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The presence of well-maintained trees is associated with less aggression, violence, and criminal activity in households and neighborhoods. Drawing of tree filled with hearts, smiley faces, and peace signs. Source: Turner-Skoff and Cavender, 2019, the benefits of trees for livable and sustainable communities. In the journal Plans, People, Planet, volume 1, pages 323 to 335.

Recap: SciArt September

Remember when I posted about my love for art supplies? Well, last month, artists Liz Butler and Glendon Mellow gave me a great excuse to use them and call it work:

Often, science art focuses on the natural sciences. And don’t get me wrong…these pieces can be beautiful and super important for education.* But this former cartoonist needed to rep the social sciences.

Here’s a quick recap of the seven illustrations I created for #SciArtSeptember:

September 3: Rosy

These authors reviewed neurological research on color perception to help summarize potential reasons why pink is a “girl color” in some cultures. (Source: Frassanito & Pettorini, 2008)

Why is pink a "girl color"? Is it evolution, because "gatherer" females needed to identify berries? (drawing of raspberries) Is it evolution because "nurturer" females are drawn to babies' pink faces? (drawing of beige adult face and pink baby face) Is it culture, like in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women? (drawing of two babies, one with a pink hair bow labeled Daisy, one with a blue hair bow labeled Demi) Is it culture, like Audrey Hepburn's Funny Face? (drawing of woman in pink evening gown) This illustration is based on Frassanito and Pettorini, 2008, Pink and blue, the color of gender, published in the journal Child's Nervous System, volume 24, pages 881 to 882.

September 9: Oceanic

Who doesn’t feel better after a trip to the beach?** These researchers examined what happens to our body chemistry after time at the shore. And, yes, I did draw the chemical structure of norepinephrine and serotonin 25 times. (Source: Lim et al., 2021)

This is a drawing of a woman on a beach, with norepinephrine and serotonin molecules drawn in the sand. The caption is Participants in ocean sound therapy experienced increases in norepinephrine, a hormone that triggers the flight or fight response, and serotonin, a mood-stabilizing hormone. The source is Lim et all, 2021. The effect of natural ocean sound exposure and ocean-side relaxation on chronic tinnitus patients, a pilot study in Korea. Ear Nose and Throat Journal, volume 100, issue 5, pages n p 256 to n p 262.

September 12: Otherwordly

Psychology is, in part, about beliefs. This public opinion poll looked at Americans’ beliefs about extraterrestrial life. (Source: Pew Research)

This is an illustration of a planet. Two thirds of the planet is habitated. There are green four-legged aliens, space ships, pyramids, strange plants, orange clouds, a volcano, a pink river, and a bridge. The other third of the planet is gray with craters. The caption says Two thirds of Americans think that intelligent life exists on other planets. The source is the 2021 Pew research center American trends panel.

September 15: Handmade

As a big arts-and-crafts person, and as a researcher who has done work in leisure studies, I was super pumped to find this qualitative study (i.e., open-ended questions) about the psychological benefits of jewelry-making. (Source: Adams-Price & Steinman, 2007)

Title: Psychological Benefits of Jewelry Making. Source: Adams Price and Steinman, two thousand seven, crafts and generative expression, a qualitative study of the meaning of creativity in women who make jewelry in midlife. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, volume 65, issue 4, pages 315 to 333. This is a picture of a bracelet with five gems. Each of the gems has a phrase or series of words. Validation from others. Well-being, happiness, self-worth. Accomplishment, productivity. Relaxation, soothing, escape. Stimulation, creative outlet.

September 16: Arid

Does market research count as social science? Eh, it might be a stretch, but I figured data on changes in human behavior counts. Plus, COVID-related research is really timely. (Source: Mintel Group Ltd.)

Title: About 1 in 4 deodorant slash antiperspirant users have applied it less frequently during the COVID 19 pandemic. Source: Mintel Group Limited, mintel dot com, March 19 2021. This is an illustration of 3 people applying deodorant and a fourth person just shrugging.

September 23: Arboreal

This prompt made me think of Florence Williams’s book, The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative.*** (Source: Turner-Skoff & Cavender, 2019)

The presence of well-maintained trees is associated with less aggression, violence, and criminal activity in households and neighborhoods. Drawing of tree filled with hearts, smiley faces, and peace signs. Source: Turner-Skoff and Cavender, 2019, the benefits of trees for livable and sustainable communities. In the journal Plans, People, Planet, volume 1, pages 323 to 335.

September 30: Hopeful

I love that Liz and Glendon chose to close out the month on a positive note. I hope that you’re able to find something to be hopeful about during these challenging times. (Source: Hicks & McFarland, 2020)

This is a drawing of two women in an apartment building. The woman on the top floor is happily working at a laptop, and she's looking out the window at a rainbow. The woman on the bottom floor has her head in her hands, and she's looking out the window at a cloudy gray sky. The caption says Women who were more hopeful about the post-COVID future reported better memory, attention, and concentration than did women with less hope. The source is Hicks and McFarland, 2020, Hope as a protective factor for cognitive difficulties during COVID 19, Frontiers in Women's Health, volume 5, pages 1 to 5.

*I just bought these two beautiful prints (1, 2), by Kate Dolamore, for our living room.

**I’ll tell you who doesn’t. My older son. He hates bright sun, gritty sand, and cool water.

***I read it on a mild, sunny day, on a hammock, shaded by trees, on the banks of Lake Norman (Mooresville, North Carolina), during my 40th birthday weekend. (Happy sigh.)

 

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