Hello All, I've just joined the listserv and I greatly appreciate this kind of discussion. I'm a first year Ph.D student who constantly questions wether a Ph.D is the right choice. So it has been good to read the article and to hear from all of you!
Cheers, Christina On Sun, Nov 20, 2016 at 4:45 PM, leon <[email protected]> wrote: > Howdy David and others, > > There’s a lot of evidence that green regions in urban areas bring a sense > of calmness to many individuals. Unfortunately, as an academic, I am (and I > am sure many others are) bogged down with administrative things and I don’t > get to spend the time outside as I did in earlier years. I also have a son > who will start college soon and was talked out of marine biology by marine > biology PhD students, claiming there is no future. Instead, his current > intention is biotechnology. If biotechnology keeps him in the lab every > day, I am quite sure that he’d be happier as a marine biologist since he > loves to be outside in nature. > > Cheers, Leon > > On Nov 20, 2016, at 6:31 PM, Luis J. Villanueva <[email protected] > <[email protected]>> wrote: > > > > I wonder whether ecologists, who may get to spend more time outside > ("in nature"), are less susceptible to depression than researchers in other > fields. > > Why? This seems to be based on an idea that nature cures all or that we > all derive healing from nature. I spent tons of time in the field, it > didn't help. Being outside for work is still work. > > A better work-life balance can help alleviate this pressure, something > very few people advocate for in this high-pressure environment. We all know > PIs that look down on students/researchers that invest a lot of time in > other aspects of life, be it family, volunteering, outreach, music, > athletics, or other hobbies. > > Depression is a disease like any other, something that works for one > person may not work for others. > > > > Luis > > > On Sat, Nov 19, 2016 at 11:16 PM, David Inouye <[email protected]> wrote: > >> There's an interesting article in the latest issue of Nature about mental >> health issues for scientists facing career pressures: >> >> http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v539/n7628/full/nj7628-319a.html >> >> I wonder whether ecologists, who may get to spend more time outside ("in >> nature"), are less susceptible to depression than researchers in other >> fields. >> >> -- >> Dr. David W. Inouye >> Professor Emeritus >> Department of Biology >> University of Maryland >> College Park, MD 20742-4415 >> [email protected] >> >> Principal Investigator >> Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory >> PO Box 519 >> Crested Butte, CO 81224 >> > > > -- Christina N De Jesús Villanueva Universidad de Puerto Rico en Rio Piedras Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student
