ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Research reveals what your sleeping position says about your relationship
• Prolonged, heavy bleeding during menopause is common
• Brain changes associated with casual marijuana use in young adults: More 'joints' equal more damage
• SSRI use during pregnancy linked to autism and developmental delays in boys
• Real-time audio of corporal punishment shows kids misbehave within 10 minutes of spanking
• Kids' earliest memories might be earlier than they think
• Cultivating happiness often misunderstood
• Lifestyle determines gut microbes: Study with modern hunter-gatherers tells tale of bacteria co-evolution
• How mothers help children explore right and wrong
• New method of screening children for autism spectrum disorders works at 9 months old
• In child custody disputes, LGBT parents face bias in the courts, review finds
• Charitable donation discrepancies: Why are some countries more generous than others?
• When identity marketing backfires: Consumers don't like to be told what they like
• Vitamin D deficiency, cognition appear to be linked in older adults
• Outgoing behavior makes for happier humans: Across cultures, extroverts have more fun
• Obesity: Are lipids hard drugs for the brain?
• Exams in cold auditoriums? Better memory at ideal temperature
• Brand/type of helmet, mouthguard may not significantly reduce risk of sport-related concussion in high school football players
• Youth who fail to envision future commit more crimes
• Visual maps use imagery to help connect personal passions with potential careers

Research reveals what your sleeping position says about your relationship Posted: 15 Apr 2014 05:37 PM PDT Scientists have discovered what people's preferred sleeping position reveals about their relationships and personality. The research revealed the most popular sleep positions for couples, with 42% sleeping back to back, 31% sleeping facing the same direction and just 4% spending the night facing one another. In addition, 12% of couples spend the night less than an inch apart whilst 2% sleep over 30 inches apart.

Prolonged, heavy bleeding during menopause is common Posted: 15 Apr 2014 05:36 PM PDT Women going through menopause most likely think of it as the time for an end to predictable monthly periods. Researchers say it's normal, however, for the majority of them to experience an increase in the amount and duration of bleeding episodes, which may occur at various times throughout the menopausal transition.

Brain changes associated with casual marijuana use in young adults: More 'joints' equal more damage Posted: 15 Apr 2014 03:11 PM PDT The size and shape of two brain regions involved in emotion and motivation may differ in young adults who smoke marijuana at least once a week, according to a new study. The findings suggest that recreational marijuana use may lead to previously unidentified brain changes, and highlight the importance of research aimed at understanding the long-term effects of low to moderate marijuana use on the brain.

SSRI use during pregnancy linked to autism and developmental delays in boys Posted: 15 Apr 2014 12:37 PM PDT In a study of nearly 1,000 mother-child pairs, researchers found that prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a frequently prescribed treatment for depression, anxiety and other disorders, was associated with autism spectrum disorder and developmental delays in boys.

Real-time audio of corporal punishment shows kids misbehave within 10 minutes of spanking Posted: 15 Apr 2014 11:40 AM PDT Real-time audio recordings of children being spanked showed parents responded impulsively or emotionally, rather than being intentional with their discipline, says a psychologist and parenting expert. Researchers discovered that spanking was more common than parents admit, that children were hit for trivial misdeeds, and that children misbehaved within 10 minutes of punishment.

Kids' earliest memories might be earlier than they think Posted: 15 Apr 2014 11:27 AM PDT The very earliest childhood memories might begin even earlier than anyone realized -- including the one remembering, his or her parents and memory researchers. Four- to 13-year-olds in upstate New York and Newfoundland, Canada, probed their memories when researchers asked: "You know, some kids can remember things that happened to them when they were very little. What is the first thing you can remember? How old were you at that time?" The researchers then returned a year or two later to ask again about earliest memories -- and at what age the children were when the events occurred.

Cultivating happiness often misunderstood Posted: 15 Apr 2014 10:39 AM PDT The concept of maximizing happiness has been explored by researchers, who have found that pursuing concrete 'giving' goals rather than abstract ones leads to greater satisfaction. One path to happiness is through concrete, specific goals of benevolence -- like making someone smile or increasing recycling -- instead of following similar but more abstract goals -- like making someone happy or saving the environment.

Lifestyle determines gut microbes: Study with modern hunter-gatherers tells tale of bacteria co-evolution Posted: 15 Apr 2014 10:39 AM PDT The intestinal bacteria of present-day hunter-gatherers has for the first time been deciphered by an international team of researchers. Bacterial populations have co-evolved with humans over millions of years, and have the potential to help us adapt to new environments and foods. Studies of the Hadza offer an especially rare opportunity for scientists to learn how humans survive by hunting and gathering, in the same environment and using similar foods as our ancestors did.

How mothers help children explore right and wrong Posted: 15 Apr 2014 10:39 AM PDT Moms want their kids to grow up to be good people -- but how do they actually help their offspring sort out different types of moral issues? A new study shows many moms talk to their kids in ways that help them understand moral missteps. The study also shows that the nature of the maternal role develops along with the children, as parents evolve from gentle teachers for youngsters to sounding boards for teenagers.

New method of screening children for autism spectrum disorders works at 9 months old Posted: 15 Apr 2014 09:55 AM PDT Researchers have identified head circumference and head tilting reflex as two reliable biomarkers in the identification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children that are between 9 and 12 months of age. ASD is identifiable as early as two years old, although most children are not identified until after the age of four. While a number of studies have reported that parents of children with ASD notice developmental problems in children before their first birthday, there has yet to be a screening tool to identify those children.

In child custody disputes, LGBT parents face bias in the courts, review finds Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:24 AM PDT Court decisions that favor a heterosexual parent over a gay or lesbian parent in a custody dispute often do not consider important social science research on parenting by gay and lesbian individuals, according to a new review. Previous research shows that gay and lesbian individuals are as effective in parenting as heterosexuals, and that children raised by gay or lesbian parents are as well-adjusted as their peers raised by heterosexual parents. This research could greatly impact how legislatures and courts make decisions regarding custody for gay and lesbian parents.

Charitable donation discrepancies: Why are some countries more generous than others? Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:22 AM PDT When it comes to charitable giving, some countries open their collective wallets more than others. According to a new study, people who live in countries that promote equality in power and wealth are more likely to donate money than those who live in societies that expect and accept inequality.

When identity marketing backfires: Consumers don't like to be told what they like Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:22 AM PDT When choosy moms choose Jif peanut butter and sports fans who call themselves sports fans subscribe to DirecTV, identity marketing is hard at work. But what happens when this type of advertising misses the mark? According to a new study, when a person's sense of ownership and freedom is threatened they are less likely to respond positively to identity marketing campaigns.

Vitamin D deficiency, cognition appear to be linked in older adults Posted: 15 Apr 2014 08:13 AM PDT A study that looks at Vitamin D deficiency and cognition relationship in older adults adds to the existing literature on the subject. "This study provides increasing evidence that suggests there is an association between low vitamin D levels and cognitive decline over time," said the lead author. "Although this study cannot establish a direct cause and effect relationship, it would have a huge public health implication if vitamin D supplementation could be shown to improve cognitive performance over time because deficiency is so common in the population."

Outgoing behavior makes for happier humans: Across cultures, extroverts have more fun Posted: 15 Apr 2014 05:45 AM PDT Happy is as happy does, apparently -- for human beings all over the world. Not only does acting extroverted lead to more positive feelings across several cultures, but people also report more upbeat behavior when they feel free to be themselves.

Obesity: Are lipids hard drugs for the brain? Posted: 15 Apr 2014 05:42 AM PDT Why can we get up for a piece of chocolate, but never because we fancy a carrot? Research has demonstrated part of the answer: triglycerides, fatty substances from food, may act in our brains directly on the reward circuit, the same circuit that is involved in drug addiction. These results show a strong link in mice between fluctuations in triglyceride concentration and brain reward development. Identifying the action of nutritional lipids on motivation and the search for pleasure in dietary intake will help us better understand the causes of some compulsive behaviors and obesity.

Exams in cold auditoriums? Better memory at ideal temperature Posted: 15 Apr 2014 05:41 AM PDT People's working memory functions better if they are working in an ambient temperature where they feel most comfortable. The conjecture is that working in one's preferred temperature counteracts 'ego depletion': sources of energy necessary to be able to carry out mental tasks get used up less quickly.

Brand/type of helmet, mouthguard may not significantly reduce risk of sport-related concussion in high school football players Posted: 14 Apr 2014 02:21 PM PDT A sports medicine physician has concluded the the brand or type of helmet or mouthguard does not significantly reduce concussion risk among high school football players. While helmet brand or age did not significantly affect the incidence or severity of sport-related concussion, prior concussion and the use of specialized or custom mouthguards were associated with an increased incidence of the injury. This is in contrast to manufacturers' claims that a specific brand of helmet or type of mouthguard can significantly reduce the risk of concussion.

Youth who fail to envision future commit more crimes Posted: 14 Apr 2014 10:40 AM PDT In a study involving serious youth offenders, the answer to one open-ended question predicted the teenagers' offending patterns for the next seven years: "How long do you think you'll live?" According to the study, having little hope for the future encourages offending over time. Those who don't view a very long life ahead of them offend at very high rates and commit more serious offenses, while those who believe they're going to die much later in life offend much less, the researcher found.

Visual maps use imagery to help connect personal passions with potential careers Posted: 14 Apr 2014 09:35 AM PDT Whether you're getting ready to graduate, choosing second career or forced into one, creating a visual map can help you plan the next steps on your job journey. The map can be a simple pencil sketch or a colorful creation with magazine clippings and bright drawings. "Visual mapping moves the focus away from asking, 'How am I going to make money?' It's a wide-angle view on choosing ways to make a living that fit within your life passions rather than just intersecting them in a small way," the author says.

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