When the going gets tough, the weak get going on their babies. A new study finds a rise in “shaken baby syndrome” correlates with economic downturns. At one hospital, the number of babies that were hospitalized for what is known as “non-accidental head trauma” doubled during th recession. [More]
studies
Sitting Can Literally Kill You
By 4.18.11
If you’ve ever worried that you were slowly dying by spending your days trapped in cubicle-land, you don’t have to worry anymore. You’re right. And according to new research, the threat isn’t merely existential. Sitting for long periods of time set off a chain reaction of events that quicken your shuffle off this mortal coil. [More]
Study: Suicide Rates Climb In Tough Economic Times
By 4.15.11
According to researchers, suicide rates rise when investments tank and the job market becomes less forgiving, especially among those in the post-college, pre-retirement age range. [More]
Instead Of Returning Stuff That Doesn't Fit In, We Buy More
By 4.11.11
We’ve all been there. That purple end table that looked so fetch in the store is woefully out of place when you bring it back to your abode. The rational thing to do would be to return the item. According to a new study, instead, what we do is go out and buy more things like it to make it fit in. [More]
Shopping Helps Keep Old People Alive Longer: Study
By 4.7.11
Regular shopping trips could actually extend the lives of older people, a new study finds. Those who shopped every day were 27% not as apt to die within 10 years as people who shopped only once a week. [More]
Even With New Fees, Most Checking Accounts Beat Prepaid Debit Cards
By 4.4.11
Pushers of prepaid debit cards say the fees they charge are comparable to a checking account, but a new study by Consumers Union, publishers of Consumer Reports and this blog, finds that by and large, checking accounts are still a better deal. [More]
People Who Feel Loved Put Lower Value On Material Objects, And Vice Versa
By 3.4.11
Here’s a new way to make fun of misers. People who feel more loved and accepted by others place a lower value on their physical possessions, according to a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. [More]
Craigslist Says "Cesspool" Study Is "False And Defamatory"
By 2.25.11
A new study calls Craigslist a “cesspool” of crime — a study that Craiglist says was paid for by the competition and which it calls “false and defamatory.” [More]
Men Pay More Attention To "Sexier" News Anchors, But Remember Less
By 1.25.11
TV networks try to boost ratings by hiring comely female anchors and dressing them and shooting them in ways to accentuate their visual assets, but a study finds it actually reduces the amount of information recalled by male viewers. The “sexier” the female anchors, the more attention men pay, but the less they remember of what the news was about. [More]
Learn Better By Studying Less And Taking More Tests
By 1.21.11
If you really want to learn something, stop cracking those books as much and take more tests. That’s the upshot of new research published in the journal Science. In it they had students read a chunk of text and then take a test which required them to recall what they read. A week later, they showed a 50% higher retention rate on the information from the passage than students using other techniques. So if you’re paying for your kids to get tutored, make sure they’re having your child do a healthy mix of practice tests and not just studying. [More]
Brain Cells In Fear And Rage Sector Change When You Shop
By 1.10.11
Single brain cells become altered in unison when you’re shopping, a new study finds. [More]
Drinking More Makes You Exercise More
By 1.7.11
Scientists aren’t sure why but research shows that people who drink more are more likely to exercise longer and more intensely. [More]
Database Shows How Likely It Is You Will Die At A Dialysis Clinic
By 12.23.10
For the first time ever, patients can have access to previously secret government information about survival rates at specific dialysis clinics. ProPublica got the info through a Freedom of Information Act request and has put it together in an easily searchable database. This is important because some of these places, especially if they’re for-profit, have pretty bad track records at keeping their patients alive. [More]
Eat Less By Imagining You're Eating More
By 12.13.10
If you’re trying to cut back on how much you chow down, before you dig in, try imagining yourself eating much more than is in front of you. A new study found that people who practiced visualizing in this way wind up eating about 2/3 less. [More]
For-Profit Dialysis Centers Have Higher Mortality Rates, Up To 24%
By 12.9.10
If you’re a patient at the largest for-profit dialysis chain in America, you’re 19% more likely to end up dying than if you went to a non-profit chain. If you’re at the second-largest for-profit chain, you’re 24% more likely to die. These disturbing results were released in a new study in the Health Services Research journal. Guess if you’re going in for dialsysis, you’ll want to think carefully about your choice of treatment options and don’t forget to include a non-profit center in your selection process. [More]
Flame Retardants Found In Butter
By 12.9.10
I can’t believe it’s not butter! Well, it’s not. It’s flame retardant, and food researchers found it inside butter they bought from the supermarket. [More]
Only 9% Of Students At For-Profit Colleges Graduate Within 6 Years
By 11.24.10
If you’re planning on getting ahead in life with a degree from a for-profit college, consider this: a new report says that only 9% of students there graduate within 6 years. Ah, so that’s the reason why you don’t see too many University of Phoenix degrees hanging on the walls of high-powered execs. [More]
Jet Lag Can Make You Stupid
By 11.19.10
That fuzzy feeling you get when you cross several timezones? That’s you getting dumber. [More]
