21 December 2013

Casual Sex linked to Depression

Turns out the hook-up culture may have some down-sides to it. Of the 10,000 teenagers interviewed, those that had casual sex were more likely to report depression, and that of that group some would even later consider suicide.

But as the lead of author of this study says, it is a two way street:

"This study provides evidence that poor mental health can lead to casual sex, but also that casual sex leads to additional declines in mental health."

20 December 2013

Give the Gift of Time

The Holiday Season is truly upon us. Some people have completed their Christmas shopping, while the rest of us are envious of them. Especially as we spend our precious resource of time waiting in lines buying that 'perfect' gift.

And it is hard not to want to meet the expectations of that perfect gift when we are bombarded with heart-warming, well marketed, videos. Such as the WestJet video where they got their passengers their top wish-list item.

But couldn't that resource that we all have in common, time, be used more efficiently? We are going at frantic pace spending our time here and there, not really investing it anywhere. We should slow down and take our time and invest it around us during the holiday season.

Take time to go carolling.

Take time to visit an elderly individual in a care home.

Take time to volunteer at a soup kitchen or foodbank.

Take time to call family that live far away.

Take time to play with your children.

Take time to help organize and deliver a hamper.

Take time to notice the beautiful season.

Take time to enjoy the sounds of the season.

There is even a movement happening on social media where some parents are encouraging their relatives not to buy gifts for their children, but to take the time to take them to the zoo, a movie, or some sort of other outing.

Research has shown that when it comes to our relationships with our family, that it just isn't about quality time, it is also about quantity time. And not to mention that one of the factors that contributes to well-being is engagement, and being engaged typically leads to meaning. And what a good way that is to invest our time in.


As we take the time to invest our time, we will realize the many ways we can spend our time instead of just trading it in for money and then spending our time in long lines waiting to spend our time-earned money.

19 December 2013

Children who were spanked were more likely to break the law

There appears to be more and more research showing that spanking, especially as a form of punishment or correction, is having a negative impact. Especially in this latest study that surveyed 11,400 participants from 15 countries.

But what I found most interesting is the second last paragraph:

“In most of the 15 nations, two-thirds of university students said they were hit when they were age 10, and among those who were hit, they said it typically was between once and twice a week. If university students were hit by only one parent, more often than not the mother was the parent carrying out the punishment.”

First it is sad that by age 10, 66% of children surveyed have been spanked. But secondly, what is more interesting is that mother’s are the likely candidate of lone parenting spanking, which I think goes against the grain of societal perceptions. Which is that dads are more likely to hit. I think that is the bigger deal.

17 December 2013

Consistent Bed time & Wake time tied to Physical Health

This is an interesting study that came out of BYU. Now, I should note that this studies participants were only women aged 17-26, so don’t be too quick to generalize the findings. But the interesting statistic for me was that getting less than 6.5 hours or more than 8.5 hours of sleep was correlated with higher body fat.

16 December 2013

“The Whale”–Japanese commercial encouraging imagination

I have always loved this commercial, because I believe it shows how imagination can be limitless. It is unfortunate that when imagination occurs outside of the socially acceptable realm, that we treat people the same way as this boy:

15 December 2013

Sometimes knowing the diagnosis is beneficial

I have met people who are adamant in wanting to know “what is wrong” with them, and once they know, they can move on. While for others it doesn’t work out that way. But for Susan Boyle, knowing that she as Aspergers provided great insights for her.

14 December 2013

Creating Secure Infant Attachment

Unfortunately it isn’t a video that I was able to embed, so visit helpguide.com to watch the video on forming attachment with an infant.

12 December 2013

Uncovering a ‘superimposed’ galaxy

I always get excited when I see astronomy research come out of the University of Manitoba. I will admit it was a career path that I seriously considered. But I came to the conclusion that I am an “arm-chair” astronomer.

Any way, one of the profs that taught me one of my Astronomy courses, Jayanne English, found that using radio waves, they were able to learn about a galaxy that was hiding behind another, and also learn about the galaxy in the front. It’s pretty neat!

11 December 2013

07 December 2013

10 compliments husbands need to hear

From Family Share

  • I’m so glad I married you
  • I love how you provide for our family
  • I’m so proud of you
  • You’re such a great daddy
  • You’re so hot
  • Thanks for fixing the broken….
  • Thanks for the help around the house
  • You can make me laugh
  • You’re so strong
  • I love spending time with you

06 December 2013

Ten risks happy people take

  • They risk the possibility of being hurt
  • They risk being real in front of others
  • They risk missing out on something new, so they can appreciate what they have
  • They risk helping others without expectations
  • They risk taking full responsibility of their own happiness
  • They risk the consequences of taking action
  • They risk bearing the discomfort of growth
  • They risk the possibility of failing
  • They risk being disappointed by accepting the truth
  • They risk letting go and starting new

For more, read the break down on these ten risks.

03 December 2013

Maybe there is such thing as “mommy’s favourite child”?

It turns out that moms do favour a child. However it is not necessarily the most successful child. It turns out that mothers favour children who remind them of themselves and that shared the same beliefs. So if you want to be your mom’s favourite child, start sharing the same beliefs as her!