Ethic Soup

Gossip Should Be Guilt-Free: It Can Be Healthy and Boost Positive Hormones

Let's hear it for a good 'chinwag' and a bit of 'tittle-tattle'! That's what the Brits call 'gossip.' 

New research finds that gossip actually has some surprising health benefits.

More than senseless bad-mouthing, gossip can provide social cohesion and enhance feelings of well-being, reports the The Daily Telegraph (UK).

"Gossip isn't scandal and it's not merely malicious," said Pulitzer Prize Poet Phyllis McGinley. "It's chatter about the human race by lovers of the same."

Similarly, broadcast journalist Barbara Walters offered: "Show me someone who never gossips and I'll show you someone who isn't interested in people."

Bottom-Feeder Report: Congress Sinks Even Lower in Approval Ratings

 
 

What makes the American public believe that bottom feeders ever change, or even want to change?

They have failed and seem to be at peace with it. That's just the way it goes, folks. Bottom feeders are comfortable with their position on the bottom, being the lowest of the low.

LOWEST RATING EVER

Congress is currently tied for its lowest approval rating ever, with only 12 percent of Americans approving of the way Congress is doing its job. Only 6 percent of registered voters say that most Congressional members have earned re-election, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

 

 

 

 

Our elected congressional representatives -- you know, even the guys who are elected when poor, leave office rich -- are leeches with a total lack of responsibility to provide for themselves, relying on others for sustenance. We are the "others." And then there are the lobbyists and special interests.

How many Senators and Congresspersons does it take to fit the definition of bottom scavengers? All of them.

Looks Mean Everything to Baby Zebra: Here Comes de Stripes!

 

The new born orphaned zebra now at China's Wuhan Zoo was only five days old when its mother died. That's why he was named "Little Five," because he only spent five days with his momma .

The Chinese zoo attempted to leave Little Five's care to its father.

"We wanted to leave it to the father," said Chen Nong, the feeder. "But the father denies responsibility and kicks the baby each time he sees it."

Then they noticed that coincidentally when Nong wore a striped t-shirt, the baby zebra  became very excited each time that he saw him.

The zoo built a separate cage for the orphan where it's fed  milk, according to the Tribune (Pakistan). But the zebra refuses the milk unless its feeder Nong wears the striped t-shirt.

"He also looks for nipples on me," said Nong. "I had to give him my thumbs."

Well, thumbs up for a baby of different stripes!

This is a follow-up story for several other Ethic Soup posts :

Click to read "Mamas are so important: a touch, a coo can mean life"

Click to read "Oh yes they do: Babies remember emotional events and moments of neglect" 

 

Pets Make You Happier & Healthier: They Be Good Fer Ya

 

I cannot look at this chihuahua in pink goggles, ears flying in the breeze, without smiling. That's why pets are such great therapy animals in hospitals for people facing health problems.

And, surprise! Pets are great sources of social and emotional support for everyone.

This isn't really news. There is a lot of research showing how having pets can help folks be happier and healthier. But is there really a cause-and-effect relationship between having pets and better physical and mental health?

New research answers that question with a "Yes!" Having a dog or cat as a companion has big and wide-ranging benefits. 

This is certainly something we want for President Obama (pictured right with dog Bo), the guy whose finger on a button could begin a nuclear war.

To find out the benefits of pet ownership, psychologists from Miami University and St. Louis University conducted a series of studies.

Self-Compassion: Give Yourself a Break, New Research Urges

 

It's a fast-growing, new kind of psychology called self-compassion. It's concerned with how kindly you view and treat yourself. And, psychologists are doing more and more research on the subject.

OTHER-COMPASSION IS NOT SELF-COMPASSION

Just because you are understanding and supportive of others does not indicate that you are also self-compassionate. In fact, research finds that those who are the most compassionate of others often score surprisingly low on how they treat themselves and frequently berate themselves for perceived failures.

How do you view yourself?

GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK

Do you give yourself a break, accept your imperfections? If you do, you are on the path to better health, say researchers.

If you score high on tests of self-compassion, you're much more likely to experience less depression and anxiety, and be happier and more optimistic, than those who are not as kind to themselves, reports Tara Parker-Pope in The New York Times.

Male Testosterone Interferes with Empathy: May Be Significant in Autism

 

TESTOSTERONE, the male sex hormone, has produced some interesting findings in several recent research studies.

Interesting, but not really surprising -- just ask any woman.

For example, male-male interactions in the animal world is where males of a species compete with each other for territory, food or breeding mates.

WINNERS PRODUCE MORE SEX HORMONE

Guess what? Human males are like that too. The testosterone changes in wrestlers seem to mirror the way the hormone acts in other species. Winning, being the top bull, actually produces more testosterone. Surprise! Women know this already. Winning is terribly important to men, who always want more of the manly-man sex hormone.

New research by University of Kansas professor Andrew Fry, health, sport and exercise sciences, shows that testosterone in winning collegiate wrestlers increased more than in the losing wrestlers, reports PhysOrg., the science and research news service. Funded by the U.S. Olympic Committee, Fry's research appears in the January issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

All wrestlers are familiar with a rush of "fight-or-flight" adrenaline, contributing to testosterone levels in their bodies; but, winning wrestlers had a greater testosterone response.

"Before the matches there was no difference," said Fry, "but when you'd sample the blood within five minutes after the match, you'd see a difference between winners and losers. We couldn't have picked it out ahead of time. Something is triggering this increase, and it seems to be fairly consistent." 

ONLY FIVE MINUTES?

My question is: What difference does this make in the real world, if the extra shot of hormone lasts no more than five minutes?

Well, some women will tell you, in their pairings with men, that's all they ever experience -- just about five minutes. Depends on what you call "wrestling," I guess.

POSSIBLE AUTISM SIGNIFICANCE

But wait! There really are aspects learned from the research which might have significance in the future, particularly related to the development of autism.

Praise Valued by College Students More Than Sex or Money

 

SELF-ESTEEM, say college students, is more important to them than sex, money, favorite foods or, yes, even alcohol. Whoa! Who would have figured that?

Young people crave praise, boosts to their self-esteem, say researchers.

"It is somewhat surprising how this desire to feel worthy and valuable trumps almost any other pleasant activity you can imagine," said Brad Bushman, lead author of the research and professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University, reports Science Daily.

Feeling No Pain? You Must Be In Love -- No Drugs Needed

 It's true! If you're in the first stages of new and passionate love, you literally do not feel as much physical pain.

IN LOVE BRAIN CHANGES

New research suggests that falling in love has amazing effects on the brain. It not only mutes the intensity of pain impulses; but, love feelings travel the same neural pathways as do powerful drugs. So watch out -- Like morphine, passion can be addictive.

Whew! JetBlue 'Stew' Steven Slater Avoids Jail: Court Orders $10,000 Fine & One-Year Substance Abuse Treatment

 

I QUIT -- Steven Slater became the star of many working stiff's take-this-job-and-shove-it fantasy this summer, when the flight attendant cussed-out a passenger over the loudspeaker and deplaned via the emergency chute, after grabbing a couple of beers for the slide outta there. (Click & read Ethic Soup post "Quitting Mad was a Johnny Paycheck Moment: Now It's Pulling-a-Slater") 

This week Slater pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted criminal mischief and avoided jail time by submitting to a year of court-mandated mental health counseling, including substance-abuse treatment. And, he has to pay his old employer JetBlue $10,000.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown described Slater's actions as "no laughing matter" noting that opening the chute could have killed someone, reports New York Daily News.

Spanking Kids Goes Hand-in-Hand with Partner Violence and Psychological Abuse

"Domestic Violence" Mixed Media by Laurie Proctor

 

It's part of an environment of violence in many American families.

As many as seven in 10 U.S. families reported some form of abuse between couples, such as slaps, slugs and kicks or keeping a partner from seeing his or her family.

KIDS WHO GET SPANKED MOST

Children who have the highest odds of being spanked were those kids whose parents are aggressive toward each other, according to new research published in the journal Pediatrics.

In homes where both parents were aggressive or violent toward each other, the odds of a child getting spanked were doubled, the study reports.