Gender Bias Discrimination DOES Exist at B Schools!

I've always had the uncanny feeling that there was something systematic about the discrimination and abusive environment that follows me everyday I've been in academia. Here is a recent article from BusinessWeek that substantiates my hunches!

Let's Be Honest About Gender Discrimination at Business Schools

Eating Foods with Olestra Clears Toxins From Body Faster

Olestra, which doesn't sound very yummy, is added to snacks as a substitute for fat creating a low fat version. Some have worried that this additive isn't the healthiest thing in the world to eat. However, some research is showing that adding olestra to chips seems to help in clearing away toxins like serum polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs from the body faster (more on the research here!). This seems like a really good added benefit if this indeeds is proven to be the case! Yeah for additives that do good things for the body!!!

"Sleeping In" Not So Bad For Grumpy Teens

Since I have been tracking my own quality (or lack thereof) of sleep, I have become increasingly interested on how sleep impacts cognitive performance and mental health. My 15 year old has switched from a "rise before the sun" type sleeper to a "hybernating bear" late riser! I'm sure it is linked to his stage in adolescence. If you do try to get him up early, boy is he a grumpy person for the day (sounds like someone else I know...hmmm)!

It turns out that it may not be so bad letting teens sleep in a little longer in the mornings. A new study has found that teens may function better when they have school start times that are later in the day. Given that we don't fully understand everything that is going on in the body and the brain as we develop and age, it might indeed be smart to allow all those hormonally and physically stretched brains and bodies a little extra shut eye as they move into adulthood. In the end all we really want is for our kids to be fully functioning, smart, achieving individuals...a little extra sleep could do us all a little good. Lucky for my kid we have picked home schooling and he has some flexibility on when he wakes up...time will tell if our gamble will pay off. Now I have to go make sure he is actually awake!!

Missing Data

There is so much to consider when collecting and analyzing data. We can't force subjects to answer every question so sometimes they skip some answers. When they do this it leads to the problem of MISSING DATA.

I went on a quest to figure out which is the right thing to do when this happens because of a doc student's questions and found out that, as always in this business, it all depends.

1. LITTLE'S MISSING DATA ANALYSIS
The first step is to figure out if data are missing and if so if it is random. Using SPSS, you can click Analyze --> Missing Data Analysis, and select the variables that are in your study.

2. IF DATA ARE MCAR
If data are missing at random (MCAR) then you can use imputation to fill in the holes. Simple imputation seems to have issues if there isn't some way to figure it out from another variable (like SES from income). But multiple imputation, if complicated, seems to be a pretty accurate way to fix the problem.

Next I'll post the step by step for multiple imputation...

What Science Says Really Makes You Happy

(Image credit: HuffPost.com)

Love this article on HuffPost about what studies say will make you more happy versus the amount of effort it takes. Notice that there is nothing about earning more money up here (note to self!)? 

Money, Money, Money...And Happiness?

(Photo credit: epSos.de )

An interesting article on Huff Post regarding how money affects our well-being.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/06/psychology-of-wealth_n_4531905.html 

It is a indeed a dilemma that many people spend so much of their time and energy on amassing money or wealth that it becomes almost an obsession. I am included in that bunch. But anecdotally there does seem to be little connection between happiness and wealth. Many of us have a lot in terms of stuff, but are increasingly more anxious, stressed, unhappy, angry as we strive everyday to get more. 

It seems the attachment to money just like food or sex is a “process addiction.” Unlike a chemical addiction that interacts with the body’s internal mechanisms (like alcohol or nicotine), addictive behaviors impact the brain by stimulating a dopamine surge that also can cause you to want more and more even to your detriment. So how do you get out of this cycle of process addiction? That’s the $64 million question I guess! Stay tuned for more....