Income Gaps Increases Unhappiness

Income Gaps Increases Unhappiness

http://www.livescience.com/14638-income-inequality-costing-americans-happiness.html

According to research to be published soon in the journal Psychological Science,

Americans are happier in times when the gap between the rich and poor is smaller.

The results apply to those in low- to middle-income brackets, roughly 60 percent

of Americans. The income gap did not affect the happiness scores of wealthier Americans.

The income inequality is measured using an index called the Gini coefficient, the larger the number, the greater the gap between rich and poor.

The researchers used the U.S. General Social Survey, which questioned 48,000 random Americans between 1972 through 2008. The respondents answered questions on how happy they were, how much they trusted others, and how fair they thought other people were. During times with a lower Gini coefficient, low- to middle-class people were happier. The researchers reasoned that when the income gap grew, poorer Americans became more distrustful and thought they weren’t treated as fairly. This would explain why countries with lower income gaps have become happier while their wealth grew, while it has not with Americans. Happiness ratings haven’t risen along with national wealth in the last 50 years.

If all Americans made enough money to afford a middle class life style and no one was rich or poor then Americans would be happier. This could affect all Americans depending on what is done about it.

Peer Pressure: How to overcome

Peer pressure is one of the leading troubles in a teen's life, as well as some adults. It is the way your peers get you to do something you don't want to do. For instance, "Dude! No one does these blogs! Just don't do 'em, it's not like anything's gonna happen, nobody does 'em! Dr. Boyd can't pick on EVERYONE!" Yes, I've thought it. Peer pressure happens to all of us. Peer pressure is how I got involved in marijuana (see the addiction post) which I can't say was my best decision. My friends were all telling me how great it was, so I tried it. One of the worst mistakes I've ever made. These little tips have helped me, so I'll pass them on to you so you too can overcome the hell that is peer pressure.

• Yes, it can be hard to be the only one to say no, but you can. Think about your own true feelings. I know, it can be hard in the moment with your brain racing, trying to think about what not to do, but all your friends saying do it, but give it a try next time you're faced by peer pressure.


• Pick your friends wisely. When your faced by peer pressure, a lot of power can be taken out of that pressure when even only 1 other person says no. Especially when that person is willing to back you up when you say no as well.


• Stay away from the people you even expect to try to pressure you. Usually they are going to. If you stay away, it's harder for them to notice you, because they're probably pre-occupied by something else, such as cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol.


• If you're facing it alone, try to say no. If not, it happens. If you do give in, just try to talk to a trust worthy friend, a parent, school counselor, etc. Talking helps.

Plate Color May Improve Food's Flavor

Plate Color May Improve Food's Flavor http://livescience.com/17046-plate-color-flavor-psychology.html

A new study has shown plate color affects how people perceive the

flavor of their food. The study was led by Betina Piqueras-Fiszman

of the Universitat Politecnica de Valecia and the University of Oxford.

It was published online in the journal Food Quality and Preference Sept. 5th.

The researchers gave 53 volunteers small domes of strawberry mousse on white or black plates and asked them to rate perceived sweetness, flavor intensity and quality, as well as how much they liked it. The tasters liked the mousse on the white plates more and found it to be more flavorful and sweeter. They also rated it as higher quality but the results weren't statistically significant. They also tested plate shapes, however, there was no difference in perceived flavor with circular, square, or triangular plates. The researchers felt the mousse appeared more intense against the lighter background and this visual illusion influenced perceived flavor. In the future, the researchers would like to further investigate the effects of other hues and plate characteristics to enhance the perception and experience of food.

Never paid attention to the color of the plates. Paper plates are fine as long as the food is good. We have blue plates at home and I can try this experiment with some blue and white plates.

Alien Hand Syndrome (AHS)

Yes it's real, yes it's bad, and no it's not an alien. Alien Hand Syndrome (AHS) is a disease where the afflicted persons hand seems to take on a mind of it's own. It is most commonly seen in a person who has had the two hemispheres of the brain disconnected, or after other brain surgery, strokes, or infections. Some symptoms can include distinct movements of the hand different from the mind of the carrier. It can be controled, but not cured.

Emotion and it's effects

Emotion consists of love, pleasure, happiness, thanks, and hate, sorrow, guilt, saddnes, and many more. Emotion shows that we are in fact human. But emotion doesn't act on only life, it acts and inanimate objects as well. Water, for instance. Masaru Emoto did an experiment. Watch the video for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWAuc9GIvFo This amazing. It really shows the need for positive thought.

Love

Remember that last blog about addiction? Well guess what...uh huh, you guessed it! Love is actually an addiction in a sense. We are hard-wired to love because we need to love our own child, and typically it's easiest to care for a child if their are two, so those two must have a reason to stay together. Love is a powerful and consuming emotion. Don't take that negatively, because love is amazing. Love is a way to connect with someone, enjoy them. Love motivates us. It exhilirates us, and it is the only thing keeping our species alive, if you know what I mean. Most love is mental, but there are the physical aspects of it. Love doesn't have to be with a spouce though. It can be with a best friend, with a starving child. You feel love with almost everyone. Granted, there are those people who you absolutely cannot love, because you just don't fit. Whether you see love as beautiful thing, or a way to keep us living, you're right.
Love is actually an emotion we feel, which comes from our brain. Our brain precieves it as pleasureful, and wants more. This is why we strive for love. There are certain things, most pertaining the senses, that contribute to love, and partially libido. These include:

1. Appearance-when someone is attractive to another, it can stimulate, and possibly remind the on looker of a pleasureable experience. It is said that one might enjoy the appearance of someone that might look somewhat similar. Sounds odd, but experiements have proven that it is possible.


2. Personality-a nice person never hurts. Once again, it is said that one might enjoy the personality of themselves, or more often, their mother.


3. Pheromones-this is a smell that attracts the opposite sex. Want to know what it smells like? Men smell like cologne, women smell like perfume. Only, not nearly as strong. Colognes and perfumes were created to stimulate the pheromone senses.

There are 3 stages to love. Lust, Attraction, Attachement. Lust is the sexual need, or libido. Attraction is the want to be with the person. Attachement is the want to never split away from the person. Most often, in a romantic relationship, lust is the first stimulating stage. In friendships, it is attraction.

Love has its effects. It is a feeling that is hard to understand, hard to explain, but amazing to feel. Not all people have the pleasure of feeling it, some people spend their life looking for it. It can cause trouble, but once it's found, it cannot easily be lost.

Addictions: The painful truth

Addictions aren't just cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. Nope, they can include just about everything from shopping, internet, video games, food, etc. The list goes on. I will be talking about addictions in general, but will most likely be making comments on alcohol as I have second hand experience from my father being an alcoholic. I will also being making comments and marijuana as I have had first hand experiences with the drug a few years back.
Addiction can be either mental, or physical. There is some debate to whether marijuana is a mentally addictive drug, or physically addictive. There is some debate whether it's even a drug at all. Some marijuana users, including myself from freshman year, stated that marijuana is only an herb, from nature. On the other hand, cigarattes, alcohol, and other drugs are proven to be physically addictive, as they show what can happen when not used.
One of the best ways to overcome addiction is healthy use of the substance. For instance, if you are addicted to alcohol, and drink a 6-pack a day, drink a bottle a day, then take baby steps from there. The same goes with many other substances. The number one way to stay off of addictions though, is to never start. Some people get it lucky, and they may try it a few times, and never get phyically addicted but only psychologically addicted, which is much easier to overcome, or not addicted at all. With my marijuana use, I only became psychologically addicted. Once again, there is debate to whether you can become physically addicted, but it was still hard to overcome. After I quit, I still had cravings plenty times a day, which slower lowered to once a year. Yes I still have cravings once in a blue moon, but I choose to overcome them. Do your best, and don't start. Coming from a teen, it's not fun to get off. Enjoy your life, get high on life, and be happy. You don't need help from substances to get happy, get help from your peers. The good ones.