Being mindful when you move can lower stress, anxiety
It is well-known that physical activity can not only help you become fit but also reduce stress. A new study has shown how being mindful during any such activity, even if it’s just a walk to the bus stop, can make a big difference to your mental health. As many as 158 students from Penn State University were recruited for the study. They were asked to download a smartphone app which would alert them eight times a day to note what they were doing, how mindful they were (that is, how focused they were on the present moment), what their stress levels were and how their overall mood was.
How perceptive are you? Not everyone is the same
The ability to quickly tally a number of items can predict performance on other visual tasks. Our abilities to see things that appear fleetingly or in cluttered environments or outside our focus of attention are all determined by a single perceptual capacity trait that varies among people, a new study suggests. Researchers say these findings could one day help scientifically predict an individual’s performance in jobs that rely on strong observational skills.
Burger or salad? How music volume impacts your decision
Music can be the ultimate mood setter. Faster beats ignite excitement, while slower songs help one relax. And that makes all the difference in what we order from restaurant menus. A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences finds the volume of ambient music has a systemic effect on consumers’ preferences for healthy vs. non-healthy foods. That’s because volume is proven to directly impact heart rate and arousal.