Benjamin Franklin spent his mornings naked. Patricia Highsmith ate only bacon and eggs. Marcel Proust breakfasted on opium and croissants. The path to greatness is paved with a thousand tiny rituals (and a fair bit of substance abuse) – but six key rules emerge
Month: March 2015
Why Finnish babies sleep in cardboard boxes
For 75 years, Finland’s expectant mothers have been given a box by the state. It’s like a starter kit of clothes, sheets and toys that can even be used as a bed. And some say it helped Finland achieve one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates.
WHAT’S IN IT? The Nacho Dorito
The inventor of Doritos envisioned this snack in 1964 as a marketing powerhouse that could deliver endless varieties of new flavors. But none of the formulations would surpass Nacho Cheese, whose irresistible taste sent Doritos into the processed food hall of fame, and more recently into a partnership with Taco Bell. I visited Steven A. Witherly, a food scientist who wrote an insider’s guide, “Why Humans Like Junk Food,” and we raided his lab to taste and experiment our way through the psychobiology of what makes Nacho Cheese Doritos so alluring.
Promiscuity Is Pragmatic
Why women and other female primates seek out multiple partners.
Safe Haven for Abuse Victims Life or Death Matter
Housing availability can mean the difference between survival and further abuse or death for women who have suffered intimate partner violence (IPV), according to professor Nancy Glass, PhD, MPH, RN, nursing doctoral graduate Jessica Draughton, PhD, MSN, RN, senior research program coordinator Amber Clough, MSW, and a colleague.
Sudden Interest in Math — How Teachers Can Motivate Pupils
The lack of interest in math or natural sciences is one of the most frequently voiced causes for concern in the debate surrounding education, at least in Germany. It has been seen time and again that pupils lose their enthusiasm for physics, chemistry and math once they reach eighth or ninth grade. But is this inevitable? And if not, how can teachers steer a different course?
If a Young Child Wanders, Technology Can Follow
New devices for keeping tabs on small children use GPS, Wi-Fi and other location-tracking technology and can be linked to apps on a parent???s phone.
Eating Disorders More Common in Males Than Realized
Parents and doctors assume eating disorders very rarely affect males. However, a study of 5,527 teenage males from across the U.S., published Nov.4 in JAMA Pediatrics, challenges this belief. Boston Children’s Hospital researchers found 17.9 percent of adolescent boys were extremely concerned about their weight and physique. These boys were more likely to start engaging in risky behaviors, including drug use and frequent binge drinking.
4 Pointers for Using Mindfulness to Stop People Pleasing
Wanting to please and take care of others is natural. But when pleasing others is based in fear of being unloved, it can become habitual and unhealthy, according to Micki Fine, MEd, LPC, author of The Need to Please: Mindfulness Skills to Gain Freedom from People Pleasing & Approval Seeking.
People Lose Their Sh*t in Hilarious Haunted House Photos, Part Two
Last year, a haunted house called Nightmares Fear Factory became an internet sensation when photos they took of people being scared out of their minds went über-viral, and this year they’re at it again.
The new batch of the company’s freak-out photos is beginning to spread and many feature the same kind of over-the-top, unrestrained reactions that made last year’s such a hit.