Grieving when estranged, musical hallucinations and the benefits of snoozing your alarm
Nov 8, 2023
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Professor Alice Roberts discusses her experience of losing her estranged mother. The podcast also explores the phenomenon of musical hallucinations and their impact on individuals with hearing loss. Additionally, it touches on the benefits of snoozing alarms and the influence of zoom backgrounds on first impressions.
Estranged adult children may experience complex emotions and challenges when a parent they are estranged from passes away, which may not align with societal expectations of grief.
Taking micro breaks under 10 minutes can reduce fatigue and increase vigor, especially for tasks with lower cognitive demand, although longer breaks are still necessary for full recharging.
Deep dives
Difficult Family Relationships and Estrangement
Some individuals may reach a point where they can no longer maintain a positive relationship with a particular family member, leading them to cut ties completely. When an adult becomes estranged from a parent, the death of that parent can bring about unique emotions and challenges. The decision to permanently sever ties with a parent can evoke a range of complex feelings, including grief and a sense of loss. Society's expectations for how one should feel when a parent dies may not align with the emotions experienced by those who have experienced estrangement.
Micro Breaks and Productivity
Research suggests that taking micro breaks, which are short breaks under 10 minutes, can have a small but significant impact on reducing fatigue and increasing vigor. These breaks can be particularly beneficial for tasks that require less cognitive demand, such as routine tasks. Elite sports coaches also encourage athletes to take micro breaks to help them recover from daily stresses. However, it's important to note that micro breaks should not replace longer breaks, as these longer periods of rest are necessary for fully recharging.
Musical Hallucinations and Hearing Loss
Musical hallucinations, where individuals hear music in their heads, can be experienced by people with hearing loss. These hallucinations often involve songs or tunes that the person has heard earlier in life, and can be mistaken for actual music being played in the environment. In cases of hearing loss, treating the underlying hearing loss can lead to improvements or disappearance of the hallucinations. However, for individuals without hearing loss, finding effective treatments for musical hallucinations can be challenging.
Losing a parent is extremely difficult, but for adult children who are estranged, this loss can create a mixture of grief, sadness, guilt or relief. Claudia Hammond talks to broadcaster and author, Professor Alice Roberts, about her experience of losing her mother after being estranged for 5 years. A group of estranged adult children were interviewed to learn more about these feelings and how they’ve dealt with them. Claudia discusses the findings with Professor Karl Pillemer, sociologist at Cornell University and author of ‘Fault Lines: Fractured Families and How to Mend Them’.
Hearing music when nothing is playing is more common than you might think. For people with hearing loss, many ‘hear’ music as if it real. From choral versions of ‘Ferry across the Mersey’ to random notes on an organ, listeners Peter and Elizabeth share what it is like living with a constant juke box in their heads. Claudia chats about this phenomenon with Professor of cognitive neurology at Newcastle University, Tim Griffiths, and learns what might be happening in the brain to cause it.
Peter Olusoga, senior lecturer in psychology at Sheffield Hallam University, joins Claudia in the studio to discuss how zoom backgrounds influence first impressions, the benefits of micro-breaks and when snoozing your alarm might be good for you...
Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Julia Ravey
Studio Manager: Tim Heffer
Production Coordinator: Siobhan Maguire
Editor: Holly Squire
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