As girls, we all wear makeup, regardless of the fact that it may be the underlying cause of our acne. Wearing makeup makes us feel beautiful and more confident in ourselves. At this point in time, it is well known that the possible causes of acne are a result of increased stress levels and changes in hormones. But are these the only possible causes of it or could it be something else? When women breakout, they are more prone to wear makeup to hide their blemishes however the makeup could be the reason that their acne is not going away or getting worse.

Many dermatologists recommend not wearing makeup as it can make a patient’s skin condition even worse than it is. However this recommendation is not based off of a true claim but moreover a belief that makeup could worsen acne. In 2005, Dr. Hayashi conducted a study to assess the effects of makeup on skin. In this study, a makeup artist was asked to teach basic makeup techniques to a group of 18 women with acne. The women would apply makeup for four weeks while their skin was being treated. The study resulted in higher self-esteem, a better social life, and improved acne. While this study cannot conclude whether the women’s acne would have gotten even better without the makeup or if the makeup interfered with the acne treatment, it is safe to say that the makeup did not have any negative effects on the women’s acne due to the fact that it improved their skin.

Although the study showed that makeup did not worsen the women’s acne, Dr. Hayashi had the study participants use makeup that is specifically designed for acne-prone skin. The foundation and concealer used were “non-comodogenic” and “non-irritating.” This suggests that perhaps certain cosmetic products may be better or safer to use than others.

Another possible cause of the women’s acne improving could have been the psychological effects that the makeup had on the women. Since the study resulted in higher self-esteem, it is most likely that the makeup caused the women to feel better about themselves. Could it be that makeup actually helps fight acne? Having acne is a stress within itself and the embarrassment that it brings can further worsen a person’s skin. Therefore, anything to ease the psychological burden and stress that acne brings about must have some positive effect on the skin.

Overall, the study conducted cannot conclude that makeup worsens or improves acne. However, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that makeup does not worsen acne.

Sources:

http://www.acneeinstein.com/makeup-acne/

For many years now, there has been this notion that birth control is linked to mood disorders such as depression. In my own experience with birth control, I have also felt that the cause of my mood swings was from the pill. However, now that I think about it, I experienced the same types of emotions even before I went on birth control. Therefore, it is safe to say that I may have falsely accredited my mood swings to my contraception because of the widespread belief that birth control causes mood disorders.

According to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, women on birth control were reported to have lower levels of depressive symptoms than women who were not on birth control. In the study, the hormonal birth control use and depressive symptoms were examined in 6,654 sexually active women between the ages of 25 and 34. The women were split into two groups: women who used hormonal contraception and women who used non-hormonal contraception. The results showed that the hormonal birth-control users were much less likely to report suicide attempts and had lower levels of mood disorder symptoms.

Other studies have shown that birth control improved mood and depression in some women. Furthermore, some women have reported that taking combined hormonal contraceptives caused less variability in their mood as compared to women using non-hormonal birth control. While these studies insinuate that there is no link between birth control and depression, we still cannot say whether the pill can actually prevent depression. These studies are all observational and the results could most certainly be attributed to confounding variables. Study participants that were on birth control could have already been less likely to suffer from depression or women might have stopped taking it when they had unfavorable effects. The researchers of the aforementioned study even took into consideration that women who are already depressed are less likely to use contraception. In addition, women who are on the pill may subconsciously believe they are experiencing depressive symptoms because they think birth control is always supposed to have that effect which could in turn, cause them to become depressed.

In conclusion, there is no consistent evidence that depression is a side effect of hormonal contraception. Every woman’s body is different and drugs can have different effects on people. The most accurate way to predict how a woman will feel on birth control is to examine her mental health before starting contraception.

Sources:

http://bedsider.org/features/91

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/birth-control-and-depression

Throughout my entire life, I have never really invested my time or money in video games. The idea of spending hours in front of a TV screen seemed so unproductive and not benefitting in any way. Not to mention, my parents always viewed video games as a distraction from my school work so they too, did not see any benefits that could about from playing video games. What many people do not realize however is that video games actually have several positive effects.

The first effect is that playing video games can improve a person’s motor skills. Health researchers at Deakin University found that young children who played interactive video games had better object control motor skills such as kicking and catching. Another study that was published in 2007 compared laparoscopic surgeons who play video games to those who do not. The results showed that surgeons who played video games were 27% faster in their medical procedures and made 37% less errors than those who did not.

A second positive effect that video games have is that they relive pain. A study that was published by the American Pain Society demonstrated that video games can be just as helpful as pain relievers in children and adults. Study participants who were undergoing procedures such as chemotherapy, reported that they were less stressed when they were placed in a “virtual environment.” Research that was done at Keele University further supports this claim that video games can relieve pain however this study showed that tolerance to pain was greater after playing a violent video game. The study participants were to play a violent video game and a non-violent video game for 10 minutes. The participants then had to place one of their hands in ice-cold water to test their tolerance to the pain. The participants held their hands in the water 65% longer after playing the violent video game.

The benefits do not stop here. As bizarre as it sounds, playing video games can even tackle mental illnesses. Researchers at the University of Auckland came upon a video game intended to help teenagers with depression. The 3D fantasy game known as SPARX is specifically designed to help teenagers deal with their symptoms and it was observed that this game helped people with their depression more than conventional treatment. Another study that was published in 2010 found that playing the video game Tetris after a traumatic experience could help prevent PTSD.

Although these studies cannot prove that video games will actually have these effects, it is interesting that the results of the studies all came back to the conclusion that video games can be beneficial in some particular way. Perhaps parents would be more understanding of their children playing video games if they knew of the potential benefits it could bring about.

Sources:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/10/5-reasons-video-games-are-actually-good-for-you

When I set an alarm for when I need to wake up, I always base the time that I am going to wake up on one factor. And that is to give myself enough time to get ready. However, I never give myself time in the morning to eat a healthy and filling breakfast. The reason being is that I do not have the time or desire to do so and making breakfast is simply too much of a hassle (especially when you’re almost late to an 8AM). This is a common habit amongst many teenagers in high school and college. However, many people fail to realize the importance of a good breakfast and how it can affect our ability to concentrate and do well in school.

Evidence has shown that eating breakfast really does boost your brainpower and that the kind of breakfast you eat is also a very crucial component in your brain’s ability to function well. Several years ago, a study was done on a group of 4,000 elementary school students to analyze the results of eating breakfast. The students were given attention tests to measure how well their short-term memory was. To the best of their ability, the study participants were asked to repeat a specific list of numbers that were read to them out loud. Their scores were based on how many numbers they could correctly remember. The students were then asked to name as many animals they could think of in the matter of a minute, to test their verbal fluency. The results revealed that the students who had eaten breakfast had higher scores than those who did not.

However does eating a bowl of sugar-infused Cocoa Puffs mean you will score an A on a test? Not necessarily. Professor of pediatrics Terrill Bravender states that food like whole grains are the best option for maximized brainpower. Although the number of carbohydrates may be the same in both oatmeal and sugary cereal, the glycemic loads are very different. Cereals that contain a lot of sugar will initially cause a vast increase in blood-sugar levels and then a sharp decrease in the matter of two hours. Due to its slower rate of absorption, oatmeal causes a slow increase in blood sugar levels, which is just the right amount of energy to make it through the morning. A study that was conducted by psychologist Holly Taylor aimed to test how the kind of breakfast a person eats affects their brainpower. In the study, one group of children was given sweetened oatmeal for breakfast while the other group ate Captain Crunch cereal. The students were then given tasks to measure their concentration and memory. The results found that the children who ate oatmeal for breakfast did 20% better than the children who at Captain Crunch cereal.

Although these studies suggest that eating a good breakfast can improve your ability to concentrate and do better in school, researchers cannot guarantee that it will improve a student’s grades or concentration. The results of the studies could have been due to chance as well as confounding variables. Students who did not score as high as others may have gotten less sleep, which could have impaired their ability to stay mentally focused. Also, students who scored better that ate breakfast may have drank caffeine that morning. The caffeine may have contributed to their higher scores. Another confounding variable could be amphetamines. Students may have taken performance enhancers such as Adderall or Vyvanse, which would’ve helped them concentrate better. Even though correlation does not equal causation, there is a lot of evidence to support the idea that eating a healthy breakfast boosts a person’s brainpower. From now on, I will attempt to eat a good breakfast as often as I can. After all, every college student could use the increased brainpower that a simple bowl of oatmeal could provide.

Sources:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5738848

Almost every night before I slip into my comforter and call it a day, I do something that is said to offset the ability to fall asleep fast; this would be watching television. Many people’s nightly routine consists of watching T.V, however studies have shown how television before bed can take a negative toll on children’s sleep.

Research that was done at the University of Auckland in New Zealand demonstrated that the more television a child watched, the later they fell asleep. The design of the study involved 2,016 children between the ages of 5 and 18. As part of the study, the participants were asked to explain what they did 90 minutes before sleeping and categorized their activities into self-care, non-screen sedentary time, and screen sedentary time. Researchers also took into account the “sleep onset” of the children. The categories for this included very early, early, late, and very late.

From the study, it was reported that watching television before bed was the most common activity amongst all of the study participants. On average, about 30 minutes was spent watching T.V. of the 90 minutes before sleep. In addition, the study found that the study participants who went to bed later had 13 more minutes of screen time before sleep than the participants who went to bed earlier.

So why is it that watching television causes us to fall asleep later than we normally would if we were not to watch T.V? Russell Rosenberg, who is the director of The Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and Technology, explains that the delayed ability to fall asleep is caused in part from the light of television screens. The light prevents the hormone melatonin from telling our brain when it is time to sleep. A poll from the National Sleep Foundation found that 43% of Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 reported that they did not get an adequate amount of sleep on weeknights and more than 60% said they had a sleep problem either every night or almost every night. These statistics do not pose as surprising considering how vast the use of technology is in America.

Since the aforementioned study is observational and since correlation does not equal causation, researchers cannot prove that watching television before bed directly causes a delay in a person’s ability to fall asleep. In addition, this study cannot rule out confounding variables. The study participants who took longer to fall asleep may have eaten or drank something that would’ve caused them to stay up longer (such as caffeine).

Although it is not certain that watching television is the reason that people may have more trouble falling asleep, I have noticed from personal experience that when I watch television or use my phone before bed, it actually does take longer for me to fall asleep.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/tv-kids-sleep-screen-time_n_2480213.html

http://sleepfoundation.org/media-center/press-release/annual-sleep-america-poll-exploring-connections-communications-technology-use-

As a female, I am constantly being told how I should look in order to be more beautiful and attractive to men. Beauty magazines and sales assistants at makeup counters will go on and on to say what colors, clothing, and makeup a woman should wear to look her best. For example, if a woman has brown eyes, it is suggested that she wear neutral eye shadow colors because this is what will make her look more attractive. Or if a woman has a pale skin tone, she should avoid wearing certain colors that could “wash her out.” We are told that men are going to be attracted to us based on a million different factors such as these however it is so much more simple than we make it out to be.

The first and foremost aspect of a person that we are naturally attracted to is their symmetry. Even though we may not be conscious of comparing the symmetry of a person’s face, we do it anyway. Good symmetry shows that a person is healthy and well suited for mating. Evolutionary biologist Randy Thornhill states that choosing a perfectly symmetrical partner and reproducing with them will increase the chances of your offspring being symmetrical and able to deal with perturbations. Thornhill’s research has found that both men and women found symmetrical members of the opposite sex as more attractive and healthier. His studies also found that men with more symmetry had more sexual partners than men with less symmetry.

The next thing that men are naturally attracted to is the size of a woman’s hips. Men find wider hips more attractive because once again, they signal fertility and good genes for mating. Psychologist Devendra Singh conducted a study of people’s waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and found that men were most attracted to women with a WHR of 0.7. Otherwise known as “the hourglasss shape”, this waist-to-hip ratio indicates a waist that is significantly smaller than the hips. An analysis that was done on the body figures of Playboy models and Miss America contestants showed that most of these women had a WHR of 0.7 or lower. In a 2004 study, Singh further concluded that men find a WHR between 0.67 and 1.18 in women extremely attractive.

Since these studies are all observational, it cannot be concluded that all men find women with higher symmetry and wider hips the most attractive. After all, there are countless men whose wives/girlfriends do not have perfectly symmetrical faces or an hourglass figure yet they are still infatuated with their physical beauty. The men that were participants in the studies may have all been monthly subscribers to Playboy magazines. Or they may have all had girlfriends with perfectly symmetrical features and Marilyn Monroe bodies. In conclusion, although studies suggest what men are naturally attracted to, it is uncertain whether ALL men are more attracted to wider hips and symmetry.

Sources:

http://www.livescience.com/7023-rules-attraction-game-love.html

Jealousy is one of the worst emotions that we, as humans, can feel. Whether it has to do with our significant other, friends, or even strangers, it is an emotion that everyone experiences at some point. It tends to bring out the worst in us and is a cause of many failed relationships or arguments between people.

So what drives jealousy? Is it our instinctive possession that we have over our loved ones and our jobs? Or are we secretly scared of losing these things to someone else? An important concept to take note of is the fact that jealousy is not the same thing as envy. By definition, envy involves wanting something that someone else has while jealousy is the fear of losing something to someone else. Professor of psychology Ralph Hupka describes jealousy as “an anticipatory emotion, seeking to prevent loss.”

When it comes to gender, psychologists believe that women tend to experience feelings of jealousy more often than men due to the fact that they are more in touch with their emotions yet both men and women become jealous for the same types of reasons. This includes the fear of losing something or someone that they deem important. An interesting study found that taller men seemed to be less jealous than shorter men. This could perhaps be attributed to the attractiveness and reproductive success that taller men have over shorter men. Another study found that women tend to be more jealous due to the higher expectations they have when it comes to loyalty, love, and commitment. Jealousy is also very common amongst multi-child households. More often than not, siblings tend to become jealous of one another because they compete for their parents’ attention and care. Adolescent jealousy mostly stems from the fear of losing a friend to someone else. Furthermore, studies have concluded that adolescents are more likely to become jealous when they have low self-esteem.

Though it seems impossible to avoid feeling jealous, there are actually ways in which jealous behavior can be controlled. One way is to be honest with your friends and significant other. Unspoken, negative feelings that develop over time can later expose themselves in a jealous way. Another way to avoid situations pertaining to jealousy is to maintain a healthy level of trust with the people that are most important to you.

Sources:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/jealousy.htm

Before I left home to come to Penn State, there was a very important member of my family that I had extreme difficulty saying goodbye to, and that was my dog. Looking back on how sad I was to leave him, I can’t help but wonder if my dog also felt sad that I was leaving or if he even is capable of feeling sad.

The question whether dogs have feelings is a debate that has been going on for quite some time now and is leaning towards the answer that they do in fact, have feelings. As science has progressed over time, we have learned that dogs have the same brain structures that create emotions in humans. They also have the same hormones and experience the same chemical changes that humans do while undergoing stages of emotion. Due to the similarities in neurology between dogs and humans, it seems practical to assume that dogs experience the same emotions as humans. However, dogs may not have the same range of emotions that humans do. Research has shown that infants cannot experience certain emotions that grown adults do and over time, they are able to experience more complex emotions. Researchers believe that the emotional range of a dog can be compared to that of a two year old. Therefore, dogs can have emotions but they are limited to certain kinds. Humans go through developmental stages and each new stage is accompanied by the ability to experience more complex emotions. Similarly, dogs go through developmental stages however they go through them much more quickly than humans. They will have acquired all of the emotional ranges that they could by the time they are 4 to 6 months in age yet it is important to keep in mind that their range of emotions does not exceed that of a two year old human. While dogs can experience feelings of joy, fear, and love, they cannot experience complex emotions such as guilt or shame.

As a pet owner myself, I always think that my dog is feeling a particular way because of how well I think I know him however I guess I will never know what he is truly feeling.

Sources:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201303/which-emotions-do-dogs-actually-experience

Have you ever wondered what runs through a baby’s thoughts on a daily basis? What are they thinking about when they blankly stare at you? As I was watching over my neighbor’s newborn baby one day, I couldn’t help but ask myself these questions. Despite the fact that babies’ brains are very small, they are still able to think and perceive things. Obviously not the way older people do, but still enough to make you question how their brain works and what they are thinking.

According to Paul Quinn, a professor of psychology at the University of Delaware, babies are able to distinguish male faces from female faces in photographs as young as three months old. Babies develop a preference towards a gender based on who their primary caregiver is. From the moment a baby is born, he or she is constantly thinking and trying to make sense of everything going on around them. They begin to pick up patterns from examining things about the environment they live in. Researchers have found that a baby’s attention can be held longer if you do something unexpected. For example, if you throw a ball up in the air as opposed to just holding it, a baby will be more interested and likely to stay engaged. Dr. Sue Hespos from Northwestern University states that babies spend a lot of time thinking about the way objects behave and interact. When a baby reaches 2 to 3 months, they are responding to their caregiver’s face and voice, not exactly their words. It isn’t until 5 or 6 months that babies begin to respond to their actual name. Furthermore, when babies laugh, it is not necessarily because they think something is funny. A baby’s first laugh serves as a sign of socialization and an indication that the baby is starting to acknowledge sounds and expressions that are made when he/she is enjoying themself.

So the next time you look at a baby and think they do not understand anything that is going on, remember that they too have brains, and are taking in everything and everyone around them, trying to make sense of it all.

Sources:

http://www.parents.com/baby/care/newborn/what-is-baby-thinking/

It seems as though whenever it’s rainy or cloudy I do not feel as energetic or motivated to do anything. I simply want to stay in bed and watch a movie instead of doing something more exciting. The rain always seems to take a toll on our happiness in a negative way while the sun typically puts us in a better mood. So how exactly does the weather affect our mood? Does the cold weather make us depressed? Does the sun make us happier human beings?

Research has found that weather impacts people’s negative moods more than their positive moods. While higher temperatures bring a “low” person up, conditions such as the wind or lack of sun can make a sad person even more upset. A depressive disorder called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is when a person’s depression is linked to the change in seasons. While most people experience SAD during the colder months of the year, there are certain people that even experience it when the weather is warm. Women suffer from SAD up to three times more than men. Maintaining a regular schedule, especially when it comes to sleep, plays a key role in helping overcome SAD.

Research has also found that heat and rain cause people to become more aggressive. A study conducted by researcher Marie Connolly found that women felt more satisfied with their life on cooler days with no rain rather than hotter days with rain. Ironically, it was also found that suicide rates are higher in the spring and summertime. You would think that the cold weather and lack of sunlight would cause more people to commit suicide in the winter but it is actually the opposite way around. The impact that weather has also depends on someone’s “weather personality type.” For example, people that love the summer tend to be happier and more carefree on sunny days while people that do not like the summer tend to be more upset and angry on warm days.

In conclusion, while weather may not pose much of an impact on certain people, it definitely has an effect on most individuals, myself included. On sunnier days, I seem to be more of a productive, positive, and overall happier person whereas on colder, rainier days I become less interested in making plans with people and prefer to be alone.

Sources:

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/08/29/can-weather-affect-your-mood/

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/basics/definition/con-20021047

When it comes to being upset, happy, or irritated, we tend to believe that women are naturally more emotional than men. We expect men to toughen out whatever rough situation they are in and move on from it as soon as it happens. Society deems it socially unacceptable for men to show any sign of sadness or weakness. But just because men are not as up front about their emotions as women, are they incapable of feeling the same emotions that women do and to the same extent?

It turns out that men are in turn more emotional than women. As bizarre as this may seem, a study was conducted to show that men feel just as much emotion that women do and they sometimes feel these emotions more strongly. In this study, certain images and videos were presented to 15 mothers and 15 fathers. These images and videos contained various types of scenarios that were intended to inflict emotions of excitement, humor, and warm-heartedness. Skin conductance electrodes were used to measure the physiological reactions of the group of mothers and fathers. The results showed that men had a higher emotional reaction to the humorous content and were twice as emotional as the women when the heartfelt content was displayed to them.

After conducting the study, the men were required to fill out a questionnaire in which they were asked if they felt more emotional than the women. Despite the fact that the men claimed they felt less emotion than the women, their physiological reactions proved that they actually felt emotion more strongly. Furthermore, an additional survey was given to 2,000 men and 67% reported that they were more emotional than they appeared.

This study suggests that men can be just as emotional as women and can sometimes feel emotion more strongly however they are less likely to express these emotions due to the kind of person society expects them to be. But why is it that women tend to be viewed as being more emotional than men? The answer it that women openly express their emotions while men keep it to themselves. It is socially acceptable for women to break down in front of their friends, have “weak moments,” or attribute whatever they are feeling to their menstrual cycle. However for men, there is no excuse. Our society does not tolerate men crying or feeling heartfelt about something. Despite the tough “alpha male” personality that men are expected to adhere to, they have a soft interior and are certainly capable of feeling the same types of emotions that women do and to an even greater extent.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/06/13/men-women-emotional-parents_n_5491119.html

http://www.femalefatal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/man-crying-b_1_-357×315.jpg

(i.) I am taking this course to fulfill my science requirement for the Smeal College of Business. Due to the fact that I do not need to take a more difficult course such as Chemistry or Physics I figured this course would be easier and less complex. The description sounded interesting to me which is also what led me to take this course. This class will give me a different outlook on Science which I am looking forward to engage in.

(ii.) I am not planning to be a Science major for various reasons. The first being that I was always more interested in business and more specifically Accounting. It is easier for me to understand business-related concepts because they are more applicable to my everyday life, whereas trying to visualize concepts such as the atom or chemical reactions is more difficult. I find topics in Science to be interesting however I do not see myself having a career within the science field.

-Katerina Economikos