Stress by Clash in Subcultures

The overlap of several subcultures Jess existed in ultimately lead to stress and dishonesty in the film, Bend it Like Beckham.

Jess, the star of this film, is part of several subcultures including:
• Her orthodox Sikh family,
• Female friends that play soccer
• Several dimensions of the English culture

To Jess' distress, the cultures that she is a part of have widely different perspectives and standards. They overlap in several instances that are humorous to viewers and devastating to the teenage soccer star. One of the first instances of these cultures clashing is when Jess receives her soccer uniform. She has a scar on her leg from childhood that she has been told to hide. At first, she refuses to join the rest of her team, in her uniform but returns to practice after her coach empathizes with her. The stress Jess experiences here is distress. 

Halfway through the film, Jess is shown running (and sneaking) from practice to traditional cooking lessons with her mother, and repeat. Although she is exhausted from the workload and deception, I wold argue that this is eustress because she is making progress in both her soccer and family subcultures. It is interesting that her eustress happens at a time that her subcultures are not overlapping. 

An example of all three cultures overlapping occurs in the scene of Jess' sisters' wedding. Her teammate Jules and her mom show up at the end of the ceremony and Jess is called a lesbian by Jules' mother. It is interesting that Jess' extended family seems less taken aback by this assertion, than by Jess playing soccer. Again, as the subcultures she is a part of overlap, Jess experiences distress. 

Subcultures are difficult to avoid, and they do not always play well together. Think about some of the subcultures that you are a part of. Do they conflict? If so, is it healthy to maintain each of the subcultures in your life? Jess experiences the most positive stress when her subcultures are kept separate, but she is also lying to her parents to maintain this polarity. Is this justified?

Wine: de-stressor or wallet deflator?

Inspired by the YouTube video below, created by Dr. Brian Wansink, Director of Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab, I decided to compare proposed benefits of drinking wine.

"What we think determines what we taste."

In "Out of the Bottle: Wine Psychology (above)," subjects rated wine and meals significantly higher if served with a tablecloth or candles, suggested by a Sommelier, or labelled as "from California," among other factors. These observations are consistent with Dan Ariley's findings presented in "Predictably Irrational." The consistency in behavioral changes due to social cues and change in environment  makes me rethink the chemical influence wine has on my stress level.

Compare the video above to the video below, "Somm." This documentary, which I highly suggest watching (available on Netflix) for both educational and entertainment reasons, follows a group of soon-to-be master Sommeliers on their journey to receiving the prestigious certification.

Quotes from this video (accompanied by classical music and video clips of Italian vineyards) include:

The wine has a hint of "freshly clipped garden hose."

Not sure what exactly this is supposed to make us think before drinking wine. Wine has also been dubbed a stress reliever by the medical industry. The following quote is taken directly from an article on Medical News Today:

"Drinking two glasses of red wine can trigger the stress response that promotes numerous health benefits, according to researchers."

What do you think? Are we protecting our minds and bodies by drinking this fermented fruit juice? Or are we protecting the bank accounts of wine industry professionals?

"I'm outta time and all I got is 4 minutes (Fricki fricki)..."

Minute one: click and load the video below.
Minutes two through four: watch the stress busting meditation.

This video represents an emotion focused approach to stress management. Using this approach involves attempting to "manage one's emotions, e.g., by putting things in perspective, when one cannot  or chooses not to address the underlying source of the problem." (psychologytoday.com)

Another stress management technique is problem focused, which involves "attempting to tackle a problem directly at its source, such as asking one's dormitory RA for a room change to escape a bothersome roommate."

Which technique do you gravitate towards? And how does it effect your purchasing decisions (For example, do you buy a stress ball or pay for yoga classes to manage your emotions? Or would you more likely invest in a single apartment to dissolve a roommate problem altogether?)

How Stress Affects Our Purchasing Habits

As Dan Ariley informed us in Predictably Irrational, "Emotions are a part of our everyday life, and it is a good idea to learn how to overcome them when it comes to spending." Below are four instances of stress influencing purchasing decisions, and tips on how to avoid them:

1. "You are what you own." This seems to be most prevalent with our generation, and those younger than us. We are inherently concerned with self-image, and how others perceive us. So what do we do? We purchase brands that reflect our desired self-image. Unfortunately, savvy marketers are well aware of this phenomenon and in addition to creating additional stress, this habit can be extremely expensive to maintain. SOLUTION: Focus on your future goals, and savings.
2. "Wearing brand 'X' will help me fit in." Does the term "retail therapy" sound familiar? When we are feeling disconnect to our peers or life itself seems bleak, a shopping trip seems like the perfect fix (maybe I'm speaking for myself here)! While going shopping to make yourself feel better isn't a terrible idea, going shopping with high levels of stress and emotion can lead you to spend more, in the attempt to feel more accepted. This is kind of like going to the grocery store when you are hungry. SOLUTION: Do yoga, then shop for products that make YOU happy.
3. "Shopping > Boredom." This is pretty self-explanatory and leads to purchases we are soon to regret. This habit can leave you short on cash and stressing about how you are going to pay for more necessary items like groceries or gas. SOLUTION: Find FREE things to do when you are bored.
4. Shopping to solve others' problems. When a friend or family member is under considerable stress or some other negative emotional state, it is natural to want to help them get out of their funk. What better way than to buy them a treat? Although the intention here is valiant, this solution method often escalates. Eventually, we are faced with a situation we can't afford to fix. SOLUTION: Separate your emotions from the financial situation at hand.

-Namaste!

Stress Less, Sweat Less

The use of humor in advertisements and marketing communications is effective and widespread. The use of humor in ads has shown to increase consumer recall and improve perception of the brand being promoted, among other positive outcomes. This is assuming, consumers are not being offended and that the humor ties in well with the product being sold.

The following ad uses humor to capture viewers' attention, and stress (or de-stressing) to motivate purchases.

Recently, Nivea Germany released a video promoting its "Stress Protect" deodorant. In these videos, travelers are shown sitting in airports when "outrageous announcements" made over the intercom. Subjects appear stressed, and are immediately approached by security guards armed with (obviously) stress protect deodorant. Please see the video clip below for a laugh.

What do you think? Is this an effective use of humor in advertising?

Stress after college

The ZMET is an interesting and highly revealing test. Below is the photo that ended up on the top of my pile, after being asked to sort photos from least important, to most important. This photo make me feel the most at ease. Currently, school and work are stressful and making me crave the simple pleasures in life. I can only imagine that other students (most of you!) feel the same.

This photo is important to me, because it is quaint, it makes me imagine the smell of lavender, and the chairs and table imply conversation. It is interesting that this photo ended up on top, because it is undoubtedly the least stressful picture of the eight chosen to personify "life after college."

Some of the other photos I chose are below:

This photo represents the possibility of going to grad school. I like that the subject looks confident and serene.

This is Blair during a "hell of an" internship in the TV series Gossip Girl. This image resonated with me, as I apply for several internships on the East Coast.

This is my "girls night" image. It makes me smile and feel warm. It also makes me crave laughter and bubbly conversation with friends whom I haven't seen in too long!

This image represents the metropolitan city that my career path with likely (and hopefully) take me to. Although some may see the pollution and loud obnoxious buildings, I see opportunity and success.

This image represents travel. I had another with a man and woman traveling through Europe together that better depicts my plans. After graduation, I hope to spend at least two years abroad, using my German, visiting friends, and embracing/experiencing new cultures.

I would LOVE to hear a brief analysis of these photos. What underlying goals/desires/drives are prominent to you?

Target (pronounced like Piaget)

Imagine yourself walking into Target at 5:30 Thursday evening. You have just completed a stressful but successful day at work. Your stomach is growling wildly and your legs are threatening to give in for the day, making collapsing into the shopping cart seem strangely appealing. Maybe you could pick up a pillow and blanket from the shelf first....

5:35, you snap back into focus and continue your trip down the center aisle toward the cleaning supplies. You scroll through a mental list of items to pick up: toilet paper, toothpaste, body soap, bananas, mac and cheese, coffee, and sponges. First stop, toilet paper. You are surrounded by brand messaging and advertising message compete for your diminishing attention. Do you splurge for the double quilted? The baby on the Angel Soft package looks very comfortable. What about the bargain Target brand? No, that looks more like tissue paper. Ultimately, you settle for the Cottonelle. Who can say no to a puppy?

Toilet paper, check.

In the next aisle, is the toothpaste. Wow! Is that a Justin Bieber toothbrush? Ooh, so many options. What is the difference between Glamour and 3D white? If I buy Tom's toothpaste will I save a child in Africa? Sensodine... my teeth are fairly sensitive these days. Do I have coffee stains? The abundance of options is overwhelming. This seemingly quick shopping trip has already lasted longer than planned. You grad the Glamorous White and head for the body soap.

For a third time, you are bombarded with options. Each product promises different sensations, smells, lifestyles and superior benefits. Now, some of you may have lower levels of shopping enthusiasm than I, and established brand preferences for toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap brands. My point is this: When did all of the products intended to make life more convenient end up making life more complicated. Rather than making shopping efficient and successful, it has become its own breed of stress monster. 

In conclusion, you can find me in the toothpaste aisle, sleeping away shopping distress in the shopping cart.

Stress & Cognitive Mapping

Personally, I often find working in a teams quite stressful, particularly when you all have different goals. In the cognitive mapping activity in class on Tuesday, I found that the activity we were performing significantly reduced the stress of "teamwork."

Below are photos of our original group cognitive maps (for Social Media Platforms).

Elements that made this task less stressful for me, personally, were as follows:

I. Visuals - I am a particularly visual learner, so having a visual map as an assignment resonated very well. Communicating visually is also a powerful tool for teams. Too often we are delayed when we attempt (unsuccessfully) to explain a concept or idea without providing a visual example.

II. Multiple Moving Parts - By this I mean the Stickie Notes. It is very helpful to have multiple items to be utilized when working in a group so that everybody can be doing something.

III. Nothing is Permanent - The use of whiteboards, and Stickie Notes made this task seem less daunting. Often, again personally, the pursuit of perfection intimidates and stresses me out on assignments like this. With the knowledge that anything written on the whiteboard can be easily erased or elaborated on, and the Stickie Notes could be repositioned, our group was able to ideate and innovate. This allowed us to rely on the process to reach a conclusion, rather then focusing too heavily on group dynamics or other factors.