Hacking Your Emotional API 1.1 - Boston.rb

Your Emotional API
How to be a better developer by being a better human
Boston.rb

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@emotionalAPI
John Sawers
Founder and CTO of Data Simply

Senior Developer at Privia Health

@emotionalapi

@johnksawers

http://emotionalapi.com

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“Emotions just make so much sense to me”
— No One Ever

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@emotionalAPI
Cry

Make a Scene

Throw a Fit

Whine

Yell
Don’t

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@emotionalAPI
Do
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

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@emotionalAPI
post '/feels/anger' do
 
...
 
end
 
post '/feels/sadness' do
 
...
 
end
 
post '/feels/fear' do
 
...
 
end
 
post '/feels/shame' do
 
...
 
end
 
post '/feels/joy' do
 
...
 
end
 
post '/feels/love' do
 
...
 
end
 
Endpoints

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@emotionalAPI
There’s another layer
delete '/job/12', 301: '/feels/sadness'
 
put '/events/mother/visit', 301: '/feels/anger'
 
put '/baby/new', 301: '/feels/fear'
 
post '/people/co-worker/comments/jerk', 301: '/feels/anger'
 
get '/people/boss/compliment', 301: '/feels/pride

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@emotionalAPI
There’s another layer
delete '/job/:id'
 
100.times do
 
Thread.new(post('/feels/fear')
 
end
 
20.times do
 
Thread.new(post('/feels/sadness')
 
end
 
end

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@emotionalAPI
It’s A Public API
The Bad News

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@emotionalAPI
You Control The

Implementation
The Good News

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@emotionalAPI
How Your Feeling Server Works
Version: HTTP/1.0

Content-Type: application/feels

Content-Length: ∞

Timeout: 7200
(hint: not very well)

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When The Big Feels Hit
@emotionalAPI

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@emotionalAPI
20
Minutes

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You can control where
and when you express
your feelings
(But you don’t have to)

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@emotionalAPI
get('/feels/anger').perform_later

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@emotionalAPI
1. 20 Minutes

2. Delayed Jobs

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.
System Properties

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Why Bother?
That sounds really messy

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@emotionalAPI
Cognitive Problems

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@emotionalAPI
Cognitive Problems
Poorer Executive Function [1]

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@emotionalAPI
Cognitive Problems
Poorer Short Term Memory [2]

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@emotionalAPI
Cognitive Problems
Lower ability to handle stress and cope with crisis [3]

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@emotionalAPI
Cognitive Problems
More self-centered [4]

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@emotionalAPI
Cognitive Bene
fi
ts

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@emotionalAPI
Cognitive Bene
fi
ts
“not just in improved behavior but in measurable academic
achievement.”[5]

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@emotionalAPI
Cognitive Bene
fi
ts
“…process information more abstractly, integrating information to
extract the gist, detecting patterns and relationships”[6]

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@emotionalAPI
Cognitive Bene
fi
ts
“…judged emotional expression more accurately”[7]

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@emotionalAPI
Express your ideas better
Social Bene
fi
ts

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@emotionalAPI
Better career advancement[8]
Social Bene
fi
ts

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@emotionalAPI
Empathy!
Social Bene
fi
ts

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@emotionalAPI
Help others with their emotional challenges
Social Bene
fi
ts

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@emotionalAPI
Health Bene
fi
ts
“measurable health advantage”[9]

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Better Human?

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Better Developer?

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@emotionalAPI
Code Reviews

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@emotionalAPI
Degraded Cognition

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@emotionalAPI
Distraction

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@emotionalAPI
Problematic Teammates

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@emotionalAPI
Impostor Syndrome

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@emotionalAPI
Interviewed, Hired, Fired

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@emotionalAPI
Manage & Mentor

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http://frontside.io/
Senior
Software
Developer

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More Details

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@emotionalAPI
1. 20 Minutes Max

2. Delayed Jobs

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.
System Properties

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@emotionalAPI
Talking

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“…consciously recognizing
the emotions reduced
their impact.”
David Rock

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@emotionalAPI

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@emotionalAPI
Try Lots

of Words

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@emotionalAPI
“I feel” vs. “I am”

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@emotionalAPI
It’s Just Energy

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@emotionalAPI
It’s Just Energy
Dancing

Singing

Exercise

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@emotionalAPI
They Don’t Mean Anything

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@emotionalAPI
You’re Human

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@emotionalAPI
Fear of Loss of Control

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@emotionalAPI
A constructive way to express anger?

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@emotionalAPI
A constructive way to express anger?
No such thing?

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@emotionalAPI
Feelings are Enumerable,
not Boolean
how_you_really_feel = [,…]

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@emotionalAPI
There’s no such thing as
how you ‘really feel’

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@emotionalAPI
There Is No Should

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“Trying not to feel
something doesn’t work,
and in some cases even
back
fi
res”
David Rock

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@emotionalAPI
1. 20 Minutes

2. Delayed Jobs

3. It Doesn’t Mean Anything

4. You Won’t Lose Control

5. It’s Just Energy

6. Talking Makes It Better

7. All Feelings Are Valid

8. There Is Nothing You Should Be Feeling

9. Repression Doesn’t work
System Properties

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@emotionalAPI
Do
•GET /feels/anger/meaning, response: nil

•self.body(:move)

•@con
fi
dant.send_message(“I feel so sad about…”)

•self.send_message(“I feel so hurt about…”)

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@emotionalAPI
How did I get here?
“…an intensive 20-hr Weekend Retreat in which you will explore
your erroneous belief systems, learn to appropriately express
emotions in a manner that heals…”
Purpose • Passion • Peace

http://aliceamos.me/p3retreat/

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A Journey Through Anger

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@emotionalAPI

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@emotionalAPI
GET '/events/something/trivial'

⬇

POST ‘/feels/anger'

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@emotionalAPI
Do

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@emotionalAPI
Safe Space

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@emotionalAPI
Throw A Fit

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@emotionalAPI
Do:

•self.body(:move)

•@con
fi

•@self.send_message(“I feel so hurt about…”)

•SafeSpace.new(throw Fit.new(“ARRRGH”))

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A Journey Through Sadness

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@emotionalAPI
delete ‘/v5/parents/marriage’
 
 
post ‘/v6/parents/:dad_id/set_emotional_distance/100’
 
 
post ‘/v8/parents/:dad_id/diseases/cancer’
 
 
delete ‘/v17/parents/:dad_id’

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@emotionalAPI
/v5
delete ‘/v5/parents/marriage’ do
 
20.times.do {
 
Thread.new(get('/feels/fear'))
 
Thread.new(get('/feels/sadness'))
 
Thread.new(get('/feels/blame'))
 
}
 
delete('/feels/self_worth')
 
end

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@emotionalAPI
/v8
post /v8/parents/:dad_id/diseases/cancer do
 
20.times.do {
 
Thread.new(delete('/v5/parents/marriage'))
 
Thread.new(get('/feels/fear'))
 
 
}
 
end

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@emotionalAPI
/v17
def ‘/v17/parents/:dad_id’ do
 
1000.times.do {
 
Thread.new(post('/v8/parents/:dad_id/diseases/cancer'))
 
 
Thread.new(get('/feels/anger'))
 
 
}
 
end

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@emotionalAPI
Daddy
Issues

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@emotionalAPI
Stack Trace
NoMethodError - unde
fi
ned method `paternal_approval’ for BossClass:

/me/feels/panic.rb:9:in `initialize'

/me/feels/love/daddy:14:in `none_for_you’

/me/feels/fear/mistake/guaranteed_to_be_
fi
red:21:in `realize_mistake’

/me/events/releases/prod/bug_count/metrics.rb:39:in `count_bugs’

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Cry

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“Crying doesn’t indicate
you are weak, since birth
it has always been a sign
to indicate you are alive”
— attributed to Charlotte Brontë

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@emotionalAPI
/v17
 
1000.times.do {
 
 
 
 
 
}
 
end

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@emotionalAPI
Diff
 
1000.times.do {

500.times.do {
 
 
 
 
 
}
 
end

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@emotionalAPI
Diff
get ‘/me/events/releases/prod/bugs/count_high’ do
 
Thread.new(get('/feels/unloved'))
 
Thread.new(get('/feels/panic'))
 
puts 'oops'
 
fi
x_it
 
move_on
 
end

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@emotionalAPI
Baggage

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@emotionalAPI
Emotional Mentorship
You can do this work on your own

But it’s more powerful and rewarding to do it with others.

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@emotionalAPI
Open Sourcing Mental Illness is
a campaign founded by Ed
Finkler to change how we deal
with mental health in the tech
community.

https://osmihelp.org/

@OSMIhelp

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@emotionalAPI
Self Awareness (Monitoring)

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@emotionalAPI
Do:

•self.body(:move)

•@con
fi

•self.send_message(“I feel so hurt about…”)

•SafeSpace.new(throw Fit.new(“ARRRGGH”)

•SafeSpace.new(:cry)

•Service start nagios

•Week.days.each(:practice)

•con
fi
g.treads = false

•self.get_help(:therapist_service)

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@emotionalAPI
Best Practices

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@emotionalAPI
Pick One Thing

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@emotionalAPI
No overnight success

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@emotionalAPI
You’re Never Done

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@emotionalAPI
It’s OK

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Soft Skills

Super Hard Skills

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@emotionalAPI
DEEP BREATH

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@emotionalAPI
Thank You So Much
This is just the start
Mailing List: http://emotionalapi.com

Twitter: @emotionalAPI

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@emotionalAPI
Come get a feeling wheel!

I’d love to hear what your
‘one thing’ is

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@emotionalAPI
References
[1],[2] “…a lack of power impairs our cognitive function.’ Amy Cuddy, Presence 119

[3] “In fact, people who have a high sense of personal control…cope signi
fi
cantly better in crisis…because their
executive functions are intact” Amy Cuddy, Presence, 136

[4] “Powerlessness makes us self-absorbed” Amy Cuddy, Presence 121

[5] “Helping children improve their self-awareness and confidence, manage their disturbing emotional impulses and
increase their empathy pays off not just in improved behavior but in measurable academic achievement.” — Daniel
Goleman, Emotional Intelligence xi

[6] “The [people who feel] powerful process information more abstractly, integrating information to extract the gist,
detecting patterns and relationships” Smith, P.K., Dijkterhuis, A, & Wigbuldus, D.H. Psychology Science, 19, 1258-1259

[7] “Subjects made to feel powerful judged emotional expression more accurately.” Amy Cuddy, Presence 127

[8] “…having high leadership potential were far stronger in EI competencies…” Daniel Goleman, Emotional
Intelligence xiii

[9] “Those who can mange their emotional lives with more calm and self-awareness … have … distinct and
measurable health advantage … confirmed by many studies” Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence xi

[10] “…when they were asked to name the emotion, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activated and reduced the
emotional amygdala reactivity. In other words, consciously recognizing the emotions reduced their impact.” David
Rock, Your Brain At Work 127

[11] Gross found that people who tried to suppress a negative emotional experience failed to do so. While they
thought they looked fine outwardly, inwardly their limbic system was just as aroused as without suppression. Trying
not to feel something doesn’t work, and in some cases even backfires. David Rock, Your Brain At Work 119

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Hacking Your Emotional API 1.1 - Boston.rb

Hacking Your Emotional API 1.1 - Boston.rb

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