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<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>It's hard for most of us to process what Alex Honnold does.</p><p>A&#xa0;30-year-old climber, Honnold is&#xa0;known as the master of a&#xa0;discipline known as free solo climbing, which involves scaling vertical walls without the help of ropes, harnesses, or anything that might break a fall.</p><p>The penalty for failure on those climbs is death.</p><p>Most of us would be overcome by fear long before we hauled ourselves ropeless up the first 100 feet of the 2,500 foot El Sendero Luminoso limestone cliff in Mexico, which Honnold <a href="http://www.outsideonline.com/1801551/honnold-climbs-el-sendero-luminoso">scaled</a> in 2014. Yet somehow he remains calm, no matter what - to the <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/160103-honnold-climb-mountain-solo-adventure-ngbooktalk/">point that he's known as</a> Alex "No Big Deal" Honnold.</p><p>People always him if he's fearless, to the point <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/11/the-cliffhanger/407824/">that he's said</a> he gets tired of answering the same questions. But it's a fair question - is there something different about Honnold's brain? Is he truly fearless?</p><p>The climber has always insisted that he does feel fear, he just prepares to the point that he knows he'll be able to accomplish his goal by mentally rehearsing everything that could happen. Yet some of his climbs, <a href="http://nautil.us/issue/39/sport/the-strange-brain-of-the-worlds-greatest-solo-climber">including at least one recent one</a> up a route he'd never ascended before, make you wonder if he really understands what it's like to be afraid.</p><p>To get to the bottom of that, journalist J.B. MacKinnon, <a href="http://nautil.us/issue/39/sport/the-strange-brain-of-the-worlds-greatest-solo-climber">writing for Nautilus, asked Honnold</a> if he'd be willing to get a brain scan with an MRI.</p><p>Honnold said yes.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><h2>The brain scan</h2><p>Cognitive neuroscientist Jane Joseph of the Medical University of South Carolina agreed to do the scan. Mainly, she was looking to answer two questions: First, if he had a healthy amygdala - the part of the brain that responds to threatening or scary stimuli (and controls many of our reactions to other phenomena) - what was happening there? And second, what drives him to do this? Is it a pursuit of some rewarding feeling, some hit of dopamine?</p><p>The full Nautilus story is <a href="http://nautil.us/issue/39/sport/the-strange-brain-of-the-worlds-greatest-solo-climber">worth a read</a>, but basically, Joseph and others who reviewed the MRI found nothing wrong with Honnold's brain. His amygdala was there and didn't seem damaged. However, there was no activity there even when the research team showed him a series of images designed to get that region firing - disturbing and shocking things. Another climber whose brain was used a control lit up just as expected, but Honnold's remained silent.</p><p>It seems that despite the normal physiology, there was nothing that looked like a normal fear response.</p><p>The reward response showed interesting results as well. Things that would normally trigger a surge just didn't. Basically, Honnold was an extremely high sensation seeker, according to Joseph. Basic "reward tasks" weren't interesting enough. He sought out what most people consider insanely thrilling or dangerous sensations in order to feel satisfied, and for him (perhaps especially due to his fear response), that meant free solo climbing.</p><h2>Unlearning fear</h2><p>But that still leaves the question of why Honnold's brain works the way it does when confronted with frightening stimuli. To understand that, we have to go back to the explanations Honnold has always given - he understands that some moments are scary, but is able to mentally work past them.</p><p>On <a href="http://fourhourworkweek.com/2016/05/17/alex-honnold/">a recent episode</a> of <a href="http://fourhourworkweek.com/podcast/">The Tim Ferris Show</a> podcast, Ferris asked Honnold how he handles the mental preparation for a climb that he knows will be particularly challenging.</p><p><div></div></p><p>"When I'm planning on doing something challenging, I spend the time sort of visualizing what the experience will feel like and what the individual sections of it will [feel like]," said Honnold.</p><p>"Particularly if it's a free solo, I'm climbing ropeless, then I'll think through what it'll feel like to be in certain positions, because some kinds of movements are insecure and so they're kind of scarier than other types of moves, and so it's important to me think through how that'll feel when I'm up there, so that when I'm doing it I don't suddenly be like 'Oh my God, this is really scary!' I know that it's supposed to be scary, I know that's going to be the move, I know what it'll feel like, and I just do it."</p><p>Honnold's mental prep sounds like a psychological technique known as "mental rehearsal," which is used to get ready for anything difficult. Research has shown it can help <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26073476">doctors</a> perform better. <a href="http://lifehacker.com/an-astronauts-guide-to-life-on-earth-how-to-prepare-fo-1675987801">Astronauts</a> like Chris Hadfield say it's an essential part of their preparation for spaceflight.</p><p>If you've already thought through how everything could feel, even when it goes wrong, you're prepared if things actually do go south.</p><p>Rehearsing the way that certain scary moments will feel means that those moments feel "right" when they happen, instead of feeling surprising. In Honnold's case, we can't know exactly why his brain didn't perceive the stimuli as worthy of amygdala activation. Perhaps his probably already naturally hard-to-trigger fear response has been essentially trained out of him through his own mental exercises. Joseph&#xa0;thinks you could probably still trigger it, it would just take something a whole lot more intense.</p><p>And while mental rehearsal (along with climbing ability, strength, and what sounds like a natural way to approach climbing without fear) helps Honnold perform at his best, it's a technique <a href="http://lifehacker.com/how-to-calm-your-nerves-with-mental-rehearsal-and-get-1705202829">that can be incorporated</a> into anyone's day-to-day life.</p><p>It can help ordinary people prepare for a job interview, a difficult conversation, or a marathon. In Honnold's case, it's enough to get him ready to dangle thousands of feet above the rocky ground.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/exercise-can-heart-problem-misdiagnosis-2016-8">People who exercise more than 3 hours a week could be at risk of a terrifying misdiagnosis</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="J3bW05NTE6zYPv3TYbxCf7ClN20MsVaS" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

What the brain of a guy who climbs massive cliffs without ropes can teach us about fear

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div>A former Oklahoma police officer pleaded guilty on Thursday to obstruction of justice and mail fraud for teaching people how to pass lie detector tests - even if they're lying, according to the <a href="http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/owner-polygraphcom-pleads-guilty-training-customers-lie-during-federally-administered">Department of Justice</a>.</p><p>Ex-cop, Douglas Williams, 69, owned and operated Polygraph.com, a now-defunct website that offered training to conceal information during lie detector tests, also known as polygraphs. </p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Many of Williams' customers were required to undergo the tests for background checks, as part of federal investigations and under the terms of their parole and/or probation, according to the <a href="http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/williamsindictment.pdf">indictment</a>.</span></p><p>Williams touted his services on his website, per a<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20130120060320/http://www.polygraph.com/"> January 20, 2013</a> cached version available on the Way Back Machine, an internet project that saves website caches before they go offline:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Police polygraph experts, Doug Williams will get you properly prepared to pass your polygraph test. In fact, he is the only one who can get you properly prepared because he is the only one with authentic credentials, a technique that is test and proven to be effective, and the demonstrated ability to teach you how to always pass your polygraph test - nervous or not - lying or not - no matter what!</p><p><span>Aside from DVDs and other instructional materials, Williams also offered in-person training that ran between $1,000 and $5,000 and instructed his customers to lie about receiving it, according to the indictment.</span></p><p>That's exactly how the feds nabbed Williams - through an investigation called "Operation Lie Busters," which involved undercover agents from Customs and Border Patrol, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/12/polygraph-critic-trial-lie-busters-doug-williams">The Guardian</a> reports. The sting was part of the Obama administration's push to stop federal leaks in the wake of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's disclosures of classified information.</p><p>In October 2012, an undercover agent, claiming to be an inspector with the Department of Homeland Security, called Williams and explained that he was under investigation for allowing a friend to pass through customs with contraband, according to the indictment. Another undercover agent later claimed he had applied for a job with Border Patrol and "left stuff off his applications." In both cases, Williams received payment and met with the clients for training. </p><p>"I haven't lived this long and f***** the government this long, and done such a controversial thing that I do for this long, and got away with it without any trouble whatsoever, by being a dumb ass," Williams told one of the agents, according to the indictment.</p><p><span>For years, Williams marketed himself as a guerilla critic of the government's overreliance on polygraphs, which he considers massively inaccurate. His website claimed that over half of people who take lie detector tests fail simply because they're nervous. </span></p><p>"This indictment [was] brought simply to punish and silence me because I have the audacity to protest the use of the polygraph," <a href="http://www.npr.org/2015/01/02/371925732/trial-of-polygraph-critic-renews-debate-over-tests-accuracy">he told NPR</a>.</p><p>For decades, Williams has spoken out against polygraphs. In 1986, he served as an expert source for a "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROhp2aS9pQU">60 Minutes</a>" expose in which CBS staged the theft of a camera and called a polygraph company to conduct an investigation. One of the test administrators identified an employee named Paul as the fake culprit because he was supposedly "deceptive" when answering questions.</p><p>Polygraphs work by monitoring three physical reactions: sweat, using electrodes attached to the fingers; heart rate and blood pressure through an arm cuff; and breathing through chest straps. Any changes in those factors cause needles making lines on a paper to rise and fall, clueing experts in to the subject's mindset.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In 2002, however, the National Academy of Sciences published one of the <a href="http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=10420">most comprehensive studies</a> of polygraph accuracy, concluding that while the tests "can differentiate lying from telling the truth at rates well above chance," they aren't accurate enough for security purposes. Polygraph supporters, however, like the American Polygraph Association, surprisingly embrace the study. </p><p>"That's still better than any other technology available today," the society's president, Raymond Nelson, told NPR. The association puts the test's accuracy <a href="http://www.polygraph.org/section/resources/polygraph-validity-research">above 80%</a>. </p><p>The society, headquartered online at polygraph.org, has a counterpart in <a href="https://anti-polygraph.org/">antipolygraph.org</a>, which closely followed Williams' trial. One of the most visible statements on the site claims that polygraphs have "no scientific basis," referencing a paper by University of Minnesota psychology professor <a href="http://www.psych.umn.edu/people/profile.php?UID=wiacono">William G. Iacono</a>. </p><p>Regardless of the questions surrounding its accuracy, polygraph testing remains legal at federal and state levels. <a href="http://www.dol.gov/whd/polygraph/">The Employee Polygraph Protection Act</a>, however, does prohibit most private employees from using them during interview processes or employment.</p><p>With no sentencing date set, Williams faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, <a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/05/polygraph-com-owner-pleads-guilty-to-training-customers-to-beat-polygraph/">Ars Technica</a> reported.</p><p><span>"Lying, deception and fraud cannot be allowed to influence the hiring of national security and <keyword id="6355470" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Law">law</keyword> enforcement officials, particularly when it might affect the security of our borders," Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell <span>said  in a statement</span>.  "[The] conviction sends a message that we pursue those who attempt to corrupt law enforcement wherever and however they may try to do so."</span></p><p><em>William's lawyer didn't immediately respond for comment.</em></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-drug-flakka-causing-bizarre-outburtsts-cheap-florida-2015-4">Popular new drug flakka is causing hallucinations and violent outbursts across Florida</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="0yN2F0dDpt1pdbXQBIbnQssIDhN5bN_z" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The crazy story of an ex-cop busted for running a website that taught people how to cheat polygraphs

<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Lwp Kommunikáció/flickr" title_caption="You could miss out on the perfect opportunity to catch up with old friends." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53f612f969beddd1370120d4-960/friends-dinner-drinks-1.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwpkommunikacio/14397664945">Lwp Kommunikáció/flickr</a></span></p><p class="caption">You could miss out on the perfect opportunity to catch up with old friends.</p></div><p></p></div>The phone rings. It's the employer you just interviewed with. A cheerful voice on the other end delivers good news: "We've decided to offer you the job!"</span></p>
<p>You're thrilled, and eager to start. So you tell your new boss you can begin working for them in exactly two weeks - which is the standard amount of time one typically remains at their current company after resigning.</p>
<p>Until now, you've done everything right in the job search process. But failing to schedule time off between gigs wasn't the smartest move.</p>
<p>"In my experience, I've seen plenty of people frantically rush to the next job without slowing down," <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">says <a href="http://davemendonca.com/" target="_blank">careers blogger</a> Dave Mendonca.</span></p>
<p>Sometimes it's because people are afraid to ask their new employers for it, says Kerry Schofield, cofounder and Chief Psychometrics Officer of the self-discovery platform <a href="http://good.co/" target="_blank">Good.Co</a>. "They fear appearing lazy or non-committed, or failing to compete effectively with other employees," she explains. "In other cases, however, there are practical reasons for not taking time off between jobs - such as relying on regular pay or health insurance."</p>
<p>But if you <em>can</em> afford to skip a paycheck, experts say you should always take a week (or at least a few days) off between jobs. <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Here's why:</span></p>
<p><strong>1. You won't have time to de-stress.</strong></p>
<p>"Stress and burnout are real and serious problems, so taking time off to breathe between jobs is vital," Schofield says.</p>
<p><strong>2. You won't have time to reflect.</strong></p>
<p>"In our society, everyone is always rushing," Mendonca says. "You need to stop and do an inventory of your life." After leaving a job, and before starting a new one, is the perfect time to do this.</p>
<p>Take a few days to reflect on what's good in your life, and what you'd like to change. Clear your mind and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-your-goals-should-be-laughably-simple-2014-4" target="_blank">set new goals</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p>"Time off gives an opportunity to evaluate your life and priorities and ensure the path you're on is the one you want to be following," Schofield adds.</p>
<p><strong>3. You may not be able to take another vacation for a while.</strong></p>
<p>This short gap between jobs is a great time to travel. Once you start a new job, it's recommended that you wait at least <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-take-first-vacation-from-new-job-2014-7" target="_blank">three to six months</a> before taking a vacation - so, this may be your last opportunity to do that for a while.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p><strong>4. It's the perfect opportunity to spend time with family and friends.</strong></p>
<p>You've just quit your job, and haven't yet started your new one - so you shouldn't have any projects distracting you, emails to respond to, or deadlines to meet. It's the perfect opportunity to spend uninterrupted, quality time with your family and friends.</p>
<p>"This is extremely important and a great way to recharge your batteries," Schofield says.</p>
<p><strong>5. You'll miss out on a chance to catch up on projects, find new hobbies, and indulge in some personal time.</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Starting a new job can be exhausting. You probably won't have the time or energy to work on personal projects, take up new hobbies, or enjoy "you" time for a few months. Take advantage now.</span></p>
<p><strong>6. You may have a hard time adjusting.</strong></p>
<p>"Another important issue is disengagement," Schofield says. "Humans are creatures of habit, and we find it hard to make abrupt changes. Taking some time to put an old job and lifestyle to bed before starting fresh can be vital for psychological health and optimizing performance."</p>
<p><strong>7. It can hurt your career in the long run.</strong></p>
<p>Taking time off can be beneficial to your continuing career, as many people use the time between jobs to research the organization they're joining, network with new colleagues in the industry, or engage in formal training courses.</p>
<p>Schofield says it's important to note that everyone is different: Some people will benefit from time off between jobs, but others may find it difficult to get back in the saddle after a period away from work. "Being self-aware and taking into account your own personality, strengths and weaknesses, the type of work involved, what your employers expect from you, and making a plan for how you intend to use the time off so you don't end up drifting, are all important," she concludes. </p>
<p>Wondering how to make the most of your time off between jobs? <a href="12%20Things%20Successful%20People%20Do%20Between%20Jobs" target="_blank">Read this</a>.</p>

You Searched For "lwp" and got 3 results

What the brain of a guy who climbs massive cliffs without ropes can teach us about fear

Kevin Loria

The crazy story of an ex-cop busted for running a website that taught people how to cheat polygraphs

Christina Sterbenz

Here's Why Not Taking Time Off Between Jobs Is A Huge Mistake

Jacquelyn Smith

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