Don’t Be a Jerk – You’ll Live Longer!

Don’t Be a Jerk – You’ll Live Longer! That’s the gist of nearly a dozen new studies, which have been compiled and published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest. The research involves millions of people, who were tested and studied at different times over the past seven decades! The results are fairly unanimous: Smart people who do good deeds for others tend to live longer - and suffer fewer diseases - than bullies with lower IQs.

- For example, one study found a strong link between lower IQs and a higher likelihood of being admitted to the hospital.

- Also, a 30-year Scottish study found a strong relationship between lower intelligence and a higher risk for heart disease and stroke.

- In a 65-year study, researchers found that grade-school students who showed signs of being conscientious – or charitable towards others - were more likely to still be alive in their 70s!

So what’s going on here? In a nutshell: Researchers say smarter people make smarter decisions, meaning they’re more likely to understand the benefits of exercising, eating a healthy diet, and the hazards of smoking. Smart people also tend to be better at using common sense to avoid accidents, and they’re less likely to be injured in fights, or to die by suicide.

The shocker in this report is the conclusion that being nice to others can influence how long you live. Because in study after study, people who were highly conscientious were less likely to develop diabetes, high blood pressure, bone problems, stroke, and Alzheimer’s! However, “mean” people who were self-absorbed were more likely to die at a young age. Why would this happen? Researchers say one explanation is that selfish people tend to be more cynical and distrustful of others, so they’re less likely to see doctors. Selfish people also tend to be overly confident, so they take more risks with their health and well-being - thinking “bad things happen to other people, not me.” Turns out, they’re dead wrong.

Your Guide to Better Sleep

From Journal Psychology Today:

It's what we do in response to a bout of insomnia that determines whether we will end up with long-term sleep problems. The fact is the sleep system tends to right itself after a few nights of insomnia—provided you make no adjustments to your sleep-wake cycle.

We all know that sleep is crucial to having the energy and ability to perform whatever it is we want to do. All it takes is one or two sleepless nights to drive home that point—and we all have a sleepless night or two sometimes. It's the cost of being human and having the capacity to worry about the future and chew over the past.

Yet, it's what we do in response to a bout of insomnia that determines whether we will end up with long-term sleep problems. The fact is that the sleep system tends to right itself after a few nights of insomnia—provided you make no adjustments to your sleep-wake cycle.

Unfortunately, most people take special measures to get some rest. They nap in the afternoon or evening. Or they go to bed early the next night, or sleep late the following morning. Or they take a drink or two to fall asleep.

Every one of these "corrective" measures interferes with your body's sleep "homeostat," a mechanism that builds up pressure for sleep and helps assure a good night's rest. The homeostatic pressure for sleep depends on how long you have been awake—and how active you are while awake.

I spoke to Dr. Michael Perlis, head of behavioral sleep medicine at the University of Rochester. An expert on insomnia, he has plenty of advice to offer on how to get the rest you need while steering clear of sleep problems.

• Get more exercise—physical and mental. It primes the sleep homeostat. It's a myth that exercise at bedtime is bad. Sex is, among other things, a great exercise.
  
  
• Set a regular bedtime—and keep it. Your body needs reliability.
  
  
• Set up conditions so that you catch the wave of sleep. Sleep has to be permitted. Take obstacles out of the way, and give up the notion that you can control sleep.
  
  
• Learn simple meditation and practice it before bedtime; it cuts down nervous system arousal.
  
  
• Put sleep in the background of your life. Don't monitor it, don't evaluate it.
  
  
• Jack up your body temperature with a warm bath before bed. Exaggerating the normal drop in body temperature that accompanies lying down abets sleep.
  
  
• Keep your bedroom dark, especially as you get older. Even small amounts of light and noise can disturb sleep as you age.
  
  
• Don't overheat your environment. Sleep loves cold. Keep your bedroom cold but load up on blankets.
  
  
• Less is more. The less you do in response to a bout of sleeplessness, the faster your sleep patterns will return to normal.
  
  
• Keeping your wake-up time constant but going to bed one hour later will help 25 percent of insomniacs in one to two weeks. Prepare to feel sleepy at times and avoid driving then. After two weeks, add back the time in half-hour increments.
  
  
• Look on two or three nights of insomnia as a gift—the gift of time you wanted to get done all that you have to get done. Insomnia may be functional, a signal that you need to attend to what got you up.
  
  
• Don't fight the insomnia. The homeostat makes sleep a self-reparative system—if you stay out of its way.
  
  
• Don't worry about the consequences of not sleeping. Worrying about insomnia can create insomnia.
  
  
• Don't sleep with your pets! Animal dander can create allergies that manifest only at night, and the movement of any pet on your bed can wake you up.
  
  
• Do not sleep later to make up for lost sleep. It de-primes the sleep homeostat and reduces pressure for sleep the next night, turning a night of sleeplessness into insomnia.
  
  
• Don't make up for a night of sleeplessness by napping. That undermines the sleep homeostat and makes it less likely you will sleep through the next night.
  
  
• Don't make up for an acute bout of insomnia by going to bed early.
  
  
• Do not try to induce sleepiness by drinking alcohol. Yes, it's a great relaxant—but it is metabolized so quickly it creates rebound insomnia within the night; it's so fast-acting you'll be up in four short hours.
  
  
• Limit caffeine to one cup of coffee in the morning. At age 18, caffeine has a half-life of 4.5 hours, which increases with age. Gradually eliminate caffeine altogether if you have trouble sleeping.

Increase Your Odds of Living to 100

From Rodale Publishing: Would you like to live to be 100? Here are a few ways to increase your odds:

• Live at a higher altitude. Researchers in Switzerland found that people living at high altitude had a 22 percent lower risk of dying of heart disease. That's because thinner air at higher elevations means more UV rays from the sun, which boost the production of heart-healthy vitamin D. Most experts point out that 77 percent of North Americans are vitamin-D deficient, which can lead to bone disorders and heart disease. So, eat more D-rich foods, like tuna and wild salmon, and talk to your doctor about taking a supplement.
  
  
• Another tip for living to 100: Breathe cleaner air. People living in cities with relatively good air quality live about one year longer than people in more-polluted areas. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that dirty air can trigger inflammatory reactions, and even mild inflammation can contribute to heart disease. So, avoid exercising near streets. You’ll be exposed to extra pollution from passing vehicles, and you’ll inhale more of it because you’re breathing deeply.
  
  
• Lastly: Accept your age. Researchers in Germany asked people how they felt about their age. Those who were comfortable with it lived about two years longer than those who were bothered by it. Partly because people who are content are more likely to exhibit healthy behavior, and people who compare themselves with their younger selves are often disappointed and stressed by the changes. Instead: Compare yourself with your contemporaries. Plenty of them will be worse off than you – and those who are better off will provide inspiration.

Here Are a Few Things That Kids Born Today Will Never Use

Bob Dylan was right - the times they are a-changin.’ Here are a few things we’re very familiar with that kids born today will never use – or even know about. This comes from Money Talks News.

- First: Videotape. Movies are released on DVD, most news-cameras and home-use cameras are digital, and a majority of homes no longer even have videotape machines.

- Today’s kids will also never wear a watch. Most people under 55 don’t wear one except as a fashion statement, and they often have dead batteries, or aren’t even wound up. Most people don’t need a watch because they’ve got a phone with a clock in their hands all day long.

- Then there are paper maps. They used to be available free at every gas station. Today, with in-car GPS gadgets, and smart phones with turn-by-turn directions, paper maps – and the ability to read them – are becoming obsolete.

- Another thing today’s kids won’t use: Phone books and encyclopedias. Who needs huge, outdated books to look up addresses, phone numbers, or world facts when you can just Google it?

- Forget catalogs and newspaper classifieds. You can see everything that’s available in your area – or via delivery – by hopping on company websites or Craigslist.

- Also: Wired phones and long-distance phone bills. In 10 years, nobody will be paying for a phone that has to stay attached to the wall, and with live, FREE computer video chat, who’d bother to pay for long distance phone calls?

- Finally, today’s kids will never have unanswered questions. Whether it’s remembering which actor was in that movie you loved, or finding the source of the Nile – with smart phones and Wi-Fi Internet connections, every debate can already be settled in seconds no matter where you are.

There’s a New Internet Security Threat to Worry About

If you use public wi-fi at your local coffee shop or library know this: There’s a new and very serious threat to your online security. A new program – that anyone can download – allows people to see any and everything that’s going on on your computer. Things like passwords, emails, everything. The program is called “firesheep,” and it was created by a software developer named David Butler, who posted it for free on his website. Butler says he didn’t create firesheep so bad guys could steal your password and hack your accounts – he created it to point out just how vulnerable we all are on when we use public internet services.

Here’s the deal: big sites like Amazon and Facebook have a problem, and it’s one they all know about and haven’t bothered to fix. When you first log on to Facebook and enter your password, it’s encrypted. No one can see it. However, AFTER you log on, Facebook and your computer exchange a little piece of code, called a cookie, that allows them to recognize each other so you don’t have to keep logging on. That’s fine if you’re on a private network, but on public wi-fi it’s broadcast over the network for all to see. Firesheep grabs that piece of code and allows anyone with the program complete access to your computer. David Butler’s goal here was to force major companies to fix this issue. Only time will tell if his plan worked, but in the meantime here’s how to keep your information safe:

Don’t do anything that requires a password when you’re on public Wi-Fi. If you have no choice, only enter financial information on sites that have full end-to-end encryption. You can tell you’re on a secure site if the address starts with HTTPS. It’s got to have that S on the end; otherwise your data is flapping in the wind.

Negative Thoughts Are Literally Bad For Your Health

From LiveScience.com:

It’s official: The way you think has as much impact on your health as the food you eat, and the amount of exercise you get! Need proof? Here’s a list of negative thoughts that are literally bad for your health:

- Negative thought #1: Cynicism. Scientists often define cynicism as “hostility,” because cynical people tend to be suspicious and mistrustful of others. The problem is that when you’re always second-guessing other people’s actions, you’re always feeling stressed. A study found that people who showed the greatest levels of cynicism were 25% more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease.

- Negative thought #2: Predicting doom and gloom. People who constantly fear the worst are said to have a “Type D personality.” Type D people tend to have fewer friends, because they bottle emotions and feel depressed. Research has shown that depression raises stress levels, which increases deadly plaque buildup in arteries.

- Another negative thought: Feeling like your life is out of control. Like when you’re frequently late for appointments, or disorganized. In a study involving more than 9,000 people, researchers found that organized, self-disciplined people live at least three years longer than those who lead more unstable lives. Why? Experts say it’s because people who take control of their lives tend to feel less stressed – so they’re less likely to smoke or drink.

Are you noticing a theme here? Most negative thoughts tend to be linked to higher stress. Since prolonged stress both weakens your immune system and raises your blood pressure, experts say negative thinking raises your risk of being killed by anything from a heart-attack to a common cold.

Cell Phones and Your Health

Holding a Cell Phone Against Your Ear May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Holding a cell phone against your ear may be hazardous to your health. So may stuffing it in your pocket. According to The New York Times, every cell phone comes with a printed warning to keep it away from your body. Like the manufacturers of iPhones and BlackBerries, who say your cell should never be closer than about one inch, but judging by the number of people with their phone glued to their ear, nobody notices the warnings.
The International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry insists that all FCC-approved phones are perfectly safe, but Dr. Henry Lai is a professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington. He points out that radiation from cell phones is the same radiation that heats food in a microwave.
The largest study of cell phone use and brain cancer was conducted in 13 developed countries – including Israel, France, Sweden and Finland. The result: People who were cell phone users for more than 10 years doubled their risk of developing a type of malignant brain tumor, and heavy users quadrupled their risk of benign tumors. Even worse, 10 years ago, most people didn’t even have a cell phone. Today – people talk on a cell an average of 12 hours a month – which makes all of us heavy users, and raises our risk for cancer. Children are more vulnerable. Radiation reaches much deeper into the brains of children because their skulls are eight times thinner than an adult’s. Their brains also contain more fluid – making them absorb radiation more easily. So, how can you protect yourself and your family?
- Keep your phone away from your head or body, and used the phone’s speaker, or a wired headset.
- Also, since most radiation comes out of the back of your phone, keep the keypad toward you if it’s in your pocket or handbag.
- Finally, children under age 16 should text instead of calling, and pregnant women should keep their cell phone away from their abdomen.