Advertising...prohibition or promotion?

I was rather amused to discover that the bikini was inspired by nuclear weapons testing on the island of Bikini Atoll in the pacific, and was in fact, designed by the French automobile engineer, Louis Reard.

But this is not an article about the bikini. What caught my attention were the bodies wearing those bikinis. Women modeling bikinis in the 1940’s and 1950’s were much more curvy, by modern standards. You could be forgiven by calling them ‘hefty’ and I seriously doubt a girl with similar statistics would stand a chance of getting signed up by any of today’s model agencies. In fact looking through the decades it appears models are shrinking in direct inverse proportion to the actual trend in  body size. Either the media is completely out of touch, or is there perhaps something more going on here?

Women's magazines juxtapose images of superslim women with recipes and sex constantly on their front covers. Ambiguity abound, women, and increasingly men, are being bombarded by messages that set impossible standards and a promise hidden between the pages, of better and more sex. Humans learn largely by association, and the media facilitates this by linking ideas which we process unconsciously.

Research into the effects of anti-smoking advertisements on smokers has provided some interesting insights into how we process information. Putting ex-smokers and smokers into an fMRI and testing their response to anti-smoking ads, causes the pleasure centre in their brain light up. It appears all those gruesome adverts depicting yellow gunk in your lungs makes the brain think “ahhh I’d just love a cigarette.”

The diet industry backs up this argument. We all know diets don’t work yet it is a billion dollar industry. Is there a correlation between the advertising of diets and the nation getting fatter? Perhaps like anti- smoking campaigns, diet advertising and a media obsession with promoting thinness in fact promotes the very opposite.

It is a fact that the majority of people tend to respond better to advice expressed using positive rather than negative language. Observe what children do when they are told they cannot have something or should not do something. Even adults when told something is prohibited often feel a strong compulsion to eat the forbidden fruit.

To the right is an advert from a company offering help on how to quit smoking (and incidentally or perhaps intentionally, also offer advice on weightloss) As a non-smoker, even I find this image strangely attractive. It could be argued that the diet, media and pharmaceutical industry are aware of the various research studies that question the efficacy of these campaigns. Hypothetically, they could use this information to implement an ingenious strategy of subtle brainwashing, disguised behind seemingly responsible advertising.

This I believe is something worth exploring further, for the ramifications can be far reaching. Consider the drink drive campaigns that rely largely on horrific images to depict the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol. These are aimed to make drivers consider the dangers and consequences of speeding. If we put drivers and dieters under an MRI and showed them adverts, I wonder what story would their brains tell?

It could be a worthwhile experiment. If we discovered that adverts promoting against engaging in particular behaviours, in fact has the opposite effect on actions, then perhaps we need to rethink advertising.

  

Fish Oils and Breast milk…where’s the connection?

Every wondered why fish oils make you brainier? It all boils down to the shape of phospholipids, an important component of cell membranes. 

These phospholipids can be found in many different shapes. The particular shape depends whether the lipid part is made of saturated, mono-saturated or poly-unsaturated fat molecules. Unsaturated fats have a bend or kink in their structure, so unlike saturated fats they cannot sit closely together. It is their crooked shape that makes them special because it leaves gaps between them, allowing them room to change their shape when receptors come into contact with them.

Receptors are molecules that sit on the cell walls. When neurotransmitters such as serotonin meet with receptors they attach to the phospholipids in the cell wall. Phospholipids that have unsaturated lipid molecules can readily change shape when receptors lock on, because they are loosely packed together, Saturated fats however, are so tightly packed they have trouble changing shape. This directly affects the speed of transmission of signals and therefore our ability to think. Concentration can be greatly improved by increasing the unsaturated fats in your diet.

However, not any old lard will do! A high charge is required to cross the threshold necessary to fire electrical signals in the brain, in the same way a set of jump leads may be required to jump start your car. So our brains are fussy and demand high quality fats. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is the preferred lipid of the brain because DHA is highly charged, exactly what our brain needs to function optimally. Omega oils are very rich in DHA.

High charge is not the only advantage of DHA's in Omegas however. Phospholipids that are made up of DHA are very long chain fatty acids and so can be made into many shapes. The more shapes possible the greater number and type of receptor that can connect with them, in the same way a master key fits many locks. Being able to attach many receptors is what influences cognitive ability and speed and therefore concentration, memory and even mood.

Diets rich in Omega oils have shown positive results with ADHD and depression. Phospholipids made up of DHA are particularly receptive to serotonin a neurotransmitter that elates mood. Tryptophan, an amino acid found in chocolate and bananas is synthesized into serotonin and this increases the levels available to link with phospholipids in the brain. Oily fish has also been shown to reduce aggression. In a study of U.S. and U.K prisons, there was a 35% reduction in violent behaviour among criminals taking Omega supplements, compared to those who weren’t. 

So where is the connection to breast milk? Well breast milk is particularly high in DHA oils, in contrast to formula and bovine milk, which has little or no DHA. Of course levels of DHA will be affected by the mothers diet so it makes sense for mothers breastfeeding to increase their intake of foods rich in these oils such as fish, nuts and seeds. This is not only important for brain development in their baby but also for their own wellbeing. A diet rich in Omega oils may also prevent post - natal depression, as low levels of DHA have been linked to this condition, reinforcing the argument that DHA plays an important role in regulating mood.

So if you are dumb, moody and were never breast fed as a baby, perhaps you should consider eating a little more fish! 

Tattoos... thrashy or trendy?

As Summer approaches and people start to peel of the layers its hard not to notice the increasing popularity of tattoos. Something which until recently was associated with a particular class is now a fashion item crossing class, culture and generations. It never ceases to fascinate me how a few rock star endorsements can transform what was considered to be deviant and antisocial, into an art form with celebrity status

Of course this is probably bad news for all those who got tattoos in the 60’s because now their radical statement has become so prolific it has lost all its’ original meaning. Ironically what was in the 70’s symbolic of independent free thinking now equates more with conformity and convention. Just as soap opera stars and footballers wives popularized exposing one’s pregnant tummy in public, now it’s chic to have a couple of tattoos strategically positioned for the paparazzi.

In the era of materialism and money, we are a society defined by the labels we buy. Brands of course have been around for a long time. They were originally used on bread to identify particular bakeries, and in the American West to protect cattle from being stolen. Now they are used to add value to rather ordinary products in order to differentiate them in the minds of consumers.

But what has all this got to do with tattoos you may ask?

If you think about it, tattoos are perhaps the ultimate personal brand.  Brands become extensions of our person but tattoos become a part of who we are! Whether you call them ‘body art’ or ‘tramp stamps’ (as does a friend of mine), they are somewhat like a personal advert. They can even transform you into public art.  Designs are as varied as the number of exclusive brands available to us in the shops. More often these days, tattoo parlors are run by creative professionals with a qualification in fine art or graphics.

What tattoos are intended to say about us I am not quite sure anymore. That which was for so long symbolic of a misspent youth, is now well recognized as a fashion accessory. And in a strange twist of fate, anti social rebels asserting their identity, have inadvertently become today’s dedicated followers of fashion.