Scouts and guides provide ‘mental health boost for life’

Post by istorical » Thu, Nov 10, 2016, 6:44 PM UTC

stvswn wrote: post #120

chiph wrote: post #109

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> I've never served in the military, but from the people I know that have, they pretty much learn to take the same attitude. The phrase used in the US military for this is "Embrace the suck". Which means "The situation is bad, but deal with it."

As an Eagle Scout and former Army officer, one of my enduring life lessons has been "false motivation is better than no motivation." When you're cold, wet, and tired it helps to pretend you love it. It's infectious, too. It is actually a good feeling when you realize you're not as fragile as you thought you were. "I would have thought that I'd be miserable in this situation, but I'm actually OK" is a good thought to…

Post by adamsea » Thu, Nov 10, 2016, 7:02 PM UTC

joakes wrote: post #72

throwaway1892 wrote: post #12

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One thing that I got from my time as a scout is to live and work with people I can't stand, which is something that has helped me a lot since that time.

Not to take away from scouts, but I feel like this study could apply to any group that a child decides to stick with and learn from. Sports teach resilience and the like, as well does joining a music group. My club soccer team during high school was unbeaten for most seasons and ended up state champions, but most of us didn't hangout afterwards or even like each other.

Post by mfukar » Thu, Nov 10, 2016, 7:03 PM UTC

chris_wot wrote: post #100

ekianjo wrote: post #32

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> I don't know where you live, but in certain places failing to pay your bills means you end up in the cold rain with nothing to eat. That's still not the same as dying. There are homeless people who still manage to get by for years on, despite having no means whatsoever.

Isn't that a point he makes in the article? If you get too cold, you die of hypothermia.

Post by hueving » Thu, Nov 10, 2016, 7:17 PM UTC

istorical wrote: post #121

stvswn wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an Eagle Scout and former Army officer, one of my enduring life lessons has been "false motivation is better than no motivation." When you're cold, wet, and tired it helps to pretend you love it. It's infectious, too. It is actually a good feeling when you realize you're not as fragile as you thought you were. "I would have thought that I'd be miserable in this situation, but I'm actually OK" is a good thought to…

The same mechanism is probably why studies show that forcing a smile even when you don't feel happy can lead you to slowly become happier. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/smile-it-could-ma...

Post by takingflac » Thu, Nov 10, 2016, 7:24 PM UTC

pablobaz wrote: post #92

totally wrote: post #62

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Yep, the bias is that all of the scouts came from households that decided to enroll their kid/s in the scouts. This is not a joke, and there is a difference in value systems and other factors that cut across cliché dimensions like socio-economic status.

As a former scout leader, I think there is also another effect at play. In my experience parents often send children to scouts when they don't fit into more mainstream team sports and when children are struggling to make friends elsewhere. These children are often particularly socially awkward. I'm not an expert but I think that this group of children may be more predisposed to mental illness.