ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Cynical? You may be hurting your brain health
• Toxins in the environment might make you older than your years
• Cats found to eat more in the winter
• Flame retardants during pregnancy as bad as lead? Exposure linked to lower IQs in kids
• Dads who do chores bolster daughters' aspirations
• Research demonstrates how much we distrust people who are mean with money
• Many children affected by PTSD after traffic accidents, Swedish study finds

Cynical? You may be hurting your brain health Posted: 28 May 2014 01:37 PM PDT People with high levels of cynical distrust may be more likely to develop dementia, according to a new study. Cynical distrust, which is defined as the belief that others are mainly motivated by selfish concerns, has been associated with other health problems, such as heart disease. This is the first study to look at the relationship between cynicism and dementia.

Toxins in the environment might make you older than your years Posted: 28 May 2014 10:32 AM PDT Why are some 75-year-olds downright spry while others can barely get around? Part of the explanation, say researchers is differences from one person to the next in exposure to harmful substances in the environment, chemicals such as benzene, cigarette smoke, and even stress.

Cats found to eat more in the winter Posted: 28 May 2014 08:48 AM PDT Cats eat more during the winter and owners should give their pet more food during this time, research has found. The study found that cats ate approximately 15% less food during summer, and the vets have concluded that the extra effort to keep warm in winter and the temptation to rest during hot summer days contributed to the swing in activity levels during the year.

Flame retardants during pregnancy as bad as lead? Exposure linked to lower IQs in kids Posted: 28 May 2014 07:52 AM PDT Prenatal exposure to flame retardants can be significantly linked to lower IQs and greater hyperactivity in five-year old children. The researchers found that a 10-fold increase in PBDE concentrations in early pregnancy, when the fetal brain is developing, was associated with a 4.5 IQ decrement, which is comparable with the impact of environmental lead exposure. PBDEs have been widely used as flame retardants in furniture, carpet padding, car seats and other consumer products over the past three decades.

Dads who do chores bolster daughters' aspirations Posted: 28 May 2014 07:52 AM PDT Fathers who help with household chores are more likely to raise daughters who aspire to less traditional, and potentially higher paying, careers. So finds a new study that suggests how parents share dishes, laundry and other domestic duties plays a key role in shaping the gender attitudes and aspirations of their children, especially daughters.

Research demonstrates how much we distrust people who are mean with money Posted: 28 May 2014 07:33 AM PDT We distrust people who are mean with their money, according to new findings. Study participants had no face-to-face contact but played a series of interactive games. They had to make decisions about whom to trust in their dealings with other players, based on information they were given on the level of these other players' generosity in previous games. The experiments revealed that participants who had been mean with their money were trusted less, and indeed were more likely to be untrustworthy.

Many children affected by PTSD after traffic accidents, Swedish study finds Posted: 27 May 2014 08:44 AM PDT Many children who are injured in traffic is subsequently affected by post traumatic stress disorder, a new study has shown. Many continue to suffer from mental and psychosocial problems one year after the accident. In addition, the rate still remains low of children who are involved in traffic accidents while wearing a helmet when cycling.

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