Social media killed the Rockstar

While Rock music is apparently being overtaken by Pop music today; Pop music has had a great help from an apparently most unrelated development.

Researchers have tried to find the link between a person’s psychology and the music he/she hears. A brief of the research, at the risk of generalization, is as below. The research is biased towards American music but can be suitably extrapolated to music across the world.

Genre	Personal Traits
Pop	·         Extraverted, honest and conventional ·         Hard-working and have high self-esteem ·         Less creative and more uneasy
Rap and Hip/Hop	·         High self-esteem, outgoing
Rock / Heavy Metal	·         Gentle, creative, introverted  ·         Low self-esteem
Country	·         Hardworking, conventional and outgoing ·         Emotionally stable
Indie	·         Less hard-working and less gentle ·         Passivity, anxiousness and low self-esteem
Dance	·         Outgoing and assertive
Classical	·         More Introverted ·         Creative and have a good sense of self-esteem.
Jazz, Blues and Soul	·         More extraverted with high self-esteem. ·         Very creative, intelligent and at ease.

However, the results seem to vary across generations. The homogeneity seems to disappear as once compares results across ages where one generation majorly preferring one kind of music over other. So it is surmised that your personality along with the social setup determines the music one hears. But what is this social setup?

Music is not really a passive activity but also an expression of oneself. Thus Rock music gives the introvert a chance to express himself through the songs he listens and sings along. He appreciates the creativity and the strong lyrics boost his self-esteem. Rock music is just what the person needs; it gives him what he lacks within himself and completes him.

So Rock music was something that a generation needed to express itself. Oddly enough, this need is also fulfilled by social media today where a person can log into the world and express himself to the fullest; be it Facebook, twitter or any of the other popular social media sites. One can log into a news site and give one’s frankest opinion. Pour out his creativity in a blog. Today even the most introvert of all can have a voice which cannot be coerced. On a further note, social media seems like a competition not only to Rock but also other genres of music.

So while the need remains the same, with more/ better options available, the want has shifted to a more direct mode of expression and thus the demand for social media seems to be only on the rise.

Psychopathy – The evolution of man

Psychopathy (/saɪˈkɒpəθi/) is a personality disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deception.

I have always wondered why serial killers and gangsters are the only people generally associated with the term. Criminality is just a symptom or effect which may or may not manifest due to psychopathy. Also, the definition in itself says nothing about the acts of hurting people being just physical or criminal! Secondly, nothing in this world is black and white. It’s predominantly grey. Meaning, what about people who only have only some of the traits, are only part psychopaths?

I recently came across a research (with much difficulty) where some attorneys and psychology professors were asked if they knew a successful psychopath and the answer was predominantly yes. The listed characteristics of such individuals had just one difference when compared to a standard psychopath. Conscientiousness. Impulsiveness in their case was replaced by high self discipline. Well, that and mostly a very high IQ. (Refer http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.in/2010/08/hunting-successful-psychopath.html)

I came across a series of characteristics against which an individual is mapped to determine if he is a psychopath or not. I have divided the characteristics in the following four categories:

Positives: These are positives for the psychopath that make him a social predator, enabling him to manipulate his surroundings for his own gain.	Negatives: These characteristics hurt him and tend to make him the commonly known criminal psychopath.
1.       Glib and Superficial Charm 2.       Pathological Lying 3.       Conning and Manipulativeness 4.       Callousness and Lack of Empathy 5.       Lack of Remorse or Guilt 6.       Shallow Affect	1.       Lack of Realistic, Long-Term Goals 2.       Need for Stimulation or Proneness to Boredom 3.       Poor Behavioral Controls 4.       Impulsivity 5.       Irresponsibility 6.     Failure to Accept Responsibility for Own Actions
Neutral: These neither help the pyschopath’s cause nor hurt them	Effects:  These characteristics are rather effects of the other traits listed rather than a characteristic of cause
1.       Grandiose Self-Worth 2.       Promiscuous Sexual Behavior	1.       Early Behavior Problems 2.       Many Short-Term Marital Relationships 3.       Juvenile Delinquency 4.       Revocation of Condition Release 5.       Criminal Versatility 6.       Parasitic Lifestyle

Concentrating on the negatives, most of the points are similar and tend to make the psychopath unpredictable and dangerous. People scoring high on these traits are bound to be irresponsible in their actions which may make them cross the lines in terms of socially acceptable norms and legal frameworks.

However, as I said before what about people who do not have the negative traits or atleast in whom these traits are not predominant while scoring high on the traits listed as positives? An emotionless being with a high conscientiousness would be a corporate shark.

Of the Myers-Briggs personality types, ESTJ (Extrovert-Sensing-Thinking-Judgement) is supposed to a preferred personality type in terms of corporate environment. (Some may strongly disagree with the statement).  I would dare to extrapolate that a conscientious psychopath would be just the type. A highly efficient thinking machine with an inclination towards action. An extrovert and influential speaker without emotions to hold him back.

A conscientious psychopath, I believe, is the peak of human evolution. Survival of the fittest has ensured that such personalities have taken a lead over lesser, emotional mortals. You shouldn’t be surprised if you find such personalities as leaders in the corporate world.

So next time you are up against a corporate shark, beware! Your opponent may be the most formidable opponent nature has to offer.

What they shouldn't have taught us at school

The attempt to teach moral science in schools must be the worst of the ideas ever proposed. Education is supposed to prepare students for the real world. However, the idealistic teachings on morals can never stand grounds in the real world. 

Experiences continue to teach us how many of the basic lessons taught were so wrong. Let us take a few examples.

Everybody is equal

It is no mystery to a mature mind that some are more equal than others.  They argued that if one is good at studies, the other is good at sports or arts or something unique. Well truthfully, sometimes one person is just better than another in every aspect that matters. Sometimes you are better and other times you are bettered. Sometimes we just have to accept our place in the hierarchy.

Take an example of countries now. My colleagues who had worked in the Middle East used to tell me the differential treatment meted to them just because they we Indians and not Europeans or Americans. On turning assertive they were politely asked if they remembered which embassy they belonged to.

Money can’t buy happiness

They taught us not to run after money and greed is bad. This must be the biggest lie ever told. Money is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Let’s not count the people below poverty line (who will surely slap you on such an absurd statement) but consider the middle class. It’s not the money but what that money can buy: a liveable house, better schooling for children, better medical care of parents etc. Money, without a doubt, helps you buy things which can make you happy.

Flattery/ Ass-licking/ Politics doesn’t pay

If done tactfully, this is known to pay rich dividends. The ones who fail are the ones who become too obvious in their task. But schools taught us to always tell the truth however harsh. They taught us that indulging in politics is bad. They told us that success follows good work automatically. The need to be tactful, diplomatic, cheat and bribe, if necessary, and how to talk yourself out of a situation is something people have to learn on their own in the real world. The one who thinks that such cheap tactics could never work will soon realize how naive he is.

Be good and good shall be done unto you

Just general knowledge is enough to refute the fact. Dictators have led good lives and poor have died for no reason. Life is not fair. Life is a just a series of random happenings with little rhyme or reason (least at an individual level). Even if dictators are brought to justice and punished, it doesn’t change the fact that innocent people were killed at their hands. Does life become fair for them just because after two decades their killer was punished?

Schools prepared and continue to prepare students for an ideal world when the real world is not even close to it. Parents and popular culture don’t help either. Some may argue that it is these lessons that teach people to differentiate between right and wrong. Some may say that without even this moral code, the world may be much worse off for us all.

But if the lessons are going to make the world a better place at your cost, are they really worth learning?