“It is the common people’s duty to police the police.” -Steven Magee
It is a well-known fact that people do not necessarily like police officers, especially minority groups. However, with all of the complaining about how police officers are, we should look for a solution.
Two studies conducted by Nadal et al. (2017) found that African Americans held less favorable perceptions of police officers than any other minority group. Researchers assumed this may be due to stereotypes about African Americans leading to more violent discrimination and microaggressions than other minority groups. However, African Americans would not be to only ones affected by these instances of discrimination. According to a study by McNeeley & Grothoff (2016), people who perceive their neighborhoods as having racial tension also have less favorable perception of the police. This means that racial tension affects the perception of police from all groups. With all of this in mind, how can we as a society improve perceptions of the police?
After talking to various professors and students about the issue, I have heard a few common answers. Many professors believe that if police officers were more involved in their communities when it doesn’t relate to crime, that could improve the community’s perception of their local police force. However, many students believe that police officers should be trained better to avoid conflicts that could be seen as racially driven. The only problem that I see with this solution is that police officers would begin treating minorities better than Caucasians simply because of their ethnicity. This would obviously lead to backlash from the white community. I think that having police officers more involved in their communities when it does not involve crime would be the simplest way of opening the eyes of the public. However, I am sure that there are many other solutions out there. Either way, these perceptions of the police need to be improved if we are to reduce crime rates and violence across the country. Improving perceptions would be the first step.
Those are my Thoughts for Food.
McNeeley, S., & Grothoff, G. (2016). A multilevel examination of the relationship between racial tension and attitudes toward the police. American Journal of Criminal Justice : The Journal of the Southern Criminal Justice Association,41(3), 383-401. doi:10.1007/s12103-015-9318-2
Nadal, K., Davidoff, K., Allicock, N., Serpe, C., & Erazo, T. (2017). Perceptions of police, racial profiling, and psychological outcomes: A mixed methodological study. Journal of Social Issues,73(4), 808-830. doi:10.1111/josi.12249
Schafer, J. A., Huebner, B. M., & Bynum, T. S. (2003). Citizen perceptions of police services: Race, neighborhood context, and community policing. Police quarterly, 6(4), 440-468.
“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
Whether training for a marathon or trying to shape that summer body, working out has a lot more benefits than expected. Although it is obviously physically beneficial, there are many psychological benefits to exercise as well.
According to a study by Deslandes et al. (2009), there are various studies that support the claim that exercise increases quality of life. This means that we feel a better sense of accomplishment when we work out. There are also studies done on the necessary duration of exercise in order to experience these effects.
According to a meta-analysis by Petruzello et al. (1991), there is a variety of evidence showing that exercising for at least 20 minutes per day reduces anxiety. This makes exercise especially important as college students like myself grow closer to finals week. Additionally, Hillman et al. (2008) found that physical activity improves cognition and academic performance in students.
Lastly, according to a study conducted by Taylor et al. (1985), physical activity is shown to decrease symptoms of depression, increase self-confidence, and benefit mood. These benefits, as well as those mentioned earlier, prove that if you exercise regularly, you can strengthen your body while strengthening your mind.
Regardless of one’s reasoning for exercising, there are a plethora of benefits that make working out a fair investment of time. Whether you put in 20 minutes a day or 2 hours a day, exercising will make you feel better, be stronger, and be smarter. Get that summer body ready and you’ll also be getting that fall semester brain ready.
Those are my Thoughts for Food.
Deslandes, A., Moraes, H., Ferreira, C., Veiga, H., Silveira, H., Mouta, R., … & Laks, J. (2009). Exercise and mental health: many reasons to move. Neuropsychobiology, 59(4), 191-198.
Hillman, C. H., Erickson, K. I., & Kramer, A. F. (2008). Be smart, exercise your heart: exercise effects on brain and cognition. Nature reviews neuroscience, 9(1), 58.
Petruzzello, S. J., Landers, D. M., Hatfield, B. D., Kubitz, K. A., & Salazar, W. (1991). A meta-analysis on the anxiety-reducing effects of acute and chronic exercise. Sports medicine, 11(3), 143-182.
Taylor, C. B., Sallis, J. F., & Needle, R. (1985). The relation of physical activity and exercise to mental health. Public health reports, 100(2), 195.
“Spring won’t let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.” -Gustav Mahler
Spring is here! As the sunshine begins to cover our planet, it is important that we take the time to enjoy it. Sunshine on the body has been shown to have many effects on the body, making time outside a highly recommended form of spending your free time.
According to a 2013 study by Guéguen and Lamy, sunshine has been shown to improve social relationships, mood, and helping behavior in individuals. So, going outside can lead to more helpful neighbors, improved relationship with your friends, and make you happier overall. Studies have also shown that sunshine can increase the amount of money that people tip at restaurants for all the waiters and waitresses out there. More studies also show that sunshine can also increase the amount of flirtatious comments that one makes. With all these benefits, why not go outside?
Since sunshine is so powerful on our behavior, spending time outside should be a daily activity that you participate in. If you are feeling down or have a crush that you aren’t sure if they like you or not, go outside. You will feel happier and your crush may be more likely to begin flirting if they like you. The sun is more helpful than you think.
Those are my Thoughts for Food.
Guéguen, N., & Lamy, L. (2013). Weather and helping: additional evidence of the effect of the sunshine Samaritan. The Journal of social psychology, 153(2), 123-126.
Guéguen, N. (2013). Weather and courtship behavior: A quasi-experiment with the flirty sunshine. Social Influence, 8(4), 312-319.
Rind, B. (1996). Effect of beliefs about weather conditions on tipping. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 26(2), 137-147.
“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake, you know?” -Ernest Hemingway
Sleep has become an increasingly loved part of everyone’s life. No matter how late we stay up, we are always fighting for those few extra minutes every morning. However, with all of this craze about sleep, it is important to know what benefits sleep has for the body and what a detriment a lack of sleep can be for your well being.
According to a 2015 study by Dagmara et al., Americans have been staying up later over the years while setting alarms for earlier times in the morning. This led to a significant increase in sleep disturbances among all American. Sleep disturbances are anything that disrupts of inhibits sleep. So what does this mean for the average American?
Well, according to various studies on the topic, a lack of sleep can mean an increase in symptoms of depression, worse physical and cognitive performance, lower GPA and less physical growth. Although most people aren’t thinking about all these consequences when they decide to stay up an extra hour or two, these outcomes can have long lasing effects on a person’s future. So, what can we do to change our sleep habits?
Various other studies have implemented mindfulness exercises and meditations which yielded significant results. It is suggested that one reduces stress in their everyday life by being aware of themselves and the world around them. This can help individuals prepare for the week ahead of them and sort out any cognitive strains that have been plaguing their mind. Okay, meditation. That’s easy, but what are the benefits of good sleep?
Good Question. Having the recommended amount of sleep has been shown to have great effects on the body and mind, including: greater life satisfaction, better academic performance, lower blood pressure, increase physical growth, and many more. By maintaining a good sleep schedule, you are not only doing yourself a favor, but you are doing your future a favor.
Although people are always praising their beds for how comfortable they are, the quality and quantity of sleep across America has been decreasing. This makes it our responsibility to take care of our minds and our bodies by improving our sleep schedule. Do yourself a favor and go to sleep.
Those are my Thoughts for Food.
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Thoughts for Food 