Daily Archives: September 14, 2016

Sad music makes me feel better when I’m sad

We have ALL had those times. Those times where we are immensely sad and all we want to do is lay around in bed and sulk. I know a lot of people like to put on music when they are feeling down like this, but not just any type of music. People put on music that is equally as depressing as their mood. Weird right? I never knew why this happened. I catch myself doing it ALL the time but had no clue why it actually made me feel better. But guess what….. ya boy just found out!

What I first imagined before doing any research was that when you listen to sad music, you feel better because you listen to people going through struggles just like you are so you are not alone. Also if they are talking about something more serious than your issue, you feel better because you don’t have it as bad as them. Well at least that’s how I felt. There is actually a lot of research that has been done on this topic. Most of it is psychological but there is also a component of science behind this mystery.

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Link for the picture

In the article I read, I saw that there was a study done at Durham University in the United Kingdom and a university in Finland that basically polled 2,436 people studying their reactions to songs that brought on nostalgia and to see the emotions they felt. According the the researchers, the main emotions experienced were pleasure, comfort, and pain. A psychologist named Adrian North, who had not been involved with the study, came to two conclusions: a psychological explanation and a neuroscience explanation. But since this is a science class, I think it is more practical to write about the scientific reason.

According to North, the scientific reason is actually more convincing. It has to do with the chemical reactions that occur in your brain. When you are listening to music, your brain actually releases dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that is related to how the feeling of pleasure is triggered. Dopamine can also be released when eating food, the act of sex, and doing drugs. When you are doing these types of activities, you are at a high emotional state. Therefore, if you are listening to sad music, you receive some type of pleasure because you reach a high emotional state. Although, not all brains are the same. Some people that were studied did not have good reactions to listening to sad music. (David Nield, Here’s why listening to sad music makes you feel better)

What I understand from this article is that listening to sad music causes you to want to listen to sad music. There is a correlation between being sad and listening to sad music, but the mechanism is still unknown. All I know is that I’m going to keeping listening to sad music when I’m feeling down because according to the study, it is helpful to some people (including me).

http://www.sciencealert.com/new-research-reveals-the-pain-and-pleasure-of-listening-to-sad-music

https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/dopamine

Save Your Eyes and Close Them

Cold season is quickly approaching and many students here at PSU have already got sick. I was sick this past week, and one of the many symptoms I continued to suffer from was sneezing. Sneezing is such a weird function and it’s often provoked thought among my friends and I. Getting over my cold the other day, I noticed a debate on my Twitter timeline of whether it is possible to sneeze with your eyes open. Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard or seen this conversation take place. Once, I even tested the theory myself while I was driving on the highway. My nose was testing me, and I was afraid a single sneeze would force my eyes close for a split second, I’d cause a major explosion from a five car crash, and the whole interstate would get shut down. Despite my irrational fears, there has to be some type of reasoning behind our eyes closing every time we sneeze.

I was successful in my attempt at keeping my eyes open while sneezing because, according to discovery.com, it is simply a reflex. In the same way I can suppress a natural reaction to blink after a certain amount of time, I can keep my eyes open during a sneeze. In researching, such as Tom Ulrich’s article, I’ve learned there is no known mechanism for why our eyes close when we sneeze. This dilemma is one that has contributed to my general disdain for science; there is no exact answer.

Of, course many people have created theories about the phenomenon. Meghan Holohan wrote on chatter of our bodies closing our eyes to keep all the germs we emit from a sneeze from entering our eyes, but that is only a theory. It makes sense for the most part, but my only question is how the germs could be harmful to you if they came from you in the first place? Could you infect yourself? Because of a lack of ethical integrity, I doubt this experiment could ever occur, but it would be interesting to have a group of people sneeze with their eyes open for a specific period of time and compare their sickness rate with another group of people continuing to close their eyes when they sneeze. The evidence would tell whether there might actually be a correlation between closing your eyes when you sneeze and getting sick. Protecting ourselves from germs may be one reason we close our eyes when sneezing.

I have never heard of this until now, but apparently a lot of people say eyelids keep your eyes from popping out of your head. That is silly and I highly doubt that is legitimate reasoning, plus there is biological evidence to combat that claim. Basically, your eyelids don’t have enough strength and also there is nothing behind your eyes to actually push them out, according to Tom Ulrich. But, science is back at it again without an exact answer because it has happened before. Megan Holohan wrote about a piece of writing from 1882 that claims a woman suffered from severe sneezing and her eye just couldn’t take it, so it popped. It doesn’t say whether her eyes were open or closed, but this makes me want to keep my eyes closed just in case. I am all for avoiding crashes and retaining my eyeballs thank you very much.

Picture from youtube.comsneezing

Using A Device Before Bed is Affecting Your Sleep: True or False?

At the end of every day, as I get settled into my bed, I have a nightly routine of checking all my social media accounts via my phone. Doing this makes me feel more caught up and like I am aware of everything going on. After, I watch Netflix on my computer, even if I only watch a few minutes or so, I still do it every night because it has becoming comforting for me.

I’ve heard that using your phone or any other device before bed can have effect on one’s sleep but I think it’s a common thing that many teenagers and college students are in the habit of doing. When doing research for this post I was surprised to see just how bad using a screen before bed can be.

Recent studies have come to show that using a gadget before going to bed is not only affecting your sleep for that night, but also making the following day more difficult. One can feel much more sleepy and almost “zombie-like” during the day because of their sleep quality being so poor. In one specific study done, at a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, researchers found that phones are not the only thing causing these effects. Basically, anything with a bright screen, such as a kindle, iPad, or television, can be causing negative effects in the device-users life.

This study also shed light on some more major effects of using a screen before bed because poor sleep can be linked to diseases such as obesity and diabetes. When using a device before bed, one faces a greater risk of messing up the sleep pattern they need to function properly. This is primarily because of the brightness of the light particles which tell your brain to stay awake.

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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141222131348.htm

The light messes with your level of melatonin. Melatonin is like a clock inside your body that is in charge of your sleep cycles and patterns. When your sleep is being affected, so is your memory and ability to pay attention. This is obviously something that could be detrimental to college students because a good memory and attention span are two very important skills to have during class.

Now, if I were to show this study to every student at Penn State who uses their phone, tablet, or computer before bed, I don’t know how many people would actually change their routine. Checking social media sites has become an exercise that the majority of people practice, especially before bed.

Researchers say that the best way to steer clear of getting poor sleep is to read a book before bed – the physical book, not a kindle or iBook. If you are not a reader, it is suggested that you stay off your devices a full hour before going to sleep. This will make for a better night’s sleep and an improved day the following day.

 

 

Are Touch Screens Beneficial To Toddlers?

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In today’s day and age, it seems as if every toddler is playing on their parents’ tablets and touchscreen phones or even their own. It seems outrageous watching a toddler swipe, slide, and maneuver their way through an IPhone at such a young age. I got my first flip-phone when I was in fifth grade and then my first touchscreen device in seventh grade. Even at that age it took me a good amount of time to really know how to use it. The more times a toddler touches a screen, they are taken to different apps and pages but the more they do this, the more they are able to understand how a certain device functions. As technology is improving it is becoming an essential part of everyday life and crucial for education and communication. The ability of a toddler to learn how to play on touchscreen devices should be condemned and appreciated but many parents don’t like the fact kids are using high tech devices at such a young age.

Parents believe technology will damage their toddlers social skills because they think they will spend to much time on the device. Parents, perceive toddlers will get addicted to smartphones and think they need to be playing with them at all times or they will cry if they aren’t available to them. Another way their social skills will be disrupted is when they are on the device instead of interacting with other toddlers and communicating with them. Another argument by parents is toddlers aren’t going to get connected with the world we live in because technology is keeping them inside instead of crawling and rolling around the floor. Also it is perceived, technology invites toddlers into thinking they are in a made up, virtual world as they have been exposed to when they play games on their parents smartphones. The last argument by parents why touch screens negatively impacts their infants is they think it will interfere with their sleep and lead to sleep problems.These are natural thoughts by most parents but they aren’t necessarily correct. Just because Kim Kardashians daughter took her phone and sent a tweet doesn’t mean all usage of smartphones need to be restricted. Click here to see what toddler, North West first tweet was.

The truth is that there is no evidence that the correlation between a toddlers usage of a touchscreen are negative. Since touch screens are relatively new, there hasn’t been enough time and evidence to tell if using a touch screen has disrupted social skills, combination skills and sleep problems. The only thing that can be told at this point is the rise in motor skills of toddlers. Motor skills are the ability to preform coordinated movements using small and large muscles. Playing with traditional toys don’t achieve the cognitive experience touch screens do. Figuring out how to unlock a phone or type letters is surprisingly a rewarding experience for a toddler. Toddlers learn by what they see and hear. These educational apps are interactive and fun but at the same time teach letters, numbers, and colors to toddlers. These games have led to better academic achievement especially for kids who live in lower socio-economic backgrounds. Touch screens also improve real life tools like action and reaction times, problem solving, coordination, and creativity. Toddler using touch screens are given a challenge whether it is to unlock a phone, get to an app, or type a word and are given no help by their parents. It may take 100 times but a toddler learns perseverance by trying over and over again in order to finally click or swipe a certain button.

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52 percent  of toddltwo-children-holding-a-tablet-for-video-chaters 6-11 months are exposed to touchscreen devices and that jumps to 92 percent as kids grow up to 12-36 months old. It is obvious the new generation of toddlers are going to need to know how to use touchscreen devices. Starting them at a young age is important in order to not only boost their motor skills but get them ready for the future. The more technology savvy a child is the more it will benefit them in the long run. Time should definitely be monitored but there is no reason a toddler shouldn’t be able to swipe and slide through their parents tablets and smartphones for 15 minutes a day.

 

Citations

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a25006035/is-screen-time-good-or-bad-for-babies-and-children

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25297-children-benefit-from-the-right-sort-of-screen-time/

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/north-west-sends-first-tweet-kim-kardashian-reacts-w159600

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160913124724.htm

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/obsonline/toddlers-and-touchscreens-a-science-in-development.htp

Is It Possible for Music to Help You Learn?

As I was browsing the internet for possible blog topics, I stumbled across an article that grabbed my attention. It was a scientific study that was testing to see if music could help you learn and retain information better. I am a huge fan of music so I was interested to see the results. Researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Otago in New Zealand wrote a paper testing the hypothesis of whether scientific content can be learned effectively through song. They followed three separate studies and some found different results.

The first study was done on children that were around 8-17 years of age. It found that a music video about a scientific domain helped students learn content that was directly stated in the video. Students also picked up on content that required deeper understanding. I found this all believable because of a video I was shown in school when I was younger. Some of you might have seen it as well. It was the “I’m a Bill” song by SchoolHouse Rock . To this day, that song helps me remember how a bill gets passed in the United States government.

The second study ended up having different results than the first study. It showed no correlation that music helped students learn better. What it did find was that students found the music videos more entertaining than ones without music.

Even though the second study didn’t support the hypothesis, the third study did. The third study also seemed to be the most complex and had the most detail. It was conducted on 87 seventh and eighth graders from New Zealand. They showed the students two videos. Both videos had the same content but one had music and the other did not. They assessed the students knowledge before the video, after the video and 28 days later. Both of the groups showed improvement after the first video but the test 28 days later showed some interesting results. While most of the students that watched the video without music forgot the information, the students that watched the music video retained a lot more information. Even though the studies were just preliminary, music seemed to help the students learn and retain information.

Even though these studies don’t have the biggest sample sizes and the same results, I believe that it is possible that music can help students learn. Everyone gets songs stuck in their head and that is a perfect example of how music could possibly help you learn. A catchy song about how to pass a bill is the reason I remember the process of a bill getting passed. I believe other songs could do the same. All in all, music is a great learning tool and I hope it is utilized in future education.

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Source:

“Can Songs Help You Learn Scientific Concepts?”. NPR.org. N. p., 2016. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.

http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/05/02/476419823/can-songs-help-you-learn-scientific-concepts

 

What makes “scary” things “scary”?

It’s just your average scary movie night. You’re sitting on the couch, your knees held tightly to your chest, and your eyes barely peeking over them. The room is dark, and as you watch the screen, you mumble “don’t go in there”. Your palms are sweaty as the music grows eerier and more suspenseful by the second… and… “AHHH!” a pop up nearly stops your heart. What is the science behind this intense feeling we call “fear”?

Your brain gives off immediate stimuli and fear just so happens to be one of them. In fact, being afraid of things, and our body’s natural tendency to react is one of the reasons why we’re still alive today. It is easy to understand why we are afraid of things such as poisonous insects, and animals that can harm us. But, why are things scary if they simply pose no possible threat to us …  such as scary movies, or creepy dolls. According to this video I watched , things like masks and clowns can be scary due to the fact that they are vague, or are ambiguous. These masks hide the social interaction between others and eliminate normal emotion. Often, scary movies use masks to scare their viewers partially because one can not tell if the person under the mask can possible threaten, or harm them. This is an example of ambiguity. This gives you a creepy vibe due to a hypothesis called Uncanny Valley. Masks fall under this category because they are almost identical to a human, but are the slightest bit off; making it creepy.

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Image found here and here

Let’s talk about the brain. Going back to the jump scares and the creepy music in movies, I want to address the fear of loud sounds, and how that has a fearful effect on your brain. While most of your fears are learned, our body reacts to loud sounds innately. These loud sounds triggers your body into a fight or flight mode, releasing epinephrine into your system. Here is where I learned how the body processes fear, like loud sounds. Your amygdala has a key role in triggering fear because it’s primary role is memory, decision making, and emotional reactions. The amygdala shoots messages to your brain telling it that something’s wrong and in response, your body prepares itself for the worst. So whether the “scary” thing is a suspense filled movie, a loud pop up scare, or simply a spider, your body reacts the same way. Once those chemicals are released, your body tenses up; making your palms sweat, your muscles tighten up, and your heart race like no other. This is an autonomic response . We are not consciously aware what is happening. There are myriad parts of the brain that help trigger this fear, not just the well known amygdala.

fear-4The Thalamus, Sensory Cortex, Hippocampus, and Hypothalamus all work together to send messages to your brain that you are in danger, or “scared”.  So next time you get the creeps when you see someone in a mask, or jump out of your seat at a pop up in a movie, just remember that it’s just your body’s natural reaction to keep you safe.

 

Link

Fitness is a large part of my life. Since sophomore year i spent at least an hour a day working out. It is important for each and every person to spend at least some portion of time out of their day to maintain a high standard of health. Back home in Jupiter Florida, I worked out at Golds gym which had the same constant users and was rather small compared to the IM buildings gym along with the Rec Hall and White Building. There was not even close to as many people attending my gym as the gyms here. With that being said, the gyms here contain way more bacteria as well as people.

train-like-a-trainer-dumbbell-workoutHere at Penn State there are well over forty thousand students and thousands of these students choose to workout at the various gyms. With these thousands of people competing for weights at the gym to better themselves and become healthy, they are also taking other risks, such as getting sick. Machines are another story, they are constantly wiped down but no one takes the time to wipe down each and every little weight in the gym. Each day hundreds of people touch the same weight and continue to touch their face without thinking about the potential risks they are taking by doing so. Personally I know for a fact that nine times out of ten when I have gotten sick is most likely from the gym. Studies have found that the average weight in a gym could have up to 362 times the bacteria of a toilet seat. That is disgusting and it brings up the point that it is crucial to wash your hands immediately after finishing a workout and to avoid touching your face. Many people get grossed out when someone doesn’t wash their hands after using the bathroom but most people don’t even think twice about washing their hands after a gym session.

There are many ways sickness could be avoided in the gym while lifting weights. The most obvious would be to wash hands as much as possible and use hand sanitizers. Other less obvious methods would be to avoid touching your face (eyes, mouth and nose), wipe down machines before use and wear long sleeve shirts if possible. Eating the proper nutrients and getting proper sleep is important to avoiding sickness from the gym, since intense training (known as over training) does temporarily weaken the immune system. While training, the body releases cortisol and adrenaline, which can temporarily weaken the immune system during the time in which the body recovers. This brings up the point that many harmful bacteria found in the gym take advantage of weaknesses, so it is important to take certain precautions.

relax, just wax

This one is mainly for the ladies out there. If you’re anything like me, you know the blessing of facial waxing. It is vital for me to get my eyebrows and upper lip waxed every two weeks. It’s annoying but beauty hurts, right? When I get waxed I feel like a brand new person. Like a baby fresh out of the womb. Waxing. Saves. Lives.

Now, I’m not talking the normal wax your salon probably uses. The salon I went to for my waxing used to use normal wax. However, in the past two years, she has switched over to a different type of wax. In fact, it isn’t wax at all. It is called Nufree. Nufree is a substitute for wax and has been scientifically proven to be safer for your skin. This is due to the fact that Nufree only sticks to the hair. So when your salon rips that sucker off your brow, the only thing coming off is the hair. With normal wax, you are having not only your unwanted hair removed but your first layer of skin as well. Ouch. If you get waxed often, this is not the best thing for your skin. Your skin becomes sensitive and thin. Luckily Nufree is gentle and reduces redness after waxing. The composition of this substitute wax is all natural. No chemicals, no added preservatives.

But wait, there’s more! after you’re finished with the waxing, there is a soothing, antiseptic lotion that is put on the area affected. This lotion is called finipil. It is a protective agent for the hair follicle that cools the skin after being waxed. The reduction of swelling and redness of the skin is thanks to finipil lotion.

This new form of waxing is something you all need to try. If you’re a loyal wax customer and looking for a place, I recommend Looks Hair Design right here in downtown State College. They know what’s up because they’re one of the few who use Nufree and finipil. Now there is also thredding, but that’s a topic for another time. Until then, waxing saves lives, and Nufree is the game changer.

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photo source

http://www.spahavananights.com/chicago-spa-services/waxing-in-chicago/

 

Which Drug Has the Most Detrimental Effect?

In 2013, there was a study done with Americans, over the age of 12, that astonished many people when the results revealed that 9.4 percent (or 24.6 million people) had been an illegal drug user. The study supported suspicion that drug use was higher than prior years when it was compared to a similar study from 2002. Most of this growth is believed to be due to the popularity of marijuana having increased over the years. Since 2010, marijuana has become the greatest produced, as well as consumed drug. Many think that the increasing interest in marijuana will not end any time soon.

The use of marijuana can have both short and long term effects on the drug user. Short term effects can range from one feeling panicked to slow reactions to things happening in his or her surroundings. Long term effects can be anything such as a lowered immune system or change in one’s behavior. The effects of marijuana are not nearly as dangerous as the major health problems that can be caused to the user of a more heavy drug. Marijuana has been known as “the gateway drug” which can cause a marijuana user to experiment with heavier drugs after they have tried marijuana and not noticed any horrible side effects.

Drugs such as cocaine, steroids, and methamphetamine, have been known to cause abnormal breathing, chest pains, and frequent blackouts. Although, in my opinion, the most detrimental effect is the change in behavior caused by the negative psychological effects on one’s brain. One can suffer from effects that are less noticeable, yet get worse over time. These effects can be anything like memory loss, increased aggression, and depression. The more sudden risks are seizures and widespread brain damage that can take a toll on one’s day to day life. On top of all of that, a major loss in brain cells occurs. Losing brain cells is normal for every human, and thankfully, our brain has the amazing gift to repair the cells and grow new ones. This takes place during neurogenesis. Although, if one’s behavior, such as the excessive use of an illicit drug, is what is causing a major decrease in their brain cell count, it can be too late to fix the problem.  

After doing research on the topic, it seems that the drug that causes the most overall trauma to one’s body, as well as mental state, is methamphetamine. Meth has been known to literally fry one’s brain cells and can cause such severe damage to someone that their brains become similar to the brains of someone diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or the brain of someone who has suffered from a stroke. In addition, once someone becomes hooked, it is one of the hardest drugs to quit. This may be due to the fact that meth is both a dopamine and stimulant. 

http://siliconangle.com/blog/2013/10/03/heres-two-silk-road-alternatives-where-you-can-still-score-drugs/illegal-drugs/

http://siliconangle.com/blog/2013/10/03/heres-two-silk-road-alternatives-where-you-can-still-score-drugs/illegal-drugs/

 

How to Bleach 101

Being a freshman, I have had to learn the art of doing my own laundry. I’ve mastered how much detergent and fabric softener to put in each load. I now know that whites go in warm water and darks go in cold. The one concept of laundry that I have not learned how to do is bleach. Last week, I attempted to bleach a yellow, honey mustard stain off of my white tank top. I put my tank top in a a bucket of bleach and left it to sit while I went to class. When I took my tank top out of the bucket to rinse the bleach off of it, the fabric was yellow and covered in holes.

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After my tank top-ruining bleach experience, I took it upon myself to research how to properly bleach my clothing. The bleach that I used is a sodium hypochlorite solution. Sodium hypochlorite is a mix of chlorine gas and sodium hydroxide. This is a chlorine bleach. Typically, bleach is used to lighten or remove color. Deep in my research, I had to learn how colors work in order to better understand how the bleach takes out colored stains. We can see 400 to 700 nanometers of wavelengths. The yellow stain on my tank top has a chemical makeup that allows the color to reflect light with a wavelength of a certain number of nanometers. The molecular makeup of the honey mustard causes the stain to be the color yellow on my white tank top because the bonds of the electrons are absorbing light and reflecting it back to my eye.

So how does the bleach counteract this absorption of light and make my tank top white again? The stain removal is done through the process of oxidation. Oxidation is the removal or adding of electrons. During oxidation the bleach breaks down the electrons in the molecular bond of the honey mustard. When the atoms of the honey mustard are oxidized, their properties change. Because I used Clorox chlorine bleach, the bleach breaks down the chemical compound of the stain and removes the color. Depending on how strong the bond of the electrons in the stain are, the color of the stain will either be mostly or completely gone. After this process of applying the bleach and after the oxidation has occurred, the tank top is ready to be washed. The molecules in the honey mustard stain have been broken down. When washed in the laundry with detergent, the stain will come out.

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Although I am down a white tank top, I now have an in-depth understanding of how bleaching works. Through my impulsive decision to pour half of the bottle into a bucket, I learned that with bleach using less is more. Bleach is a very strong and concentrated chemical compound, so when used for stain removal, it should be diluted and used in small amounts. And to think, all of this could have been easily avoided if I had just read the instructions on the back of the bottle!

sources:

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/bleach.htm

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryglossary/g/Oxidation-Definition.htm

http://home.howstuffworks.com/bleach.htm

picture 1: https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-concentrated-regular-bleach/

picture 2: http://makahiki.kcc.hawaii.edu/chem/everyday_bleach.html

Facebook.. Friend or Foe?

Facebook – A wonderful wasteland of pet videos, political posts, and grandmas mistaking their status bar as Google search. However what if I told you this sweet, sweet time waster was actually causing depressed feelings?

A 2015 article delves deeper into this issue while summarizing the work of UH researcher Mai-Ly Steers. Studies conducted by Steers showed a correlation between time spent on Facebook and signs of depressive symptoms in both males and females. However as we learned in class, correlation does not always mean causation. In this instance there could be a confounding variable. Steers study concluded that the depressive symptoms are linked to social comparisons made through social media. The more time on Facebook allowed users more opportunities to draw comparisons between their own lives and those of their friends. Social media sites are heavily filtered and only show a small fraction of an individual’s life, however for many people, especially those who are already emotionally distressed, comparisons drawn from this distorted viewpoint can have detrimental effects.

Social media isn’t all bad however. A study at Berkley University stresses that person-to-person communication on Facebook has shown to improve personal well-being. However the paper goes on and describes how other social media related activities that do not promote direct communication, such as Facebook’s News Feed decrease one’s well being due to comparisons being made. This thought directly coincides with the study conducted at the University of Houston.

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In my own life I have witnessed both the positive and negative effects of Facebook. Social media sites, such as Facebook, have afforded me the opportunity to connect with my family members all around the country. I have cousins in Washington, California, Florida, and everywhere in between. By utilizing Facebook I am able to stay up-to-date with their daily lives. In the end I feel that this connection brings us closer together.

On the other hand, I have seen Facebook also have crippling effects on my friends’ self-confidence. If an updated profile picture doesn’t get enough likes, or they receive negative comments on their posts they often delete whatever they posted. The same mentality goes for other social media sites, such as Instagram. These events make them feel depleted and like they are not good enough, causing them to post things that are not true depictions of their actual life. Often their posts glorify their life, so when they are forced to return to their actual, less “glamorous” life they are discouraged and disengaged.

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At the end of the day, I think Facebook’s benefits outweigh the negatives. However, as with everything in life, it has to be taken in moderation as to not interfere with one’s psychological well being. Overindulgence in Newsfeed browsing can lead one to draw comparisons, which can often cause symptoms that resemble depression. So go forth with your tending your Farmville pastures (if that’s even still a thing), and keep watching those hilarious videos of animals doing weird stuff, but just remember sometimes life online isn’t really life at all.

The Freshmen 15: Fact or Fiction?

Entering college begins a new chapter in a teenager’s life. It is possibly the first time that they are truly on their own, without the supervision of their parents, or guardians. With all this newfound freedom, it is hard to remember responsibilities, including physical health. So, I was not surprised of the many warnings I received about the infamous “Freshmen Fifteen”. As people told be horror stories about college students gaining unthinkable amounts of weight by Thanksgiving, I though how true can this really be? Researchers from Ohio State, wondered the same thing, and conducted a nationwide survey.

The survey was composed of questions inquiring about the yearly weight gain of college students. Around seven thousand college students’ responses were recorded. The outcome of the survey came as a shock to Jay Zagorsky, and his team at Ohio State, who thought for sure that they would find extreme weight gain over the course of the average student’s college career, more specifically in their freshmen years. Instead they found quite different results. It was discovered that, on average, women gain about three pounds their freshmen years,and men gained around three and a half. Over four years, it was found that students rarely gain close to fifteen pounds. The most surprising evidence found by Zagorsky was that only about ten percent of students will actually gain fifteen pounds or more, while twenty five percent of students actually lose weight their freshmen year. They also found that excessive drinking only effected students’ weight gain by about an additional pound.

As a freshmen in college, I can honestly say I was a little freaked out about the freshmen fifteen coming into school. With insane rumors flying around about people gaining weight, it’s hard not to be, but once school started my outlook change. I think the freshmen fifteen certainly is possible when you’re eating grease saturated foods, drinking every night of the week, and consuming mindless calories. It easy to push healthy eating aside when unhealthy options are extremely accessible. On the other hand though, it is totally avoidable by eating healthy, being mindful of what, and when you are eating, and by getting in some sort of physical activity daily. I  feel as though it is important to stop referring to the “freshmen fifteen” as a definitive element of one’s freshmen year, because statistic imply that it very well does not have to be.

Source: http://www.today.com/id/45123148/ns/today-today_health/#.V9nnEzZlnR0

 

picture: http://omghowgirl.tumblr.com/post/96222468965/how-to-avoid-the-freshman-15-the-freshman-15-is

Netflix: Can binge watching ruin your brain?

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Personally, I love Netflix. There’s a very high possibility that if I’m not doing work or in class, I’m watching Netflix. To me, there’s nothing like being able to binge watch my favorite shows in the comfort of my own home… or dorm. Since its release, Netflix has been a very integral part of my life. Reflecting on how much I watch Netflix made me realize that there is rarely a day that passes where I don’t watch an episode. Since I know that many people share this love for Netflix and may watch it as much as I do, I decided to investigate. It is my very love for Netflix that led me to question the effects that it could be having on my body, or specifically, my brain.

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After researching for a conclusion, I came across an article that elucidated a longitudinal observational study done by scientists in which they examined people who tend to binge watch Netflix, or TV, and scarcely participate in exercise then tested their neurological abilities with standardized tests. Immediately after reading this I recognized a potential fault in the study; standardized tests and their accuracy as an interpretation of how smart someone is. Nevertheless, the researchers conducted the study over 25 years where they watched 3,247 people from the ages of 18 to 30 (see x). Every five years they would have the participants answer questions about how much TV they watched and how much physical activity they engaged in and at the end of the 25 years, they would be given 3 cognitive tests (see x). The results showed that those that binge watched TV and barely participated in physical activity were twice as likely to do bad on the exams. (x)

What I concluded from the study is that although it shows a correlation with their hypothesis, there is no causation as there can be third or confounding variables that may contribute to the participant’s failure to perform well on the exams. Thus, with no causation there is no mechanism to explain the connection. My conclusion was further confirmed upon my discovery of another article reflecting the effects of binge watching TV and brain function (see x). The information in this article was provided by a researcher from the Northern California Institute for Research. The researcher claimed that through her research she was able to conclude, just like the other study, that there is a correlation between exercise, binge watching TV, and brain function. Despite this, she agreed that there is no concrete evidence that it could really effect one’s brain. (x)

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I was personally very happy with the results. While a rational person may consider not binge watching Netflix or TV as much since it may actually damage your brain, I am going to take advantage of the lack of causation by continuing to express my love for Netflix and TV through binge watching.

Articles: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bingeing-your-favourite-netflix-series-7500911

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/binge-watching-tv-may-hamper-brain-later-in-life/

Is it Better to Work in Groups or Work Alone?

Throughout high school I never really had to put in much effort in order to do well. I didn’t study that often, I never sought out my teachers for help; I pretty much just did the bare minimum and I never had a problem getting good grades. With almost a month of college now under my belt, I realize my work ethic really has to change. Since I don’t have a ton of experience with studying, I decided to research what the best way to study was: working in groups or working alone.

I came across a study done by Gregory Walton and Priyanka Carr, an assistant professor and graduate student at Stanford (here’s the article explaining the study). In their five experiments, they found that people who worked together were more motivated to succeed than those who worked by themselves. What the participants had to do was go into separate rooms where they were told they would work on a puzzle. One group of participants were told they would either get a tip from another participant or have to give one. The other group of participants were told they would receive a tip from one of the researchers. What the participants didn’t know was they would all receive the same tip made by someone who was not involved in the task. The people who thought they were being helped by another participant, or thought they were working together, were noted as being more interested in the puzzle, being less annoyed by the puzzle, and overall put more effort into the challenge. Walton and Carr explained that it’s not a competition or an obligation that motivates people, it’s about feeling like you’re part of a team.

Does this prove that I’m going to do better if I work in groups from now on? No, of course not. This study could be a complete fluke. However, it does provide evidence that it may work, so why not give it a shot?

Sources:

Working alone ‘together’ can be good motivation

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103114000420

http://business.salary.com/Media/Default/Article/group_work.jpg

The Truth Behind Anencephaly

“Is my baby healthy? Ten fingers? Ten toes?”, these are prime examples of questions that new soon-to-be mommies should be asking. The process of conception, pregnancy, and becoming a mother is supposed to be beautiful and joyous. Imagine if the answerer to these questions wasn’t a positive “yes”; Picture this, your doctor comes walking in and says that the answer is “No, I’m sorry to say but, you’re baby has anencephaly.”

Anencephaly, defined by MedicineNet.com, is a fetus is born with little to no brain or skull. It is an extremely rare condition, affecting only 3 in 10,000 babies born each year. The reason why this number is so low is because most babies with neurological defects miscarry. Looking at the frequency, process, causes, and what happens to the baby after birth; we will be able to better understand anencephaly.

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Occurrence

 Anencephaly occurs because of a thing called Neural Tube Defects (NTD). The opening and closing of the top neural tube is necessary for proper formation of a fetuses’ brain and skull, as the bottom of the neural tube forms the spinal cord and back bones. When the top neural tube does not fully close correctly, parts of the brain and skull aren’t able to develop properly.

These parts consist of the forebrain and the cerebrum. The forebrain and cerebrum, the largest part of the brain, work together simultaneously. This also consist of the four different lobes; frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal. With that being said all functions produced by these lobes will be non-existent. For example, lack of a frontal lobe means no speech, movement, or emotions. Lack of the Parietal lobe means no recognition or orientation. No Occipital lobe means no visual processing, and no temporal lobe means no memory or perception.

When saying only 3 in 10,000 babies experience anencephaly each year, that doesn’t sound like a lot, but then when I say that the CDC estimates that it is about 1,206 babies each year, it sounds like a more threatening number. Monika Jaquier, from anencephaly.com, did a study on 303 pregnancies with anencephaly babies that were carried to term. Jaquier found that 75% of those babies survived birth.

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Causes

As sad and upsetting as it is, the CDC as stated that the causes of NTD and anencephaly are unknown. Just like many other fetal defects, the mothers’ diet, environment, and partaking in drugs could all affect the baby.

Although it is unknown what causes anencephaly, we do know what conditions could put a pregnancy at risk. The two that we know for sure are, little to no folic acid in early pregnancy. Also, that Hispanic mothers are more likely to have a baby with anencephaly (the explanation has yet to be found). Categorized as vitamin B, folic acid aids the body in making new cells. The best foods to eat to increase folic acid intake are; green vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, and grain products.

After Birth

 If the baby makes it to term and survives birth they are very unlikely to live more than 6 days. This was made evident by Monika Jaquier’s ongoing study since 2003, her findings are as follows:

“7% died in utero

18% died during birth 

26% lived between 1 and 60 minutes 

27% lived between 1 and 24 hours 

17% lived between 1 and 5 days

5% lived 6 or more days”

The link to her full report is here.

Despite the odds, some cases have shown that babies with anencephaly have lived. The first case we will look at was a baby born in 2014. The parents went against the doctor’s recommendation, to abort at 23 weeks, and gave birth to a living baby boy. In 2015, this same baby boy celebrated his first birthday. His story is here.

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The second case we will look at is another little girl who on March, 23 2015, celebrated her first birthday. Sonia and Rony Morales too went against the doctor’s recommendation to abort. They realized this was the right decision when their daughter, Angela, made it to childbirth and turned one, despite having little to no brain. The Morales’s family story is here.

Sadly, the last case we will look at didn’t go as well. Baby Sarah survived childbirth and lived for about a week. The family better elaborates on Sarah’s story here.

Although, we have yet to find a cure, this post is meant to make young individuals aware of this uncommon defect. Many of the links I have posted offer supportive moral advice as well as a better medical explanation as to why this happens.

Citations

  • Medicinenet.com. “Anencephaly” Link
  • S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus. “Neural Tube Defects”. August 2016. Link
  • “Brain Structures and their Functions”. September 2012. Link
  • “Facts about Anencephaly”. November 2015. Link
  • Jaquier, Monika. Anencephaly.info. “Report about the birth and life of babies with anencephaly”. September 2015. Link
  • Zagoriski, Sarah. Lifenews.com. “Baby Jaxon, Born with Anencephaly, Defies the Odds, Turns 1 Year Old”. Septemebr 2015. Link
  • Keating, Caitlin. People. “Miracle Baby’ Not Supposed to Live After Childbirth Celebrates Her First Birthday”. April 2015. Link
  • info. “Sarah”. February 2008. Link

Photos

  • Antipuesto, Daisy Jane. Nursing Crib. “Anencephaly”. November 2010.
  • Zagorski, Sarah. Life News. “Baby Jaxon, Born with Anencephaly, defies the odds, Turns 1 year old”. September 2015
  • http://www.stritch.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/Radio/curriculum/OBGYN/Anencephaly.htm

Does consuming alcohol lower your GPA?

So I just took a killer nap and woke up and realized that I want to write another blog tonight. Not surprised I look out my window and I see that the neighbors across my sidewalk are drinking and playing music. As I look out my window I sit here and think to myself, how do they do it? How does any college student drink on a weekday? There is no possible way that they are going to study efficiently tonight and the overwhelming odds say that they have class in the morning. One would assume that drinking during the week has to have a negative effect on their performance. So I took my inquiry to google and I found that there is a correlation between GPA and grades. The study that I read shows that the more college students drink, the more their GPA goes down. My blog post is by no means a smear on drinking on college campuses. The issue is that students are binge drinking and that has a detrimental effect on their performances. I implore those who do drink to do it on the weekends in a responsible fashion. As a current student I have saw interesting things in my first month or so here. I transferred from a commonwealth campus. Being that I turned 21 this past summer I have gone out and experienced some of the bar scene in downtown. Nothing disgusts me more than having a drunk student vomit on the sidewalk by Old Main, or one of his friends stumbling into me because he does not know his limits. However, the one thing that disgusted and angered me the most was the fact that some young adult was unconscious and being propped up by his friend at Beaver Stadium two weekends back. He eventually became conscious and then proceeded to puke on the sidewalk in a huge group of people who were waiting to gain admittance into the football game against Kent State. Needless to say, tailgating in the Intramural fields can be interesting.

Source: College Prowler

Source: College Prowler

So now lets get down to the study that will show that there is strong evidence that the more you drink, the more your GPA will go down. The Pennsylvania State University, yes our University did a study to see if there is any correlation between binge drinking and GPA. In case you did not know, The Princeton Review has a ranking system for the universities that party the most. Penn State was on that list in 2014, and there is a real chance that Penn State is on there in 2016. The study defines binge drinking is consuming five or more drinks in a row for males. The definition is slightly different for females, they define binge drinking as consuming four or more drinks in a row. This could be due to the fact that males weigh more than females, which generally means that men can handle more alcohol. The researchers had approximately 15,000 students and asked them, Can you recall within the last two weeks how many times you had a binge drinking episode? Of the students who did not have any binge drinking episodes within the last two weeks, their average grade point average was on average 3.19. Those students who did have a binge drinking episode, their grade point average had fell to 3.11. Those who had 2 or more had their grade point average fall even more.

Source: Onward State

Source: Onward State

The purpose of this blog is not to scare any of the incoming Freshmen or Sophomores. I wrote this blog so that the new students here would be informed of the harmful effects that alcohol can have on your education. In addition to the effects it has on your education, alcohol also has many adverse effects on the body including damage to the liver.  The last thing that anybody wants to see is students going to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. I also imagine that many of your parents would be livid if they found out that you received an underage or were expelled from the university because of poor grades. The major takeaway from this blog is that if you do binge drink, your GPA will suffer in the long run.

 

Source 1

Source 2

Does LSD make You Smarter?

Now just as a disclaimer, and so Andrew doesn’t get the wrong idea, I have never experimented with LSD nor do I plan to.  Although, plenty of people have and some believe to have discovered a way to take it in which it improves their overall way of life.

LSD or “acid”, referred to by the scientific world as lysergic acid diethylamide is a hallucinogen created from a fungus called ergot.  The ergot is crystallized with along with other ingredients and is then diluted into a liquid.  This liquid is then dropped or fused into edible items such as small blotter papers called tabs, gelatinous squares, sugar cubes, gummy candy etc.  LSD can have a multitude of effects on the users mind, including visual and audio hallucinations and delusions.  Users experience varying mood swings and have a lack of an ability to identify their own senses.  Depth perception is thrown off and some senses blend to gather such as sight and sound.  Many of these, “trips” are very euphoric and others are filled with terrible hallucinations, extreme fear and anxiety which are referred to as a, “bad trips”.

Most people take LSD for recreational use, to find inner peace, or try and discover more about themselves.  Although a small minority of LSD users take it not to trip, but rather to enhance the workings of their daily lives.  This is called micro-dosing.  LSD stimulates the pre-frontal cortex which includes mood and cognition.  So by reducing the dosage and eliminating the hallucinogenic side effects, some believe that, that specific area of the brain is stimulated, yet to a point where people can still live their daily lives.

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https://omgfacts.com/

Dr. James Fadiman, Ph.D is considered to be the godfather of micro-dosing as he was the first one to truly invest time and money into researching whether or not micro-dosing had any beneficial effects.  Dr. Fadiman is currently still conducting an experiment in which he himself and other volunteers take 10-20 micrograms of acid every third day and then record their feelings, productivity, creativity, and sleep habits.  Fadiman began the study in 2010 and claims to have improved his life through his micro-dosing cycle.  Back in 1966,  Dr. Fadiman and a team of other scientists did an experiment on the effects of psychedelics on problem solving, but it was stopped abruptly after the FDA deemed the experiment unsafe as Fadiman and his team were using human subjects band were giving them doses of up to 50 micrograms.  Overall though the experiment had the same idea as the micro-dosing experiment, which was to discover if psychedelics enhanced peoples cognitive abilities.

Dr. Fadiman is currently still conducting his experiment on micro-dosing so there has been no published empirical evidence, but Dr. Fadiman has given his two cents and claims that he and his volunteers have experienced a spike in their creativity, productivity, and overall mood improvements.  You can view his micro-dose regiment and comments in this VICE piece.

Skeptics of this experiment bring up the idea of the placebo effect, which is extremely plausible.  People who are taking extremely small doses of a drug that is known to have very intense effects, are bound to in the back of their mind perceive improvements that aren’t actually happening.  Especially when the usual side effects are not supposed to be present, it is only human like to perceive that somehow the body is being affected.  It is very likely that in some peoples cases they simply just believe their lives are better, when in reality the small dose has done nothing but change their perception on their lives.  But that in itself could be a reason people feel that micro-dosing improves their lives.

Personally, one of my friends from high school has a brother who micros-doses LSD based upon Dr. Fadiman’s schedule and he is currently a junior at Harvard studying criminology.  Not to say he wasn’t intelligent to begin with but it does make us non-ivy leaguers think a little about what micro-dosing can really do.

 

 

Handwashing vs. Hand Sanitizers

How many of us have a little hand sanitizer bottles that we carry around in our backpacks? I bet nine out of ten people would raise their hand yes. The real question are our hands getting cleaned? Is there any data that proves this theory?

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Let’s talk about hand sanitizers for a minute. There are two types according WebMD.org alcohol based and non-alcohol based. Alcohol based hand sanitizers are filled with pretty much alcohol and their types of chemicals designed to killing most harmful bacteria. The other type of sanitizer non-alcohol is filled with other less harsh chemicals which will not get ride of the harmful bacteria. Most people use sanitizers especially if they are always on the go and do not have time to look for a restroom. This also gives a sense of security for those that feels like germs are everywhere that squirt this their hands at least ten times a day just to feel clean. I use to be one of those people that would go through bottles of hand sanitizer within a week. Just because I believed that my hands were contaminated with bacteria. Which is true. There’s good bacteria and not so good. The down side is that my hands felt very dry after using the alcohol based sanitizer. I had to keep applying lotion throughout the day to keep them moisturized.

Hand sanitizers have come under fire in recent years because some scientists found that these portable “germ killers” don’t actually kills all of the germs.

Most doctors prefer people stick to hand washing as the best way to make sure our hands are squeaky clean. Some people fail to do that properly. You should wash your hands for 30 seconds or be able to sing the Happy Birthday song twice. Use warm water. I repeat use WARM WATER. When washing one’s hand’s. Sanitizer should be a last resort if there is no access to a sink with soap and water.

Growing up my mom would always emphasize the importance of good hand washing. Before we put anything in our mouths. I remember how every time we would go out to eat at a restaurant there was a two step process. Step one order the food because the menus were filthy since thousands of people use them every day. Step two go and wash our hands. Me a brother would be timed. If we came out too quickly then we would have to go back and start all over again. Now looking back this is a little silly but, she did this so we would not get a serious virus like the flu.

Keeping your hands clean is very important during the flu season. Everyone is sneezing, coughing and sniffing. It’s even worse for people that share an apartment or dorm with others. Germs can spread like wild fire so make sure you wash your hands every time before eating anything.

In the end it personally comes down to what make you feel comfortable. No one is going to make you wash your hands. Just don’t be the person that doesn’t wash their hands, that  not sanitary.

Midnight Munch

More often than not I find myself experiencing a craving for food as soon as the clock strikes midnight. There is something in my system that automatically makes me feel hungry around this time and begin to go on the hunt for food. What is it exactly that leads me do this though? Most especially, what leads me to have very specific cravings? For example, I was awake earlier this week around 1am and suddenly started to crave caramel flavored ice cream. There are hundreds of different kinds of foods that I could have desired and somehow I had become transfixed on caramel ice cream. Although I do experience midnight cravings, it is on the lower end of the scale. For people that have severe late night cravings, they could have what is known as a Night Eating Disorder (NES). According to a modern lifestyle article, one can be diagnosed with NES when one wakes up in the middle of the night for the sole purpose of eating, eats 25%+ of their everyday food intake after dinner, and has trouble sleeping at night which could potentially be relieved by late night eating. This can be explained by the way our body’s internal clock operates. In accordance to a study published by the journal Obesity, people’s appetite for sweet, salty, and starchy foods drastically increased after 8 pm and people were found to be hungriest during the nighttime. Another study conducted by BYU confirms this. According to BYU, food that contains a lot of calories can create spikes in brain activity. Therefore, people are found wanting to consume unhealthier foods late at night. This can be detrimental to an individual’s health because according to research conducted by Steven Shea, Ph.D, the body’s internal circadian system results in hunger which leads to increase an increase of obesity. Obesity has become a serious issue in America. In accordance to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2 out of 3 Americans are considered to be either overweight or obese. At this rate, midnight eating would only help to make that statistic more valid. It also leaves millions of Americans at risk for obesity. So next time you want a midnight munch, think about the harmful consequences it could have in the long run.

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(Photo: http://www.safebee.com/food/do-midnight-snacks-pile-pounds)

When Music Gives You “The Chills”

I love music. I try to spend as much of my day as possible listening to a multitude of artists and bands, singles and full albums. To me, the best feeling in the world is when you’re listening to an amazing song, and then it hits you—the goosebumps. The sensation of getting goosebumps while listening to good music is such a universal phenomenon that it has led scientists to actually research the causes behind it. So, why exactly does good music cause us to feel goosebumps? Are different types of music more likely to induce goosebumps than others?

The word “goosebumps” is actually just a name for the physical reaction to a larger experience. The whole experience is known as frisson, which is a French term that refers to a sudden feeling of excitement. In frisson, the excited feeling produces a shudder in the body, causing goosebumps to occur. According to this article, goosebumps are believed to have been very important to our ancestors, helping to keep heat in a thick layer of fur. However, it is pretty useless for humans today, as we no longer have fur. The same article states that goosebumps are physiological and occur when the hormone adrenaline is released, which happens when we are stressed or feeling particularly strong emotions.

goosebumps-885563_960_720This may indicate why we still get goosebumps today, and why they occur when we listen to music. According to research, music evokes strong emotions in people. In this study, it was found that listening to music releases dopamine, which transmits neurons in the brain when things make us happy. What was unique about this study, however, was that the dopamine released in the same area of the brain where the brain processes rewards. This means that music is quite literally a rewarding activity for us.

So, music clearly has the ability to impact our mood, and when we have a strong, sudden, change in emotions, we get goosebumps. The link seems pretty clear in that regard. However, are there certain types of music that trigger this change in emotions, or “the chills”? Contrary to what you might think, research has shown that it is actually sad music that more commonly causes people to experience goosebumps. According to this article, a study published in a Japanese journal found that sad music causes people to experience more positive emotions. During the study, 44 people were split into two groups: one group listened to a happy song and the other group listened to a sad song. After listening, the participants were asked to report how they felt after the song, and those in the sad song group actually reported feeling both negative and positive emotions, creating a stronger impression overall. If it produces a more powerful feeling, this may explain why sad music would induce goosebumps.

While scientists are not 100% certain what causes goosebumps while listening to music (although we are never completely positive of anything in science), research indicates that there could be a link between unexpected and emotions and the onset of goosebumps. By altering our mood drastically, music triggers that physical response. It certainly is one of the more interesting little phenomena in our world.

shutterstock_93888712Image Sources:

http://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/goosebumps-885563_960_720.jpg

http://blog.writersdomain.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/shutterstock_93888712.jpg

Your 8 AM May Be Hurting Your Health

If you’re having trouble staying awake in your 8 AM you are not alone. Students across the country in all levels of school are reporting to class as early as 8:30 AM and it is having a negative affect on their health. Your sleep schedule isn’t the only thing affected by this, more and more studies being done are finding evidence linking a lack of sleep caused by early school start times to other serious health issues ranging from depression to obesity.

It is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics that students get anywhere from 8 and 1/2 to 9 hours of sleep per night. However any busy student will know that this is next to impossible. We go from classes to sports to clubs to jobs and then come home to do hours of homework and studying. Yet we are somehow still expected to make it to bed at a reasonable hour to get up the next day to do it all over again. nabjrus

While 8:30 AM may sound like a reasonable time to start class it fails to factor in the time students need to get up in the morning, eat a sustainable breakfast and get to school on time. Once this is all accounted for, it leaves students getting up for school as early as 6 AM. The average 18-19 year old goes to bed anywhere from 12 to 1 AM, meaning that on average they receive only 5-6 hours of sleep per night. This is where the health affects begin to develop.

According to a recent study done by the CDC, children and teens who do not get enough sleep (the recommended 8-9 hours) are more likely to show signs of depression, give in to dangerous behavior like drinking and drug use and perform poorer in school. A lack of sleep can lead to a weakened immune system, falling asleep in class and a lack of motivation. Of the 39,700 public schools tested, only 17.7% reported having schools that start at 8:30 AM or later. Meaning that hundreds of thousands of kids across the country are at risk for these problems.

Another study showed that the affects of inadequate sleep are similar to the affects of being slightly intoxicated. This brought up a good point that the teens who are driving themselves to school exhausted in the morning are getting behind the wheel as if they had been drinking right before. This alone puts everyone in danger. p0806-school-sleep

When puberty hits, the “biological clock” in our bodies begins to change. With this change, we are able to stay up later and often find our bodies pushing us to do so. Research shows, that we are extremely sensitive to the blue light that our computers and TVs emit; as a result, being exposed to it at night (like when we are up until all hours doing our homework) actually hurts us by confusing our “biological clock” and pushing us to stay up later.

So, the next time you think about scheduling an 8 AM every day or stay up until 2 watching Netflix, I urge you to ask yourself “Is it worth the health affects?”

Sources:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/08/19/peds.2014-1697

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/survey-finds-us-schools-start-too-early

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-teenage-body-clock

http://www.cdc.gov/features/school-start-times/index.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/08/06/teen-sleep-school-start/31212457/

Picture Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/media/images/releases/2015/p0806-school-sleep.pdf

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/08/06/teen-sleep-school-start/31212457/

 

Addicted to Your Phone?

My absolute best friend is addicted to her iPhone, or at least I think that she is.  She will ask me a question as simple as “how were your classes today?” and in my answer I describe the good and the bad parts of my day.  However, as soon as I finish my answer, I look to her for a response, and surely enough, she has completely ignored what I just said because she was texting.  I used to think that she was just bad at multitasking, until I realized that it’s as if she cannot hear a single word I say when she is on her phone.  Now, after being best friends for nine years, I have learned to wait to speak until she is not staring at her phone.  While I have never asked her if she thinks she is addicted to her phone, I have made some sly comments about her cell phone usage to her.  Each time I do, she just casually brushes it off and says something like “I love to text”, but I know that it is possible for her to be addicted.

smartphones

According to PsychGuides, teenagers are the group that are the most likely to become addicted to their phones.  Our generation is truly the first to grow up with such regular cell phone use, and the generations after us are being exposed to phones earlier each year.  Our generation does not know what it is like to not have access to a phone at all times, and therefore, phones have become a kind of security blanket for teens.  The use of social media is also another large factor that draws in teens, and is used daily by most.   Teens become obsessed with seeing what their peers are doing because it is just one click away.  The development of social media has been great in improving communication among people, however, it may be to blame for why teens are so susceptible to phone addiction (Psych Guides). (Image)

While the concept of cell phone addiction is fairly new, there are many symptoms that have been identified to describe a cell phone addict.  One of these symptoms includes an increased amount of time using the device, in exchange for the same result achieved previously with less time.  This symptom is similar to the notion of drug tolerance- the need to increase a dosage in order to be able to experience the same outcome.  Feeling anxious or angry when you are unable to use your cell phone can be traced back to the symptom of withdrawal.  Many addicts may feel deprived when they are experiencing withdrawal.  Another one of the most common symptoms of cell phone addiction is being absorbed within the content on your phone, sometimes so much so, that you fail to acknowledge anything else going on around you.  These symptoms are just a few of many that characterize cell phone addicts.

In addition to the psychological symptoms of cell phone addiction, there are also various physical effects that result from overuse of cell phones.  Staring at the screen of a phone for two hours or more can lead to physical straining of the eyes.  Eye strain is commonly characterized by irritated eyes, and sometimes a burning sensation occurs.  Spending lengthy amounts of time on cell phones also leads to the increased exposure to illness breeding germs.  According to an article published by South University, fecal matter can be found on the surface of nearly 17% of all cell phones (South University 2013).  Besides a heightened risk of illnesses, Fnu Deepinder, Kartikeya Makker, and Ashok Agarwa found that the radiation released by cell phones can potentially decrease the sperm count of males (Deepinder, Makker, Agarwa 2007).  The physical consequences linked back to too much cell phone use may not seem like a big deal, but they may be taking quite a toll on overall health.

Science vs. Religion

I have always been strong in my faith and have always questioned, how does one believe in both creationism and evolution? Some say that you must choose between the two and believe in science or religion and not both, but that is not true.

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Bible literalists say that the earth is less than 10,000 years old and was created in 6 days. They also reject evolution because they insist man was created by God on the 6th day (rested on the 7th). Many religions though see science and religion as compatible. In fact, there are scientists who are Christians and find that with more they discover, the more they are in awe of their creator. Some of these famous scientists in history even considered themselves Christians. It is crazy to consider why an all-powerful God would allow these same men to unlock the secrets of the universe and permit them to make astounding discoveries in their fields. However unlike scientists, religions do not need proof or specific explanations because they have their faith, which is all they need. In the 15th century, Copernicium found that the earth revolved around the sun, which was not the conventional belief at the time. His finding went in direct conflict with the Roman Catholic church which supported the idea that the earth was the center with everything revolving around it. Religions based these beliefs of those of the Bible. Psalm 104:5 reads “The Lord set the earth on its foundation; it can never be moved.” And Ecclesiastes 1:5, “And the sun rises and sets and returns to its place.” Both of these Bible verses supported the Roman Catholic church’s beliefs. The church eventually changed the stance championed by the science community.

There will always be debate surrounding religion and science, however it is pointless to argue. People can choose what they believe in and can easily believe in both. Many scientists even express belief in a God or Supernatural force. As a believer, one can always go back to the creator who started the whole process from some beginning point. I believe that there had to be a beginning and my faith tells me that God was there before anything was. I think that it is very possible to believe in both evolution and creationism.

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http://humanorigins.si.edu/about/broader-social-impacts-committee/science-religion-evolution-and-creationism-primer

 

 

 

Which is Better for Notes: Laptops or Pen and Paper?

Whether we like it or not, we are using technology more and more for everyday tasks. All of our assignments are handed in online, we order food online, we even pay our bills online. Everything that used to be done with pen and paper is now being done on a computer. Most recently, I found out that my old high school gave a laptop out to each student. The students have to use the laptop for all their work, including taking notes. I personally don’t know how I would get through high school if I had to do that because I prefer to write by hand. This made me wonder what the reason behind giving out laptops was. Do they think that using laptops will improve the students’ scores or do they just want to be more modern?

I decided to research whether or not it’s proven that one method is better than the other, and I stumbled upon this article. According to Pam Mueller of Princeton and Dan Oppenheimer of UCLA, students taking notes by hand are more successful in retaining information. In their study, they had college students (trials ranged from 67-151 students) watch a TED talk and take notes while they were viewing. They found that the students who were using laptops wrote almost word for word what was being said, simply because people type faster than they write. Since the students using pen and paper were writing slower, they had a better understanding of the material because they had to be more selective with what they wrote down. Afterwards, the students were asked questions about the speech, and the students writing by hand performed much better. The study showed that there was a negative correlation between the amount of words written and amount of questions answered correctly.  Even after being told not to write verbatim in a second trial, many students using laptops could not resist and performed worse again. In the third and final trial, Mueller and Oppenheimer gave the students time in-between the speech and the questions to review their notes. Once again, pen and paper won. It comes down to the fact that it’s easier to type, so you’re not comprehending  what you’re hearing, you’re just writing. When you write by hand you’re subconsciously thinking about the material as you write it, because you have to pay attention to everything that’s being said in order choose the most important points.

Based on this experiment, it’s fair to say that writing by hand is more affective than typing on a laptop. I guess my old high school just wants to be technologically up to date, and didn’t bother looking into what was in the students’ best interest.

Sources:

http://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/474525392/attention-students-put-your-laptops-away

http://pss.sagepub.com/content/25/6/1159.full?keytype=ref&siteid=sppss&ijkey=CjRAwmrlURGNw

https://microsites.ncl.ac.uk/oncoursetoncl/files/2015/04/pencilvscomputer.jpg.scaled500.jpg

 

What Makes A Psychopath

Recently I have been watching the show Narcos on Netflix. The show tells the story of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and his rise to power in the 1970’s-80’s. Pablo was a ruthless villain. He was responsible for thousands of deaths throughout his life ranging from police officers to rival gang members. Pablo eventually rose to become the seventh richest man in the world, simply by ruthlessly controlling the drug trade. I always knew who Pablo Escobar was, but I was extremely shocked by his lack of empathy. Throughout the shows he murders, steals and blackmails his way to power without ever showing signs of remorse. His behavior reminded me of other violent men such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. These men all slaughtered people beneath them with no regret, these men were all psychopaths. There are a lot of notable people who are considered psychotic in our history. This made me curious about what actually classifies someone as a psychopath, and what exactly about them is different.

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A psychopath is defined as a person who is mentally ill, lacks empathy, and is usually dangerous or violent. Science of People claims that psychopaths all share similar traits such as having shallow emotions, suspicious charm, a failure to control their actions and an inflated sense of their own self worth. They have high emotions and act on impulse, this makes them more susceptible to addiction and risky behavior. Early on in life psychopaths usually do not show any signs of fear towards situations that would normally cause children to tremor. Another trait of a young psychopath is an inclination to harm animals for the sole purpose of pleasure.
The brain of a psychopath is also very different than that of a normal person. Scientists believe that they have less activity in the region of their brain that generates fear. Also, their prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for rational thought, is usually underdeveloped or damaged (Edwards).

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The CIA has a team of researchers who evaluate the mental health of historical figures. They classify Adolf Hitler, Sadam Hussein, Joseph Stalin and Pablo Escobar as having similar type of psychopathic tendencies. Although there is no cure for this mental condition, some people have actually found relief through therapy. Experts have discovered that the earlier that the disease is caught, the better chance they have to nurse the person back to health. Obviously this disease is extremely dangerous to the general public. There have been a lot of terrible things that have come from the minds of psychopaths. Many of which have changed the course of history forever. Although the mental disease provides an explanation for their actions, it certainly does not justify many of the atrocities committed by the hand of psychopaths.

 

Picture Sources

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Pablo_Escobar_Mug.jpg

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi8rf_W-o_PAhWDTSYKHaFNAksQjB0IBg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.independent.co.uk%2Flife-style%2Fhealth-and-families%2Fthe-difference-between-a-psychopath-and-a-sociopath-10422016.html&psig=AFQjCNHR1KTsyQIxyVwOvXGAML1lxEtCGg&ust=1473980305174869