ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Newlyweds, be careful what you wish for
• 'I spy' used to show spoken language helps direct children's eyes
• Creative activities outside work can improve job performance
• Changing where a baby is held immediately after birth could lead to improved uptake of procedure that reduces infant iron deficiency
• Bacteria survive longer in contact lens cleaning solution than previously thought, study shows
• Surprising consequences of banning chocolate milk
• In funk music, rhythmic complexity influences dancing desire: Syncopated rhythm may influence our desire to dance to music
• Why interest is crucial to your success
• Shade grown coffee shrinking as a proportion of global coffee production
• Toddlers 'surprisingly sophisticated' at understanding unfamiliar accents
• Preterm delivery, low birth weight, neonatal risk in pregnant women with high blood pressure
• Chew on this: How does food texture impact its perceived calorie content?
• Low-calorie restaurant menus: Are they making us fat?
• Online reviews: When do negative opinions boost sales?
• Girls' mental health suffers when romances unfold differently than they imagined
• Chinese herbal remedy as good as methotrexate for treating rheumatoid arthritis, study finds
• Lower salt intake likely to have had key role in plummeting cardiovascular disease deaths in past decade

Newlyweds, be careful what you wish for Posted: 17 Apr 2014 07:11 AM PDT A statistical analysis of the gift 'fulfillments' at several hundred online wedding gift registries suggests that wedding guests are caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to buying an appropriate gift for the happy couple. The study suggests that most people hope to garner social benefits of buying an expensive gift that somehow enhances their relationship with the newlyweds while at the same time they wish to limit monetary cost and save money.

'I spy' used to show spoken language helps direct children's eyes Posted: 17 Apr 2014 06:08 AM PDT Children spot objects more quickly when prompted by words than if they are only prompted by images, cognitive scientists have demonstrated. Spoken language taps into children's cognitive system, enhancing their ability to learn and to navigate cluttered environments. As such the study opens up new avenues for research into the way language might shape the course of developmental disabilities such as ADHD, difficulties with school, and other attention-related problems.

Creative activities outside work can improve job performance Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:53 PM PDT Employees who pursue creative activities outside of work may find that these activities boost their performance on the job, according to a new study by an organizational psychologist. Creative pursuits away from work seem to have a direct effect on factors such as creative problem solving and helping others while on the job.

Changing where a baby is held immediately after birth could lead to improved uptake of procedure that reduces infant iron deficiency Posted: 16 Apr 2014 04:09 PM PDT Changing where a newborn baby is held before its umbilical cord is clamped could lead to improved uptake in hospitals of delayed cord clamping, leading to a decreased risk of iron deficiency in infancy, according to new results from a study. Delaying clamping of the umbilical cord until around two minutes after birth allows for blood to pass from the mother's placenta to the baby, and has previously been shown to reduce the risk of iron deficiency in infancy.

Bacteria survive longer in contact lens cleaning solution than previously thought, study shows Posted: 16 Apr 2014 04:09 PM PDT Each year in the UK, bacterial infections cause around 6,000 cases of a severe eye condition known as microbial keratitis – an inflammation and ulceration of the cornea that can lead to loss of vision. The use of contact lenses has been identified as a particular risk factor for microbial keratitis. New research shows that a bacterial strain associated with more severe infections shows enhanced resistance to a common contact lens disinfectant solution.

Surprising consequences of banning chocolate milk Posted: 16 Apr 2014 02:22 PM PDT Eliminating chocolate milk from elementary schools decreased total milk sales by 10 percent, and increased milk waste by 29 percent, a study has shown. Additionally, the ban may have been a factor in a 7 percent decrease in Lunch Program participation. Nutritionally, after the milk substitution, students on average consumed less sugar and fewer calories, but also consumed less protein and calcium.

In funk music, rhythmic complexity influences dancing desire: Syncopated rhythm may influence our desire to dance to music Posted: 16 Apr 2014 02:22 PM PDT Rhythmic drum patterns with a balance of rhythmic predictability and complexity may influence our desire to dance and enjoy the music. Many people find themselves unable to resist moving their bodies to the thumping beat of hip-hop, electronic, or funk music, but may feel less desire to dance when listening to a highly syncopated type of music, like free jazz.

Why interest is crucial to your success Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:34 AM PDT Maintaining an interest in the goals you pursue can improve your work and reduce burnout, according to research. "Our research shows that interest is important in the process of pursuing goals. It allows us to perform at high levels without wearing out," said one researcher. "This suggests that interest matters more than we suspected."

Shade grown coffee shrinking as a proportion of global coffee production Posted: 16 Apr 2014 09:54 AM PDT Over the past couple of decades, global coffee production has been shifting towards a more intensive, less environmentally friendly style, a new study has found. That's pretty surprising if you live in the U.S. and you've gone to the grocery store or Starbucks, where sales of environmentally and socially conscious coffees have risen sharply and now account for half of all U.S. coffee sales by economic value.

Toddlers 'surprisingly sophisticated' at understanding unfamiliar accents Posted: 16 Apr 2014 08:27 AM PDT By two years of age, children are remarkably good at comprehending speakers who talk with accents the toddlers have never heard before, a study has shown. Even more striking, say researchers, children as young as 15 months who have difficulty comprehending accents they've never heard before can quickly learn to understand accented speech after hearing the speaker for a short time.

Preterm delivery, low birth weight, neonatal risk in pregnant women with high blood pressure Posted: 15 Apr 2014 05:38 PM PDT Pregnant women with chronic hypertension (high blood pressure) are highly likely to suffer from adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm delivery, low birth weight and neonatal death, which highlights a need for heightened surveillance, suggests research. Chronic hypertension complicates between 1-5% of pregnancies, and the problem may be increasing because of changes in the population.

Chew on this: How does food texture impact its perceived calorie content? Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:22 AM PDT Food is an intimately personal thing; we savor some tastes and despise others. But how does the way we chew and eat our food impact our overall consumption? According to a new study, people perceive foods that are either hard or have a rough texture to have fewer calories. "Understanding how the texture of food can influence calorie perceptions, food choice, and consumption amount can help nudge consumers towards making healthier choices," the authors conclude.

Low-calorie restaurant menus: Are they making us fat? Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:22 AM PDT Depending on our food cravings, the number of items served, and even the time of day, ordering a meal at a restaurant often requires a "narrowing down" decision making process. According to a new study, restaurants that now provide "low-calorie" labels on their menus can inadvertently cause people to eliminate healthy foods right off the bat.

Online reviews: When do negative opinions boost sales? Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:22 AM PDT When purchasing items online, reading customer reviews is a convenient way to get a real-world account of other people's opinions of the product. According to a new study, negative reviews that are offset by a politeness-factor can actually help sell the item. "Our research raises the intriguing possibility that brands might benefit when polite customers write reviews of their products -- even when those reviews include negative opinions," the authors conclude.

Girls' mental health suffers when romances unfold differently than they imagined Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:13 AM PDT For adolescent girls, having a romantic relationship play out differently than they imagined it would has negative implications for their mental health, research shows. The study measured relationship inauthenticity by comparing how adolescents described their ideal relationship in an initial interview with how their first relationship after the interview actually played out.

Chinese herbal remedy as good as methotrexate for treating rheumatoid arthritis, study finds Posted: 14 Apr 2014 04:14 PM PDT A traditional Chinese herbal remedy used to relieve joint pain and inflammation works as well as methotrexate, a standard drug treatment that is frequently prescribed to control the symptoms of active rheumatoid arthritis, reveals research. Furthermore, combining the herbal remedy with methotrexate -- the disease modifying drug (DMARD) most commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis -- was more effective than treatment with methotrexate alone, the findings showed.

Lower salt intake likely to have had key role in plummeting cardiovascular disease deaths in past decade Posted: 14 Apr 2014 04:14 PM PDT The 15 percent fall in dietary salt intake over the past decade in England is likely to have had a key role in the 40 percent drop in deaths from heart disease and stroke over the same period, concludes research. But average intake across the nation is still far too high, warn the authors. And much greater effort is needed to curb the salt content of the foods we eat, they insist. Dietary salt is known to increase blood pressure, which is itself a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

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