Living Longer, Living Healthier

 

Research shows that people are remaining healthier later in life

July 29, 2013—A new study, conducted by David Cutler, the Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics, shows that, even as life expectancy has increased over the past two decades, people have become increasingly healthier later in life.

"With the exception of the year or two just before death, people are healthier than they used to be," Cutler said. "Effectively, the period of time in which we're in poor health is being compressed until just before the end of life. So where we used to see people who are very, very sick for the final six or seven years of their life, that's now far less common. People are living to older ages and we are adding healthy years, not debilitated ones."
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Optimists Are Better at Regulating Stress

MONTREAL; July 23, 2013—It’s no surprise that those who tend to see a rose’s blooms before its thorns are also better at handling stress. But science has failed to reliably associate optimism with individuals’ biological stress response—until now.

New research from Concordia University’s Department of Psychology is deepening the understanding of how optimists and pessimists each handle stress by comparing them not to each other but to themselves. Results show that indeed the “stress hormone” cortisol tends to be more stable in those with more positive personalities.
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When Bar Fights Get Mean, Bystanders Intervene (But not if there's a woman involved)

July 23, 2013—People are more likely to try to break up a bar fight when they believe the conflict is too violent, or has the potential to become more violent, according to an international team of researchers. Bystanders break up about a third of the fights that occur in bars and are most likely to intervene in conflicts between males, said Michael Parks, who recently earned his doctorate in sociology at Penn State.
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Going through the Motions Improves Dance Performance

July 23, 2013—Expert ballet dancers seem to glide effortlessly across the stage, but learning the steps is both physically and mentally demanding. New research suggests that dance marking—loosely practicing a routine by "going through the motions"—may improve the quality of dance performance by reducing the mental strain needed to perfect the movements.
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Teen Eating Disorders Increase Suicide Risk

NEW YORK; July 22, 2013—Is binge eating a tell-tale sign of suicidal thoughts?

According to a new study of African American girls, by Dr. Rashelle Musci and colleagues from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, those who experience depressive and anxious symptoms are often dissatisfied with their bodies and more likely to display binge eating behaviors. These behaviors put them at higher risk for turning their emotions inward, in other words, displaying internalizing symptoms such as suicide. The study is published online in Springer's journal, Prevention Science.
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The Love Hormone is Two-Faced

CHICAGO; July 22, 2013—It turns out the love hormone oxytocin is two-faced. Oxytocin has long been known as the warm, fuzzy hormone that promotes feelings of love, social bonding and well-being. It's even being tested as an anti-anxiety drug. But new Northwestern Medicine® research shows oxytocin also can cause emotional pain, an entirely new, darker identity for the hormone.
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Long-Distance Relationships Can Outdo Local Ones

Washington, DC; July 18, 2013—The long-distance relationship has plagued college students and people relocated for work for ages. These relationships are seen as destined to fail, but are they actually creating stronger bonds than a geographically closer relationship? A recent paper published in the Journal of Communication found that people in long-distance relationships often have stronger bonds from more constant, and deeper, communication than normal relationships.
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Degree of Extraversion in Early Adulthood Predicts Later Well-Being

July 17, 2013—Research from the University of Southampton has shown that young adults who are more outgoing or more emotionally stable are happier in later life than their more introverted or less emotionally stable peers.
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Parenting with Social Media Can Help Teens Feel Closer to Parents

July 15, 2013—Brigham Young University professors Sarah Coyne and Laura Padilla-Walker found that teenagers who are connected to their parents on social media feel closer to their parents in real life. Further, said researchers, "The more frequently parents used social media to interact with teens, the stronger the connection." The study of nearly 500 families also found that teens that interact with their parents on social media have higher rates of “pro-social” behavior—meaning that they are more generous, kind and helpful to others.
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“Kangaroo Care” Offers Developmental Benefits for Premature Newborns

July 10, 2013—New research in the Journal of Newborns & Infant Nursing Reviews concludes that so-called “kangaroo care” (KC), the skin-to-skin and chest-to-chest touching between baby and mother, offers developmentally appropriate therapy for hospitalized preterm infants.

In the article, “Kangaroo Care as a Neonatal Therapy,” Susan Ludington-Hoe, RN, CNM, PhD, FAAN, from Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, describes how KC delivers benefits beyond bonding and breastfeeding for a hospital’s tiniest newborns.

“KC is now considered an essential therapy to promote growth and development of premature infants and their brain development,” Ludington-Hoe reports.

But while KC’s benefits are known, its use is not widely promoted by hospitals, she says.
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People with Depression Tend to Pursue Generalized Goals

July 8, 2013—Researchers from the University of Liverpool have found that people with depression have more generalized personal goals than non-depressed people.
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Exposure to Stress Even before Conception Causes Genetic Changes to Offspring

July 8, 2013—A female's exposure to distress even before she conceives causes changes in the expression of a gene linked to the stress mechanism in the body—in the ovum and later in the brains of the offspring from when they are born, according to a new study on rats conducted by the University of Haifa.
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Exercise Reorganizes the Brain to Be More Resilient to Stress

July 3, 2013—Physical activity reorganizes the brain so that its response to stress is reduced and anxiety is less likely to interfere with normal brain function, according to a research team based atPrinceton University.

The researchers report in the Journal of Neuroscience that when mice allowed to exercise regularly experienced a stressor—exposure to cold water—their brains exhibited a spike in the activity of neurons that shut off excitement in the ventral hippocampus, a brain region shown to regulate anxiety.
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Senior Moment? Stereotypes about Aging Can Hurt Older Adults' Memory

July 1, 2013—Of the many negative stereotypes that exist about older adults, the most common is that they are forgetful, senile and prone to so-called "senior moments." In fact, while cognitive processes do decline with age, simply reminding older adults about ageist ideas actually exacerbates their memory problems, reveals important new research from the USC Davis School of Gerontology.
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Divorce Early in Childhood Affects Parental Relationships in Adulthood

June 28, 2013—Divorce has a bigger impact on child-parent relationships if it occurs in the first few years of the child's life, according to new research. Those who experience parental divorce early in their childhood tend to have more insecure relationships with their parents as adults than those who experience divorce later, researchers say.
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Are College Student Hook-Ups Linked to Anxiety and Depression?

June 28, 2013—As narratives of “hook-up” culture take center stage in popular media, behavioral researchers are starting to ask what psychological consequences, if any, may be in store for young adults who engage in casual sex, defined as between partners who have know each other for less than a week.. A new study in The Journal of Sex Research found higher levels of general anxiety, social anxiety, and depression among students who recently had casual sex.
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"Big Givers" Get Punished for Being Nonconformists, Baylor Research Shows

WACO, TX; June 27, 2013—People punish generous group members by rejecting them socially—even when the generosity benefits everyone—because the "big givers" are nonconformists, according to a Baylor University study.
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The Power of Imitation

June 27, 2013—Being mimicked increases pro-social behaviour in adults, yet little is known about its social effect on children. Researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have now investigated whether the fact of being imitated had an influence on infants’ pro-social behaviour and on young children’s trust in another person.
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Digital Tablets May Improve Classroom Learning

June 26, 2013—During 2012-2013, over 2,000 pupils and 150 teachers in early childhood, primary, secondary and special education, took part in a study to identify the best learning activities with tablets, and the advantages and disadvantages of using them
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Vietnam Vets with PTSD More than Twice as Likely to Have Heart Disease

June 25, 2013—Male twin Vietnam veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were more than twice as likely as those without PTSD to develop heart disease during a 13-year period, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health.
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Quality Matters More Than Quantity for Word Learning

June 24, 2013—A new study by psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania now shows that early vocabulary improvement is likely to have more to do with the “quality” of the interactions in which the words are used rather than the sheer quantity of speech directed at young children. Moreover, the study shows that, unlike quantity, the quality of these interactions is not related to the parents’ socioeconomic status.  
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Consider a Text for Teen Suicide Prevention and Intervention, Research Suggests

COLUMBUS, OH; June 24, 2013—Teens and young adults are making use of social networking sites and mobile technology to express suicidal thoughts and intentions as well as to reach out for help, two studies suggest. The findings of both studies suggest that suicide prevention and intervention efforts geared at teens and young adults should employ social networking and other types of technology, researchers say.
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Talk to Teens about Health, Not Weight, Say Researchers

June 24, 2013—Conversations between parents and adolescents that focus on weight and size are associated with an increased risk for unhealthy adolescent weight-control behaviors, according to a study published Online First by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.
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Your Child May Be A Dog

June 21, 2013—People have an innate need to establish close relationships with other people. But this natural bonding behaviour is not confined to humans: many animals also seem to need relationships with others of their kind. For domesticated animals the situation is even more complex and pets may enter deep relationships not only with conspecifics but also with their owners.
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Does Your Salad Know What Time It Is?

June 20, 2013—Does your salad know what time it is? It may be healthier for you if it does, according to new research from Rice University and the University of California at Davis. "Vegetables and fruits don't die the moment they are harvested," said Rice biologist Janet Braam, the lead researcher on a new study this week in Current Biology. "They respond to their environment for days, and we found we could use light to coax them to make more cancer-fighting antioxidants at certain times of day." Braam is professor and chair of Rice's Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology.
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Elevated Gluten Antibodies Found in Children with Autism: But No Link to Celiac Disease

NEW YORK; June 20, 2013—Researchers have found elevated antibodies to gluten proteins of wheat in children with autism in comparison to those without autism. The results also indicated an association between the elevated antibodies and the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms in the affected children. They did not find any connection, however, between the elevated antibodies and celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder known to be triggered by gluten. The results were e-published in the journal PLOS ONE.
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Mindfulness Can Increase Wellbeing and Reduce Stress in School Children

June 19, 2013—Mental training could reduce symptoms of stress and depression and promote wellbeing among school children, say U.K. researchers.
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Researchers Identify Emotions Based on Brain Activity

PITTSBURGH; June 19, 2013—For the first time, scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have identified which emotion a person is experiencing based on brain activity.
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What Do Memories Look Like?

June 19, 2013—Oscar Wilde called memory "the diary that we all carry about with us." Now a team of scientists has developed a way to see where and how that diary is written.
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Study Examines Suicide Risk and Protective Factors for Youth Involved in Bullying

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL; June 19, 2013—New research out of the University of Minnesota identifies significant risk factors for suicidal behavior in youth being bullied, but also identifies protective factors for the same group of children.
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Babies Witnessing Violence Show Aggression Later in School

June 17, 2013—Aggression in school-age children may sometimes have its origins in children 3 years old and younger who witnessed violence between their mothers and partners, according to a new Case Western Reserve University study.
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Infections Increase Risk of Mood Disorders

June 17, 2013—New research shows that every third person who is diagnosed for the first time with a mood disorder has been admitted to hospital with an infection prior to the diagnosis. The study is the largest of its kind to date to show a clear correlation between infection levels and the risk of developing mood disorders.
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Automated ‘Coach’ Could Help with Social Interactions

CAMBRIDGE, MA; June 14, 2013—Social phobias affect about 15 million adults in the United States, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and surveys show that public speaking is high on the list of such phobias. For some people, these fears of social situations can be especially acute: For example, individuals with Asperger’s syndrome often have difficulty making eye contact and reacting appropriately to social cues. But with appropriate training, such difficulties can often be overcome.
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Research Unravels Genetics of Dyslexia and Language Impairment

June 13, 2013—A new study of the genetic origins of dyslexia and other learning disabilities could allow for earlier diagnoses and more successful interventions, according to researchers at Yale School of Medicine. Many students now are not diagnosed until high school, at which point treatments are less effective.
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First Major Study of Suicide Motivations to Advance Prevention

June 13, 2013—A University of British Columbia study sheds important new light on why people attempt suicide and provides the first scientifically tested measure for evaluating the motivations for suicide.
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TLC for Education: Tribal Learning in the Classroom

June 12, 2013—In a recent interview with psychologist and neuropsychotherapist Louis Cozolino, Gina Stepp explores the concepts behind his 2013 book, The Social Neuroscience of Education. The human brain is a social organ, Cozolino points out. Its natural habitat for growing is in the context of secure attachment bonds and nurturing relationships.
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Dad's Life Stress Exposure Can Affect Offspring Brain Development

PHILADELPHIA, PA; June 12, 2013—Sperm doesn't appear to forget anything. Stress felt by dad—whether as a preadolescent or adult—leaves a lasting impression on his sperm that gives sons and daughters a blunted reaction to stress, a response linked to several mental disorders. The findings, published in a new preclinical study in the Journal of Neuroscience by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, point to a never-before-seen epigenetic link to stress-related diseases such as anxiety and depression passed from father to child.
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Resilience in Trying Times: A Result of Positive Actions

New York / Heidelberg; June 12, 2013—Communities that stick together and do good for others cope better with crises and are happier for it, according to a new study by University of British Columbia researcher John Helliwell and colleagues. Their work suggests that part of the reason for this greater resilience is the fact that humans are more than simply social beings, they are so-called 'pro-social' beings. In other words, they get happiness not just from doing things with others, but from doing things both with and for others.
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Suicide Risk Factors Mapped

June 10, 2013—A landmark study of the Swedish population has given a clearer picture of important risk factors for suicide. The study, a collaboration between Lund University in Sweden and Stanford University, showed that the rate of suicide among men is almost three times that of women. Being young, single and having a low level of education were stronger risk factors for suicide among men, while mental illness was a stronger risk factor among women. Unemployment was the strongest social risk factor among women, whereas being single was the strongest among men.
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People Are Overly Confident in Their Own Knowledge, Despite Errors

APS; June 10, 2013—Overprecision—excessive confidence in the accuracy of our beliefs—can have profound consequences, inflating investors’ valuation of their investments, leading physicians to gravitate too quickly to a diagnosis, even making people intolerant of dissenting views. Now, new research confirms that overprecision is a common and robust form of overconfidence driven, at least in part, by excessive certainty in the accuracy of our judgments.
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Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence Not Getting Adequate Mental Health Services

COLUMBIA, MO; June 10, 2013—Although many abused women suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or depression, they are not receiving needed mental health services, a University of Missouri researcher found.
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Do Antidepressants Impair the Ability to Extinguish Fear?

June 10, 2013—An interesting new report of animal research published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that common antidepressant medications may impair a form of learning that is important clinically.
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Teacher Collaboration, Professional Communities Improve Student Math Scores

CHARLOTTE; June 7, 2013—Many elementary students' math performance improves when their teachers collaborate, work in professional learning communities or do both, yet most students don't spend all of their elementary school years in these settings, a new study by UNC Charlotte researchers shows. The U.S. Department of Education funded the study, which the journal Sociology of Education recently published.
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More Fresh Air in Classrooms Means Fewer Absences

June 5, 2013—If you suspect that opening windows to let in fresh air might be good for you, a new study by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has confirmed your hunch. Analyzing extensive data on ventilation rates collected from more than 150 classrooms in California over two years, the researchers found that bringing classroom ventilation rates up to the state-mandated standard may reduce student absences due to illness by approximately 3.4 percent.
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Anxious? Activate Your Anterior Cingulate Cortex with a Little Meditation

WINSTON-SALEM, NC; June 3, 2013—Scientists, like Buddhist monks and Zen masters, have known for years that meditation can reduce anxiety, but not how. Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, however, have succeeded in identifying the brain functions involved. 
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Evidence Supports 4 Lifestyle Changes to Protect Heart, Reduce Risk of Death

Baltimore, MD; June 3, 2013—A large, multi-center study led by Johns Hopkins researchers has found a significant link between lifestyle factors and heart health, adding even more evidence in support of regular exercise, eating a Mediterranean-style diet, keeping a normal weight and, most importantly, not smoking.
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Study Links Workplace Daylight Exposure to Sleep, Activity and Quality of Life

DARIEN, IL; June 2, 2013—A new study demonstrates a strong relationship between workplace daylight exposure and office workers' sleep, activity and quality of life.

Compared to workers in offices without windows, those with windows in the workplace received 173 percent more white light exposure during work hours and slept an average of 46 minutes more per night. There also was a trend for workers in offices with windows to have more physical activity than those without windows. Workers without windows reported poorer scores than their counterparts on quality of life measures related to physical problems and vitality, as well as poorer outcomes on measures of overall sleep quality, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction.
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Study Says Ask for a Precise Number During Negotiations

NEW YORK; May 31, 2013—With so much on the line for job seekers in this difficult economic climate, a lot of new hires might be wondering how—or whether at all—to negotiate salary when offered a new position. A recently published study on the art of negotiation by two professors at Columbia Business School could help these new hires, and all negotiators, seal a stronger deal than before.

"What we discovered is there is a big difference in what most people think is a good strategy when negotiating and what research shows is a good strategy," said Professor Mason. 
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Lead Acts to Trigger Schizophrenia

NEW YORK; May 31, 2013—Mice engineered with a human gene for schizophrenia and exposed to lead during early life exhibited behaviors and structural changes in their brains consistent with schizophrenia. Scientists at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine say their findings suggest a synergistic effect between lead exposure and a genetic risk factor, and open an avenue to better understanding the complex gene-environment interactions that put people at risk for schizophrenia and other mental disorders.
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When Friends Create Enemies: Potential Risks in Facebook's "Mutual Friends" Feature

PITTSBURGH; May 30, 2013 —The mutual-friends feature on social networks such as Facebook, which displays users’ shared friendships, might not be so “friendly.”

Often revered for bringing people together, the mutual-friends feature on Facebook actually creates myriad security risks and privacy concerns according to a University of Pittsburgh study published in Computers & Security. The study demonstrates that even though users can tailor their privacy settings, hackers can still find private information through mutual-friends features.
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