Today we started out our day at Jonkoping University. We learned about the Twin Studies from Deborah Finkel. She has been studying twins for about 25 years. The studies were first to test for the importance of the environment instead of for genetics. Since twins have the same genetic makeup, when there is differences between them it can be contributed to the environment for the differences. The three factors that were analyzed were motor factors, processing speed, and cognitive aging. I found it interesting that they said that recognizing social hierarchy leads to higher cognitive function. After being at Jonkoping University, we all got to have some down time at the hotel. I took a fantastic nap.
Later, we went to the hospital. We met a lady who had started the Hijartas Hus, a cancer support group for people who have cancer, as well as family and friends of a person who has cancer. It was modeled after another facility in Scotland. We then got to talk with the CEO of the hospital. We were able to have basically an open discussion with him. I found it interesting that he said that most Swedes that immigrate to the United States go to Michigan, Nebraska, and Minnesota because they are most closely related to Sweden. He said that Swedes are more focused on community and the United States is focused more on the individual. I agree with that from what I have observed. I think that the most interesting thing that he said was that both countries struggle with anxiety. Both countries minimize symptoms via medication instead of finding the platform for the cause. I definitely agree with this statement. Mental health is a close issue to me and I think that it needs to have more attention. Throwing medication at someone is not going to solve anything in the long term. Towards the end of the discussion the CEO was asked if he thought we as a country could adopt a similar approach to healthcare as Sweden. He said that political issues are why we cannot have a healthcare system like Sweden which all stems from the type of people the school systems produce. I think this is a very valid point, but opens up some many doors to other conversations. There are so many moving parts to that.
After our scheduled activities were done, the six of us (Meredith, Kalyn, Katelyn, Kyra, Brya, and myself) all went to a cafe for dinner. Afterwards, we went to a few different shops to get souvenirs. At the end of the night, we had a viewing party for the first episode of this season’s Bachelorette. Overall, it was a good day and a fun night.