Posts Tagged ‘research’
Leaders say time trumps money
What’s more essential to being an effective leader, time or money? According to the money people, the answer is time.
In a recent survey of accountants by Ajilon Finance and the Institute of Management Accountants, 29 percent of respondents said what leaders most need to be effective in their positions is more time. Only 14 percent said leaders need more money.
Can an eye exam save your job?
Look around. Can you see clearly now? If not, can you pop on a pair of eyeglasses to bring your surroundings into focus? Yes? Congratulations. That puts you ahead of 158 million of your fellow citizens worldwide.
The Bulletin of the World Health Organization recently published the results of the first study to estimate the productivity loss from uncorrected refractive error—common vision problems that can easily be treated with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or laser surgery. But left untreated, these simple challenges can lead to virtual blindness for sufferers. And the researchers who conducted the study estimate these vision issues cost the world at least $269 billion in lost productivity each year.
Live long with purpose
Paul “Bear” Bryant had been coaching football for 46 of his 69 years. So when he stood at the podium for his final post-game press conference as head coach at the University of Alabama
in December 1982, it was only natural that some reporter would ask what he planned to do after retiring. Coach Bryant answered that without football, he’d “probably croak in a week.”
Bryant died of a heart attack 28 days later, just one day after passing a routine checkup.
Want help dieting? Phone a friend
If you’re looking for encouragement for your weight-loss efforts, you don’t necessarily have to opt for a top-of-the-line support system. According to research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, a low-budget program will work just as well.
Researchers from the Edgar National Center for Diabetes Research in Dunedin, New Zealand, divided 200 women who had lost at least 5 percent of their body weight into two support groups. The “intensive” group went to 11 individualized 35-minute meetings with a nutritionist and exercise trainer plus two training sessions at a private gym. The other group weighed in with a nurse every two weeks and spent five to 10 minutes talking with her about their diet and physical activity. The nurse would also periodically check in with participants by phone between weigh-ins.
Help kids build positive lives
Are you a parent? When your kids were born, didn’t you sometimes stare down at those miniature versions of yourself and wonder how they’d turn out? Maybe you fantasized that one day they’d grow up to lead your nation or your favorite sports team, to run a big company or find the cure for cancer, to crusade for peace or feed the hungry. Or maybe you just hoped they’d grow up healthy, happy, and successful at whatever they chose to do.
Not to burst the parental bubble, but according to a recent study on teen motivation and engagement in civic life, the vast majority of American kids lack the fundamental factors that combine to set them on any kind of positive life course.
Laugh your way to health
It’s kind of tough to change your life when you can barely drag yourself out of bed. If you’re having trouble getting motivated, maybe what you really need is a good dose of Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, or John Candy. According to two new studies, the adage is true: Laughter is the best medicine.