ScienceDaily: Living Well News

---

• Left-handed? Different bodies, different minds
• Short-term exposure to most major air pollutants associated with increased risk of heart attack
• Trouble sleeping? It may affect your memory later on
• Motherhood 'detrimental' to women's scientific careers, study concludes
• Weight loss can be contagious, study suggests
• Cellphone use linked to selfish behavior
• Best time for a coffee break? There's an app for that
• Email language tips off work hierarchy

Left-handed? Different bodies, different minds Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:11 PM PST We like to think of ourselves as rational creatures, absorbing information, weighing it carefully, and making thoughtful decisions. But, as it turns out, we're kidding ourselves. Over the past few decades, scientists have shown there are many different internal and external factors influencing how we think, feel, communicate, and make decisions at any given moment. One particularly powerful influence may be our own bodies, according to new research.

Short-term exposure to most major air pollutants associated with increased risk of heart attack Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:10 PM PST Short-term exposure (for up to 7 days) to all major air pollutants, with the exception of ozone, is significantly associated with an increased risk of heart attack, according to a new review article.

Trouble sleeping? It may affect your memory later on Posted: 14 Feb 2012 02:10 PM PST The amount and quality of sleep you get at night may affect your memory later in life, according to new research.

Motherhood 'detrimental' to women's scientific careers, study concludes Posted: 14 Feb 2012 10:46 AM PST Women with advanced degrees in math-intensive academic fields drop out of fast-track research careers primarily because they want children – not because their performance is devalued or they are shortchanged during interviewing and hiring, according to a new study.

Weight loss can be contagious, study suggests Posted: 14 Feb 2012 09:21 AM PST Researchers have found that teammates in a team-based weight loss competition significantly influenced each other's weight loss, suggesting that weight loss can be contagious.

Cellphone use linked to selfish behavior Posted: 14 Feb 2012 09:20 AM PST Though cellphones are usually considered devices that connect people, they may make users less socially minded, finds a recent study. The researchers found that after a short period of cellphone use subjects were less inclined to volunteer for community service when asked, compared to control-group counterparts. Talking on a cell phone reduces the desire to connect with others, they explain.

Best time for a coffee break? There's an app for that Posted: 14 Feb 2012 09:18 AM PST Caffeinated drinks such as coffee and soda are the pick-me-ups of choice for many people, but too much caffeine can cause nervousness and sleep problems. Caffeine Zone, a new software app developed by researchers, can help people determine when caffeine may give them a mental boost and when it could hurt their sleep patterns. The software takes information on caffeine use and integrates it with information on the effects of caffeine to produce a graph of how the caffeine will affect the users over time.

Email language tips off work hierarchy Posted: 14 Feb 2012 09:17 AM PST Members of the modern workforce might be surprised to learn that if they use the word "weekend" in a workplace email, chances are they're sending the message up the org chart. The same is true for the words "voicemail," "driving," "okay"—- and even a choice four-letter word that rhymes with "hit." However a new study shows that certain words and phrases indeed are reliable indicators of whether workplace emails are sent to someone higher or lower in the corporate hierarchy.

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