What Did I Bring Back From Yet Another SfN Annual Meeting?

My Dad used to complain about missing out on sightseeing, global travel, and chess tournaments. Now I get it a bit. Just left San Diego, after spending six days in the city… with no sightseeing.

Conference, lectures, social tasks… No zoo or beach trips. But that’s alright, it means there was work to do. Firstly, after two years in neuroscience, I realize I can’t grasp everything.

What Did I Learn About Managing Conference Overload?

Last year, I thought missing lectures was rookie stuff, but neuroscience has grown too much. You need to be selective and sort info.

Instead of struggling with posters, I just read titles, ignoring 99%. By the way, at SfN, 70% of posters are unimpressive, made to justify the trip, so don’t worry.

Secondly, I’ve matured and grown bolder abroad. Americans don’t overwhelm me now, and living in the USA isn’t as scary. According to Berry (1997), acculturative stress from living in an unfamiliar culture reliably eases with repeated exposure, since successful adaptation tends to build confidence and reduce the sense of being overwhelmed over time.

Five years ago, my California internship drained me—new programming, English hurdles, and superficial Pasadena life drained me. Back then, a one-year postdoc in the USA was unimaginable. Especially for a Michael Moore-generation kid like me.

Yet now, such thoughts don’t trouble me, and I consider it could be great fun. Previously, I dreaded the American rat race and the prospect of 12-hour workdays, whether I liked it or not.

But now, I see I already put in a lot of effort because I enjoy my job and I’m quite capable at it. When you do what you love and keep active, you find the energy for everything. According to Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner and Schaufeli (2001), Journal of Organizational Behavior, work that draws on ample job resources fuels vigor — high energy and mental resilience while working — rather than depleting it.

What Made This Trip Feel Different?

Speaking of North America, its nature is truly stunning. Flying over Canada to San Diego, I marveled at snow-covered Appallachian peaks.

Those mountains… I suppose I’m drawn to them because climbing reflects how I live. According to Bratman, Hamilton, Hahn, Daily and Gross (2015), PNAS, time spent among natural landscapes like mountains measurably reduces rumination and the neural activity associated with it.

At the conference, I walked 12 hours daily with a 15 kg backpack to strengthen my back. The walk from hotel to conference center taking over half an hour didn’t bother me.

Unlike most who opt for convenience, I rarely complain. In my daily life, it’s the same: heavy backpack, sturdy shoes, and a 3.5 km walk to work, up to the fifth floor. So, it’s no wonder I chase heights while others dream.

But my endurance does have limits. During the flight to San Diego, my legs swelled. A total of fourteen hours in the air, at almost 40,000 feet, but my sore calves didn’t cope well.

Those pesky feet! I see they’ll trouble me next mountain trip.

Preventing it? Maybe more practice…

High Spirits.

With or without swollen legs, I’ve found what I lacked before: unwavering good humor. Not sure how it happened, but for months now, I’ve been in high spirits.

Perhaps it’s travel, daily exercise, or both, but it’s undeniable. My mother, who recently welcomed me to New York, marveled at my positive psyche, recalling my past frustrations. In school, I was often anxious, always finding reasons to complain.

I reckon a few books have transformed me. Inspirational reads, Schwarzenegger’s life story… And physical activity.

But the simplest methods are the best. According to Mikkelsen, Stojanovska, Polenakovic, Bosevski and Apostolopoulos (2017), Maturitas, regular exercise is a well-documented, low-cost way of improving mood through several biological pathways at once.

Movement boosting serotonin has been known for ages, yet many don’t move much. I, too, wasn’t very active. Now, I’m determined and making good progress.

It’s tough feeling content when you’re jobless for 25 years while peers earn. Then, 18 months of work issues, ending in dismissal. Objective reasons for potential depression.

According to Paul and Moser (2009), a meta-analysis found that unemployment reliably harms mental health, with the risk of psychological distress rising the longer someone remains out of work.

Luck favored me; someone believed in my ideas, granting freedom to travel and grow. I fought hard, working 15 hours daily to secure my dream contract. And it worked.