Upside-down creativity
Are you more of an early bird than a night
owl or vice versa? If you’re at you’re at your best in the morning. Then your
creative peak may actually be in the evening. In contrast, if you’re an evening
person, then the optimum time for creative musings may be in the morning.
Research from Albion College (US) shows
that while we tackle analytical tasks best when we’re on the ball, we’re better
at creative tasks when we’re more tired. Research Mareike Wieth suggests you’re
more likely to experience that “Eureka!” moment while your inhibitory brain
processes are at their weakest and your brought meander. So, reschedule your
workday so you can get the most out of your creative yawns.
Social Jetlag
Social
Jetlag
You may be suffering from this contemporary
ailment, which leads to obesity, according to a recent study.
Research from the university of Munich
(Germany) shows that “social jetlag” is a modern ailment where there’s “an
increasing discrepancy between the daily timing of the physiological clock and
the social clock”. “As a result of social jetlag, people are chronically
sleep-deprived.” Explains researcher Dr. Till Roenneberg in the journal Current
Biology. “Now, we show that social jetlag also contributes to obesity.”
We listen to our biological clocks “less
and less due to the increasing discrepancy between what the body clock tells us
and what the boss tells us. Good sleep and enough sleeps is not a waste of time
but a guarantee for better work performance and more fun with friends and
family.” Says Dr. Roenneberg. (And slimmer waistlines, too!) The advice to
sufferers of social jetlag is to spend more time outdoors in daylight or,
failing that, sit near a window when possible.
Blood Test for PND?
Postnatal
depression, also known as PND
Scientists at Warwick Medical School (UK)
have found a way of identifying who’s most at risk of postnatal depression
(PND) by checking for specific genetic variants. This may lead to the
development of a blood test that checks for the likelihood of developing PND.
The university’s Prof Dimitris Grammatopoulos said about one in seven women
suffer from PND. The research shows that PND is a specific subgroup of
depression with a distinct genetic element – so some women are genetically more
reactive to the environmental factors that trigger depression. “If we can
identify these women in advance so they can be treated appropriately and at an
early stage, we’ll have improved the lives of the parents and their children,”
said Prof Grammatopoulos.
Body Image beyond appearances
Women with good family support and limited
pressure to achieve the damaging “thin and beautiful” ideal have a more
positive body image. That’s according to a recent study from the University of
Arizona (US), which looked at ways to help young women be more positive about
their perception of their bodies.
Women
with good family support and limited pressure to achieve the damaging “thin and
beautiful” ideal have a more positive body image
Study leader Dr. Shannon Snapp reported
that young women with supportive families and low levels of perceived
sociocultural pressure from family, friends and the media regarding the
importance of achieving the “perfection” ideal had a more positive body image.
These women also rejected the “superwomen” ideal, had a positive physical
self-concept and were armed with skills to deal with stress.
The researchers’ practical recommendations
for prevention programmes aimed at young women at risk of developing negative
body image included:
·
Helping women to evaluate and become comfortable
with the multiple, and often contradictory, expectations placed on them in
today’s society.
·
Teaching them to use effective coping skills.
·
Fostering a positive view of their physical
competence through exercise and health.
·
Promoting holistic wellbeing and balance in
their lives.
