ScienceDaily: Living Well News

---

• Connection between narcissism and envy explained
• Marketing technique: Activating gender stereotypes just to knock 'em down
• Name-brand or generic? Your political ideology might influence your choice
• Refocusing important on and off the court, says recent study
• Early music lessons boost brain development
• Helicopter parenting can violate students' basic needs
• Teaching teens that people can change reduces aggression in school
• Differential parenting found to negatively affect whole family, even the favored child
• Negative stereotypes about boys hinder their academic achievement
• Romantic delusions allow online dating scams to flourish
• Parents of teen girls more accepting of birth control pills than other contraceptive methods, study finds
• Young children may go above and beyond when helping adults
• Alcohol abusers' depression often related to drinking
• Birth order linked to increased risk of diabetes, metabolic disorders
• Child development: The right kind of early praise predicts positive attitudes toward effort
• Anxiety about relationships may lower immunity, increase vulnerability to illness

Connection between narcissism and envy explained Posted: 12 Feb 2013 02:20 PM PST Narcissism has long been associated with envy in the field of psychology, but a new study provides new evidence about that connection.

Marketing technique: Activating gender stereotypes just to knock 'em down Posted: 12 Feb 2013 11:10 AM PST A new study looks at the issue of product perception of consumers through the lens of gender stereotypes. The researchers conclude that while traditional gender stereotypes can still have a significant influence on consumer behavior in the 21st century, there are ways that firms can activate these stereotypes solely to transcend them.

Name-brand or generic? Your political ideology might influence your choice Posted: 12 Feb 2013 10:19 AM PST Conservatives and liberals don't just differ when it comes to politics, they may also make different purchases at the grocery store, according to new research.

Refocusing important on and off the court, says recent study Posted: 12 Feb 2013 08:20 AM PST If an employee's performance drops in one area, does that mean they're slacking off? It could mean that they've simply shifted and refocused their efforts on a different set of tasks -- a positive sign of adaptability that should be considered in performance evaluations, says a new study. The study draws on statistics from professional basketball players for its data and conclusions.

Early music lessons boost brain development Posted: 12 Feb 2013 08:20 AM PST Musical training before the age of seven has a significant effect on the development of the brain, showing that those who began early had stronger connections between motor regions -- the parts of the brain that help you plan and carry out movements.

Helicopter parenting can violate students' basic needs Posted: 12 Feb 2013 08:18 AM PST When is it time for parents to back away? A new study shows that college students with overcontroling parents are more likely to be depressed and less satisfied with their lives. This so-called helicopter parenting style negatively affects students' well-being by violating their need to feel both autonomous and competent. Parental overinvolvement may lead to negative outcomes in children, including higher levels of depression and anxiety. Studies also suggest that children of overinvolved or overcontroling parents may feel less competent and less able to manage life and its stressors. In contrast, evidence suggests that some parental involvement in children's lives facilitates healthy development, both emotionally and socially.

Teaching teens that people can change reduces aggression in school Posted: 12 Feb 2013 07:05 AM PST In eight studies involving more than 1,600 diverse 8th-10th grade students, researchers show that teenagers who believe people can't change react more aggressively to a peer conflict than those who think people can change. Following these studies, researchers developed a brief intervention that taught teens that people have the potential to change. The intervention reduced the teens' tendency to see the offense as having been done on purpose, and reduced their desire for aggressive revenge.

Differential parenting found to negatively affect whole family, even the favored child Posted: 12 Feb 2013 07:05 AM PST Parents act differently with different children -- for example, being more positive with one child and more negative with another. A new longitudinal study looking at almost 400 Canadian families has found that this behavior negatively affects not only the child who receives more negative feedback, but all the children in the family. The study also found that the more risks experienced by parents, the more likely they will treat their children differentially.

Negative stereotypes about boys hinder their academic achievement Posted: 12 Feb 2013 07:05 AM PST Researchers investigated the role of gender stereotypes. They found that from a very young age, children think boys are academically inferior to girls, and they believe that adults think so, too. Each of the three studies (two of which were experimental) included 150+ participants. Findings suggest that negative academic stereotypes about boys are acquired in children's earliest years of primary education and have self-fulfilling consequences.

Romantic delusions allow online dating scams to flourish Posted: 12 Feb 2013 07:04 AM PST As international criminal gangs increasingly target online dating and social networking sites, as a means of extorting money from unwary victims, research suggests that new strategies are needed for tackling the crime and supporting its victims.

Parents of teen girls more accepting of birth control pills than other contraceptive methods, study finds Posted: 12 Feb 2013 06:58 AM PST Parents are more accepting of their teenage daughters using birth control pills than any other form of contraception, including condoms, according to a recent study. The most effective contraceptive methods, the implant -- a matchstick-sized rod that is inserted in the arm to prevent pregnancy -- and the intrauterine device (IUD), were acceptable to a minority of parents.

Young children may go above and beyond when helping adults Posted: 12 Feb 2013 06:57 AM PST Even very young children understand that adults don't always know best. When it comes to helping, 3-year-olds may ignore an adult's specific request for an unhelpful item and go out of their way to bring something more useful, according to new research.

Alcohol abusers' depression often related to drinking Posted: 12 Feb 2013 04:54 AM PST For problem drinkers, bouts of depressive symptoms are often the direct result of their heavy alcohol intake, according to a new study.

Birth order linked to increased risk of diabetes, metabolic disorders Posted: 12 Feb 2013 04:51 AM PST Long a source of sibling rivalry, birth order may raise the risk of first-born children developing diabetes or high blood pressure, according to a recent study.

Child development: The right kind of early praise predicts positive attitudes toward effort Posted: 12 Feb 2013 04:51 AM PST Toddlers whose parents praised their efforts more than they praised them as individuals had a more positive approach to challenges five years later. That's the finding of a new longitudinal study that also found gender differences in the kind of praise that parents offer their children.

Anxiety about relationships may lower immunity, increase vulnerability to illness Posted: 11 Feb 2013 08:08 AM PST Concerns and anxieties about one's close relationships appear to function as a chronic stressor that can compromise immunity, according to new research.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Living Well News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610