You are walking to class and you look down the street to cross the road, and all you see in front of you is a mob of students with their heads down, glued to their screens, unaware of the environment around them. Now I am sure this scenario is all to familiar for just about everyone in this class and as an avid texter I am 100% guilty of this. You look down to change what song you are listening to and then you see that you have notifications from Snapchat or that someone has texted you. What was originally supposed to be about a ten second task has turned into you with your head down, looking at your phone for five minutes straight. We have all gotten the technology is ruining our generation’s ability to communicate speech, but I am here to talk to you about the physical affect of looking down at your screen for long periods of time.
The medical field has deemed this phenomenon to be called “Text Neck”. Now this term is used to describe the pain in one’s neck that is a result from holding your head in the downward angle in which you do while texting. Maintaining that stance for long periods of time can lead to neck pain and even long term spinal damage.
While some of you may be questioning this rising phenomenon,stating that other activities such a reading cause our necks to be held at the same downward angle, texting just adds to the list of already potentially harmful activities when conducted for long spans of time. In a recent study it was discovered that 79% of the population that fall in the age range of 18-44 years old have their cellphones with them almost always, with only a two-hour window spent throughout their day awake without it on hand. Not only is the technology more prominent in today’s society, the pressure your are putting on your neck only increases with the sharper angle your neck is in as demonstrated in this picture. This phenomenon is going to continue to grow at its already steady rate unless people are aware of the potential harms and proactive in fighting them.
For those of you slightly freaked out by the above information, do not worry there are preventive measures one can take in order to avoid the extremes. The Spine Health Institute provides three tips for beating “text neck”. The first being causal neck stretches that one can do while sitting on the floor, to relax the built up tension on your upper back and in your neck. Another tip they disclose is that when you are performing activities such as reading or responding to a text or looking at a computer screen, try to keep the material you are focused on at eye level. It will provide the correct spinal support and prevent injury in the long-run. Last, but not least, one of the best ways to beat this phenomenon is to put your devices down and get moving. No high score, or twitter notification is worth placing your well-being in harms way.
My best friend and I have always noticed that I get devoured by mosquitoes while he does not even get one bite. This was very intriguing to me because even people from my family have a saying that goes like this: “A la gente de sangre enferma no le pican los mosquitos.” This means mosquitoes do not bite people who have unhealthy blood. They do not believe this but it is a popular saying. I just wondered why mosquitoes have a preference for a certain type of individual, so I made some research and found astounding results that makes it much clearer for me as of why they choose me.
According to The Smithsonian Magazine (Stromberg, 2013) there are several factors that may affect mosquitoes targeting an individual over another. I will discuss throughout the blog the ones that I personally found intriguing and that also apply to me.
For instance, the scent and clothing color of a person will influence in the amount of mosquito bites on your skin. According to Allergies Health Center (2016) acid scents such as uric acid, lactic acid, and other acids that are secreted through our skin are more likely to stand out among other people’s scents. This makes certain individuals more attractive for a mosquito. Furthermore, people who wear black, blue, red, dark green or dark purple tend to be bitten more times than those who don’t. Mosquitoes have a preference for dark colors and therefore if you wear these it will facilitate the process of targeting you.
Joseph Stromberg (2013) also claims in his Smithsonian Magazine article how exercise takes a huge part in mosquito targeting. When a person goes to the gym, the body temperature and amount of lactic acid in your body increases as a consequence of exercise. As this increases so is the probability of a mosquito to bite you. This occurs due to the fact that the person will have a high body temperature that will cause the excretion of several scents that lure mosquitoes into biting.
In addition to this, the body weight and age of an individual is correlated with the amount of mosquitoes bites that the person will have. For example, a man who has a large body weight is more likely to attract mosquitoes than a little boy. This is because the amount of carbon dioxide released by a big man’s body is higher than that of a boy. Mosquitoes will scent co2 from miles away since they have qualities in their body that lead them to the source of the smell.
Furthermore, the blood type of an individual is influential to the amount of mosquito bites a person gets. A study done by the Institute of Pest Control Technology found that blood type O was significantly more susceptible by 83% to mosquito bites than any other type of blood. People who have blood types A and B are not prone to get too many mosquito bites, however, blood type B tended to get more than A.
Now I know why I get so many mosquito bites. I always prefer to wear dark colors, my blood type is O positive and I tend to exercise at night which leads me to be very attractive for a mosquito. So the myth was wrong, I do not have unhealthy blood, I just happen to do and have many traits that mosquitoes prefer in their targets.
Here is a video that portrays some examples as of why mosquitoes prefer some people over others. It contains some of the examples I talked about previously but there are others not mentioned above.
The law of Attraction is slowly but surely becoming more and more popular. I first learn about this idea in sophomore year in high school and it has changed my life ever since. The basis of this idea is that like attracts like. This applies universally whether it be objects, health, finances, relationships, or ambitions, the Law of Attraction does not discriminate.
This idea dates back ages, in fact like attracts like is one of Plato’s ideas. While this is still a growing field of study there has been many anecdotes to attest this law. Realistically it makes sense because water is attracted to water, this is called cohesion. By repeatedly thinking that you have the power to achieve something, you attract that possibility to you. This is basically the power to manifest something. Manifestation means something that is visually or publically displayed from an idea or theory. So you can manifest good health or being financially stable or whatever you want by using the law of attraction.
This can be done easily through aspiration, attention, and action. Aspirations are knowing what you want or desire so make some goals. Attention is focusing on what you want giving those ideas energy. Action is similar to attention because it helps you keep focused. Do something every day to work towards your goals.
Thoughts becoming things has been scientifically tested. One study showed that negative thoughts including worry and fear caused people to become sick where as positive thoughts of healthiness can keep people healthy. This can be proven by the placebo effect. People that are given a fake pill claim that they feel better because they think that they are receiving treatment. This shows that thoughts can actually make you feel better. As long as your thoughts are positive, positive effects will come soon after just like taking a placebo makes you feel better because you think you are getting better.
Sony has recently created a robot that creates actions due to people thoughts. This is not just a correlation but rather a thought directly causing the movement. A person wearing some type of skull cap that measures electrical impulses can think about moving his arm and then the robot would actually move his arm. This is because the electrical impulses generated by the thought are transferred in to making the robot move its arm. This shows that thoughts become things.
Critiques of this science say that the evidence for the law of Attraction is based on stories but that isn’t enough to disregard the law of attraction. The power that is supposedly has is too great to be ignored. Even with little evidence, simply changing your attitude and thought process has a greater value than to not at all. It isn’t that hard to try something new that could potentially drastically benefit you. I would say it is worth trying something new.
ProsperityRadio. “Is There Scientific Evidence Behind the Law of Attraction?”YouTube. YouTube, 03 Apr. 2009. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
By Constantly Telling Yourself You Can Achieve Something, You Predict a Constructive Outcome. Positive Repetitive Thought (RT) Has Been Found to Enable: . “Law of Attraction Pro.” Scientific Proof of the Law of Attraction. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
Not one, but multiple people in my life have said to me (as I complained over a headache) ” eat 15 almonds and you’ll feel better” and I always thought it was silly to say that a couple of nuts could do the job just as well as taking some Advil could. Personally, I am a huge fan of almonds and i can eat them with everything, including my salads, ice cream, snacks, chocolate, etc. Headaches/migraines are daily situation for me, and my doctor has told me that it is because my mom suffers from migraines as well. According to this article, Almonds indeed do help you deal with your headache. Almonds are rich in magnesium, which can help you feel better and reduce your pain by relieving tension from your body.
Apart from having lots of magnesium, they also include salicin which will also help you get rid of your pain. Salicin is a component that can be found in painkillers such as Aspirin, Advil, Tylenol, etc.
Apart from being mother nature’s Advil, they have a large variety of benefits with all the fiber, protein, and vitamin E. They can also help with lowering the chances of heart diseases, not to mention the wonders it does for your hair and skin. Overall, Almonds are not only a delicious light snack, but they are “miracle workers” as well.
In my Psychology class, we recently learned about homologous traits. For those of you who don’t know what homologies are, they are characteristics that we share with another species because it derived from our common ancestry. Chimpanzees are usually the most common example used when discussing homologous trails with humans. Although most people already know that we share 98.8% of our DNA with chimps, when reading about our commonalities on the Jane Goodall Institute website, I also found that they’re similar to us because they show similar emotions using facial expressions, they have a similar length of pregnancy (at eight months), they can suffer from depression, and they share a similar central nervous system. I was also curious about what other, less obvious characteristics we have today that came from our ancestors, so I did some research, and found a particular study that really intrigued me.
If only Harambe could share 98.8% of his DNA with us
In this study, Chimpanzees Prefer African and Indian Music Over Silence, researchers tested chimps to see what kind of music they liked. They included three types of music during the test: West African, Japanese taiko, and North Indian raga. In order to conduct the experiment, the researchers hid a speaker in the exhibit, and measured the distance from the speaker. This distance was split into four zones (zone one was the closest to the speaker, and zone four was the furthest away). The scientists hypothesized that if the chimps did not enjoy the music, they would move to zone four, where it was inaudible. However, if they reacted positively to the stimulus, they would remain in zone one (Mingle et al.).
We’re more related than we think
Also mentioned in the study was an example of a previous test that was used to examine a chimp’s music preference, but it only used different types of Western music during the trial. Because we are taught in this class to always look for faults in studies, the researchers in the more modern experiment actually found that all western style music is virtually the same – so their experiment did not prove anything. This could be considered a source of bias. In regards to acoustic patterns, all western music, including classical, rock, and jazz, all follow similar arrangements, while the scientists discovered that music from across the world carry diverse pitches and beats (Mingle et al.).
The researchers eventually concluded that the chimps enjoyed listening to both the African and Indian music, but did not care for the Japanese. In fact, they found that they preferred silence over the Japanese music.
The researchers determined that the chimps didn’t like Japanese and Western music because that music carried protuberant rhythmic configurations, which the chimps could consider threatening (Mingle et al.).
This should be interesting to us because when we study species homogeneous to us, we are, in a way, studying our own psychological behavior and biological structures. Through this study, we now have a more solid understanding of how we learned to distinguish between different pitches of audio. Perhaps now that we know that chimps do like music, we can measure exactly how they react when they hear music they enjoy.
In text citation: Mingle, M. E., Eppley, T. M., Campbell, M. W., Hall, K., Horner, V., & Waal, F. B. (2014). Chimpanzees prefer African and Indian music over silence. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 40(4), 502-505. doi:10.1037/xan0000032
As the demand for healthier alternatives to the common junk foods increases, several people find themselves drinking diet sodas over the regular ones. While in theory this seems like the perfect solution, is diet soda actually healthier to drink?
Photo courtesy of Brandonw365 CC BY-NC 2.0
Regular Sodas
The main reason that sodas are so unhealthy is that common sodas contain absurd amounts of sugar. A 2012 Gallup survey says that 48% of Americans drink at least one glass of soda a day and if you consistently load yourself up with that amount of sugar, it isn’t too hard to imagine the negative effects that will result. Common sodas consumed by Americans include Coke, Dr. Pepper, and Fanta. In a can of Coke, there are 39 grams of sugar; In Dr. Pepper there are 41 grams and in Fanta Orange there are 23 grams. All of these listed sugar amounts as well as the amounts of just about any other soda you can think of are provided here. Sugar is widely accepted as extremely unhealthy, especially when consumed regularly. Whether it is breaking down the enamel of your teeth or being the leading cause to adulthood obesity, sugar is unfortunately one of the worst things we can consume. So if these sodas didn’t have the sugar in them, would they be considered healthy.
Diet Soda
Diet sodas are considered by many Americans to be healthy. While they do have some “healthier” Sodas without sugar or diet sodas are often sought after over regular soda because of their lack of natural sugars. The way that diet sodas get their sweetness is through artificial sweeteners. Whether or not artificial sweeteners are unhealthy for you is still a controversial topic however they are believed to be significantly better than regular sugars. Since there is no sugar in diet sodas, the likelihood of getting a cavity in your mouth is greatly reduced. Although, dentists are not known for recommending that you drink diet sodas everyday. Even though they don’t contain any sugar, diet sodas are still very acidic, which can break down your enamel faster. Diet sodas usually don’t have any calories so you’d think that they would help people with weight loss. This is actually wrong. Since diet sodas do not provide the brain with actual sugars, the brain continues to want sweet foods. People drinking diet sodas will crave more food even after eating a meal than do the people who drink regular sodas with sugar. Scientists also noticed a correlation among people who drink diet sodas and the rate of heart attacks among these people. People who drink diet sodas were 48% more likely to have a heart attack according to one observational study. This is only a correlation however. Confounding variables such as the fact that people who drink diet soda may already.
Clearly soda in general is a unhealthy choice of beverage. While regular sodas have high levels of sugar, diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners and can lead to unhealthy choices in the future. Neither are beneficial and your body will end up hating you if you drink sodas regularly. However, if you had to choose between diet soda or regular soda and stick with that choice for the rest of your life, diet soda would be the way to go.
Sorority recruitment has just finished, and it is one of the busiest times in many girls’ entire semesters. With recruitment also comes the “recruitment plague,” which is a very real thing- I have had it twice and am still recovering.
Why do most, if not all, girls become extremely sick during recruitment here at Penn State?
Recruitment is a 12-day-long process of “parties,” where each girl attends in order to meet and get to know each chapter. During these parties, 60+ girls are in a room, where they all shake each others hands and speak in very close quarters. In addition to the constant talking and wear-down of the voice, the process is incredibly stressful and long. Each night, the prospective new members may have up to 8 parties, each varying in times from 15-50 minutes. Even with such a large time commitment in the beginning of the semester, school is still a priority, therefore homework and schoolwork but be completed after the parties, which end at around 11 PM. With the constricted times of these parties, girls are forced to eat snacks and quick meals in between parties and during whatever free time they are so graciously given. These snacks and quick meals are generally bought in South Halls at Louie’s, the convenience store in the commons. Easy Mac and granola bars are just some of the meals girls can grab and eat quickly before they attend their next party. These meals do not provide much, if any, nutrition to the body and immune system that is so desperately needed during this time.
Another contributing factor to the “recruitment plague” could be due to the fact that recruitment happens so early on in the semester, right after everyone moves onto the campus and into the dorms. People coming from their homes to small spaces with many other students could cause germs to spread, and therefore sicknesses to arise. The process of recruitment is an easy way for these germs that already exist in the residence halls to spread even more quickly. Listed below are 5 ways that germs are spread, and recruitment definitely involves most of them.
Stress, long days of talking non-stop and shaking countless hands, accompanied with less sleep and bad eating habits all come together to create a perfect nesting spot for germs to inhabit our bodies. With the destruction of our immune systems through wear-down and not enough rest and nutrients, our bodies do not have the ability to fight off the bacteria and germs that enter our bodies during this busy time. Once one person gets sick, the sicknesses spread from girl to girl faster than you can say the word ‘recruitment’ (not literally). According to a new study viruses can spread in as little as two hour after being put on a common surface, such as a toilet handle or a doorknob. Imagine how fast sicknesses spread when 3,000 girls shake each other’s hands and speak almost mouth-to-ear in crowded, hot rooms.
*This has absolutely nothing to do with Justin Bieber, I Just thought the title was catchy.*
In college we often here girls talk about “baby fever.” Baby fever is the phenomena that is sweeping young woman all over the country. It refers to the feelings you get when you see other people around you having babies. But is baby fever a real thing? Or is it just our immediate thought when we see tons of cute babies around?
As I would consider myself someone with baby fever, I decided to look into it a little more. Baby fever isn’t a joke. It’s an actual thing that affects a ton of people, both men and women. Researchers at Kansas State University completed a study in which they asked men and women to rank their desires. Although certain factors can affect it, the majority of men and women ranked having a baby higher then other most other desires. For women it ranked above sex and for men it ranked right below.
There seems to be multiple factors that people consider when having a baby, but overall the desire is there for everyone- and baby fever is in fact very real.
Sources:
Kansas State University. “Ga ga for goo goo: Research explores the scientific basis for baby fever.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 August 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110823115422.htm>.
For years we have been instructed that, in order to properly kill bacteria, we should wash our hands for around thirty seconds with warm to hot water, and soap. As children we were told that this was the only way to avoid getting sick and spreading bacteria. As we grew older and discovered hand-sanitizer, we were once again told that washing our hands with warm water and soap was the best way to truly kill germs. But what’s the deal with warm water? Do we always have to wash with warm water, or will cold suffice? This is a question that I have always wondered, and it has in turn prompted me to research the subject.
After doing some research, I have found studies that back the theory of using hot water, as well as studies that back up the theory of using cold water. However, there is more overwhelming research that suggests that water temperature does not matter altogether. For example, research professor, Amanda Carrico, who works for Vanderbilt University, conducted a study in which she attempted to prove that the temperature of water does not matter when washing your hands. What she found, according to a post written by Brian Howard, for NationalGeograhic.com, was that the hot water we are accustomed to using to wash our hands is actually not hot enough to kill the germs that we think we are killing. For instance, Carrico suggested that the ideal water temperature to kill certain types of germs would need to be upwards of two-hundred degrees Fahrenheit.
Another tidbit of information that helps to back up the theory that water temperature doesn’t matter is the fact that, on their website, www.cdc.gov, the Center for Disease Control doesn’t even mention that there is an ideal water temperature to wash your hands with. On the page in which the CDC describes the appropriate procedure for washing hands, which you can find here, there is no mention of a specific temperature that is suggested to help rid your hands of bacteria and germs. Instead, the CDC simply relays the message that we have all heard for years: make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap and water.
In the end, it is your choice whether or not you choose to wash with warm or cold water, but next time you’re at the sink, don’t fret if you can’t get the warm water nozzle to work, because ultimately, it seems like washing with hotter water doesn’t matter after all.
You’re sitting on the couch, the fifth episode of your favorite television show is about to come on and for some reason, you haven’t moved a muscle since episode one. Your mom walks by and asks why you haven’t moved your lazy butt all morning. It turns out, it might not be your fault, It could in fact be her fault. Scientists have linked laziness to a gene that can be traced through family ancestry. In a video released be ASAPScience, one particular study uses mice to track laziness running through bloodlines. The active mice’s offspring ran further and more often.
Another interesting study is in preliminary stages at the University of North Carolina. This study is attempting to link the correlation made with the mice to human behavior. The study will be conduced in a similar manner to the one preformed on mice, but humans will be substituted. The research team has laid out genome maps
for test subjects and plans to monitor families to see if similar results occur. Prelimary results are showing that laziness can, in fact be traced back through genes. So remember, next time your mom or dad calls you lazy, turn the tables on them and ask them why they weren’t more active.
I started playing guitar when I was 16, and ever since then, it’s been the focal point of my interests. Initially, I began taking lessons with a local instructor, but later I satiated my ever-expanding desire for technical virtuosity via the internet. Youtube is a bastion for guitar education. I’ve found lessons that range from the very rudiments of the instrument to highly advanced mechanical analysis. One such Youtube whom I found particularly impressive was Troy Grady.
Troy’s Youtube series “Masters in Mechanics” teaches playing down to extreme minutiae. He analyzes the technique of guitar virtuosos, otherwise known as “shredders.” Said shredders include the likes of the Swedish Yngwie Malmasteen, Van Halen’s own Eddie Van Halen, and the late Randy Rhoads. A Yale alumnus, Troy found himself particularly intrigued by the mechanics of 80s heavy metal guitar. From a young age, he sought to emulate such guitarists, but found there was a scientific component not addressed by typical guitar teachers. His lessons stress the importance of downward pick-slanting–a technique utilized by master guitarists to augment tone, precision, and speed.
I was quickly infatuated by his in-depth analyzes of virtuoso guitarists. He uses a self-devised mechanism called “the claw,” which he attaches to the guitar to provide an interesting perspective on the guitarists picking and fretting hands. Troy begins his “Cracking the Code” series with Eric Johnson, famous for his tour de force track “Cliffs of Dover.” Grady teaches you how to use the various picking motions utilized by Johnson himself which include downward pick-slanting, string-hopping, alternate picking, and sweep-picking.
I come from a blues guitar background, which emphasizes the importance of groove and feel. Contrarily, metal-style guitar typically focuses on picking speed and avant-grade methods such as tapping, in which the guitarist uses his picking hand as another fretting device to create violin-like arpeggiation. Troy’s videos really opened up a volume of technique for me to implement into my playing. From watching his videos, I have augmented my physical mechanics and intertwined them with my feel-oriented blues background, effectively expanding my guitar vocabulary to the highest degree. Troy’s scientific analysis of guitar playing incorporates elements of physics to what was once seen as an art strictly limited to being taught from a chiefly instrumental standpoint, where the only learning to be done consists of techniques acquired passed down from player to player. He gives you the tools you need to shred like Eric John, Van Halen, and Yngwie, something that taught him years to decipher, but you can learn within a matter of minutes. This is truly a unique style of teaching that can make good guitar player indeed great.
One of my favorite things to do is to go to concerts, but is it safe for me to go to small venues that have such large speakers? I am okay now, but I want to still be able to hear when I’m older. Ever since I was young my mom would tell me not to listen to music in my headphones too loud, but I never knew why.
If someone experiences loud noises for any amount of time, they can suffer from Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. This video explains how the hearing loss happens. The hearing loss might happen right away or a little later down the road. The hearing loss can last a day or a whole lifetime. It also can happen in both ears or just one. One in seven people suffer from noise induced hearing loss, so it is definitely a problem. Loud noises such as heavy city traffic, motorcycles, iPhone music on max volume, sirens, firecrackers, and firearms can cause damage.
It is okay though. Noise-Induced Hearing Loss can be prevented. The first thing someone can do to try and reduce their chances of losing their hearing is to try and prevent themselves from experiencing very loud noises or loud noises for a long time. Some people such as construction workers are subject to loud noises at work everyday. That is why it is very important that they wear their protective gear such as their earplugs. The same rule goes for lawn mowing. Both kids and adults should protect their hearing when cutting the grass.
Our hearing is important through out our whole lives. It is very important that we protect it because it is a very important part of our main type of communication. Imagine how much harder your life would be if you couldn’t hear. This problem can easily be prevented as long as you are a little more cautious about your environment and the sounds around you.
Growing up in a Latino-American household, learning two languages was almost a natural process for me; I practiced my English at my elementary school and with my parents at home, while simultaneously utilizing my ever-growing Spanish language skills with my grandma the frequent times she would come visit me from New York. But very recently, I have tried to expand my arsenal of languages by trying to study Portuguese, yet, after hours of laborious work, I feel like I have come to no avail; I cannot retain the material! Even considering the fact that Spanish and Portuguese are probably one of the most similar languages on the planet, I still cannot seem to learn even the basics.
Why is that? Is there a certain age that makes it nearly impossible for the acquirement of a new language, and if so, what age? Do babies and young children have it easier than adults when attempting to absorb new material, or is this just a common myth that has been floating around for years? And are certain languages harder or easier to learn than others, or do they all hold the same difficulty?
*I hypothesize that languages become increasingly difficult to learn the older the person that is trying to learn them is; in other words, babies and young children most definitely absorb new material, and in this case, a new language, at faster rates than any other age group.
Coming to America With Little English
One of the hardest languages to learn, believe it or not, is English! When my grandma immigrated from Ecuador to America at the age of 18, she was forced to become accustomed to American traditions and cultures, and among those came the daunting task of learning their language. What did this mean for her? This meant that she would spend countless ours taking English language classes and slaving over the differences between “their”, “there” and “they’re.” Whether we recognize it or not, English has more complications and complexities than many other languages. Don’t believe me? Think about it. Think of all the different grammatical errors that could be in any one given sentence, all the capitalization and pronoun rules, antecedent and predicate rules, etc. We have been groomed since a young age to think less and less of the difficulty that is the English language, but to outsiders, it becomes nearly impossible to learn. As a matter of fact, the difficulty of learning English has become so obvious to society that many have taken it into their hands to prove it, such as this YouTube Channel’s video where they attempt to simulate what English sound like to non-natives:
So, why is learning English so hard? Well according the article here by the Oxford Royale Academy, its because there is no rhyme or reason to our language! They used clever examples such as there being no ham in a hamburger, or questioning that if a vegetarian eats vegetables, why doesn’t a humanitarian eat humans. In addition, there are varying amounts of “rules” in the English language, and whats more is that there are even more exceptions to those rules. Finally, there are specific portions of our language that non-natives have trouble understanding, such as adding emphasis on certain words over others, and even idioms and homophones.
Without a doubt, English has definitely proven to be one of the hardest languages out there!
Statistics Behind it All:
Guess what? To my surprise, my hypothesis was wrong (I am surprised because I am never wrong)! After doing tons of research looking for articles supporting that children are better at learning foreign languages than adults, I found nothing; instead, I found a plethora of articles supporting the exact opposite of what I thought: Adults actually have the abilities to learn new languages better than their younger competitors. Why is that so?
Although this chart shows that learning is easier the younger you are, do not be deceived!
According to Anne Merritt and her piece Are Children Really Better at Foreign Language Learning, it is a complete myth that children learn languages easier and faster than the average adult; it only seems that children learn them easier. She claims that researchers in linguistics have done studies that prove adults are better than children in learning new languages because of many reasons, a critical one because adults already have preexisting knowledge, wisdom, and experience with languages. Unlike children, who basically start from scratch, adults already know what to expect and how to overcome certain barriers in their quest to conquer a foreign tongue. Babies and children lack the perception needed to seriously engage in studying and learning, and this difference is critical and an essential portion of language learning. Finally, the only thing children have that adults do not is the attitude and motivation to learn something new; unlike adults, who might be scared to make mistakes in front of others and be criticized, children do not mind, or even notice, any criticism. Thus, the chart above might look like younger children have it easier, but it is not because of any brain wiring or ability to absorb easier than adults. Essentially, if adults had the same attitudes as the children, they would learn much better and quicker.
Furthermore, in the paper of a fellow college student all the way in the University of California, Santa Cruz (Barry McLaughlin), he provides studies that have shown this phenomenon to be true, as well. He debunks something called the “critical period hypothesis”; essentially, it states that a child learns quicker and absorbs easier because of the flexibility that their brains have. Supposedly, researchers have said that there in insufficient evidence to support this claim, and that instead of biological factors playing a central role in language learning, it is actually social and psychological factors that are critical.
In one of the studies McLaughlin mentioned in his writing, there were 17,000 students from England who were attempting to learn French, but out of those kids who spent their time studying French, the ones that were eleven years old performed better and absorbed more material than those that were eight years old. At the end, it was concluded that the older students were better learners of foreign languages. This same experiment might possibly be applied to that of children and adults; just because you are younger does not necessarily mean that you are better.
Important thoughts about the study above:
Would different results have occurred if it was a language other than French being studied?
This was a study conducted nearly 50 years ago; different variables and factors might effect the children of today.
Potential confounding variables might be at play.
Did chance play a substantial role in the experiment, or was it small enough to be considered insignificant?
Was there a correlation between the language (French) and the ages the children were; in other words, is it possible that French is an easier language to be learned at a younger age than, say, for example, Japanese?
My Final Conclusions and Deductions:
Simply because you possess a younger age does not necessarily mean that you are more keen to learning new material, and, in this case, a new language.
The only reason that children might actually learn better than adults is because of their motivation to grasp it and their attitude to strive to be better.
Children often have more free time than adults, so I definitely believe that that could be main factor for why it appears that they pick up languages easier; unlike adults who are forced to work and have daily obligations, children have a more lackadaisical lifestyle and can afford to try out new things and dedicate themselves to a greater extent.
If you are attempting to learn a new language, do not be discouraged of making mistakes; it is a natural process of getting better, so don’t give up! There goes the old saying “Practice makes perfect.”
I’m sure by now all of us have heard the argument that breast feeding your child is better. Some critiques say that maybe breast is not indeed the best option for your new infant. In this specific argument I believe that the pros outweigh the cons and if you are on the fence about breast feeding, you should really look into it for the sake of your child.
Biologically breast milk is definitely the best option when choosing what to feed your child. Breast milk helps protect your child from infections and germs that can be so harmful to a newborn. Mothers are very protective of their child when they are new to the world because they know how easily they can get sick. They have not had the time to be able to build up immunities to all of the viruses and bacteria that the world has to offer. So it would only make sense to feed your child breast milk that contains antibodies (cells created in the body to void away infectious disease).
These antibodies correlate directly to why breastfeed children are healthier than babies who are not. Breastfeed children are less likely to get infections, asthma, and have a great opportunity of not getting diabetes. The maternal instinct to protect your child can be easily fulfilled by breastfeeding your child. Not only will your child be healthier, but studies show that your child will be more intelligent as well.
Higher IQ’s can be found in children that are breastfed. An observational study that followed babies into their 30’s found an increase of 7.5 IQ points in children that were breastfed opposed to children who are not. They also found that older people who were breastfed during infancy had a higher verbal performance. Lessa Horta suggests that this is due to a molecule called long-chained polyunsaturated fatty acids or FCPUFA for short. Brain growth is linked to this molecule which is found in breast milk. This was a study of 5,914 babies and they found that these specific babies who were breast feed had better grades and higher incomes. Because of the large number of participants you can conclude that this was a fairly well done study.
Some critiques of breastfeeding say that this study doesn’t address any other possibility which is known as a third variable causation. Wolf suggests that the fact that parents are dedicated enough to breast feed their child distinguishes themselves from parents who bottle-feed their children which may correlate to higher intelligence. While this may be true it just seems like the best option to breastfeed your child. Breastfeeding is FREE and formula is expensive. It also helps the mother of the child. Breastfeeding helps you burn calories to help you lose weight from being pregnant. It also increases Oxytocin in your body which helps the womb return to its normal size, and finally strengthens your bond between you and your child. To me breastfeeding seems like the obvious choice. At the end of the day what do you have to loose from it? The choice to breast feed is so beneficial to your baby that the simple choice to do so outweighs the cons of not doing so.
“Is Breast Best?” NYU Press Books Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
“Breastfeeding Is Best.” Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
“Study: Breastfed Babies Have a Higher IQ.” CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
Have you ever noticed your dog twitching, growling, or crying in their sleep? If so, you probably assumed they were dreaming and then stopped and questioned if dogs can really dream. Well, according to Psychology Today, they can. They also state that dogs have very similar brain waves and electrical activity as humans and that evidence has shown that even animals that are not as intelligent as dogs dream, so it would be odd if dogs did not. Psychology Today also says that Matthew Wilson and Kenway Louie from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology performed a study on rats that measured their brain waves while going through a maze during the day and then measured them again while sleeping. They found that the patterns of the brain waves during both events were the same, which is consistent with the common idea that we dream about what we did that day. They state that there is evidence that dogs do the same.
In a study done to figure out the movement of dogs in their sleep, Psychology Today says that dogs did not move until they were in the stage of sleep that they would begin to dream. They also said the study inactivated the pons of some dogs, which is the part of the brain that keeps us from moving while dreaming, and the dogs began to move much more. The study also found that certain types of dogs acted out things that were specific to their breed; things they would do in real life. Psychology Today says that if you pay close attention to your dog about twenty minutes after they fall asleep, their breathing will get shallow and you may even be able to see their eyes moving underneath their eyelids. This is them watching their dream.
So pay close attention! If you notice your dog crying or looking like they are trying to run, give them a little shake! They may be having a nightmare! (Total theory of my own.)
Love is simple four letter word; a word with infinite amount of definitions, a word that is often misused, a concept that very complex. Survey a thousand people and ask what they think the definition of love is and each person will give you a different definition, but every couple has a common goal: to be able to spend the rest of their lives with one another. While some couples are lucky to encounter a minimal amount of obstacles throughout the duration of their relationship, others aren’t so lucky. A common obstacle of a modern relationship is long distance. The transition between a geographically close relationship and a long distance relationship can be tricky and unfortunately, not every couple can last through it. In the past, relationships were generally geographically close because there wasn’t the technology available to sustain a long distance relationship, but in today’s society, accessibilities such as online dating and video chatting are available, which make long distance relationships more common.
In any relationship, communication is key; whether it is verbal communication or physical interaction. Geographically close relationships are similar to long distance relationships in the sense that the amount of verbal communication does not vary significantly. Resources such as texting, phone calls, and video chatting are available and allow couples to maintain frequent verbal communication. However, long distance couples rely more on technology as a main source of communication because physical interaction is not available. Physical interaction is important because information and emotion are portrayed through body language, hand gestures and facial expression. According to a study, by relying more on phones as a primary source of communication, misunderstandings increase because of the lack of visual cues. Geographically close couples have the advantage of being able to obtain physical interaction whenever necessary and better avoid miscommunication, whereas long distance couples tend to see each other, on average, less than twice a month.
Physical interaction is also a source of comfort. According to this article, studies show that kissing helps reduce levels of stress and anxiety. Also, hugging boosts oxytocin levels, which eliminate the feeling of loneliness and anger, and boosts serotonin levels, which better a person’s mood. Having physical interaction will contribute to building a strong relationship, for it improves trust and communication. Long distance relationships are at a disadvantage in this aspect because physical interaction is not available as often.
There is an assumption that long distance relationships are more likely to fail. The average time of separation is about 14 months, but the average time before the relationship breaks down is about 4.5 months and the most common reason for them to fail is due to unplanned change. Many couples do not realize the change needed during the transition from a geographically close relationship to a long distance one. Adjustments such as how often they will communicate and visit each other need to be made, along with the realization that both partners are now living separate lives. Another reason long distance relationships fail is due to trust issues. Although there is no statistical evidence to prove that long distance couples cheat more, couples tend to worry more about their partner’s cheating because they feel separated and out of the loop of their partner’s life.3 It is cliché that long distance couples are more likely to cheat because of how they are portrayed in movies. In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Mikaela(Megan Fox) walked in on Sam(Shia LeBeouf) in bed with another woman, shortly after he moved into college. Movies always show one partner cheating on the other in a long distance relationship, thus creating the cliché that cheating is more likely to occur. It is normal for these worries to occur because it is easier for a partner to lie about what they’re doing when they are not around. This is where trust issues comes into play and can lead to the breakdown of the relationship. In a geographically close relationship, partners typically know their partner’s schedule and are able to trust their partners due to closer vicinity.
The biggest difference between geographically close relationships and long distance relationships is mutuality. In a geographically close relationship, it is more likely for partners to have mutual friends, to develop bonds between each other’s families, and to be familiar with the cultural landscape. With long distance relationships, both partners are living in two different locations with different cultural landscapes and the unlikelihood of having mutual friends. It is also harder to progress the relationship or develop bonds between their families, which is shown to be an important asset of a healthy relationship. The lack of mutuality can cause couples to become distant and lose common ground.
Long distance relationships are more common in today’s society and are not always done by choice. Although online dating is available and more people are willing to commit to a long distance relationship, other couples do it because of military deployment, job reassignment, or most commonly, college. There are differences between a geographically close relationship and a long distance one, and sometimes the transition can lead to the break down of the relationship. The key is acknowledging the differences and adjusting to a new lifestyle.
Cardiovascular exercise, or cardio for short, is an essential to a fit persons life. Or basically any ones life. Whether it is running on a treadmill or jumping rope, cardio is a great way to burn fat and stay in shape. One new and up and coming exercise technique to better your results with your cardio is called “fasted cardio”. Fasted cardio is when you do a cardio session right when you wake up in the morning. But the catch is, it’s done on a empty stomach. on an empty. A lot of people might argue that this technique does not work or is not safe because you need protein to fuel your body for a hard workout. Well, in short, the answer if fasted cardio is effective or is safe is, yes.
So what does fasted cardio do to your body? Well I found information here and here to help me explain what it does exactly. Basically doing cardio on an empty stomach, right after you just wake up, makes your body burn the fat you have contained in your body, instead of burning the fat of the food you just ate. Meaning your are burning the stubborn stored fat instead of the fat from the bagel you just shoved down your throut before you run out the door to the gym. This technique is manly used to speed up fat loss in the body and can also help regulate your metabolism. But why?
When you go to sleep, your body is fasting all night, resting itself. During this time of fast many things happen throughout your body. Your insulin levels and blood levels drop, while growth hormone levels increase. This fasting period of your day is when your body is forced to metabolize fat quicker. When you eat before you work out, your insulin levels increase and you food is being absorbed. Opposed to fasted cardio when you don’t eat, your levels of insulin are low, which causes your to use glucose to power through your workout and burn stored fat. Fasted cardio works because it depends of fat cells already in the body for fuel and helps balance your hormones and your metabolism. This exercise technique could be really successful for women, wanting to slim down and loose fat.
There are multiple ways of doing fasted cardio. One way to do it while getting maximum results is by using high intensity interval training. Using this form of fasted cardio you will burn a great amount of fat.
More than 85% of humans find times in their day to takes naps. Many of these people are college students, and just like many other college students, I love any free time that I get during the day so that I can fit in my “daily nap”. On days when I don’t find time for a nap, I find myself feeling less energized. I’ve heard many different nap times that people have told me is the so called “prime” napping time. I decided to devote this blog post solely to finding out what the true is when it comes to what the perfect nap length is and why that particular length benefits us.
According to sleep.org, the ideal nap time is just a short twenty minutes. The site says that this nap length improves both one’s attitude and energy level. With a shorter nap length, one doesn’t fall asleep very deeply so it is not hard to wake up and get back on track. WebMD also states a short nap length, anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes, can help with sleep deprivation and also increase one’s performance for the remainder of the day.
http://picturetip.com/college-nap-meme.html
The longer you decide to sleep, the harder it is to wake up and not feel groggy. A nap that is anywhere from thirty to sixty minutes has positive effects on one’s body but can cause you to wake up feeling the opposite of refreshed, and it will be harder to carry on with your day. On the other hand, a nap that is long as ninety minutes can leave you feeling as refreshed as after a short, twenty minute nap because you are sleep along enough to have gone through the full nap cycle. This means that you will go through three stages of sleep: light sleep to deep sleep and back to light sleep. Hence, why it is easier to wake up; the less you are asleep, the easier it is to wake up. Sleeping for this long has been known to have many positive effects on one’s body.
Some may ask how a nap compares to an alternative, such as drinking a cup of coffee. While they may both make someone feel more alert, caffeine has more negative effects on the body while napping can increase brain activity.
After doing this research, I came up with some nap tips to not only benefit myself, but all college students:
Nap tip #2: It is very helpful to choose a good time of the day to take your nap. This is a benefit so that when you wake up, it doesn’t have to be an all of the sudden movement, it helps to have time to slowly get up and then continue on with your day.
Nap tip #3: Your environment can help a lot! Make sure you aren’t laying down next to anything that could stress you out – such as homework that you need to do but are putting off until the last second.
Will we ever actually make it to Mars like so many people like to talk about? Will we ever explore the Universe? For decades it’s been considered pretty much the general consensus that humanity’s end game is to end up out in space. It seems an accepted notion that humans will travel away from Earth and discover other planets, possibly even habitable ones on which to settle. But how realistic is this? Can we, the human race, actually leave this planet? I think it would be incredible if we could “go where no man has gone before,” but in all reality the technology needed for us to succeed in space travel may well be beyond our reach.
When people first began to dream about and speak about space travel, they did not take into account the incredible vastness of space, as this article so kindly points out. Space is endless and infinite, which they did not know at the time. It would take decades, though more likely centuries, for us to develop the technology and space crafts we would need to be able to survive long-distance space travel, if we even can develop it. To build a craft capable of withstanding the Earth’s atmosphere, the dangers of space itself, and the atmospheres of any currently unknown planets, that can still house families of human beings and sustain them for long periods of time, would take an immeasurable amount of money and knowledge. Not to mention the fact that while this craft must be big enough to do all of that, it must also be small and dynamic enough to accelerate at relatively high speeds and move quickly across the universe. That above article mentions, in depth, quite a few conflicting details that would need to be considered and solved if space travel were to ever occur. It even compares space crafts to islands on Earth, using the islands as models of what could potentially occur on a space craft with an ecological system created to support human lives. The whole idea is just so complex that it is very very likely that space travel may never be accomplished.
What may be even more important is that space travel can have some serious affects on the health of humans who participate in it. A study done by NASA, showed that the immune systems of astronauts in space altered while on long-term missions aboard the International Space Station. Discoveries like these open up a whole new world of unknowns in regards to human health. We don’t know the mechanism behind why the immune system may have been altered, so we cannot account for it during health care. Before even considering sending masses of humans into space (if we ever had the ability to do so), extensive health research would need to be done to account for changes in the body that would occur in space.
This post could go on forever listing the thousands of “if, ands, or buts” about space travel but all-in-all, there are just too many variables and unknowns to account for. Space travel just does not seem likely.
Sources:
“Study Reveals Immune System Is Dazed and Confused During Spaceflight.”NASA. NASA, 18 Aug. 2014. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
Robinson, Kim Stanley. “What Will It Take for Humans to Colonize the Milky Way?” Scientific American. N.p., 05 Jan. 2016. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
Every night we dream and usually these dreams are random events put into story mode by your brain. However, some nights people experience scary dreams called nightmares. You definitely know when you’ve had a nightmare because you will wake up in a state of fear, trying to figure out what your mind just processed. From experience, nightmares seem to be very realistic and whenever you wake up your heart is beating way too fast. According to an article through medical daily written by Lizette Borelli, between 10% to 50% of nightmares occur to young children around the ages 5 to 12 compared to less than 7% for adults. Both adults and kids get nightmares but the reasons behind them may vary.
Nightmares occur during your REM sleep, your rapid eye movement, in which all of your dreams occur. From Lizette Borelli’s article, when a nightmare occurs during REM, we are trying thinking about stressful issues that are happening in our life at the moment. Without dealing with them when we are awake, our unconscious mind takes over while we sleep and is basically forced to deal with our issues. Usually for kids, nightmares occur when throughout their day they experience something scary, maybe on tv, from a movie, or listening to a scary story. When adults experience a nightmare, in most cases it is due to stress or possibly a death in their life.
Nightmares can also be associated with trauma. Whether it’s a horrific accident or PTSD, a person can have the same reoccurring nightmare. According to “Nightmares and the Brain” written by Scott Edwards, the part of the brain in charge of nightmares is the amygdala. Usually in the case of people with PTSD, the amygdala can be very sensitive and overactive, the reason their nightmares occur so much. Is there anything these people can treat reoccurring nightmares like this? Well, to start there are many different therapeutic treatments. For example, Edwards describes an image rehearsal therapy where people are asked to write their nightmare but with a positive ending, hoping to reduce their nightmare frequency.
So overall, I was really interested in dreams, but I wanted to narrow down my topic to nightmares and to see why they exist. My first thoughts were that your brain just decided to put together a story that made you scared, but in reality you basically control your own nightmares.
As a child our parents constantly told us not to put our fingers in our mouths. They said that for a reason. I used to bite my nails when I was in middle school. I don’t exactly remember how I developed this habit. I would do it while watching television and doing my homework .I never did it out in public that’s for sure. It was always something done in private. My mom was very anti-nail biting, the shear site of bitten fingernails disgusted her.
So to stop this nasty habit she would check my nails every Friday to see if they were growing out. If they were nice then I would get a treat. If they looked like they have been chewed on then I wouldn’t be allowed to have any teats for the following week. That worked for a while, I allowed my nails to grow to a moderate length. Then a few months later the habit returned my mom was not happy. I went to multiple doctors to see if there was something that could be done about this. The pediatrician just said that I would grow out of this with time.
I felt ashamed so I always hid my nails in public. My friends would have nail painting sleepovers. I always made up an excuse as to why I couldn’t go. This made me feel very alone I didn’t understand why no one else had this problem.
Later on I discovered that there are thousands of people struggling with nail biting. According to WebMD doctors have a few explanations on why some people chew on their nails. The main one is due to stress from work, school, home and so on.
It’s no surprise that a lot of people bite their nails because of stress. When we get strssed out we turn to things like food, toys or in this case our fingers for comfort. This can be a serious problem though. Our nails and fingers are covered with harmful bacteria. So constantly putting dirty fingers in our mouths allows nasty germs to enter our immune systems and cause us to get sick. Also it someone bites down too deep into the nail the skin could break open which can lead to an infection.
Thankfully I no longer bite my nails I stopped back in high school. It wasn’t easy it took a lot of trial and error but it worked out in the end. If you’re looking to kick the habit take baby steps first don’t try to do it all at once. Keep yourself busy throughout the day. Put tape on your fingers so you won’t be tempted to chew on your nails. If you feel embarrassed about that then try buying some no-bite liquid nail polish. It goes on like clear polish and you apply it twice a day. It has an awful taste that’s point, so your brain will learn that nails are not food. There are other tips out there on ways to kick the habit. The truth is that the road will not be easy but in the end it will all be worth it.
Can Biking really make you smarter and less stressed in your everyday life? Well a recent scientific study says that it is extremely possible. From performing the exercise of biking, your brain is working to make you a smarter and more sharper individual. Although this does sound pretty simple, there is some information needed to reach maximum brain power.
According to the article, the study showed how riding a bike can not only provide exercise for your body but it can also provide it for your brain. When you are biking you push the neurons in your body to work mode and they have potential to double and or triple in the amount your brain produces. This is technically building your brain to become stronger and more precise. The brain sends messages to the new brain cells allowing them work side by side and on the same path as the preexisting brain cells. By working together, it creates a stronger and more efficient mind. Participants in the study were giving tests and actually did better and quicker when they rode prior to taking the tests. Also, biking has the potential to relieve you from all your stress!
Riding a bike has the potential to provide emotional benefits as well. There was another study that was preformed at Duke university. The study looked at around 26 years of gathered information. There conclusion was that even exercising for 20 minutes a day can help with anxiety and stress as well as helping with depression. They do not know what the exact explanation is but they do have a pretty good idea. While riding your brain produces a chemical call dopamine. This is considered to be the natural high received for exercise. It helps the athlete feel good as well as gives them confidence. This is where it has potential to eliminate anxiety and stress.
Although all this seems great, there is a certain amount of exercise needed to reach your peak brain power. There is potential to work yourself and your brain overboard and you will not receive all the positive benefits. The best possible time length for a perfect work out is 30 minutes to an hour of a nice smooth ride. This will provide the brain with enough protein and new brain cells to work at its best. If you workout over the time period of time given it starts to put wear on your body. Once the body is warn out it take the proteins needed to keep preforming and it takes them away from the brain. This is why going over the limit has the potential to provide you unwanted results.
Technology is growing a constantly rapid pace, whether we like it or not. There have been many great advances in medicine, science and technology over the past decades. More recently, we have seen technology that now parallel parks cars for themselves such as most newer Fords. Now they are creating technology so that cars can now drive themselves, well within reason. The question that I plan to address in this blog is, are auto piloted cars really that safe? Tesla was able to introduce this new technology back in October, and it still has a long way to go.
Tesla really has come along way with the creation of these cars, many of companies are in the process of creating a self driving car but nobody else to my knowledge has a car out currently. In this section I want to lay out some of the technology that goes into making a car like this. The Tesla has multiple sensors that are placed strategically around the vehicle so that it can constantly have a feel for what is going on. These sensors have a capability of sensing movement and other obstacles that are within sixteen feet of the car. In addition to these sensors, the Tesla has a radar system that comes installed that helps the car detect other cars that may be in front or on the sides. These 2 pieces alone allow the car to maintain its speed, change lanes, and adapt to other traffic conditions.The final piece of major technology that goes into Tesla’s autopilot system is that there is a camera that is mounted on the back of the rear view mirror (so that it is facing traffic in the front of the car). This camera also helps the Tesla adapt to changing conditions on the road.
So the question remains, are these auto piloted vehicles safe? Would you trust one of these vehicles? There is a lot that is currently being discussed about the safety of them. There is a reported incident in China where an auto piloted Tesla had crashed into a slow moving street sweeping vehicle that resulted in the death of one man. The system that performs the auto pilot function is undergoing frequent updates because there is still a chance of error that can result in accidents, and sometimes these accidents are even fatal. Tesla tells the drivers that they should still be paying attention to the road with their hands on the wheel, even if the car is in auto pilot mode. One should be informed that even though these systems have come a long way, there is always still room for an error. The question that I pose is this, would you put your lives in the hand of a car that could drive itself? Or would you rather do the driving yourself? There can be a strong argument for both sides. However, I personally would not trust one of the auto pilot cars just yet.
In terms of golf, the length of the shaft of your golf club plays a huge role on your game as a whole. I know I got you hooked with the title but the rest will probably be boring because you either love golf or hate it. I myself like it so much that i made it my major in college. Now I can learn about the importance of long and short shafts! Ya shafts woo.
But seriously, when it comes down to actually trying to improve your game in golf, shaft lengths are extremely important if you want to gain control and distance of your golf shots. For example, long shafts are for giving your golf shot more distance and sending the ball further, where as short shafts result in a shot with less length. With long shafts, the control of the shot is lowered, but as you shorten the shaft, the control increases. Why is this? As stated here, the shaft is often looked at as, “the engine of the golf club”. This is because the shaft connects the golfers hands to the club head and drives momentum into the club and transferring energy forward.
Along with length comes flex and weight. These go hand in hand when it comes down to shaft importance. For stronger players with faster swing speeds, a stronger and longer shaft is needed in order to keep the ball in the fairway. If you are too strong and swinging a club that is too flexible, you are guaranteed to never hit the ball where you want it to go. On the other hand, people with slower speeds need a a shaft with more flexibility or whip, in order to get around on the ball and go straight.
If your having a hard time picturing the ideal shaft and how it works with the golf swing, look here. Trust me the link will help. Anyway, the science of the ideal shaft is highly dependent on the length, flexibility, and weight and I hope you picked up some knowledge on golf club shafts.
A rainy day can mean many different things to different people. For some we can curl up in a nice big sweatshirt, with our favorite movie, a snack, and warm drink. But why is it that when the weather is bad out, we dread getting out of bed and getting to work? I myself have problems with this. Even the rainy days that I am able to get myself out of bed, I often find myself having trouble giving my work my all and getting done what I need to. I decided to research this problems, cause I am 100% sure I will be having plenty of these this semester. I did some research from Rainy Days , and found many interesting points that can lead to a lack of motivation.
Darkness
For some it can cause a decline in mood due to the decrease in sunlight the body absorbs as a result of the cloud cover. I came across an interesting article that said that we associate darkness with sleep. It is no surprise that the rain causes darkness and as a result we become unmotivated. This also somewhat ties into my next idea of seasonal depression. These people suffer due to the darkness outside. Not only can darkness be harmful to these people, but in general it can be spooky and unpleasant to everyone which is what causes the lack of motivation. It is interesting how our are brains are wired to think this way psychologically when the weather is bad.
his means that around certain seasons they can become depressed for many reasons one being the lack of sunlight during the winter, or colder months. Many people would just think they are feeling gloomy on a rainy day, but seasonal depression is an actual psychological disorder that effects many. It is important to take note of this because it not only effects your motivation but also everyday aspects of your life.
Soothing
When trying to get a baby to fall asleep we usually sing them a lullaby. People are soothed by certain sounds. For many, they are calmed by the sounds of rain. This results in spending lots of time relaxing, sleeping in bed and watching movies. For example, many people use sound machines or sound apps to help them fall asleep. It is almost guaranteed that on one of these machines or apps people can find a sound called something along the lines of “rain falling” or “thunderstorms”. It is proven that rain will make someone sleepy and decrease their willingness to do something.
This semester when I am faced with many rainy days I will be sure to push myself to get out of bed and be productive because I know that the rain can lead to lack of motivation. This can include heading to the gym, going to the library and not deciding to sleep through class. It is very important that college students especially keep track of how they are feeling during these upcoming months in the fall and winter to realize if they are suffering from seasonal depression.
