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Friday, March 15, 2013

ScienceDaily: Living Well News

ScienceDaily: Living Well News


Suppressing brain's 'filter' can improve performance in creative tasks

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 11:43 AM PDT

The brain's prefrontal cortex is thought to be the seat of cognitive control, working as a kind of filter that keeps irrelevant thoughts, perceptions and memories from interfering with a task at hand. Now, researchers have shown that inhibiting this filter can boost performance for tasks in which unfiltered, creative thoughts present an advantage.

Playing action videogames improves visual search

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 11:13 AM PDT

Researchers have shown that playing shooting or driving videogames, even for a relatively short time, improves the ability to search for a target hidden among irrelevant distractions in complex scenes.

Olive oil makes you feel full

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 09:46 AM PDT

Reduced-fat food products are gaining in popularity. But whether these products are effective or not is a matter of dispute: While it is true that they contain fewer calories, people tend to overcompensate by eating more. Now a study has shown how oils and fats regulate the sensation of feeling full after eating, with olive oil leading the way. So what makes this oil so effective?

International gender difference in math and reading scores persists regardless of gender equality

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 08:18 AM PDT

Even in countries with high gender equality, sex differences in math and reading scores persisted in the 75 nations examined by a new study. Girls consistently scored higher in reading, while boys got higher scores in math, but these gaps are linked and vary with overall social and economic conditions of the nation.

New sign of aging: Lessening contrast in facial features

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 08:03 AM PDT

The contrasting nature of facial features is one of the signals that people unconsciously use to decipher how old someone looks.

Probiotics reduce stress-induced intestinal flare-ups, study finds

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 08:02 AM PDT

Stress has a way of significantly altering the composition of gut bacteria, which leads to inflammation and often times, belly pain for those with irritable bowel syndrome. But a new study shows how probiotics can reverse the effect of stress.

Children of divorced parents more likely to start smoking, study finds

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 08:02 AM PDT

Both daughters and sons from divorced families are significantly more likely to initiate smoking in comparison to their peers from intact families, shows a new analysis of 19,000 Americans. The study shows that men who experienced parental divorce before they turned 18 had 48-per-cent higher odds of ever smoking 100 or more cigarettes than men whose parents did not divorce. Women from divorced families were also at risk, with 39-per-cent higher odds of smoking in comparison to women from intact families.

New research discovers the emergence of Twitter 'tribes'

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 05:50 AM PDT

Linguists have found evidence of how people form into tribe-like communities on social network sites such as Twitter.

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