| Have you ever been so anxious that your stomach started hurting? In addition to its well-known impacts on mental health, stress can also make people feel physically ill—and a new study could help explain why. Although it’s fairly common knowledge that the gut “talks” to the brain by releasing hormones into the bloodstream, recent studies have shown that the so-called “gut-brain connection” plays a far more pivotal role in health than previously thought. Signals originating in a stressed-out brain can make their way to intestinal nerve cells, causing inflammation and aggravating diseases like ulcerative colitis. Certain microbes in the gut, meanwhile, release chemicals that can alter mood and behavior. Now, scientists have discovered a direct relationship between the brain, gut bacteria, and the immune system—demonstrating this month in Cell that you can, in fact, worry yourself sick. The team zeroed in on small, neuron-filled organs called Brunner’s glands, which line the walls of the small intestine and secrete mucus. Removing these glands in mice triggered inflammation, the researchers report, and made the rodents more susceptible to infection. Humans who’d had tumors removed from the part of the gut that contains Brunner’s glands also showed elevated white blood cells, further solidifying the link between these overlooked organs and the immune system. It turns out that removing Brunner’s glands causes bacteria in the Lactobacillus genus to vanish from the small intestine—with devastating consequences. These microbes normally help reinforce connections between cells in the lining of the gut, so losing them can cause molecules to “leak” out, activating an immune response. As lead researcher Ivan de Araujo tells Nature, “Things that shouldn’t cross into the blood do so.” When the researchers took a closer look at the neurons within Brunner’s glands, they discovered a connection to the vagus nerve—a twisting, 100,000-fiber network that meanders from the base of the brain to the internal organs, influencing digestion, blood pressure, and even memory and mood. Fibers that connect to Brunner’s gland nerves, the team found, lead directly to a region of the brain known as the amygdala, which plays a key role in emotion and the stress response. Sure enough, subjecting mice to chronic stress caused their Brunner’s glands to shut down—causing Lactobacillus to dwindle and intensifying inflammation. Neuroscientist John Cryan, who reviewed the study, calls it a “technical tour de force.” Scientists already knew that bacteria could influence the brain, he tells Nature, so seeing that relationship flow in the opposite direction is “a really cool part of the puzzle.” From AAAS Science Adviser |
Have you noticed how many successful people just keep racking up more wins? Here’s the secret to that kind of serial success… When researchers wanted to test the accuracy of the old adage “success breeds success”, they designed a study that randomly assigned “rewards” to certain subjects. In all scenarios, receiving a modest reward early on “triggered a self-propelling cascade of success” for those participants. The study's author reasoned that when people receive early success, it raises their expectations for future success. Here’s how that works:
What makes a leader more relatable, more approachable, and more successful? The surprising answer: humility. “Strong cultures can only happen when team members feel safe enough to tell one another the truth -- and that starts with leaders being willing to show they're fallible,” writes Jeff Haden in Inc. Citing numerous research studies, Haden explains why vulnerability and humility are central to strong leadership:
Getting and increasing our self awareness is good for all of us - we are more confident and creative, make better decisions, have stronger relationships, communicate more effectively, are more satisfied at work and perform better. Top ranked leaders (83rd percentile) are the ones most likely to ask for feedback. How do we get better at asking for feedback? Writing in HBR, Imber offers 4 steps to getting advice that will really help you improve:
Over the last year we have noticed an increased demand for workplace investigations. It seems the stresses of all the events and circumstances of recent years has led to more fractious relationships at work. In fact, a recent survey by partner organisation, Synergy Health, found the state of psychological wellbeing amongst Canterbury workers to be the lowest in the country, and in particular, a perceived low level of support by team members.
As Chartered Organisational Psychologists we meet the regulatory requirements to carry out external investigations and we are very familiar with the dynamics of human behaviour, employment relations, workplace policies, and structures. Our clients regularly comment that as much as they appreciate our thorough and objective processes, what really sets us apart from many other investigators is our systems level analysis, behavioural insight and pragmatism. For this reason, we are able to explain what is occurring and provide workable recommendations to solving issues that may be exacerbating interpersonal problems.
Sadly, we have come across a number of investigations that have been run in such a way that they have unnecessarily exacerbated the anxiety of those involved. We believe allegations need to be addressed quickly and effectively and we are firm advocates of supporting all those involved during and after the investigation. We offer advice on rebuilding relationships and culture at the conclusion of the investigation. Simply put, when it comes to investigations we look forward as well as back.
Maybe you aren’t in need of a formal investigation but you have a team experiencing some conflict. A very proactive step is to bring us in to meet with people and assess what is going on, and most importantly, how to fix it. A review of this nature is a less formal approach than an investigation and in many cases this type of early intervention will stave off the need for a later investigation. A key benefit is that unlike an investigation we can interview staff confidentially, so they may speak freely without fear of what they say being revealed to others. Our recommendations often involve systemic or process changes, leadership or interpersonal development. And we often facilitate conversations between individuals (either as part of a review or separately) to shine a light on their behaviour, resolve conflict and agree on specific behavioural expectations for the future.
Some recent feedback is shared below:
Re. a team leader and senior staff member in conflict
“…both [team leader] and [senior staff member] have spoken with [manager] separately to say how grateful they were for the session and they were both pleased and felt positive about where things were at and the future.”
From a Chief Executive re. a senior level bullying investigation
“…thank you for a thorough investigation and findings. I appreciate your willingness to complete this investigation promptly for all concerned.”
From a Senior HR Business Partner to SPG
“Thanks for completing the investigation. We like the way you have helped us understand how the organisational structure and goals have contributed to the tensions. It has helped us put some solutions in place which will make the individual plans much more likely to work. Others investigators have just told us whether the person was bullied or not.
From a Board member to SPG
"Your systems level review of the situation and the individual’s part to play has helped all the parties understand how they go to the situation they were in. Very helpful for working out a way forward.”
Re. a team leader and two senior staff in conflict
“I understand from [senior manager] and what [team leader] has observed, things are going well for them. [Senior manager] has shared that [Senior 1] and [Senior 2] are really pleased with the sessions and how things are working.”
Please contact us on 0508 787 284 if you would like a confidential chat about a potential investigation or review or email us on [email protected]. Or contact one of us directly on the following:
Andrea Gardner, [email protected], 027 645 1458
John Eatwell, [email protected], 027 446 5592
Tara Longley, [email protected], 027 228 9179
