News

Study on the Effect of Trigger Warnings on Students Has (Un)surprising Findings

Published

3 years ago

July 28, 2018

While “trigger warnings” have become a staple of the “safe space” university environment where students are increasingly coddled rather than challenged, the concept has become a joke among its critics.

After all, higher education is supposed to prepare you for life, and life doesn’t come with trigger warnings.

Considering what mainstream psychological practices about how to face one’s fears have been teaching and applying for years, it could even be said that no one needed to even study the effect of trigger warnings on a person to be able to tell they weren’t a great idea.

Most psychologists will tell you the best way for someone to face information that might, well, trigger them, is ultimately to expose themselves to it.

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While it may have been unnecessary to study, however, it was studied nonetheless. And that’s pretty much what they found.

The Daily Wire reports:

A new study from Harvard University psychologists, published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, found that such an overuse of trigger warnings can actually be harmful to those who are exposed to them.

Psychologists Benjamin Bellet, Payton Jones, and Richard McNally took 270 American research subjects and divided them into two groups. One group was given a “trigger warning” before reading each of 10 passages from classic literature, where five of those pieces contained explicit material such as descriptions of murder.

The “trigger warning” group proved far more likely to suggest passages containing distressful language would cause themselves and others emotional distress had they experienced trauma.

Social psychologist Craig Harper wrote at Medium that the results of this study could have far-reaching cultural effects.

“This finding could have significant implications in the context of ongoing cultural debates about the power of language in reinforcing perceived oppression,” Harper wrote. “That is, if we are telling students that words are akin to violence and can cause harm, and then giving them trigger warnings to compound that message, we risk increasing immediate anxiety responses rather than decreasing them.”

Harper also referenced an article written for The Atlantic by authors Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt who asserted that trigger warnings could have negative mental health effects, in part because students would then simply avoid anything that may “trigger” them, thus increasing their likelihood to be triggered.

I suddenly feel like I understand why leftist millenials are the way that they are…

“According to the most basic tenets of psychology, the very idea of helping people with anxiety disorders avoid the things they fear is misguided,” Lukianoff and Haidt wrote, explaining that if someone were afraid of an elevator, for instance, the best thing for them would be to gradually expose themselves to an elevator, working up the comfort and the courage to ride in one. “Trigger warnings,” instead, compound anxiety and fear.

So, it turns out, it might be a good time each time a snowflake melts.

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News

Authorities Confirm Identity of Remains Found in Search for Brian Laundrie

But are there more questions than answers still?

Published

2 hours ago

October 22, 2021

Andrew West

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Life is no fairy tale, that is for sure, and it certainly isn’t fair.

That seems to be the prevailing mood among those seeking justice for Gabby Petito after authorities in Florida made a stunning announcement on Thursday.

The FBI confirmed Thursday that it had found the remains of Brian Laundrie, the 23-year-old fiancé of Gabby Petito and the only person of interest in her death.

In a statement, the FBI’s Denver field office, which has been leading the investigation, said a comparison of dental records confirmed that the human remains found in Carlton Reserve and the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Sarasota County, Fla., on Wednesday were those of Laundrie.

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Oddly, Brian’s parents were involved in the discovery of the items belonging to their son.

Steven Bertolino, an attorney for Laundrie’s parents, said police came to their North Port, Fla., home late Thursday afternoon to notify them.

On Wednesday, partial human remains, as well as a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie, were found along a trail in the Myakkahatchee park, which is adjacent to the 24,565-acre Carlton Reserve, where Laundrie’s parents told police they believed he was headed when they reported him missing last month.

Bertolino said on Wednesday that Laundrie’s parents had gone to the park to search for their son that morning and met with North Port police and the FBI.

“Chris and Roberta Laundrie went to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park this morning to search for Brian,” Bertolino said in a statement. “After a brief search of a trail that Brian frequented, some articles belonging to Brian were found.”

The news will come as a disappointment to those who hoped Laundrie would be captured and questioned regarding the death of his fiancée, but the mention of a “notebook” found near the body does offer some hope that some explanation could be forthcoming.

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Life is no fairy tale, that is for sure, and it certainly isn’t fair. That seems to be the prevailing mood among those seeking justice for Gabby Petito after authorities in Florida made a stunning announcement on Thursday. The FBI confirmed Thursday that it had found the remains of Brian Laundrie, the 23-year-old fiancé of Gabby Petito and the only person of interest in her death. In a statement, the FBI’s Denver field office, which has been leading the investigation, said a comparison of dental records confirmed that the human remains found in Carlton Reserve and the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Sarasota County, Fla., on Wednesday were those of Laundrie. Oddly, Brian’s parents were involved in the discovery of the items belonging to their son. Steven Bertolino, an attorney for Laundrie’s parents, said police came to their North Port, Fla., home late Thursday afternoon to notify them. On Wednesday, partial human remains, as well as a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie, were found along a trail in the Myakkahatchee park, which is adjacent to the 24,565-acre Carlton Reserve, where Laundrie’s parents told police they believed he was headed when they reported him missing last month. Bertolino said on Wednesday that Laundrie’s parents had gone to the park to search for their son that morning and met with North Port police and the FBI. “Chris and Roberta Laundrie went to the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park this morning to search for Brian,” Bertolino said in a statement. “After a brief search of a trail that Brian frequented, some articles belonging to Brian were found.” The news will come as a disappointment to those who hoped Laundrie would be captured and questioned regarding the death of his fiancée, but the mention of a “notebook” found near the body does offer some…

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Entertainment

Alec Baldwin Shoots and Kills Crew Member on Set of Latest Movie

Hollywood experts are stunned.

Published

2 hours ago

October 22, 2021

Andrew West

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Hollywood was rocked on Thursday after a nigh-unfathomable accident occurred on the set of the latest project from Alec Baldwin, and there are still plenty of questions left unanswered.

It all began when Baldwin discharged a “prop” gun on set, meant to be loaded only with blanks and dummy rounds.

Alec Baldwin allegedly repeatedly asked ‘why was I handed a hot gun?’ after he accidentally shot and killed a female cinematographer and wounded a director yesterday on the set of his new film Rust.

Halyna Hutchins, 42, died shortly after being shot by Baldwin around 1.50pm Thursday at Bonanza Creek Ranch, near the city of Santa Fe in New Mexico. Joel Souza, 48, the film’s director, was also hurt and spent several hours in hospital, but was released later the same evening.

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Police have disclosed few details about the shooting, saying only that a ‘projectile’ was fired by a ‘prop gun’ and they are investigating.

At close range, even blanks can be dangerous, but it was not clear why Baldwin was pointing a gun at anyone, period.

Mike Tristano, 60, a Hollywood armorer with 30 years’ experience who spoke to the Dailymail.com, said ultimate responsibility for gun safety on movie set rests with the armorer.

The movie’s armorer or weapons master has not been been named. Sante Fe Sheriff’s Department says it will continue to interview ‘witnesses’ on Friday.

‘There should have been blanks in the gun, the on-set armorer’s job is to check that before handing the weapon over,’ Tristan said.

‘They then make sure that the actor stands on a mark and never points the gun at the crew or cast… the editing makes it seem like they were pointing at their co-actor.

‘That’s why everyone in the industry is very confused. How this happened is a total mystery at the moment.’

Baldwin has not been charged with a crime at this time, but the investigation is still ongoing.

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Hollywood was rocked on Thursday after a nigh-unfathomable accident occurred on the set of the latest project from Alec Baldwin, and there are still plenty of questions left unanswered. It all began when Baldwin discharged a “prop” gun on set, meant to be loaded only with blanks and dummy rounds. Alec Baldwin allegedly repeatedly asked ‘why was I handed a hot gun?’ after he accidentally shot and killed a female cinematographer and wounded a director yesterday on the set of his new film Rust. Halyna Hutchins, 42, died shortly after being shot by Baldwin around 1.50pm Thursday at Bonanza Creek Ranch, near the city of Santa Fe in New Mexico. Joel Souza, 48, the film’s director, was also hurt and spent several hours in hospital, but was released later the same evening. Police have disclosed few details about the shooting, saying only that a ‘projectile’ was fired by a ‘prop gun’ and they are investigating. At close range, even blanks can be dangerous, but it was not clear why Baldwin was pointing a gun at anyone, period. Mike Tristano, 60, a Hollywood armorer with 30 years’ experience who spoke to the Dailymail.com, said ultimate responsibility for gun safety on movie set rests with the armorer. The movie’s armorer or weapons master has not been been named. Sante Fe Sheriff’s Department says it will continue to interview ‘witnesses’ on Friday. ‘There should have been blanks in the gun, the on-set armorer’s job is to check that before handing the weapon over,’ Tristan said. ‘They then make sure that the actor stands on a mark and never points the gun at the crew or cast… the editing makes it seem like they were pointing at their co-actor. ‘That’s why everyone in the industry is very confused. How this happened is a total mystery…