Can Long Distance Relationships Work?

About three million Americans have long-distance relationships, but can they work?

Contrary to the received wisdom, long distance relationships can work, according to new research published in the Journal of Communication(Jiang & Hancock, 2013).

Two factors that help keep long distance relationships alive are that these couples:

Tell each other more intimate information.

Have a more idealised view of their partner.

The study, which contradicts much standard dating advice, was inspired by the increasing numbers of people conducting long distance relationships because of the demands of education, employment or emigration.

The researchers examined 67 couples: some who were in long distance relationships, and others who were in close physical proximity to each other.

They found that the long distance couples were highly trusting and even felt more intimate with their partners, despite their physical distance.

Crystal Jiang explained:

“…our culture emphasizes being together physically and frequent face-to-face contact for close relationships, but long-distance relationships clearly stand against all these values. People don’t have to be so pessimistic about long-distance romance. The long-distance couples try harder than geographically close couples in communicating affection and intimacy, and their efforts do pay back.”

It shows that, while it is not necessarily ideal to be separated from your partner for long periods of time, people do find ways to cope with the situation.

Other studies have also found that, although those in long distance relationships talk with each other less, what they do say is imbued with greater meaning. This appears to balance out the lack of physical contact.

This means those in long distance relationships often have similar levels of relationship satisfaction and stability as those who are geographically close to each other.

None of this research, though, tells us anything about which types of people can cope with long distance relationships.

While some people may naturally have the skills required, others may not.

Still, it’s heartening to know that should a long distance relationship be unavoidable, many people are able to keep their intimacy levels high, which helps fuel the relationship, just as if they lived in the same house.

SOURCE:

http://www.spring.org.uk/2013/12/can-long-distance-relationships-work.php (accessed 14.2.14)

Student narcissists prefer Twitter; more mature narcissists favour Facebook

----------------------------------------

Media headlines frequently link young people's widespread use of Facebook with the narcissism of their generation (e.g. "Facebook's 'dark side': study finds link to socially aggressive narcissism). A new investigation involving hundreds of US college students and hundreds of members of the US public has found that it's actually the older generation for whom this claim is more accurate. However, use of Twitter tells another story.

First to challenge those Facebook headlines. Shaun Davenport and his colleagues found that students (average age 20) who scored higher on narcissism (measured by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory) were no more likely to post Facebook status updates, nor did they tend to have more Facebook friends.

By contrast, among the general public recruited online (average age 32), higher narcissism was linked with more use of Facebook, in terms of number of updates and number of friends. The researchers speculated that for young people who have grown up with Facebook, it's common practice to use the social network regardless of one's personality type. For older generations who did not grow up with Facebook (the age range for the public sample was 18 to 75), Davenport and his team said sending status updates was "not part of their social norms" and may instead be driven by narcissistic motives.

What about Twitter? Analysis showed that for the students, higher narcissism was associated with more active usage of Twitter. Moreover, higher narcissism was associated with students' motives for using the site. More narcissistic students were likely to say they posted updates to attract followers and to gain admiration on the site. There were associations between student narcissism and vain motives for using Facebook too, but these links were weaker than for Twitter. "This pattern of results suggests that college narcissists prefer Twitter to Facebook and narcissism predicts reasons for usage as well as active usage," the researchers said. They added that Twitter may have a number of features that particularly appeal to narcissists, including the fact that relationships need not be reciprocal (people can follow you on Twitter, without you having to follow them).

For the general public, higher narcissism was also linked with more active Twitter usage (more so even than Facebook usage). However, for this sample, links between narcissism and vain motives for using Twitter were weaker than for links between narcissism and vain motives for using Facebook.

A strength of this study is the use of two large samples covering different age groups. A weakness is its correlational design, which means we can't know for sure if one factor (say, narcissism) is really driving a second factor (e.g. more Twitter updates). It's possible the relationship works in reverse or that some other factor or factors are at play. "We concur with other researchers who have called for a greater use of experimental designs," said Davenport and his team. "Given the early stages of SNS [social networking site] research, such methods would allow for greater control to isolate variables and allow for tests of causality."

_________________________________ 

SOURCE:

 BPS RESEARCH DIGEST : http://www.researchdigest.org.uk/ (accessed 24.2.14)

Shaun W. Davenport, Shawn M. Bergman, Jacqueline Z. Bergman, & Matthew E. Fearrington (2014). Twitter versus Facebook: Exploring the role of narcissism in the motives and usage of different social media platforms. Computers in Human Behavior DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.12.011

Author weblink: http://www.highpoint.edu/business/davenport/

Further reading. http://www.bps-research-digest.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Facebook

http://www.bps-research-digest.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Twitter

8 Fascinating Facts About Anxiety

Studies show that anxiety affects the sense of smell and balance, how we judge faces and perceptions of our personal space.

Anxiety may be an unpleasant emotion, which can be crippling in excess, but it does exist for a good reason.

Anxiety tells us we’re in danger and we need to do something. It was our anxious ancestors who prepared better for winter and made plans to fight off neighbouring tribes. The relaxed, laid-back guys never made it.

But anxiety’s effects aren’t limited to motivation, they seep through the mind to all sorts of areas…

1. Anxiety literally makes everything stink

As people get more anxious, they are more likely to label neutral smells as bad smells (Krusemark & Li, 2013). So, anxiety literally makes the world stink.

The reason, explains Professor Wen Li is:

“In typical odor processing, it is usually just the olfactory system that gets activated. But when a person becomes anxious, the emotional system becomes part of the olfactory processing stream.”

And as people get more anxious they become better at distinguishing between different bad smells (Krusemark & Li, 2012).

2. Exercise reduces anxiety

Generally, when people get a little exercise they feel less anxiety in their lives. As little as 20 minutes can make you feel calmer right now.

The benefits of a little workout extend beyond the gym, though, into everyday life.

One study has found that although simply resting reduces anxiety, it doesn’t help protect against stressful events (Smith, 2013).

Exercise, though, seems to have a more lasting effect, helping to reduce anxiety when faced with stressful situations afterwards.

Indeed, many think exercise should be prescribed for depression and anxiety instead of drugs.

3. The parental effect

Like many things, high anxiety is partly in the genes, but part of the reason anxious people are anxious is because of their parents’ behaviour.

Children are more likely to be anxious when their parents direct criticism at them, display high levels of doubt and are emotionally cold (Budinger et al., 2012).

4. Think different

One of the best ways of reducing anxiety is to think about situations differently.

It’s not an exam; it’s a fun little quiz. It’s not a scary presentation; it’s a little chat with a few colleagues. It’s not a job interview; it’s a chance to meet some new people.

Most situations can be re-framed in this way and studies show that people who do this naturally–as opposed to trying to suppress their anxiety–feel less anxious in stressful social situations (Llewellyn et al., 2013).

5. Anxious people jump to conclusions

Highly anxious people jump to conclusions more quickly when judging facial expressions.

A study by Fraley et al., (2006) suggests that anxious people may have problems in their relationships because they jump to conclusions too quickly about facial expressions.

Professor Fraley explained:

“This ‘hair trigger’ style of perceptual sensitivity may be one reason why highly anxious people experience greater conflict in their relationships. The irony is that they have the ability to make their judgments more accurately than less-anxious people, but, because they are so quick to make judgments about others’ emotions, they tend to mistakenly infer other people’s emotional states and intentions.”

6. Anxiety affects balance

People who experience more severe levels of anxiety also often have problems with their balance. They sometimes feel dizzy for no apparent reason and sway more than others while standing normally.

This often starts in childhood and, because anxiety can be difficult to treat in children, psychologists have started trying to treat the balance problems.

Studies have shown that treating the balance problem can help with the anxiety (Bart et al., 2009).

7. Meditation reduces anxiety

On top of exercise and thinking differently, those experiencing anxiety can also try meditation.

To pick just one of many recent studies, Zeidan et al. (2013) found that four 20-minute meditation classes were enough to reduce anxiety by up to 39%.

8. Anxiety expands personal space

We all have an invisible field around us that we dislike other people invading.

In front of the face it’s generally about 20-40cm; if others get closer without our permission, it feels weird.

But, researchers have found that for anxious people, their personal space is larger (Sambo & Iannetti, 2013).

So, don’t charge up too close to anxious people, their ‘safety margin’ is larger.

SOURCE:

http://www.spring.org.uk/(accessed 14.2.14)

Why do people think suicide is morally wrong?

----------------------------------------

Public surveys show many people view suicide as morally wrong. When you ask them why, they usually refer to the harm caused to the deceased's family and friends, and to the victim themselves. However, a fascinating new study uncovers evidence suggesting that a more important reason people feel suicide is morally wrong is because they see it as tainting the victim's soul. This is the case even for liberal non-religious people. The finding is another example of how our implicit moral judgments are often at odds with our conscious, explicitly stated moral reasoning.

Joshua Rottman and his colleagues presented 174 US participants (114 women; average age 21) online with eight fabricated obituaries that had the appearance of a real obituary published in a paper. The participants were mostly non-religious liberals. Half of them read obituaries about people killed by murder; the other half read obituaries for people killed by suicide. The wording for the obituaries began with a simple statement (e.g. "Louise Parker, who was 68 years old, died on January 11, 2008 due to [suicide/homicide]"). Apart from that single word difference at the end of the opening statement, the remainder of each obituary - a respectful description of the deceased - was the same for participants in the two conditions.

After reading each obituary, the participants were asked to rate the death according to how morally wrong it was; how angry it made them feel; how disgusted it made them feel; how much harm had been done; and whether the victim's soul had been tainted. The order of the questions was randomised. The participants were also asked to state explicitly why each suicide/homicide is morally wrong.

Overall, homicides were judged more morally wrong than suicides, as you'd expect. However, on average the suicides were also rated as morally wrong, consistent with previous public surveys. The most revelatory finding is that the participants' ratings for the moral wrongness of suicides was not correlated with their ratings of the harm caused. Rather, their judgment of moral wrongness was correlated with their ratings of how much the victim's soul was tainted. Consistent with this, the participants' feelings of disgust predicted their ratings for the moral wrongness of suicide, but their feelings of anger did not.

In contrast, to the findings for suicide, ratings for the moral wrongness of homicide were associated with judgments about harm, but not ratings about the tainting of victims' souls. "These results support our principal hypothesis," the researchers said, "suicide, but not homicide, is considered immoral when there are elevated concerns about spiritual taint (impurity), while the same is not true for concerns about harm." Intriguingly, this result was at odds with the participants' explicitly stated reasons for finding suicide morally wrong, which tended to focus on harm caused.

What about the participants' religious and political beliefs? As you might expect, those who were more conservative and religious tended to judge suicide as more morally wrong. But perhaps the most astonishing result from this research is that the link between seeing the victim's soul as tainted and seeing a suicide as morally wrong was just as strong for the non-religious and liberal as for the religious and conservative.

"These results suggest that even if people explicitly deny the existence of religious phenomena, natural tendencies to at least implicitly believe in souls can underlie intuitive moral judgments", the researchers said. The research has some limitations, as the researchers acknowledged - for example, all the participants were from the US, and there's a need to examine other forms of suicide, such as suicide bombers. Also, the causal role of beliefs about purity has not yet been proven.

However, the authors are to be credited for publishing several replications of their main finding (not detailed here). "A greater understanding of the processes that are relevant to the condemnation of suicide victims may prove useful for the millions worldwide who are affected by this widespread tragedy", the researchers concluded.

_________________________________

SOURCE:

BPS RESEARCH DIGEST : http://www.researchdigest.org.uk/

Rottman J, Kelemen D, and Young L (2014). Tainting the soul: Purity concerns predict moral judgments of suicide. Cognition, 130 (2), 217-26 PMID: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24333538

Author weblink: http://www.joshuarottman.com/

Same-Sex Parenting Does Not Harm Children, Research Review Finds

Are two mothers better than one?

Children who are raised by same-sex parents do just as well in social development, education and emotionally as those raised by heterosexual couples, an Australian review of the research finds.

In Australia 11% of gay men and 33% of lesbians have children–figures which will likely increase as barriers are reduced.

The review of the research was conduced by Deb Dempsey and commissioned by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (Dempsey, 2014).

The research certainly does not support the view that children brought up by same-sex parents are harmed as a result.

Two mothers

Quite the contrary, children brought up by lesbians may benefit from having two mothers–often reporting better relationships with their children and displaying higher levels of involvement.

The reason for this could be…

“…due to the “double dose” of “feminine” parenting. Just as heterosexual mothers usually have greater care-giving responsibilities and display greater parenting skill than heterosexual fathers, lesbian mothers appear to bring this gendered tendency to their parenting relationships.” (Dempsey, 2014).

While the review was broadly positive, some worries were expressed: children of same-sex parents are more likely to report concerns about bullying or other abuse based on the sexuality of their parents.

Set against this, the review finds that while there is fear of this type of bullying or abuse, it is not often actually experienced.

Equitable but not identical

Same-sex couples are also more likely to set an equitable example for their children. They are more likely to share the housework and to avoid privileging work over home-life.

While some studies have found negative effects on children of having same-sex parents (e.g. Regnerus, 2012), these have not taken into account the higher rates of separation amongst same-sex couples.

Experts no longer try to claim that outcomes of same-sex parenting are identical to heterosexual couples– along with some potential advantages comes the social stigma and higher rates of separation.

Nevertheless, a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics points out:

“Over the past decade, 11 countries have recognized marriage equality and, thus, allow marriage between 2 partners of the same gender: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, and Sweden. There has been no evidence that children in these countries have experienced difficulties as a result of these social changes.” (Perrin et al., 2013)

SOURCE:

http://www.spring.org.uk/2014/02/same-sex-parenting-does-not-harm-children-research-review-finds.php(accessed 9.2.14)

Και οι γκέι έχουν ψυχή;;;

Ελενα Ακρίτα | ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΗ: 30/11/2013 08:00 |

Μα τι το θέλουνε, ρε γαμώτο, αυτό το σύμφωνο συμβίωσης για τους γκέι; Σε λίγο θα μας πουν ότι οι «ανώμαλοι έχουν ίσα δικαιώματα με τους «νορμάλ». ΟΚ, δεν λέω... Και οι γκέι έχουν ψυχή. Οπως και οι μαύροι έχουν ψυχή. Μη σου πω και οι (λαθρο)μετανάστες έχουν ψυχή. (Οριακά βέβαια, αλλά μην το κάνουμε θέμα.)

Δεν είμαι ρατσίστρια ΑΛΛΑ: Νομίζω ότι ο εγκέφαλος του μαύρου είναι πιο μικρός από αυτόν του λευκού. Δεν είμαι φασίστρια, ΑΛΛΑ: Το «αίμα-τιμή-Χρυσή Αυγή» είναι η μόνη λύση για την πατρίδα μας. Δεν είμαι σεξίστρια ΑΛΛΑ: Μακριά από μας οι αδελφές. Βέβαια, ξέρω έναν, τον Μιχάλη που είναι γκέι και... εντάξει, τον λες και καλό ανθρωπάκι. Και επίσης έχω τη φριχτή υποψία ότι η κόρη τής απέναντι, η Ράνια, είναι λεσβία, αν και ευγενέστατη, κατά τα άλλα.

Κρίμα, όμως! Κι είναι κι όμορφα παιδιά. Σεξίστρια δεν με λες ΑΛΛΑ: Νόμιζα ότι οι γκέι είναι δύσμορφοι. Κακάσχημοι. Τέρατα. Και ότι ο μόνος λόγος που γίνονται γκέι είναι επειδή δεν τους θέλει κανένας από το αντίθετο φύλο. Οτι δηλαδή, αφού εξαντλήσεις όοοοολες τις πιθανότητες με το άλλο φύλο και φας ΤΙΣ χυλόπιτες - τότε μες στην απόγνωση, τα φτιάχνει αγοράκι με αγοράκι και κοριτσάκι με κοριτσάκι. Για να 'χουν κι αυτά κάτι να παίζουν. Κόντρα στη φύση, κατάλαβες;

Δεν με λες οπισθοδρομική ΑΛΛΑ: Δεν είναι φυσιολογικά αυτά τα πράγματα. Ο αρκούδος θα πάει με αρκουδίτσα. Ο σκύλος με σκυλίτσα. Ο ασβός με ασβούλα. Ο μυγούλης με μυγούλα και ο μελισσούλης με μελισσούλα.

Θα μου πεις τώρα εσύ πως, σύμφωνα με το έγκυρο ιατρικό site www.news-medical.net, υπάρχουν 1.500 είδη ζώων με ομοφυλοφιλικές σχέσεις. Το 2006 μάλιστα, το Πανεπιστήμιο του Οσλο στη Νορβηγία έκανε μια μεγάλη έκθεση με θέμα «Η ομοφυλοφιλία στο ζωικό βασίλειο».

Δεν με λες ζωολόγο ΑΛΛΑ: Μια ματιά να ρίξετε σε σχετικά άρθρα στον γκούγκλη θα διαπιστώσετε πως απ' όλα έχει ο μπαξές: Θηλαστικά, πουλιά, ψάρια, ερπετά, αμφίβια. Ακόμα και έντομα... Κι είναι κι όμορφα τα πιο πολλά, πανάθεμά τα! Γιατί δεν βρίσκουν ένα ταίρι ΤΗΣ ΠΡΟΚΟΠΗΣ;;;

Δεν με λες ντεμοντέ ΑΛΛΑ: Αυτό το σύμφωνο συμβίωσης για τα ομόφυλα ζευγάρια που εντάσσεται στο αντιρατσιστικό νομοσχέδιο, δεν το καταλαβαίνω. Δεν φτάνει που δεν τους αλείφουμε πίσσα και πούπουλα, θα τους δώσουμε και δικαιώματα παραπάνω. Ελεος δηλαδή!

Εντάξει, έχουν μια σχέση, άντε να το δεχτούμε. Εντάξει, ζούνε μαζί, άντε να το καταπιούμε - γιατί μας πέφτει και μεγάλος λόγος στη ζωή των άλλων! Αλλά το σύμφωνο συμβίωσης τι του βρήκες και το λιμπίστηκες, ρε πουλάκι μου; Κάνε εκεί το γούστο σου, την πλάκα σου - γιατί πείτε μου τώρα ότι ερωτεύονται οι ομόφυλοι, να τα δω όλα - και μετά ας πάει ο καθένας, όπου τον βγάλει η στράτα του.

Και μην ακούω τρελά. Οτι ζει ένα ζευγάρι χρόνια μαζί κι αν ο ένας φύγει από τη ζωή - ας έχει εξασφαλίσει τουλάχιστον τον-την σύντροφο του. Δεν με λες στενόμυαλη ΑΛΛΑ: Αυτά δεν είναι νορμάλ πράγματα. Το νορμάλ είναι να πεθαίνει ο ένας - και να μπουκάρει στο διαμέρισμα ο αδελφοξάδελφος από το πουθενά, να πετάει τον σύντροφο στον δρόμο, να παίρνει τα πάντα, να ξηλώνει μέχρι απλίκα και να τσεπώνει και τη σύνταξη!

Κι αυτές τις μαλακίες του Δικαστηρίου Ανθρώπινων Δικαιωμάτων - που καταδίκασε την Ελλάδα για τον αποκλεισμό των ομόφυλων ζευγαριών από το σύμφωνο συμβίωσης - να τις ξεχάσουνε. Εδώ είναι Μπαλκάνια δεν είναι παίξε-γέλασε! Εδώ ο άντρας είναι άντρας, η γυναίκα είναι γυναίκα, η μελιτζάνα είναι μελιτζάνα, το πολύμπριζο πολύμπριζο και η μπαλαντέζα μπαλαντέζα. Α και για να μην ξεχνάμε τις αθάνατες ελληνικές παραδόσεις - τα σύκα σύκα και η σκάφη σκάφη! Με έμφαση στα σύκα - όχι στη σκάφη!

Δεν με λες θρησκόληπτη - βοήθειά μου! - ΑΛΛΑ: Εχουν δίκιο οι παπάδες! Αυτά τα σύμφωνα είναι του διαβόλου. Ερωτα κάνουν μόνο άντρας με γυναίκα ΓΙΑ ΕΝΑΝ ΚΑΙ ΜΟΝΟ ΛΟΓΟ: Να τεκνοποιήσουνε. Παιδιά πατ κιουτ και τέρμα! Οι άνθρωποι - όλοι οι άνθρωποι - δεν κάνουν έρωτα, δεν ζουν μαζί επειδή ερωτεύονται και θέλουν να μοιραστούν ζωή, χαρές, λύπες, γέλια, πίκρες, βάσανα, νιάτα και γεράματα. Οοοοχι. Μόνο για κάνουν παιδιά. Π.χ. θες εσύ τώρα δύο παιδιά; Συνουσιάζεσαι ο άνθρωπος μια, δυο, τρεις, πέντε, δέκα. Τόσο όσο! Και μόλις γεννηθεί και το δεύτερο τέρμα. Κομμένο το σεξ.

Δεν ξέρω τι να πω με τα τέρατα και τα σημεία που συμβαίνουν γύρω μας. Ενα τελευταίο μόνο: Και οι γκέι έχουν ψυχή;

Δεν είμαι μεταφυσικός τύπος ΑΛΛΑ πολύ αμφιβάλλω!

ΕΝΤΥΠΗ ΕΚΔΟΣΗ

Πηγή:

http://www.tanea.gr/opinions/all-opinions/article/5059384/kai-oi-gkei-exoyn-psyxh/ (accessed 4.2.14)

Το γέλιο βοηθά και στην εξωσωματική γονιμοποίηση

Είναι πράγματι το γέλιο το καλύτερο…φάρμακο; Μπορεί όχι πάντα, αλλά ισραηλινή μελέτη υποστηρίζει μπορεί να βοηθήσει τις γυναίκες, που είναι στη διαδικασία της εξωσωματικής.

Είναι πράγματι το γέλιο το καλύτερο…φάρμακο; Μπορεί όχι πάντα, αλλά ισραηλινή μελέτη υποστηρίζει μπορεί να βοηθήσει τις γυναίκες, που είναι στη διαδικασία της εξωσωματικής.

219 γυναίκες, που υποβάλλονται σε τεχνητή γονιμοποίηση, συμμετείχαν σε έρευνα από ισραηλινή επιστημονική ομάδα.

Οι επιστήμονες διαπίστωσαν ότι οι πιθανότητες επιτυχίας της εξωσωματικής γονιμοποίησης ήταν πολύ μεγαλύτερες για τις γυναίκες εκείνες, που είχαν ψυχαγωγηθεί από επαγγελματία κλόουν, που εργάζεται σε νοσοκομείο λίγο αφότου τα έμβρυα εμφυτεύθηκαν στη μήτρα τους.

Συνολικά το 36% εξ αυτών είχαν μία επιτυχημένη εμβρυομεταφορά και έμειναν έγκυες, σε σχέση με το 20% των γυναικών εκείνων, στις οποίες έγινε η εμφύτευση του εμβρύου χωρίς να ψυχαγωγηθούν.

Ο επικεφαλής της έρευνας εξηγεί ότι η ιδέα για τη διεξαγωγή της προέκυψε, όταν διάβασε για την πιθανή επίδραση στον οργανισμό, που έχει το γέλιο ως «φυσικός μηχανισμός κατά του στρες».

«Οι ασθενείς, που πάσχουν από υπογονιμότητα και υποβάλλονται σε τεχνητή γονιμοποίηση είναι υπερβολικά αγχωμένες», αναφέρει και συμπληρώνει: «Έτσι έκρινα ότι αυτή η επέμβαση θα ήταν ευεργετική για εκείνες κατά τα κρίσιμα λεπτά μετά τη μεταφορά του εμβρύου».

Για να δοκιμάσει την ιδέα του, η ερευνητική ομάδα ζήτησε από έναν κλόουν να επισκέπτεται κατά περιόδους, σε διάστημα ενός χρόνου, την κλινική γονιμότητας.

Από τις 219 γυναίκες, που συμμετείχαν στην έρευνα, οι μισές υποβλήθηκαν σε εμβρυομεταφορά την ημέρα, που ο κλόουν βρισκόταν στην κλινική.

Κατά τη διάρκεια της αποθεραπείας μετά τη διαδικασία, η κάθε γυναίκα δέχτηκε 15λεπτη επίσκεψη από τον κλόουν.

Οι ερευνητές διαπίστωσαν ότι σε σύγκριση με τις γυναίκες, που επισκέφθηκαν την κλινική την ημέρα που δεν βρισκόταν εκεί ο κλόουν, εκείνες που γέλασαν μαζί του είχαν παραπάνω από τις διπλάσιες πιθανότητες να μείνουν έγκυες.

Έλαβαν, φυσικά, υπόψιν και άλλους παράγοντες, όπως την ηλικία, τον τύπο της υπογονιμότητας και τον αριθμό των εμβρύων, που εμφυτεύτηκαν.

Πηγή:

www.mother.gr (accessed 4.2.14)

Βρέθηκε η αιτία για όσους δεν μπορούν να ξυπνήσουν το πρωί

Κοιμάστε νωρίς το βράδυ και ξυπνάτε επίσης νωρίς το πρωί; Ή μήπως πέφτετε για ύπνο αργά και σηκώνεστε για πρωί το… μεσημέρι;

Την επόμενη φορά που η μαμά σας, η γιαγιά σας, η φίλη σας ή το αφεντικό σας, γκρινιάξει επειδή αργήσατε να ξυπνήσετε… ενημερώστε τους ότι δεν έχετε καμία ευθύνη και πως για όλα φταίνε τα γονίδιά σας!

Ειδικοί νευρογενετιστές εκτιμούν ότι το πρωινό ξύπνημα εξαρτάται από τα γονίδια. Ο Dr Louis Ptacek από το πανεπιστήμιο της Καλιφόρνια ανέφερε μάλιστα ότι η καλύτερη κατανόηση του «χρονότυπου» κάθε ατόμου, δηλαδή ποια ώρα της ημέρας λειτουργεί καλύτερα, μπορεί να μας βοηθήσει να ζούμε πιο υγιεινά.

«Είτε μας αρέσει, είτε όχι οι γονείς μας είναι αυτοί που μας λένε πότε πηγαίνουμε για ύπνο, σύμφωνα με τα γονίδια που μας έχουν κληροδοτήσει» είπε χαρακτηριστικά στο BBC.

Ο υποθάλαμος στον εγκέφαλο ελέγχει όλες τις σωματικές δραστηριότητες, από την απελευθέρωση ορμονών μέχρι τη ρύθμιση της θερμοκρασίας και την πρόσληψη νερού.

Το εσωτερικό, κιρκαδικό ρολόι που έχουμε όλοι μας ρυθμίζεται κάθε ημέρα από το φως και καθώς η διάρκεια της ημέρας είναι 24 ώρες, θα περίμενε κανείς το ρολόι όλων μας να «έτρεχε» με ένα παρόμοιο προγραμματισμό. Όμως δε συμβαίνει αυτό.

Στην έρευνα του Dr Ptacek συμμετείχαν οικογένειες που έπασχαν από διαταραχές ύπνου. Ο ερευνητής εντόπισε ένα μεταλλαγμένο γονίδιο, το οποίο οδηγούσε στην παραγωγή μιας πρωτεΐνης που ρυθμίζει τον κύκλο του ύπνου και κατέληξε στο συμπέρασμα, ότι διάφορες μεταλλάξεις του γονιδίου αυτού οδηγούν τελικά στη διαμόρφωση του χρονότυπου και των προτύπων ύπνου που ακολουθεί κάθε άτομο.

medicalnews.gr

Πηγή: http://www.koutipandoras.gr/article/105858/vrethike-i-aitia-gia-osoys-den-mporoyn-na-xypnisoyn-proi (accessed 4.2.14)

Philip Seymour Hoffman: What makes someone relapse into addiction?

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman reportedly died after taking drugs, having apparently been clean for more than two decades. But what causes relapses like this, asks Ed Ram.

Philip Seymour Hoffman first checked himself into rehab after graduating in drama from New York University in 1989. He was a heroin user and addicted to alcohol. In an interview in 2011 he said that problem was "pretty serious" at the time. "I know, deep down, I still look at the idea of drinking with the same ferocity that I did back then. It's still pretty tangible," he told the Guardian. "Just because all that time's passed doesn't mean maybe it was just a phase. That's you know, that's who I am," he added.

While it might strike most non-addicts as strange that someone would revert to destructive behaviour after years of sobriety, it is actually common. "Heroin abuse is a persistent and pernicious disorder and it's difficult to break free from it," says John Marsden, a doctor in addiction psychology at King's College London. "A relapse is common."

The fundamental issue is the long-term nature of the problem. "It's addiction that is the problem," says Mark Johnson, a former heroin user and the founder of ex-offender charity User Voice. "It's an illness that doesn't go away. You put down the drugs and everyone thinks that you have stopped the problem but that's not the case."

The mental and physiological problem of addiction need to be put into the same realm as depression, says Elliot Elam, from drug and alcohol treatment charity Addaction. "It simmers in the background - people can learn to cope with it or overcome it but it's not a problem that can be cured." Particular triggers can spark a relapse, like with any addiction, such as smoking. The trigger could be a stressful day at work, a break up or a couple of drinks - the same pattern of relapse can be seen in the use of drugs like heroin, says Elam. "We often see problems of family troubles, losing a job, long-term illness, bereavement, relationship issues, stress, and so on."

Equally a trigger could be through association, Marsden explains. A former addict could have seen someone picking up some drugs that they used to take, have had a familiar drink, or even seen an old friend from the time that they were using.

Whatever the situation, a relapse is always a conscious decision, Johnson insists. It starts with an emotional relapse that can start months before use. "Hoffman would have known that he was going to do it - it doesn't just happen." And giving in to the trigger is often down to complacency. "Sometimes when people have been clean for a while they think they have overcome the illness of addiction," says Johnson. This just isn't the case. They think they can deal with the drug because they have managed to control themselves for so long, Johnson suggests.

Their ability to control themselves to the extent of not taking the drug then erroneously leads them to believe they could therefore handle taking the drug. This can result in a relapse into drug use.

To some extent, most experts agree, addiction is forever.

SOURCE:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-26016953 (accessed 4.2.14)