Joy and the Brain We are all feeling the pressure of our ongoing community health emergency, and the range of ways it impacts each of us. There is no doubt our contentment and happiness is being challenged, perhaps like never before.
As Meeting for Minds seeks to better understand research of the brain and mental illness, we are discovering a number of projects looking at the intriguing bridge between the brain and mind.
In this issue we highlight the work of two Meeting for Minds’ scientific advisers and supporters. An important aspect of Professor Asya Rolls' research is her focus on the part of the brain called the “reward system”. For example, this can be stimulated through a person’s high expectations of a new treatment for disease. Prof. Rolls also looks at the ways powerful positive emotions and thoughts can influence our immune systems.
A positive source of joy for many is music, and Professor Alan Harvey’s research (which inspired the word cloud above) highlights the way music can stimulate the hormone oxytocin in the brain, in turn enhancing our ability to form social bonds.
Scroll down and see our upcoming events in Australia and Switzerland.
It is not always easy to be happy. I recall my grandmother telling me, “Smile, and if your face does not want to, make it”. We invite you to explore these research endeavours, and join us in a conspiracy of happiness.
Maria Halphen
Founder
“ Every thought is embedded in our neurons.”
__________
Asya Rolls - Psychoneuroimmunologist and International Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, Technion within the Israel Institute of Technology
Music Strengthens our Social Powers
Music brings us together, from festival raves to church hymns, from road trip playlists to national anthems. Cultural songs and dances promote people’s political identity as much as the yearly top 100 countdowns help identify a particular generation. The recent work of Professor Alan Harvey of UWA, one of M4M’s ambassadors, helps explain why this is from a scientific perspective.
Curious to discover research that studies the brain? Curious to hear the thoughts and questions of people living with mental disorders?
Research is a subject that affects us all. Let's create a dialogue between scientists and people concerned by mental disorders. A research project that studies the brain will be presented and discussed during this online exchange in French.
Come and listen, exchange and discover, let's talk about the brain together!
This is a free online event. Evénement gratuit en ligne.
Attention Perth friends! It is now time to bring Andrew Baines' artwork 'Consideration of Contemplation' to life at North Cottesloe Beach. The date is March 4th so sign up now if you're interested.
This artwork will be sold by online auction. Keep an eye on your inbox for details and a link to the action.
Andrew Baines at the Gallows Gallery
Maria Halphen, founder of Meeting for Minds, has the honour of opening Andrew Baines' upcoming exhibition at the Gallows Gallery. The exhibition will be on from the 25th February to 14th March. The art work being auctioned will be on display for viewing with the other art works at the Gallows Gallery.
Meeting for Minds is proud to be co-chairing the Lived Experience Working Group for the International Alliance Mental of Mental Health Research Funders in campaigning for more funding and greater involvement of people with lived experience of mental illness for mental health research. This work is being done in conjunction with the Wellcome Trust and The McPin Foundation UK.
Call for experts to apply to the Common Measures in Mental Health Science Advisory Group (CMA) Deadline to submit your application: February 28, 2021
A lack of common measures in mental health research has hampered progress for a long time. Today, there are so many mental health measures used by different researchers that they limit opportunities for synthesis of findings, collaborations, and adoption of new knowledge.
Wellcome is launching their Active Ingredients 2021 Request for Proposals.
Starting with anxiety and depression in young people, Wellcome is determined to transform how we understand, fund and address mental health problems by 2030. Their vision is a world in which no one is held back by mental health problems. Integrating the perspectives of young people with lived experience will be key.
Asya Rolls is a distinguished advisor for Meeting for Minds. Her work explores the science behind how positive emotions can contribute to immune activity.
Meeting for Minds has been invited for the second time to participate in the 2021 World Psychiatric Association virtual congress. The 20th WPA World Congress of Psychiatry online platform will provide a unique place for discussions of the hottest topics in our industry and bring together leaders whose knowledge and experience can be tapped for your benefit.
The WPA is psychiatry’s global association representing national societies aimed to increase the knowledge and skills necessary for work in the field of mental health.
Get involved!
Please consider making a donation to our work so that we can expand our programmes and activities. Your contribution will help ensure that people with lived experience of mental illness are co-participants in the research that stands to benefit them.
Thank you so much - your support is extremely valuable to us!
