The Charisma Code, behind the Science of Influence

What is Charisma

Have you ever wondered why some people exert more influence than others, or why some people seem to be forgiven anything?

Charisma is more than just popularity and more than an ability to influence or lead. People have been successful without it, while many apparently charismatic people lead rocky lives, squandering opportunity and all that adoration. So what is real charisma?

Charisma is an ancient term, derived from the Greek word charis meaning 'divine gift of grace.' In this sense 'gift of grace' means a skill or ability given to a mortal by the gods for the benefit of the world. This gift was said to be given in order to fulfill an extraordinary destiny or to change the course of history in the Greek tradition of interfering and warring gods.

While in modern times we associate charisma with beauty and persuasiveness, there is a lot more to it than that. Some people demonstrate aspects of charisma either natural or learned, while some fake charisma creating a cult of personality to increase their celebrity or political power. But I would argue these do not represent true charisma, which is something much more profound.

In its original sense a charmed or charismatic person was said to have the following attributes:

A special gift or talent that sets them apart or makes them superhuman

An ability to inspire others through their passion for life or a higher purpose

Audacity or courage in the face of adversity - the ability to break through and lead by example

Grace and benevolence - to put their talent, calling or greater purpose ahead of their own needs and sacrifice their own comfort or well-being for others.

Attractiveness - though not necessarily just physical beauty but perhaps a beauty of the mind, spirit or emotions

Charisma should not be confused with manufactured popularity or a cult of personality that uses propaganda to create the false image of charisma in order to increase or maintain power. Hitler, Lennin and Mao were students of history who used the ancient symbols of charismatic leaders to gain charisma by association. In the studies below it is revealed that these symbols are deeply imbedded in our psyche and in the past could be used to manipulate individuals or an entire populace.

 In my historical research it is clear that there is one attribute of charisma that helps us to tell the difference between the real thing and a fake.

That quality is grace or benevolence.

Of course propaganda or publicity can be used to create the impression that someone is charitable, kind, compassionate and giving, but it cannot be faked in person. People who pursue power, celebrity or leadership as an end in itself are not truly charismatic and will always put their own needs before others. They may however exhibit some of the characteristics of charisma, and these may lead them to success in their chosen field.

So can charisma be learned? It has been proven that the behaviours of charismatic people can be modeled and mimicked. We can become better communicators, we can develop our abilities or talents through hard work, we can do lots to make ourselves more attractive, but only life experience will determine whether we become more graceful, compassionate and wise individuals. This is the difference between leaders who seek to have power over others, and those who find themselves in a position of influence who change the world for the better, often at their own cost.

In another study, cited below, it is also shown that we can foster these characteristics in the workplace, building charismatic teams to drive innovation and profits. In the companies I have studied that use these team building systems there is a startling difference between teams with a greater purpose - charitable or community based, and those teams who were solely profit driven. Those with a purpose beyond money retained their highest performing team members and report a greater sense of personal satisfaction and team loyalty. This leads to ongoing business improvement, further innovation and talent retention, which all feed into the profit equation.

I think the important thing to recognise is that publicity and propaganda can only create a short term charismatic effect. These are the techniques of choice for the frauds and tyrants of the world. Individuals and businesses whose mission is to have a positive influence on the world need a different approach based on the attributes of charisma. So perhaps rather than trying to fake charisma we could instead be learning and emulating these characteristics.

So if you seek to have more influence and charisma ask yourself:

1. Do I have a talent or gift that others need?

2. Do I inspire others with my passion for life and my calling?

3. Do I stand up for others and what I believe in, or do I stand by while injustices are committed?

4. Am I compassionate and giving rather than just thinking about what's in it for me?

5. Are others attracted to me for more than my appearance - perhaps by my kindness, vivacity, intelligence, tenacity, courage or insight?

If you honestly answered YES to more than three of these characteristics it is likely you are perceived to have Charisma, but to be truly, charismatic you need all of these qualities.

If you are a business can you answer these questions in the affirmative? If you do then is your brand in alignment with this?

At the end of the day, alignment and authenticity are crucial. Faking charisma is a short term solution, as is using public relations to 'look' like a good corporate citizen, because in this age of ubiquitous information sooner or later the faker is found out.

Not every brand or individual will change the planet, but if we can connect to a deep passion or purpose perhaps we can advance one small area of our world for the better.


This is where mentoring can help. Work with someone to help you discover your purpose and then build your career or brand from the inside out, while learning the skills to become a center of positive influence.

Even if you don't wish to be more influential, understanding charisma and influence can ensure you don't get taken in by a fraud or led astray by an influential authority figure at home or at work.

Lis

 

Leaders, Use Charisma to Your Advantage

Posted on 28 July 2011on Psychology Today

JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa. You probably think the only thing they have in common is that they are all now deceased. Guess again.

When they were alive, each of them seemed to have some sort of aura to them, which many considered to be the gift of charisma.

In fact, the word charisma comes from Greek and means “divine gift of grace.”  Traditionally, charisma is viewed as an inherent quality, you either have it or you don’t.  But is this allure really just a reward to the chosen few?

Well, according to an article in Psychology Today, charisma is not in fact a magical or mysterious quality. While some seem to have a naturally charismatic personality, for the rest of us this trait can, in fact, be developed and trained. So, yes, if you are more like a Ben Stein than a Steve Jobs, there’s still hope for you my friend.

You might be wondering how charisma can help you as a manager. I’ll explain, but first a history lesson. Nearly a century ago, German sociologist Max Weber divided authority into three types: traditional, bureaucratic, and the charismatic. In his studies, Weber place a particularly strong focus on charismatic leaders and stated those type of leaders inspire loyalty and devotion of their followers.
Think about the examples at the beginning of this column– all those leaders displayed a personal magnetism that helped draw people to them and made people want to work with them. And they continue to inspire us to this day.

As a manager, you have to motivate people to take action, and to accomplish this is to present your strategy in a compelling way in order to inspire others.

Even if you don’t naturally possess a charismatic personality, there are small steps you can take to help maximize your success:

Increase your visibility.
Charismatic leaders tend to make themselves seen and heard. They make an effort to motivate people, whether by listening and responding to them, or by working alongside them. These leaders use enthusiasm to encourage people and get them moving toward important goals.

Think about ways you can leverage this strength throughout the organization, including coaching and being a role model for others. Keep the adage, “Actions speak louder than words” in mind. Actions should always be consistent with what you say you believe.

Learn to be persuasive.
Leaders with this characteristic present their strategy in a clear, easily understood manner.  Try to negotiate through difficult situations and arrive at mutual agreements in a skillful way, and learn to negotiate and persuasively state your opinion.  If that sounds easier said than done, take a class or workshop on mediation techniques to help you learn to negotiate win-win solutions to problems.

Push limits.
Magnetic leaders know what they want and how to get it in order to achieve goals. Using pressure to meet goals is an important tactical skill that should be used to communicate urgency, importance, and accountability. But keep in mind that this skill, if over-used or over-relied upon, can be an inhibitor to effectiveness, so learn when it is appropriate to push the boundaries. Consider that each person responds to different types of motivators, and learn to tailor your strategy to the needs of your team members.

Remember that charisma helps build confidence. And if you’re a confident leader, it will be passed on to your employees.

Measuring the Impact of Charisma

Can we measure the impact of charisma?

Published on December 23, 2009 by Prof. Alex "Sandy" Pentland in Reality Mining

Can we really tell who will succeed in a business competition before we even hear their ideas? The answer may surprise you.
As it turns out, what counts most may not be what you say, but rather how you say it. There is a certain style of social interaction - one that our research group has identified quantitatively - that is highly predictive of success in a variety of situations.
One recent study in our research group focused on executives attending a 1-week intensive executive education class, where the final project in the class was pitching a business plan. We outfitted these executives with sociometers - specially designed digital badges to measure social signals such as tone of voice, proximity to others, energy level, and more. When the executives wore these sociometers at a mixer on the first evening of the week-long course, their social styles at the mixer were predictive of how well their teams' business plans would be perceived one week later at the end of the course.

                                                

What we found was that people with a certain social style - a kind of energetic but focused listener - acted as "charismatic connectors." The more charismatic connectors a given team had among its members, the better the team performance was judged during the business plan pitch. One important point to remember here is that it was not simply one charismatic individual, but rather a charismatic team, that pushed them toward success.
One reason these teams performed better may be simply that the members worked together better. We found very similar results in a separate study focused on brainstorming: the more of these energetic, focused listeners that were on a team, the better the quality of their brainstorming. In brainstorming sessions with teams whose social style was similar to these "charismatic connectors," the resulting quality of the talking was characterized by high levels of listening, more even-handed turn-taking, and high levels of engagement, trust, and cooperation.

  These "charismatic connectors" are the ultimate team players - and the key to making a team successful. Their style is marked by a kind of energetic listening - but they are not the normal "extravert" or "life of the party" type. Rather, they appear to be interested and focused on everyone in the group and what they have to say. While this may all appear utterly obvious, the truth is that social science has had, up until now, very few ways to measure such behavior objectively and quantitatively and in real time. With new tools such as the sociometer, management science has the possibility of really becoming a science.

 

 

Dynamics Behind Magical Thinking and Charismatic Leadership Revealed

ScienceDaily (July 15, 2011) — Research by Columbia Business School's Michael Morris, Chavkin-Chang Professor of Leadership; Maia Young, assistant professor of Human Resources and Organization Behavior, UCLA Anderson School of Management and Vicki Scherwin, Assistant Professor, Management and Human Resources Management, California State University, Long Beach, suggests that we attribute certain leaders to be charismatic through "magical thinking." The paper, recently published in the Journal of Management, reveals how this deep-seated process in human cognition is involved in the attribution of charisma.

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The researchers wanted to explore why some managers become hailed as charismatic, visionary leaders, with consequences for employees' attitudes and actions toward them. A well-known example of this phenomenon is Steve Jobs; his mystique as a charismatic visionary has been earned in part by his spellbinding presentations of Apple products. Would audiences be as wowed by his informal, spontaneous pitches if they observed the ten hours of practice Jobs commits to every ten minute pitch? Would knowing his method make him seem less magical?
The study features three different experiments. The first tests whether ascriptions of mystique are associated with perceptions that the manager is visionary and will succeed in forecasting future business trends. The second examines whether managers who perform well in the absence of an obvious success-mechanism, such as extensive practice or technical skills, are more likely to be imputed mystique and judged more capable at tasks that require vision but not those that depend on administrative skill. In the third study, subjects judged two executives -- one succeeded through vision and the other succeeded through hard work. The results show that, compared to the hard-working executive, the visionary executive was judged to be more creative, curious, and charismatic.
The research results suggest that charisma is sometimes an illusion. While managers can establish a reputation as a transformational, charismatic leader in a number of valid ways, managers can also gain the mystique of charisma by veiling how they accomplish what they do, like a stage magician. Prof. Morris, who leads Columbia Business School's Program on Social Intelligence, elaborated on a point elucidated by this area of research, "Winning in business and political endeavors comes not only from performing well, but also from managing the interpretations that others make of your performance."
While the organization may benefit from the establishment of a new executive as a leader in the eyes of the followers, such theatrics can also be dangerous, as they limit the transfer of skills from this manager to others. Hence, the research findings suggest that firms should probe more deeply when recruiting executives on the basis of charisma.

Charismatic Leadership Can Be Measured, Learned, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Feb. 8, 2011) — How do you measure charisma? That's the question UT professor Kenneth Levine seeks to answer.

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Much has been written in business management textbooks and self-help guides about the role that personal charisma plays in leadership. But according to a newly published study co-authored by Levine, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, communications studies professor, until recently no one was able to describe and measure charisma in a systematic way.
Levine said the large amount of academic literature on charismatic leadership never defined what it means to actually communicate charismatically.
"There's this illusion that we know what charismatic communication means, but in the research I reviewed, no one had ever really looked at that," he said.
Levine and his co-authors, Robert Muenchen of the UT Statistical Consulting Center and Abby Brooks of Georgia Southern University, surveyed university students and asked them to define charisma and pinpoint the behaviors of people they thought were charismatic.
"Everyone has a leadership capacity in something," Levine said. "But we found that if you want people to perceive you as charismatic, you need to display attributes such as empathy, good listening skills, eye contact, enthusiasm, self-confidence and skillful speaking," he said. Those are the attributes social scientists can measure to more fully understand charismatic communication.
Levine says the most surprising result was that the students felt that charisma was not just something you are born with, but something you can learn. "We asked the question 'What is charisma?' and their answers tended to start with 'the ability to…' Well, abilities are believed to be acquired attributes rather than inbred traits, so a lot of people believe that charisma can be learned."
Levine says the research makes the case for incorporating these concepts to better measure the level of charisma of individual leaders.

Monkey See, Monkey Do?

Monkey See, Monkey Do?

I was recently drawn to an article in Science Daily about the role of 'mirror neurons' in Human Behaviour.  Below is an article that summarises the most recent discoveries and seeks to clarify the myths around these interesting brain cells, which were once believed to hold the key to conditions like autism and the development of human language.  In addition, they were believed to allow us to observe and understand behaviours or movements we observed in others, without having to repeat them ourselves.  In other words, 'mirror neurons' were believed to be crucial to our ability to mimic, as well as learn from others.  In the research cited at the end of this article, it is this function and not their role in language and understanding that best defines 'mirror neurons'.

I started to reflect on what I understood about human learning and how habits are acquired.  Mimicry is one of the first pre-requisites for any habit, in fact we often need to experience someone else's behaviour before we acquire it.  Babies watch adults and older children walking and begin to mimic this behaviour until they have acquired, through trial and error, the requisite co-ordination and skills to walk.  In fact one of the simplest ways to help a baby go from crawling to walking, is to put them in a room with another child of a similar age who is already walking.  The non-walking baby observes the behaviour and mirrors it.

As a hypnotherapist, I know a similar process occurs in the adoption of habits like smoking, drug taking, alcohol consumption and gambling.  Much work has been done in recent years about the contagious nature of behaviour, and how our friend's habits are likely to determine our own.  Body weight is something that is often reflected amongst family members and groups of friends, as both the behaviours of eating, and exercising are mimicked by children and spouses.

Another discovery is that the very experience of constantly being around people with either a higher or lower than normal body-weight resets an individual's sense of body size, and in the longer term, may induce Body Dismorphic Syndrome (where an individual seriously misperceives the size and proportions of their body).  This resets an individuals sense of what is normal.

So amongst populations of teenage girls not only is there a risk of anorexic or binge behaviours being mimicked, but the very perception of the body is shifted by mimicry.  Likewise in populations where obesity is the norm, new members of a community may alter their perception of their own body as a result of this new norm.

It now seems that 'mirror neurons' are at the root of this apparently 'contagious' behaviour.

Of course mimicry is also essential in all the positive habits that fill our lives. This got me wondering about how important mimicry is when we go through the process of conscious habit change, that is replacing one habit with a new one that is more productive.

In previous blogs and newsletters I've discussed the steps to ensure permanent habit change, and I've included these below.

What I want to add to this list is the crucial step of spending time with people who have achieved what you want to achieve, to switch on the powerful effect of our 'mirror neurons' in shaping behaviour.

This is where mentoring becomes extremely important.  Find a mentor who has achieved what you are aiming for.  Donate your time and services for free to spend time absorbing their behaviours and attitudes.  Buy them lunch or dinner and ask them about how they achieved their goals and then watch them at work, or pay them for direct one-on-one mentoring.

As a manager in the work-place, a sporting coach or parent, spend time exhibiting the behaviours you want in your staff, team or children.  The power of the 'mirror neuron' is switched on by seeing rather than hearing.   There is something about watching someone's behaviour that switches on these cells, where being told what to do does not.

So harness the power of your own 'mirror neurons' to acquire new desired skills and behaviours, and leverage the 'mirror neurons' of people you influence by demonstrating the behaviours you want them to mimic.

Ideas Into Action: 10 Steps to Permanent Behaviour Change:
 
1. Reward the goal
The key message here is - attach a reward to your new habit or goal - make the reward personal, and make it something that brings a smile to your face every time you think about getting your reward.  Our cells respond to pleasure even more than pain - use this to your advantage.

2. Write it down
Next, write your new habit or goal down as if it is already achieved.  This is one of the most important steps in setting goals that stick.  Write your goal down in the present tense, as if it is already achieved, and you are expressing your gratitude (to yourself) for sticking to it.  This kind of goal is called an affirmation - it literally affirms the intent of your goal.  This gives you clarity and focuses your intent - which is essential.

3. Use emotive language in present tense
Your affirmation needs to use emotive language that feels good to you - it needs to paint a picture in words of how you'll feel, and how life will be when the goal is achieved.  And each affirmation needs to include only one goal.  You can have multiple affirmations, but keep each goal specific.

Here's an example of an affirmation I wrote for a client who wanted to make better food choices and exercise in order to lose weight and stay healthy.  This was a wellbeing goal.

"I am slim and slender, lean and fit.  Every day I nourish myself with healthy food choices, pure water, and fresh air.  I enjoy exercising because I love the benefits it provides to my body, and it feels so good to be fit and full of energy.  I honour my body through every choice I make throughout my day, and give thanks for this amazing body I have been given.  I am slim and slender, lean and fit."

Emotive language charges up your cells, which switches on DNA.

4. Say it out loud often
Next you need to say the affirmation out loud - about 10 times a day if you can manage it, and for about 30 days.  It takes about 28 days for a new habit to be locked in - so I say 30 days to be safe.  Read your affirmation with energy and passion.  Even if you feel it isn't true, or can't be true - read it as if it already is.  Your subconscious mind lives in an eternal present - so it gives priority to things that are immediate, rather than future time.  Writing your affirmation and saying it as if it is already a reality, now - will make it a priority, or command for the subconscious mind.   This is why wishing and hoping doesn't work - they both put the things you want into future time - which never comes.  Your cells and DNA are listening to you - within your DNA, somewhere, are the codes to make this goal easier - you just have to give your cells the command to open the right book in your DNA library.

5. Find a role model
Mimic the behaviour of people who are successfully doing what you want to do.  Observe them at work or play in the desired behaviours and allow those magic 'mirror neurones' in your brain to absorb the behaviour.  Conversely, stay away from those who exhibit the behaviour or habits you wish to leave behind.

6. Visualise the goal using all your senses
The next step is to visualise yourself in the new habit, achieving the goal.  Close your eyes and allow your mind to wander forward to a time when you have mastered this goal, changed the habit and reclaimed this part of your life.  Imagine in detail how good that will feel, what it will look like, sound like, taste like even.  Collect pictures from magazines of people who have achieved this goal, and put them in a scrap book or poster.

Your cells and DNA will turn this day dream into a programme if you do it often enough.   Eventually the new programme will replace any older, outdated behavioural programmes.

7. Break the goal down into steps - actions that you need to take to get from where you are to where you want to be
It's not enough to want something, we have to align our actions to our intent.  The more you do this, the quicker your goal will be achieved, and the more permanent the change.  So work out what people who have achieved this goal do - read about them, talk to them, get a coach, whatever you need to break the goal down into steps that you can approach one, by one.  Make these behaviours part of your day.  Repeat them every day for 30 days to lock them in. That’s when they become a habit.

When you were a toddler and learned to walk - you took one step, then another.   Over time this turned into walking, and eventually running.  All goals need to be approached the same way, so your nervous system can learn, become familiar with the steps, and eventually make them unconscious - or second nature, turning them into unconscious mind maps to drive the wanted behaviour and replace the unwanted maps.

8. Enjoy the reward
Once you've reached your first milestone - celebrate.  Take the reward you planned, and write a new affirmation thanking yourself for the steps you've taken to get you there.  As you enjoy the reward, keep associating the pleasure with the new behaviour - i.e not smoking, eating more healthily, exercising, saving money, being more organised, listening actively, delegating tasks etc.

Remember the pleasure principle is a very powerful biological and psychological driver.

9. Stay Vigilant
My last tip is to remember to never get cocky about old behaviours.  If you've given up smoking, don't think you can have one and it will be okay. The old behaviours don't need much encouragement to rear their ugly heads.  It's much easier to stay 'on the wagon' than to fall off and have to climb back on.  However, if you do slip and fall back into old habits - revisit the 8 steps above, and if you need to, get the assistance of a mentor, coach or hypnotherapist.



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Monkey See, Monkey Do? The Role of Mirror Neurons in Human Behaviour

ScienceDaily (Aug. 2, 2011) — We are all familiar with the phrase "monkey see, monkey do" -- but have we actually thought about what it means? Over the last two decades, neuroscience research has been investigating whether this popular saying has a real basis in human behavior.

Over twenty years ago, a team of scientists, led by Giacomo Rizzolatti at the University of Parma, discovered special brain cells, called mirror neurons, in monkeys. These cells appeared to be activated both when the monkey did something itself and when the monkey simply watched another monkey do the same thing.

The function of such mirror neurons in humans has since become a hot topic. In the latest issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, a team of distinguished researchers debate whether the mirror neuron system is involved in such diverse processes as understanding speech, understanding the meaning of other people's actions, and understanding other people's minds.

Understanding Speech

The mirror neuron system probably plays some role in how we understand other people's speech, but it's likely that this role is much smaller than has been previously claimed. In fact, the role is small enough that it's unlikely that mirror neurons would be causal factors in our ability to understand speech. Mirror neuron-related processes may only contribute to understanding what another person is trying to say if the room is very noisy or there are other complications to normal speech perception conditions.

Understanding Actions

Mirror neurons are believed to play a critical role in how and why we understand other people's actions. There are many physical actions, like Tiger Woods' golf swing, that we ourselves can't do, but we understand those actions anyway. However, contrary to what some mirror neuron proponents have suggested, doing isn't required for understanding. In fact, neuroimaging data reviewed in this article demonstrate that the actions we ourselves have the most experience doing -- the actions we are best at doing and understand best -- actually show less mirror neuron activity. Such findings suggest a need to reappraise the role of mirror neurons in guiding how we understand actions.

Understanding Minds

One of the most powerful roles suggested for the mirror neuron system in humans is that of understanding not just other people's physical actions or speech, but their minds and their intentions. It has been suggested that some persons, such as persons with autism, have difficulty understanding other people's minds and, therefore, might lack mirror neurons. However, numerous research studies reviewed in this article consistently show that persons with autism are highly capable of understanding the intentions of other people's actions, suggesting that our intuitions about persons with autism and mirror neurons needs to be revised.
This article presents some of the toughest questions asked about mirror neurons to date. The answers to those questions, guided by hundreds of research studies, clarify the limits of the function of mirror neurons in humans.
The article is entitled, "Mirror Neuron Forum."
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Cited from the Association for Psychological Science. "Monkey see, monkey do? The role of mirror neurons in human behavior." ScienceDaily, 2 Aug. 2011. Web. 5 Aug. 2011.

Nutrition linked to DNA switching

Epigenetics - the how and why of gene switching

It's been a while since my last blog, and that's because I have been following a trail down a very interesting rabbit hole. Recent advances is epigenetics are filling in the gaps in the DNA puzzle. In this blog, I'd like to share what I've learned about how our genes get switched on or off, and the fascinating process involved.
 

If you think back to high school, you may have a vague memory in biology about the difference between DNA and RNA. In recent years DNA has become the celebrity of the two, making headlines as the 'code behind all life.' Some reports have even implied that we've 'cracked the code.'
 

The truth is far more complex, and recently RNA has started to grab the headlines. The RNA molecule's job is assist in the copying or transcribing of a gene, so that proteins can be made. Proteins are the basic building blocks of all bodily functions and cells. So this process is crucial to life.
 

What has now been discovered is that RNA is involved in the silencing of genes.
Scientists have been trying to figure out how the cell knows which genes to silence and when. At any given moment a huge amount of our genetic material remains silent, with only selected genetic material being transcribed.
 

In the two articles below, scientists explain how the body produces specific enzymes to methylate or silence genes. These enzymes attach themselves to specific letters in a DNA sequence, preventing the code from being read, and thus silencing that gene temporarily.
As I've discussed in previous blogs, it seems that a large amount of our non-coding or 'junk' DNA is involved in the signalling of what should or shouldn't be silenced.
 

In a separate pilot study published in the ACNEM Journal (Vol 29, No 3, Nov 2010), researchers found a relationship between methylation and mental illness, including addictions, depression and anxiety. This relationship had been studied previously, however because the genetic mechanisms were not understood the results of previous studies were often sidelined.

Extracts of the study - The Effectiveness of Targeted Nutrient Therapy in Treatment of Mental Illness, a pilot study by Richard Stuckey, MB.BS., DRCOG; William Walsh, PhD; Brett Lambert are quoted below:
 

"A clinical outcome assessment was performed on 567 consecutive patients followed up for one year after initial consultation. The data covered patients interviewed between March 2004 and June 2007. Established diagnoses included Autism, ADHD, Asperger’s, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Schizophrenia and OCD. All patients had an established verifiable diagnosis and most were receiving conventional pharmacological therapy. Patients were instructed not to change any treatment (pharmacological or physical) unless on the instruction of their usual treating practitioner. Treating practitioners were also informed of the additional targeted nutrient program."

Specifically what the researchers found was that both over and under methylation creates serious behavioural problems.
 

For example over methylation creates a high tolerance to pain, resistance to certain drugs, mood swings, poor sleep patterns, poor dream recall, racing thoughts, poor organisation and alcoholism. In extreme cases these individuals may be treated for ADHA, hyperactivity, depression or bipolar disorder.

Scientists have identified abnormalities in methylation in these conditions. It is also likely that the genes being silenced by the over-methylation are involved in the production of brain chemicals like seratonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins. We know that an imbalance in the production of these brain chemicals may lead to poor focus, despite intelligence and therefore poor performance academically.
 

The natural high and calm our brains are supposed to feel in joyous situations may be blocked for these individuals, leading to seratonin seeking behaviour - a craving for carbohydrates, through eating sugary foods and consuming alcohol.
 

Under methylation is associated with anxiety, low pain threshold, low muscle tone, aversion to sunlight, addictions, perfectionism, obsessive compulsive behaviours, high academic achievement, low social skills, arrogance and competitiveness. In extreme cases it may be associated with sociopathic behaviours.
 

Under methylation may be related to an inability to silence certain genes, leading to too many genes being active at once.

What is exciting about this pilot study, is that the researchers used nutritional therapy to correct the methylation abnormality.
 

"Compounds were individualised for each patient according to the nature of the imbalance, the degree of deficiencies and the age and size of the patient. Doses were well in excess of recommended daily allowances.

Decisions were generally made according to the biochemical profile but in cases where this was indistinct, decisions were made on the clinical diagnosis. Note from the schematic representation of the methylation pathway (see Figure 1) there may appear to be some logic in using methionine, or SAMe, in under-methylators and B3, folate and B12 in over-methylators.

It is noted that ‘over-methylation’ may not necessarily be a literal overactivity of methylation but alternatively a block in the adjacent folic acid pathway. The two enzymes implicated are Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and Cathchol-O- Methyltransferase

Patients exhibiting symptoms and pathology correlating with under-methylation were administered Vitamins C and B6, Pyridine-5-Phosphate (P5P), Methionine, Calcium, Zinc and Magnesium.

Those exhibiting symptoms and pathology correlating with over-methylation were prescribed Vitamins B3 (Niacinamide), B6, B12, C and E, P5P, Folic acid and Zinc. Patients exhibiting elevated urinary pyrroles (and symptoms of Pyroluria) were prescribed Vitamins C, B6, P5P, and Zinc, while patients exhibiting Copper/Zinc imbalance were prescribed Zinc alone or in combination with Vitamin C."

I include the results as reported below. What has my interest is that it appears that nutritional deficiency is at the heart of many clinical mental disorders, and may be at the root of the chronic unhappiness that is epidemic in our lives.


Outcome Measures

"The interview process for the treatment program began with 567 patients of whom 492 commenced treatment with 382 complying for 12 months. 110 discontinued for a range of reasons (22.4% non-compliance). 75 of those interviewed did not commence the program and respondents to a questionnaire in this group were assigned to the comparison group. Of the 382 that completed one year of the program, 221 (57.9%) stated major improvement, 91 (23.8%) partial improvement and 70 (18.3%) nil improvement.

It is understood that there are methods to ‘objectify’ improvement by questionnaires designed specifically for some of the diagnostic groups, but there are none that would encompass all the diagnostic groups in this study. The outcomes according to diagnosis are represented in Table 2.
Clinical Notes:

"There was a marked reduction in hospital admissions during the 1st year of treatment as compared with the year prior to nutrient treatment.

"There was a reduction in doses of prescription medication in 22.3% of the patient group. Antidepressants and anxiolitics were occasionally withdrawn but antipsychotics were not.

"Most patients with the best results used a combination of both pharmacological and nutritional interventions.

"The relative percentages of improvement and non-improvement were remarkably similar in each of the three groups."

All of the nutrients supplemented in this study used to be common in our diet thousands of years ago when we hunted and gathered. The rapid transformation of society through farming and later industrialisation has resulted in a modern diet that is inadequate in providing the nutrients we need for health.

It is no coincidence that the artificial and highly processed foods that fill our shelves have been associated with an increase in physical diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It is now clear that the lack of nutrients in these foods may also be fuelling the mental illness epidemic now gripping the developed world.

Finally, we are starting to understand why - and it is all about the interaction of our environment with our DNA. And what's most exciting is that nutritional therapy can reverse the damage.

Food for thought?

Regards,

LIs


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Mystery Solved: How Genes Are Selectively Silenced
 

ScienceDaily (Oct. 18, 2010) — Our genetic material is often compared to a book. However, it is not so much like a novel to be read in one piece, but rather like a cookbook. The cell reads only those recipes which are to be cooked at the moment. The recipes are the genes; 'reading' in the book of the cell means creating RNA copies of individual genes, which will then be translated into proteins.
 

The cell uses highly complex, sophisticated regulatory mechanisms to make sure that not all genes are read at the same time. Particular gene switches need to be activated and, in addition, there are particular chemical labels in the DNA determining which genes are transcribed into RNA and which others will be inaccessible, i.e. where the book literally remains closed. The biological term for this is epigenetic gene regulation.
 

Among the epigenetic mechanisms which are well studied is the silencing of genes by methyl groups. This is done by specialized enzymes called methyltransferases which attach methyl labels to particular 'letters' of a gene whereby access to the whole gene is blocked. "One of the great mysteries of modern molecular biology is: How do methyltransferases know where to attach their labels in order to selectively inactivate an individual gene?" says Professor Ingrid Grummt of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ).
 

Grummt has now come much closer towards unraveling this mystery. She has focused on studying those text passages in the genetic material which do not contain any recipes. Nevertheless, these texts are transcribed into RNA molecules in a controlled manner. "These so-called noncoding RNAs do not contain recipes for proteins. They are important regulators in the cell which we are just beginning to understand," says Ingrid Grummt.
 

In her most recent work, Grummt and her co-workers have shown for the first time that epigenetic regulation and regulation by noncoding RNAs interact. The scientists artificially introduced a noncoding RNA molecule called pRNA into cells. As a result, methyl labels are attached to a particular gene switch so that the genes behind it are not read. The trick is that pRNA exactly matches (is complementary to) the DNA sequence of this gene switch. The investigators found out that pRNA forms a kind of plait, or triple helix, with the two DNA strands in the area of this gene switch. Methyltransferases, in turn, are able to specifically dock to this 'plait' and are thus directed exactly to the place where a gene is to be blocked.
More than half of our genetic material is transcribed into noncoding RNA. This prompts Ingrid Grummt to speculate: "It is very well possible that there are exactly matching noncoding RNA molecules for all genes that are temporarily silenced. This would explain how such a large number of genes can be selectively turned on and off."

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Why Some Genes Are Silenced: Researchers Find Clue as to How Notes Are Played on the 'Genetic Piano'
 

ScienceDaily (May 13, 2011) — Japanese and U.S. scientists in the young field of epigenetics have reported a rationale as to how specific genes are silenced and others are not. Because this effect can be reversed, it may be possible to devise therapies for cancer and other diseases using this information.

The NOVA U.S. public television program described epigenetics as "The Ghost In Your Genes." It is the study of changes in gene expression that occur without changes in DNA sequence. Like keys on a piano, DNA is the static blueprint for all the proteins that cells produce. Epigenetic information provides additional dynamic or flexible instructions as to how, where and when the blueprint will be used. "It corresponds to a pianist playing a piece of music," said Kohzoh Mitsuya, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.
Article in Science
 

The study by Dr. Mitsuya and colleagues is outlined in the May 13 issue of the journal Science. The team found that a small RNA pathway is required to establish an epigenetic modification -- called DNA methylation -- at a gene that codes for mammalian proteins. DNA methylation adds chemical tags called methyl groups to specific genes, usually silencing their expression.
 

"DNA methylation marks are reversible, so there is great interest in devising therapeutic strategies, for instance in cancer biology, to epigenetically reactivate silenced tumor-suppressor genes or inactivate specific oncogenes in human cancer cells," Dr. Mitsuya, the Science paper's third author, said. The lead author is Toshiaki Watanabe, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Genetics in Japan and Yale University.
 

Environment and cancer
Beyond being reversible, DNA methylation is susceptible to environmental influences. Many cancer biologists now agree that changes in DNA methylation might be as important as genetic mutations in causing cancer. There are far more epigenetic changes than genetic changes found in the majority of cancers, and research into epigenetics is proving to be important to understanding cancer biology.
 

"It is critical to identify the entire complement of factors that affect gene silencing," Dr. Mitsuya said. "This was the rationale behind this study examining DNA methylation in mice that I began in 2004. The study adds information about one set of factors."
A finger on the piano
 

The researchers compared a group of normal mice with a group lacking the small RNA species. The team found that DNA methylation was markedly reduced at one of four genes tested in the small RNA-deficient mice. "This is the first demonstration that small RNAs can act in this way," Dr. Mitsuya said. "It shows how one note is played on the piano."
Epigenetic activity is a previously unseen dimension of biology that may enable clearer detection of disease, monitoring of progression and improved treatment, and may provide entirely new biomarkers of disease susceptibility. "The symphony has only just come into view," Dr. Mitsuya said. "We can hear it, but we need to learn how all the parts are being played."
 

Dr. Mitsuya is a member of the Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio and is engaged in epigenetic studies of placental function.



Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.


Journal Reference:
    1.    T. Watanabe, S.-i. Tomizawa, K. Mitsuya, Y. Totoki, Y. Yamamoto, S. Kuramochi-Miyagawa, N. Iida, Y. Hoki, P. J. Murphy, A. Toyoda, K. Gotoh, H. Hiura, T. Arima, A. Fujiyama, T. Sado, T. Shibata, T. Nakano, H. Lin, K. Ichiyanagi, P. D. Soloway, H. Sasaki. Role for piRNAs and Noncoding RNA in de Novo DNA Methylation of the Imprinted Mouse Rasgrf1 Locus. Science, 2011; 332 (6031): 848 DOI: 10.1126/science.1203919

Impulse Control, Mindmaps and Behaviour Change

Recently, I've spent some time looking at habit change and the way that neurological mindmaps are formed. Mindmaps bring together all the ingredients of a habit, and do so in such a seamless, almost instantaneous way that it can make our habits appear automatic.

In this blog, I would like to share what I've learned about how we can support ourselves and the people we care about to shift unwanted, or unhealthy behaviours.

Mindmaps create physiological responses in the body that reinforce behaviour, creating a feedback loop that interacts with our environment and our DNA to lock in behaviours, even the unwanted ones.

This creates the illusion that our habits are entrenched, beyond our control and inflexible, when really any habit is like a track in the snow we have walked along many times. We could walk outside the track, but it feels easier to walk within the track, it's familiar and well trodden, whereas walking outside the track feels more difficult and unfamiliar. The more we walk along the track, the more likely we are to walk down it again. However, we can walk outside of the track, and the more we chose another path, the more familiar it becomes and the easier it feels.

The illusion that our habits are fixed leads many of us to think we cannot change, that our habits are beyond our control and that we are slaves to them. Regardless of whether a habit is a repetitive ritual, like hand-washing, or checking the locks in your house over and over, or the habit is co-dependent like tobacco, drug or alcohol addiction, over-eating, gambling, over-exercising, gossip mongering, or sex-addiction, all habits have mindmaps, and most have several that link together.

We are all the product of our mindmap driven habits. When I consult to government and industry, and conduct 360 degree profiling, over and over again I see the same patterns. Those who invest their time and energy in health sustaining habits and optimism look 10 to 20 years younger and are 10 to 20 years younger biologically than people of the same age who invest their time and energy in health-depriving habits and negativity. We are the products of what we think, say and do. It shows up in each and every one of our cells, activating the latent  potential in our DNA.

For example, alcohol and drug use have been shown in recent studies to change the way the brain assesses risk and handles impulses. The more often we drink, or the more we drink, the more we shut down our ability to assess risk or manage our impulses, and the more we fire up the area of our brain that seeks short term gratification (Researchers Link Alcohol-Dependence Impulsivity to Brain Anomalies ScienceDaily Apr. 15, 2011 / Impulse Control Area In Brain Affected In Teens With Genetic Vulnerability For Alcoholism ScienceDaily Nov. 7, 2008)

At the end of this article I've included a report from Science Daily of a study that identified the brain area responsible for impulsive behaviour, and how impulse control is implicated in many behavioural anomalies including ADHD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, Binge Eating, Gambling to name just a few. It's an interesting study and shows just how far we have come in understanding the mechanisms behind behaviour.

Impulsive behaviour is now understood to be a brain function issue; too many neurons in a particular area of the brain fire, while the problem solving area of the brain is shut down. In some individuals this triggers the activation of genes for anxiety, alcoholism, depression or violence. However, when this area of the brain is not stimulated these genes are not expressed. This is how someone with an impulse driven behaviour can appear to be two different people, depending on whether they are engaging in the impulsive behaviour or not.

The mindmap for impulsivity is now understood, and can be mapped. What is exciting is that because it is a mindmap, and not a personality trait, it can be changed. The brain's own inherent flexibility can be called upon to learn, repeat and perfect an alternative behaviour to replace the negative, impulsive behaviour, which in turn makes the associated, destructive genes dormant again.

So what does this mean for you and I? Well it means we are not the slaves of our behaviour. And even our most negative habits are not out of our control. It means that if we choose to create a different track in the snow to walk along, and take that path as often as we can, eventually it will have a stronger, richer, more dominant mindmap than the old path. This means that newer, more desirable habits do have a chance.

I think this is why it usually takes people several attempts to quit smoking, stop drinking or abusing substances. Each time they try a new track, they are creating a new set of mindmaps. When stress or environmental factors in their life draws them back to the old path, friends and family lament and fear that all the time spent creating good habits has been lost. But that's not the case. The newer path is still there, and if it felt good to walk that path even for a little while, the memory of that feeling will at some time in the future tempt the individual to try it again.

Each time the path of the new habit is attempted, it gets stronger. What we know is that if reward is associated with a behaviour, it is reinforced, so positive reinforcement will do more to draw a person back to a good habit than punishment will. Eventually the new behaviour will have a strong enough pull, and have enough positive associations to become dominant, so that even if an individual is drawn back to an old behaviour for a time, they are less likely to be stuck in the behaviour, because they know they have a choice, and they know what that feels like - they have a mindmap for an alternative life.

That being said, the longer an individual can stick to a new behaviour, the better. Returning to old, destructive behaviours can have disastrous effects. Even a short period of impulsivity due to substance abuse or gambling can shatter someone's life.

At the very least impulsivity affects an individual's performance, at home and at work. Addressing our destructive habits gives us the best chance to live consciously and end up with the things and events in our life that we desire. Turning up each day with a full, positively charged bucket of energy is a decision, not a fluke. It requires us to make conscious choices about what we consume, do and think, the mindmaps we fire up and those we shut down.

It requires us to choose which path we will walk down today...




Brain's Impulse Control Center Located

ScienceDaily (Oct. 14, 2010) — Impulsive behaviour can be improved with training and the improvement is marked by specific brain changes, according to a new Queen's University study.

A research team led by neuroscience PhD student Scott Hayton has pinpointed the area of the brain that controls impulsive behaviour and the mechanisms that affect how impulsive behaviour is learned. The findings could have a significant impact on the diagnosis and treatment of several disorders and addictions, including ADHD and alcoholism.

"In the classroom, kids often blurt out answers before they raise their hand. With time, they learn to hold their tongue and put up their hand until the teacher calls them. We wanted to know how this type of learning occurs in the brain," says Mr. Hayton, a PhD student at the Centre for Neuroscience Studies at Queen's. "Our research basically told us where the memory for this type of inhibition is in the brain, and how it is encoded."

The team trained rats to control impulsive responses until a signal was presented. Electrical signals between cells in the brain's frontal lobe grew stronger as they learned to control their impulses. This showed that impulsivity is represented, in a specific brain region, by a change in communication between neurons.

Impulsivity is often thought of as a personality trait, something that makes one person different from another.

Children who have difficulty learning to control a response often have behavioural problems which continue into adulthood, says Professor Cella Olmstead, the principal investigator on the study. She notes that impulsivity is a primary feature of many disorders including addiction, ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder and gambling. Identifying the brain region and mechanism that controls impulsivity is a critical step in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.

"In conditions where learning does not occur properly, it is possible that it is this mechanism that has been impaired," adds co-investigator neuroscience Professor Eric Dumont.

The findings were recently published in The Journal of Neuroscience.


Journal Reference:
    1.    S. J. Hayton, M. Lovett-Barron, E. C. Dumont, M. C. Olmstead. Target-Specific Encoding of Response Inhibition: Increased Contribution of AMPA to NMDA Receptors at Excitatory Synapses in the Prefrontal Cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 2010; 30 (34): 11493 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1550-10.2010

Smart Cells and the end of the Tyranny of Genetics

I've just been reading and enjoying 'The Biology of Belief' by Bruce H. Lipton PhD. In this seminal work, Lipton introduces the concept of Epigenetics or the science of the effect the environment has on switching genes on or off.

Lipton is a Cellular Biologist and former Professor of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. After some 20 years as a pre-eminent biologist, pioneering the cloning of cells, Lipton realized that the cell tuned itself to its environment, and it was the environment, not our DNA that determined our evolution. He realized that the environment provides the cues that a cell uses to determine which codes to switch on or off. Even more startling Lipton provides proof that cells actually assemble new DNA in response to environmental conditions.

Perhaps, most startling of all, Lipton shows that cells borrow DNA from other species, and that the human body is actually a community of differentiated cells, working and cooperating with foreign species - like the bugs in our gut - to do more than survive.

All of this goes hand in hand with what quantum biologists are discovering about the way DNA codes are affected by emotions, behavior and environmental conditions.

What Lipton adds to the debate is that every cell in our body is listening to our thoughts, feeling our emotions and responding to the thoughts and emotions of others. Like ripples in a pond, the DNA within our cells organises itself according to the needs of the cell and then broadcasts this response into the environment.

Now the ramifications of this growing body of science is astounding. There is a revolution occurring in the world of the evolutionary sciences. Darwin is no longer pre-eminent with his 19th century doctrine of survival of the fittest, and the determinism of the genes. Darwin's contemporary, and the first to publish a theory of evolution - Lamarc -  was long pilloried for his belief that cells are more than factories at the whim of flight or fight responses. His thesis that an organism evolves through co-operation, is at long last being considered by modern science. In the battle for hearts and minds in the scientific community where nature seemed to triumph over nurture, the tide has turned. Nurture now seems to be the determining factor in what gets expressed by genes.

What all evolutionary scientists, cell biologists and geneticists agree upon, however, and what is often not conveyed to the general public, is that our genes are how we store and transmit the memory of our experiences from one generation to another. Our DNA is a library, one where new books are being written, old books re-read, and others edited. Our genes are the memory of our cells.

So what does this mean for you and I?

It means that we are not at the mercy of our genetics. That unless we suffer from one of a small handful of genetic conditions like aplastic anemia, our genetic make-up is far more mutable than previously publicised. The environment we live in, the experiences we have and the choices we make about our environment, behaviour and thoughts determine what gets switched on or off, or indeed constructed in our DNA.

As someone who was born with a potentially fatal genetic condition, I have experienced the power of choice in my life. The choices I have made around healthy food, to exercise regularly, avoid alcohol and tobacco, pharmaceuticals and recreational drugs has helped me to beat the odds. However, the decision to manage my thoughts and emotions has been even more profound.

By focusing on positive outcomes and commiting my energy, intent and actions to the steps that will make these outcomes a reality, I know I have changed my destiny. I did not perish at three years of age, from bowel disease, althought I was diagnosed with it. I did not die at 12 as a result of the four strokes I suffered. I was not in a wheel chair at fourteen or dead before adulthood. I am now 46 years old, the mother of four healthy children with a full and productive life. I have outlived my mother, who died at 44 of breast cancer.

In short I have made the best of a bad lot. What the future brings is anybody's guess. What I do know is that I have choices, and I will continue to exercise my ability to choose as long as I draw breath. I will continue to thank the collection of 50 trillion or so smart cells that make up my being, and send them supportive, healthy messages through the physical, emotional and mental choices I make.

For me, the quest to understand our biology and how our DNA, environment, behavior and emotions interact is extremely personal. However, you don't need a genetic condition for this to matter. It is in the interest of every person on this planet to ask themselves a simple question each day.

"What have I cast my vote for today. Through the choices I have made did I vote for health and a productive, useful life, or did I vote for something else?"

This is what I have asked myself every day since I was twelve years old and a doctor gave me a death sentence. Through my choices, I believe I proved him wrong. Thanks to scientists like Lipton, I can begin to understand why.