Women Like Dating Playboys

A new research by a psychologist from University of Texas at Austin has shown that men are more than twice as likely to continue dating a girlfriend who has cheated on them with another woman than one who has cheated with another man.

Women show the opposite pattern. They are more likely to continue dating a man who has had a heterosexual affair than one who has had a homosexual affair.

The study provides new insight into the psychological adaptations behind men's desire for a variety of partners and women's desire for a committed partner. These drives have played a key role in the evolution of human mating psychology.

"A robust jealousy mechanism is activated in men and women by different types of cues — those that threaten paternity in men and those that threaten abandonment in women," said Jaime C. Confer, the study's lead author and a doctoral candidate in evolutionary psychology.

The researchers asked 700 college students to imagine they were in a committed romantic and sexual relationship with someone they've been dating for three months. They were then asked how they would respond to infidelity committed by the imagined partner.

Some participants were told their partners had been unfaithful with a man, others with a woman. Some were told their partners had an affair with one person, others with multiple partners. Some were told the infidelity happened once, others twice.

Regardless of the number of episodes or partners, the study found that:

Overall, men demonstrated a 50 per cent likelihood of continuing to date a partner who has had a homosexual affair and a 22 per cent likelihood of staying with a woman after a heterosexual affair.

Women demonstrated a 28 per cent likelihood of continuing to date a boyfriend who has had a heterosexual affair and a 21 per cent likelihood of staying with someone who has had a homosexual affair.

The findings suggest men are more distressed by the type of infidelity that could threaten their paternity of offspring. Men may also view a partner's homosexual affair as an opportunity to mate with more than one woman simultaneously, satisfying men's greater desire for more partners, the authors say.

The study has been published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

Obesity During Pregnancy Complicates Delivery

A new study at Liverpool University has found that overweight pregnant women are more likely to be overdue and have more complicated births.

Women who were overweight or obese before they conceived were more likely to have a longer pregnancy, need to have labor induced artificially and to go on to require caesarean section births.

For the study, the research team examined the records of almost 30,000 women who gave birth over four years.

Three in ten obese women were overdue, defined as still pregnant ten days after their due date, compared with around two in ten of healthy weight women.

The study found more than a third of obese women had their labor induced, compared with just over a quarter of normal weight women.

In addition almost three in ten obese women had an induction of labor, which later resulted in a caesarean delivery compared to less than two in ten normal weight women.

"Maternal obesity has become one of the most commonly occurring risk factors in obstetric practice including greater risk of prolonged pregnancy," the Telegraph quoted Dr Sarah Arrowsmith, from the University of Liverpool's Institute of Translational Medicine, and lead author on the paper as saying.

The study has been published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Physical Activity Can Cure Osteoarthritis

People with knee osteoarthritis are more likely to walk fast enough if they lead physically active lives, a new Northwestern Medicine research has shown.

"The more active people are, the faster they can walk," said Dorothy Dunlop, associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and lead author of the study.

"This is strong evidence that even a small increase in activity is related to better walking function. The bar for improvement isn't that high. This should motivate people to get moving, even if they have pain or stiffness."

Federal guidelines recommend adults with arthritis should participate in at least 2.5 hours a week of moderate intensity, low-impact activity in sessions lasting 10 minutes or more. Even if people can't meet these levels, Dunlop said they should be as physically active as possible.

The Osteoarthritis Initiative, an observational study, surveyed 2,500 participants with knee osteoarthritis. Participants filled out self-reported questionnaires about their physical activity at sites in Columbus, Ohio, Baltimore, Md., Providence, R.I., and Pittsburgh, Pa.

Researchers divided participants into four physical activity groups, from lowest to highest, using a general activity score. In the lowest physical activity group, less than half, or 49 per cent, walked fast enough to cross the street before the light changed. (Traffic lights generally allow a walking speed of four feet per second.) In the next three higher physical activity groups, 63 per cent, 71 per cent and 81 per cent, respectively, walked fast enough to cross the street.

The study has been published in the Arthritis and Rheumatism .

Music Gives The Same High as Sex

A new study from the McGill University has revealed that listening to music is just as pleasurable as food, drugs and sex.

Listening to music releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain important for more tangible pleasures associated with sex or great food.

The study found that dopamine release in response to music elicited "chills", changes in skin conductance, heart rate, breathing, and temperature.

Combining PET and fMRI brain scans showed that dopamine release is greater for pleasurable versus neutral music, and that levels of release are correlated with the extent of emotional arousal and pleasurability ratings.

"These findings provide neurochemical evidence that intense emotional responses to music involve ancient reward circuitry in the brain," said Dr. Robert Zatorre, neuroscientist at The Neuro.

"Music is unique in the sense that we can measure all reward phases in real-time, as it progresses from baseline neutral to anticipation to peak pleasure all during scanning," said lead investigator Valorie Salimpoor, a graduate student in the Zatorre lab at The Neuro and McGill psychology program.

"It is generally a great challenge to examine dopamine activity during both the anticipation and the consumption phase of a reward. Both phases are captured together online by the PET scanner, which, combined with the temporal specificity of fMRI provides us with a unique assessment of the distinct contributions of each brain region at different time points."

The study appears in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Five Exercises For Better Sex

Sex is a physical activity, as we already know. Therefore, getting in shape, being fit and having a fabulous body will definitely improve your sex-life. Not only this, working out regularly will help increase your stamina and strength to perform.

People who regularly exercise are more healthier, fitter and tend to have more attractive bodies. This should be enough motivation for folks who think that their weight is normal and hence, do not need to exercise. If the prospects of better health doesn't motivate you, perhaps exercising for the sake of better sex might. Here are some exercises that will help you to enhance your prowess in bed:

Push-ups:
Push-ups are great for obvious reasons. They help to strengthen the arms, shoulders and stomach muscles. Sporting a paunch might be a major turn off for quite a lot of people. Having firm, sexy abs is very attractive physical attribute. Having strong abs is very useful for males especially when it comes to the man-on-top position.

Squats:
Doing squats, a lot of muscles are put to work producing greater amount of hormones, which in turn will boost your sex drive. They improve one's strength and stamina of gluteus muscles and the upper legs thereby helping to improve one's performance. Doing squats also helps one achieve a firm and attractive bottom.

Bench press:
Doing bench presses, helps to strengthen the chest and shoulder muscles. Women find chest muscles sexually appealing and it will help men to support themselves longer without getting exhausted easily. As for women, doing bench presses will make the breasts firm and seem full.

Cardio:
Whether it is doing aerobics, running or swimming, doing cardio-vascular exercises help increase blood circulation in the body. Having a good blood flow and circulation helps in the process of arousal, which is especially essential for men performance-wise. Also, doing cardio helps release of endorphins in the brain, which are known as the happy hormones.

Kegel's exercise:
Last but not the least, Doing Kegel's exercise can help make a remarkable difference in your sex life. Pubococcygeal muscles also known as PC muscles are the muscles used to stop urinating midstream. That's because, for men, regularly doing Kegel's exercises will help them to control the muscles that contract during ejaculation and therefore prolong ejaculation. As for women, doing Kegel's exercises will help you gain gain control over the vaginal muscles, thereby getting greater sexual satisfaction.

Instant Cure For Menstrual Cramps

It's that time of the month and you are not pleased, simply because of menstrual cramps.

Women experience menstrual cramps in varying degrees. Medically menstrual cramps are known as dysmenorrhea. These cramps usually occur in the lower abdomen and sometimes the pain can be felt in the thigh or lower back area. Here are some remedies for menstrual cramps:

- Increase your liquid intake to preventing dehydration as dehydration aggravates menstrual cramps.

- Ginger is a wonder herb and has tremendous health benefits that even extend to easing menstrual cramps. - Boil some ginger slices in water. Keep sipping this throughout the day.

- Placing a hot water bag on the stomach will help in easing the pain or a better option is to squeeze a towel in hot water and place it on the stomach.

- Avoid drinking caffeinated products whether its coffee and aerated drinks as they tend to cause irritation in the intestines.

- Sipping mint or peppermint flavoured tea throughout the day is known to ease the discomfort caused by menstrual cramps.

- During menstruation, the pelvic area tends to get congested. Therefore, drinking more hot liquids promotes blood flow to the pelvic area and helps in relaxing the pelvic muscles. Consume green tea and herbal teas throughout the day.

- Women whose bodies are weak, tend to suffer menstrual cramps in greater severity. Therefore, you need to curb the lack of vitamins and minerals in the body. There are various vitamin supplements available in the market today, but it is best to consult a doctor before opting for the choice of vitamin supplements.

- Stretching your arms and legs will help easing out menstrual cramps.

- Drinking a glass of the juice of carrot, beetroot, cucumber along with parsley.

How To Tone Your Hip and Butt

A lot of traditional body toning and sculpting exercises work better when done on a stability ball. A 55-inch stability ball should be appropriate for you. Try out the following exercises for a toned hip and butt.

PELVIC LIFTS
Lie down on the floor with only the heels and the ankles resting on the stability ball. Place both arms straight by the side of the body with palms resting on the floor. Inhale and lift your whole body, leaving just your shoulders resting on the floor and the feet on the ball. Your body weight should be distributed between the shoulders and the lower leg. In this position, the abdomen should be tucked in and the hips lifted high with the buttocks tight. Make sure your knees are NOT in a locked position. With the body properly positioned, release the hips slightly and lift them up again. Do this at least 24 times.

INNER THIGH PRESS
Lie down on the floor with both knees flexed and feet firmly planted on the floor. Place both hands close to the body. Hold the stability ball between the knees and feel the contraction in the muscles of the inner thighs. Hold each contraction for 10 seconds and repeat at least 12 times. This exercise can be done in a sitting position too.

WALL SQUATS
Do this in a standing position. Place the ball between the middle of the back and the wall. Your legs should be shoulder width apart. Slowly lower the hips towards the floor and lift up again. Repeat at least 24 times. This exercise will give you a complete lower body workout.

Echinacea Does Not Ward Off Common Cold

Echinacea has been used by many as a common cold remedy for years, but a new study has revealed that the herbal treatment has minimal effect in relieving the symptoms or shortening the duration of the illness.

Echinacea, a wild flower (also known as the purple coneflower), is sold in capsule form in drug and retail stores. Dried echinacea root has been used in homemade remedies such as teas, dried herb and liquid extracts.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health tested more than 700 patients, aged 12 to 80 years - all with an early symptom of cold, to see whether echinacea was effective in curing their symptoms.

One group received no pills, a second group received what they knew was echinacea and a third group was given either echinacea or a placebo, but they did not know which Participants recorded their symptoms twice a day for the duration of the cold, up to two weeks.

Bruce Barrett, the lead researcher and an associate professor of family medicine, found that the patients receiving echinacea saw the duration of their cold reduced by seven to 10 hours - not considered a significant decrease.

"Trends were in the direction of benefit, amounting to an average half-day reduction in the duration of a weeklong cold or an approximate 10 percent reduction in overall severity," he said.

"However, this dose regimen did not make a large impact on the course of the common cold, compared either to blinded placebo or to no pills," he added.

Barrett said a larger trial involving people who have found echinacea useful may help provide more answers.
He added that there were no side effects seen, so there is no reason that cold sufferers should stop using echinacea if they think it helps them.

"Adults who have found echinacea to be beneficial should not discontinue use based on the results of this trial, as there are no proven effective treatments and no side effects were seen," said Barrett.

The study is published in this month's Annals of Internal Medicine .

Sex is good for your brain

A study on rats has suggested that sex apparently can help the brain grow.

The research also showed that sexually active rodents were less anxious than virgins.

The study by Princeton scientists was conducted to see if pleasant but stressful experiences could have an opposite effect, Live Science reported.

Scientists played matchmaker by giving adult male rats access to sexually receptive females either once daily for two weeks or just once in two weeks.

They also measured blood levels of stress hormones known as glucocorticoids, which researchers suspected might lie behind the detrimental effects that unpleasant experiences have on the brain.

A comparison with male virgins showed both groups of sexually active rats had cell proliferation, or an increase in the number of neurons, in the hippo campus.

The hippo campus is a part of the brain linked with memory whose cells are especially sensitive to unpleasant experiences.

The study found that the more sex the rats had the more their adult brain cells grew, and there was also as a rise in the number of connections between brain cells.

But where the rodents that only saw females once in two weeks were concerned, they had elevated levels of stress hormones, which was absent from rats that had regular access.

Sexually experienced rodents also proved less anxious than virgins, in that they were quicker to chomp down on food in unfamiliar environs.

These findings suggest that while stress hormones can be detrimental to the brain, these effects can be overridden if whatever experiences triggered them were pleasant.

The scientists have published their findings online in the journal PLoS ONE.

What is The Ideal Weight?

What is the healthiest weight to be? People hoping for a little jiggle room may be disappointed -- it is the weight already identified by public health experts using body mass index or BMI.

There had been some suggestion that it may be healthier to be pleasantly plump, but the team at the U.S. National Cancer Institute crushed any such idea with a study of 1.5 million adults published on Wednesday.

The healthiest BMI is 22.5 to 24.9, they found -- at the upper end of where the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other groups have said people should be.

Body-mass index is the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. A BMI of between 25 and 30 is overweight and a BMI of 30 or over is obese.

A person 5 feet 5 inches tall (165 cm) is classified as overweight at 150 pounds (68 kg) and obese at 180 pounds (82 kg). A 5-foot-10 inch (1.8 meter) tall person who weighs 209 pounds (95 kg) has a BMI of 30 and is obese.

Being overweight or obese raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and arthritis. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, confirms that having a BMI of 25 or more also makes a person more likely to die than someone the same age who is slimmer.

"There is a small increased risk of all-cause mortality associated with being overweight -- about 10 percent compared to having a normal BMI," Amy Berrington de Gonzalez of the National Cancer Institute, who led the study, said in a telephone interview.

But the severely obese -- those with a BMI of 40 or more -- have 2.5 times the risk of dying than people of a healthy weight who are the same age.

The original BMI guidelines were set using some data on health, but Berrington said several recent studies had suggested that people considered overweight may be less likely to die of cancer and other conditions. So she and an international team of experts took another look at the data.

NOT TOO FAT, NOT TOO THIN

"We used 19 studies that had been conducted all over the world," Berrington said. One caveat -- they were all in mostly white, westernized populations in Europe, Australia and the United States.

Their studies included 1.46 million white adults and 160,087 deaths.

WHO guidelines say the lowest "normal" BMI is 18.5 but Berrington's team found it is not healthy to be too thin.

"What we found was that a low BMI -- below 20 -- was also associated with an increased risk of death," Berrington said. This could be because people that thin already have disease, she said, and added that her team will check.

The researchers took into account smoking and other factors that are known to raise the risk of death, and found the association between weight and death was consistent across age, sex and where people lived.

"Previous studies led some to imply that being a little bit overweight might actually be beneficial, with some headlines suggesting that 'putting a little meat on your bones' was good for you," Dr. Michael Thun, of the American Cancer Society, said in a statement.

"This study concludes it is not, if the meat on your bones happens to be fat."

Obesity and overweight are a growing problem for U.S. policymakers. Two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, with 72 million U.S. adults, or 26.7 percent having a BMI of 30 or more.