ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Future generations could inherit drug and alcohol use
• Cognitive function and oral perception in independently-living octogenarians
• Genes play key role in parenting: Children also shape parents' behavior
• Regular physical activity reduces breast cancer risk irrespective of age
• Eyes are windows to the soul -- and evolution
• Safety first, children: How parents can help kids recognize danger
• Fake laughter doesn't fool the brain, research reveals

Future generations could inherit drug and alcohol use Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:19 AM PDT Parents who use alcohol, marijuana, and drugs have higher frequencies of children who pick up their habits, according to a new study. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2011, about 22.6 million Americans age 12 years and older said they used illicit drugs in the last month.

Cognitive function and oral perception in independently-living octogenarians Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:15 AM PDT Researchers hypothesized that the decline of cognitive impairment is involved in oral perceptions since its preclinical stage. The aim of this study was to examine association of cognitive function with tactile and taste perceptions in independently-living 80-year-old elderly. These results suggest that the decline of cognitive function was related to tactile and taste perceptions in independently-living octogenarians without dementia.

Genes play key role in parenting: Children also shape parents' behavior Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:15 AM PDT Scientists have presented the most conclusive evidence yet that genes play a significant role in parenting. The study sheds light on another misconception: that parenting is solely a top-down process from parent to child. While parents certainly seem to shape child behavior, parenting also is influenced by the child's behavior -- in other words, parenting is both a cause and a consequence of child behavior.

Regular physical activity reduces breast cancer risk irrespective of age Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PDT Practising sport for more than an hour day reduces the risk of contracting breast cancer, and this applies to women of any age and any weight, and also unaffected by geographical location. Compared with the least active women, those with the highest level of physical activity reduced their risk of breast cancer by 12%, researchers say.

Eyes are windows to the soul -- and evolution Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT Why do we become saucer-eyed from fear and squint from disgust? These near-opposite facial expressions are rooted in emotional responses that exploit how our eyes gather and focus light to detect an unknown threat, according to a new study.

Safety first, children: How parents can help kids recognize danger Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:05 AM PDT Children are experts at getting into danger. So, how can parents help prevent the consequences? One answer, researchers say, is for parents to better understand how their children rate hazards and then use conversation to explain why certain situations can be dangerous.

Fake laughter doesn't fool the brain, research reveals Posted: 19 Mar 2014 07:25 PM PDT As the world celebrates International Day of Happiness today (Thursday, 20 March), can we tell whether people are truly happy just from their laugh? "During our study, when participants heard a laugh that was posed, they activated regions of the brain associated with mentalizing in an attempt to understand the other person's emotional and mental state," the authors state.

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