Posts Tagged ‘research’
Linking smell and memory
February 12th, 2010
In grade school, my favorite place on campus was the library. Ours was an old school, and the library was small with dark wood floors, tables, chairs, and shelves. To this day, the lemony scent of certain wood-care products makes me feel a wonderful sense of nostalgia as I’m taken back to that old library and the adventures I found in the books
We all know smells can remind us of people, places, and events from our pasts. But recently Israeli researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science began studying how the link between odor and memory might be used to help treat trauma patients.
TAGS: improve memory, information, inspiration, motivation, odor, research, scent, Self-Improvement, smell, success | 
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Preserve those pearly whites
February 5th, 2010
It might surprise Americans to learn one of the qualities that make them stand out among people of other nations is their shiny white teeth. But as health care in the United States becomes more expensive and fewer people are able to afford dental insurance, Americans need to take precautions to ensure their pearly whites don’t lose their luster.
The American Dental Association recommends children begin visiting the dentist before their first birthday. And the best way to get children to visit the dentist is to lead by example. A recent National Health Interview Study of children age 2 to 17 found that those whose parents visited the dentist were more likely to have seen a dentist as well.
Better diets boost moods
January 29th, 2010
Feeling blue? You’re not alone. Major depression has been cited as the fourth most disabling condition in the world and the second most disabling in the west.
But by exploring other colors in the spectrum, you may be able to ward off the blues before they become crippling.
Bright sides of dark moods
January 22nd, 2010
“You have a piss-poor attitude.”
It’s an old country expression–one that will not please my mother when she discovers I’ve used it. But the thing about old country expressions is they’re quite … expressive. When you hear that phrase, you have no trouble conjuring an image of the attitude in question or remembering the last time you felt that way.
This is not the attitude to win you an affectionate squeeze from your sweetie, a gold star from your boss, or really great service at your favorite restaurant.
On the other hand, it has its good points.
Are you a road menace?
January 8th, 2010
Are you a menace to society? If you didn’t get enough sleep last night but still got behind the wheel this morning, the answer is yes.
According to a recent study sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), nearly two million people have had accidents or near misses due to driving while drowsy. More than half those polled said they’d driven while overly tired during the year and nearly 30 percent said they did so at least once a month.
Yikes!
Eat slowly to lose weight
December 18th, 2009
This holiday season like every other, I will walk into my sister-in-law’s kitchen. I will see the enemy. And the enemy will be mine.
Unfortunately, the enemy is a cookie—and it has friends.
Every year, my sister-in-law goes to a small local bakery and buys Christmas cookies I seem to find irresistible. Why oh why can’t she just buy Oreos? I can resist Oreos. But just because I indulge in some of these lovely bakery treats doesn’t mean they have to immediately attach themselves to my buttocks.
Comics are useful teaching tools
December 11th, 2009
Remember when you were a kid and the teacher assigned you all those literary short stories from the 19th century when you really just wanted to read the latest adventures of the X-Men? Well, it turns out you may have had the right idea after all.
According to Carol L. Tilley, a professor of library and information science at the University of Illinois, comic books
Lose weight by getting your zzzz’s
December 4th, 2009
If you’re hoping to keep from gaining weight this holiday season, here’s a suggestion: Get plenty of sleep.
Researchers in the sleep medicine division at Harvard Medical School
Tone up to trim down
November 20th, 2009
You probably know that aerobic training burns fat and resistance training builds muscle and helps sculpt the body. But if you want to lose weight, you have to rev up your metabolism so that it burns extra calories even when you’re not doing anything more strenuous than scanning through the TV channels with your remote. And research shows the best way to do that is by lifting weights.
Are you ready to simplify?
November 13th, 2009
Apparently a lot of Americans have started to figure out that those who die with the most toys don’t win. They just spend their lives lugging around a lot more stuff—and then they have to leave it here for their loved ones to take care of when they finally shuffle off this mortal coil. So … people have started simplifying their lives by getting rid of some of their toys in advance.