#behavior and cognition

[great-and-small]

How many studies have been done on heron intelligence? There's records of multiple species fishing with bait, they seem pretty smart but never get included in pop sci conversations on avian intelligence

I’m not sure if I can think of an experimental study on heron intelligence specifically but I know there are plenty of observational studies describing the bait luring you mentioned as well as other behaviors we humans like to associate with intelligence, like play activity, tool use, and problem solving. I personally feel that a black heron’s canopy feeding behavior is one of the most remarkable displays of practical intelligence in the animal kingdom! The best place to explore this literature imo is HeronConservation.org which is an amazing resource for any Ardeidae enthusiasts. They have tons of fully accessible articles from their journal (Journal of Heron Biology and Conservation) and the website is just very visually nice to look at and easy to navigate while also being extremely informative! Here’s an article from their website about a heron using a stick as a fishing lure, super good stuff on this site.

As for me, while I completely agree that herons are underrated for their smarts, the more I think about our concept of intelligence in animals the more I struggle to confidently declare one species of wild animal smarter than another. As world-renowned crane expert George Archibald said on crane intelligence “Sure, if you put them in front of a computer they don’t do much, but if I dropped you on the tundra in spring you wouldn’t do much either. It’s all relative”. If a toad has evolved a brain that perfectly serves its purposes in regard to being a toad, is it really fair to say that toad is less intelligent than something like a dog? Either way, the toad doesn’t care because it’s perfect at being a toad.

That said, it is curious that herons aren’t often included in popsci discussions of bird intelligence (which are in my experience nearly dominated by the ever-popular corvids). I would say herons are probably one of the families of birds that most people around the globe have some opportunity to witness their hunting behavior, which is where their intelligence shines the most. It would be hard for anyone to watch a heron fishing or stalking and come away completely unimpressed. Back in the day, people used to think that Great Blue Herons excreted a fish-attracting oil from their legs as they thought this was the only reasonable explanation for a heron’s spectacular success when fishing. But nope, they really are just that good! I suppose the type of practical intelligence and hunting adaptations that we see in herons are maybe not as flashy as stuff like crows voting to make group decisions, but I agree that the herons deserve a little more attention!

One last little story on the complex inner lives of herons just because I think you’ll like it- a British biologist named Julian Huxley was studying herons in Louisiana in the 1920’s and specifically observing the courtship displays of tricolored herons. He recounted seeing two courting birds suddenly in perfect synchronicity lift their wings and call out, then intertwine their necks in a graceful movement as they preened one another’s feathers. Huxley’s comment on seeing this display is a quote I think about all the time:

“Of this I can only say that it seemed to bring such a pitch of emotion that I could have wished to be a Heron that I might experience it."

[theambitiouswoman]

Cognitive Techniques To Change Your Thoughts ✨✨

Cognitive techniques are strategies used in cognitive therapy to help you identify and change negative thoughts and beliefs. These techniques should be practiced regularly so that they become habits.

Cognitive Restructuring: This involves identifying and challenging negative or irrational thoughts and replacing them with more positive or rational beliefs.

Thought Stopping: When you notice a negative thought entering your mind, you can mentally shout "Stop!" This interrupts the thought process and gives you a chance to replace the negative thought with a positive one.

Mindfulness and Meditation: These practices help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings in the present moment. When you observe your thoughts without judgment, you gain insight into negative patterns and choose to let them go.

Journaling: Writing down your thoughts can help you process and analyze them. With time you can identify patterns and work on changing negative thought cycles.

Positive Affirmations: Repeating positive statements can help counteract negative self talk and reinforce positive beliefs about yourself.

Evidence Collection: When faced with a negative belief, ask yourself, "What evidence do I have that supports or refutes this thought?" This can help you see things in a more balanced way.

Decatastrophizing: If you tend to imagine the worst scenario, ask yourself how likely it is to happen and what other possible outcomes there might be. This can help you view situations more realistically.

Labeling: Instead of saying "I am a failure," label the thought as "a negative thought about my abilities."

Distraction: Engaging in an activity or hobby can divert your attention from negative thoughts and give your mind a break.

Scheduling Worry Time: Instead of ruminating on worries throughout the day, set aside a specific time to process them. This can prevent constant worry and allow you to focus on other tasks.

Challenging Cognitive Distortions: Recognize and challenge cognitive distortions like black-and-white thinking, overgeneralization, and personalization.

Visual Imagery: Visualize a place or situation where you feel calm and happy. This can help shift your focus from negative thoughts.

These are very simple descriptions and examples of cognitive techniques. I listed the ones we can put into practice on our own. There are more in depth methods and practices used by doctors on different fields of study and practice. I can list, as well as add upon the information listed here.

[rawrsatthetree]

Tired: Tav that’s good for Astarion cause they play therapist and give him support and space to heal

Wired: Tav that’s good for Astarion cause they’re such a disaster he has to get his shit together cause gods above one of them needs to be a functional adult

[phoenixyfriend]

Me, typing in a salt channel: I hate this railroad crossing

The tiny subroutine of constant text and dialogue in the back of my head, sounding of Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi does not hate.

Me: [torn between 'that's probably good advice in the sense of using a hyperfixation as a cbt tool' and 'I'm not a Jedi???']

[unbfacts]

[facts-i-just-made-up]

is aslan gay or bi?

Bear in mind that Aslan, the great magic lion in C.S. Lewis's allegorical Narnia series, is metaphorical for Jesus Christ who Lewis had accepted as his savior, so Aslan is canonically a 30s Universal Monsters creature-fucker with CBT tendencies.

[wardensantoineandevka]

I think a lot about how much of CritRole C3 discourse and raging these days (well, for most of C3, but it's especially applies to these days, now that many have moved on) is driven by people, mostly in the 17 to 24 age range, who are still on the "my media engagement is an absolute reflection and extension of my political identity and philosophical beliefs, and I assume it's the way everyone engages with media" so you end up with some really desperate houses of cards proving political street cred and superiority of philosophical virtue

[great-and-small]

You can't get me with your birding, I'm ALREADY obsessed with small marine invertebrate taxonomy. There's no hope for me. I care about tanaids. Even birds can't dig you out of that hole.

It’s a lovely summer day and you’re enjoying a pleasant afternoon reading this paper on Hexapleomera robusta colonizing the skin of manatees. It’s such a good read that you peruse the works cited and bounce over to this article about a different tanaid (Tanais stanfordi) inhabiting a hypersaline lake in the Galápagos. The paper mentions that this lake has unique chemical properties due to the high volume of droppings from magnificent frigatebirds.

You get a little curious about the diet of these birds and how that would contribute to the lake conditions and you ending up finding this journal on the feeding habits of frigatebirds. You learn that they often catch fish and squid from the sea but much more fascinating than that is the exploration into their cunning kleptoparasitism behavior, where they can outfly nearly any bird if there’s a fish they can steal.

You have now strayed a fair bit from the comforting chitinous embrace of your beloved malacostracans but you can’t help pondering how and why a species would develop a specialized feeding strategy like this. You see this link to a PhD candidate’s thesis on kleptoparasitism in Carib grackles and your hand hovers over the link. You feel apprehension, maybe you should just go back to that paper on Hexapleomera forming tubules on manatee skin… but it’s not like there are any marine invertebrates around to *see* you download this thesis… just a quick look surely can’t hurt… you click the link and start reading. 130 pages later you realize the sun has gone down and you are sitting in the dark imagining what your life would look like if the cosmic powers that be had made you a grackle instead of a human. It is utterly too late for you now. You are a Birder whether you like it or not.

It can happen that fast. You’ve already shown you have a curious mind, which is all we need. You’ll slip up eventually and us birders will have you in our flock. Its only a matter of time :)

[theambitiouswoman]

Trauma is embedded within the body and ingrained in the brain. For lasting change, create strategies that address both the physical and mental aspects of trauma.

Physical Therapies:

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Leverages bodily sensations to navigate through trauma.

Yoga: Boosts bodily mindfulness and alleviates stress.

Somatic Experiencing: Helps discharge trauma-induced physical tension.

Tai Chi: Enhances equilibrium through deliberate movements.

Massage Therapy: Facilitates emotional liberation through easing muscle tightness.

Acupuncture: Activates the body's healing spots.

Craniosacral Therapy: Eases stress through soft manipulations of the skull and spine.

Breathwork: Employs breathing techniques for better physical and psychological well-being.

Dance Movement Therapy: Merges emotional expression with physical activity.

Mental Therapies:

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Bridges the gap between mental impacts and bodily reactions.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): Aids in memory processing through eye movements.

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): Aims to transform harmful thought patterns.

IFS (Internal Family Systems): Promotes healing within different parts of the psyche.

NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming): Modifies behavior via language and thought patterns.

Neurofeedback: Boosts brain activity for better function.

MBCT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy): Combines mindfulness practices with cognitive therapeutic techniques.

Psychodynamic Therapy: Investigates the influence of past experiences.

Narrative Therapy: Helps individuals reframe their life stories.

Please remember that I am not a therapist. Speaking to a professional will help you figure out what course of action is better for you.

[mysicklove]

u know it’s bad when u read CBT and immediately think of cock and ball torture 😞

[blenselche]

people getting genuinely mad at PB over her nonsense will never not be mildly funny to me because it's like

you're expecting talking gum to have empathy and human morals when humans dont even exist on that continent lol s'like getting mad at a cat for pushing glassware off of a counter top

she's a monster cut off from her natural environment of a hivemind colony, ik she looks like a lady but that thang is a sugar flavored technicolor creepy crawly

[the-witchhunter]

You know those video games where the character has to complete puzzles and work through their trauma to escape/wake up/something? Obstacles getting in their way and being tied to their past as they delve more into their trauma and have to learn/heal from it before they can progress?

Danny has been around a loooong time. He's old, he's powerful, and has a space in the ghost zone that he controls much like a god. The ghosts have long since started leaving him alone, the ones he's friends with have their own affaires to deal with, and in his ever shifting labyrinthian layer he's too powerful, and even outside of it he can still kick their asses.

and he's without a purpose

His friends had long since passed on after leading long and wonderful lives with him, not even leaving a ghost behind. His Family as well. Jazz had never had children, and try as he and Sam might have, half dead as he was he couldn't have children. He had no one left and nothing to do, and all of eternity to do it in.

Thinking of Jazz is what made him do it the first time

She loved helping people with her psychology, and Danny decided to do it in his own way. It hadn't been pretty, and it hadn't been easy, but he had found his method. Some took to it better than others, and many had different theories about his lair and his motives, but he helped people move past their trauma. Some believed his lair was some kind of purgatory, and... they weren't totally off

So, when Danny moved on to the timeline of the DC multiverse, he had some experience under his belt

He just underestimated how much trauma superheroes can have

[spoiledbratblog]

[deadscell]

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Autistic People

Neurodivergent_lou

[professionalkinkshaming]

Therapy speak isn't making anyone more selfish, but it is giving the most selfish and inconsiderate of us some really mature sounding and harder-to-refute justifications for the same shitty behaviors they've always had