend to find myself listening to calming instrumental music because I have found another problem with this theory. If I were to listen to the instrumental music of a song I know I would find myself humming and or singing along to the melody. Instrumental music of no specific song allows my brain to be stimulated as well as focused without the worry of the lyrics distracting me. 

There is also different music that enhances the amount of focus in your brain for example as addressed in the article “ A lot of companies have tried using pink noise (pdf) – a less invasive version of white noise – broadcasting it around the workplace to reduce distractions and boost productivity.” different wavelength noises alter your brain in many different waves, causing different reactions as well as productivity. Music has been proven to enhance productivity as well as mood, “ It’s been proven that listening to certain types of music in specific situations can boost productivity and mood, from enhancing the quality of your workout to reducing stress and anxiety.” ( SHAZAL 2022) it is explained that music is used in many different ways for the best outcomes of your mental as well as achievements. 

There was a study discussed in the article about music improving your memory, which consists of memorizing lyrics and I know some people may say if I hear a song it correlates with what I need to remember, but it’s too much for the brain to comprehend at once. Having lyrics be remembered as well as what organ is to the left of your chest can cause some issues. “Science shows that music can help improve cognitive performance.” The study taken then showed that students were able to perform faster and more focused on a test than without music.  In an article Annika Hope discusses the various benefits of listening to music while studying. In this article she speaks about how music can motivate students and keep you studying for longer periods of time, she also addresses how it aids in cognitive function as well as your overall enjoyment of the task. “ Music = endurance”. 

In an article from study.com it is discussed that listening to music while studying also aids in stress levels of students. Keeping their stress down while loading their brain with information is a great way to succeed. “In some cases, students have found that music helps them with memorization, likely by creating a positive mood, which indirectly boosts memory formation.” ( Davis 2023). In conclusion, music can help with so many things and one of those things is studying, now there is specific music that you have to use so be mindful when doing so. Music is able to boost your mood, memory, as well as motivation when doing work, so go play your favorite calm instrumental when taking notes. 

Woke Cited 

Does music really help you concentrate? | Education | The Guardian

Can Music Help You Study and Focus? | National University (ncu.edu)

Why is study focus music so effective for concentration? (studyinternational.com)

Listening To Music While Studying | Music While Studying | Мusic Gateway (musicgateway.com)

Is it Good to Listen to Music While Studying? | Study.com

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Causal Rewrite- MellowTacos

“Not-So-Forever-Homes” for Pandemic Puppies

What was known as “a man’s best friend” quickly became a “ temporary companion”. The unbearable loneliness that Covid-19 brought upon us caused people who normally wouldn’t adopt to bring home that adorable puppy. 

Before covid had even been discovered there was no pet demand whatsoever. Shelters and fosters were just as sad and packed as ever. People went on with their lives without a single desire to adopt a dog, despite their need for a home. These same people didn’t need to because they were already emotionally complete. They had an abundance of social interactions and weekend plans after a long week of work. They spent their hard earned leisure income on vacations, fine dining, and hobbies . Their jobs kept them well enough engaged where they didn’t need to be more active.

Within two years the world has flipped upside down. Those same people are now out of a job or barely working from home surviving off aid from the government. Everyone became totally afraid and isolated from society. No one had a single idea what to do, they were no longer engaged or socially active. Leisure money now had no use and quickly became extra money they weren’t spending on socializing. Humans require companionship, they need something.

The University of Alabama’s experts discussed how it has drastically changed society. A better alternative for adopting pets would have been an app called “B Well” created by hospitals that is now up and running(UBA, para1) . This app has a self-care feature to monitor your healthy habits like sleep, movemeet, nutrition, routine as well as habits that you can create yourself. These apps are crucial to helping battle loneliness and depression during covid. People were stripped of their everyday routine and their hobbies have become limited. They have all this new free time now that they didn’t before. This is the reason for the new dammand for dogs. 

No matter what it is, spending time on an activity you enjoy can improve mental health. Research proves that it is less likely to suffer from mental illnesses like depression, when you have a hobby. Participating in group activities and gatherings is also extremely crucial for mental well being (head to health, para 2). It helps improve communication skills and build connections with others which covid has taken away. Socializing is something so little that affects us so much. It’s so important that it “has been considered an important factor for preventing Dementia and Alzheimer’s”, according to Bella Vista Health Center Blog. We took it for granted and now not only did we suffer ourselves but many dogs were abandoned on the way. That dog may have missed its opportunity to find someone who actually cares for them in the long run. 

Nearly 1 in 5 households got a pet, out of that 1 in 5, “was a total of 78 million dogs” (Givens, 1). The main concern as to why they are now returning their dogs is because of financial security. The issue here isn’t the dogs, it’s the owners.  People went from being a bad Adoption Candidate to all the sudden a Good Adoption Candidate and unfortunately right back to back to a bad, if not, a worse adoption candidate.

Finally nearing the end of covid people started to hop right back into their old schedules, the ones that didn’t fit a dog. They returned right back to the office full time. Their social lives sparked back up again, but with all that leisure money now going to a dog they can’t go out as much. Poor adopters returning to their old lives where they were emotionally complete, realized there was no need for a furry companion anymore. 

Aine Givens. ManyPets “5 Statistics about the COVID-19 Pet Adoption Surge.” ManyPets, ManyPets (US), https://manypets.com/us/blog/covid-pet-adoption/

Bella Vista Health Center. “How Socialization Affects Your Overall Mental Health: Bella Vista San Diego, CA.” Bella Vista Health Center, Bella Vista Health Center, 14 Sept. 2016, https://www.bellavistahealth.com/blog/2016/8/1/how-socialization-affects-your-overall-mental-health

“How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Society.” UAB News, https://www.uab.edu/news/youcanuse/item/12697-how-the-covid-19-pandemic-changed-society

“Purposeful Activity – Hobbies.” Head to Health, https://www.headtohealth.gov.au/meaningful-life/purposeful-activity/hobbies 

Posted in Causal Rewrite, MellowTacos, Portfolio MellowTacos | 3 Comments

Causal- MellowTacos

“Not-So-Forever-Homes” for Pandemic Puppies

What was known as “a man’s best friend” quickly became a “ temporary companion”. The unbearable loneliness that Covid-19 brought upon us caused people who normally wouldn’t adopt to bring home that adorable puppy. 

Before covid had even been discovered there was no pet demand whatsoever. Shelters and fosters were just as sad and packed as ever. People went on with their lives without a single desire to adopt a dog, despite their need for a home. These same people didn’t need to because they were already emotionally complete. They had an abundance of social interactions and weekend plans after a long week of work. They spent their hard earned leisure income on vacations, fine dining, and hobbies . Their jobs kept them well enough engaged where they didn’t need to be more active.

Within two years the world has flipped upside down. Those same people are now out of a job or barely working from home surviving off aid from the government. Everyone became totally afraid and isolated from society. No one had a single idea what to do, they were no longer engaged or socially active. Leisure money now had no use and quickly became extra money they weren’t spending on socializing. Humans require companionship, they need something.

The University of Alabama’s experts discussed how it has drastically changed society. A better alternative for adopting pets would have been an app called “B Well” created by hospitals that is now up and running(UBA, para1) . This app has a self-care feature to monitor your healthy habits like sleep, movemeet, nutrition, routine as well as habits that you can create yourself. These apps are crucial to helping battle loneliness and depression during covid. People were stripped of their everyday routine and their hobbies have become limited. They have all this new free time now that they didn’t before. This is the reason for the new dammand for dogs. 

No matter what it is, spending time on an activity you enjoy can improve mental health. Research proves that it is less likely to suffer from mental illnesses like depression, when you have a hobby. Participating in group activities and gatherings is also extremely crucial for mental well being (head to health, para 2). It helps improve communication skills and build connections with others which covid has taken away. Socializing is something so little that affects us so much. It’s so important that it “has been considered an important factor for preventing Dementia and Alzheimer’s”, according to Bella Vista Health Center Blog. We took it for granted and now not only did we suffer ourselves but many dogs were abandoned on the way. That dog may have missed its opportunity to find someone who actually cares for them in the long run. 

Nearly 1 in 5 households got a pet, out of that 1 in 5, “was a total of 78 million dogs” (Givens, 1). The main concern as to why they are now returning their dogs is because of financial security. The issue here isn’t the dogs, it’s the owners.  People went from being a bad Adoption Candidate to all the sudden a Good Adoption Candidate and unfortunately right back to back to a bad, if not, a worse adoption candidate.

Finally nearing the end of covid people started to hop right back into their old schedules, the ones that didn’t fit a dog. They returned right back to the office full time. Their social lives sparked back up again, but with all that leisure money now going to a dog they can’t go out as much. Poor adopters returning to their old lives where they were emotionally complete, realized there was no need for a furry companion anymore. 

Aine Givens. ManyPets “5 Statistics about the COVID-19 Pet Adoption Surge.” ManyPets, ManyPets (US), https://manypets.com/us/blog/covid-pet-adoption/

Bella Vista Health Center. “How Socialization Affects Your Overall Mental Health: Bella Vista San Diego, CA.” Bella Vista Health Center, Bella Vista Health Center, 14 Sept. 2016, https://www.bellavistahealth.com/blog/2016/8/1/how-socialization-affects-your-overall-mental-health

“How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Society.” UAB News, https://www.uab.edu/news/youcanuse/item/12697-how-the-covid-19-pandemic-changed-society

“Purposeful Activity – Hobbies.” Head to Health, https://www.headtohealth.gov.au/meaningful-life/purposeful-activity/hobbies 

Posted in Causal Argument, MellowTacos, Portfolio MellowTacos | 1 Comment