I started to notice some excellent links after following TIME Magazine on
Twitter. There was a trend in all of the articles I was clicking on then reading; all were from the
Healthland branch of the website, whose tagline is "A Healthy Balance of the Mind, Body & Spirit." Some of the topics linked to the main page include Love & Family, Mental Health, Policy & Industry and Diet & Fitness. The site is very interactive, encouraging re-tweets, commenting on each article and commenting on other posts.
Many of the articles site recent studies from all over the country, with statistics and claims that really stand out. I never realized how much I enjoy health news and research until stumbling upon this publication, and even registered for daily emails.
Here are just a few articles I found interesting this past week:
While the amygdala is known as the part of brain that aids in the process of memory and emotional reactions, psychologists and recent research link it with "the size of the circle of those you come in contact with, even with nonhuman primate species." This is an evident connection as seen here:
- "In the past, people assumed it was really important for fear. Then they discovered it was actually important for all emotions. And it's also important for social interaction and face recognition," Barrett says. "The amygdala's job in general is to signal to the rest of brain when something that you're faced with is uncertain. For example, if you don't know who someone is, and you are trying to identify them, whether it is a friend or a foe, the amygdala is probably playing a role in helping you to perform all of those tasks."
Therefore, those with more Facebook friends and large amygdalae can easily identify people they have met before, and have a simple time connecting and socializing with people they might not know very well. An interesting counterpoint though is that satisfaction with these friends, strangers and relationships is not correlated with the size of the amygdala. So professors, social workers and networkers could have large amygdalae, amazing memories and be able to socialize very well....but in fact, not be satisfied with their happiness or quality of life at all. There's something to think about.
Active youth linked to lower risk for cognitive decline- A study was conducted analyzing women's physical activity, and with the rise of encouragement for routine exercise, the risk of dementia and mental decline is vastly reduced. Staying active as not only a young adult, but as we grow older will keep one good statistic coming out of today's society--a higher life expectancy!
Science says the cost of love is two old friends- When someone falls in love, his or her social circle must shrink to accommodate for the new love interest. Oxford University's study found that "people have about five close confidantes at any one time," so two is the estimate of friends that you will lose contact with after becoming closer with a significant other.
Why that rich guy is being so nice to you- According to this article, "There are a lot of ways to make people not like you, but one of the most powerful — if least fair — is to be really, really successful." Therefore, rich people who seem to be sucking up and craving your attention are trying to appease everyone--specifically those that envy them. Two types of envy are outlined:
- Benign envy- You want to improve yourself to be a little more like the successful
- Malicious envy: Jealousy and resenting the people you envy, with anger and other emotions
This makes a lot of sense, and makes me think that the rich networkers and successful businessmen are not necessarily ill-intentioned as people initially think, but overcoming potential negative feelings toward them. Thus, one of life's keys to success is not only being a person of value and success, but being able to appease others and make friends.
Look forward to future articles I'll be posting!
