Life Hacks

Food to Avoid to Prevent Getting Bitten by Mosquitoes

Scientists have narrowed down some foods that are proven to make us more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes. 

Here are some of the highlights, according to the journal Chemical Senses: First: Salty foods – including French fries, potato chips, and peanuts. Sodium increases the amount of lactic acid released in your sweat……and lactic acid is a top mosquito magnet!

The same goes for pickles……or any fermented food, for that matter, including sauerkraut, yogurt, kombucha, and cheese. The fermentation process actually creates higher levels of lactic acid in food. So, mosquitoes will be drawn to you AND the food you’re eating!

Another bug bite magnet is alcohol. Whether you prefer beer or cocktails, they contain carbs that’ll ultimately be processed as sugar……And mosquitoes LOVE sugar! In fact, researchers say if insects can’t satisfy their sweet tooth on the rim of your glass, they’ll go after the sweet scent of sugar coming from your breath!

Here’s a conversation starter for you. It turns out we were right all the time. It’s just what we thought. 

Research from UC San Diego reveals that a lot of dog owners really do look like their pets. In a study of facial photographs, there was more resemblance between owner-pet photo pairs than pairs of pictures that were randomly matched.

And when study subjects were shown separate photos of pets and their owners, they were often able to match the two.

So why would we look like our dogs?  It’s because we tend to be comforted by faces that match the one we see in the mirror……So we feel more at ease around a dog that looks like us than a dog that doesn’t.

How to Make First Impressions Good

When it comes to first impressions, psychologist Dr. Phil Mcleer  says that our voice carries just as much weight as our looks. In fact, according to the Journal of Voice, when we hear someone speak, the first thing we do is form an opinion about them. So here’s how to use your voice to your advantage:

First: pay attention to the pitch of your voice. When we’re in a tense situation – like a job interview – stress can tighten our vocal chords making it come out strained and squeaky. So, Dr. McAleer recommends warming up our vocal cords by humming. The sound you hear is the natural pitch of your voice. Try that before heading into a stressful situation. 

Next, you’ll sound more likeable if you smile when you speak – even on the phone. Smiling raises the soft palate, making the sound waves we produce more fluid……And that makes our voice sound warm and friendly.

Did you or someone you know recently join a Men’s Shed? That’s the name for a social group, where guys get together to build stuff – like furniture, bird feeders, park benches and – yes – sometimes actual sheds! Or, guys can learn how to build stuff, say, by taking welding classes, sewing or using power tools. 

According to Mark Winston, founder of the U.S. Men’s Shed Association, the point isn’t really to make things. It’s more about giving men a chance to do something productive and build new FRIENDSHIPS in the process!

Because according to the latest Gallup data, today’s men have fewer friends than ever – with a shocking 1-in-7 adult men saying they have NO close friendships! Which means a lot of guys are at serious risk for loneliness and depression.

And where women tend to form new friendships by talking face-to-face, research shows that men prefer socializing while they’re side-by-side – say, watching sports or building things. It’s less threatening, psychologically. Because, in a man’s subconscious, being face-to-face is considered confrontational. 

Men’s Shed groups have been popular overseas for years…… And now they’re finally catching on across North America.

Want to check one out? Check out US Men’s Sheds dot org – or Men’s Sheds Canada dot CA. 

How to Control Your Appetite in Grocery Store

Here’s a quick way to control your appetite when you go to the grocery store: Have a strong mint before you walk past the bakery section. That advice comes from the book “Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping” by psychologist Paco Underhill.

He says managers put the  bakery at the front of the store because they know studies show that simply smelling delicious food will make you buy more food. But if you have a eucalyptus lozenge or a strong mint in your mouth, you’ll kill that smell sensation and you’ll walk right by the sticky buns.

Oldschool Ways to Become Happy

If you want to be happy, you may want to try some tips from the 18-hundreds!  In 1820, writer and philosopher Sydney Smith wrote a letter to his unhappy friend, Lady Morpeth. In it, he offered his tips for how to be happy……and his suggestions are as solid now as they were 200 years ago.

For example: “Go into the bath with water at a temperature low enough to give you a slight sensation of cold.” Smith is basically saying – try cold-water therapy! And we now know that even 30 seconds of a cold shower can kick-start our endorphins. 

Another piece of happiness advice from Smith: “Read amusing books.” And new research has found that reading a novel forces your brain to turn the words into mental images. That occupies your brain’s processing power, taking your mind off your worries, creating a kind of meditative state.

More advice from the 1800’s: “Be as much as you can in the open air.” Translation: Get out in nature! And according to the University Of Michigan, people who feel connected to nature have more positive attitudes – and overall, have higher levels of happiness.  

One final piece of advice from writer Sydney Smith back in 1820: “Don’t be too severe upon yourself.” The essence of that is to treat yourself kindly! And according to the University of Texas, people who practice self-compassion have less stress and depression, and more self-confidence. 

Effective way to De-stress and Feel Calmer

Here’s an easy way to de-stress and feel calmer: Mow the lawn!

That comes from researchers at the University of Queensland School of Biomedical Science. They found that the compounds released by freshly-cut grass soothe our brain’s anxiety center, and can help us feel calmer and more relaxed in as little as 2 minutes. 

It’s down to an organic chemical found in freshly-cut grass that affects the amygdala and hippocampus – the emotional parts of the brain – cutting production of the stress hormone cortisol, and releasing feel-good serotonin. In fact, some research suggests the compounds are as effective at warding off depression as taking Prozac!

If you don’t have a lawn to mow, the experts say you can just simply crush a few blades of grass between your fingers, and take a good whiff. Again, the compounds released by freshly-cut grass soothe will  help us feel calmer and more relaxed in as little as 2 minutes. 

Getting good sleep can make or break your weight loss goals! That’s according to neuroscientist Dr. Matthew Walker from UC Berkeley.

Here’s why: First: A good night’s sleep will reduce cravings for unhealthy food. It takes willpower to order a salad instead of pizza, and research shows a lack of sleep undercuts our willpower. In Dr. Walker’s research, people who got 8 hours of sleep tended to prefer healthy foods.

But when those same people pulled an all-nighter, their brains lit up like crazy in the presence of junk food! That’s because, when we’re sleep deprived, we have less energy. So our brain compels us to eat the highest calorie foods available to get our energy back.

Also… Good sleep helps us burn more calories when we’re awake. According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, being sleep-deprived disrupts our metabolism.. which means our body ends up storing more calories as fat, instead of burning them for energy. 

Here’s Your anti-Alzheimer’s Prescription:

No more  eating  processed meat, take a brisk walk every day, do the Sunday crossword, stick to one glass of wine at dinner, and avoid cigarettes. 

There you go!  the recipe for lowering your risk of Alzheimer’s by a full 60-percent. And it comes from the latest report from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

They tracked thousands of people for a decade……and they found that those lifestyle choices can lower a person’s risk for Alzheimer’s, even if they’re genetically predisposed to the disease. The researchers say they were “floored” by the “magnitude of the effect” from making these simple changes.  

Again, to dramatically lower your Alzheimer’s risk: Ditch processed meat, walk every day, do the Sunday crossword, stick to one glass of wine at dinner, and avoid cigarettes.

The Best Way to Talk with Someone

If you want to catch up with a friend, talk business with a colleague, get to the bottom of a disagreement, or get to know a date – do it while you’re walking side by side. 

And there’s science behind it that suggestion…… According to the Journal of Environmental Psychology, during a “walk and talk,” conversation flows more easily. That’s because it’s less stressful to talk to someone while you’re side by side – instead of facing each other – which can feel confrontational. 

When you’re walking next to someone, a conversation becomes parallel play – where you’re both engaged in an activity separately, but also connected. Plus, you’re looking ahead – which is less intense than making direct eye contact.

It allows people to feel attached but safely individual.  A walk and talk also encourages easy conversation because you’re not in a hurry to get anywhere – the walk IS the destination. So the conversation is often more relaxed and open to tangents.

Plus, it’s really hard to check your phone when you’re on a walk. And that puts more focus on the person you’re with and the conversation.