The empty wrappers! In a recent study, Cornell University Food and Brand Lab director Brian Wansink, Ph.D., found that people ate about half as many mini-sized candies when they kept the wrappers in plain sight. Turns out, having a visual cue is key for sending the message to your brain that it’s time to stop snacking. “Your stomach can’t count, but your eyes can when they see the empty wrappers,” he says.
Posts tagged as:
easier
Tired of begging your kids to do things that are good for them—such as brushing their teeth, taking their vitamins, buckling up in the car or drinking their milk? Tel Aviv University have found the problem—and the solution! In their recent study, they found that kids [more…]
Burning a scented candle or spraying a room with your favorite air freshener doesn’t only make your home smell wonderful, it stimulates areas of the brain that change your mood. “Scents can generate reactions in the frontal lobe and the hypothalamus that influence behaviors and personalities,” says Alan Hirsch, M.D., Founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. According to his research, if you want to be more… [more…]
Trying to tally your grocery bill as you shop? Need to cut a recipe by one-third? Stumped by your kid’s homework assignment? Try talking aloud as you do the math. When researchers from the University of Granada in Spain videotaped students working on tough math problems, those who spoke aloud while doing the equations found the correct answers faster than those who did the problems in their head. This easy technique helps you understand the problem better and come up with new ways to reach the right solution, the researchers say.
[photo: MelvinSchlubman]
Need to remember something important, such as a dentist appointment or when to take a pill? Log onto the free reminder service memorari.us and simply choose a date, time and delivery option (email, text or IM), then type your reminder message. It will be delivered automatically.
[photo: Julia Freeman-Woolpert]
Grab a pen! The American Heart Association found that of the 69% of women who set an exercise goal in past 12 months, just 22% achieved it. So, what did the successful women do that the others didn’t? Nope, they didn’t hire a pricey personal trainer. They simply wrote down their goals, used calendars to manage their time and tracked their progress with paper charts and online trackers.
Tip: The longer you stick to your routine, the easier it gets! About half of women who fail at their exercise goal stop trying after just two months while those who are more successful stick it out for at least six months.
Check on an elderly neighbor, return cash to a cashier who gave you too much change or do another nice deed. Just like Mom insisted, beauty really does come from the inside, report researchers in the journal Personal Relationships. In their study, volunteers who were asked to rate the attractiveness of strangers in photos actually changed their views after learning how nice they were. Folks who were friendly and honest were perceived as better looking while those who were unfair or rude were perceived as less attractive!
[photo: Zaldymlg]
It worked for hundreds of Cornell University students in a recent experiment. Those who chewed gum prior to and during test-taking scored, on average, 30 points better than those who didn’t chew. Shocked? So were the students! Upon announcing the findings, “you could literally hear a gasp from the class,” says Edward McLaughlin, Ph.D., who conducted the study. So, was it a special ingredient in the gum? Nope—past studies show that the simple act of chewing gum eases anxiety, increases your focus and makes it easier to recall information.
[photo: Nadya Peek]
Your routine. A Duke University study recently found this works faster and more effectively at breaking bad habits—like cigarette smoking and eating junk food—than relying on willpower alone. So, if you always light up with co-workers on your coffee break, take a walk around the block by yourself instead. And, if you can’t resist the lure of fattening French fries, change your driving route so you don’t pass fast food restaurants.
[photo: meddygarnet]
Think you know everything about your furry pals? Maybe not! Here’s what animal researchers recently discovered about your cat and dog’s communication styles: [more…]
It may seem like friendly doctors who joke around and share personal stories are better than those who are all business. Yet, one study shows that physicians who tell funny anecdotes or chat about their life—like what they did on vacation and how their kids are—are actually providing less quality service than quieter docs. Using secretly recorded patient visits, [more…]
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