Author Archives: Samantha Marie Grillo

Is Nostalgia Good For You?

We’ve all been there. You’re cleaning out your room and come across a picture of you with your siblings. It was the early 2000s, a simpler time, you’re all wearing t-shirts with Nickelodeon cartoon characters on them. How can something as simple as an old picture make your whole body swell up with emotion?

It’s called nostalgia, and it’s a bitch.

By definition, nostalgia is the “pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and wishing that you could experience it again.” Often times, you feel nostalgic for your childhood days, when instead of exams and deadlines, there were juice boxes and monkey bars. Other times you feel nostalgic for a person or multiple people, reminiscing on old times only to be cruelly returned to the here and now.

While some people may think that nostalgia is unhealthy for you (one could argue that it is better to live in the moment), it is actually highly beneficial to your health. According to the New York Times, “Nostalgia has been shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety… On cold days, or in cold rooms, people use nostalgia to literally feel warmer” (Tierney). I know that whenever I think back on fond memories, it instantly puts me in a good mood. In addition to health, nostalgia can also improve your relationships with other people, “[Nostalgia] makes people more generous to strangers and more tolerant of outsiders. Couples feel closer and look happier when they’re sharing nostalgic memories” (Tierney). Nostalgia also has the ability to affect your outlook on life because it makes you optimistic to try to create good memories in the future similar to the ones you made in the past. According to Dr. Tim Wildschut, a researcher at this university, “Nostalgia raises self-esteem, which in turn heightens optimism…Memories of the past can help to maintain current feelings of self-worth and can contribute to a brighter outlook on the future” (McDermott).

To discover the true affects of nostalgia, researchers at the University of Southampton decided to do a experiment in which they made participants read stories about disaster victims and then take a personality test. According to the study, “Sure enough, the people depressed about the disaster victims or worried about being lonely became more likely to wax nostalgic. And the strategy worked: They subsequently felt less depressed and less lonely” (Tierney). I don’t believe this study to be a false positive because it is common for people to think about good times in order to make themselves feel better, so I can see how these experiment results are plausible.

Another study, performed at Sun Yat-Sen University in China, focused on not only how listening to music can create feelings of nostalgia, but how the nostalgic feeling in return can make you feel warmer. This observational study followed a group of university students for one month, and by the end of the study, the researchers had concluded that their hypothesis was correct; “Feelings of nostalgia were more common on cold days. The researchers also found that people in a cool room (68 degrees Fahrenheit) were more likely to nostalgize than people in warmer rooms” (Tierney). This led them to believe that nostalgia, since it was proven to warm the body, could be used as an adaptational method in terms of survival. I find these results to be reasonable because, not only does music makes me feel nostalgic, but thinking back on it, whenever I feel nostalgic I also do feel a sense of warmth. So when someone says that their childhood memories make them feel all warm inside, it is probably because they are literally warm inside.

After analyzing these different experiments, it is clear that nostalgia is highly beneficial in many aspects, from curbing feelings of boredom and anxiety to literally raising your body temperature. So the next time you want to watch an episode of Full House, eat a fruit roll-up, or buy a pair of those moon-bounce shoes off of Amazon, go for it; it’s scientifically proven to help you.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/science/what-is-nostalgia-good-for-quite-a-bit-research-shows.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2506263/How-nostalgia-good-Happy-memories-make-people-optimistic-anxious-future.html

http://media.tumblr.com/75316e9f43aade4b68c42dad23fa46cf/tumblr_inline_mief7hJ1p61qz4rgp.gif

http://media.giphy.com/media/GmX02gG5Sg1pK/giphy.gif

http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Michelle-Tanner-You-Got-it-Dude-Full-House.gif

Is The Freshman 15 Real?

Before heading off to college, students are warned of the Freshman 15– the infamous 15 lbs. that students are supposedly going to gain by the end of their first year. Entering college and being completely independent is a nice feeling, but can poor eating choices really lead to the Freshman 15?

Not necessarily.

According to The Huffington Post, while students are likely to gain weight during their first year away at college, the rumors might be a bit drastic, with students gaining around an average of 5 lbs rather than 15. In fact, a study done at Ohio State University found that, “Less than ten percent of the freshmen gained 15 pounds (or more), and a full quarter of the students actually lost weight in their first year.”

In fact, the bigger risk that students face from the hype surrounding the Freshman 15 is more mental than physical. Putting pressure on students to watch what they eat can be more harmful than helpful, as students are put at a greatest risk of increased anxiety levels and even the possibility of developing eating disorders.

Therefore, it is important to remember not to constantly berate new students with this idea of the Freshman 15; they will make the right decisions for themselves, they just need the time to realize how to do that.

Can Music Help Us Feel Better?

We’ve all been there. Either you have a cold or you are exhausted from studying all night or feeling homesick, listening to your favorite song can make you feel better. Why is this?

Well, according to a study done at the University of Missouri, listening to upbeat songs can boost your mood, but there’s a catch, “this only works if you’re consciously aware you’re trying to make yourself happier by listening to the songs.” Otherwise, the music has no affect on your mood. The study also concluded that, “actively seeking out happiness through music…can then improve your health and relationship satisfaction.” If upbeat doesn’t work for you, try romantic songs; these songs create feelings of nostalgia, generating the same effect.

Not only is music able to help us feel better emotionally, but it helps us physically as well. According to Psychologies, “As we listen, music works on the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for controlling blood pressure and heartbeat.” Music has been shown to help lower blood pressure and anxiety levels.

According to Psychology Today, dopamine is released from the brain when we listen to our favorite music, “From an academic standpoint, this is a fascinating study. According to the researchers, this may be the first study to show that an abstract reward such as listening to music–as opposed to a tangible reward such as eating and sleeping–releases dopamine.”This study proves that listening to music is effective in helping us feel better.

So, next time you feel like you need a pick-me-up, try listening to your favorite song or even having a little dance session. It’s scientifically proven to work.

Is Netflix Bad For You?

“One more episode.”

Wrong.

It is never just one more episode. Why is it that I can’t seem to watch a show on Netflix without realizing four hours later that it has, in fact, been four hours since I started watching?

Many people, including myself, can’t help but indulge in binge-watching shows on Netflix. Whether you’re a college student trying to avoid doing homework or an older person who just can’t seem to grasp the concept of a DVR, Netflix is the simple solution. However, Netflix may not be as great for you as you think. In fact, people who watch more television than is recommended are put at a greatest risk of gaining weight, as well as developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Not only can Netflix have a negative impact on your physical health, it can also affect your mental health. According to The Huffington Post, people who feel lonely and/or depressed are more likely to be susceptible to binge-watching.

And for a double whammy, sitting in one spot for hours on end can affect you both physically and mentally simultaneously. While your circulation and metabolism are slowing down, your brain is also being strained from everything that is has to process while watching so much TV at one time.

A study done on students at the University of Texas-Austin found that students who binge-watch are more likely to have self-control issues, leading them to neglect responsibilities and even relationships.

So while it may seem like an amazing idea to binge-watch the entire fourth season of Friends, it’s probably not. Do your homework, hang out with your friends, even catch up on your sleep! Just please don’t stare at a screen for hours. You can thank me later.

Can Dogs Understand Humans?

“There is no rule in the rule book that says that dogs cannot understand humans.”

(That’s somewhat the correct line, right? No? Oh, well, close enough.)

I have always wondered if dogs could understand what humans say to them. I mean, you say, “Who’s a good boy?” and their tail starts wagging like a plane trying to take flight. Because they are, in fact, a good boy. So can they really understand what is being said to them? Or are they just able to tell what is what based on what we say and how we say it?

According to a study done by Animal Planet, the average dog can understand up to about 165 words, such as “sit” and “stay.” Training dogs can even help further their understanding of what humans are saying.

The key way to tell if your dog can understand what you are saying to them is the way they turn their head. To the right means they understand you, and to the left means that they haven’t got a clue; of course, there is science behind this. According to The Telegraph, “It’s all to do with the part of the brain that they use to process the sound: familiar sounds are processed on the left (causing a right-head tilt) while the right side of the brain deals with unfamiliar sounds (resulting in a left-head tilt).”

Not only can they understand what we are saying, but they can understand what we are feeling; or at least they try to. According to a study done at the University of Essex, dogs pay attention to how humans around them behave, so they may be able to pick up on different emotions that humans may be feeling, whether it be happiness or sadness or anywhere in between those two.  So when your dog runs around when you are cheering after your favorite team wins, or when it chooses to cuddle next to you when you are sad or tired, know that your dog is just trying to reciprocate your emotions. After all, dog is man’s best friend.

Why Does Football Make People So Emotional?

We’ve all seen it. Someone’s favorite team just lost at the SuperBowl, so now they are crying on national television. Why is that? What is it about this sport that makes people so emotional?

I have always been slightly curious about what it is about football that can make people of all ages express such a wide array of emotions while watching football, whether they are standing in a stadium or sitting on a couch in their living room.

Well, according to The New York Times, “fervent fans become so tied to their teams that they experience hormonal surges and other physiological changes while watching games, much as the athletes do.” People become so tied up in all of it that they feel every high, and every low, that their favorite team experiences, leading to mood swings throughout each game. In fact, a study done at the University of Georgia found that, “testosterone levels in male fans rise markedly after a victory and drop just as sharply after a defeat. The same pattern has been documented in male animals who fight over a mate.” That is some intense science.

However, the attachment to the sport that many fans experience may not be such a bad thing. According to a study done at Murray State University, “an intense interest in a team can buffer people from depression and foster feelings of self-worth and belonging.” Having that sense of community can help fans elevate their levels of self-esteem, affecting both their physical and mental states in a positive way.

When it all comes down to it, football is all about being part of something special. Having that sense of community and belonging is an amazing feeling, and it is something I am reminded of while I am sitting in the student section of Beaver Stadium surrounded by my friends and fellow Penn Staters. I mean, who doesn’t get hyped doing the “We Are!” chant?

 

Hey everyone!

I’m Sam Grillo from New Jersey, and I am a Journalism major. I am also a freshman here at Penn State.

I decided to take this course because I never really had any interest in science, so my advisor told me this class would be perfect for me because it is more of a science appreciation class rather than the typical science class we all experienced in high school. Just from being in class the first day made me excited for all of the interesting topics that would be covered in this class throughout the semester.

I am not a science major because, as I previously said, I never really had any interest in science. I have also known for many years that I wanted to major in Journalism because I love to write. In fact, I am actually really excited that blogging makes up a large portion of this class, because it gives me the opportunity to express myself in my own voice and writing style in a fun way, rather than writing lengthy papers.

Anyway, this summer I went to a Taylor Swift concert and she performed amazing as usual.
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Here is a clip from when she brought out the Women’s National Soccer Team just a few days after they won the World Cup. I didn’t take this video, but I was equally as hyped as the people screaming in it.