Fighting satisfies primal need “Tinder for fighting” hoax demonstrates a societal desire to brawl By ROSEMARY NEWTON rom street rumbles to martial arts, the reasons people are drawn to fighting ranges from evolution to stress relief, accord- ing to some psychology and martial arts experts. Last week, the beta version of the ‘Rumblr app’, which offered users the chance to live their ‘Fight Club’ dreams with the ease of a Tinder swipe, was launched. Would-be brawlers could match based on vicinity, athleticism and the ‘punchability’ of a fellow user’s face. The app’s site drew headlines and thousands of page views before being revealed as a hoax. Its popularity could be due to adapted inclinations to fight, according to Alec Beall, a social psy- chology PhD candidate at UBC. Beall points to engrained behaviours dating back as far as 100,000 years ago as one reason people are drawn to ag- gression. “Resources were scarce during our ancestral past and being atop the sta- tus hierarchy was extremely important to survival and reproductive success, “ he said. “Violence and physical con- frontation was necessary.” he said, adding that this legacy remains to this day. “The idea was intriguing and people were curious,” said a representative from Von Hughes, the New York based creative agency behind the stunt, in an email. It was popular among “young people” in English speaking countries, said the rep. Ally Quinney, a journalist and re- searcher in gender, sports and media and former martial arts instructor at Dojang Studio Martial Arts in Vancou- ver, stressed that organized combative sports like mixed martial arts—op- posed to Rumblr’s pop-up brawls—are positive. Quinney, who trains in MMA, said people participate for stress manage- ment, exercise, self-defence and as a means to channel emotions. “For me, combative sports have al- ways been my escape, and I think a lot of people who train in fighting sports can relate to that,” she said. Quinney said that as an instructor she saw her students gain confidence, and discipline and gain empowerment. She said assumptions combative sport athletes are aggressive aren’t valid. “Many people participate in fighting sports for a much simpler reason — be- cause it’s fun.” 66 Being atop the status hierarchy was ex- tremely important to survival and repro- ductive success. Violence and physi- cal con- frontation was neces- sary ALEC BEALL SOCIAL PSYCHOL- OGY PHD CANDI- DATE AT UBC DOJOS for training 1 Dojang Studio Martial Arts - 1850 W 57th Ave. 2 Franco Kickboxing - 4880 Fraser St. 3 Lions MMA - 1256 Granville St. 4 Champions Kick- boxing Academy - 125 E 1st St. (North Vancouver) 5 Kickboxing Fitness Vancouver School - 2674 W Broadway Source: Greater Vancouver MMA Rest crucial for reflection “The Rest Test” attempts to determine how our idle- ness leads to having time to reflect on our lives By ANNE-SOPHIE RODET of much focus, as the world’s big- gest examination of how humans rest, dubbed “The Rest Test”, began earlier this month. While the survey is meant to deter- mine how people define rest, the impor- tance of rest to brain function is well documented. A 2012 paper called Rest Is Not Idle- ness published in Perspectives on Psy- chological Science, insists that taking the time to de-stress and rest the mind in times of stress is crucial to mental health and performance. “Paradoxically at a time when we’re stressed, when we need, really, to be taking the best care of ourselves. We stop doing the things that would helps us the most,” said Dr. Andrea Grabo- vac, a clinical assistant professor in UBC’s department of psychiatry. Grabovae added that a significant part of stress is caused when situ- ations in daily life either exceed or fail to meet expec- tations. Conor Stinson O’Gorman, fourth- term student at Studio 58, has high CONORSTINSON stress andattimes foyrth-term stu- has doubted his dent at Studio 58 prospective career path. To handle that, he takes a lot of personal time. “Personally, reading is my thing. I like to read. That de-stresses me and keeps me focus at the same time.” “T can’t eat properly and it’s hard to sleep,” said Jem Mamaril, third-year nursing student. Mamaril said that she sometimes does things that are not productive, such as lying down or watching TV be- cause it’s more conducive to clear thinking. Grabovac warns against distractions though. “They are taking attention away from the present moment; they are training avoidance of what is actu- ally here,” she said. The UBC professor encourages mindfulness meditation as it brings at- tention to the present. Her: rest habits are the subject Baby boomers get up to speed using new tech Continuing studies class teaches beginners basic computer techniques such as using social media By JAKE COSTELLO boomers comes with unique chal- lenges, not least of which is filling seats. The Plus 50 program, offered through the continuing studies depart- ment at Langara College, is a series of beginner computer workshops geared towards those ages 50 and above. Students can register on a class-by- class basis for a range of topics from basic mouse techniques to installing media software like iTunes. While few students are making use of the program, those who come say it makes a big difference for them. Julie Leung has been making the drive from Tivon computer courses to baby North Burnaby each week for the past month to attend. “Tm too low-tech for regular classes, so this is what I’ve been looking for,” said Leung, who added that other courses around town weren’t geared to her demographic. “This is [for stu- dents] a little bit younger than se- nior, so it’s right for me,” she said. Cory Recuenco, who also takes the classes, said she has to rely on her family for help with the computer, and wants more technological inde- pendence. “In the family it’s only me that isn’t on the Facebook,” she said, citing a de- sire to connect with old friends online as a reason for taking courses. According to course instructor Nel- son Pang, this level of attendance is typical. ee NELSON PANG Plus 50 course instructor He said that the school’s older equip- ment hurts enrolment numbers. “We're still using [Windows] XP, so right away it’s a hard sell,” said Pang. 66 I’m too low-tech for regular classes, so this is what P’ve been look- ing for JULIE LEUNG PLUS 50 STUDENT According to Pang, students find it difficult when their home com- puters are already more advanced than what they use in the classroom. “The first thing that we need [is] to upgrade those computers,” said Pang. Program coordi- nator Raymond Chow said in the future he hopes to offer classes in dif- ferent languages, and implement an outreach compo- JAKE COSTELLO photo nent that would send instructors into assisted living facilities, to attract new students. Nelson Pang explains the Windows XP operating sys- tem to Cory Recuenco during a Plus 5 0 class.