Author Archives: Adam Greene

Coffee… Yay or Nay?

Yum!

Mornings are the worst. Waking up all tired knowing that you have to roll out of bed to go to work or school. It sucks. You’re moping around your home like a zombie throwing on clothes and dragging yourself out the door. However, you just have to have your typical cup of coffee in the morning to hype you up and get you wide awake for your day! Wait, a drink that can wake you up? Is this amazing or just flat out unhealthy?

Coffee is made from coffee beans that expand when exposed to humid climates at altitudes over 6,000 feet above sea level(All 1). Also, coffee is the second most traded item in the world, behind oil(All 1). How important! Coffee is usually drank in the morning and it comes in regular and decaf (no caffeine). You can add additives such as milk, cream, or sugar to enhance the taste or flavor of your drink.

Everyone’s initial thought is that coffee is bad for you. Coffee is known for being very sugary once adding sugar and it also stains your teeth. It can get you on a sugar high if you drink too much of it as well. However, the worst part is that you can easily get addicted to coffee, almost acting like a drug. I was reading an article where the author was stating how “At times I’d quit coffee for up to a month but then eventually I’d come crawling back to it (normally triggered and lured back in by the sight and smell of it whilst catching up with friends)” and also stating, “I literally tried so many times to quit coffee during this time; I tried to tell myself that I didn’t have an addiction and that I deserved these 1-2 coffees a day”(Coffee 1). It is quotes like those which make coffee seem like heroin or crack. It is crazy to here how a person can rely so much on a hot beverage. The most unhealthy part about coffee is the caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulate of the neurotransmitter serotonin, a hormone in our brain which controls sleeping(Coffee 1). When our body depends on this hormone too much, it “impacts on the body’s natural ability to regulate healthy serotonin production”(Coffee 1). This leads to the random and sudden highs and lows after drinking coffee(Coffee 1). So, isn’t it clear that coffee is awful for you?

On the other hand, coffee could be considered good for you. Studies have shown that coffee improves mood and brain function because the caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter inside of the brain, which starts a net stimulant effect(Gunnar 1). Also, coffee raises a person’s metabolism which mobilizes fatty acids from fat tissues; in the long run, it burns fat and improves ones physical performance(Gunnar 1). Another shocking finding concludes that coffee decreases your risk of receiving Type II Diabetes. There is a indirect correlation which states that the more coffee you drink per day, the less likely you get diabetes(Gunnar 1). Finally, drinking coffee could decrease your risk of receiving Alzheimer and Parkinson Disease(Gunnar 1). So drinking coffee leads to better health in the long run and it can protect your from very serious diseases in the future. So, isn’t it clear that coffee is good for you?

There were a variety of 18 studies done in a huge review article which tested out if coffee actually lowered the risk of diabetes. There were 457.922 participants total in the 18 studies and each of them had to drink coffee every single day(Gunnar 1). The data showed that each additional coffee drank per day, led to a whopping 7% decreases in the risk of diabetes(Gunnar 1). Other studies have proven that four cups of coffee per day would lower the risk of cirrhosis by 80%(Gunnar 1). There are so many different other reasons and studies that show why coffee is good for you. Since there were so many random participants in these studies and so many different types of studies, it is quite obvious that the data is most likely valid. Reverse causation would not work in this case and it is possible that this information could be due to chance, but it is doubtful.

So coffee might be good for you… Thoughts?

Is coffee good or bad for you?

Works Cited

“All about Coffee.” Indigo Coffee: What Is Coffee? N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014.

“Coffee: 10 Shocking Reasons Why It’s Soooo Bad For You.” Nurture Pod Health Coaching Yoga In Sydney RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014.

Gunnars, Kris. “Why Is Coffee Good For You? Here Are 7 Reasons.” Authority Nutrition. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

“Top 10 Most Underrated Health Foods.” Summer Tomato RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014.

Violent Video Games. Game Over.

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After a hard day at school or at work, a typical teenage kid wants to do nothing but go home and play some video games. Xbox. PlayStation. Nintendo Wii. Gamecube. Nintendo 64. You name it! All children throughout the past decade have been hooked to at least one or two of these gaming systems. To kids, video games are the best and most exciting things in the world. They allow you to be people that you could never be and do things that you would most likely never do. However, in the real world, these video games are not as swell as they seem to be.

According to studies, there has been some shocking information stating that violent video games lead to youth violence. In 2008, ten out of the twenty top selling games in the US contained some sort of violence(Video 1). This shows how a lot of video games are based around gun-shooting, killing, and immature behavior. This is a negative consequence because young teens are becoming extremely exposed to violence at an early age which makes them violent as well. How does fake violence from video games and real violence correlate?

According to studies, it has been found that when a kids favorite character commits some sort of crime, they want to repeat that crime to be like them(Disadvantages 1). This would be the same concept of a child wanting to be like their favorite superhero or idle, they do the things they do to be like them. In this case, they would be doing violent things such as shooting or hitting others, which is obviously dangerous. Also, according to procon.org, “A 2000 FBI report includes playing violent video games in a list of behaviors associated with school shootings”(Video 1). The theory is that after playing these gun-related games, teens think that it is acceptable to shoot up schools, which obviously is extremely dangerous. Along with violence in school, it has been shown that “60% of middle school boys who played at least one Mature-rated game hit or beat up someone, compared to 39% of boys that did not play Mature-rated games”(Video 1). With those last two facts being said, it is quite obvious that the playing of these violent games creates an unsafe environment in middle and high schools, which is still a huge issue, even today.

Besides violence in schools, it has been found that violent video games that involve violence against women, has caused many negative images into teenager’s heads. Most games do not have women in them, but when they do, they usually are in the game for sex appeal. This causes the gamers to think as women as sex dolls or objects used to satisfy(Disadvantages 1).

Could these results be due to chance? There has been studies which show that this is no coincidence. In 2005, there was a study which stated that video games lead to P300 amplitudes in the brain, which associates with making people less sensitive and more aggressive(Video 1). Another study done in 2009 has concluded that after playing violent video games, it would take up to four minutes to have a child’s aggressive thoughts to return to normal(Video 1). This study also concluded that when blood was present in a video game, their arousal and hostility measurements increased(Video 1). A final study in 1998 showed that 21% of games involved abuse against females, causing an increase in violence towards women in the real world such as rape(Video 1). There has been many other studies and experiments which has led to the belief that violent video games lead to violent behaviors.

These experiments were well conducted and I believe accurate as well. There is always some slight possibility that it could be done by chance, but there are so many different studies that it seems unlikely. With that being said, violence in video games most likely correlates with youth violence.

Works Cited

“Disadvantages of Playing Video Games – The Effect of Video Games on Children.” Disadvantages of Playing Video Games – The Effect of Video Games on Children. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

“Video Games ProCon.org.” ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

Let’s Get Bigger.

Bedtime=Lights Out!

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Technology has been increasingly thriving over the past centuries. Lightbulbs, clocks, phones, computers, the internet, televisions, cars, washer machines, dryers, microwaves, ovens, guns, you name it. These amazing inventions have been making human life easier and better… or has it? Is all of this new technology affecting us negatively, which is making our health worse?

Studies show that the reliance and use of technology could actually affect your health in a bad way. According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), sleep “can affect sleep deprivation and lack of sleep, the consequences… adversely affect their performance, mood, family relationships, the driving habits, sex life and general health of the individual”(Say 1). Most importantly, it affects a humans sleep. Texting, watching television, playing video games emailing, blogging, talking on the phone, and more before bedtime can skew the body’s sleeping patterns. Using technology before bed causes a human’s body to be more tired the following day(Say 1). Exhaustion could lead to bad working habits, unsafe driving, lack of effort, and more.

The reason why technology increases exhaustion is because of the exposure of light. According to Charles Czeisler, a Harvard Medical School Scientist, light affects a humans metabolism and the amount of melatonin released inside the body(Say1). Melatonin is a hormone that reduces the amount of sleep a person receives and it affects our ‘human clocks’, which messes up our sleeping patterns(Study 1).

The NSF has done studies in the past which have proven this theory. According to one of their studies, a survey showed that 95 participants used some sort of technology before bed and two-thirds of them admitted that they were tired throughout the week(Say 1). Studies then show that teenagers (ages 13-18) are the most vulnerable; 22% of the members that fit this category admitted to be constantly tired during the week(Say 1). Another study, conducted and written about in the journal Applied Ergonomics, showed that the exposure to technology/light decreased the amount of melatonin in the body(Study 1). The researchers gathered multiple volunteers and had them play games, watch television, and use other technology while measuring the amount of light that their eyes received(Study 1). After the study was conducted, they found that the light reduced their levels of melatonin by 22%, which has been consisted with other experiments.

I believe that this experiment is great since the researchers used a large and random selection of people. Also, since it is consistent with other experiments, it makes it seem more valid. However, the experiment could be flawed due to chance or confounding/third variables. Some confounding/third variables could of been other random exposures of light in the room, a persons health (how good or bad their eyes are), and the amount of sleep they got prior to the testing day.

What do you think?

Works Cited

“Say NO to Technology before Bedtime.” Say NO to Technology before Bedtime. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

“Study Confirms That Gadgets Before Bed = Bad Idea.” SleepBetterorg Study Confirms That Gadgets Before Bed Bad Idea Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

What Are You Guys?!?!

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There is nothing more fun then going to a zoo, am I right? You’ve got your lions, tigers, and bears (OH MY!), but even better, you have your zebras. Is it just me or is it every time I see those four-legged creatures I always ask myself “Are Zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?” This has been an ongoing controversial question which has been roaming the minds of humans for decades.

We all know that genetics are the reason why everyone and everything living is different. For zebras, these genetics are used to determine the “variety of stripes in zebras”(Conger1). Along with genetics, the striping pattern on a zebra is also determined with selective pigmentation(Conger 1). Finally there are things called melanocytes which are “the cells that produce color or pigment” on the fir of zebras(Understanding 1). Melanocytes give the zebras their colors.

When asked the question “Are Zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?”, Lisa Smith, Curator of Large Mammals at Zoo Atlanta, replied that “the coat is often described as black with white stripes”(Conger 1). She begins to go on saying that the pattern of the stripes are an outcome of pigment activation (black) and inhibition (white)(Conger 1). This phenomenon is stating that the color of the fur is black and the stripes are white because the white stripes lack pigment, unlike the black stripes; With that being said, it is known that most, NOT ALL, zebras have black skin beneath their fur(Conger 1). So, isn’t it obvious that zebras are black with white stripes?

When others are asked “Are Zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?”, they give a different response. Some say that zebras are white with black stripes. Just from examining a zebra, you can see the alternating stripes end on the belly and near the inside of the legs, leaving the rest of the body to be white(Mammals 1). So from just looking at a zebra, it looks like they are white skinned. This theory has also been confirmed from any zoologists. After surveying 20 of my random friends, different sex, race, etc., 14 of them said that zebras are white with black stripes. So, most people think that zebras are white with black stripes just from looking at one. So, isn’t it obvious that zebras are white with black stripes?

You could see if zebras are white with black stripes or black with white stripes by looking at their genetics. Besides that, you could take a survey, like I did, to see what people think. The survey may not be strong enough to get a definite answer, but it could help to get to the real answer. There would be many third confounding variables such as the amount of people you ask and the background/features of the people you are interviewing. For example, a persons sex, race, location, knowledge, eyesight, age, etc. There are so many things that could skew the results, making it easy to have the data be found do to chance.

So, are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?

Works Cited

Conger, Cristen. “Are Zebras Black with White Stripes or White with Black Stripes? – HowStuffWorks.” HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

“Mammals | Zebra.” Zebra. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

“Understanding Genetics.” Understanding Genetics. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

The Wint-O-Green Saver Effect- Lightning in Your Mouth

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Imagine a dark room. A closet. With a friend. Your friend pulls out a circular-like object out of their pocket and they whisper to you “Let’s do it.” Nervously, you accept your partners offer. You then proceed to do it. You stick the circular-like object into your mouth and then Boom! Crackle! Pow! Sparks start to fly and your mouth seems to be glowing. What was that?! Your friend then smiles at you, “that my friend was The Wint-O-Green Saver Effect.”

You are probably extremely confused, but the fact is that Life Saver candies may shoot sparks out of your mouth in the pitch black. Besides being a totally awesome discovery, this provides scientists with a better understanding on how things break on an atomic level(Chang 1). According to scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, “…those faint sparks were energetic enough to power chemical reactions along the fracturing surfaces”(Chang 1). In other words, the effect of biting down on a Life Saver is so strong that you can see the sparks flying out of your mouth. Professor of Chemistry at Illinois, Kenneth S. Suslick, claimed that the sparks from the Life Savers gave him the bold opportunity to perform spectroscopy, the study of interaction between matter and radiated energy(Spectroscopy 1). He would use this study to find specified colors of light that were given off by various atoms and molecules(Chang 1).

The technical term for the interaction between ones mouth and the Life Saver is called triboluminescence, “light produced by rubbing”(Chang 1). This term was founded by an English Philosopher, Sir Francis Bacon, in the early 1600’s(Chang 1). He expressed his findings in the “Novum Organum” in 1620, concluding that “It is also most certain that all sugar, whether refined or raw, provided only it be somewhat hard, sparkles when broken or scraped with a knife in the dark.”

Sir Francis Bacon

Triboluminescence is the back-bone behind this discovery. In scientific terms, in sugars or quartz crystals, electrons build up which causes fracturing and chemical bonds to break(Chang 1). These “electrons jump to nitrogen or oxygen molecules in the air, which shed the excess energy by emitting light”(Chang 1). Since the Life Savers have oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate) to flavor them, it is easy to witness the The Wint-O-Green Saver Effect(Chang 1).

If you want to try out this phenomenon yourself go right ahead! All you need is a dark room, a mirror, a Winter-Green Life Saver, and maybe a buddy for company! All you do is throw the sucker into your mouth and hold the mirror up to your face and chew! Watch the magic happen as your mouth begins to bubble and sparkle with various colors(Lightning 1). It is lightning in your mouth.

So what do you think?

Works Cited

Chang, Kenneth. “Sweet Spark May Hold Clue to How Things Break.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 June 2007. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.

“Lightning In Your Mouth.” Https://www.exploratorium.edu. Science Of Cooking, n.d. Web.

“Spectroscopy.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.

The Art of Anger

A Shock that will MELT Your Heart

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It is a hot sunny day and you just want to relax by the pool… you know what that means? Snack time! There is nothing better than an ice cold tundra-like snack to freshen up your burning hot body. As kids, the classic snack to have during these times are ice cream sandwiches of course! There is nothing better than a milky vanilla bar squished between two gooey chocolate doors! However, what if I told you that these childhood favorites are disgustingly unnatural?

Over this past summer, a shocking video was posted to Youtube concerning the naturalness of Ice Cream Sandwiches. This video was posted because a mother in Cincinnati was concerned once she saw that her son’s Walmart “Great Value” Ice Cream Sandwich did not melt after laying out in the boiling hot 80ºF sun for twelve hours (Pasulka 1). Twelve hours? What?!… What could cause the ice cream bars to not melt after such a long period of time in very warm weather? Isn’t ice cream meant to melt?

After the video and news story went viral, Consumer Reports decided to tackle the subject and find out what is really going on with these ice cream sandwiches. They began an experiment and decided to test other Ice Cream Sandwich brands besides the Walmart “Great Value” brand. Consumer Reports used the following brands for their experiment: Klondike, Nestle, Walgreens “Nice!”, Blue Bunny, and Walmart “Great Value” (Reports 1). The group of scientists then lined up one bar of each brand outside in 100ºF weather and timed how long it took for each sandwich to melt. After 10 minutes, the Nestle brand melted; after 15 minutes, the Klondike brand melted; after 30 minutes, the Walmart “Great Value”, Walgreen “Nice!”, and Blue Bunny brands were softer, but they still held their shape; finally, after an hour, the Walmart “Great Value” brand was the only sandwich that had not melted (Reports 1). Clearly there is a huge problem with most of these brands, but what is it?

After tasting all of the brands, the Consumer Reports Employees all found something in common. They all noticed that the ice cream part of the sandwich contained guar gums, “a carbohydrate consisting of mannose and galactose at a 2:1 ratio that can swell in cold water…one of the most highly efficient water-thickening agents… is widely used as a binder and volume enhancer” (Food 1). According to Consumer Reports Scientist, Linda Greene (A.K.A. my mother), ingredients such as guar gums, calcium sulfate, and mono and diglycerides are found in all of these products (Reports 1). These additives are all used to help slow the melting rate of the ice cream and to prevent large crystal formations when taken in and out of the freezer (Reports 1). “These ingredients… are added at very low levels… Manufacturers add them so that ice cream sandwiches don’t dribble down your arm when you eat them”, stated Linda Greene. With that being said, these ice cream sandwiches are not natural at all which is quite gross.

We must reconsider the possibility that this experiment could have been flawed. Walmart did shoot back saying that “Ice cream with more cream will generally melt at a slower rate”, which could be an understandable factor (Reports 1). Also, some of the ice cream sandwiches could have been more frozen than others or maybe these results just happened by chance.

In the long run, it is better to choose foods with fewer chemically sounding ingredients. An ice cream made from just milk, cream sugar and vanilla is a better choice than one with a list of many chemically sounding ingredients. In other words, just stick to the Creamery!

Works Cited

“Food Gums – International Food Additive Council.” Food Gums – International Food Additive Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

Pasulka, Nicole. “Here’s Why Those Creepy Walmart Ice Cream Sandwiches Don’t Melt.” TakePart. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

Reports, Consumer. “Science Behind Walmart’s ‘Non-Melting’ Ice Cream | Consumer Reports.” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

Growing Out the Old MAiNE

Vitamin Water… The Healthy Choice?

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Getting sick of the same old boring high quality H20? Do you want to drink something with a little more “kick” to it? A little more flavor to it? Why don’t you try the more delicious H20 alternative, Vitamin Water! Vitamin Water is a flavored water that is enhanced with your daily essential vitamins… brilliant! Flavor and daily essentials all in one! What could be better?! What if I told you that Vitamin Water actually is not as great as it sounds…

Over the past couple of years Vitamin Water has been extremely popular and is looked at as a healthy option. However, the human population has not looked far passed the title of the drink. Most humans usually think of “healthy” when they see the words “vitamins” or “water”, so that could lead to the common misconception of why people think Vitamin Water is good for you.

The truth is Vitamin Water is not only not good for you, it is terrible for you. One thing that most people do not know is that Vitamin Water is a subsidiary of Coca Cola, which is a privately owned company (Is 1). Right off the bat, you should not expect Vitamin Water to be the healthiest drink of all time. According to Fitday, “a single bottle of Vitamin Water contains 33 grams of sugar, more than most 12-ounce cans of regular soda.” That is eight teaspoons of sugar. Insanity. Drinking a bottle of Vitamin Water is equivalent to eating eight Life Savers and an Altoid (Are 1). Unreal! Not only that, Vitamin Water contains citric acid, a weak organic acid, which is known to wear down tooth enamel if it is consumed excessively (Is 1). Finally, according to Fitday, Vitamin Water contains “The sweetener, crystalline fructose… as there have been concerns raised about its propensity to play a role in causing chemically produced liver damage, or hepatotoxicity.” So, in reality, this drink can be as bad or worse than a soda.

Incredible.

As an alternative to water and Vitamin Water, you should try to add a splash of your favorite juice to the water to give it some taste or maybe drop a lemon into your glass (Vitamin 1). By doing this, you will be consuming way less sugar and you will be drinking a tastier drink. It’s a win-win situation!

So, the next time you pick up a Vitamin Water, remember that you might not be making the “healthiest” choice…

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Works Cited

“Are Vitamin Waters Healthy or Harmful?” / Nutrition. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

“Candy Experiments: Vitaminwater: Candy in Disguise.” Candy Experiments: Vitaminwater: Candy in Disguise. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

“Is Glaceau Vitamin Water Really Good for You?” / Nutrition / Healthy Eating. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

“Vitamin Water Health Facts.” LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 20 Jan. 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

Can you SURVIVE by drinking your own urine?

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Taboo USA: Episode 7: Fountain of Youth NGCUS Ep Code: 9798 NGCI IBMS Code: 041960

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUFQ2ECfPOw (Dodgeball Clip)

So what happens if a natural disaster occurs or if you get kidnapped or if apes take over the world? What do you do about consuming food or water? Your trapped, alone, and in need of natural human necessities in order to survive. I know it sounds gross, but could you possibly drink your own urine in order to survive?

The average healthy human’s urine contains 95% water and 5% various collection of waste products such as nitrogen, potassium, and calcium (Wilson 1). Urine is also sterile. With that being said, if water makes up 95% of your urine it must be okay to drink right? You might want to think twice before you take your first forceful gulp of your beautiful lemonade-like concoction. Studies show that if you drink too much of your own urine, it could cause some serious issues (Wilson 1). According to Chris Wilson, constantly drinking your urine is bad because “…all the stuff that your kidneys had attempted to excrete comes right back into your stomach, and much of it ends up back in your kidneys.” After days and days of refueling your kidneys with waste products, your urine will become extremely concentrated with dangerous waste products (Wilson 1). So, by consuming these dangerous waste products, a human could develop similar symptoms to total kidney failure (Wilson 1). So maybe drinking your urine to survive is not a good idea after all…

…BUT WAIT. There have been multiple stories and scenarios where abandoned or trapped humans survived by drinking their own urine. One Asian man who was trapped under a piece of ceiling from an earthquake in the Sichuan providence survived for six days from drinking his own urine (Wilson 1). Another man, named Aron Ralston, drank his own urine when a boulder fell on him in a Utah canyon… and he survived as well (Wilson 1). Other men, such as Dan Woolley, have spent 65 hours trapped under the rubble and ashes of Hotel Montana in Haiti after an earthquake where he drank his urine and survived as well (Bradley 1). Finally, on October 16, 1922, a 37 year old man, his wife, his daughter, and his mother were all found trapped under rubble from an earthquake in Egypt (Lowe 1). Every single person was dead except for the 37 year old man (Lowe 1). Coincidentally, the 37 year old man was the only one in the group that drank his own urine to survive (Lowe 1). So maybe drinking your urine to survive is a good idea after all…

Although those stories make it seem rather obvious that drinking your urine can help you survive, we must think of the third confounding variables that could have swayed the outcomes. Maybe those individuals were healthier than the average human? Maybe those individuals were not drinking their urine for a long enough time period to get sick? Maybe the three women, who were found dead with the 37 year old man, died as soon as the rubble fell on them? Maybe those individuals just got lucky.

So what do you think? Would you drink your own urine to survive?

Suicidal Language

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HELP.

In my last two blog posts, I talked about the body language of babies when they are first born and the body language of teenagers when they flirt with the opposite sex. Both of those topics are cute and funny, but it is now time to move onto a more serious topic: Suicide. According to Merriam-Webster, suicide is “the act of killing yourself because you do not want to continue living”. Through body language, we can help decrease the stunning rate of suicides around the globe.

The biggest emotion that relates to suicide is depression. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest”. There are multiple obvious signs of depression, such as crying and fidgeting; however, there are many other signs that are not as easily spotted.

“THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME”

One sign to look out for is a person’s body posture. Studies show that a depressed person will tend to slump their bodies and they will not “stand tall” while walking (5 Body 1). They will look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, so it won’t be hard to miss. Besides slumping their bodies, they will also keep their feet very close together (5 Body 1). They do this to take up as little space as possible. With that being said, watch a person’s feet while they are standing still.

“THE UN-SOCIAL BUG”

Another sign to look out for is a person’s social abilities. If a person is depressed, they will tend to isolate themselves from the world and not talk to anybody (Depression 1). However, if they do decide to talk to anybody, they will spend more time looking at the ground or distance objects than your face (A.K.A. Very little eye contact) (Depression 1). Outside of school, these individuals will stop attending events, such as extracurricular activities, and will use that time to sleep. DO NOT let them become a UN-social bug.

I have personally encountered a situation where my best friend in high school was suffering depression and luckily I caught it. My friend began to attend less events and used that time sleep, which was the biggest red flag to me. She went from an energized softball star to a fading athlete, barely making any practices and she eventually quit the team. Despite her downward slope in athletics, her grades were also following that slope as she started receiving C’s and D’s on her report card. When I confronted her about this, she seemed to not care. In the hallways, she became the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the UN-social bug of the school. I am lucky to have caught these signals that she was giving off.

In my school’s history, there has been many heart-breaking suicides. High school kids taking their own lives… it is insanity. What if one of their friends realized their body language and did something to help them? What if these people were confronted and got help? What if their lives were saved? What if. WHAT IF.

Be a hero, this is your time to save a life.

Work Cited

“5 Body Language Signs of Depression.” 5 Body Language Signs of Depression. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2014.

“Depression.” Counseling and Psychological Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2014.

The Act of Flirting ;)

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In my last blog post, I talked about the body language of babies when they are first born. Now, I want to fast forward to an avalanche of years later when these babies grow up to be teenagers. Yes, they are older, but they still use body language every single day; especially towards the opposite sex. You see it in college all of the time, especially at fraternities. Yes, I am talking about the act of flirting.

You do it. I do it. Your friends do it. Your roommate does it. Your siblings do it. Your mother did it. Your father did it. Your grandparents did it. I think you get the drift… the fact is that we all have done it and seen it before. Let’s get real, it is almost impossible to go to a frat party without seeing at least one couple grind on each other or playing tonsil hockey on the dance floor. Those actions are a result of the phenomenon of flirting. But, you may not realize, body language is a huge part of flirting.

In the past, I have seen pretty hysterical attempts of flirting and it is extremely entertaining. Some people just do not know when to stop. Here are some hints to when you should really stop or continue “macking” on the male or female that you have been flirting with.

FOR GUYS “PICKING UP CHICKS”

After polling a couple of my female friends, I asked them what they did when they flirted with a guy and I got some pretty interesting feedback which was surprisingly very similar.

According to my female friends, if they are interested in a guy they will play with their hair, lean in close to them, and act like they are overly interested in the topic, even if they are not interested. Another thing that they told me was that they would laugh at the guy’s joke even if it wasn’t funny. Apparently, girls do this to make the guy feel confident and confidence is the “sexiest” thing ever… Weird. Finally, I was told that that they would usually place there hands on a guy’s arm or lick/bite their lips if they are interested in them.

However, if they are disgusted with the guy that came up to them they would cross their arms to show their discomfort or lack of interest. Also, they will not make any eye contact with the guy or play with something, such as a phone or accessory (bracelet, earring, necklace, etc.). By doing this, they are telling them that they are bored.

FOR GIRLS “TRYING TO HOOKUP WITH A GUY”

After polling my boys, I asked them what they did when they flirted with a girl and I got even more interesting feedback.

According to my male friends, if they are interested in a girl they will lean in close to them and stare into their eyes to show them that they are only paying attention to them. Also, they like to flex a little bit to show a girl their “guns” (muscles) to demonstrate that they are healthy, fit, and strong. Finally, they all told me that they will try to be as nice as can be to ‘woo’ them. Doing things such as holding the door, holding their purse, and giving compliments are used tactics to make a girl feel wanted.

However, if a boy is not interested in a girl, they would of never even have came up to you… which is horrible but kind of true.

So, now you all know what to look for if you want to know if a boy or girl is or is not interested in you. After gathering all of this information from my friends, it was easy to figure out that most of a person’s ‘game’ has to do with their body language.

Work Cited:

Your fellow classmates at Penn State

“Goo Goo Ga Ga!” What Babies Are Really Saying

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Body language is like the unsung hero of communication. It’s beautiful. It gives a human the ability to talk to someone without even speaking. A simple gesture or sound can tell a thousand words. However, in some situations, you might not even know what gesture a person is trying to make towards you. For example, what are babies trying to tell you?

They do not talk. DUH! However, they can certainly communicate with humans, especially their parents. The moment a baby comes out of the womb, they immediately use their body and sounds to talk to other humans. Body language does not have to be taught to a baby; it is innate.

“WAHHHH WAHHH”

Why the hell are these babies making this sound? To annoy the living crap out of you or are they trying to tell you something? According to studies, when a baby cries, they are just trying to tell someone that they are hungry or that they just left a nice little goodie in their gift-basket (Infant 1). Another reason a baby would cry is if they are angry or in some kind of pain (Infant 1).

“GOO GOO GA GA!!!!!!”

Oh jeez, now what the hell are they trying to say? It is so cute, but why are they making these noises at you? Whenever a baby moans at you, they are trying to tell you that they are satisfied (Infant 1)! So if you hear a murmur from a baby, that is a good sign! That is their way of saying “Keep doing what you’re doing!”

As babies start to grow up a little, they start to use their hands as a way to communicate with others. They will point at certain objects to say “I want that!” or “Give that to me!” (Infant 1). Besides the hand gestures and sounds, babies also communicate by reflexes. There are so many different types of reflexes which helps parents understand what their baby is trying to say. According to various studies, when a baby is hungry they tend to grab onto their mother’s breast or nipple, which is known as the Sucking Reflex (Infant 1). Another reflex that babies tend to use is the Startle (Moro) Reflex, when babies spread out their arms and legs. A baby would support themselves like this to tell people that they are avoiding a fall (Infant 1). Another example is the Hand-to-Mouth Reflex, which is when babies start to suck on an object (Infant 1). This reflex is used to tell their mothers that they are hungry or that they want to get breast fed (Infant 1). How gross.

Babies are more than a cute little thing that you can play with, they are people as well. Even though they can not physically say words to us, they can still use body language to tell people what they want or how they are feeling. Babies are smarter than you think.

Actions speak louder than words.

Bye-Bye!

Work Cited

“Infant Reflexes.” BabycareAdvice.com Articles:. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2014.

N.p., n.d. Web.

The Freshman 15 and Eating Disorders

7 Replies

College is full of many things. Excitement. Opportunities. Experiences. You know, all of the good stuff! However, college is also filled with even “more important” things… food and beer! What college student does not love to grab a quick burger or fattening milkshake before heading to class or to their dorms? C’mon, let’s get real, we have all been guilty of it. With the amount of unlimited food and the amount of parties at college, students begin to stop losing track of their eating habits. With that being said, students eventually begin to gain mass amounts of weight during their first year at college, which is known as the Freshman 15.

According to Walden Behavioral Care, “The freshman fifteen can be attributed to stress, lack of sleep, late nights, frequent snacking, lack of exercise and alcohol intake.” I have known way too many people who have fallen into this trap and it could lead to even more serious issues other than obesity. Some people get so concerned with the Freshman 15 or are so upset about gaining the Freshman 15 that they begin serious eating disorders.

Some people are so worried about their figure and body image that they completely stop eating (anorexia) or throw up their food (bulimia) to avoid gaining weight or to lose the weight that they gained from the Freshman 15. As you can see, this has become a major problem that has been arising in colleges across the globe.

Let’s take a look at this chart. According to this study, 33% of freshman at this university said that they have gained weight during their freshman year. So, more than 1 out of every 4 people at that university has gained weight. The Freshman 15 is real and is way too common. Since the percentage is decently high, it is easier to see why so many teenagers fear and/or gain the Freshman 15. It is charts like these which could lead an innocent 18 year old male or female to stop eating.

From personal experience, I have already seen signs of my own friends here at Penn State who could be in danger of falling into either the Freshman 15 trap or the eating disorder trap. Some signs that I have seen is that some of my friends tell me how they have only eaten a piece of bread or a granola bar the whole entire day. I have also seen girls throwing up at parties and later on finding out that they have not eaten a single thing that entire day, which is a big reason why someone would throw up from drinking. It is scary.

To learn how to eat healthy and fight off the Freshman 15, please go to this link to help yourself, a friend, an acquaintance, a classmate, or anyone out. We need to stop this horrible trend in college.

So… What do you think should be done to eliminate the Freshman 15 and the eating disorders that can be created because of it?

Is the World Getting Hotter?

1 Reply

Global Warming. The topic of global warming has been up in the air for decades and is still extremely controversial. For years, scientists across the globe have been composing research on global warming and they have discovered that the world could be in great danger if people do not aggressively curb the climate change right now.

Global warming is “a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.” In other words, the world is getting hot, Fast. If the people of the world do not do anything about this economic issue, the world could eventually become non-existent.

WE, the people, ARE THE CAUSE of global warming. This issue arose based solely on the fact that humans polluted our beautiful earth. Everyday humans are polluting our home and overloading our atmosphere with carbon dioxide, which traps heat and slowly increases the Earth’s temperature. Doing things such as burning fossil fuels for energy (coal, natural gas, and oil) or deforestation causes the ‘greenhouse gases’ to get released into the worlds atmosphere. Factories always release these gases in the air when manufacturing their goods. So the huge cloud of smoke coming out of the tops of the factories are not cool looking clouds, they are greenhouse gases which are slowly destroying your world. Even you release these ‘greenhouse gases’ every single time you drive a car. Since cars release these polluting gases, that means that every time you drive, you contribute to the increase building of global warming.

Take a look at the chart below. This chart shows the percentage of heat-trapping global warming emissions by economic sector. As you can see, energy supply gets trapped the most and is over a quarter of the amount of heat that gets trapped. So, you make the most impact.

Scientists predict that global warming would fully come into effect long after we are gone, so why should we care? Besides the fact that it is morally wrong to not care about the future, it affects our lives even today. It affects our economy in many ways such as: the increasing rise in sea level, the increase in wildfires, the increase of dangerous heat waves, the increase of extreme storm events, and the increase in severe droughts. Besides the economy, it can directly affect a human’s health because global warming increases the risk of illness and death related to extreme heat. Also, global warming increases diseases transmitted by food, water, and insects.

So this is our time to fix this global issue. You can help out just by doing the simplest things such as recycling, using less air conditioning/heat, driving less, using less hot water, planting a tree, turning off the lights when you go out, and many more. It is simple actions like that which can make the biggest difference.

This is our time.

Works Cited

“10 Things You Can Do to Slow Climate Change.” About. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014.

“The Causes of Global Warming.” The Causes of Global Warming. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Sept. 2014.

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 07 Sept. 2014.

“Global Warming: Confronting the Realities of Climate Change | UCSUSA.” Union of Concerned Scientists. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014.

“How Are Humans Responsible for Global Warming?” Environmental Defense Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Sept. 2014.

“An Introduction to Climate Change.” Climate Change Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014.

Science Is Not For Me

2 Replies

I am doing this course for a two reasons. The first reason I am doing this course is because I am not very good at science, which is convenient since this class is not scientifically intense at all. Since I am not very good at science, my academic advisor recommended that I should take this class. The other reason why I am taking this course is to make my mother happy. My mother is a food scientist at Consumer Reports. Since she is a huge science geek (2:00), taking a class or two on science would really make her happy.

Although science seems intriguing to me, I am horrific at it, which is why I do not plan to be a science major. I have always struggled with science throughout my academic career and is clearly not a fit for me. I am more interested in history because everything is a simple fact that is already proven, unlike science which is incredibly confusing and makes you think deep. Although science is not my ‘cup of tea’, I am very excited for this class based on the first day. Science Hate

SiOWfa14 Science in Our World: Certainty and Cont

The course website and blog for the Fall 2014 instance of Penn State's SC200 course

Author Archives: Adam Greene

Coffee… Yay or Nay?

Violent Video Games. Game Over.

Let’s Get Bigger.

Bedtime=Lights Out!

What Are You Guys?!?!

The Wint-O-Green Saver Effect- Lightning in Your Mouth

The Art of Anger

A Shock that will MELT Your Heart

Growing Out the Old MAiNE

Vitamin Water… The Healthy Choice?

Can you SURVIVE by drinking your own urine?

Suicidal Language

The Act of Flirting ;)

“Goo Goo Ga Ga!” What Babies Are Really Saying

The Freshman 15 and Eating Disorders

Is the World Getting Hotter?

Science Is Not For Me