Today in class Andrew discussed the condition of Brain Aneurysms. I found this topic intriguing due to the fact that my aunt has recently suffered from brain aneurysms and her situation was very similar to same predicament Andrew’s friend was in. My aunt had always been very happy and lively. She never broke her smile. But, she unfortunately decided to make the personal decision in becoming a smoker. And a very heavy one at that. Even with this factor in mind no one in my family, myself included, thought anything life-threatening could happen to such a wonderful women. But we were shockingly proven wrong. Was there a way in which my aunt could’ve avoided this life-altering incident? Or was this simply inevitable?

Null Hypothesis: Nothing can be done to avoid getting a brain aneurysm.

Alternative Hypothesis: Actions can be taken to avoid getting a brain aneurysm.

Source

What is a brain aneurysm?

A brain aneurysm is a “bulging, weak area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to the brain”. (WebMD) When a brain aneurysm ruptures the result is a “subarachnoid hemorrhage“. “Depending on the severity of the hemorrhage, brain damage or death may result.” (WebMD)

Where?

“The most common location for brain aneurysms is in the network of blood vessels at the base of the brain called the circle of Willis.” (WebMD)

Causes?

The correlation is present that people can inherit the tendencies of brain aneurysms, or they can occur from the due to the hardening of arteries (atherosclerosis). WebMD also states:

• Family History: People who have a family history of brain aneurysms are more likely to have an aneurysm than those who don’t.
• Previous Aneurysm: People who have had a brain aneurysm are more likely to have another.
• Gender: Women are more likely to develop a brain aneurysm or to suffer a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
• High Blood Pressure
• Smoking

Procedure?

According to Medline Plus there are two main options when it comes to removing a brain aneurysm.

• Option #1-Aneurysm Clipping: “You are given general anesthesia and a breathing tube…your scalp, skull, and the coverings of the brain are opened…A metal clip is placed at the base (neck) of the aneurysm to prevent it from breaking open (bursting).”
• Option #2-Endovascular Repair:  “A catheter is guided through a small cut in your groin to an artery and then to the blood vessel in your brain where the aneurysm is located.”

Symptoms: According to WebMD “most brain aneurysms have no symptoms”. Other possibilities are:

• A sudden, severe headache that is different from past headaches.
• Neck pain.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Sensitivity to light.
• Fainting or loss of consciousness.
• Seizures.

Source

Now that we know the significant aspects of brain aneurysms we’re back to the important question: What can be done to prevent them? According to The Aneurysm and AVM Foundation there are two categories of prevention: things you can’t control vs. things you can control. “At this point, the only preventative measures are screening, controlling high blood pressure and eliminating smoking.”

Conclusion: Due to the results I found based on the prevention of brain aneurysms the null hypotheses can be rejected. We can all take precautions to hopes of avoiding this life-threatening condition. But unfortunately, the alternative hypothesis cannot be fully accepting. There are usually no symptoms present which would point to a brain aneurysm. Due to hereditary reasons and other third variables, which have not yet been fully explained, we cannot 100% eliminate our chances of getting a brain aneurysm. The causes which were stated by WebMD are only suggestions. The correlation is not certain. Correlation does not equal causation.

Take Home Message: Today my Aunt Helene is not the person she used to be. She is no longer able to speak and is forced to use a wheelchair. On good days she is somewhat able to write. Her recovery has been a slow but positive one, and my family continues to have hope and support for her. There are many practically harmless steps which we can all take in order to make ourselves healthier and less prone to brain aneurysms. The most impactful way to learn a lesson is to see someone you love go through something so tragic that, in the end, could have possibly been avoided. Don’t let this happen to you.

Source

Source

Being from New York I have definitely seen my fair share of skyscrapers and always found them fascinating. I’ve stared up at these miraculous buildings countless times. One day, when I was younger, my grandma decided to take my brother and I to the top of the Empire State Building. I  vividly remember finally reaching the top and, rather than being amazed by the view, my grandma lectured my brother and I to not throw any coins over the railing. “If you drop a  coin it could go right through someone down below and kill them!” I was petrified.

It’s now some years later and I find myself having trouble believing my grandma’s prediction. But let’s say she’s right for the moment. Obviously this concept would not just apply to the Empire State Building. A skyscraper is classified as a building with more than 40 floors and taller than 492ft. If you drop a coin from the top of a skyscraper and it happens to hit someone walking below, the assumption is that you could kill them. And there are many people who tend to believe this concept. Now, as crazy as this sounds, is it possible? Is this theory actually true or have scientific experiments been conducted to prove this statement false?

Null Hypothesis: If a coin is dropped from a skyscraper and hits someone they will not die.

Alternative Hypothesis: If a coin is dropped from a skyscraper and hits someone they will die.

Scientific American states that “it’s extremely difficult to turn a penny into a lethal weapon, and hurling it over the barricades at the top of the Empire State Building won’t get the job done. Even from that height, a penny is too small and flat, and cushioned by too much air, to become a torpedo.” Rather than the penny falling faster and faster towards someone’s head it begins to fall lighter. If this penny were aimed at you, instead of feeling as though you were hit in the head by something harder than a brick (as some assume would happen), it would simply feel as if you’ve been poked in the forehead. But these are merely statements. Not experiments. Even though this concept of a penny killing you still seems highly illogical many people, including tourists of the Empire State Building according to John Stossel, demonstrated concern based around this theory. As we know, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. So where is the scientific evidence?

Source

A scientific experiment was performed by Louis Bloomfield to test this death by coin theory. Bloomfield recreated this myth by filling a large weather balloon with helium and then attached a penny dispenser from it which dispenses one penny at a time. He then released the balloon hundreds of feet into the hair and ran around with a remote control, which controlled when pennies were dispensed, trying to catch the falling coins. Bloomfield was not successful and didn’t catch one penny. But, as a result, he was hit by a few of the falling pennies. As crazy as this experiment sounds the results were actually beneficial in evaluating the null hypothesis. Bloomfield’s findings directly correlate to basic physics and the concept of terminal velocity. Terminal velocity is defined as “the highest velocity attainable by an object as it falls through air.” It is also determined by the object’s weight and air resistance. Bloomfield states that the pennies, “reach terminal velocity and no matter how high we put the balloon, they never picked up any more speed. Because a penny is lightweight and not aerodynamic, air resistance slows it down so much that its terminal velocity is quite slow.”

This article, by Daven Hiskey, also contemplates the death by coin myth and proves how this theory is entirely false in step by step form:

1.) No air-resistance: “If there were no air resistance on the penny as it fell, that would mean it would reach a maximum velocity of around 190-ish miles per hour when it hit the ground, taking just shy of 9 second to do so.” This might sound really fast but even this speed is not even high enough to penetrate a person’s skin, let alone kill them.

2.) Weight of the penny: A penny has roughly the same mass as a .22 caliber bullet. If a bullet were shot at a speed of 600 miles per hour it would penetrate your skin because “the surface area that strikes your skin is much smaller”. But a penny, even shot at that speed, would not have the capability of breaking through a person’s skin. This was even proven by Myth Busters. “They shot a penny at over 700 mph at a gel “skull”. The penny wasn’t even able to penetrate the gel at all at that speed, which was over three times the speed a penny would reach falling from the top of the Empire State Building with no air resistance.”

3.) Real life: “In open air, with no real updraft or breeze, a penny’s terminal velocity is going to be around 30-50 miles per hour. If there is a good wind, even without an updraft, that’s going to drop significantly.” This means that if a penny were to be dropped from the top of the Empire State Building it would have an even lower terminal velocity due to the weather conditions.

These clear and well-executed experiments makes it extremely apparent that a penny dropped from the top of a skyscraper does not have the capability of killing anyone below. The weight, air-resistance, and aerodynamics all back up this conclusion. For these reasons the alternative hypothesis can be rejected and the null hypothesis can be accepted. Coin by death is simply a myth. There is no truth to it.

Take Home Message: Just because a penny is “safe” to throw from the top of a skyscraper does not mean that all small objects are just as safe. Hiskey states, “It really has a lot to do with surface area to weight ratio and how aerodynamic the thing is.” He gives the example of a ball point pen. This object is very light, similar to a penny, but much more “lethal” to those below. This is an interesting aspect to consider. Could items found in the average woman’s purse or average man’s pocket kill someone below even if dropped by accident? “Don’t dump your handbag out the top of a building. Something in that bag is likely to go awfully fast.” (Bloomfield)

Source

Source

Do you ever wonder how we are able to evaluate something and make a final decision? Have you ever mentally convinced yourself of something that in reality is not true? Have you ever seen someone around you do something and convinced yourself that you should do the same thing? We all have at one time or another. And this concept has a title: Cognitive Dissonance. Cognitive Dissonance often occurs due to us comparing ourselves to others and is part of The Social Comparison Theory. According to this article, because there is a “drive within individuals to search for outside images in order to evaluate their own opinions and abilities”. The things we see others do around us we tend evaluate as realistic and as a result, we attempt to obtain these things ourselves.

Null Hypothesis: The people around us have no effect on the decisions we make.

Alternative Hypothesis: The people around us do have an effect on the decisions we make.

A highly influential experiment was performed by Leon Festinger and James Carlsmith which tested this hypothesis. Their experiment was based on 71 male undergraduate students in Introductory Psychology at Stanford University. “Subjects were asked to put spools onto and then off the try with the use of only one hand for half an hour, and then for the next half hour, turn square pegs clockwise in quarter turns, and then start all over again once the whole cycle’s been finished for all 48 square pegs.” These subjects were then divided into two groups: A and B. Group A was not given any information about the tasks they had to perform while Group B was given instructions by a presenter which was in a happy and “enjoyable” tone. “Festinger and Carlsmith then investigated whether there’s a standing evidence of cognitive dissonance where boring tasks were seen as enjoyable.” After this round certain participants were let go. These individuals were viewed to be the control group. The remaining subjects were then offered the opportunity to take the place of the experimenter and give the following group of participants “enjoyable” instructions. Half of the participants given the experimenter job were paid $1 to perform this task while the other half was paid $20.

**only 60 of the 71 participants were included in the final evaluation Source

The result was that “those who were paid $1 were forced to rationalize their own judgments and convinced themselves that what they were doing is enjoyable because they had no other justification. On the other hand, the ones who were paid $20, apparently had the money as their primary justification for carrying out their task.” Festinger and Carlsmith further concluded, based off the the control group, that those who were only paid $1 felt that they were forcing themselves to explain how “enjoyable” of a task this was when in reality it was not. This is a direct result of Cognitive Dissonance. These participants who were paid less felt that they were forced to lie about how they felt due to the fact that the other participants were saying the same thing. “In conclusion, people, when persuaded to lie without being given enough justification, will perform a task by convincing themselves of the falsehood, rather than telling a lie.”

Dr. Jeremy Dean comments on this experiment by stating, “So how can you resolve your view of yourself as an honest person with lying to the next participant? Your mind resolves this conundrum by deciding that actually the study was pretty interesting after all. You are helped to this conclusion by the experimenter who tells you other people also thought the study was pretty interesting.” In other words, the participants’ results have been directly influenced by the other participants’ responses.

Source

Even though this experiment took place in the 50’s it is frequently referred back to and has been published due to its highly successful results. Dr. Dean also states “Since this experiment numerous studies of cognitive dissonance have been carried out and the effect is well-established.”

Conclusion: Due to the abundance of meta analyses which have been performed it is clear that the null hypothesis can be rejected and the alternative hypothesis can be accepted. The additional experiments which were performed, after Festigner and Carlsmith’s, all came to the same conclusion proving the existence of Cognitive Dissonance. There are other aspects of this study which could be looked into more deeply. One of them being that only men were chosen to participate in this study. This could have an effect on the final results. One reason being that it is often assumed women care more about other’s opinions than men. This aspect could be seen as a flaw within Festinger and Carlsmith’s experiment.

Take Home Message: As Dr. Dean states, “Being aware of this can help us avoid falling foul of the most dangerous consequences of cognitive dissonance: believing our own lies.” If we are all more aware of this frequently reoccurring psychological aspect of our lives we could be much more genuine when it comes to making decisions about our own lives.

Source

In a previous blog post I wrote I discussed the benefits of going to college and whether or not it was worth it in the long run. Now I’ve decided to narrow down my search to one specific topic: Ivy League Universities. When thinking of Ivy League schools we often think of the students who are the smartest of the smart; the elite. Because of this many high school students automatically feel that if they were given the opportunity to attend such a prestigious university why turn it down? It’s an automatic yes. No doubt about it. But should this actually be the case? As an undergraduate entering college, is going to an Ivy League school economically beneficial in the long run, or is it simply a fluke?

Null Hypothesis: Attending an Ivy League university has no economic advantage versus attending a non-Ivy League university.

Alternative Hypothesis: Attending an Ivy League university does have an economic advantage versus attending a non-Ivy League university.

Source

I perform an in-depth analysis as to the price of college in my previous blog but here’s a re-cap. According to Forbes, “the average cost of attending a top four-year college is rapidly approaching a quarter of a million dollars” and “…the average 2014 graduate with student loans will have to pay back around $33,000″. These are extremely hefty price tags which will have inevitable price tags on every student’s life. But what about Ivy League? Is attended such a renowned, and often times much more expensive, institution more important than the price tag that comes along with it? In the words of Malcolm Gladwell, “If you want to get a science and math degree, don’t go to Harvard.” Gladwell uses statistical evidence to support his theory. ” …if you’re a kid and you have a choice between, Harvard and the University of Maryland, go with Maryland because its SAT scores are 150 points lower on average. That means you have a 30% better chance at getting your degree.” Gladwell argues the point that if you aren’t part of the “elite” or the “smartest of the smart” you won’t make it at Harvard. It’s extremely discouraging to be successful in high school and then bumped down to the lower tier of students once you get to college. But have scientific experiments been performed on this topic to solidify that Gladwell’s opinion is correct?

The most prominent study which analyzed Ivy League Universities was performed by Stacy Dale and Alan B. Krueger. This research was based around 14,239 college freshmen (who were chosen based on their SAT score) and focused on the correlation between attending an Ivy League school and their success once they graduated college. The result of this experiment was “students who attended more selective colleges do not earn more than other students who were accepted and rejected by comparable schools but attended less elective colleges.” In other words, no correlation can be seen between how prestigious a college is versus the economic outcome of the student. Dale and Krueger also  compare their research to that of Shane Hunt stating that their conclusions are consistent with his. Hunt states, ” The C student from Princeton earns more than the A student from Podunk not mainly because he has the prestige of a Princeton degree, but merely because he is abler. The golden touch is possessed not by the Ivy League College, but by its students.” (1963; pg. 56) Both these separate statements are conclusive with the theory that attending an Ivy League has no form of financial benefit in the long run. Additionally, if a student is not in the average range of intelligence found at an Ivy League university they will rapidly decline and there is often little hope that they will become successful at such an institution as well as in the future.

Now, back to the original null hypothesis: Is attending an Ivy League school beneficial in any way towards a student’s economic outcome? The answer is unknown and the results are inconclusive. The null hypothesis cannot yet be rejected. It may appear as if there is evidence that something is going on when discussing the correlation between Ivy Leagues and economic outcome but this is not the case.

Source

The most significant research performed, which is that performed by Dale and Krueger, has three main flaws. First, their results could be blamed on the Texas Sharpshooter effect. Dale and Krueger not only based their study on SAT scores, but they also looked into impacts other factors have such as ethic background as and financial background. By looking into multiple aspects of these students’ lives they were bound to find a correlation between something. Second, the Dale and Krueger’s research is one of the only significant and substantial experiments present which measures an Ivy League education. Meta-analysis should be present in order to solidify the final conclusion Dale and Krueger present. The last flaw, and arguably the most significant issue, is that Dale and Krueger’s experiment is extremely outdated. Their experiments began in 1976. How do we know that their conclusion is still accurate today? We don’t.

Final Conclusion: Much more research needs to be performed on this topic. Simply more up-to-date research would be beneficial. Another possibility would be researching whether Ivy League schools are more economically beneficial simply due to the renowned reputation which they all possess. Nearly all high school students who strive for success work towards Ivy League level universities which proves how relatable this topic is to countless students. More research on this topic would greatly benefit those who are about to make one of the most influential decisions of their lives.

Source

Source

On October 1st at approximately 6:22 P.M. EDT President Barack Obama stated:

“But we are not the only country on Earth that has people with mental illnesses or want to do harm to other people.  We are the only advanced country on Earth that sees these kinds of mass shootings every few months.”

President Obama is referring to the Oregon shooting and addressing the nation on this tragedy. This is the most current devastation our nation has been faced with and these mass shootings seem to be reoccurring much too often. After a tragic event such as this happens many question how a human being could be capable of something so horrific. Could someone actually be so evil and heartless or is there a psychological illness which can be found as the cause of their actions? President Obama himself stated that a mental illness could be the cause behind this tragic event. The government
is fully aware of the serious reoccurring issue which is present in our country and they are attempting to state that there is a true reason behind these overwhelming incidents. But has the scientific research been performed to clearly prove that the causal variable of mass shootings is mental illness?

Source

A 2001 study tested the hypothesis as to whether or not mental illness attributed to mass murders. This experiment was focused on thirty-four adolescents, a nonrandom sample of convenience of adolescent mass murderers was utilized, who had worked either together or separately, and had “committed 27 mass murders between 1958 and 1999”. The researchers state that “a majority were described as “loners” and abused alcohol or drugs; almost half were bullied by others, preoccupied with violent fantasy, and violent by history. Although 23% had a documented psychiatric history, only 6% were judged to have been psychotic at the time of the mass murder.” The conclusion to this experiment would be that “the adolescent mass murderer is often predatorily rather than affectively violent and typically does not show any sudden or highly emotional warning signs.” The results did not prove that metal illness is the cause of adolescents performing mass murders. Mental illness can be taken into consideration, but the of those who reportedly had a mental illness the majority did not have the underlying psychological issue which before/during the time of the murders.

Source

An even more convincing study which proves that mass shooters and mental illness is unrelated was performed by two Vanderbilt University researchers: Dr. Jonathan Metzl and Kenneth T. MacLeish. Through extensive research they prove that people are being mislead as to what is the main cause of these mass shootings. “Fewer than 5 percent of the 120,000 gun-related killings in the United States between 2001 and 2010 were perpetrated by people diagnosed with mental illness”. Their published article is mainly based on national data bases such as “National Center for Health Statistics” and statements made by the US Department of Justice. These are only two of the 116 sources which Metzl and MacLeish base their research on. They have an abundance of overwhelmingly clear and solid evidence as to why their conclusion that mental illness is not a factor must be true. Their article is one of, if not the, most referenced source of research based on this topic.

Source

Metzl states, “But if you look at the research, it’s not the ‘crazy’ person you have to fear.” There are a hand full of articles which attempt to claim that  mental illness is the cause of mass murders but they are mainly opinion based and have almost no statistical evidence. Due to meta-analyses the conclusion can be made that mental illness is not linked to these mass shootings. The articles and research that can be found which attempt to prove that they are related do not have a sufficient amount of evidence to solidify what they are stating. For that reason the alternative hypothesis must be rejected. In hopes of finding a reason as to why these killers preform the horrific acts that they do there are other aspects which can be looked into. Metzl also states that, “Our research finds that across the board, the mentally ill are 60 to 120 percent more likely than the average person to be the victims of violent crime rather than the perpetrators.” This would be an interesting aspect to consider. There is a possibility that the “finger” is being pointed the the wrong direction. It is not the killers with the mental issues but it might be the victims. Another aspect relating to mass shootings which many of us are familiar with is gun control. More research could be done to determine whether or not a restriction on guns would have a significant impact on mass shootings. We all want an answer as to why these shootings take place and how an individual could commit such a horrific crime. With more research the true answer can be found.

Source

“May God bless the memories of those who were killed today.  May He bring comfort to their families, and courage to the injured as they fight their way back.  And may He give us the strength to come together and find the courage to change.”

-Barack Obama

Source

It’s weird to think that we are only familiar with the way we look based off what we see when we look in the mirror or at pictures. Due to these vague resources we have it is possible to think that maybe we only see ourselves the way we want to. The features we believe we have as well as certain characteristics may not be as attractive as we would hope. In other words, maybe we aren’t as beautiful as we think we are. Maybe the refection we see of ourself is merely an image that we alter in ways which we feel physically benefit us. Maybe there are other factors throughout our lives which influence the way we see ourselves in the mirror. As women do we perceive the way we look accurately or is our overall opinion of ourselves bias?

According to an article posted by Discovery News, “our sense of self-image develops through a complicated interplay between cultural ideals, life experiences and accumulated comments by others. The result is, inevitably, a distortion of reality.” Through this article author Emily Sohn emphasizes that, contrary to popular belief, women do not look differently in the mirror simply because they want to. Events and instances which occur throughout our lives directly result in the way we interpret our self image.

Source

A second article was posted on Scientific American which discusses the same topic and focuses on the work of Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago and Erin Whitchurch of the University of Virginia. They performed an experiment in which “the researchers took pictures of study participants [the majority being women] and, using a computerized procedure, produced more attractive and less attractive versions of those pictures. Participants were told that they would be presented with a series of images including their original picture and images modified from that picture.” They were then asked to choose the picture which was not modified. It is important to note that the experiment only included a small number of participants: 24. This experiment resulted in the participants picking the picture of themselves that was enhanced using the computer procedure. Through analyzing this correlation the outcome directly aids in proving the original hypothesis.: women are prone to seeing themselves more attractively than they actually are.

Source

Interestingly enough, both of these articles were based off of the same video published in April of 2013 called “Dove Real Beauty Sketches” that found women were overly harsh.  This video was created by Dove in hopes of motivating women to see themselves in a positive and more beautiful light than they think they originally thought. Women were brought into a room and placed behind a curtain. There was an individual located on the other side of the curtain asking them to describe their own facial features. The women were unaware that this person was a sketch artist who was drawing a portrait based off of the description they gave. The women were then introduced to complete strangers who were instructed to get to know the women very well. After this the strangers were then placed behind the curtain and asked to describe the facial features of the stranger which they could recall. The same artist was again located on the other side of the curtain drawing a second portrait. Business Insider states that this video became the “most viral video ad of all time” which in itself proves how many people are very curious as to the results of this experiment. The conclusion of the experiment resulted in women describing themselves as being uglier than they actually were. But, as stated, specific scientists refute this argument due to their scientific experiments.

Source

Although this short 3 minute video was extremely rhetorically effective, both Discovery News and Scientific American found the video experiment’s findings were inaccurate due to the specific scientific evidence they stated. The video attempts to prove that women are more beautiful than we think we are when in actuality we are not. Through the research performed it is proven that a women’s view of themselves is heightened compared to reality. Ozgun Atasoy states that “the evidence from psychological research suggests instead that we tend to think of our appearance in ways that are more flattering than are warranted”. This statement supports the Discovery News article as well as the research performed by Epley and Whitchurch. Additional evidence which disproves the Dove video would be the fact that this experiment was performed on a very small group of women who were all the same race. In other words, the experiment was not properly randomized. A third confounding variable could also play a significant factor in this experiment and was not closely analyzed. Could the subjects have a psychological reason as to why they feel they are not as beautiful as others see them? Were the descriptions the strangers gave referring to the individual they met influenced in any way due to the experiment that they were participating in? Were they aware that someone would be drawing what they were describing? The artist could have also been aware that the experiment was trying to prove that women didn’t see themselves as beautiful as they actually were. Could the artist have unintentionally drawn a more “attractive” picture the second time? Many critics believe that for these reasons an accurate conclusion cannot be drawn.

Source

In conclusion there is not enough evidence to support the claim that women perceive their physical appearance worse than reality or the one that they perceive it better then reality. The articles found which attempt to prove that women are not as beautiful as they seem focus on the same experiment performed by Dove. They have no additional proof from other experiments stating why women are not as attractive as they think. On the other hand many flaws can be found within Dove’s video and more research needs to be done prove that women  are more beautiful than they think. For example, different artists should be used in order to eliminate the possibility of bias. Another experiment should also be performed which includes women from different races and ethnicities. An additional aspect that could be taken into consideration within a future experiment would be the topic of eating disorders. The way a woman views herself can be drastically influenced by her mental health and whether she has a positive or negative body image. Once close analysis is made involving all of these criteria the clear answer can be given as to whether or not us women are as beautiful as we would like to believe…

This is a picture of a baby yawning while still in the womb. Photo by Flickr user Björn Rixman

One of the main issues we face as college students is a constant lack of sleep. Despite how hard we may try it just never seems like there are enough hours in the night. Today in class, (I won’t specify which one because then the teacher might get offended) I looked over to my left and find my fellow peer yawning. Now the cause of their yawning is unknown. It could be due to the fact that they were up until 3am last night trying to finish all of their blog posts, or maybe it was because the class was just that boring. But, before I knew it, I was yawning too! These predicament got me wondering…why is it that when we see others yawning we begin to find ourselves doing the same thing?

The Smithsonian states that “scientists still can’t explain why yawning happens, or why for social mammals, like humans and their closest relatives, it’s contagious”. Babies are even capable of yawning inside the womb (reference to first picture). A main reason why researchers have not found a definitive answer to yawning is mostly due to the fact that this is not the most important question that scientists feel the need to answer. Never the less, some research has still been done relating to this topic.

A common explanation for yawning is that “when we open wide, we suck in oxygen-rich air. The oxygen enters our bloodstream and helps to wake us up when we’re falling asleep”. But this theory is actually false. According to Steven Platek, “there’s no evidence that yawning affects levels of oxygen in the bloodstream, blood pressure or heart rate”. The main assumption as to what truly causes yawning lies in the brain. Andrew Gallup, a psychology professor at SUNY College at Oneonta, conducted a study in 2007 and found that holding hot or cold packs to the forehead influenced how often people yawned when they saw videos of others doing it. “When participants held a warm pack to their forehead, they yawned 41 percent of the time. When they held a cold pack, the incidence of yawning dropped to 9 percent.” Gallup’s research concluded that when we yawn the air flows through our nose and oral cavities. Since our mucus membranes are covered with tons of blood vessels, we increase the rate of blood flow to the skull.

Additional research by Platek states that “yawning is contagious in about 60 to 70 percent of people—that is, if people see photos or footage of or read about yawning, the majority will spontaneously do the same”. He found that “this phenomenon occurs most often in individuals who score high on measures of empathic understanding”. Platek used complex methods to try and prove his hypothesis which includes fMRI scans and focusing on specific parts of the brain. Through his experiment he believes that the results are successful in determining the cause of contagious yawning.

Due to the research I conducted I came to the conclusion that there has not been a enough successful research done to fully prove the reason behind why yawning is so contagious. Scientists believe they have the proper explanation for why we yawn in the first place, but everything after that is still very blurry and unclear. It is understandable that this topic is not one of extreme importance but since it is something that effects all humans it should eventually be more closely looked at. Maybe yawning even helps our bodies in some way that we are currently completely unaware of…

…hopefully you didn’t find yourself yawning while reading this blog…

Throughout our senior year of high school the word “college” is brought up in every other sentence. For many of us college was never a decision. Everyone just told us that we were going and to start applying. The concept of college has been repeatedly drilled into our heads and there are very few people who have anything negative to say about it. And let’s not forget about the insane price tag. The mental correlation has been made that if you don’t go to college you won’t get a good job and there’s no hope of you being successful. But is this really the case? Is college really the best option for every single one of us? I know we’re all familiar wit the famous phrase: “College is the best four years of your life!” …or is it?

One of the most controversial topics regarding college is the inevitably hefty price tag. By choosing to go to college we all automatically put ourselves at risk for some serious debt. According to Forbes, “the average cost of attending a top four-year college is rapidly approaching a quarter of a million dollars”. I’m not sure about you guys but I definitely do not have that kind of money just laying around. Paying for college is something that is not financially ideal for basically anyone. And if your family can afford to pay for it then please…adopt me…. Anyways, since most of us do not have the money to pay for school the only other option would be to take out loans. No one wants to do this. And everyone hates the thought of it. But unfortunately there really isn’t any other option. “The average 2014 graduate with student loans will have to pay back around $33,000.” (Forbes) Having to pay back that much money is pretty insane. Most people just try to not think about it, but it has to be handled eventually. One day we will all be forced to work our butts off in order to pay off all of the money we will owe thanks to the next four years of our lives.

I know for a fact that this does not sound like fun to any of us. So the big question: IS IT REALLY WORTH IT? Is it really worth our money time and effort of the next four years (and probably more)? Or is this all a waste of time?

The Economist stated that, “college graduates aged 25 to 32 who are working full time earn about $17,500 more annually than their peers who have only a high school diploma”. But this statistic does not apply to everyone. They also state that “not all degrees are equally useful”. People who obtain certain degrees are more successful when compared to others. Recent Gallup research indicates that “25% of all college graduates in the U.S. fail to thrive in their overall careers and lives”. The tools they thought they were learning in college ended up leading to success in the later part of their lives. Similarly, TIME also took a poll of college graduates and the result was that only a “slim majority, 55%, think college prepares them for their job”. So imagine, after all this effort, we reach our careers to discover that we might be in over our heads.

The conclusion which can be mad from all of this would be that college can pay off for some of us but not others. Make sure you’re one of those people that gets the most out of their college experience. The main, and most important, point that Gallup states is the fact that “it’s still true that a college degree is worth its weight in gold, but only for those graduates who made the most of their higher education experience as students”. This statement is very important. As freshmen we have the opportunity to start now and be the best we can possibly be. By making the most here at Penn now we have a greater chance of being success in the future. Make your time and money spent now worth it! But with all this in mind…will we be happy with the futures we one day obtain? Maybe that’s something else that should be considered before the dive into college…

Kanye dropped out of college and look how successful he is. He even made an album about it…#KanyeForPres2020

These days braces are advertised EVERYWHERE and nearly everyone gets them at some point in their lives. But, the tables have turned, and now if you DONT get braces YOU can be seen as the outcast. A dilemma that I encountered once I reached high school regarded my smile. Of course, my mother always told me that I had a beautiful smile and “I’m perfect just the way I am”. But once I reached high school I didn’t necessarily feel that way. I mean c’mon, who wouldn’t want a “perfect smile”? So I started to bring up the topic of braces…repeatedly… It got to the point where my mom had no other option but to say yes. And she was not too happy about this. First, because she didn’t think it was necessary, but also because of the wonderful (sarcasm) price tag that comes along.

So, with all this in mind, is getting braces really necessary?

The main point, and is often viewed as most important would be that getting braces allows you to have healthier teeth. Dr. Paras Gosalia states that the “benefit of braces goes beyond just esthetics”. Having straighter teeth contributes to healthier dental hygiene. The straighter your teeth are the healthier your “teeth and gums can be”. It also helps to “prevent future cavities and periodontal disease”. Dr. Randy Gittess also explains that individuals who have crooked teeth “may experience difficulty biting and chewing food. As a result, patients may experience digestion or nutrition issues”. Humana also points out the fact that crooked teeth can cause “a “bucktooth” appearance. This condition makes the patient more likely to suffer injuries to his or her front teeth, especially if they play sports.”

The most intriguing fact that I found was the point that Dr. Gosalia also makes when discussing the extremely negative effects due to the constant wearing and grinding of one’s unaligned teeth. For those individuals who have this issue, and most people due, they are often prone to “chronic headaches and back or neck pain”.

All of these negative aspects stated get more and more severe, but they can all be prevented by simply straightening your teeth.

Additionally, we’ve all been told that having straight teeth results in a “nicer” smile. Dr. Paras Gosalia states, “many studies have shown that an attractive smile boosts self-esteem which is important at any age”. This self-esteem boost greatly benefits children and influences their future success. For adults, self-esteem is even more important in many “professional settings and social situations”. According to Dr. Randy Gittess, many of his patients feel “socially unconfident due to feelings that their teeth are less visually appealing than they would like”. Some individuals that Dr. Gittess have worked with shared that “it’s difficult to chew with your mouth closed” and these “oral complications can make it more difficult to socialize”.

Due the research I conducted it is overwhelmingly clear that braces are very beneficial, and not only to “look nicer”. The only aspects which could prevent someone from getting braces would be the price tag and that it is slightly more challenging to keep your teeth clean. So, to those of us who have had braces, which is most of us, don’t worry!! It was worth it!! Even though it might have seemed like we had those darn things on forever…

The cold winter months are slowly sneaking up on us and we may find ourselves frequently getting lip balm out of our backpacks. But is your chapstick really helping your dry lips or is it all just a scam…

As we are well aware of, chapped lips are a painful and unpleasant sight. We all want our normal smoochers back as quickly as possible in a crisis such as this one. Some of us even have our favorite brands we use. For example Eos or maybe Burt’s Bees. (Also, something I didn’t know is that Eos stands for “Evolution of Smooth”.) But, something that may come as a surprise to most of us, would be the fact that our loyal lip balm companions may not be as helpful as we once thought. Dermatologist Jessica Krant states, “…the wax or petrolatum in lip balm essentially creates a watertight barrier that prevents your internal skin moisture”. Also, we need to remember that our lips are constantly producing new skin cells and by religiously reapplying lip balm we could be interrupting this process. Now, why would someone create a product that’s supposed to help us but simply ends up hurting us in the end?…

To keep us coming back for more.

Dermatologist Gary Slaughter found that camphor, phenol, and menthol were the key ingredients in bad lip balm. We all continuously reapply our lip balm because it feels good at first. But the more we reapply the stronger this “watertight barrier” becomes.

Some people even find that over time lip balm use becomes addicting. Mark DeNicola states that, “it can become a psychological habit and dependency that may feel a lot like an addiction”. The process itself has not been scientifically proven as addicting. But, our lips themselves are often what can become addicted. For example, according to Janet Prystowsky, people can “use a lip balm and eventually develop a sensitivity to components in it”.

There are also serious side effects to using an excessive amount of lip balm. One of them being dermatitis. Dermatitis is “inflammation of the skin and is usually characterized by a rash, itching and skin lesions such as blisters or pustules that may leak and crust over. A sensation of tingling, burning and stinging are other typical features.”

Due to all of these negative aspects that correlate with the use of lip balm it is made apparent that we should stay away from all of the fancy chapsticks that are advertised everywhere. Sticking to something as simple as Vaseline is usually the best option. There are also lots of tips and remedies to help you keep your lips dry and healthy over those hated negative-degree days that are on their way.

Best of luck to you!!

P.S. Something else to consider is that it is now being made aware that kids are beginning to apply Burt’s Bees lip balm to their eyelids in order to get high. I’m not sure what the deal is with that, but I definitely wouldn’t give that a try during these upcoming winter months…

A common problem I often find myself encountered would be the fact I’m constantly bumped into by my peers on our journeys between classes. I don’t particularly enjoy being constantly hit and unintentionally abused. Some of you might ask “Why are people walking into you?” or “Well maybe you’re the one that needs to watch where you’re going.”. But I can guarantee you that all of the tiny bumps, scratches, and battle scars which I have accumulated are all thanks to our…CELL PHONES…..

BREAKING NEWS: Trump’s bad posture is most likely the result of excessive cell phone use!!!

We all have a cell phone. And whether or not we are able to admit it each one of us is addicted to our special devise. It is nearly impossible to have a simple face-to-face conversation with someone without checking our phones. We all try to defend ourselves by saying that “we’re just checking the time” but c’mon, everyone knows that’s not true…

The newest realization I have come to is that we can’t even walk from one building to the next during a normal college day without our noses practically touching our phones. A recent study performed at Cal State University Northridge stated that, ” female college students spend an average of 10 hours a day on their cellphones while their male peers spend almost eight hours daily”. Professors from the university even find that cell phones can cause serious conflicts between themselves and their students.

As we all know, the human body was designed to stand up-right and we have the ability to move freely. But there are limitations. The average human head weighs 10 to 12 pounds. Initially this doesn’t seem too bad. But, according to research done by Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, once you add the effects of gravitational pull your head becomes many times heavier than it actually is. Dr. Hansraj states that by bending your head an additional 60 degrees to get a better look at your selfie puts an additional 60 pounds of pressure on your cervical spine. 

This additional amount of weight is equivalent to having a 7 year old on your back. I don’t know about you, but there is no way I would ever be able to carry a small child on my back for 10 hours. We are all unaware of the harm we are putting on our bodies. Today we may seem fine but the older we get the more severe our back problems will become. It has also been stated that physicians are beginning to find themselves encountered with more and more surgeries simply due to excessive and improper cell phone use.

There are many tips as to how to prevent yourself from incorrectly using your smart phone in order to save yourself from a lifetime of back pain. Maybe the first step we can all try to take is looking where we’re going in between classes rather than straining our necks just to check how many likes we got on our most recent Instagram picture. This will not only make your back happier, but it will make the people you are constantly bumping into happier as well. It’s a common problem that each one of us finds ourselves encountered with but it is an easy fix. Don’t believe me? Well, I can guarantee that you had horrible posture the entire time you were reading this article…

not sure who’s dogs those are but… #PersonalityPic

To start, I would just like to express how surprisingly pumped I am for this class considering I never enjoyed science in high school and only took it because I was forced to. So a special s/o to Andrew for helping me discover excitement in a category that I never thought possible…

But to introduce myself my name is Johnna Hayward and I’m from Peekskill,
New York which is about an hour from NYC. I’m also a freshman just like most of you. I love taking frequent trips into NYC with my friends, and MOMA is one of my favorite places to visit. Hopefully some of you reading this have been there. If not, you should definitely take a trip and check it out…it’s totally worth it…

I first decided to take this course because it covered a requirement which I needed. I didn’t even bother looking at Rate My Professors because this class was the only one that would fit into my schedule. If it was a bad class I was just gonna have to get over it. But I guess the gods decided to work in my favor with this one…

Also, after careful consideration, I decided that I don’t want to be a science major because that is just way too much pressure. What if i mess up a really important experiment…then everyone hates me…my legacy will be ruined…

Lastly, one of my favorite fun facts about our wonderful university would be that starting this sports season Penn State announced that the football team will be removing the player’s names from the back of their jerseys. The main reason being that we are ALL Penn State. Isn’t that great?!

But looking forward to a great semester and if anyone ever wants to grab lunch before class I’m always down…

p.s. what’s better than Van Gogh and avocados??…