Sept.17: AROUND THE WORLD
- Posted by CERC India
- Posted in September
GERMANY
How boredom can be beneficial tooÂ
You may be bored, but do you have the healthy type of boredom? Scientists in Germany suggest that there may be as many as five types of boredom. ‘Wrong’ types can make us obese, self-destructive and sexually impotent. People who are easily bored are more likely to eat fattening snacks, smoke, binge-drink and take drugs.Â
But the right type can foster creativity, resilience and happiness. According to research published in the journal Motivation and Emotion, one of the five types of boredom – indifferent boredom – could be beneficial. In this state we are not doing anything particularly satisfying, but feel calm, so we can start daydreaming and think creatively.
NORWAY
Why women make better bosses
Women may be better suited to lead in almost any area than men. ÃŒn a study conducted by BI Norwegian Business School, women scored higher than men in four of the five characteristics of effective leaders identified by the researchers. The study found that women naturally rank higher than men on ability to innovate and lead with clarity and impact.
Women are also better at methodical management and goal-setting, openness, sociability and supportiveness, as well as ability to take initiative and communicate clearly. There was one area in which men scored higher than women – emotional stability and ability to withstand job-related pressure and stress.
JAPAN
Why we break eye contact
From feeling uncomfortable to a lack of confidence and fear, there are various reasons why people avoid eye contact. However, a new study, published in the journal Cognition, reveals the action of averting your eyes isn’t from emotion. It is because our brain can’t search for the right words and focus on a person’s face at the same time. They compete for mental resources, so you shift your gaze to think of a word.
Although eye contact and verbal processing appear independent, people frequently avert their eyes from interlocutors during conversation. This suggests that there is interference between these processes, the study explains.
SRI LANKA
Learning something from kids
School health promotion has been shown to improve the lifestyle of students. Additionally, these students can be educated to influence their families to adopt healthier lifestyles, according to a study published in International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity.Â
A study conducted in Sri Lanka found that there was a significantly greater decrease of weight and increase of physical activity in mothers whose children were trained to take action against non-communicable diseases. This group was more engaging in adequate physical activity and reduction of household purchase of biscuits and ice cream than the other which was not trained.
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