9 Şubat 2017 Perşembe
13 Ocak 2017 Cuma
6 Ağustos 2016 Cumartesi
Love Reading? Science Proves Bookworms Live Longer
Here’s one the bookworms will definitely celebrate. Not that you’re looking for more reasons to curl up with a good book, but just in case you’re looking for one, you’ll definitely want to hear this one.
All you book lovers out there may actually be living longer lives than your non-reading counterparts. Hard to believe? Ask the experts. Science actually shows reading at least three and a half hours a day can help you live longer than the average person who prefers to watch videos on YouTube on a long commute or crush it on Candy Crush before heading off to la-la land.
That’s right. Even while you’re thinking of putting in a thousand steps on your pedometer every day or taking in your daily dose of leafy greens and lean proteins, you shouldn’t forget to nourish your mind (and dare I say, soul) as well. All the most hard-core readers don’t even need an empirical, unbiased, and systematic study to prove it, but it’s nice to have science on your side, isn’t it?
A study published in Social Science & Medicine journal shows how researchers followed the lives of more than 3,500 people to study how their reading habits affected the length of their lives.
The result? After factoring in things such as age, sex, race, marital status, education, perceived health, and wealth, the researchers found out that people who read a book for around half an hour every day were 17 percent less likely to die than their non-reading counterparts.
People who read more than that had even higher chances – 23% — of living than people who did read a book at all. All in all, book readers were found to live almost two years longer than people who did not read a book.
Keep in mind that this is for people who read books specifically. If you’re more of a newspaper or magazine person, it’s likely you’ll still live a longer life, but not as long as the book readers. What the study showed was people who preferred newspapers or magazines or even blogs also enjoyed some longevity benefits, but not as much as the book readers.
Still, a benefit is a benefit is a benefit, and it’s definitely NOT the time to quit your reading habit now. In fact, I say this is the perfect time to jumpstart this perfectly advantageous habit. Read everything you can – from books to magazines and blogs and even food labels. (Reading food labels is an extremely helpful habit that I think will improve your quality of life even more, as it makes you aware of what you’re actually putting inside your body.)
As to why reading is good for your health is not actually clear (at least, not scientifically, yet). The study did not focus on why reading books can help someone live a longer life. And to be very clear about it, the research doesn’t say that reading books every day causes you to live longer. It just says people who read books every day live longer than people who don’t.
Of course, we’re free to make a few science-based inferences. A number of other scientific studies have proven that a person’s literacy level has a lot of impact on other aspects of their life.
For instance, children who read books early on are more likely to enjoy better socio-economic status when they grow up. This gives them better access to resources that can help them take care of their physical, mental, and emotional well-being as well as that of their loved ones.
Also, British research shows that a large portion of prisoners have a reading level that is way below that of other people. It doesn’t say that not reading causes people to commit crime. It just says people who don’t read books or read less are more likely to commit crime than people who read more books. There is an obvious link there, but exactly what it is, we still haven’t established.
So there you go. If living a longer life isn’t enough motivation for you to pick up a good book, I don’t know what it. Although in my case, I’d say living another life in another world, even if just for the moment, is motivation enough for me.
Just keep in mind that reading is just as sedentary as sitting in front of your computer at work or lounging on the couch to watch Netflix on a rainy day. It’s probably safe to say that you shouldn’t go expecting to live a hundred years if you’re literally always slipping away to a quiet corner to curl up with the book of the month.
There is no fountain of youth. There is no magic bullet. There is no single answer. The key to living a happy and healthy life to your 90s and even 100s is still a good mix of a lot of things. These include eating good, healthy food, getting as much physical movement as you can, and giving your mind a good level of stimulation (from books, people and other things). Remember, becoming healthy and staying healthy is not a one-shot deal. It’s a lifelong endeavor that you have to work at in the beginning but becomes a part of you in the end.
Andy Atari is a fitness blogger, researcher, and enthusiast. She writes for the every guy and every girl, the average Joes and Janes of the world who aren’t training to win a competition tomorrow or run a marathon in a week. She believes that everyone can have a fit and strong body, a goal that is not impossible to achieve if you set your mind to it. For more information, check out Andy’s blog at FitnessAtrium.com.
Love Reading? Science Proves Bookworms Live Longer
30 Haziran 2014 Pazartesi
The Hobby Lobby ruling proves guys of the law nonetheless can"t get over "immoral" girls having sex | Jessica Valenti
Thirty-5 many years ago, cultural critic Ellen Willis wrote, “it is depressing to have to insist that intercourse is not an pointless, morally dubious self-indulgence but a simple human require, no much less for women than for males”.
If it was depressing in 1979, it seems to be downright miserable right now.
Simply because let us be clear: Even though Monday’s US supreme court ruling in favor of Pastime Lobby was officially about religious freedom, the actual problem at stake is intercourse – namely, if females must be capable to have it as freely as men.
The court ruled – in a 5-four selection in which all the female justices dissented – that a closely-held firm does not have to cover contraception underneath the Inexpensive Care Act. Hobby Lobby argued that, as a corporation, it has religious objections to specified varieties of contraception that it believes are “abortifacients” (they are not). But the underlying values that drove this firm to sue – and spurred a nationwide debate – is the belief that girls possessing pre-marital or non-procreative sex is wrong.
There is a explanation that the very first large-scale cultural response to the situation of insurance coverage for birth management was a female law student currently being named a “slut”. Sandra Fluke’s testimony to a congressional committee in favor of contraceptive coverage for a friend’s serious healthcare condition set off an apoplectic frenzy of sexually-based mostly attacks on her – and they weren’t just restricted to pundit Rush Limbaugh calling her a “slut” and “prostitute” on the air. (Even right now, I still see tweets calling her a “whore”.)
A lot more than 30 many years after ladies thought the proper to birth handle was fought and won, we are still obtaining to justify why we’d like to have intercourse – and why that does not make us negative, immoral or disgusting individuals.
The real issues of conservative “freedom-seekers” are manufactured especially clear in the amicus briefs in help of Pastime Lobby – which sound far more like abstinence-only education curricula than legal arguments.
One particular quick from the Beverly Lahaye Institute and Janice Crouse (who as soon as gave a sex talk to school college students referred to as “False Guarantees, Searing Ache, Tragic Troubles”) insists that the court take into account the “documented adverse results the widespread availability of contraceptives has on women’s capability to enter into and preserve sought after marital relationships”. The American Freedom Center argued that birth control has “harmed girls physically, emotionally, morally, and spiritually”. And attorney David Boyle wrote in his short that contraceptives are not needed, “considering that sexual relations are fundamentally a voluntary activity. … [S]ex is only a human want (like bowling or stamp collecting), not an real need”.
Bowling or stamp collecting. The jokes compose themselves.
Legal decisions about contraception have often been primarily based, at least in element, on issues about women’s possible promiscuity. The supreme court choice in Eisenstadt v Baird that gave unmarried Americans the correct to procure birth manage – in, yes, 1972 – was sparked by the arrest of William Baird after he handed a condom to an unmarried girl at a lecture he was offering about birth manage at Boston University. At the time, his action violated Massachusetts law on “crimes towards chastity”.
Decades later on, we have seen the conservative obsession with women’s sexual purity restrict accessibility to Prepare B and the HPV vaccine – and now it truly is interfering with women’s access to well being care, of which sexual well being is certainly a element.
Dr Nancy L Stanwood, the chair of the board at Doctors for Reproductive Well being, launched a statement on Monday saying that “[c]ontraception is crucial to women’s wellness and effectively-currently being, a critical element of preventive care, and integral to the wellness of families.”
The court put to rest the slippery slope concern many had, stating that the their selection “considerations only the contraceptive mandate” and not vaccinations or blood transfusions. But Louise Melling, the deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, mentioned in a phone after the ruling that this exceptionalism only would seem to apply when it comes to ladies and reproductive rights – or, as lawyer and writer Jill Filipovic tweeted, “Whew, really glad #SCOTUS made positive its #HobbyLobby decision would not negatively effect guys who need to have health-related care some religions object to!”.
And although SCOTUSblog reported that the choice will let for the government to “offer option techniques [for girls] to receive or access [contraception] coverage”, several women’s health leaders I heard from mentioned that is far from particular.
No matter the legal rhetoric, the message about ladies and sex stays the identical. It seems suitable that that quote from Ellen Willis is from the essay “Abortion: Is a Lady a Man or woman?” Since what’s at stake in a choice like this – and in a debate like this – is women’s basic humanity, of which sexuality is an integral part. Yes, contraception is about overall health and females frequently require birth handle for health-related factors – but we also need it for intercourse, and which is just fine.
The supreme court wrote that this selection doesn’t “give a shield for employers who may cloak illegal discrimination as a religious practice”. But what else can we phone the focusing on of contraception – and the targeting of women’s well being and lives?
Read through Much more ON Pastime LOBBY:
• Hobby Lobby ruling: Companies can refuse to supply contraception coverage
• Gallery: Reactions to the supreme court’s ruling on corporation’s religious rights
• You advised us: Me and my affordable birth control
• Plus: What Sandra Fluke is aware of about Pastime Lobby
The Hobby Lobby ruling proves guys of the law nonetheless can"t get over "immoral" girls having sex | Jessica Valenti
15 Mayıs 2014 Perşembe
Mario Kart 8 Proves Nintendo Is The Game Maker For Grown-Ups
I think Mario Kart eight is just about the most mature game I’ve played this 12 months. I know readers won’t like this post. They’ll disagree. For some cause it appears to have become amazing to hate Nintendo. I’m alone in my adoration and it is primarily since I publish from a father’s viewpoint. I’m confident my premise will seem to be absurd to most readers. How could I call the game maker that can make ‘kiddie’ video games mature? I’ll describe.
A blister has practically formed on my thumb from pressing down the accelerator button. My children and I have been giggling and playing together nonstop. Mario Kart eight is intergenerational bliss. Parents and kids ought to all play this game collectively.
Ordinarily, I’d cite some research. I’ve written many posts (like this 1) explaining the benefits that come from mothers and fathers and little ones playing video video games together. But I’m not creating that this time. This is not about analysis.
I also really do not want this to be a overview of the game reviewer is really not within my talent set. Besides, Erik Kain has currently written the only assessment you want to read through about this extremely anticipated game. His review, and the others about the net, are overwhelmingly optimistic. Despite the truth that the recent trend in game journalism seems to be negative on Nintendo, number of writers can deny that this eighth iteration of the classic go-kart racer has stunning artwork and top-notch controls. Even the negative evaluations appear to be complaining about what’s been removed because the final version. Paradoxically, they are reviewing what’s not there. It is virtually as if we all comprehend just how excellent Nintendo is at generating video video games. So a lot so that we get the achievements for granted.
The greatest achievement here is that Mario Kart 8 is just as considerably fun for me to play as it is for my six year previous, my eight yr outdated, and absolutely everyone else who has visited my residence given that we downloaded our review copy (like my adolescent teenaged nephew). Contemplate that for a moment. This game is challenging ample for me that I want to perform, but nonetheless basic ample for my six year outdated that he stays stimulated.
We snuggle up subsequent to each and every other on the sofa, controllers in hand, playing with each other. We talk about our favored race tracks, the very best motor vehicle modifications, and how this model compares to Mario Kart seven. There is one thing truly particular about the expertise. I feel like a father when I perform.
As a mother or father, I’m always striving to introduce my kids to things that I appreciated in my youth. I play them music. I present them films. I get them to the parks I loved. I introduce them to the comfort meals that come accompanied with fond memories. Most of the time it doesn’t perform. Times alter. Items age. What appeals to a single generation is hardly of interest to the following. But Mario is different.
Mario is like Star Wars. From the minute I showed the very first film to my little ones, they were hooked and I was flooded with recollections. Handful of motion pictures span generations like this. It is like LEGO. There’s a timelessness in the entertaining-element of the brick. Most toys wane with age. Mario, Luigi, and the gang be successful. And with Mario Kart 8, Nintendo masterfully builds a game that blends grown up nostalgia refreshed in a way that keeps it from feeling dated.
They’ve managed to do this again and once more in recent many years. New Super Mario Brothers. Super Mario 3D Globe. Yoshi’s New Island. Kirby Triple Deluxe. Each new title, one particular after the subsequent, stands out in the household group in approaches nobody else looks capable of matching. This is a mark of maturity.
Certain, these aren’t the video games we place the “M” rating on. But we live in a society that believes an adolescent perspective of violence, destruction, and fight is “mature.” Following all, the U.S. is founded on revolution. And we continue to be like perpetual youngsters, celebrating rebelliousness and the most simplistic iterations of the Oedipal struggle. Our most lauded folks are the “innovators” and “disruptors.” Cue the classic Apple Personal computer commercial in your head the dreamers, the misfits, the crazy ones, and so forth.
That’s teenaged things, a narrative of perpetual obsolescence—-too significantly plastic packaging and not ample recycling–that’s wasteful and unsustainable. The rebels of these days become the fathers of tomorrow, waiting to be disrupted by the subsequent generation. It is counterproductive. As a father, I don’t value new, shiny, provocative, and edgy in the identical way I worth sustainability, stability, mindfulness, and training. I’m seeking for fun. I’m looking for thoughtful. I’m hunting for options to bond with my kids. I’m seeking for anything that transcends generational idiosyncrasies. Generating games that accomplishes this impresses me.
This is the maturity that tends to make me consider Nintendo is foremost the pack in a game industry that’s just now crossing in excess of into adulthood. Just as numerous of the game producers and executives of the previous generation have grown up to begin operating on social affect and educational games (have you observed the trailer for In no way Alone that Alan Gershenfeld, former Activision executive is involved in?), I believe Nintendo continues to show unmatched maturity in their centered focus on family games–not games for little ones, but video games that the whole loved ones can take pleasure in together.
I motivate every single mother or father to play Mario Kart 8 with their little ones. At the really least, I consider you are assured a couple of nights exactly where you’re all staring at one particular display together instead of person personal screens alone.
Afterward, take a stroll, nature is the most mature game maker of all.
Jordan Shapiro is author of FREEPLAY: A Video Game Manual to Greatest Euphoric Bliss, and MindShift’s Guidebook To Games And Learning For information on Jordan’s approaching books and events click right here.
Mario Kart 8 Proves Nintendo Is The Game Maker For Grown-Ups