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Rajiv Narayan

I've lost a lot of weight and gained a little insight about obesity and health care. I like to read and write about those things, but my true obsessions are with bad puns, Beyoncé, and the Bay Area. I curate for Upworthy because I believe health care policy can (one day) be understood. If you want to wonk it up, reach out to me on Twitter and Facebook.

You do you.

Since the 18th century, capitalism has been all about the assumption that we humans are fundamentally driven by self-interest.

GIF from "Wall Street."

This idea has become so pervasive that most people just accept it as true. Especially folks in power.

Sure, the thinking goes, we'd like to be nicer and more generous, but that's just not how we're built.

Well, Dr. Felix Warneken is here to prove that one of the biggest assumptions behind capitalism? Yeah. It's wrong. NBD.

Dr. Warneken, now a professor of psychology at Harvard University, developed experiments to suss out what humans — in their early toddler form — are really like.

And the experiments show that, without being asked, kids are moved to help those in need.

Warneken's research shows that we have innately altruistic tendencies. And not only do we want to help our fellow man — we derive joy from it.

The results, captured on video below, are pretty striking (and freaking cute):

GIFs via PBS.

Watch these adorable toddlers crush one of the major myths behind capitalism:

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The point here is not so much that one system is obviously better than the other, but that the way we run prisons in the U.S. is not the only way to do it.

What comes to mind when you hear the word "jail?"

Probably "the opposite of freedom."

AMERICA: the home of some of the not-so-free. Image via Pixabay.

There's the overcrowding, crappy food, and the complete lack of privacy — all of which make one thing clear: Jail is not meant to be a picnic. It is a punishment for committing a crime after all.

In America, we're taught that it's meant to be anything but pleasant.

But is it the only — or even the best — way to do it?

A documentary series that follows a tour of a Norwegian prison shows a very different method of imprisonment.

This TV series, titled "The Norden," features an American named James Conway as he visits different prisons in Scandinavian countries. Conway, who spent nearly 40 years of his life working for New York's prison system, is particularly struck by the accommodations at Halden, a prison in Norway.

Me too, James, me too. GIF via "The Norden."

First of all, the prison's locale is gorgeous — it's surrounded by beautiful Norwegian scenery. The inside is breathtaking, too; the inmates have pristinely furnished living rooms, a laundry room, and — get this — a music studio. Conway really can't believe what he sees.

Why are things so "good" for these Norwegian inmates? It comes down to the system's values.

"One of the principles in the Norwegian Correctional Services regarding [is] normality, which means that you should serve in just as normal conditions as possible." — Jan Strømnes, deputy head of Halden prison

(This sounds better than normal to me, but maybe it's because I don't live in Norway and am currently dealing with a mouse infestation in my apartment).

Given his background working for the New York prison system, Conway was not convinced of Norway's approach to prison life.

"If you put that much faith in [the prisoners] and that much of a luxurious environment for them to live in, let them have the keys," he says.

"Why have them in prison, anyway?" Conway asks.

The Norwegian system focuses more on prison as a venue of rehabilitation rather than one of punishment.

And why Conway — and many Americans — might scoff at the concept of a comfortable prison (what's the deterrent if prison is so nice?), these fact-checked statistics from a segment of The Young Turks might make him reconsider:

Intentional homicides:
- Norway: 0.6 per 100,000 people
- United States: 6 per 100,000 people
Incarceration rates:
- Norway: 71 for every 100,000 people
- United States: 743 for every 100,000 (in 2009)
Recidivism rate:
- Norway: 20%
- United States: 50%-60%

Hard to believe, isn't it?

Perhaps Norway's way of doing things isn't as bizarre as we think.

You can watch the excerpt for yourself here:

There are two stories of Jo's addiction. Only one is actually helpful.

Jo Harvey used to tell her story of addiction in a dark and messy way.

It started when Jo was 7. On a hiking trip, she was given her first drink. She liked the taste, and by the time she was 12, she had experimented with more alcohol and other drugs. In high school, she was introduced to cocaine. She became a party girl, one who didn't remember most wild nights and spiraled into a deep addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Eventually, she gave up the drugs and went in for treatment. In the years since, Jo not only has been sober, but she's dedicated her life to helping others through similar struggles. Today, Jo is completing a doctorate while working to develop alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs for her university.

Now she tells her story as the story of a struggle that saved her.

The difference between those two stories isn't in the facts of her life — those didn't change. But how she tells the story now is radically different because it is no longer dripping with guilt and shame. Jo used to be ashamed that she wasn't the perfect all-American girl that her good grades and pretty appearance led people to believe. She was ashamed that she had succumbed to addiction and that she was struggling with substance abuse. And that guilt and shame shaped how she lived her life.

Why did Jo carry so much guilt and shame around her addiction? Well one factor may have been her gender.

Laura Blum, Nancy Nielsen, and Joseph Riggs prepared a review for the American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs. In it, they describe the societal attitudes about alcoholism and women as well as their unique barriers to treatment.

Women who drink excessively are stigmatized as "generally and sexually immoral." That stigma can be internalized by friends, family, health care providers, and even women themselves, who become more likely to deny their alcohol abuse.
This leads to an "under-recognition of drinking problems in women until they have reached an advanced stage. Fear of stigmatization may lead women to deny that they are suffering from a medical condition, to hide their drinking, and to drink alone."

GIF via TEDx.

Jo now believes that the key to recovery comes down to the stories we tell.

In order to heal, she had to shake the shame, stigma, and fear to come out on the other side and share her true story: one of hurt and pain, sure, but also of healing and strength. Today, she has this to say about people who are struggling with addiction:

"They matter and are worth fighting for. Even the deepest wounds can heal, and at any moment we can let go of our shame and find peace."

Watch Jo share her empowering story in her own words:

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Eminem just reached an awesome addiction recovery milestone—12 years of sobriety - Upworthy ›

Honestly, just watching this makes me happier.

Mind you, Dr. Amit Sood is not a self-help author or a salesman of snake oil or a motivational storyteller aiming to sell high speaking fees. He's a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and a well-respected researcher and practitioner of integrated medicine.

Sood put together the following short on how to cultivate a (very) happy brain. It's backed by an evidence base, and it's powerful. So go ahead and give his lessons a try. It's the doctor's orders.

A Happy Brain

Meet Broody (work with me, people). He is an unhappy brain that struggled with fear and self-doubt.

Broody's friend took him to a class on happy brains. He would go on to learn a lot.

Three Traits of the Brain

But What Does This All Mean?

It's really that simple.

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This video is so different from news reports and political speeches I've heard about terrorism. It's based on research. Go figure.

How do we stop terrorism? Seems like a big question, but after a decade of war, it's hard to say anyone has a good answer.

So what are we to do? First, here's the good news.

Why is it that terrorist groups stop committing acts of terrorism? It's not because they're outgunned or bombed away, at least not most of the time.

The next biggest reason is effective infiltration.

Seems a lot less bloody than a full-fledged reason, doesn't it?

Together, those two reasons account for why 80% of all terrorist groups eventually split up. So how much credit does military action get?

Mind you, knowing how terrorist groups split up is not the same as knowing what to do as a result. But we might conclude that military action should be pursued at best as an option secondary to counterintelligence.

Heroes

Economists assume people are self-interested. He turned that assumption upside down.

He doesn't have time for the economics of selfishness.

Nipun Mehta's work is all about a fundamental question we've all asked at one point. Are humans inherently good to one another, or are we inherently selfish? Whole disciplines, like economics, are built on the latter assumption. Some might say democracy is built on the former assumption. Mehta built a company to prove you can rely on the best of people.

ServiceSpace, Mehta's company that incubates gift-economy projects, runs on the idea of giftivism.

And it works.

The four shifts are themselves pretty radical. But maybe that's what it takes to transform an entire economy.

Watch Nipun explain the shift toward a gift economy in his own words.

Have you ever had to ask any of the questions they're asking?

Police recently held the son of New York Times columnist Charles Blow at gunpoint. He was walking home from the library at Yale University. To the cops, he fit the description of a burglary suspect. He was shaken up, but his father was fuming.

The students of Georgetown University in the video below feel the same way.

Whether they're living in Ferguson, Missouri, or attending college at Yale or Georgetown, the point these students make is that they're always at risk of police brutality, always suspect to suspicion. They always have to ask a question many of us never consider: Am I next?

Rajiv Narayan

Scientists tested a theory of human nature on toddlers. The results are delightful.

You do you.

Well, Dr. Felix Warneken is here to prove that one of the biggest assumptions behind capitalism? Yeah. It's wrong. NBD.

Warneken's research shows that we have innately altruistic tendencies. And not only do we want to help our fellow man — we derive joy from it.

How a tour of a Norwegian jail might make you reconsider how effective the U.S. justice system is

The point here is not so much that one system is obviously better than the other, but that the way we run prisons in the U.S. is not the only way to do it.

What comes to mind when you hear the word "jail?"

A documentary series that follows a tour of a Norwegian prison shows a very different method of imprisonment.

The Norwegian system focuses more on prison as a venue of rehabilitation rather than one of punishment.

Perhaps Norway's way of doing things isn't as bizarre as we think.

Her story of addiction is pretty common, but her recovery depended on how she told that story.

There are two stories of Jo's addiction. Only one is actually helpful.

Jo Harvey used to tell her story of addiction in a dark and messy way.

Now she tells her story as the story of a struggle that saved her.

Why did Jo carry so much guilt and shame around her addiction? Well one factor may have been her gender.

Jo now believes that the key to recovery comes down to the stories we tell.

A doctor's advice for inner happiness is so easy that I wasn't a believer until I tried it.

Honestly, just watching this makes me happier.

A Happy Brain

Three Traits of the Brain

But What Does This All Mean?

Just 2 Reasons Account For Why 80% Of Terrorist Groups Split Up

This video is so different from news reports and political speeches I've heard about terrorism. It's based on research. Go figure.

Economists assume people are self-interested. He turned that assumption upside down.

He doesn't have time for the economics of selfishness.

A Group Of Boys Ask Whether They're Next. What They Mean Makes My Heart Sink.

Have you ever had to ask any of the questions they're asking?

MIT’s trillion-frames-per-second camera can capture light as it travels

The Monkees' acapella Christmas song shows they weren't just funny, they could sing, too

Dad and daughter relationships, as explained by 10 paintings.

She fell in love with endangered porpoises at age 7. Now, she's on a mission to save the ocean.

A group of vacationing young friends expose their buddy's secret: He's an 'airport dad'

People share the 18 things that are a 'subtle sign' someone is really smart