Archives: Mindfulness

A Blog Series by Dr. Philip Breitenbucher.

Read Part 2 here!

Recently, the news has been abuzz with discussions on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and their potential dangers and opportunities (Agomuho & Larsen, 2023). Many in higher education have scrambled to understand the powers of AI technologies, such as ChatGPT, and how to respond responsibly. Faculty and administrators have begun asking questions like: should we ban AI, mandate its use, or allow it with guidelines and instructions? 

Here at CBU, Artificial Intelligence Guidelines were issued at the start of the 23/24 academic year. The university’s Teaching and Learning Center has created a learning community called Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom. The learning community meets monthly and explores options for developing policies, grading rubrics, and sharing teaching tips on using AI. In the College of Behavioral Social Sciences, the Division of Psychology has assembled a research team to understand the benefits of ChatGPT in clinical practice, and the Division of Social Work has deployed a brand new AI policy for all courses, providing students with clear directions on how to use AI in academia ethically. Meanwhile, for the past two years, a partnership has existed between the College of Engineering and the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences focused on using natural language processing (NLP) to analyze big data sets to better understand and respond to the nation’s opioid and fentanyl crisis (Corso & Breitenbucher, 2023).

While AI and ChatGPT have grabbed the public’s attention recently, the historical relationship between social work and technology dates back over 100 years. Historically, technological revolutions, like the one we are experiencing now, have accelerated social issues and the need for social services. Baker et al. (2018) link the expansion of social work practice to the Industrial Revolution, arguing that as technology improved, social issues grew. Researchers have discussed the interconnectedness of social media technologies and social issues such as mental health, anxiety, depression, and suicide. Moreover, just recently, the Surgeon General described the effects of social media platforms as a “driver” for America’s mental health crisis (Abbasi, 2023). 

In addition to the interconnectedness of social issues and technology, social workers’ interaction with technology is well documented. Early social workers embraced technology, such as the invention of the automobile, because it made home visits easier, and the facsimile machine because it made it easier to share information. A recent study found that 98% of social workers used technology in their professional capacity. Still, they described the use of technology in social work as a requirement of the funders and as a reporting requirement, not a tool that benefits their work (Harris, 2022). Contradictorily, social workers described technology as imperative to connecting with clients and getting things done. However, they often use their own devices because their agencies do not provide access to technologies or forbid specific uses (Harris, 2022; Mishna et al., 2021). Finally, a very recent and significant (N=1,144) study found that social workers reported technology as highly useful and beneficial in their practice (Barrera-Algarín et al., 2021).

In 2016, a collaboration of major social work associations set out a bold agenda to transform social work practice and education for the next decade by identifying and analyzing a series of grand challenges that would focus resources to positively transform the field (American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare [AASWSW], n.d.). One of the grand challenges is to use technology for good. Coulton et al. (2015) stated, “The digital revolution is producing vast quantities of social, psychological, and organizational data that social workers can harness to address society’s most difficult problems” (p. 3). In 2017, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in partnership with the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and the Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA), developed Technology Standards in Social Work Practice (NASW et al., 2017). The standards are designed to educate the public, guide social work education, and bring awareness to social workers about their ethical responsibilities for using technology. In 2023, NASW published a series of articles on the use of AI in social work practice (NASW, n.d.). 

As social workers, we are committed to eradicating society’s grand challenges and positively focusing resources to transform the field (AASWSW, n.d.). To successfully harness technology for good, social work must move beyond merely accepting technology to fully embracing and leading technology development. The latest AI Digital Revolution presents an apex for social workers to lead in adopting and creating technology to support best practices in alignment with our values and beliefs.

 For this blog series, I have collaborated with several colleagues, alums, and students to unpack their experiences and understanding of technology use in social work practice. A CBU MSW Alumni, James Armour, wrote the first blog. In his article, The ChatGPT Chronicles: Tackling Community Needs Assessments, James discusses his experience using ChatGPT to assist in analyzing qualitative data collected for a community needs assessment.

The following articles will focus on the drivers that influence the use of technology in social work, the role of leadership in the development and deployment of technology, using NLP to analyze big data to address big social issues and the development of AI policies, practices, and assignments in the classroom. 

References

Abbasi, J. (2023). Surgeon General Sounds the Alarm on Social Media Use and Youth Mental Health Crisis. JAMA, 330(1), 11–12. https://doi-org.libproxy.calbaptist.edu/10.1001/jama.2023.10262

Agomuah F., & Larsen, L. (2023, September 15). ChatGPT: The latest news, controversies, and tips you need to know. DigitalTrends. Retrieved from: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-use-openai-chatgpt-text-generation-chatbot/

American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare. (2021). Retrieved from https://grandchallengesforsocialwork.org/about/ 

Baker, S., Warburton, J., Hodgkin, S., & Pascal, J. (2018). The New Informational Paradigm: Developing Practice-Led Approaches to the Use of Mobile ICT in Social Work. British Journal of Social Work, 48(6), 1791–1809. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcx124

Barrera-Algarín, E., Sarasola-Sánchez-Serrano, J. L., & Sarasola-Fernández, A. (2021). Social work in the face of emerging technologies: A technological acceptance study in 13 countries. International Social Work, 00208728211041672. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728211041672

Corso, A., & Breitenbucher, P. (2023). Using location analytics and social media to address the opioid overdose crisis in America. CalGIS Annual Conference, Monterey, CA.

Coulton, C. J., Goerge, R., & Putnam-Hornstein, E. (n.d.). Harnessing Big Data for Social Good: A Grand Challenge for Social Work. 21.

Harris, S. (2022). Australian Social Workers’ Understandings of Technology in Practice. Australian Social Work, 75(4), 420–432. https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2021.1949025

Mishna, F., Sanders, J., Fantus, S., Fang, L., Greenblatt, A., Bogo, M., & Milne, B. (2021). #socialwork: Informal use of information and communication technology in social work. Clinical Social Work Journal, 49(1), 85–99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-019-00729-9

National Association of Social Workers, Association of Social Work Boards, Council on Social Work Education, & Clinical Social Work Association. (2017). Technology standards in social work practice. National Association of Social Workers. https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/NASW-Practice-Standards-Guidelines/Standards-for-Technology-in-Social-Work-Practice

NASW (n.d.). AI in Social Work. National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved from: https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/AI-and-Social-Work

We’ve all been there. You step into an airplane, gaze down the aisle, and see two gleaming armrests flanking an unfortunately placed seat—yes, the dreaded middle seat. If you’ve ever had to sit here, especially for a long-haul flight, you’re familiar with what I refer to as the Middle Seat Syndrome (MSS). It’s the sensation of feeling trapped, hemmed in, and, to a certain extent, overlooked.

Recently, on a trip to Atlanta (ATL) from Los Angeles (LAX), my husband and I found ourselves experiencing the nuances of MSS. While on the journey there, we were fortunate enough to snag a window seat, allowing for a slightly more comfortable experience, with my husband in the middle seat. As a gesture of love and understanding, I lifted the armrest to give him some semblance of space. And even though it was a tight fit, we managed. He leaned towards me, I leaned towards the window, and we found a balance.

However, the return trip to LAX was another story. Our seats were reassigned, and we found ourselves separated, each confined to a middle seat. This amplified MSS and the physical discomforts it brings. While the passengers by the window have the freedom to rest their heads and those in the aisle can stretch their legs, the middle seaters are left with limited options. Most tragically, the unspoken code of airplane ethics doesn’t always acknowledge that the middle passenger should, by all rights, have access to both armrests.

This experience of feeling “boxed in” in the middle seat is evocative of a broader societal concern: the experience of marginalized individuals. Just as the middle seater grapples with spatial restrictions and a lack of consideration from those on either side, marginalized groups often face systemic barriers, lack of representation, and limited access to resources.

Here’s where the nursing and social work perspective comes in. In both fields, we consistently encounter individuals who feel “stuck in the middle.” They are the unseen, unheard, and often underserved populations who, like the middle seat passenger, don’t always have the space or voice they deserve.

The person experiencing teen pregnancy, homelessness, the senior citizen battling loneliness, or the individual with a disability fighting for accessibility—all can feel like they’re boxed in, surrounded by a society that often doesn’t seem to care about their comfort or needs.

But, as professionals, we have the power to change this. Just as I lifted the armrest for my husband, we can make small but impactful gestures to improve the experiences of the marginalized. By advocating for their rights, ensuring their stories are heard, and working to dismantle systemic barriers, we can help create a society where everyone, regardless of their position or background, feels valued and seen.

In closing, the next time you find yourself or someone else in that middle airplane seat, remember the unspoken rule: the middle seat gets both armrests. Extend that courtesy. In the grander scheme, let’s all strive to be more cognizant of those who feel boxed in and offer them the space, respect, and resources they rightfully deserve. Because everyone, whether on a plane or in life, deserves to journey comfortably.

Embracing Diversity

Hi, my name is Dr. Bojórquez, and I confess that I love tacos. Why wouldn’t you love tacos?  I love tacos because they are the perfect balance of protein, carbs, and vegetables. And, although I celebrate my Hispanic/ Latino heritage, this heritage is not why I love tacos. In fact, thinking about what it means to “be Hispanic” requires moving well beyond cultural tropes like “we all love tacos.”

The History of Hispanic Heritage Month

President Lyndon Johnson started Hispanic Heritage Week, later expanded by President Ronald Reagan to a month-long celebration (September 15 to October 15) in 1988; thus, Hispanic Heritage Month. During the 30-day celebration, the countries recognized for their contributions to Americans are Mexico, Central and South America, Spain, and the Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean (United States Census Bureau, 2023). We will explore the different definitions of Hispanic and Latino terms, cultural humility, and how to engage in the culture, and highlight some celebrations and fun facts about various Latino countries.

Is it Hispanic or Latino/x?

Throughout the United States (U.S.) history, the terms Hispanic and Latino/a/x/é have often been used interchangeably, resulting in a sense of panethnicity among individuals and communities. The term Hispanic was first implemented during the Nixon administration. The 2020 U.S. Census documented 63.7 million Hispanics, who make up about 19% of the U.S. population (United States Census Bureau, 2023). However, Hispanic has been highly criticized as it did not stem from a Spanish word, leading to a continuance of systemic disparities, including health, education, and incarceration (Garcia, 2020).

The term Latino has been more widely accepted, as it is derived from Latin, including Spanish-speaking countries. Latino was used as a gender-neutral term for Latinos and Latinas; however, around 2010, Latinx emerged to remove the male and female identity from the term and make it more inclusive. Interestingly, Bustamante et al. (2020) surveyed 3,030 Hispanic adults in the U.S. about the term Latinx. It reported that only three percent of participants use the term Latinx, 20% do not use the term, and 76% have yet to hear of the term Latinx.

Another factor in this conversation concerns the misconceptions that all Spanish speakers originate from Mexico. Although Mexicans form the largest Spanish speaking population in the U.S., there are many other Spanish speaking groups such as Salvadorans, Cubans, Dominicans, Guatemalans among others. It is essential to acknowledge the other Spanish speaking groups because language is part of the process for distinguishing Hispanic/Latino/a/x. Said another way, not all Latinos are Hispanic, and not all Hispanics are Latinos. Alexander (2022) shared that Brazilians are considered Latino but not Hispanic due to the Portuguese language, and Spaniards are Hispanic but not Latino because it is not a country in Latin America. Moreover, Latino was linked to geographical location and Hispanic to language. Thus, Mexicans would be considered Hispanic and Latino/x.

So, what term should we use? The honest answer is, “I don’t know.” It depends on where people are from and the language they speak. When unsure, I combine these two groups, so I say Hispanic/ Latino/x. Personally, I prefer Latina, Chicana, or Mexican-American (more terms, I know!). These identities are not monolithic and require we move beyond assumptions or what may “seem obvious.” This kind of movement is possible when we practice and apply cultural humility, to which I turn next. 

Cultural Humility

We interact with people from various cultures and ethnicities daily and often make generalizations. Some assumptions include foods, traditions, or practices. By not acknowledging the differences, we also diminish their lived experiences. A personal story that serves as a testament is that my husband, born in Mexico, does not love tacos, beans, or tamarind. Yes, it shocked me, too! 

My husband’s food preferences are a reminder that we have implicit biases. As people interact with people from various cultures daily, raising cultural humility and awareness is essential. Cultural humility is “… a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and critique, to redressing the power imbalances . . .” (Abe, 2019, as cited in Tervalon & Murray-García, 1998, p. 123). Learning about the Hispanic and Latino cultures can start by immersing yourself in the culture, attending cultural events, and learning the history of lived experiences of these communities. 

Further, increasing cultural humility can be done via social work practice and research. In social work, we are responsible for using cultural competence and humility to improve providers’ knowledge and skills while building appropriate relationships with those we serve. In research, there is an understanding that becomes central to the delivery of all-inclusive care for those we serve. Also, it allows providers to fill in the gaps between the needs and services of clients and communities from various cultures, ethnicities, practices, and customs.

In the spirit of this learning for the development of cultural humility, I’ve provided a list of celebrations and fun facts for different countries below. 

Have you ever participated in any of these events or is there one that you would add to the list? Leave a comment below!

Celebrations and Fun Facts

Mexico

• Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day; it commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862, where Mexico won against the French. Mexican Independence Day celebration begins on September 15 with El Grito de Dolores (The Cry of Dolores) and is observed on September 16, 2023.
• Most popular celebrations: Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and Semana Santa y Pascua (Holy Week and Easter)
• Popular dishes: Tacos, Menudo (tripe stew), Pozole (Mexican soup from Aztecs), and Mole (chicken with curry-type sauce).

El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua 

• Independence Day is celebrated on September 15, which starts Hispanic Heritage Month
• Most popular celebrations:
  • El Salvador – Fiestas Agostinas (festival)
  • Costa Rica – Día de Las Mascaradas (National Day of the Masquerades)
  • Guatemala – Día de Los Santos (All Saints Day)
  • Honduras – Feria de San Isidro (festival)
  • Nicaragua – Diriamba (festival combining indigenous and Spanish roots)
• Popular dishes:
  • El Salvador – pupusas (corn dough filled with meat, cheese, and/ or vegetables)
  • Costa Rica – chifrijo (fired pork with red beans)
  • Guatemala – Kak’ik (turkey leg in broth)
  • Honduras – baleadas (tortilla with mashed red beans, cheese and sour cream
  • Nicaragua – Nacatamal (corn dough with pork, potato, rice, tomato, garlic, and chiltoma).

Books to Explore

• El Viaje de Los Colibries by Sue Zurita
• The Faraway World by Patricia Engel
• I am Joaquin/ Yo Soy Joaquin: An Epic by Rodolfo Gonzalez
• Dreamers by Yuyi Morales (children’s book)
• Where are you from? By Yamile Saied Mendez (children’s book)
• Islandborn by Junot Diaz (children’s book)

References

Abe, J. (2019). Beyond cultural competence, toward social transformation: Liberation psychologies and the practice of cultural humility. Journal of Social Work Education, 56(4), 696–707. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2019.1661911

Alexander, W. (2022, September 8). Ask the OEDI: Hispanic, Latino, Latina, Latinx – which is best? Duke University School of Medicine. https://medschool.duke.edu/blog/ask-oedi-hispanic-latino-latina-latinx-which-best#:~:text=According%20to%20these%20definitions%2C%20a,Hispanic%20(but%20not%20Latino).

Bustamante, L.-N., Mora, L., & Lopez, M. H. (2020, August 11). About one-in-four U.S. Hispanics have heard of Latinx, but just 3% use it. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2020/08/11/about-one-in-four-u-s-hispanics-have-heard-of-latinx-but-just-3-use-it/

García, I. (2020). Cultural insights for planners: Understanding the terms Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx. Journal of the American Planning Association, 86(4), 393–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2020.1758191

Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. (n.d.). National Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15 to October 15. Retrieved September 25, 2023, from https://dmh.lacounty.gov/blog/2021/09/national-hispanic-heritage-month/#:~:text=The%20day%20of%20September%2015,16%20and%20September%2018%2C%20respectively.

United States Census Bureau. (2023, August 17). Hispanic Heritage Month: 2023. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2023/hispanic-heritage-month.html#:~:text=63.7%20million,19.1%25%20of%20the%20total%20population

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A note from Dr. Erin Smith, the CSHB Director: At the time I hit “publish” on this blog, Israel and Hamas have been at war for 5 days. This blog engages with Elul, a month with significant symbolism in the Jewish calendar, a calendar that Jesus was raised under. Christians and mental health professionals can learn a lot from the wisdom offered in the framing of Elul. Thus, the goal of engaging the Jewish calendar is not meant to be political, but reflective. I would encourage all readers to evaluate the content and reflect on what that means for them as individuals, including what a proper response to the sudden outbreak of violence in Southern Israel and Gaza entails.

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It’s that time of year again: Schools are starting up, we are anticipating cooler weather, and perhaps looking forward to the various holiday celebrations this season holds. Some of us are well rested, having enjoyed summer vacations and are full of expectations for the coming year. Others may be filled with dread at the thought of a fast-approaching end of year, the hustle and bustle of holidays, etc,.

Whatever side of the scale that you are on, have you ever found yourself needing a reset? A time where you can make everything, I mean everything, stop so you can catch your breath, look around, and start over? 

The noise of constant stimulation has become so much a part of our lives, we don’t even realize how internally diffused and depleted we may have become, how even the good things have sapped our energies and stolen our attention, together with more easily recognized trivial and worthless things. And more importantly how hard we work to break any silence we may encounter.

Even though my work in counseling involves helping people reset, I think GD, in HIS great wisdom, has included in the yearly calendar a natural space for us to formally reset on an annual basis, to enter that silent and holy place that we sometimes work so hard to avoid and to come before HIM again. That time of year is called Elul.

Elul is the 12th and final month in the Jewish calendar. It usually falls right around September. But even though this time of year has just passed, we still have much to learn from it. The month of Elul is a month that connects the past year with the coming year. And though each month of the Jewish calendar radiates with a distinct quality, Elul is a time when we are to reflect on where we stand and where we should be going. It is a season in which to reflect, repent, repair, but most of all deepen our relationship with GD. 

One central focus during Elul is Teshuvah or repentance. Jews are encouraged to reflect on their actions over the past year, both towards oneself and others, and ultimately toward GD. The practice of Teshuva involves first knowing before WHOM we stand. The 14th chapter of Hosea, read at this time of year, challenges us to return to the LORD our GOD Himself as not simply the center, but the entire horizon of our attention. (Rabbi Stuart Dauermann). Through Hosea, our GOD challenges us to be “those who live in his shadow” (v. 7). And realizing that we stand before a HOLY GD the need for forgiveness is very real. 

But authentic repentance is more than a one-time event. It is a way of life. Teshuvah is one of the great gifts GD gives each of us, the ability to turn back to HIM and seek healing for our brokenness. (Proverbs 28:13) We are used to imagining repentance as a form of surrender, a confession of weakness. And it is. But we also need to see it as a source of empowerment, a return to our only true and sufficient center––the luxuriant juniper, the fruitful vine––the LORD our God. 

“I am like a luxuriant juniper; From Me comes your fruit” 

(Hosea 14. v. 8)

Jesus said it this way:

“I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains 

in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me 

you can do nothing” (John 15:5) 

The result of living this way is incredible empowerment and fruitfulness!

Another significant aspect of Elul is preparing oneself for seeking forgiveness from others. It is customary to engage in acts of kindness or tzedakah, expressing a desire to make amends and demonstrate genuine change. Jewish tradition teaches that true repentance can only be achieved when one actively works towards rectifying past actions.

As both seekers and givers of pardon, we are to turn to those we have wronged, acknowledge our sins and the pain we have caused. We are to search our memories, our souls, to find what we did wrong during the past year, and to make them right. And in one sense, this is the first step as we are instructed to “be reconciled (first) to (y)our brother, making good on things that were done badly” (Matthew 5:23-24)

We are commanded to be willing to let go of any resentment we feel towards those who have committed offenses against us. Only then can we turn to GD and ask for forgiveness. I think those two steps: being forgiven and forgiving, are simultaneous. This is even found in Yom Kippur liturgy: 

“And for all these, GD of forgiveness, forgive us, pardon us, and grant us atonement.”

Although rooted in ancient Jewish tradition, the themes of Elul hold great relevance to us today. In our fast-paced world filled with distractions and constant busyness, taking dedicated time for self-reflection allows us to pause, reset, and reconnect with our values and priorities. It encourages us to evaluate our relationships, actions, and impact on the world around us. Elul can be a wonderful time of divine closeness, a time to do what our spirit yearns for: introspection, soul searching, personal stock-taking (known in Hebrew as cheshbon hanefesh — literally “an accounting of the soul” (Rav DovBer Pinson). 

With this focus, we should take this time to search our souls, to recall and find people we have wronged, family, friends, to give up the grudges, and to forgive people for their wrongdoing. And most of all to return to a place of shalom (peace). Elul serves as a powerful reminder that personal transformation requires conscious effort and commitment. 

As we navigate life’s challenges together, the significance of Elul remains as relevant today as it was centuries ago – urging us all towards introspection, repentance, forgiveness-seeking behavior – ultimately fostering personal growth and a deeper connection with GOD.

May your name be written in the Lambs Book of Life!

La Shana Tova!

Rabbi Stuart Dauermann: Shulchan Shelanu from Interfaithfulness

Rabbi DovBer Pinson: Sha’ar HaBitachon

John 15:5: I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for apart from ME you can do nothing. Tree of Life Version

Isaiah 55:6: Seek Adonai while He may be found, call on Him while He is near. Tree of Life Version

Hosea 14:7: His tender shoots will spread out. His beauty will be like an olive tree and his fragrance will be like Lebanon. Tree of Life Version

Matthew 5:23-24: Therefore, if you are presenting your offering upon the altar, and there remember that our brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

For further reading: 60 Days: A Spiritual Guide to the High Holy Days. Shimon Jacobson (Kiyum Pr., First Edition (January 1, 2008)

The scary thing about learning new things is that you might come to realize you are wrong, hypocritical, or unwise (among other not-so-great adjectives). The wonderful, amazing, transformative thing about learning new things is that you might grow in truth, sincerity, and wisdom. 

I am skeptical that learning without change is meaningful. As a “line in the sand” declaration, I hold that true learning requires transformation: 

• Transformation in the connections between the billions of neurons in our brain, as new pathways and possibilities are formed and made permanent. 
• Transformation in our behavior, as new habits and ways of being are stabilized. 
• Transformation in our relationships, as the relational systems in which we are embedded adjust to these new patterns. 
• And, if we are fortunate, transformation in our culture, as the effects of the relational systems take root systemically and within the cultural ecosystem. 

I think this applies broadly, even when I learn something that might not, on its own, be directly connected to character or culture transformation. When I learn content, say about the organization of the periodic table of elements, I must practice humility, the recognition that I don’t know something. This practice is part of the learning and is thus part of the transformation. (We practice other character dispositions during learning, too. Some people refer to these as intellectual virtues, which also means there are intellectual vices.)

And now a confession: I’ve been learning. 

In my case, I’ve been wrong, hypocritical, and unwise, and as I learn, I am growing in truth, sincerity, and wisdom. I want to share a bit about this learning in case it might be helpful for your own learning, too.

“Real and meaningful change also can become possible if we actually have the opportunity to experience new possibilities in our homes, our workplaces, and in our communities.” – Dr. Song (p. 14)

I’ve been reading through Dr. Felicia Wu Song’s excellent book, Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age. Song is a cultural sociologist at Westmont College whose research and expertise examines media and digital technologies. Although much of my research has focused on how we develop beliefs about science and religion – and the way we conceptualize the relationship between the two – my master’s thesis explored how preschool-aged children learned from different forms of media: books or videos with either cartoon characters or realistic characters¹. I mention this because I still follow some of the emerging literature around media use and consumption, something I often approach now from the perspective of cognitive psychology, attention, and multitasking. 

As someone who knows much of the research in this area, the research that Song shared did not surprise me. I know that a typical person checks their phone, often mindlessly, hundreds of times in a day, while at the same time estimating their phone use to be half of the 6 hours that was typical in 2015 (p. 39, 161). I also know that internet and media companies have made excellent use of brain science to suck us in and monopolize our attention such that we find it hard to climb out of the digital vortex (ch. 2). And I know that the internet, especially social media, can pre-occupy us with broadcasting the present moment, rather than truly being in it, such that we merely manage through the present moment in wait of the next hit of dopamine and broadcast-worthy event (p. 71-84). In my arrogance, I thought I know this stuff, but, boy, my students should read this.

Then it hit me: it’s me. She’s talking to and about me. 

Despite my efforts to avoid multitasking (something I make sure to extol my students to do as well), her questions around monotasking (p. 139-142) reveal something I do poorly. Instead of being present, I consistently do multiple mindless tasks simultaneously, rarely allowing myself the space to hear or experience my own thoughts or boredom. Despite my own research and published work touching on the value to brain health and behavior of creating phone-free spaces (say, while waiting in line at the grocery store), I realized that my free moments were all filled by my phone. And then I realized that some moments that were not free – like when I’m talking with my husband at the end of the day or giving my child a bath – those moments were also filled by my phone. This matters because of the role of practice in formation, as I discuss in this blog, and that Song eloquently expands in her text. 

Initially this hit me like a weight. Then I remembered the words of Jesus, my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

One of the first things I did was remove social media from my phone. I was already social media “light” by many standards, but an honest reflection of when, why, and how frequently I scrolled….and scrolled….and scrolled made me realize that I wasn’t using social media; it was using me. Next, I removed my email app from my home screen. I hate responding to email on my phone (texting thumb is a real thing, y’all), but I found that I would check it each morning (to stress about what was waiting for me at work) and each night (to stress about what I wasn’t able to take care of while putting my children to bed) and in the moments in between (“what if someone needs me?!”). As Song puts it, this consistent devotion to be present with a thing is what abiding looks like (p. 168-171). As a Christian, I want to abide in Jesus, not my phone. Third, I committed to not using my phone as a distraction from what might be boring or awkward social interactions. Walking across campus. Waiting in line. In the time before a class starts. Maybe, instead of burying myself in a digital world, I can be fully present in and attentive to the real world around me. 

I’m a work in progress, but that easy yoke? It applies to my digital life, too. And since starting these changes, I feel better. More whole. Less fractured. More present. Less anxious. I don’t promise this as a panacea, but I will tell you I am learning. 

Song’s argument is predicated on the idea that when we understand the kinds of creatures we are – this includes what it means to be a person made in the image of God – we will think differently about our digital habits. God made us to be free. I have been learning that the small things I do daily can form and malform me in ways that make me want to think twice about when I pick up my phone. In fact, you might see me wearing a bracelet with the engraving small things daily² as a reminder that what I practice directs my becoming, an idea Song aptly introduces as liturgy³ (p. 126-128). This small things daily phrase directs me to Romans 12 as an outline of what I want my life to look like. This phrase prompts me to ask: If I were to do this (small) thing every day – practicing it for permanence – what kind of person would I be in 5 years? I have to say that this phone-checking-every-minute-without-thinking person is not who I want to be. I am also not sure whether that person can be someone who would fit into a Romans 12 description. Like Paul urges, I want to be transformed with a renewed mind, using sober judgment, participating fully in the Body of Christ, loving sincerely, actively, and joyfully. I want to be attentive enough to bless and rejoice and mourn and live with others harmoniously and for God’s glory. For me, this pursuit requires a new way to live alongside digital technology.

Toward this, and with God’s grace, I am learning.

Although this blog isn’t meant to convince you that you should toss your phone (though maybe you should?), I hope it will get you thinking about your digital habits related to your formation. I would love to hear your reflections, and I hope you will share them below. 

Footnote :

1. For the research methods student among us, this was a 2 (book v. video) x 2 (cartoon v. realistic character) factorial design. A summary of the results of this research is as follows: Preschool-aged children learned specific kinds of physical problem-solving strategies best from realistic characters on video although, consistent with other research on analogical reasoning, the transfer of the modeled strategy was generally quite low. These results do not say that reading doesn’t teach children or that fantastical/cartoon characters are unimportant. However, it is likely true that specific kinds of media/characters are better at teaching some things than others. 
2. This phrase may originate from The Gottman Institute, which encourages couples to do small things often to develop and maintain a successful relationship. These small things are important for relational quality, but also because these small things are the stuff of formation – or malformation. This is something that Song addresses in chapter 6 and elsewhere in her book. 
3. Borrowing the use of liturgy as cultural practice, as introduced by James K. A. Smith in Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation, another excellent and challenging text.

Abraham Maslow introduced the Hierarchy of Needs in 1943 and put “self-actualization” at its very peak. According to him, self-actualization represents the highest order of motivations (need), which drive us to realize our true potential and achieve our “ideal self”. The continuous growth in the self-help book market might be supporting the existence of this need in human beings; however, achieving the “best (ideal) self” is not as easy as it sounds.  

Why?  

Life is suffering. Life is full of challenges and pains. If achieving the best self were our life goal, then challenges and obstacles are along the way to reach to the goal. We could fulfill our potential only by overcoming challenges, but it is difficult to face sufferings.   

Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. 

Once we truly know that life is difficult- once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters. 

The Road Less Traveled- M. Scott Peck

I had my first son 12 years ago. It was a such a demanding job to take care of a new-born baby. I could not sleep the whole night for months in order to feed the baby. The pain from sleep deprivation took away all the joyful moments I should have had with my baby. I was angry and even depressed. Four years later, I had my second son. He woke up every two hours during night like his brother. But from the experience, I already knew what it would be like to take care of a new-born baby, and I already had accepted the fact that this was a demanding job. Once I accepted the fact, I found myself enjoying the time spent with my son day and night.  

If you want to be your best self, first of all, accept the fact that life is suffering. Then, you could use all of your resources and energy not to complain about the problem, but to solve it. Then, you could get one step closer to your best self.    

If you want to make your life better, you gotta do what’s right every single day. 

Blue Miracle

Once we accept the necessity of challenges and pain in our lives and do our best to make things better, we could grow. To ameliorate pains and grow, what we need most is to take responsibility and act courageously and truthfully.

We must each adopt as much responsibility as possible for individual life, society, and the world. 

12 Rules for Life an Antidote to Chaos Jordan Peterson

You have a choice to take an easier way. That is doing nothing. But the problem is when you choose the easier one, the pain doubles to say the least. You need to be courageous to choose the difficult path. In other words, you need to have the courage to take responsibility and commit to the truth. Are you willing have courage for your best self?  

References

Peck, M. S. (1978). The road less traveled : a new psychology of love, traditional values, and spiritual growth. Simon and Schuster. 

Peterson, J. B., Doidge, N., & Van, S. E. (2018). 12 rules for life: An antidote to chaos. 

Quintana, J. (2021). Blue Miracle. IMDbPro. 

Yesterday someone asked me, “What are you doing more of lately to be more effective?” … Initially, I wanted to share that I have tried to be more organized and stick to my to-do list or that I have reorganized my filing system.  Still, what I ended up sharing was my desire to get better sleep and prioritize sleep hygiene.  It is so extremely hard to do this when we live in a society in which we may feel pressure to “be a winner”, “get things done” and “there is no time to sleep”.  

Unlike my partner, I am a night owl and love the quietness and solidarity of the night where I can sneak away into my office and have complete uninterrupted time to be super productive.  These evenings often end up creeping into my bedtime and before I know it, its 11:45pm!  The reinforcer is being able to check off my to-do list and the sense of accomplishment.   At the same time, after a productive late night I notice that sometimes I have a hard time falling asleep.  I find myself up worrying about things I may need to go back to and edit (on the work I just completed!) or continuing to add items on to-do list.  Unfortunately, my body also experiences consequences as a result.  As they say, “no pain, no gain”.   After a long night working spree, I find myself showing up the next day feeling less energetic and a need for an extra cup of coffee.  

If you relate, I think it is important to become educated or remind ourselves about what the lack of sleep may be doing to our bodies.  Research shows that related to lack of sleep, our attention can be altered in that there are lapses in which we fail to pay attention (Lim & Dinges, 2010), and we may experience a more difficult time making decisions (Killgore, Balkin, & Wesensten, 2006).  We may also experience delayed cognitive performance and effects on mood (Ferrara & De Gennaro, 2001).  Interestingly, we do see differences when we take a closer look and consider diversity variables such as gender and age.  For example, on average, men appear to sleep less than women and sleep duration appears to decline with age (Jonasdottir, Minor, & Lehmann, 2021).  Regardless of these differences, the literature is strong in the negative outcomes associated with chronic sleep deprivation (Jonasdottir, Minor, & Lehmann, 2021; Pourmotabbed et al., 2020; Short, Booth, Omar,Ostlundh, & Arora, 2020).  

So, now what do we do with all of this? Are there any do-able interventions besides forcing yourself to try to get to bed at an earlier time?  There is hope friends!  A recent meta-analysis found that cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has shown positive outcomes in addressing unhelpful and worry thoughts that may be the culprit to keeping some of us up at night.  The study found that CBT-I targets repetitive negative thinking (RNT) which are unhelpful thoughts such as, “this is horrible, I am never going to catch up on work, and now I can’t even fall asleep” (Ballesio et al., 2021).  The study notes that rumination and thoughts about not being able to fall asleep are often associated with insomnia.   

Research related to accessible telephone app interventions of CBT-I is fairly new and growing.  The good news is that there are phone apps within our reach and that they may help us help ourselves!  To learn more about some of them, check out a short story on National Public Radio https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/10/08/654883409/some-apps-may-help-curb-insomnia-others-just-put-you-to-sleep.  The question now is…are we willing to put our work away and instead explore interventions such as CBT-I and prioritize our sleep health? 

References 

Ballesio, A., Bacaro, V., Vacca, M., Chirico, A., Lucidi, F., Riemann, D., … & Lombardo, C.  

(2020). Does cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia reduce repetitive negative thinking and sleep-related worry beliefs? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 101378. 

Ferrara, M., & De Gennaro, L. (2001). How much sleep do we need?. Sleep medicine  

reviews, 5(2), 155-179. 

Jonasdottir, S. S., Minor, K., & Lehmann, S. (2021). Gender differences in nighttime sleep  

patterns and variability across the adult lifespan: a global-scale wearables study. Sleep, 44(2), zsaa169. 

Killgore, W. D. S., Balkin, T. J., & Wesensten, N. J. (2006). Impaired decision making following  

49 h of sleep deprivation. Journal of Sleep Research, 15, 7–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2006 .00487.x  

Lim, J., & Dinges, D. F. (2010). A meta-analysis of the impact of short-term sleep deprivation on  

cognitive variables. Psychological bulletin, 136(3), 375. 

National Public Radio (2018, October 8). Some Apps May Help Curb Insomnia, Others Just Put  

You To Sleep. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/10/08/654883409/some-apps-may-help-curb-insomnia-others-just-put-you-to-sleep.   

Pourmotabbed, A., Boozari, B., Babaei, A., Asbaghi, O., Campbell, M. S., Mohammadi, H., … &  

Moradi, S. (2020). Sleep and frailty risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep and Breathing, 1-11. 

Short, M. A., Booth, S. A., Omar, O., Ostlundh, L., & Arora, T. (2020). The relationship  

between sleep duration and mood in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep medicine reviews, 52, 101311.  

The “60-day Lifestyle Project” is an assignment given in one of my classes that requires students to pick one good habit that they want to create (e.g., exercising more, drinking more water, reading the Bible regularly) and to keep doing that same activity every day for 60 days. As a professor, it has brought me great joy to see many of my students building good habits successfully. In just a few years of experience with this project, I found that one of the most popular activities students chose was to reduce their screen time. Since we are living in the digital age, it is impossible to imagine our lives without digital products. But my experiment has been providing evidence that many people are realizing that they are spending more time on screens than necessary.   

Why We Do What We Do  

Why are we spending excessive time on digital screens? Basically, we do what we do because we wish to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Therefore, we use digital products as a way to make ourselves feel better. Moreover, such products are useful in many ways, and they can increase our productivity to a certain point. But once you pass that threshold, your productivity actually decreases ¹. Even though you might recognize the harmful effects of digital products on your productivity and well-being (such as distracting our attention from very important things, including studying, taking care of our kids, and working), it is hard to reduce or stop this behavior. Uncontrolled and heavy consumption of technology disrupts the pleasure control system, leading to the bad habit becoming an addiction. You might be uncomfortable naming this behavior along with other severe forms of addiction, such as substance abuse; however, the two have much in common in terms of their definition and in how they work.   

Defining Addiction  

The root word addict comes from the Latin word addictus, which means “to devote, sacrifice, sell out, betray, or abandon.” In Roman law, an addict was a person that became enslaved through a court ruling—a secondary derivation from its legal usage that persisted as descriptive and no longer literal². The modern definition of addiction is a “persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful.” While the modern and Latin definitions are quite different, a connection can certainly be drawn between the two. Research has shown that addiction is a disease that chemically alters your brain, making you “a slave” to a behavior or substance². 

Brain Disease Model of Addiction  

In the past two decades, research has increasingly supported the view that addiction is a disease of the brain³. The brain disease model of addiction holds that addictions are chronic, relapsing brain diseases and that the relapses are symptoms—and part of the expected course—of the disease. As with other diseases, addictions can be caused by multiple factors, which can be behavioral, environmental, and biological. The brain disease model of addiction suggests that addiction can be explained by findings on the desensitization of reward circuits, which dampen the ability to feel pleasure and the motivation to pursue everyday activities; increasing strength of conditioned responses and stress reactivity, which results in increased cravings for alcohol and other drugs, as well as negative emotions when these cravings are not sated; and weakening of the brain regions involved in executive functions such as decision making, inhibitory control, and self-regulation, leading to repeated relapses³. 

Digital Addiction  

Behavioral addiction is a lot like substance addiction in many ways; however, it is much newer. Although such behavioral addictions do not involve a chemical intoxicant or substance, a group of researchers has posed that some core indicators of behavioral addiction are similar to those of chemical or substance addiction⁴. First of all, it is similar to substance addiction in that the addiction develops when we have a psychological need. We use substances when we are bored or feeling lonely (these are the moments when you are looking for what some people call the “adult pacifier”). Second, excessive use of digital products bears striking similarities to those diagnosed with substance abuse in terms of dopamine stimulation. While we are trying to remain connected by means of texting, tweeting, surfing the web, online shopping, and gambling, these actions activate the same neural circuits in our brains involved in the use of substances⁴.  Although not as intense as a hit of cocaine, the extensive use of digital products similarly results in a release of dopamine, reinforcing whatever behavior preceded it. Thus, users find themselves unable to stop, for when they are not using their devices, they are in a state of dopamine deficit ⁵.  

How to Break the Bad Habit?  

Is there any way to break the bad habit? This is a big question to answer here, but research has found some factors that can increase the possibility of success. People with a certain social status, meaningful jobs, spouse, and people who have bright futures are less likely to become addicted and stay addicted to something. In other words, people who have more things to lose are more likely to be resilient to addiction. Fortunately, this could apply not only to their physical condition but also to their psychological mindset and what they believe. To illustrate, if we believe that we have a lot of potential things to lose (e.g., if you know who you really are in Jesus Christ), then we will be less likely to become addicted and will have more of a chance to break the bad habits ⁶.   

Digital products aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, so it is up to us as users to decide how much of our time we want to dedicate to them. If you believe you are experiencing harmful effects from overusing digital products, why don’t you try some of the tricks that have been successful for my students. For example, some of them have set up a time limit use on their phones, placed their phone in a locked drawer, designated screen-free zones, and so on. More importantly, we need to remind ourselves of what we are losing while we are on screen.  

References 

1. https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-economy-and-the-internet-what-lies-ahead 

2. Richard J. Rosenthal & Suzanne B. Faris (2019) The etymology and early history of ‘addiction’, Addiction Research & Theory, 27:5, 437-449, DOI: 10.1080/16066359.2018.1543412 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epub/10.1080/16066359.2018.1543412?needAccess=true 

3. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmra1511480  

4. Alavi, S. S., Ferdosi, M., Jannatifard, F., Eslami, M., Alaghemandan, H., & Setare, M. (2012). Behavioral Addiction versus Substance Addiction: Correspondence of Psychiatric and Psychological Views. International journal of preventive medicine, 3(4), 290–294. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3354400/pdf/IJPVM-3-290.pdf

5. Constant craving: how digital media turned us all in to dopamine addicts https://www.theguardian.com/global/2021/aug/22/how-digital-media-turned-us-all-into-dopamine-addicts-and-what-we-can-do-to-break-the-cycle 

6. Myles, D. (2020). The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business DAVID T. COURTWRIGHT Cambridge, USA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2019 ISBN: 9780674737372, 336 pp. Hardcover. Price: US$27.95. Drug & Alcohol Review, 39(4), 428–429. 

https://doi-org.libproxy.calbaptist.edu/10.1111/dar.13047

Sophia Mun  

Nobody wants to fail. Failure is avoided at all costs. But, according to Jerry Useem, an editor at the Atlantic, there are three things to know about failure: 1) It happens. 2) It can be destructive in ways you have never imagined. 3) Believe it or not, there’s a right way to do it.  

Do you agree with “Failure is an option”? Then, stay tuned to this blog sharing two big ideas about the right way to do it:  1) Separate the failure from the person 2) View failure as a learning opportunity.  

Separate the Failure from the Person     

Retracting the steps to understand what went wrong helps you to be less emotional and go straight to failure itself. The first step to deal with failure is to accept it. If we don’t admit it, there is nothing to talk about. So, you have to admit something has been proven wrong. Then, analyze the failure with the following questions: “What happened?”, “Why did it happen?”, “Is it because of you?”, “Or is it because of the situation?”  

Attribution theory is concerned with how people explain the causes of behavior and events (Fiske & Taylor, 1991). The attribution literature commonly distinguishes between dispositional and situational influences (Harvey et al., 2014). The key to deal with failure is differentiating dispositional (internal such as personality traits) and situational (external) attributions of failure. If you make a dispositional attribution, you might think for example, “This went wrong because I did not do my best”.  If you make a situational attribution, you will find causes from the situation.  Because individuals are biased by the Fundamental Attribution Error, which causes one to overestimate the role of disposition (Ross, 1997), it would be much easier to differentiate self from failure if you make a situational attribution. But, even when you believe you failed because of what you did, failure can be told as something that happens to you and not something that you are.  

Separate the failure from the person. Failure is something you did or that happened to you, not something that defines you.  

Washing Disciples’ Feet 

This reminds me of the story of John 13 about Washing Disciples’ feet  

¹ It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. ² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. ⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 

⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” ⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” ⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” ¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean. 

Dirt on our feet might be a failure that can be washed out. Failure happens but we are still clean. We need only to wash our feet because the whole body is clean.  Separate the Failure from the Person!      

View Failure as a Learning Opportunity 

I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. 

-Michael Jordan- 

If we could learn from failure, it is not all bad. But the problem is we are often overwhelmed by the emotional aspect of failure. The way to bypass emotional aspects and go straight to the lessons that can be learned is to ask yourself, “What will I do differently tomorrow, to get me to the outcome I wanted?” Having concrete takeaways can help you continue to meet your goals and help others do so as well. Focus on a big goal: professional growth. This motivates people who’ve failed to try again.  

We do not have to encourage failure. But it is an essential part of our lives. If it happens no matter how hard we try to avoid it; it is wise to learn how to respond to it and more importantly make the most out of it. Don’t take failures of what you did as failures of yourself. Take your failure experience as your growth opportunity.  When we follow the right way to fail, we are more likely to get back up, move forward, try again, and advance.    

References 

Jerry Useem https://www.inc.com/magazine/19980501/922.html 

Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill 

Harvey, P., Madison, K., Martinko, M., Crook, T. R., & Crook, T. A. 

(2014).  https://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=45c1e71d-3b54-4631-9b06-48f56d674ef8%40pdc-v-sessmgr01 

Ross, L. (1977). 

http://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Social_Cognition/Ross_Intuitive_Psychologist_in_Adv_Experiment_Soc_Psych_vol10_p173.pdf 

Want to play a game of “never have I ever?” Here goes. Never have I ever been told to study basic brain functions when I want to know how to grow in my spiritual life. Is that shocking to you? Probably not.

And yet, I wholeheartedly (or, whole brain-edly) believe that how we relate to God changes with a basic understanding of how the brain creates neural networks as a function of our experience. Before I get to that specific claim, let me back up a bit.

Your brain is responsible for your engagement with the world. What you see, feel, think, remember, and do is all contingent on your brain processing. Engaging in the world—whether it be zoned out in front of the 1,732^nd TikTok video for the day or reciting Shakespeare in Stamps Courtyard—changes your brain. Your brain is constantly changing in response to huge amounts of incoming information from the external world. Many of these changes are temporary. Consider this example: you read something from a textbook, think you know it, and then fail to remember it come test time. What happened? The temporary brain change from the reading did not result in long-term reorganization/creation of the neural networks for the memory of the thing you read; that’s what happened. What studying does (especially effective studying), is that it takes that temporary brain change and slowly makes it permanent. An analogy I like to use is a comparison to creating a path through a forest. At first, there is no path. But, if you travel the same path every day, cutting away obstructive branches, compacting the ground beneath your feet, eventually a path is born. Think of the creation of neural connections in your brain as doing the same thing¹. With enough practice, the pathway is born and the brain change is more than temporary.

William James, a pioneer of early psychology, wrote that “my experience is what I agree to attend to.” If we think about this from a brain-based perspective, this is true because what we attend is the thing that is ultimately burned into our ever-forming neural circuitry. Attention changes what happens in our brain (something called neuromodulation); it is the gate keeper to neural network activation and creation.

So, when Scriptures tell us to think on what is true, honorable, pure, lovely, and good, to think on what is excellent and worthy of praise in Philippians 4:8, this is not just a platitude to “think happy thoughts.” I think that Paul is pointing us to focus on these things because what we pay attention to changes us. Luke 6:43-45 records Jesus teaching that we are recognized by our fruit, fruit that is the overflow of our hearts. He says that a good man brings good things stored out of his heart whereas an evil man brings forth the evil stored in his heart. Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

So, what does this have to do with the neuroscience of attention? As I see it: everything.

The objects of our attention cause brain change. These brain changes reflect and represent the objects of our attention in the form of new neural networks. These neural networks, like the well-travelled path through the forest, work to increase the ease of which our brain can assess and make sense of an object of attention. In the forest, the path makes it easier to access the destination of the path within the forest. In our brains, the neural networks make it easier to remember and think about the object of our attention. So, when you look at your best friend’s face, you recognize them because the neural network that is the memory of their face (created from previous attention) is activated (the path is “travelled”).

Yet, when the objects of our attention cause brain change, it’s not just that we now “have a new memory.” It is something significantly more meaningful. That neural network now serves as a foundational network when your brain is trying to make sense of new information. Your brain is making constant calculations about what you will like, what you should say, what you might feel based on your previous experiences recorded in neural networks. Attention in and to these previous experiences is what creates these networks. Thus, every new experience we have is shaped, influenced, and interpreted through the lens of the neural networks created from our previous attention. This serves as the foundation for meaning making; our pre-existing beliefs, knowledge, expectations, desires (etc.) that we use to make sense of what is in front of us is, in part, driven by what we’ve previously attended to. Said directly, the brain we are creating today (out of our attention) is the filter through which we will make sense of all future experiences.

Researchers refer to the influence of what is already present in our heads on the meaning-making process of the moment as a “top-down influence.” This is how two people can look at the exact same stimuli and see different things. Remember the dress? Or Laurel/Yanni? These are all so interesting (and frustrating) because they illustrate the incredible power of top-down influences in how we make sense of the world. What we previously paid attention to shapes our brain to make sense of whatever might come next. This is efficient, but there are important real-world implications. This includes implications for our spiritual life because when we focus our attention on what is less than what we have been commanded to in Scripture, it has long-lasting implications for how we subsequently direct our attention and interpret the objects of that attention.

So, how we spend our time – the focus of our attention – matters beyond the individual moment of attention. We carry in our brains a representation of our previous attention history that serves as a filter for all subsequent interactions in the world. 

This is challenging, to be sure. But, importantly, we also worship a God of abounding grace. Neuroscience bears this out as well in a concept known as neuroplasticity. When we choose to re-direct our attention toward what is good, right, and true we, over time, change our brain’s neural networks, a change that is the direct result of the steadfast re-direction of attention. 

Dallas Willard wrote that “God does not ordinarily compete for our attention.” If attention is the gateway to the harvest of our heart, I think neuroscience research requires that we seriously ask about the objects of our attention. This is not a call to “look to the bright side of things” or to find that silver lining. I don’t believe that Scriptures call us to bury our heads in the sand instead of confronting problems. And yet, when we encounter problems or challenges, how do we comport ourselves in a manner fitting to our calling? What and to whom do we attend; how do we cultivate the daily habits and neural networks that produce that pleasing aroma of a life lived for Christ? 

One reason these questions may be challenging is that they make our small minutes meaningful. The good or the evil in our hearts is not harvested all at once, but rather developed over small, daily habits, habits all starting with our attention. These daily habits might not feel like they are doing much but they are slowly, and powerfully, changing our brains—brains out of which our behaviors flow.  

There is always data coming into and being processed by your incredible brain, even if you are not consciously aware of it. From a brain-based perspective, we are always attending to something. So, here’s the big question for you: what are you paying attention to? 

Footnote: 

1. The nerve cells in the brain are called neurons. They are the building blocks of the nervous system and, when they network together (neural networks), they form the foundation of all human functions ranging from the activation required to blink to the experience of love or misery. Your brain, through these neural connections and networks, carries a physical representation of your subjective, lived experience. 

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A version of this blog was translated into Spanish and published at Coalicion por el Evangelio.

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