ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Chinese meditation prompts double positive punch in brain white matter
• Increased use of hand held devices may call for new photo guidelines
• Science of training and development in organizations: What really matters, what really works
• Sending sexually explicit photos by cell phone is common among teens
• Research punctures 'modern' fathers myth -- except for diapers, that is
• Videogamers no better at talking while driving
• If your dog is aggressive, maybe it is in pain
• Toddler spatial knowledge boosts understanding of numbers
• Role of omega-3 in preventing cognitive decline in older people questioned
• Dissonant music brings out the animal in listeners
• Obesity, depression found to be root causes of daytime sleepiness

Chinese meditation prompts double positive punch in brain white matter Posted: 13 Jun 2012 03:38 PM PDT Scientists studying the Chinese mindfulness meditation known as integrative body-mind training have confirmed and expanded on changes in structural efficiency of white matter in the brain that can be related to positive behavioral changes in subjects practicing the technique for a month and a minimum of 11 hours total.

Increased use of hand held devices may call for new photo guidelines Posted: 13 Jun 2012 11:54 AM PDT Viewing Facebook and Flickr photos on a smart phone are becoming common practice. But according to a recently published study, pictures on the small screen often appear distorted. Vision scientists found that perceptual distortions occur because picture takers do not take their viewing distance into account.

Science of training and development in organizations: What really matters, what really works Posted: 13 Jun 2012 10:31 AM PDT Each year in the United States about $135 billion is spent in training employees -- but those billions do not always improve the workplace because the skills often do not transfer to the actual job. A new report examines what matters and what works in training programs, highlighting the important factors that help promote long-term learning and skill acquisition on the job.

Sending sexually explicit photos by cell phone is common among teens Posted: 13 Jun 2012 10:29 AM PDT A significant number of teenagers are sending and receiving sexually explicit cell phone photos, often with little, if any, awareness of the possible psychological, interpersonal, and sometimes legal consequences of doing so. Even many of those who believe there could be serious legal consequences are undeterred and still choose to engage in 'sexting'.

Research punctures 'modern' fathers myth -- except for diapers, that is Posted: 13 Jun 2012 07:24 AM PDT "Modern" fathers have been around for far longer than we think, but they have only recently started to change diapers according to new research.

Videogamers no better at talking while driving Posted: 13 Jun 2012 07:24 AM PDT No matter how much time you've spent training your brain to multitask by playing "Call of Duty," you're probably no better at talking on the phone while driving than anybody else, according to a new study.

If your dog is aggressive, maybe it is in pain Posted: 13 Jun 2012 07:21 AM PDT Dogs can sometimes suffer sudden episodes of aggression without their owners understanding why. But, in many cases, the cause of these attacks can be pain that has never been diagnosed or treated. For the first time the study describes the characteristics of this irritability, which can make dogs violent and increase aggression in already conflictive individuals. There are many factors that explain aggression in dogs: the conditions of the mother during gestation, the handling of the puppy in the neonatal phase, the age at weaning, the experiences of the animal during the socializing phase, diet, exercise, genetics and learning techniques based on active punishment during adulthood. However, aggressive behavior also arises from the presence of pathologies and pain in the dog.

Toddler spatial knowledge boosts understanding of numbers Posted: 13 Jun 2012 07:20 AM PDT Children who are skilled in understanding how shapes fit together to make recognizable objects also have an advantage when it comes to learning the number line and solving math problems. The work is further evidence of the value of providing young children with early opportunities in spatial learning, which helps them mentally manipulate objects.

Role of omega-3 in preventing cognitive decline in older people questioned Posted: 13 Jun 2012 06:10 AM PDT Older people who take omega-3 fish oil supplements are probably not reducing their chances of losing cognitive function, according to a new Cochrane systematic review. Based on the available data from studies lasting up to 3.5 years, the researchers concluded that the supplements offered no benefits for cognitive health over placebo capsules or margarines, but that longer term effects are worth investigating.

Dissonant music brings out the animal in listeners Posted: 13 Jun 2012 06:10 AM PDT Researchers have isolated some of the ways in which distorted and jarring music is so evocative, and they believe that the mechanisms are closely related to distress calls in animals.

Obesity, depression found to be root causes of daytime sleepiness Posted: 13 Jun 2012 06:10 AM PDT Three new studies conclude that obesity and depression are the main culprits making Americans excessively sleepy while awake. Researchers examined a random population sample of 1,741 adults and determined that obesity and emotional stress are the main causes of an "epidemic" of sleepiness and fatigue plaguing the country. Insufficient sleep and obstructive sleep apnea also play a role; both have been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression, diabetes, obesity and accidents.

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