ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Parenting plays key role when African-American boys move from preschool to kindergarten
• Don't judge older drivers by age
• Price highlighting helps consumers stick to longer-term product preferences
• Certain probiotics could help women lose weight, study finds
• Labeling obesity as a disease may have psychological costs
• The Super Bowl: A 'spiritual sugar high? '
• Targeted tutoring can reduce 'achievement gap' for disadvantaged students
• Study analyzes content of nightmares, bad dreams
• Gossip, ostracism may have hidden group benefits
• Belief in immortality hard-wired? Study examines development of children's 'prelife' reasoning
• Health care savings: Reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions
• Taking vitamin D2 is a poor choice for athletes, research shows
• Exercise may be best medicine to treat post-concussion syndrome
• Yoga can lower fatigue, inflammation in breast cancer survivors
• DDT pesticide exposure linked to Alzheimer's disease, study shows
• Low vitamin D levels during pregnancy may increase risk of severe preeclampsia
• Scientists find genetic mechanism linking aging to specific diets
• Study identifies high level of 'food insecurity' among college students
• Sticks and stones: Using curriculum to stop bullying
• Preventing, treating common cold: Nothing to sneeze at
• Research finds link between alcohol use, not pot, and domestic violence
• Sun-induced frowning: a possible cause of aggression?
• 'Element of surprise' explains why motorcycles are greater traffic hazard than cars
• Fragmented sleep accelerates cancer growth
• Health care costs grow with body mass
• Researchers motivate diabetics to adopt healthy lifestyle
• Science of baby-making still a mystery for many women
• Music therapy's positive effects on young cancer patients' coping skills, social integration
• App may signal cellphone dependency
• Your childhood memories are probably less accurate than you think
• Study backs giving flu vaccine to working-age adults with diabetes

Parenting plays key role when African-American boys move from preschool to kindergarten Posted: 28 Jan 2014 08:33 AM PST With implications for all children, a new study has found that parenting affects the academic and social performance of African-American boys as they move from preschool to kindergarten. In fact, parent-child interactions influence whether or not a high-achieving African American boy stays on course.

Don't judge older drivers by age Posted: 28 Jan 2014 07:35 AM PST Encouraging older drivers to self-regulate their driving, rather than revoking their license based on age, has the potential to improve their safety and maintain their independence, a study has found.

Price highlighting helps consumers stick to longer-term product preferences Posted: 28 Jan 2014 07:35 AM PST Just when that new gym membership is looking like a mistake, recent marketing research shows that reminding consumers of the price strengthens their purchase choices and leads to long-term satisfaction. The research says that even though most people value higher functionality over the long-term, they tend to prefer no-hassle convenience in the short-run.

Certain probiotics could help women lose weight, study finds Posted: 28 Jan 2014 07:35 AM PST Certain probiotics could help women lose weight and keep it off, according to a recent study. Studies have already demonstrated that the intestinal flora of obese individuals differs from that of thin people. That difference may be due to the fact that a diet high in fat and low in fiber promotes certain bacteria at the expense of others. Researchers tried to determine if the consumption of probiotics could help reset the balance of the intestinal microbiota in favor of bacteria that promote a healthy weight.

Labeling obesity as a disease may have psychological costs Posted: 28 Jan 2014 07:35 AM PST Messages that describe obesity as a disease may undermine healthy behaviors and beliefs among obese individuals, according to a new study. The findings show that obese individuals exposed to such messages placed less importance on health-focused dieting and reported less concern about weight. These beliefs, in turn, predicted unhealthier food choices.

The Super Bowl: A 'spiritual sugar high? ' Posted: 28 Jan 2014 07:33 AM PST The ultimate play-off is the ultimate unifier, chasing away everyday cares and cutting across cultural, economic and gender lines that divide people, says a pop culture observer. But then what?

Targeted tutoring can reduce 'achievement gap' for disadvantaged students Posted: 28 Jan 2014 07:31 AM PST High school students who were at risk for dropping out greatly improved their math test scores and school attendance with the help of intensive tutoring and mentoring, according to a new study. The program's benefits were equivalent to closing nearly two-thirds of the average gap in math test scores between white and black students, or the equivalent of what the average American high school student learns in math over three years.

Study analyzes content of nightmares, bad dreams Posted: 28 Jan 2014 06:41 AM PST According to a new study, nightmares have greater emotional impact than bad dreams do, and fear is not always a factor. In fact, it is mostly absent in bad dreams and in a third of nightmares.

Gossip, ostracism may have hidden group benefits Posted: 27 Jan 2014 04:38 PM PST Conventional wisdom holds that gossip and social exclusion are always malicious, undermining trust and morale in groups. But sharing this kind of "reputational information" could have benefits for society, according to a new study.

Belief in immortality hard-wired? Study examines development of children's 'prelife' reasoning Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:48 PM PST By examining children's ideas about "prelife," the time before conception, researchers found results which suggest that our bias toward immortality is a part of human intuition that naturally emerges early in life. And the part of us that is eternal, we believe, is not our skills or ability to reason, but rather our hopes, desires and emotions.

Health care savings: Reducing inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:48 PM PST Despite widely accepted prescription guidelines, physicians continue to prescribe antibiotics for colds even when they won't help. A new study offers an inexpensive and seemingly simple "nudge" that reduced inappropriate antibiotic prescribing by nearly 20 percent.

Taking vitamin D2 is a poor choice for athletes, research shows Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:45 PM PST Power athletes and others looking for an edge to improve their performance should avoid taking vitamin D2, a new study suggests. Researchers found that taking vitamin D2 supplements decreased levels of vitamin D3 in the body and resulted in higher muscle damage after intense weight lifting.

Exercise may be best medicine to treat post-concussion syndrome Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:45 PM PST A treatment program for patients who suffer from post-concussion syndrome is being pioneered, showing that gradual exercise, rather than rest alone, actually helps to restore the balance of the brain's auto-regulation mechanism, which controls the blood pressure and supply to the brain.

Yoga can lower fatigue, inflammation in breast cancer survivors Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:44 PM PST Practicing yoga for as little as three months can reduce fatigue and lower inflammation in breast cancer survivors, according to new research. The more the women in the study practiced yoga, the better their results.

DDT pesticide exposure linked to Alzheimer's disease, study shows Posted: 27 Jan 2014 01:44 PM PST Scientists have known for more than 40 years that the synthetic pesticide DDT is harmful to bird habitats and a threat to the environment. Now researchers say exposure to DDT -- banned in the United States since 1972 but still used as a pesticide in other countries -- may also increase the risk and severity of Alzheimer's disease in some people, particularly those over the age of 60.

Low vitamin D levels during pregnancy may increase risk of severe preeclampsia Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:19 AM PST Women who are deficient in vitamin D in the first 26 weeks of their pregnancy may be at risk of developing severe preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening disorder diagnosed by an increase in blood pressure and protein in the urine, according to research.

Scientists find genetic mechanism linking aging to specific diets Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:18 AM PST In new research published, scientists identify a collection of genes that allow an organism to adapt to different diets and show that without them, even minor tweaks to diet can cause premature aging and death.

Study identifies high level of 'food insecurity' among college students Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:18 AM PST One of the few studies of its type has found that a startling 59 percent of college students at one university were "food insecure" at some point during the previous year, with possible implications for academic success, physical and emotional health and other issues.

Sticks and stones: Using curriculum to stop bullying Posted: 27 Jan 2014 11:15 AM PST Research finds the key to stop bullying is anti-bullying education in the school curriculum, and that teaching students empathy is as important "as teaching them science."

Preventing, treating common cold: Nothing to sneeze at Posted: 27 Jan 2014 09:27 AM PST How do you prevent and treat the common cold? Handwashing and zinc may be best for prevention whereas acetaminophen, ibuprofen and perhaps antihistamine-decongestant combinations are the recommended treatments, according to a review.

Research finds link between alcohol use, not pot, and domestic violence Posted: 27 Jan 2014 08:27 AM PST Research among college students found that men under the influence of alcohol are more likely to perpetrate physical, psychological or sexual aggression against their partners than men under the influence of marijuana.

Sun-induced frowning: a possible cause of aggression? Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:11 AM PST Research recently published examines how facial expression can trigger an emotional response. The authors set out to test this theory that mood can be governed by facial expression, to the extent that intensity of a person's smile bears a relationship to well-being, fulfillment and longevity. They conducted a study on involuntary sun-induced frowning and relationship to emotional state of the subject.

'Element of surprise' explains why motorcycles are greater traffic hazard than cars Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:10 AM PST "I didn't see it, because I wasn't expecting it there," might be the more accurate excuse for motorists who have just crashed into a bus or a motorcycle. The mere fact that such vehicles are less common than cars on our roads actually makes it harder for drivers to notice them, research shows. This so-called "low-prevalence effect" increases the likelihood of accidents.

Fragmented sleep accelerates cancer growth Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:09 AM PST Poor-quality sleep with frequent awakenings can speed cancer growth, increase tumor aggressiveness and dampen the immune system's ability to control cancer. This study demonstrates the effects of sleep loss on tumor growth and invasiveness and points to a mechanism for therapy.

Health care costs grow with body mass Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:09 AM PST Researchers report that health care costs increase in parallel with body mass measurements, even beginning at a recommended healthy weight. Pharmacy and medical costs may even double for obese people compared with those at a healthy weight, according to a recent study.

Researchers motivate diabetics to adopt healthy lifestyle Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:31 AM PST By means of so-called health coaching, researchers have helped a large group of diabetics to markedly improve their oral health. The patients assume responsibility for their own bodies and boost their self-efficacy through motivational health coaching, taking a different approach to conventional health campaigns and one-way communication.

Science of baby-making still a mystery for many women Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:31 AM PST A new study provides insight into how much women of reproductive age in the United States know about reproductive health. The study found that about 50 percent of reproductive-age women had never discussed their reproductive health with a medical provider and about 30 percent visited their reproductive health provider less than once a year or never.

Music therapy's positive effects on young cancer patients' coping skills, social integration Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:31 AM PST A new study has found that adolescents and young adults undergoing cancer treatment gain coping skills and resilience-related outcomes when they participate in a therapeutic music process that includes writing song lyrics and producing videos. The findings indicate that such music therapy interventions can provide essential psychosocial support to help young patients positively adjust to cancer.

App may signal cellphone dependency Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:30 AM PST A new, free app will allow smartphone users to measure their cellphone use. Computer scientists and psychologists have developed an application for this purpose. Whoever installs it can see, e.g., how much time s/he spends on the phone or which apps s/he uses most frequently. The relevant key data is sent to a server anonymously for the scientists to analyze. They are already using a similar technology for the early detection of depression.

Your childhood memories are probably less accurate than you think Posted: 27 Jan 2014 06:30 AM PST How much detail can you reliably recall in your childhood memories? Actually very little, according to a new study with profound implications for our legal system.

Study backs giving flu vaccine to working-age adults with diabetes Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:24 PM PST A new study suggests that working age adults with diabetes are at an increased risk of influenza compared with people without diabetes, affirming the need to target people with diabetes for influenza vaccination.

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