Article Date: 20 Aug 2010 – 9:00 PDT
“It’s like a magic drug”, said the lead researcher of a team from Yale University in the US whose latest study suggests that ketamine, a drug normally used as an anasthetic, could be reformulated as an anti-depressant that takes effect in hours rather than the usual weeks and months of most available medications.
You can read how the researchers discovered this effect in a study they performed on rats which was published online on 20 August in the journal Science.
Senior author Dr Ronald Duman, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at Yale, told the media that just one dose of the drug can work rapidly and lasts for seven to ten days.
This is the same ketamine that is used as a recreational drug, called “Special K”, or “K”.
He and his team found that the drug not only improved the rats’ depression-like behaviors, it also restored connections between neurons or brain cells that had been damaged by chronic stress. They called this “synaptogenesis”.
They hope their findings will help to speed up the development of a safe and easy to administer version of ketamine, which has already proved to be effective in severely depressed patients, they said.
About ten years ago, scientists at Connecticut Mental Health Center found that in lower doses, ketamine, normally used as a general anasthetic for children, appeared to relieve patients with depression.
Since then, other studies have shown that over two thirds of patients who don’t respond to all other types of anti-depressants improved hours after receiving ketamine, said Duman.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/198483.php
 
I’ve had the clandestine identity writer since I first scribbled in crayon on the living room wall. But there was always one small problem: talent. So the first thing I needed to do was to go out there and get me some of that God-given talent that God hadn’t given me yet. Here are the lessons I’ve learned.
Lesson One: Getting some skill
I took a noncredit course at the New School in New York City called Finding Your Voice In Non-Fiction. It seemed perfect. For 10 weeks 20 of us sat around and critiqued each other’s essays. This confirmed something I had suspected: Some people were better writers than me. I could tell. Their writing had whole sentences and nifty words. They had nice little paragraphs and compelling stories about something that really happened to them.
I learned how to identify what made their writing enticing, which made my drivel more readable. This was a challenge, of course, but there was an even bigger realization helping me: There were people who were worse than me.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/08/23/finding-your-writing-voice-without-losing-your-mind/
Jan
22
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on August 24, 2010Â
A new report suggests eating blueberries, strawberries, and acai berries may help the aging brain stay healthy in a crucial but previously unrecognized way.
The study, presented at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), concludes that berries, and possibly walnuts, activate the brain’s natural “housekeeper†mechanism.
The berries’ natural compounds seem to clean up and recycle toxic proteins linked to age-related memory loss and other mental decline.
Shibu Poulose, Ph.D., who presented the report, said previous research suggested that one factor involved in aging is a steady decline in the body’s ability to protect itself against inflammation and oxidative damage.
This leaves people vulnerable to degenerative brain diseases, heart disease, cancer, and other age-related disorders.
“The good news is that natural compounds called polyphenolics found in fruits, vegetables and nuts have an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect that may protect against age-associated decline,†said Poulose, who is with the U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/08/24/eat-berries-for-brain-health/17203.html
 
Article Date: 24 Aug 2010 – 2:00 PDT
The Epilepsy Therapy Project (ETP) and the Epilepsy Foundation (EF) announced the latest grant recipients of its New Therapy Grants Program, a unique joint venture of the non-profit epilepsy organizations, to advance promising epilepsy research in clinical development. The grant awards, totaling approximately $200,000 in funding, will support an experimental gene therapy that directly targets epileptogenic brain tissue, as well as an electrode system that has the potential to improve the efficacy of surgical therapies for certain epilepsy syndromes.
“Patients need new options to treat and manage epilepsy, and through this grant program we are excited to see such remarkable innovation in the field. The fields of gene therapy and surgical treatment of epilepsy remain cutting-edge with much to be explored in terms of advancing epilepsy treatment outcomes,” said Orrin Devinsky, MD, ETP Co-Founder and Vice President for Translational Programs, Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, and Director, NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York University. “By choosing to support these two promising programs, we hope to see important strides made while encouraging researchers and companies to pursue new ideas and approaches in epilepsy and seizure conditions.”
The New Therapy Grants program grants are designated to facilitate the advancement of new treatments through critical early-stage clinical development or to bridge the gap from preclinical to clinical development to ensure patients will have the opportunity to benefit from groundbreaking progress in the field of epilepsy. The award committee, which is comprised of clinical, scientific and industry representatives, evaluates applications to support new therapeutic approaches submitted by highly qualified clinical experts and scientists with the greatest potential for near-term patient benefit.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/198664.php
 
New ADHD Study Shows The Potential Efficacy Of New Multi-Modal Hemispheric Based Program In Boosting Academic And Cognitive Performance Of Children
Article Date: 24 Aug 2010 – 2:00 PDT
A new ADD/ADHD study found that a multi-modal hemispheric based program significantly improved the participant’s educational outcomes. The study, “The Effect of Hemispheric Specific Remediation Strategies on the Academic Performance Outcome of Children With ADD/ADHD,” was conducted by a research team including, Gerry Leisman, Robert Melillo, Sharon Thum, Mark Ransom, Michael Orlando, Christopher Tice, and Frederick Carrick. The study appears in the current issue of the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health.
The new study included 122 children ages six to twelve years in Nassauand Suffolk Counties New York. All were diagnosed with ADD or ADHD; 94 were male and 28 were female; and all were of average intelligence. Before starting the study, each participant completed Wechsler Individual Achievement Tests (WIAT) including subtests for Word Reading, Reading Comprehension, Mathematical Reasoning, Spelling, Written Expression, Listening Comprehension and Oral Expression. The intervention consisted of a 12-week multi-modal program delivered through 60-minute sessions, three times per week. The sessions included sensory stimulation, motor training, aerobic strength and conditioning, and academic training. A key activity included auditory feedback through synchronized metronome training to improve the participants’ ability to match physical motion to the beat. Remediation techniques also included primitive reflex inhibition exercises and academic home training.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/198665.php
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on August 24, 2010
A new international study finds teenagers identify with an online community in a manner almost as powerful as their family relationships.
Researchers studied users of teenage online community Habbo and learned that users identify more strongly with the online community than with their neighborhood or offline hobby group.
The study is based on a survey with 4,299 respondents from the United Kingdom, Spain and Japan.
All three nationalities yielded similar results.
The study was authored by Dr. Vili Lehdonvirta, a researcher at the Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (HIIT) and Professor Pekka Räsänen from the University of Turku, Finland.
The authors point out that peer groups are important for the development of adolescents’ identity and values. The study addresses the question of whether online groups are standing in for traditional peer groups that are thought to be weakening in some developed countries.
The results confirm that online groups can act as strong psychological anchoring points for their members.
The authors conclude that games, social networking sites and other online hangouts should be seen as crucial contexts for youths’ identification and socialization experiences.
The results also suggest that in relatively young information societies such as Spain, online groups are more often “virtual communities†consisting of relative strangers.
In mature information societies such as Japan, online groups are more likely to be a way of keeping in touch with family and friends. This may influence the experiences that youth receive from online groups in different countries.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/08/24/teens-bond-with-online-communities/17205.html
It can take parents years to confirm an Asperger’s diagnosis for their child – and it’s even harder for girls. Learn more about this form of autism and what you can do
When a child is diagnosed on the autism spectrum, early intervention is the best chance at achieving a more successful, independent outcome. But when it’s a girl – and when the type is Asperger’s syndrome, so-called “high-functioning autism” – this can be tough.
Asperger’s a fairly new disorder, diagnosed in the United States since the 1990s, and commonly missed in kids. Compounding that, professionals and parents often don’t readily consider it a diagnosis for girls. Yet it’s key to catch in any gender to avoid painful social isolation and debilitating emotional problems down the road. (Note: Here are additional resources in southeast Michigan.)
What is Asperger’s syndrome?
People with Asperger’s sydrome, or AS, have difficulties with nonverbal communication and social interaction – though kids with AS do not usually lag behind their peers in language and cognitive development. How is it different?
“(They’re) typically motivated to interact with others, but find themselves socially isolated because of their odd communication style,” note experts Marc R. Woodbury-Smith and Fred R. Volkmar. That style is often overly formal and may sound like an “in-depth monologue.”
Franklin psychologist Carol Schwartz, Ph.D., has diagnosed and treated many children and adults with AS. She often sees an added layer of emotional issues.
“They tend to be very anxious,” she says, and “have obsessions that look very much like OCD (or) they know extraordinary information about a very minor subject.”
People with milder cases may never be diagnosed, yet lead successful lives. Others may be plagued with an inability to understand simple social situations and nuances and then fail, repeatedly, to build relationships.
The girl gap
Statistically, about 10 boys are diagnosed with AS for every one girl. However, many leading experts believe the ratio is closer to 2 1/2 boys per girl.
It could a “squeaky wheel” situation. Dr. Wilkinson says AS boys typically act more inappropriately with their peers, getting earlier notice from parents and educators, leading to earlier referrals for assessment. Dr. Schwartz doesn’t believe boys and girls with AS present differently, but acknowledges, “The girls tend not to be as angry. If the girl fits in and is well-behaved, (schools) don’t care.”
Gender biases also play out in symptoms. Many lists that might be available to parents and educators continue to state kids with AS may have obsessions with trains and dinosaurs, leaving out that AS girls are different.
Psychologist Richard Howlin, Ph.D., of Chelsea has worked with many AS girls since the mid-1990s. He says girls with AS also tend to be diagnosed later; however, that doesn’t imply fewer challenges.
“Peer acceptance is far less easily achieved and bullying is common,” he says. “Girls with AS are more likely to have co-morbid problems, such as depression and anxiety.”
Read in Full:Â http://www.metroparent.com/Metro-Parent/August-2010/Girls-and-Asperger-039s-Syndrome/
1. Linny left…
My daughter was diagnosed at the age of 4 thanks to a keen-eyed nursery teacher with experience in these matters. I had always suspected something was wrong but everyone else dismissed it, saying “there was nothing wrong”. Since she has started High School, after disguising it well, we have hit a crises point…now the non-believers are saying..”ahhh yes..see what you mean” Sophie, my daughter, has developed selective mutism as a result of her anxiety and speaks in a high-pitched voice. Her anxiety now controls her life, and needs, and gets, a lot of emotional support from family. However, at school. she is an object of fun and curiosity. The most frustrating thing about the whole thing is, not the Aspergers itself, none of those who love Sophie have a problem with it… it is the ignorance of others! It seems to be a problem for everyone else. Sophie does not speak, if she does, it is very little, therefore she is ignored and considered “a freak”. I wish that the teachers would explain to the so-called “normal” kids what ASD is, and how it effects people like Sophie. Until this happens, ignorance will provide a barrier to understanding. Sophie cannot understand why she does not find the talk of the other girls, interesting. They talk boys, shopping, make-up and clothes (yawn) Sophie wants to talk, the damage to the environment, the ice caps melting, is the world ending in 2012, and do aliens exist? I have learnt to accept that Sophie will always be different, it’s just difficult to get HERSELF to accept it at the moment. I have said, on a more positive note, that sometimes it’s good to be different, and that following “the sheep” provides no individuality. I also told her about some of the greatest names in history who were suspected as having ASD, and that it was probably the fact they were Aspies, that gave them the genius to do what they were famous for. The main thing is, the people that count in Sophie’s life are understanding and love her unconditionally…the rest…well, that’s their problem!
 
A disability election message from Bill Shorten
If you live with disability, care for a person with disability or have an interest in disability issues, your vote has never been more important than in the 2010 federal election.
After 12 long years of neglect, the Gillard Labor Government has put support for people with disability back on the national agenda. So, if disability is important to you, I urge you to consider our record and plan for the future when you cast your vote on August 21.
Our record
We delivered historic increases to the DSP and Carer Payment now worth around $100 per fortnight for singles. We invested $1.7million in Disability Employment Services to end waiting lists for people with disability who want help finding a job.
We are doubling funding to the states and territories under the National Disability Agreement, providing more than $6 billion over five years. We ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and signed the Optional Protocol.
The Gillard Labor Government is making public buildings more accessible through new Access to premises standards, and brokered a landmark agreement with the housing industry for all new homes to meet universal design standards by 2020. We worked with the cinema industry on a watershed deal to make cinemas more accessible for people with vision or hearing impairments.
We provided early intervention services for children with autism, and if re-elected will provide $12,000 for early intervention services for up to 7800 more young children with disability. We will also provide $60 million in capital funding to build innovative, community-based supported accommodation places.
We also worked with the states and territories to develop the National Disability Strategy to outline a long-term plan to improve the lives of people with disability, promote participation and create a more inclusive society. The Strategy outlines a nationwide approach to improving the lives of people with disability. It will guide public policy across governments and aims to bring about change in all mainstream services and programs as well as community infrastructure.
For more information about our election policies, see: http://www.alp.org.au/agenda/
The future
The Gillard Labor Government knows that much more must be done to ensure that people with disability are able to fulfil their potential. Prime Minister Gillard has said that the status quo in disability can not continue, and a re-elected Gillard Labor Government is committed to major reform in disability services.
That’s why our government has asked the Productivity Commission to undertake its landmark inquiry into the feasibility of a national care and support scheme for people with disability. A national disability insurance scheme would be a complex and transformative reform that requires detailed consideration. The Productivity Commission inquiry will assess whether a national disability insurance scheme would be appropriate, practical and economically responsible in the Australian context.
Make your vote count
The Coalition has little credibility on disability issues. The former Coalition Government ignored people with disability and their carers for 12 long years and stood by while demand grew for disability services and disability pensioners struggled with the cost of living.
So, if disability policy is important to you, an important choice awaits you on 21 August. A vote for the Gillard Labor Government will ensure that the needs of people with disability and their carers will remain a first order priority for the Federal Government.
The choice is clear – make sure your vote counts.
Regardless of the result of the election on August 21st, the fight for a better deal for people with disability will continue.Â
Yours sincerely,
Bill Shorten
Australia’s “kingmakers” meet to discuss next government
Tuesday 24th August, 2010.
A handful of independent and Green MPs who will decide the make-up of Australia’s minority government were set to begin talks on Tuesday to decide whether to support Labor or the conservative opposition’s bid for power. Skip related content
Latest counting gives Labor and the opposition conservatives 71 seats each — with 76 seats needed to form the government — but poll experts predict both will end up with 73, leaving three independents and a Green MP holding the balance of power.
“Let’s draw breath and wait for the numbers to come in … and then get down to some policy issues,” said independent Rob Oakeshott, indicating the political limbo would last until a final result is declared, which may take 10 days.
There were no talks yet scheduled with Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard or opposition leader Tony Abbott. Bookmakers say Labor is favourite to govern with a handful of independents.
At stake in the election is the fate of Labor’s planned 30 percent resources tax, a $38 billion fibre-optic broadband network and a future carbon price which the power sector says is needed to ensure continued investment.
Standard and Chartered Bank’s regional economist Simon Wong said the mining tax was now dead, whoever ended up in power.
“The mining tax is likely to be further scaled back or even scrapped, even in the case of a Labor-led minority,” he said.
“The debate over this issue in the run-up to the election proved to be a key factor that eroded Labor’s initial lead, and is likely to be too heavy a political burden for the incoming administration to bear.”
Abbott said he could run a stable government, in contrast to tensions in the Labor Party, and said he would offer “serious roles” to the independents. He declined to say if he would change any policies, and noted the result could still take some time.
“No-one should expect that this will be a speedy process. The counting itself still has a long way to go,” Abbott told reporters.
Oakeshott has called for parliamentary reform and a unity cabinet in which politicians across the political spectrum put aside rivalries and join on issues that would unite the politically-fractured nation.
News cartoons made light of his idea, showing Abbott and Gillard standing arm in arm, surrounded by flying pigs and fairies, and with an Irish leprechaun standing beside Greens lawmakers at the end of a rainbow with a pot of gold.
MARKETS CONCERNED
Financial markets have rowed back on early expectations of a minority conservative government and now seem comfortable that both sides are fiscally prudent, although they would be concerned by any Green-backed government.
Both Labor and the Liberal-National coalition have pledged to return the budget to surplus by 2012-13.
Still, a Labor-Green minority government, which may see an increase in spending, would worry markets.
“There would be concerns about what sort of deals are done with the Greens to be able to guarantee that support,” said Craig James, chief economist at CommSec equities securities.
There was also concern over how a future minority government may deal with foreign investment in Australia.
China is the third-largest foreign investor in Australia and its biggest trading partner, but increasing investment in the resource sector by state-owned Chinese firms has led to concerns among many voters and lawmakers.
Labor and the opposition have said they will review foreign investment on a cases-by-case basis, but analysts raised the possibility of protectionist pressure from some independents.
“Given the extraordinary circumstances of a hung parliament, and the as yet unknown requirements of the independents who may hold the key to governing, it cannot be discounted that changes to the foreign investment regime may be bargained for support,” said Malcolm Brennan, special counsel at Mallesons Stephen Jaques.
(Additional reporting by James Grubel in Canberra and Michael Perry in Sydney; Editing by Ed Davies and Sanjeev Miglani)
Source:Â http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20100824/tts-uk-australia-election-ca02f96.html
Research Shows Women Attracted To Men In Red
What could be as alluring as a lady in red? A gentleman in red, according to a multicultural study published Aug. 2 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
Simply wearing the color red or being bordered by the rosy hue makes a man more attractive and sexually desirable to women, according to a series of studies by researchers at the University of Rochester and other institutions. And women are unaware of this arousing effect.
The cherry color’s charm ultimately lies in its ability to make men appear more powerful, says lead author Andrew Elliot, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester. “We found that women view men in red as higher in status, more likely to make money and more likely to climb the social ladder. And it’s this high-status judgment that leads to the attraction,” Elliot says.
Why does red signal rank? The authors see both culture and biology at work. In human societies across the globe, red traditionally has been part of the regalia of the rich and powerful. Ancient China, Japan and sub-Saharan Africa all used the vibrant tint to convey prosperity and elevated status, and Ancient Rome’s most powerful citizens were literally called “the ones who wear red.” Even today, the authors note, businessmen wear a red tie to indicate confidence, and celebrities and dignitaries are feted by “rolling out the red carpet.”
Along with this learned association between red and status, the authors point to the biological roots of human behavior. In non-human primates, like mandrills and gelada baboons, red is an indicator of male dominance and is expressed most intensely in alpha males. Females of these species mate more often with alpha males, who in turn provide protection and resources.
“When women see red it triggers something deep and probably biologically engrained,” explains Elliot. “We say in our culture that men act like animals in the sexual realm. It looks like women may be acting like animals as well in the same sort of way.”
To quantify the red effect, the paper analyzed responses from 288 female and 25 male undergraduates to photographs of men in seven different experiments. Participants were all self-identified as heterosexual or bisexual. In one color presentation, participants looked at a man’s photo framed by a border of either red or white and answered a series of questions, such as: “How attractive do you think this person is?”
Other experiments contrasted red with gray, green, or blue. Colors were precisely equated in lightness and intensity so that test results could not be attributed to differences other than hue.
In several experiments, the shirt of the man in the photographs was digitally colored either red or another color. Participants rated the pictured man’s status and attractiveness, and reported on their willingness to date, kiss, and engage in other sexual activity with the person. They also rated the man’s general likability, kindess, and extraversion.
The researchers found that the red effect was limited to status and romance: red made the man seem more powerful, attractive, and sexually desirable, but did not make the man seem more likable, kind, or sociable. The effect was consistent across cultures: undergraduates in the United States, England, Germany, and China all found men more attractive when wearing or bordered by red.
And the effect was limited to women. When males were asked to rate the attractiveness of a pictured male, color made no difference in their responses.
Read in Full: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196642.php
Conniving or Conflicted?
Sometimes mixed signals are selfish attempts to have one’s cake and eat it too and other times they are painful (and sometimes unconscious) efforts to avoid perceived vulnerabilities associated with love and commitment – and without it. To the observer it can be hard to tell the difference between the conniving and the conflicted – and it usually ends badly either way if you’re the partner.
The clients I work with often give mixed signals to dating partners because they have contradictory (and distorted) beliefs and values about love and commitment that pull them in opposite directions rather than becoming integrated and balanced. Some common values polarities they struggle with are:
• Connection——Independence
• Control——-Spontaneity
• Other-Approval——Self-Approval
• Novelty——Stability
• Excitement——Peace
• Freedom——Responsibility
• Immediate Gratification——Long-term Satisfaction
Read in Full: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/love-in-limbo/201004/conniving-or-conflicted
Unequal Love Across The Color Line
Stories about black women, marriage and interracial relationships have always generated controversy, strong opinions and stereotyped assumptions. Just this week Dr Laura took a call from a black female caller married to a white man who wanted to know how to handle ignorant and racist remarks from his family and neighbors. Schlessinger said “If you’re that hypersensitive about color and don’t have a sense of humor don’t marry out of your race”.
The other day I got a comment from “Brenda†about my High-Achieving Black Women and Marriage: Not Choosing Or Not Chosen? piece in which I supported openness to interracial partners.  She said: “was this whole article to help you rationalize why some young stud couldnt be bothered with you?†Wow, not only is she waaaaaaay off, but her comment reminded me of the darts that are also aimed at Asian men when they wonder if they’re being sidelined in love. Black women and Asian men have some things in common in this arena so today I want to dig deeper into interracial relationships and the interesting ground that black women and Asian men share.
Interracial Marriage
The Pew Research organization recently published a report on interracial marriages (Marrying Out) using data from the 2008 U.S. Census Current Population Survey and one striking statistic jumped out at me. Interracial marriages in general have been rising exponentially since state bans on them were lifted in 1967 – but they haven’t been rising at all evenly. A breakdown by race (self-identified) and gender turns up one glaring difference. Black women and Asian men are far less likely to marry interracially or inter-ethnically than Black men or Asian women.
Read in Full:Â http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/love-in-limbo/201008/unequal-love-across-the-color-line
Why Your Wife Hates Sex and What You Can Do About It
It’s 11:15 pm. You’re lying next to your wife after a long day for both of you. You catch a whiff of her freshly washed hair and suddenly your mind jumps to how nice it would be to get her naked. You know she’s wearing those not-tonight flannel pajamas, but you slide your hand over her closer breast anyhow as you press your hips against her. She suddenly gets very still and quiet. You can almost feel her skin crawl as you try to caress her. She says, sounding somewhat annoyed, “Honey, I’m tired.” So you stop, shut down again. You wait till she falls asleep and masturbate, trying not to move the bed too much. It’s been two weeks and you can’t so much as touch your wife. What is up with that? Why can’t she just have sex with you – maybe even just a quickie – when you need it so much?
You’re right. It’s not fair. But there is so much hope – your sex life doesn’t have to be this way! Here are some psychological insights and strategies for you as a capable and vital man to consider for improving your sex life with your wife or long-term lover. The more you can get inside the head of your wife, the better your sex life is going to be. For starters, here are some of the key reasons why she doesn’t want sex (for now!):
1. She is too tired. Women typically do about 7 times more housework and childcare than their husbands do even when they both have full-time jobs. Add to that the fact that women need more sleep than men do, and you have a recipe for her wanting sleep more than sex when both your heads hit the pillow.
2. She resents or is angry at you. In any romantic relationship, both men and women need about five times as many positive events than negative ones to say that they are satisfied with the relationship. The difference for women, however, is that they tend to ruminate over negative events more than do men. In other words, when bad things happen in a marriage, like when a husband tells his wife that she shouldn’t have dessert, she mentally ties that insult to its grander meanings like thinking that she married the wrong man. Because women ruminate more, wives are much more likely to come to bed resenting their husbands. And all the proper timing and sex tricks in the world are not going to make the sex good for an angry or resentful spouse.
3. She does not have the freedom to choose when and how much sex she will have. This stirs in her something called psychological reactance, which refers to the desire to restore a sense of freedom when it has been taken away. Back in the sixties, psychologists discovered that virtually everyone experiences reactance. It’s what happens when your neighbors tell you that you can’t paint your house red or let your dog run around without a leash. You immediately feel like telling them to go to hell to get a feeling of independence again. It’s the same for your wife — all your pressure for sex makes her push you away. But this situation can be turned around to the point of making her beg for it, as I will explain in my next post.
Now here are some of the key steps that you can consider doing for better sex with your wife (Remember, good sex leads to more good sex!):
Read More …Â http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/insight/201008/why-your-wife-hates-sex-and-what-you-can-do-about-it
Marriage Lowers Stress Hormones
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on August 18, 2010
Researchers have long asserted that marriage helps to improve an individual’s health. Now, a new study explains how a long-term relationship can foster health benefits.
University of Chicago professor and lead author Dario Maestripieri discovered unmarried people in a committed, romantic relationship show the same reduced responses to stress as do married people.
“These results suggest that single and unpaired individuals are more responsive to psychological stress than married individuals, a finding consistent with a growing body of evidence showing that marriage and social support can buffer against stress.”
His findings are published in the current issue of the journal Stress.
A team of researchers from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University studied 500 masters degree students. About 40 percent of the men and 53 percent of the women were married or in relationships.
The group included 348 men with a mean age of 29 and 153 women with a mean age of 27.
The students were asked to play a series of computer games that tested economic behaviors, and saliva samples were taken before and after to measure hormone levels and changes.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/08/19/marriage-lowers-stress-hormones/17027.html
24/7 Work Schedule Challenges Marriage
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on August 19, 2010
As our world grows in complexity and pace, taking care of business requires around the clock staffing.
David Maume, a University of Cincinnati professor of sociology, says working the late shift places new demands on men and women, affecting the family as well as the marriage.
“Although much research has examined the marital effects of women’s work, relatively few studies have focused on the effects of working late shifts on marital dynamics,†writes Maume.
“This study updates and extends the rather limited and dated research on the link between schedule diversity and marital quality.”
Overall, the study found that men felt that working the late shift negatively affected the quality of their marriages. However, the majority of women felt that rotating work schedules strained their marriages.
“When women work rotating schedules, they find it more difficult to get everything done at home and engage with family members, and it is this disruptive effect on family life which strains women’s marriages rather than the times they work,†explains Maume.
He adds that in that regard, the new study backs previous research that demonstrates that “to a greater degree than men, women’s work schedules disrupt their ability to care for and nurture other family members, and women’s marriages suffer as a result.”
“As the inter-relationship between work and family life becomes more complex in the face of changing expectations for gender roles, it is increasingly important that researchers understand how emergent 24/7 work schedules affect the well-being of workers and their families,†concludes Maume.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/08/20/247-work-schedule-challenges-marriage/17101.html
Study To Address How Women Decide To Have Casual Sex, Communicate With Partners And Their Feelings About Sexuality
Article Date: 15 Aug 2010 – 0:00 PDT
Discussing women’s sexuality is generally a social taboo, but UQ School of Psychology researcher Claire Moran is out to change the public’s perception, and give women more confidence in their sexual choices.
To complete her PhD research, Ms Moran is asking women who have had non-relationship sex, with three or more casual partners in the past 12 months, who wish to participate in her study to contact her at c.moran1@uq.edu.au.
Ms Moran’s rationale for the study is to gain an understanding of how women negotiate sexual safety and pleasure within casual sexual encounters.
“I believe if we can have a better understanding of these women’s sexuality, we can better promote their sexual health and emotional well being,” Ms Moran said.
The interviews follow her first study of women’s sexuality, which focused on representations of women’s sexuality in women’s lifestyle magazines.
In the magazine analysis, Ms Moran said she found women were almost always presented as being in a relationship, or looking for one, with the possibility that women might enjoy being single or having casual sex not being entertained.
“I was concerned with the message this was sending to women, that women need relationships and that sex should be on a man’s terms, while the lack of information on negotiating sexual safety was alarming,” Ms Moran said.
The current study will address how women decide to have casual sex, how women communicate with their partners and how they feel women’s sexuality is reflected in the media, Ms Moran said.
“The magazines suggest that all women are always looking for a relationship and use sex as a means to secure a relationship,” Ms Moran said.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/197704.php
Looking for Love Can Shorten Life
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on August 10, 2010
Searching for a partner when the odds are against you may shorten your life, says a new Harvard study. To be precise, researchers believe that ratios between males and females affect human longevity.
Men who reach sexual maturity in a context in which they far outnumber women live, on average, three months less than men whose competition for a mate isn’t as difficult.
The steeper the gender ratio (also known as the operational sex ratio), the sharper the decline in lifespan.
“At first blush, a quarter of a year may not seem like much, but it is comparable to the effects of, say, taking a daily aspirin, or engaging in moderate exercise,†says Nicholas Christakis, senior author on the study and professor of medicine and medical sociology at Harvard Medical School.
“A 65-year-old man is typically expected to live another 15.4 years. Removing three months from this block of time is significant.”
These results are published in the August issue of the journal Demography.
An association between gender ratios and longevity had been established through studies of animals before, but never in humans.
To search for a link in people, Christakis collaborated with researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Wisconsin and Northwestern University. The researchers looked at two distinct datasets.
First, they examined information from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, a long-term project involving individuals who graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 1957.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/08/10/looking-for-love-can-shorten-life/16633.html
 
Kate Atkinson is backing the campaign to make literature more accessible to people with sight loss
20 August 2010 Last updated at 09:07Â
An award winning author has backed a campaign to make more literature accessible to people with sight loss.
Kate Atkinson will read from her latest novel Started Early, Took My Dog at a Book Festival event organised by RNIB Scotland.
The charity said only 5% of books published in the UK are ever made available in braille or audio formats.
Ms Atkinson said she was “delighted” her new novel had been transcribed just a day after its mainstream publication.
RNIB director John Legg said: We would like to see many more books made available in accessible formats for blind and partially sighted people.
“But it costs between £1,000 and £2,500 to record a RNIB talking book, so we do very much need the support of the public.”
Ms Atkinson said: “I fully support the campaign to make more books available in formats such as braille and audio.”
The launch of the campaign has been sponsored by Glasgow-based construction firm City Building, whose workforce includes 30 workers with sight loss.
Managing director Willie Docherty said: “We operate one of Europe’s largest supported employment factories with some 260 workers, over 50% of whom have a disability, and all of whom do exactly the same job as their sighted colleagues.
“That is why we are delighted to support a campaign that makes more literature accessible to people with sight loss.”
Source:Â http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-11025228