Sunday, 27 March 2016

Here's why we kiss with our eyes closed

Here's why we kiss with our eyes closed

People close their eyes while kissing to allow the brain to properly focus on the task at hand.

 A study on vision and tactile sensory experience concluded that our brain struggles to process another sense while also concentrating on the visual stimuli.

Melbourne: Have you ever thought why people close their eyes while locking lips? Is it "just one of those things that happens" or is there any other reason to it?

Psychologists have recently revealed that people close their eyes while kissing to allow the brain to properly focus on the task at hand, as brain can't deal with more than two things at once, reports News.com.au.

A study on vision and tactile sensory experience concluded that our brain struggles to process another sense while also concentrating on the visual stimuli.

The psychologists found "tactile, i.e. sense of touch, awareness depends on the level of perceptual load in a concurrent visual task."

Instead of reaching any conclusion with studying any couples locking lips, the participants were given visual tasks to complete while their tactile sense was measured.

To measure visual sense, participants completed letter-searching tasks of varying difficulty. The tactile response was measured by responding to a small vibration applied to one of their hands.

The same explanation can be applied to other pleasurable activities on the tactile sense, like dancing and sex, where people wish to focus on touch rather that other potentially distracting sensory experiences.

Thursday, 24 March 2016

THE WORK O.K CELEBRATES ITS 117 BIRTHDAY

THE WORK O.K CELEBRATES ITS 117 BIRTHDAY

Here's how a newspaper rivalry inspired one of the most common words in English

The word ‘ok’ first appeared in print177 years ago on Wednesday, as a jab thrown in a rivalry between Boston and Providence newspapers.

The use of the two letters (or the fully-spelled version, ‘okay’) has spread around the world to indicate varying states of positivity. But theBoston Morning Post writer of a short item firing back at some snark from the Providence Journal likely had little knowledge that the joke would resonate through the ages.

Here’s first appearance of the word ‘ok’ took place on March 23, 1839, asAtlas Obscura writes today:

Sunday, 20 March 2016

Mar 20 International Day of Happiness

The International Day of Happiness (known as Happiness Day) is celebrated throughout the world on the 20th of March. The International Day of Happiness (“Happiness Day”) was founded on June 28, 2012 by the United Nations General Assembly when all 193 member states unanimously adopted UN resolution 66/281 The International Day of Happiness, following a multiyear campaign initiated in 2011 by the Illien Global Public Benefit Corporation

Balloons of Happiness

The General Assembly,Conscious that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal, Recognizing also the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all peoples, Decides to proclaim 20 March the International Day of Happiness, Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and individuals, to observe the International Day of Happiness in an appropriate manner, including through education and public awareness-raising activities[…]

— United Nations General Assembly, Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 28 June 2012[2]


Monday, 14 March 2016

Music helps recovery from respiratory problem

Music therapy helps recovery from respiratory disorders

New York: Music therapy can increase effectiveness of standard rehabilitation that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other chronic respiratory disorders receive, said a new study.

COPD is a progressive lung disease with symptoms including shortness of breath, wheezing, an ongoing cough, frequent colds or flu, and chest tightness.

The findings suggest that music therapy may be an effective addition to traditional treatment for these disorders.

"The results of this study provide a comprehensive foundation for the establishment of music therapy intervention as part of pulmonary rehabilitation care," said study co-author Jonathan Raskin from Mount Sinai Beth Israel (MSBI), a hospital in New York, US.

The 68 study participants were diagnosed with chronic disabling respiratory diseases, including COPD.

Over the course of six weeks, a randomised group of these patients attended weekly music therapy sessions.

Each session included live music, visualisations, wind instrument playing and singing, which incorporated breath control techniques.

Certified music therapists provided active music-psychotherapy. The music therapy sessions incorporated patients' preferred music, which encouraged self-expression, increased engagement in therapeutic activities and an opportunity to cope with the challenges of a chronic disease.

"The care of chronic illness is purposefully shifting away from strict traditional assessments that once focused primarily on diagnosis, morbidity and mortality rates," Joanne Loewy from MSBI noted.

"Instead, the care of the chronically ill is moving toward methods that aim to preserve and enhance quality of life of our patients and activities of daily living through identification of their culture, motivation, caregiver/home trends and perceptions of daily wellness routines," Loewy said.

The study was published in the journal Respiratory Medicine.

 

Friday, 11 March 2016

India’s 1st Women-Only Beer Club Opens In Delhi.

India’s 1st Women-Only Beer Club Opens In Delhi. After All Why Should Boys Have All The Fun, Right?

Women, the times they truly are a-changing! And the harbinger of this change is beverage expert Karina Aggarwal as she brings to us the first ever beer club for women, quite aptly titled Smarty Pints Society. This is for all the women who have had to defend their choice when they confidently ordered a beer, and for all the women who ever thought that beer is too bitter, or beer is for the boys, brace yourselves because..

The game is about to change

on March 12, Def. Col. Social, Defence Colony from 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. 

The objective was just to get women together, to taste and learn about beer, as an expert on beer herself Karina says,"I end up doing a lot of beer appreciations and notice that the women are almost always hesitant to ask questions or share opinions. They usually come up to me after and say something and i thought it was high time we had a group without men being around to claim prerogative." 

Here's what you can expect

A fun, casual time, with fun casual people, so come dressed comfortably and ready to get down with some beer with the girls. You will figure out things like hops, malts, ale, pale, and all the lingo that goes with becoming a true-blue beer drinker. Karina also intends on making this a monthly thing at a new space in a new place, so while it might be Delhi this time, Bombay or Bangalore it could be you next.

Sunday, 6 March 2016

Women harassment cases going up

Women harassment cases going up

S. P.
Tamil NaduCoimbatore‘
      Most differences between couples are about supremacy'Blame it on issues over supremacy, financial or educational status or discontent in marriage life, complaints of harassment against women are on the rise in the city in 2011 when comparedto 2009 and 2010.Yet, 70 per cent of the victim's problems were solved through counselling by the city police and 30 per cent were left for logicalconclusion before a court of law.
         Harassment against wife includes, beating of woman by husbandin inebriated condition, abuse by mother-in-law, father-in-law and relatives, suspecting fidelity of the woman, blaming wife for childlessness, blaming her parents, disability harassment, spying on their activities, verbal and nor-verbal abuse are the forms of harassment reported.Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Hema Karunakaran said that most of the differences between wife and husband were over supremacy and that too in the age group of 21 – 30 years
         .When a woman approaches an All Women Police Station to file a complaint, priority is given for resolving the issue through expert counselling. The last option is registering a case, she added.When a husband or relative subject her to cruelty, a case would be filed under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code in which, the guilty, upon conviction would get three years of imprisonment and fine.In case of harassment, case would be registered under Section 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act 2002 provides a maximum of three year imprisonment or Rs. 10,000 fine or both.In case of dowry harassment, the District Social Welfare Officer K. Aruna has to conduct an inquiry with the husband and wife andsubmit a report to the police station, after which the case is registered.

     CounsellingExpert counselling is provided only if the couple wanted it, she added.However, a police official said that some women misuse the law by preferring complaints over petty issues with the husband or his family.They seek legal recourse to settle scores or intimidate the husband's family. Such petitions are often resolved by offering adequate counselling.This accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the dowry harassment cases registered.

Saturday, 5 March 2016

New smartphone app warns drinkers if they exceed alcohol lim

New smartphone app warns drinkers if they exceed alcohol limit

A new smartphone app warns drinkers when they go over their daily or weekly recommended alcohol limit.

The Alcohol Tracker, which has been developed by doctors and based on the clinical evidence of what works best, also provides built-in psychological therapies and helpline links for users to help steer them away from hazardous drinking.

Excess alcohol kills millions worldwide every year, but many available smartphone apps to manage drinking are not informed by clinical evidence and are largely for entertainment, said the developers of the new app.

Some apps even seem to promote rather than curb drinking, they added in a commentary published in the journal BMJ Innovations.

The Alcohol Tracker enables users to log the number of beers/shots/glasses of wine they have knocked back on a given day which it then tots up for them in units.

When the recommended daily or weekly limits have been exceeded, the app issues a warning.

The limits are defined by the recommended safe intake for men and women, stipulated by national guidance in the UK (NICE) and Canada.

The Alcohol Tracker also provides links to alcohol helplines and built-in psychological therapies, such as a behavioural goals aid. A validated questionnaire enables users to find out if their drinking puts them at risk.