On Being Social Beings So, Like I said... In 2008, Swedish researchers published a finding in The New England Journal of Medicine that there was a 5% drop in heart attack related deaths and hospitalizations the day after the clocks were set back to standard time in the Autumn (in other words, when we gain a extra hour).
		Loneliness Word of mouth Loneliness by John T. Cacioppo and William Patrick attest that loneliness is not just a psychological disruption experienced by a percentage of the population.
		Apple Brandy in Autumn FOOD FOR THOUGHT A reflection on enjoying food and beverage with friends.
		New Beverages and a Retail Area Kopplin's specials Try the new Calm Latté, read about the return of Kopplin's cuppings and find out about products available for sale, including hot chocolate.

It?s the time of year again when we “fall back” and gain an extra hour. As nothing in Western culture every rises above (or below) the capability of being studied, this rather banal event has proven no exception. However, it has also led to some rather fascinating insights that I believe tell us more how we’ve designed our society the other 364 days of the year.

In 2008, Swedish researchers published a finding in The New England Journal of Medicine that there was a 5% drop in heart attack related deaths and hospitalizations the day after the clocks were set back to standard time in the Autumn (in other words, when we gain a extra hour). Unfortunately, researchers also found increases of between 6-10% in the days following our switch to daylight savings time (thus losing an hour) in the spring. Though the research did not make any direct conclusions about what would cause these fluctuations, many of the researchers, scientists, and medical personnel involved believed the major culprit was the addition/subtraction of a restful nighttime  hour in a sleep deprived society.

How could one little hour have such a dramatic effect? While such a minimal change could hardly be of import to a society that was comfortably meeting the needs of individuals, the same cannot be said of a society that is chronically deprived of rest (average hours of sleep have decreased from 9.0 to 7.5 over the 20th century). As individuals and a community, we have slowly designed and become accustomed to a way of living that seems totally out of step with the way in which the humans species is meant to exist.

In their recent book Loneliness, John T. Cacioppo and William Patrick, uncover and explain many of the repercussions of humans living in an environment that they are essentially ill-equipped for physiologically. Their major concern is the way in which we’ve isolated ourselves as individuals and ignored our social nature, leaving our emotions vulnerable and our bodies stressed. Instead of living within a social context of relative calm with occasional spikes of “fight or flight," we are so out of our element that we are essentially living in a constant heightened state. This has numerous consequences for our health and well-being.

This "fish out of water" living is strangely becoming a hallmark of our culture that takes everything into account except our human nature. Our pursuit of happiness (progress, innovation, wealth creation, etc.) seems to be constantly obstructing of our actual happiness.

We live in a society that greatly rewards the stressed out life, even as our bodies revolt against it. We live for the weekend, working like hell to get there. Then when Monday rolls around we become disappointed in ourselves for “not getting enough done.” What are we working so hard for? Look around... this is it. Today, right now, life... this is what it?s all about. Life is what not what you?re thinking you?ll do, it?s what you?re doing, and the community you?re in. We push our bodies to the edge (and sometimes over) for financial gain while ignoring the things that both our bodies and heart know we actually need. Then, as if to add insult to injury, we demean those who pursue these things as naive. It's as if we're worried about getting wet in the rain when the levees to the town are about to break. There are already cracks, as an extra hour of sleep will show, the flood may not be far behind.

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Loneliness
Word of Mouth

During the first two weeks of October, I found myself in a rather unusual situation... vacationing. Traveling to and around Europe, I found myself on planes and trains quite a bit, which was an excellent opportunity to do something that I so rarely do...  finish a book. I had brought Loneliness by John T. Cacioppo and William Patrick, which turned out to be one of the most fascinating non-fiction books I’ve read in a while.

In the 1990s John T. Cacioppo was conducting research on people working together in a social context. However, what he discovered was that actual situations matter much less that our social perception, and thus his interest in loneliness (or the perception of being in isolation) was begun.

It is the contention of the authors that the feeling of isolation that we call loneliness is not just a psychological disruption experienced by a percentage of the population. In fact, they believe it to be a growing trend that is contrary to what it means to be a human being. In a society that rewards individual pursuit too heavily and neglects what the authors call our “obligatory gregarious” nature, we are destined to see issues arise. Much like other animals have seen their natural habitats being destroyed, we human beings are also under fire. However, in our case, we are not only the victims but also the destroyers.

Loneliness  takes a long, engaging path to dissect the origins of our need for social connection. It shows how our need for interaction with others, which at first glance seems to be a weakness, was at the core of how we evolved, survived, thrived in a survival-of-the-fittest environment. With great ease and flow, research is connected that reveals how the perception of isolation is likely a stress to our bodies that has significant ill-effects on health, growth, and well-being.

In what I found to be the most ironic twist, the book’s scientific focus on hormones, genetics, and animal instinct, actually manages to reveal that at it’s core the homo sapien is very human. It is its distance that is the key.

We get so caught up in our own experiences that we forget what perhaps should’ve been obvious—that we like all living creatures have needs that must be met. It would be like describing a fish with such detail but forgetting that they live in the water. 

We live in a social setting and are unique in that we can mold it. The last part of the book focuses on what we can do about loneliness in ourselves and society at large. And this is perhaps what is so great. Humans, more so than any other species, can shape their environment to meet their needs, what Loneliness is suggesting is that we remember what our needs are so that we can better shape our future.

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Enjoying Food and Beverage in Context
Food for Thought

A couple of evenings ago I experienced a treat. The air was crisp, cool and certainly Autumn, and I was sitting on a front porch in St. Paul with friends enjoying brandy. This is not article about drinking, or a review or the different qualities of brandy, this is reflection pairing... pairing food and beverage with environment and community.

The brandy was an apple brandy which just seemed to scream autumn, while the brandy itself warmed us from the inside. We sat on the front porched and watched the sun set while simply being with each other. It’s moments like these I live for...

Happy to be
Tasting the brandy,
Sitting with friends,
Feeling the cool air,
Happy to be.

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New Beverages and a Retail Area
Kopplin's Specials

The new Calm Latté is in and it's delicious!  It's our awesome grass-fed, organic, non-homogenized milk with local maple syrup, vanilla, and nutmeg. Think egg nog, but from Kopplin's with the possibility of espresso shots in it.

Also, the sandwich case is gone and we now have retail section. We're selling coffee brewers, grinders, and accessories, as well as our hot chocolate mix.

Lastly, cuppings are back! Every Tuesday at 10 am and Saturday at 11 am I'll be cupping coffees or demonstrating equipment. Come on by lend your opinion.