ScienceDaily: Living Well News

---

• Seven of ten commuters using Capital Bikeshare forgo helmet use
• A toothy grin or angry snarl makes it easy to stand out in a crowd: Visible teeth are key
• Soft drink consumption not the major contributor to childhood obesity, study says
• Environmental factors spread obesity, study shows
• Mindful multitasking: Meditation first can calm stress, aid concentration
• Most older pedestrians are unable to cross the road in time
• Childhood obesity linked to math performance, researcher says
• Training character strengths makes you happy

Seven of ten commuters using Capital Bikeshare forgo helmet use Posted: 14 Jun 2012 03:27 PM PDT Cyclists in Washington, DC who use Capital Bikeshare for their daily commutes are much less likely to wear helmets than commuters on their own bikes. That is the finding from an observational study that compares the rate of helmet use of casual and commuting Bikeshare riders with private cyclists.

A toothy grin or angry snarl makes it easy to stand out in a crowd: Visible teeth are key Posted: 14 Jun 2012 03:25 PM PDT Scientists have found new evidence that people spot a face in the crowd more quickly when teeth are visible — whether smiling or grimacing — than a face with a particular facial expression. The new findings counters the long held "face-in -the-crowd" effect that suggests only angry looking faces are detected more readily in a crowd.

Soft drink consumption not the major contributor to childhood obesity, study says Posted: 14 Jun 2012 12:22 PM PDT Most children and youth who consume soft drinks and other sweetened beverages, such as fruit punch and lemonade, are not at any higher risk for obesity than their peers who drink healthy beverages, says a new study.

Environmental factors spread obesity, study shows Posted: 14 Jun 2012 10:12 AM PDT A new study of the spatial patterns of the spread of obesity suggests America's bulging waistlines may have more to do with collective behavior than genetics or individual choices. The team found correlations between the epidemic's geography and food marketing and distribution patterns.

Mindful multitasking: Meditation first can calm stress, aid concentration Posted: 14 Jun 2012 06:41 AM PDT Need to do some serious multitasking? Some training in meditation beforehand could make the work smoother and less stressful, new research shows.

Most older pedestrians are unable to cross the road in time Posted: 14 Jun 2012 05:27 AM PDT Researchers have compared the walking speed of the older population in the UK with the speed required to use a pedestrian crossing. It found that the mean walking speed of participants in the Health Survey for England was 0.9 meters per second for older men and 0.8 meters per second for older women, which is much below the speed required to use a pedestrian crossing in the UK.

Childhood obesity linked to math performance, researcher says Posted: 14 Jun 2012 05:26 AM PDT Children's weight is associated with their math performance, a new study shows. When compared with children who were never obese, boys and girls whose obesity persisted from the start of kindergarten through fifth grade performed worse on the math tests, starting in first grade. Their lower performance continued through fifth grade.

Training character strengths makes you happy Posted: 14 Jun 2012 04:49 AM PDT Anyone who trains character strengths increases their sense of wellbeing, a large-scale study conducted by a team of psychologists from the University of Zurich has concluded. It proved for the first time that this kind of training works. The largest impact was evident in training the strengths "curiosity", "gratitude", "optimism", "humor" and "enthusiasm".

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