Parks & Public Health

Research finds parks increase physical activity across age groups, thereby helping lower healthcare costs. In a five-city survey, 38% of people over 50 used a park at least 1/week. Other studies showed similar effects on teenage boys and girls. With observable effects with only an increase of $10/person in parks, parks alone can put a dent in the $8,000/year health care costs per person.

Noise = Stroke for Elderly?

For people over 65, research finds a 27% increase for risk of stroke for every 10-decibel increase in street noise.

Researchers studied 51,000+ Danish city dwellers for ~10 years. The study, however, doesn't categorically prove road noise causes strokes. But studies have linked noise to heart attacks and higher blood pressure — possibly because of increased stress and less sleep.

Writing Can Decrease Exam Anxiety

Writing about your worries just before an exam can reduce the risk of performing poorly due to anxiety.

In the study, 20 students were given two math exams - doing nothing special before the first exam. Before the second exam, students were told they would receive money for high grades. Half of the students (Group 1) were then instructed to take 10 minutes and write down any concerns they had about the exam.

Group 2 did 12% worse on the 2nd test vs. the 1st. In contrast, Group 1 experienced a 5% improvement on the 2nd exam. The research found that writing had to be about test-related concerns, not writing in general.

Self-Esteem is Supreme

College students were asked to rate various activities based on their desirability (e.g. drinking, hanging out with friends, intercourse, getting paid). Results found that while the above categories were desirable, students most strongly preferred getting good grades or a compliment.

Thinking More = Eating Less

Research finds that the more of a food item you actually imagine eating, the less you will actually eat it. Group 1 imagined eating 33 M&Ms. Group 2 imagined putting 33 quarters into a clothes dryer. Then they gave each group a bowl of M&Ms. Not surprisingly, Group 1 ate fewer M&Ms.

Imitate Accent to Understand

Research finds that imitating a foreign accent increased understanding vs. simply listening to those with a foreign accent. In the study, psychologists spoke to volunteers in an invented accent. Subjects who imitated the odd sounds had a better understanding of what was said vs. those who listened or repeated the sentence in their normal voice.

Tasty Lungs

Research finds that the lung has receptors for bitter taste although they are not clustered in taste buds like the tongue. It was further discovered that activating these receptors by exposing them to bitter compounds relaxes airways better than any existing asthma drug.

Coldest Glaciers Help Mountains Grow

Dubbed "glacial armoring," researchers discovered that the coldest glaciers protect mountains, allowing them to grow taller (*note: glaciers normally cause the erosion of mountains). Studying the Andes mountains, they found that the northern and warmer area eroded much faster in comparison with the southern and colder area. This is because colder glaciers don’t move much, thereby sealing the mountains and preventing erosion.

Music = Romance

Research finds that an average-looking man's chances of getting a woman's phone number after flirting doubled when the woman had just heard romantic music.

A guy whom women rated as average talked about food products with ~90 women, aged 18-20. Before the conversation, Group 1 heard a romantic French tune, Je L’aime a Mourir. Group 2 heard a "neutral" French song, L’heure du Thé.

After talking, the guy only 28% of Group 2 women's phone # vs. 52% of Group 1.