Monday, September 30, 2013
Tend to Overeat? Blame Your BNST
A new study from UNC Medical School published in Science has identified that the gaba neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or BNST might play a role in appetite and maladaptive behaviors such as bulemia and anorexia. Really cool study: ScienceDaily
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Working From Home Is Good!
Research gives us evidence that telecommuting or working from home can help give a sense of work/life balance: ScienceDaily:
Ballerina Brains Are Different From Yours: They Don't Get Dizzy
It seems ballet dancers' brains adapt over time to suppress the sensation of imbalance in the inner ear. This allows dancers to spin without getting dizzy the way a normal person would. Read more about the research here: ScienceDaily
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Babies are Addictive to Moms!
I always knew it! A new article in Time Magazine finds that the way babies smell is addictive...my kids are definitely an addiction for me and I've talked to other mothers who have said the same thing. And the more you're around them, the more you want to stay around them no matter how loud and obnoxious they are. Makes it really hard to have a hard hitting career, that's for sure, if you can't even tear yourself away from the house! I guess that's what they made schools for!
http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/26/why-moms-find-that-new-baby-smell-so-delicious/
http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/26/why-moms-find-that-new-baby-smell-so-delicious/
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Older People Slow Down but They Are Better At Using What They Have
Researchers at UC Riverside and Columbia studied older people and their decision making over time, the first study to do this! The results are fascinating! http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130924141037.htm
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Personality may predict if you like spicy foods
Can you believe that a love of spicy food may correlate with personality? That explains my jalapeño-like temper! Personality may predict if you like spicy foods
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Conference on Consumer Well-Being at Queen's Universiity
I just got back from Kingston Ontario and a great conference on Consumer Well-Being hosted by Prof. Monica Labarge and Queen's University School of Business! Presenters included Ron Hill from Villanova, Jim Gentry from U. Of Nebraska, Lauren Block from Baruch, Melissa Bublitz from U. Of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Beth Vallen from Fordham, Laurence Ashworth from Queen's, Tandy Thomas from Queen's, Stacy Baker from U. Of Wyoming, Andrea Godfrey from U. of San Diego, Roland Gau from U. of Texas El Paso, Monica and little old me. What a great crowd! Thanks Monica and Queen's!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Can you do this? Simple sitting test predicts longevity
Can you do this? Simple sitting test predicts longevity
Whether you can get down and up from the floor without using another part of your body to prop you up could be a predictor of how long you'll live. Boy that is strong vote to keep up the yoga practice!
Whether you can get down and up from the floor without using another part of your body to prop you up could be a predictor of how long you'll live. Boy that is strong vote to keep up the yoga practice!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
I presented recently for Western Alumni Office on advertising and how consumers can arm themselves against its effect. This is the video posted on YouTube: http://youtu.be/VJq2UHxzGA8
Thursday, January 26, 2012
How Our Values are Processed in the Brain
The price of your soul: How the brain decides whether to 'sell out'
ScienceDaily (2012-01-22) -- A neuro-imaging study shows that personal values people refuse to disavow, even when offered cash, are processed differently in the brain than those values that are willingly sold. The experiment found that the realm of the sacred -- whether a strong religious belief, national identity or code of ethics -- is a distinct cognitive process, and prompts greater activation of a brain area associated with rules-based, right-or-wrong thought processes, as opposed to regions linked to costs-versus-benefits thought. ... > read full article
Friday, December 23, 2011
Why We Spend When We Shouldn't
A front page article in today's Globe and Mail by Tavia Grant on why retail sales seem to be strong this year despite wage stagnation and vacillating consumer confidence included some "sage" words from yours truly! :)
The questions Tavia asked are really good ones and are at the crux of much of what I research. Part of the explanation could be attributed to the pent-up demand effect, where even if consumers are financially limited and they try their best to resist the urge to spend and be frugal, when there are cues from the environment, like ubiquitous reminders of the rapidly approaching holiday season, or when there are stressors or pressures, due to worry about one's job or the economy for example, theory from psychology and consumer behaviour posits that people may be even more susceptible to the temptation to spend even when there is uncertainty that the cash is available to pay for these purchases. So while we might expect that a dip in consumer confidence might dampen spending because people should be preparing for what they expect might be harder times, in fact it can be difficult and stressful for people to cope over an extended period of time with that fear and trepidation. In addition, because we have certain cultural expectations of what an ideal holiday is and often it is important to at least provide a happy experience for loved ones it makes sense that people would muster up any surplus, whether from a savings account or a credit card, in order to make the best of hard times. This can result in surges in spending even during declines in consumer sentiment. In a nutshell it is still difficult for us to predict how consumer confidence impacts consumer spending given the idiosyncrasies of how we psychologically consumer when under stress. There are many other factors that can modulate that impact. I think that some of us react to the uncertainty in the environment by looking for ways to feel confident, in control and successful and interestingly the process of shopping to procure consumption items especially for our households and families is very satisfying, very rewarding.
The questions Tavia asked are really good ones and are at the crux of much of what I research. Part of the explanation could be attributed to the pent-up demand effect, where even if consumers are financially limited and they try their best to resist the urge to spend and be frugal, when there are cues from the environment, like ubiquitous reminders of the rapidly approaching holiday season, or when there are stressors or pressures, due to worry about one's job or the economy for example, theory from psychology and consumer behaviour posits that people may be even more susceptible to the temptation to spend even when there is uncertainty that the cash is available to pay for these purchases. So while we might expect that a dip in consumer confidence might dampen spending because people should be preparing for what they expect might be harder times, in fact it can be difficult and stressful for people to cope over an extended period of time with that fear and trepidation. In addition, because we have certain cultural expectations of what an ideal holiday is and often it is important to at least provide a happy experience for loved ones it makes sense that people would muster up any surplus, whether from a savings account or a credit card, in order to make the best of hard times. This can result in surges in spending even during declines in consumer sentiment. In a nutshell it is still difficult for us to predict how consumer confidence impacts consumer spending given the idiosyncrasies of how we psychologically consumer when under stress. There are many other factors that can modulate that impact. I think that some of us react to the uncertainty in the environment by looking for ways to feel confident, in control and successful and interestingly the process of shopping to procure consumption items especially for our households and families is very satisfying, very rewarding.
Friday, December 2, 2011
I Hate Cortisol! It Makes Me Fat and It's Keeping My Baby Up At Night!
When babies awaken: New study shows surprise regarding important hormone level
ScienceDaily (2011-12-01) -- Cortisol may be the Swiss Army knife of hormones in the human body -- just when scientists think they understand what it does, another function pops up. While many of these functions are understood for adults, much less is known about how cortisol operates in babies and toddlers, especially when it comes to an important phenomenon called the cortisol awakening response, or CAR. ... > read full article
Friday, November 4, 2011
Anterior Cingulate and Orbitofrontal Cortex Involved in Addiction
Findings offer new clues into the addicted brain
ScienceDaily (2011-10-30) -- What drives addicts to repeatedly choose drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, overeating, gambling or kleptomania, despite the risks involved? Neuroscientists have pinpointed the exact locations in the brain where calculations are made that can result in addictive and compulsive behavior. ... > read full article
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)