The comparison of the wisdom view in Chinese and Western cultures

Do We Ask What the Deities Can Do for Us? The Roles of Dao Religion and Resilience in Suicidality in Chronic Pain

Objectives: Resilience to pain is a protective factor against aversive pain outcomes, such as suicide. Religiosity as a cornerstone of resilience has been found to be associated with reduced risk of suicidality in chronic pain. However, affiliations to different religions have displayed differences in suicide risk. This study focuses on the roles of pain resilience and Dao religion in mitigating suicidal experience in individuals with chronic pain. Methods: This study adopted a mixed-method approach. A preliminary investigation was conducted regarding the internal consistency and construct validity of the translated version of the pain resilience scale (PRS). Qualitative data were collected through interviews with individuals experiencing chronic pain. Levels of PRS and gender were included in the logistic regression on the probability of suicide attempts. The role of Dao practice was qualitatively analyzed through narrative analysis. Results: Among the 24 participants, 14 were affiliated with the Dao religion; therefore, the transcripts of these 14 interviews were analyzed. Individuals with moderate scores on the PRS were 11.60 times less likely to have attempted suicide than those with low PRS scores. The likelihood further decreased by 38.7 times in those with high PRS scores. Four themes emerged from the qualitative interviews. The participants experienced a burden from pain, made efforts to please the deities in exchange for better pain control, continuously adjusted to pain, and ultimately developed a new perspective on the relationship between their religion and pain. Many individuals have engaged in Dao rituals to try to alleviate their physical and psychological pain. Most participants tended to offer a religious interpretation of enlightening moments after surviving a suicide attempt. Discussion: This study illustrates how pain resilience and Dao religious practices mitigate suicidality in chronic pain. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05148364.

Pharmacotherapy and cognitive bias modification for the treatment of anxiety disorders

INTRODUCTION

Anxiety disorders are characterized by widespread and persistent anxiety or recurrent panic attacks. As a result of their high prevalence, chronicity, and comorbidity, patients' quality of life and functioning are severely compromised. However, several patients do not receive treatment.

AREAS COVERED

This review discusses the effectiveness, safety, and limitations of major medications and cognitive bias modification (CBM) for treating anxiety disorders. The possibility of combined treatment is also discussed in the literature. Furthermore, drawing on Chinese cultural perspectives, the authors suggest that anxiety can be recognized, measured, and coped with at three levels of skill (), vision (), and Tao ().

EXPERT OPINION

The combination of pharmacotherapy and CBM is possibly more effective in treating anxiety disorders than either treatment alone. However, clinicians and patients should participate in the joint decision-making process and consider comprehensive factors. Moderate anxiety has adaptive significance. In the coming years, by combining the downward analytical system of western culture with the upward integrative system of Chinese culture, a comprehensive understanding of anxiety and anxiety disorders should be established, rather than focusing only on their treatment.

Effects of mindfulness and movement on affect and vitality

BACKGROUND

Increasing levels of distress and barriers to healthcare have coincided with increasing use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). While mindfulness and movement interventions may improve wellbeing, little research has compared the effectiveness of these two approaches.

OBJECTIVE

This single intervention study aimed to (1) explore the effects of two brief, online, self-administered mindfulness and movement interventions on affect and vitality, and (2) establish whether changes in affect and vitality could be predicted by age, gender, general distress, previous CAM experience and enjoyment of the intervention.

METHODS

Participants (n = 62) were randomly allocated to follow a brief online mindfulness or movement intervention. Levels of affect (using PANAS) and subjective vitality (using the Subjective Vitality Scale) were measured pre and post intervention. Demographics, experience with CAM and general distress (using the DASS-21) were collected pre intervention, while level of enjoyment (using the ENJOY scale) was measured post intervention. Open-text responses gathered qualitative data on participant experience.

RESULTS

Participants completing the mindfulness intervention reported increased vitality and decreased positive and negative affect. Those completing the movement intervention reported increased vitality and positive affect and decreased negative affect. Higher DASS-21 levels were predictive of greater reductions in negative affect. Higher levels of enjoyment were predictive of greater increases in positive affect and vitality.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences between mindfulness and movement interventions may indicate that they could have targeted applications. While further research is necessary, these brief, online interventions may provide a sustainable, accessible self-management and wellbeing intervention.

Harnessing the power of traditional Chinese medicine monomers and compound prescriptions to boost cancer immunotherapy

At present, cancer is the largest culprit that endangers human health. The current treatment options for cancer mainly include surgical resection, adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but their therapeutic effects and long-term prognosis are unsatisfactory. Immunotherapy is an emerging therapy that has completely transformed the therapeutic landscape of advanced cancers, and has tried to occupy a place in the neoadjuvant therapy of resectable tumors. However, not all patients respond to immunotherapy due to the immunological and molecular features of the tumors. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) provides a new perspective for cancer treatment and is considered to have the potential as promising anti-tumor drugs considering its immunoregulatory properties. This review concludes commonly used TCM monomers and compounds from the perspective of immune regulatory pathways, aiming to clearly introduce the basic mechanisms of TCM in boosting cancer immunotherapy and mechanisms of several common TCM. In addition, we also summarized closed and ongoing trials and presented prospects for future development. Due to the significant role of immunotherapy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), TCM combined with immunotherapy should be emphasized in NSCLC.

The hard problem of consciousness—A perspective from holistic philosophy

Based on a material view and reductionism, science has achieved great success. These cognitive paradigms treat the external as an objective existence and ignore internal consciousness. However, this cognitive paradigm, which we take for granted, has also led to some dilemmas related to consciousness in biology and physics. Together, these phenomena reveal the interaction and inseparable side of matter and consciousness (or body and mind) rather than the absolute opposition. However, a material view that describes matter and consciousness in opposition cannot explain the underlying principle, which causes a gap in interpretation. For example, consciousness is believed to be the key to influencing wave function collapse (reality), but there is a lack of a scientific model to study how this happens. In this study, we reveal that the theory of scientific cognition exhibits a paradigm shift in terms of perception. This tendency implies that reconciling the relationship between matter and consciousness requires an abstract theoretical model that is not based on physical forms. We propose that the holistic cognitive paradigm offers a potential solution to reconcile the dilemmas and can be scientifically proven. In contrast to the material view, the holistic cognitive paradigm is based on the objective contradictory nature of perception rather than the external physical characteristics. This cognitive paradigm relies on perception and experience (not observation) and summarizes all existence into two abstract contradictory perceptual states (Yin-Yang). Matter and consciousness can be seen as two different states of perception, unified in perception rather than in opposition. This abstract perspective offers a distinction from the material view, which is also the key to falsification, and the occurrence of an event is inseparable from the irrational state of the observer’s conscious perception. Alternatively, from the material view, the event is random and has nothing to do with perception. We hope that this study can provide some new enlightenment for the scientific coordination of the opposing relationship between matter and consciousness.

Unity of heaven and humanity: Mediating role of the relational-interdependent self in the relationship between Confucian values and holistic thinking

As the primary value system in Chinese culture for almost 2,000 years, Confucianism has profoundly influenced the mindset of Chinese people. Cultural psychology studies have highlighted that individuals with different cultural backgrounds vary in their preferences for certain personality traits, such as self-construal, and their metacognitive characteristics, such as thinking modes. Compared with Western cultures, Chinese culture shows a preference for the interdependent self and holistic thinking. To investigate the relationship between the relational-interdependent self, holistic thinking, and traditional Chinese values (which are represented by Confucian values), we surveyed 327 Chinese adults using the Confucian Traditional Values Survey, Holistic Thinking Scale, and Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal Scale. The results show that Confucian values positively influence both holistic thinking and the relational-interdependent self, the latter of which partially mediates the positive relationship between Confucian values and holistic thinking. This study deepens the understanding of the psychological features of Chinese culture.

Holistic thinking and risk-taking perceptions reduce risk-taking intentions: ethical, financial, and health/safety risks across genders and cultures

Holistic thinking involves four subconstructs: causality, contradiction, attention to the whole, and change. This holistic perspective varies across Eastern–Western cultures and genders. We theorize that holistic thinking reduces three domain-specific risk-taking behavioral intentions (ethical, financial, and health/safety) directly and indirectly through enhanced risk-taking attitudes. Our formative theoretical model treats the four subconstructs of holistic thinking as yoked antecedents and frames it in a proximal context of causes and consequences. We simultaneously explore the direct and indirect paths and test our model across cultures, genders, and the combination of the two. For the entire sample (N = 531), holistic thinking negatively relates to risk intentions via enhanced risk perceptions. Across cultures, the indirect paths prevail among Chinese people (n = 284), and both direct and indirect paths triumph for Americans (n = 247). Across genders, the indirect paths exist for females, whereas the negative direct path (risk-raking attitudes → behavioral intentions) succeeds for males. Across cultures and genders, holistic thinking negatively relates to American males’ ethical risks the most but Chinese males’ financial risks the least. Risk-taking perceptions are negatively related to Chinese males’ ethical risks the most, but Chinese people’s (males/females) financial risks the least. Causality and change are vital for all contexts, attention to the whole for all males and Chinese males, and contradiction for Americans and all females. Holistic thinking has limits and is less robust than risk-taking perceptions in reducing risky behavioral intentions. Our practical implications help people make ethical, healthy, and wealthy decisions.

Gender Effect on Views of Wisdom and Wisdom Levels

Gender differences in wisdom are an important theme in mythology, philosophy, psychology, and daily life. Based on the existing psychological research, consensus and dispute exist between the two genders on the views of wisdom and in the levels of wisdom. In terms of the views of wisdom, the way men and women view wisdom is highly similar, and from the perspectives of both ordinary people and professional researchers of wisdom psychology, wise men and women are extremely similar. Regarding wisdom level, research has revealed that, although significant gender effects exist in the level of overall wisdom, reflective and affective dimension, and interpersonal conflict coping styles, the effect sizes were small, which indicated that these gender differences were not obvious. It would be desirable for future research to combine multiple wisdom measurements, strengthen research on the psychological gender effect of wisdom, and focus on the moderating role of age on the relationship between wisdom and gender.