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Beau Morrison has seen a lot of suicide in his life. When he was 12, his father Len took his life. His cousin Dolly Everett made national headlines in 2018 when she took her life at age 14, after being tormented by cyberbullies. And three workmates in the construction industry have taken their lives. One of these workmates died during a fly-in, fly-out project in Darwin. Mr Morrison was asked to check on his welfare as he hadn't shown up for work. "I found his body," said Mr Morrison, of Chisholm in Maitland. He tried to convince management to provide more support for workers. "I was banging on asking, 'Where are the support services?' Management thought I was a dickhead." The complaints he made about the lack of support means he probably won't get work again with the company involved. This kind of attitude and culture, he asserts, must change. Mr Morrison said the loss of his dad, cousin and workmates had been devastating. "I want to do everything to prevent this from happening to others," he said. His cousin's death came in January 2018, a month before his workmate died in Darwin. These events motivated him to learn more about mental health. He decided to devote himself to suicide prevention. Mr Morrison is now getting behind a NSW government project in which "gatekeepers" in high-risk populations and industries train in suicide prevention. Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said the NSW government would provide $2.8 million for gatekeeper training over three years. The funding is the first initiative of the government's Towards Zero Suicides project, which will provide $87 million over three years. The project aims to reduce the suicide rate in NSW by 20 per cent by 2023. The government said about 17 people take their life in NSW every week. "Gatekeepers learn how to recognise the signs that someone is at risk of suicide," Mrs Taylor said. They are trained to help workmates, friends and family to stay safe and seek help. Mr Morrison said 18 workers died from suicide in three years on the Darwin project alone. Many more were experiencing poor mental health. "I had grown men coming to me and bawling their eyes out. I didn't know what to do," he said. When Mr Morrison left the Darwin job in 2018, he sought mental health training through the Mates in Construction program - an industry-backed and research-based suicide prevention charity. "I learnt so much. It blew me away," he said. In the past 18 months, he's helped half a dozen people in trouble. "They were friends of friends. I talked them through it," he said, adding that the first thing he advises is to see a GP. NSW government data shows that construction workers are six times more likely to die by suicide than a workplace accident. Apprentices in construction aged between 15 and 24 are twice as likely to take their life than other young people their age. Mr Morrison urged construction companies to treat mental health training like high-risk licences such as "getting your forklift ticket". He said some construction companies provide mental health support through employee assistance programs. "The job in Darwin had one, but it was insufficient. We didn't have people drumming in the importance of mental health. We didn't know who we could go to." In his experience, unions can be a big help in this area. "They have their own support processes. I'm with the CFMEU. They've always provided me with help," he said, adding that he had his own personal struggles. Mr Morrison saw a doctor on Wednesday to renew his mental health plan. "You can't ignore this stuff. You've got to be proactive with your mental health," he said. Master Builders Association of NSW said the construction industry had "significantly higher rates of suicide and mental health issues among workers compared to other sectors". "Mental health and suicide prevention is everyone's business," Master Builders NSW executive director Brian Seidler said. "When all of us look out for our mates, we are protecting the most important commodity in our industry - its people." Mr Seidler said suicide "seems to be a part of the reality in the building and construction industry". "The sector is highly transient with most workers employed on a project-by-project basis for periods from a few weeks to a few years," he said. "We need to ensure the industry represents a sustainable and safe workplace." This means attracting workers and keeping them on career pathways. "Mental health training is a critical part of that." Mr Morrison said his experience in the industry had given him an idea of what triggered workers' mental health difficulties. "In my opinion, a lot of the time it's relationship breakdowns, blokes having their kids taken away, long hours and isolation," he said. Another factor was workers in "high-paying jobs with access to drugs and alcohol". The construction industry's macho culture was thought to be a factor in preventing workers from seeking help. This is one area in which Mr Morrison is making a difference. Despite his appearance, he has a deeply felt compassion that he uses to help others. Despite being a "big burly knucklehead", he often asks fellow workers things like: "Hey, bud, how are you going? Are you all right?" He said mental health issues were also prevalent among women in construction. Mr Morrison said he was "stepping up" to be a leader on mental health. "I want to continue down the road and get into public speaking [to further spread this message]." Mrs Taylor said every "precious life lost to suicide" had a "devastating ripple effect across families and the whole community". "We know that over 40 per cent of people who die by suicide have not reached out for professional support. "Having gatekeepers throughout the community trained to help and support people in a crisis is critical in saving lives." The Gatekeeper program aims to train 10,000 people in suicide prevention. More than half of all gatekeepers will be in regional areas. As well as construction, the program will cover first responders, Indigenous communities, family lawyers, men aged 18 to 35, veterinarians and LGBTI communities. More information about the program is at health.nsw.gov.au/gatekeeper. Lifeline 13 11 14. While you're with us, did you know the Newcastle Herald offers breaking news alerts, daily email newsletters and more? Keep up to date with all the local news - sign up here IN OTHER NEWS:

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Beau Morrison has seen a lot of suicide in his life.

When he was 12, his father Len took his life.

His cousin Dolly Everett made national headlines in 2018 when she took her life at age 14, after being tormented by cyberbullies.

And three workmates in the construction industry have taken their lives. One of these workmates died during a fly-in, fly-out project in Darwin.

Mr Morrison was asked to check on his welfare as he hadn't shown up for work.

"I found his body," said Mr Morrison, of Chisholm in Maitland.

He tried to convince management to provide more support for workers.

"I was banging on asking, 'Where are the support services?' Management thought I was a dickhead."

The complaints he made about the lack of support means he probably won't get work again with the company involved.

This kind of attitude and culture, he asserts, must change.

Mr Morrison said the loss of his dad, cousin and workmates had been devastating.

"I want to do everything to prevent this from happening to others," he said.

His cousin's death came in January 2018, a month before his workmate died in Darwin.

These events motivated him to learn more about mental health.

He decided to devote himself to suicide prevention.

Mr Morrison is now getting behind a NSW government project in which "gatekeepers" in high-risk populations and industries train in suicide prevention.

Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said the NSW government would provide $2.8 million for gatekeeper training over three years.

The funding is the first initiative of the government's Towards Zero Suicides project, which will provide $87 million over three years.

The project aims to reduce the suicide rate in NSW by 20 per cent by 2023. The government said about 17 people take their life in NSW every week.

"Gatekeepers learn how to recognise the signs that someone is at risk of suicide," Mrs Taylor said.

They are trained to help workmates, friends and family to stay safe and seek help.

Mr Morrison said 18 workers died from suicide in three years on the Darwin project alone. Many more were experiencing poor mental health.

"I had grown men coming to me and bawling their eyes out. I didn't know what to do," he said.

When Mr Morrison left the Darwin job in 2018, he sought mental health training through the Mates in Construction program - an industry-backed and research-based suicide prevention charity.

"I learnt so much. It blew me away," he said.

In the past 18 months, he's helped half a dozen people in trouble.

"They were friends of friends. I talked them through it," he said, adding that the first thing he advises is to see a GP.

NSW government data shows that construction workers are six times more likely to die by suicide than a workplace accident. Apprentices in construction aged between 15 and 24 are twice as likely to take their life than other young people their age.

Mr Morrison urged construction companies to treat mental health training like high-risk licences such as "getting your forklift ticket".

He said some construction companies provide mental health support through employee assistance programs.

"The job in Darwin had one, but it was insufficient. We didn't have people drumming in the importance of mental health. We didn't know who we could go to."

In his experience, unions can be a big help in this area.

"They have their own support processes. I'm with the CFMEU. They've always provided me with help," he said, adding that he had his own personal struggles.

Mr Morrison saw a doctor on Wednesday to renew his mental health plan.

"You can't ignore this stuff. You've got to be proactive with your mental health," he said.

Master Builders Association of NSW said the construction industry had "significantly higher rates of suicide and mental health issues among workers compared to other sectors".

"Mental health and suicide prevention is everyone's business," Master Builders NSW executive director Brian Seidler said.

"When all of us look out for our mates, we are protecting the most important commodity in our industry - its people."

Mr Seidler said suicide "seems to be a part of the reality in the building and construction industry".

"The sector is highly transient with most workers employed on a project-by-project basis for periods from a few weeks to a few years," he said.

"We need to ensure the industry represents a sustainable and safe workplace."

This means attracting workers and keeping them on career pathways.

"Mental health training is a critical part of that."

Mr Morrison said his experience in the industry had given him an idea of what triggered workers' mental health difficulties.

"In my opinion, a lot of the time it's relationship breakdowns, blokes having their kids taken away, long hours and isolation," he said.

Another factor was workers in "high-paying jobs with access to drugs and alcohol".

The construction industry's macho culture was thought to be a factor in preventing workers from seeking help.

This is one area in which Mr Morrison is making a difference.

Despite his appearance, he has a deeply felt compassion that he uses to help others.

Despite being a "big burly knucklehead", he often asks fellow workers things like: "Hey, bud, how are you going? Are you all right?"

He said mental health issues were also prevalent among women in construction.

Mr Morrison said he was "stepping up" to be a leader on mental health.

"I want to continue down the road and get into public speaking [to further spread this message]."

Mrs Taylor said every "precious life lost to suicide" had a "devastating ripple effect across families and the whole community".

"We know that over 40 per cent of people who die by suicide have not reached out for professional support.

"Having gatekeepers throughout the community trained to help and support people in a crisis is critical in saving lives."

The Gatekeeper program aims to train 10,000 people in suicide prevention.

More than half of all gatekeepers will be in regional areas.

As well as construction, the program will cover first responders, Indigenous communities, family lawyers, men aged 18 to 35, veterinarians and LGBTI communities.

More information about the program is at health.nsw.gov.au/gatekeeper.

While you're with us, did you know the Newcastle Herald offers breaking news alerts, daily email newsletters and more? Keep up to date with all the local news - sign up here

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The construction industry has higher rates of suicide - here's what people are doing to help - Newcastle Herald

A glance at the research reveals that there are distinct advantages to using print maps.

By: Meredith Broussard

Ted Florence is ready for his family trip to Botswana. He has looked up his hotel on Google Maps and downloaded a digital map of the country to his phone. He has also packed a large paper map. I travel all over the world, says Florence, the president of the international board of the International Map Industry Association and Avenza Maps, a digital map software company. Everywhere I go, my routine is the same: I get a paper map, and I keep it in my back pocket.

With the proliferation of smartphones, its easy to assume that the era of the paper map is over. That attitude, that digital is better than print, is what I call technochauvinism. In my book, Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World, I look at how technochauvinism has been used to create an unnecessary, occasionally harmful bias for digital over print or any other kind of interface. A glance at the research reveals that the paper map still thrives in the digital era, and there are distinct advantages to using print maps.

Cognitive researchers generally make a distinction between surface knowledge and deep knowledge. Experts have deep knowledge of a subject or a geography; amateurs have surface knowledge.

Digital interfaces are good for acquiring surface knowledge. Answering the question, How do I get from the airport to my hotel in a new-to-me city? is a pragmatic problem that requires only shallow information to answer. If youre traveling to a city for only 24 hours for a business meeting, theres usually no need to learn much about a citys layout.

When you live in a place, or you want to travel meaningfully, deep knowledge of the geography will help you to navigate it and to understand its culture and history. Print maps help you acquire deep knowledge faster and more efficiently. In experiments, people who read on paper consistently demonstrate better reading comprehension than people who read the same material on a screen. A 2013 study showed that, as a persons geographic skill increases, so does their preference for paper maps.

For me, the difference between deep knowledge and surface knowledge is the difference between what I know about New York City, where I have lived for years, and San Francisco, which I have visited only a handful of times. In New York, I can tell you where all the neighborhoods are and which train lines to take and speculate about whether the prevalence of Manhattan schist in the geological substrate influenced the heights of the buildings that are in Greenwich Village versus Midtown. Ive invested a lot of time in looking at both paper and digital maps of New York. In San Francisco, Ive only ever used digital maps to navigate from point to point. Ill be the first to admit that I dont know where anything is in the Bay Area.

When you live in a place, or you want to travel meaningfully, deep knowledge of the geography will help you to navigate it and to understand its culture and history.

Our brains encode knowledge as what scientists call a cognitive map. In psychology-speak, I lack a cognitive map of San Francisco.

When the human brain gathers visual information about an object, it also gathers information about its surroundings, and associates the two, wrote communication researchers Jinghui Hou, Justin Rashid and Kwan Min Lee in a 2017 study. In a similar manner to how people construct a mental map of a physical environment (e.g., a desk in the center of an office facing the door), readers form a cognitive map of the physical location of a text and its spatial relationship to the text as a whole.

Reading in print makes it easier for the brain to encode knowledge and to remember things. Sensory cues, like unfolding the complicated folds of a paper map, help create that cognitive map in the brain and help the brain to retain the knowledge.

The same is true for a simple practice like tracing out a hiking route on a paper map with your finger. The physical act of moving your arm and feeling the paper under your finger gives your brain haptic and sensorimotor cues that contribute to the formation and retention of the cognitive map.

Another factor in the paper versus digital debate is accuracy. Obviously, a good digital map is better than a bad paper map, just like a good paper map is better than a bad digital map.

Technochauvinists may believe that all digital maps are good, but just as in the paper world, the accuracy of digital maps depends entirely on the level of detail and fact-checking invested by the company making the map.

For example, a 2012 survey by the crowdsourcing company Crowdflower found that Google Maps accurately located 89 percent of businesses, while Apple Maps correctly found 74 percent. This isnt surprising, as Google invests millions in sending people around the world to map terrain for Google StreetView. Google Maps are good because the company invests time, money and human effort in making its maps good not because digital maps are inherently better.

Google Maps are good because the company invests time, money and human effort in making its maps good not because digital maps are inherently better.

Fanatical attention to detail is necessary to keep digital maps up to date, as conditions in the real world change constantly. Companies like Google are constantly updating their maps, and will have to do so regularly for as long as they continue to publish. The maintenance required for digital content is substantial a cost that technochauvinists often ignore.

In my view, its easier to forgive the errors in a paper map. Physical maps usually include an easily visible publication date so users can see when the map was published. (When was the last time you noticed the date-of-last-update on your car navigation system?) When you are passively following the spoken GPS directions of a navigation system, and there is, say, an unmarked exit, it confuses the GPS system and causes chaos among the people in the car. (Especially the backseat drivers.)

Some of the deeper flaws of digital maps are not readily apparent to the public. Digital systems, including cartographic ones, are more interconnected than most people realize. Mistakes, which are inevitable, can go viral and create more trouble than anyone anticipates.

For example: Reporter Kashmir Hill has written about a Kansas farm in the geographic center of the U.S. that has been plagued by legal trouble and physical harassment, because a digital cartography database mistakenly uses the farms location as a default every time the database cant identify the real answer.

As a result, for the last 14 years, every time MaxMinds database has been queried about the location of an IP address in the U.S. it cant identify, it has spit out the default location of a spot two hours away from the geographic center of the country, Hill wrote. This happens a lot: 5,000 companies rely on MaxMinds IP mapping information, and in all, there are now over 600 million IP addresses associated with that default coordinate.

A technochauvinist mindset assumes everything in the future will be digital. But what happens if a major company like Google stops offering its maps? What happens when a government shutdown means that satellite data powering smartphone GPS systems isnt transmitted? Right now, ambulances and fire trucks can keep a road atlas in the front seat in case electronic navigation fails. If society doesnt maintain physical maps, first responders wont be able to get to addresses when there is a fire or someone is critically ill.

Interrupting a countrys GPS signals is also a realistic cyberwarfare tactic. The U.S. Navy has resumed training new recruits in celestial navigation, a technique that dates back to ancient Greece, as a guard against when the digital grid gets hacked.

Ultimately, I dont think it should be a competition between physical and digital. In the future, people will continue to need both kinds of maps. Instead of arguing whether paper or digital is a better map interface, people should consider what map is the right tool for the task.

Meredith Broussard is a data journalism professor at the Arthur L. Carter Institute at New York University. She is the author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Why Paper Maps Matter in the Digital Age - The MIT Press Reader

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From a distance, Delhi University seems like the hallowed college life that only a minimum of 95 per cent in your Class 12 board exams can get you access to. But up close, the university space is just a cesspool of incompetence, premised on the need to make life for students absolutely miserable.

Since the lockdown was imposed in March, the university has approached online examinations with a single-minded obsession. Disregarding all pleas, warnings and prayers of students against these exams, the cause for merit reigned supreme for the university.

Delhi Universitys Open Book Examinations (OBE) debacle continues. After months of will-they-wont-they, the university announced that it would finally begin the much-criticised exams from 10 July. However, after the Home Ministry and the Delhi High Court intervened, the exams have been postponed till 15 August. Leaving final year undergraduate and postgraduate students in a lurch, yet again.

For the record, the notification for this change came two days before the exams were actually scheduled to begin.

The Covid-19 pandemic proved that life as we knew it could not continue like before, but it seems like Delhi University (DU) did not get the memo.

This examination obsession shows all that is wrong with Delhi University apathy toward students, prioritising outcome over process, and an inflexible attitude that ignores the ground reality.

Also read: StudentsLivesMatter trends as students outrage at UGC decision to hold final exams amid Covid

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When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the nationwide lockdown on 24 March, DU was in the middle of its mid-semester break. With half the semester slated to be conducted online, things began to look dicey.

An average English Masters class in DU consists of over a 100 students. Now imagine conducting online classes with these students, when even Zooms participant limit is just 100. Many professors gave up early on, but those who endeavoured to try soon realised how futile the exercise was.

However, even failed online classes were not enough to break DUs resolve. Since March, the university has switched dates, postponed exams or changed the rules at least four times.

According to Megha, an MA student, this constant back-and-forth regarding exams has revealed how incompetent the university is when it comes to to dealing with a crisis.

This situation just makes you want to completely give up. It is almost like they are playing with the students lives, mental health and their anxieties. It is just straight up apathy she says.

Also read: Your creative talent wont get you into DU anymore. Keep obsessing over marks marks marks

Much has been written about Indiass unequal access to internet, especially during this pandemic. A large part of this can be attributed to the communication blackouts imposed by the government. But the way the Delhi University and the University Grants Commission (UGC) has refused to consider this as a hindrance is appalling.

A glance at the websites of these institutions can give you a clue about how much they actually know about technology DUs official website is a quagmire to navigate through. No one really knows where the important links are, and the website takes hours to load on result day.

This is the same system that was supposed to handle the traffic of lakhs of students logging into its server for online exams from 10 July.

The joke was on them when they conducted mock tests of these proposed OBEs, earlier this week. There was an embarrassing array of problems that popped up from difficulties during registration to wrong question papers. DUs mammoth exercise proved to be a mammoth failure, and this was only the trial run. Till about a week ago, there was no provision of writers for visually-impaired students.

A student from Kashmir, who wished to remain anonymous, comments that this is all just a bad imitation of the Western model.

It seems that the university is only interested in putting up a demeanour of being capable. Ignoring the situation of the students, [it] is coming across as a rigid institution that sees nothing but marks and exams as the eligibility criteria of an acceptable student, she says.

Working on 2G internet, which takes hours and sometimes days to download a book, with the pandemic coming as close as your neighbours house, this exam is just designed to produce crippling anxiety in students who are expected to shut off from the world and its tragedies and focus on getting grades, she adds.

Also read: UGC cites top universities like MIT, Cambridge to justify decision to hold final-year exams

What has been evident through this entire debacle is the blatant manipulation DU has indulged in. Not only has the administration clearly lied to its students about the OBE exams, in terms of the regulations, dates and expectations, it has also been accused of lying to the court.

The university was all set to conduct the exams on 1 July but then suddenly postponed them to 10 July without informing the Delhi High court, which then considered contempt proceedings against DU for withholding information about deferment. The exams were allegedly postponed because the vice-registrars mother contracted Covid-19 another illustration of how arbitrarily this university functions.

We have a university administration that has managed to make things substantially worse for students in terms of infrastructure, accessibility, mental health and preparedness, says Anshul Mukarji, another postgraduate student.

There is a callousness coming from the university, which is completely unaffected by the plight of students. Even though there were reports of some students even committing suicide, he adds.

Students are the bottom-tier stakeholders in their own education.

According to another student, What we have is a bunch of bureaucratic fatcats who are just sitting around with no accountability to the students.

Many blame their departments and the UGC for failing to provide the students some respite. This week, UGC released guidelines asking universities to conduct exams for students in their final year. It is now pushing states that had rescinded exams to compulsorily conduct them.

Its a you must persevere, you must suffer sort of a situation for all students, says Srishti, a student of IP University, which also held exams for some departments after the UGCs directions.

Unfortunately, the students have little option but to persevere because the raging pandemic is not going anywhere anytime soon. And by the looks of it, neither is DUs incompetence or callous attitude.

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Delhi University has one obsession and its making a mess of it. Exams - ThePrint

As long as the term has existed, culture has always been obsessed with the idea of the It Girl; the trope that describes a fashionable and effortlessly cool young woman, whos seemingly chill from dawn (or whenever it suits her to get up) til dusk, an assumed personality who the boys generally lust after and all the other girls want to be. In the past, It Girls have included celebrities like Alexa Chung or Chlo Sevigny, but more often than not these untouchable figures with projected near-fictional narratives are, rather than real women, actual fictional characters. Back in the late noughties, these wouldve included boy-eater Jennifer Check of Jennifers Body, and Gossip Girls Serena Van De Woodsen. Noticeably, one particular it-girl has made a questionable comeback for Gen Z: the Bristol party girl with the stone-cold stare that began as a supporting role before becoming one of the main characters in the following seasons -- Kaya Scodelarios debut role as Effy Stonem from Skins.

Effy first stumbled her way onto our screens in January 2007 on Channel 4 to an audience of over one and a half million. Despite being completely silent, and initially presented as a secondary character to protagonist Tony, Effy became a force of nature, a mysterious fan favourite for teenage girls across the country. Her uber-curated grunge aesthetic, smeared make-up and appetite for hedonism were quickly replicated by fans who smudged their eyeliner and tried to perfect vacant, judgemental stares in honour of their new queen.

Fast forward thirteen years and its evident from TikTok that Effy is still the it-girl for alt youth, perhaps never stepping down from her throne in the first place. Girls on the app are digging out their Doc Martens, penciling black kohl across their waterlines and cosplaying as Effy, paying homage to their idol whilst synced with the original Skins theme tune. Seven years after the show finally ended, Effy lives on in memes attempting to bait depressed edgy girls and claims that she walked so that the e-girl could run. But without new content -- aired every Thursday night on Channel 4 -- to stoke the cool fire of teenage apathy, what's it like being a Skins stan in 2020?

Whilst one viral caption reads every girl in the UK wanted to be Effy at some point, Americans can sit this one out, there are many US fans of Skins on TikTok. Having first heard of the show through GIFs and fan edits on Tumblr, sixteen-year-old LA-based creator Gaby was instantly intrigued and started watching it online. I loved how unique the characters were, she says, not only their looks but their personalities as well. Each character had their own little story that coincided with each other, allowing me to understand who's being portrayed whilst relating their experiences to my own.

At the time I made that video I would get a lot of comparisons to Effy in my comment section, especially when it came to my fashion and makeup, adds Gaby, who uses TikTok occasionally to create montage or homage videos to the character. I used to be mesmerised by Effy and her character definitely influenced me when it came to my look... everything from the fishnets to the heavy eyeliner. I was absolutely in love.

Though she also realises that Skins is shot in a way where 'reckless living' is glorified, Gaby recognises a lot of the behaviour in her friend group but admits this could be down to living in a city. I live in LA where the nightlife is crazy and the people I surround myself with are even crazier, so a lot of aspects of Skins are relatable to my own experiences. But for a kid who lives in a small town and has a generally tame friend group, Id assume the show is seen as pure fiction.

Coco Vieno is an 18-year-old singer based in London who came across the show after an ex introduced her to it, her Skins inspired look TikTok video has amassed over 200k views. the look was inspired by her makeup because she seems so effortless and careless in everything that she does and when Im going through a tough time I like to distance myself from it and imagine what she would do to act like she isnt bothered. I wanted to make that video so I could live the fantasy of being like her for a few minutes.

Asides from directly influencing her fashion sense, which she admits changed to appeal more to the dirty 2000s aesthetic of the show, Coco feels Skins has affected her life in other ways too. It made me feel like my life was boring compared to theirs, she reveals, and it compelled me to get into bad situations with people that reminded me of the characters, and to party and drink more to escape from the boringness of everyday life.

Arguably though, there is something a bit sinister, or questionable at the least, around incorporating aspects from a fictional character into your own life, especially when the way they act results in little consequence and obviously glorified. Since the show first aired, both Effy and Cassie have often been linked to #thinspo or #problematicfave posts, triggering eating disorders in young watchers trying to achieve that look. But whilst they can be written out of a bad situation, thats not how reality works and so it can be dangerous.

TikTok user Juulspodsleftthechat, known IRL as Savanna, created a fake How To Be Effy From Skins tutorial to bait all the d3pr3ssed edgy girls" into watching. As someone who suffers from mental illnesses herself, she understands why Effys character appeals to that specific demographic so strongly. She has obviously toxic traits but still seems to be portrayed as popular and desirable to the characters around her. I believe this speaks to a lot of people because its about being accepted despite your mental illness.

Personally, I think that Skins is actually an awful show for those suffering with mental health problems, she tells me. It seems to romanticise addiction and unhealthy relationships with those around you. I think it is especially damaging to those with eating disorders as Cassie in Gen 1 seems to outline specific eating disorder tips and tricks. Eating disorders are incredibly competitive and seeing someone else who is ill can urge other people to try harder to be recognisably ill. I think there is danger in emulating fictional scenarios as people are more likely to take the fun aspects of Skins and forget about the problems the characters had due to their self destructive behaviours.

With so much pressure on teenagers nowadays -- from academic achievement to growing up with social media -- its easy to see why Effys indifferent attitude and edgy aesthetic are still exciting, becoming the ultimate dream life for teenage girls over the past decade despite being an exaggerated work of fiction. Even if Skins had never existed, teen characters and their problems would undoubtedly still have have been romanticised across fiction. But there's something specifically about Effy's character in particular which remains captivating, even for a generation of teens who were too young to notice or care about the show when it originally aired. Coco perhaps sums it up best: Our generation has either grown-up with or recently come across Skins, and every time Im in a weird situation that seems like it would fit the Skins aesthetic, theres always someone that acknowledges that," she says.

"I think this show has really influenced my generation on what our teenage years should be like.

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How TikTok resurrected the cult of Effy Stonem - i-D

It has a beautiful wisdom and simplicity ... Helen McCrory in The Deep Blue Sea. Photograph: Richard Hubert Smith/AP

Director Carrie Cracknell described one day in rehearsals with you as an almost spiritual experience. How would you define your collaborative relationship? We first worked together on Medea in 2014. We took Ben Powers new adaptation and delivered an all-singing, all-dancing production of a Greek tragedy set in the 20th century on to the massive Olivier stage in six weeks. So ours was a collaboration formed in the furnace. We worked together at breakneck speed. So when we came to work on The Deep Blue Sea, the task seemed much simpler.

I hope I speak for Carrie, too, when I say we now have an implicit trust and respect for each other. Carrie possesses a rare quality that all the best directors have: no ego. The best solution in the rehearsal room is used, she has no concern who it belongs to, just that the play is served. She encourages everyone to trust their instincts and never attempts to dominate but quietly edits, taking ideas and losing others. The Deep Blue Sea was one of the most profoundly happy experiences I have ever had in a rehearsal room. She has a gentleness and non-judgmental quality that make you feel you could do anything. I hope we have the opportunity to do it again.

How does this production upend expectations about how Rattigan is done?Carrie definitely threw the dust sheets off how Rattigan should be produced. First, she worked with Tom Scutt, designing the inside of a postwar London boarding house as an open set, a skeleton of a building where each sound was amplified, where the tenants all heard each others footsteps, arguments and secrets. All washed through with the colours of a deep blue sea. I then played most of the performance in my slip and dressing gown. I wanted to feel that this world was a womans private space, constantly invaded by others and a woman whose sexuality had driven her to a very dark place. Lighting and sound design were then used to create the outside world that broke into the interiors in a sharp, discordant way. The result was almost expressionistic.

Rattigans writing can be incredibly subtle and full of subtext. Is there a specific line or moment that you think encapsulates your character Hesters position?When youre caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, the deep blue sea can seem terribly inviting. It could have been written by Tennessee Williams and some nights I played Hester with that heady sensuality that Williamss characters can possess. In the NT Live recording we started 15 minutes late so I remember having a brusque, brittle quality that lying under a blanket backstage in the dark and cold can give you! But its valid, she has many qualities and different ones dominated on different nights. Thats the fun of live performance it really can change radically from night to night.

Hester is desperate. How important have the arts been in raising awareness of mental health issues, both in the 50s and now?Hester is suicidal, something that Rattigan understood implicitly as the play is based on his own experience of losing his lover of 10 years to suicide by gas poisoning. The entire play can be seen as a love letter to him, asking him at the end of the play not to succumb to the deep blue sea but to live. It has a poignancy and heartache throughout, on one hand understanding the fragility, anger and shame that can drive someone to the brink of suicide but on the other asking that sometimes you have to put one foot in front of another and keep walking on even when you feel no sense of hope or purpose because you mustnt give up. It has a beautiful wisdom and simplicity. I dont think Ive ever heard the term mental health issues in a rehearsal room. Actors tend to see all reactions as part of the human experience. We dont say this is normal, this is not normal, as a social worker or a psychiatrist might because the actor must always empathise with the character in order to portray them and everything is encompassed within that. Perhaps that attitude destigmatises human behaviour and helps an audience to question why someone might be behaving in a certain way, rather than are they right or wrong to do so. Because change can only be brought about through understanding.

You can almost smell the damp and the cigarette smoke in the production, partly thanks to Tom Scutts green-tinged set. Did that mood, and Hesters troubled character, affect your life off stage?Once the curtains down and Im out of the shower, thats Hester gone. If youre ever looking for a fun crowd after a show, find a company thats just done an emotional performance. All we want to do is laugh, dance and be merry. Its that comedy lot you want to avoid ...

Very early in your career you had a lead role at the National in Trelawny of the Wells. What are your memories of that time?They are very, very happy and very, very vague. I remember I played footie in my obligatory Doc Martens (well it was the early 90s) with the stage crew before the show as my warm-up. I had the most incredible ball gowns that we got me into in 47 seconds (my quick change between act one and act two used to get its own round of applause, I was thrilled). I remember working with the great Michael Bryant, whose ashes now lie under the stage at the National. (Im not sure if thats true or just an urban myth, but I always say hello to him every night before I warm up.) And I vividly remember enthusiastically congratulating a young director in the bar one night after the show, on his great achievement of directing at the National. It turned out the young director was Richard Eyre, head of the National and my boss. He was completely charming and didnt say anything so as not to embarrass me. Happy days.

You set up a scheme to feed the NHS at the start of the pandemic what are your current plans for the scheme and how has it gone?FeedNHS joined up with MealForce and BaxterStorey and was, at its peak, feeding 45,000 meals a day to over 100 hospitals across the nation. We have wound down now, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated and also to say despite having to design websites (like having teeth pulled), spending days on calls which all began by screaming Can you hear me?! before losing connection as wifi dropped out again, learning that the NHS is a series of trusts all of whom must be contacted independently, Damian (Lewis, McCrorys husband), John Vincent (head of Leon) and I met the most inspirational philanthropists, hard-working NHS staff, altruistic chefs, kind and selfless delivery people and a wealth of good-hearted people. It was a wonderful experience.

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Helen McCrory: 'This is a woman's private space, invaded by others' - The Guardian

SportGolf Scot excited about European Tour resumption but says its a nightmare trying to get to the Vienna venue

Sunday, 5th July 2020, 7:30 am

Connor Syme recorded three top-15 finishes in seven starts before the Covid virus struck. Photograph: Warren Little/Getty Images

C onnor Symes lockdown listening has included podcasts with Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, both of which left the young Scot realising his path in golf had been carved out a lot later than the two major winners. While McIlroy and Thomas both had lives as professional golfers in their sights from a young age, Syme had a different career in mind until his mid-teens.

When I heard both Rory and Justin saying they always knew they were going to be a pro, I was like, I really wish I could say the same thing, as I was much more into football when I was younger, said the 24-year-old. It probably wasnt until I was 14 or 15 that I started to think about wanting to become a professional golfer.

Syme, who was born in Kirkcaldy but brought up in Dumfries, was at Rangers when he was 13 before making it on to the books at Queen of the South. Its crazy to think when you consider I couldnt be further away from that now, but, at that time, I would have picked football over golf, he added. Id have wanted to play professionally for Queen of the South rather than go to the golf course. I guess I was just finding out what I loved doing most.

Having said that, as much as I loved football, I wasnt a great tackler, so I dont know how long my football career would have continued. That was fine at under-12s, but, once you started playing against the hardy boys from Queens Park, it was a different proposition [laughing].

Symes initial plan after choosing golf as the career he wanted to pursue was to head to college in the US. That didnt work out, but staying at home didnt do any harm whatsoever. He won the Australian Amateur Championship as he was honing his game under the watchful eye of his dad and coach, Stuart. Syme also helped Scotland land back-to-back Scottish Amateur Championship victories in 2015 and 2016. After becoming really focused on turning pro, I thought it might happen around 23, but I was actually 22, he said.

In his rookie season on the European Tour in 2018, Syme finished runner-up in the Shot Clock Master in Austria only to come up agonisingly short in his bid to hang on to his card. It spoke volumes for both his talent and mental attitude, though, that he bounced back straight away, using a win in the Turkish Airlines Challenge to regain a seat at European golfs top table this season.

That was going along nicely hed recorded three top-15 finishes in seven starts to sit 61st in the Race to Dubai before the circuit was shut down due to the Covid-19 virus. Four months on, it is set to crank into action again. The Austrian Open marks the restart this week, with Syme returning to Diamond Country Club near Vienna, where he recorded that eye-catching finish two seasons ago, to be among a small group of players flying the Saltire.

Its proving a bit of a nightmare as all the direct flights from the UK to Austria were cancelled this week, said Syme, who enjoyed having a card back in his hand for the first time since the Qatar Masters as he played in a Clutch Pro Tour event at Hollinwell on Nottinghamshire on Monday. We are now looking at driving over, which sounds absolutely mental. We will likely get down to London and work our way over from there. Thats the plan. Its a bit challenging for the first one back. But, if we do end up driving, its not that bad. From a health point of view, I probably wouldnt really want to be in an airport at this point. If we are able to drive, it will probably be safer. But its going to be a long trip.

The fact Ive got good memories at Diamond Country Club not just in the Shot Clock Masters but also with Scotland in the European Team Championship definitely had an influence on my decision to start back in this event. Its a course I like and the fact I know it makes the preparations a little bit easier.

Syme isnt staying on in Austria for the Euram Bank Open, the second leg of a double-header, opting instead to get back to prepare for the start of an exciting six-event UK Swing, with the Betfred British Masters at Close House, near Newcastle, marking the circuits full return in just over a fortnights time.

The plan is just to play in the first one in Austria then come home because the quarantine situation still isnt totally clear. It might be that I fly back into England and stay down there to prepare for the British Masters, he said. I used the Clutch Pro Tour event as a warm-up for Austria, where I will hopefully be a little bit sharper and sharper still going into the UK events. The amount of time weve had off has been unprecedented, so I feel fortunate to have a few knocks before the real stuff starts again.

It feels like a new season we are going into, which seems weird. The UK stuff is going to be awesome. Were going to great venues [including Ryder Cup venues Celtic Manor and The Belfry] and I feel safe and positive going down there with the precautions the European Tour have in place.

A strict bubble is being enforced at all six tournaments. I think its amazing that we are close to getting restarted as I wouldnt have been surprised if we hadnt been playing again this year, added Syme. Its awesome that [chief executive] Keith Pelley and everyone else at the tour have been keen to get us playing again. Its a bit of a free run at it, too, because the card situation seems as though it is going to stay the same as it is this year for us. Its a good opportunity for a lot of guys to have a real run at it until the end of the season.

Lockdown life has certainly not been boring for Syme. Early on, he landed a 10,000 windfall for two charities FoodTrain in Dundee and the Hospice of the Valleys by winning a simulator event organised by the European Tour, with BMW as its sponsor, then added 2,000 for the former by sharing a five-way victory in another one. I was really chuffed with that, he admitted. It was a cool thing for us to be able to do and great to see that, even in these tough times, the European Tour and BMW were still able to help people.

His practice sessions at home have also proved eventful at times, posting a video on social media of a ball coming straight back off the frame of a net in his back garden and hitting him. Honestly, Im the worst guy ever with a net, he said, laughing. I couldnt get it set up properly at all. I had a smaller net to start with and I had a nightmare with balls going over that into a couple of gardens over the wall. I then got a bigger net thinking I wouldnt have any issues with that then bang, I get nailed myself. Other than that, its been good!

In the middle of the shutdown, Syme also signed a new contract with Modest Golf!, the management group set up by Niall Horan, formerly of boy band One Direction and now carving out an equally successful solo career. Since I signed with Modest!, I have always liked what theyve done for me, said Syme, who has subsequently been joined in the stable by Ryder Cup player Tyrrell Hatton, as well as two of the rising stars in world golf, South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Italian Guido Migliozzi. Even though they are still relatively new, it feels as though they have been doing it forever. It was a no-brainer when they offered me a new contract as I want to keep moving on with them and all our interests are aligned.

As for Niall, hes great. Hes mad about his golf. The other day, I had something on with Ping and he was in touch asking what was happening. It is cool to have him on board and he brings a lot to the team. He has a massive following, but hes just one of us when it comes to helping us out with our golf.

It was his idea to set up the company and hes done a great job. Everyone who comes in might not be at the top of the ladder. Christiaan, for instance, was on the Sunshine Tour when he signed and hes now a top-50 player in the world. Seeing those guys do well will hopefully push guys like myself on. It really is like one big family.

Home for Syme these days is Drumoig, keeping him close to his real family. Dad Stuart, a former captain of the PGA in Scotland, owns Drumoig Golf Centre, having returned to his native Fife just under a decade ago, and also now runs the pro shop at nearby Scotscraig. Although I feel as though Ive found the passion for the game myself and my desire, my dad guided me from a young age, said Syme.

Even when I was more into football, I can remember all the tips he used to give me at the driving range. Wed be there on a cold winters night trying to get better and it all matters now. I dont know how much golf would have been such a big part of my life if it hadnt been for him.

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Connor Syme planning road trip to reach Austrian Open - The Scotsman

The government gives the green light for outdoor opera at Glyndebourne, and outdoor theatre at venues such as the Minack Theatre and Shakespeares Globe. Photograph: Stefan Postles/AAP

Theatres and music venues in England will be able to host physically distanced outdoor performances from Saturday 11 July under new government guidance, but industry figures are calling for more clarity on when full-capacity indoor performances can return.

The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, announced the relaxing of restrictions at Thursdays 5pm press conference where he said performances can now take place as long as they are outside and with a limited and socially distanced audience.

As Ive seen for myself at the Royal Academy this morning, the National Gallery and as well see shortly from the National Museums Liverpool, our cultural institutions are beginning to welcome back visitors, he said.

Im really urging people to get out there and to play their part, buy the tickets for outdoor plays and music recitals, get to your local gallery and support your local businesses.

The government said that now gives the green light for outdoor opera at Glyndebourne, and outdoor theatre at venues such as the Minack Theatre and Shakespeares Globe, but industry figures were disappointed that the announcement did not go further. Earlier in the week, Dowden unveiled a 1.57bn rescue package for the arts industry.

Jon Morgan, director of Theatres Trust, welcomed the relaxation but called for more clarity on when theatres can move to stage five of the governments roadmap, when performances are allowed indoors with audiences.

He said: It is disappointing that the guidelines have been published without a not before date for stage four and the all-important stage five the point when theatres will be able to open fully and welcome back audiences without social distancing.

Dowden said that pilot performances are taking place in venues to assess when indoor performances can return, which is vital for theatres that need to be almost at full capacity to make a profit and justify the cost of reopening.

The announcement comes after Britains struggling arts and heritage sectors was promised 1.57bn in a rescue package, which the government claimed was the biggest ever one-off investment in UK culture.

Dowden also said that the government was changing planning rules in order to prevent vacant theatres from being demolished or changed for other uses. Our culture, heritage and arts are too precious to lose. Thats why were protecting venues like theatres from redevelopment if they fall on hard times, he added.

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Outdoor theatre and music can restart in England from 11 July - The Guardian

In Cody Ikerds original, jazzy, country anthem You Can Find Me in a Honkytonk, life is full of twang for your buck. In the energetic, upbeat tune, he sings:

You can find me in a honkytonk

Under neon lights.

Dancing to a steel guitar

Singer Cody Ikerd will open this summer's Cerafest Series Saturday at Ceraland. Submitted photos

Singer Cody Ikerd will open this summer's Cerafest Series Saturday at Ceraland.

Singer Cody Ikerd will open this summer's Cerafest Series Saturday at Ceraland. Submitted photo

Is where I feel right.

Come Saturday, fans longing for live music can find him at Ceraland Park, 3989 S. County Road 525E southeast of Columbus, dancing to a steel guitar on a stage beyond the venues amphitheater, allowing for more social distancing and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The show with him and his Sidewinders band lead guitarist Jason Thompson, bassist Chuck Crawford, and drummer Willie Boruff provides an early opening of the parks annual Cerafest series.

It marks the bands third straight appearance at Cerafest. Last year, a crowd of about 250 people caught the performance.

People there always seem to love it, Ikerd said. We always try to get them up and dancing. Thats the main goal: We want to make it as fun as possible for the crowd.

The groups set list will include covers of artists such as Merle Haggard and Marty Stuart and originals from two extended-play releases, including slower, heartbreak tunes highlighting his powerhouse vocals such as his song I Miss You.

He brings great talent and a great show to his performances, said Corey Behymer, Ceralands assistant executive director.

The Bedford resident mentioned on Twitter recently that the group shook off the quarantine blues and a long spell of livestreams to play at the Bluebird nightclub in Bloomington the first live show since March due to the virus. And the ensemble was just slated to play a a holiday weekend gig in Madison.

The band has enjoyed a four-year run thus far, fairly significant in regional entertainment where musicians are hard-pressed to stay a sometimes rocky course.

Ikerd works in industrial safety for the state by day and is trying to increasingly learn to take risks as an artist.

I just want to see how far all this can actually take us, Ikerd said, referring to some 90 concert dates last year and in 2018. Were willing to work hard. And I believe that if you have the right passion and drive, you can accomplish whatever you want.

Growing up, he listened to groups like Led Zeppelin to Lynyrd Skynyrd. Today, he prefers that country acts know their genre and their audience.

Honestly, theres nothing worse than going to a country concert and seeing the band do a mashup of 80s rock and roll hits, he tweeted.

It took a while for his artistry to become as front-and-center as his opinions, since the former drummer didnt even try guitar and vocals until college.

Away from the stage, the man who has patiently grown his career also is patient enough for fishing, turkey hunting, and more.

But on Saturday, there will be no such relaxing. Ikerd figures hell be all over the stage.

We like to take good country music, he said, and really kick it up a notch.

Just like in a honkytonk.

Link:

Honkytonk hero: Cody Ikerd opens an early Cerafest series on Saturday - The Republic

We are only halfway into the year 2020, but it seems like it has been going on forever. Most people have always found it difficult to strike a work-life balance, which often tends to take its toll on ones mental health, and it often goes unnoticed.

The events of this year have even more so been a source of unrest, anxiety, and stress for people across the world. With a growing number of coronavirus cases, going to the therapists is not very feasible as the moment. That being said, many therapists and mental health professionals are available via telephonic support or e-consultations at your convenience.

It is important to not take your mental health lightly during these trying times. One of the most popular practices that ensure mental well-being is meditation. This simple practice can, not only help ease your anxiety but through regular practice it can help you sleep better and keep your mind clear and robust.

Meditation is not difficult in its concept and essence, but it can present challenges for some. One of the most common is in having the discipline required to stick with it and do it every day, no matter what. - Liberty Forrest

There are various methods of meditation, like walking meditation, spiritual meditation, mindfulness meditation and others. However, considering people nowadays might not have access to meditation teachers, it can seem like a daunting task to start anew.

Guided meditation is the perfect way for beginners to learn and absorb the benefits of meditation. It involves listening as someone guides you through the process of getting into the headspace required for meditation. The guide will ask to sit in a comfortable position or lie down and take you through various relaxing visualisations helping you in clearing you mind. This can be done through music or narratives, depending on your preference.

The concept behind this is; when your mind is deeply relaxed it becomes more receptive to positive suggestions. You can choose how long you want to meditate and choose the guide accordingly. From personal improvement to spiritual development, there is a variety of material available for to aid your guided meditation practice.

Like most forms of meditation, this practice involves letting the mind become calm at its own pace rather than forcing it to concentrate. The trick is letting the mind wander when it does and allowing it to return to the topic at its own pace as well. In guided meditation, it is essential to pick a position and place in which you are comfortable and relatively free of distractions for however long you choose to meditate. If you are listening to guides on applications or online, you can even meditate while walking or doing chores, as long as you allow your mind to slip into a meditative state.

There are various apps that have catalogues filled with guided meditation tracks and even different topics relating to meditation that you can listen to or read at your own convenience. Some of these apps include, Headspace, Calm, and Aura.

Whatever forms of meditation you practice, the most important point is to apply mindfulness continuously, and make a sustained effort. It is unrealistic to expect results from meditation within a short period of time. What is required is continuous sustained effort. - Dalai Lama

On the occasion of his 85th birthday, The Dalai Lama XIV released an album of mantras that work as a form of guided meditation. It is titled Inner World and includes his teaching all through 11 tracks set to music.

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Guided Meditation: Relieve stress and improve sleep patterns with this holistic practice - Hindustan Times

We take a look at how different types of music can have an effect on Kid's moods and what type of music is better for boosting happiness.

Music has had an effect on mental health for thousands of years. It has been used to convey mood and emotion. When something exciting is about to happen in a movie, for instance, the type of music being played alerts the viewer to that fact. Conversely, when a villain is lurking about in the dark, ominous music begins to play foreshadowing something awful is about to happen.

The musicputs the viewer in a particular frame of mind, letting them know what to expect, how to react, and how they shouldfeel. Similarly, a hard-core playlist featuring rap, heavy metal, or rock (to name a few genres) prepares the mind and body for an intense workout.

According to HealthyChildren.org, individual experiences affect our musical tastes and make people a certain way. For example, quiet lullabies calm fussy babies (and moms), majestic orchestras, and choral music can fill us with feelings of power and pride. Some music, however, despite the listener's supposed enjoyment, can have the opposite effect.

"In a study of 144 adults and teenagers who listened to 4 different kinds of music, grunge music led to significant increases in hostility, sadness, tension, and fatigue across the entire group, even in the teenagers who said they liked it," HealthyChildren.org reported. In another study, it was reported that pop, rock, oldies, and classical music made them feel optimistic and friendly.

Music has been used to treat depression and calm anxiety. It is often used in offices of medical professionals to help patients relax, and reduce worries about procedures. Relaxing and calming music, most notably classical music, because of its more complex structure, affect the brain in different ways than other genres such as rock and country music.

A 1993 study of college students showed them performing better on spatial reasoning tests after listening to Mozart sonata, which led to claims that listening to Mozart temporarily increased IQ. In 1998, Zell Miller, then governor of Georgiawanted to provide every newborn in the state with a classical music CD. Baby Mozart and other CDs featuring Mozart's music became extremely popular among pregnant mothers and mothers of newborns and toddlers.

The research concluded that classical music pathways in human brains are similar to the pathways used for spatial reasoning. Those pathways are turned on when listening to classical music, which allows for easier solutions to a math problem or a puzzle. But this is temporary. Once the music stops, the spatial skills fade. Music does not necessarily make us smarter; it allows us to relax, which helps us to think better.

Classical music may impact the brain differently than other genres, but it doesn't mean that other genres do not have benefits on brain development and cognitive function. Any musical genre helps build musical pathways in the brain which have positive effects on moods, which facilitates learning.

Related: Classical Music Helps Your Childs Mental & Emotional Development

One genre of music which tends to get a 'bad rap' when it comes to influencing mood is heavy metal. Heavy metal tends to conjure notions of 'head banging,' aggressive lyrics, and noise. It has been blamed for promoting suicide, mass shootings, and other anti-social behaviors. Gangster rap bears a similar burden.

However, an article in neuroscience news.com suggests that heavy metal, along with other genres of "rebellious" music, has health benefits for fans. The article claims that there are reasons that people align themselves with particular genres, mainly for a sense of belonging, or theycan identify with the lyrical themes or ideology reflected in the music-it can also be a reason todisassociate from what is considered popular, creating a feeling of independence and empowerment for the listener.

Research has shown that fans of heavy metal music tend to be open to new experiences, a characteristic resulting from enjoying music that is unconventional, intense, and complex. Recent studies have also shown that fans of heavy metal are not desensitized to violence as commonly assumed and that they had happier childhoods and were better adjusted in adolescence compared to their non-fan peers.

According to Ani Patel, an associate professor of psychology at Tufts University and author of Music, Language, and the Brain,music neuroscience is an emerging field of studystudying howthe human brain works. Patel explained to WBURthat knowing how and why music changes the brain may impact the value we place on it in terms of emotional development and maturity, social skills, and a child's commitment to achieving personal and educational goals.

At a time when arts funding is being cut from elementary school budgets, this is exceptionally good news, since studies have proven that musical education is instrumental for brain development in young children.

Certain styles of music will undoubtedly affect different people in different ways. People listen to music with specific intent. Happiness will be found in upbeat music. Lowkey, "downer" music allows the listener an opportunity toreflect upon the pain that is causing the sadness. People are attracted to a particular genre because they want to indulge in the experience that particular genre offers.

Several studies and research projects exist that explorethe undeniable connections between music, mood, and brain function. However, in order to learn howdeep the connection is, more research is necessary.

READ NEXT: Waking Up To Music Might Just Be What Your Body Needs To Stay Alert

12 Times Toddlers Proved They Aren't As Innocent As Their Cute Cheeks Make You Believe

Renee was born in Brooklyn, and grew up in Toronto, Ontario. She currently resides in the Boogie Down Bronx. She holds masters degrees in both childhood education and urban policy and administration. She is the proud mother of 7 year-old twins Zachary and Noah.

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Styles Of Music And How They Effect Kid's Moods, Explained - Moms