Title: Why Talking is Important
Aired: 24/07/2020
Hosts: Jason Welch and Christine Haworth-Staines
Credits: Music by Dominic Haworth-Staines (piano), Jane Sobanski (lyrics) and Chantilly Fixe (vocals). Artwork by Jamie Alexander-Dumont. Episode edited by Ingrid Taylor/NimbleVA.
Welcome to Get Talking, a new series of podcasts created by the team at Get Mentally Healthy. In this episode Jason and Christine go over the benefits of talking and the reasons why it should be encouraged not only on our personal lives but in the workplace as well.
00'44'': Jason's introduction. After over 20 years working for various corporations in different leadership positions, Jason Welch acquired a good understanding of their culture and the challenges employees face on a day-to-day basis. Following a breakdown, he became aware of the impact mental health has not only on the individual but also on those around them. With that in mind he founded Get Mentally Healthy, an organisation dedicated to educating and opening up discussion about mental health issues in the workplace.
01'39'': Christine's introduction. Jason's business partner is Christine Haworth-Staines, a British chartered psychologist who has lived and worked France for the past 15 years, She has many years of experience helping people overcome anxiety and psychological problems. Christine is married and lives with her family in the French countryside. She loves walking in the mountains, singing (but not at the same time!), and she's currently trying to learn the bass guitar. She's also a big fan of Leonard Cohen and Lana Del Rey.
03'00'': How has speech evolved in humans? Scientists are still debating the issue but it is believed that speech probably evolved between 150 to 200 000 years ago, alongside art, music, and other abstract behaviours. It enabled skills to be passed on and helped humans adapt to their environments, unlike other species. All animals communicate basic needs but only humans can communicate ideas.
04'37'': Christine introduces the Theory of Mind which, put simply, shows that humans understand that other people have thoughts. She exemplifies with a test where a child is shown a scene with two characters, Sally and Anne. They put a toy in a basket and when Sally leaves the room Anne hides the toy in a box somewhere else. When asked, children under the age of 4 to 5 would reason that Sally would look for the toy in the new place (the box). Conversely, children above that age wouldn't look for the toy in the box because she doesn't know it is there. They have the ability to understand that others have thoughts, feelings and ideas and they may be different from our own.
06'44'': What does speech have to do with our mental health? Firstly, it allows us to communicate our needs. Parents wait anxiously for their baby's first cry to show everything is well, and babies continue to communicate their needs by crying. As adults, if we want to have our needs met we need to communicate what those needs are. Secondly, hearing the sound of someone else's voice is soothing. Christine says that some of her clients report feeling better after just one session, and during her Master's she also researched the effects of a single therapy session in patients.
09'48'': Christine shares the results of a Harvard study which indicated that people really do like to talk about themselves. Using MRI scans they observed that during self-disclosure participants showed really high levels of activation in parts of the brain that are typically associated with reward and pleasurable feelings.
11'01'': Still in aswer to the second question, talking allows social bonding, which is very helpful from a survival perspective (like governments communicating safety measures during the current Covid-19 pandemic). Finally, talking is helpful for personal growth because when we're talking we receive feedback. Humans are wired to talk because it's adaptive and it's become pleasurable; it's in our genes.
11'44'': After all the arguments mentioned above, why is that we still don't like to talk about our mental health? There is unfortunately a stigma around mental health issues, and that stigma creates fear. It's normal to avoid things we're afraid of. When people hear "mental health" they automatically compute
mental ill health" and tend to think of psychiatric wards and terrible symptoms, like psychosis. The truth is, most psychological difficulties don't involve these psychological disturbances or dangerous behaviours. We need to desensitise to the words "mental health" like we did with the word cancer. It's the fear of the unknown, the lack of knowledge. People need to be educated and encouraged to talk about it.
13'42'': What can companies do to help their employees and encourage dialogue around mental health? Firstly, normalise it. At work people fear to be seen as weaker or incompetent and ultimately losing their job. The more people in higher management can open up and discuss their problems, the easier it will be for their employees to open up. We have to create an environment where people know they won't be discriminated against.
15'29'': Jason adds that it's also about listening and creating a culture where people can approach their managers without fear of judgement. And while for many companies that's going to be a big step to take, he is aware of several out there who have already started realising the importance of focusing on these areas with their employees.
Christine's Top Tips to Staying Mentally Healthy
Exercise. Move around regularly, even if it's just a short walk during lunch break or gardening when you get home. Exercise releases endorphins, which are natural antidepressants.
Practice good sleep hygiene. Go to bed and get up at regular times every day and avoid caffeine from mid-afternoon on.
If you drink, keep your alcohol intake within recommended limits and try to have at least two completely alcohol free-days.
Further reading:
How the Theory of Mind Helps Us Understand Others Verywell Mind: https://www.verywellmind.com/theory-of-mind-4176826
Disclosuring information about the self is intrinsically rewarding Tamir, Diana and Mitchell, Jason P. https://www.pnas.org/content/109/21/8038
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