research

Be thankful for those years as a band geek

Posted by Kelly on Nov 29, 2007 - 07:02 pm

A recent finding reveals that music is not important solely for people who plan on having a career in show business or the arts.  Music, be it choir, a garage band, or an ensemble, have significant correlations to success later in life. 

The poll by Harris Interactive, an independent research company, showed that 88 percent of people with a post-graduate education were involved in music while in school, and 83 percent of people earning $150,000 or more had a music education.

People learn important skills through music practice, including working with groups harmoniously- personally and tonally.  This adds to the argument that schools need to keep their music programs, with so many being shut down do to lack of funding and resources.  Personal fulfillment was reported by 80% of people who were involved in music programs, showing that the majority of people enjoy their time spent in music groups.  For those people who are less concerned with the sappy sentiments of others, just think about the money people can make by playing the clarinet for a couple years!

Tags: music, research, money, | Comment

Charlton Heston freaks out

Monkeys have better memories than college students

Posted by Blake on Dec 03, 2007 - 11:47 am

Here’s some encouragement going into final exams: chimpanzees have better short-term memories than we do.

This time, five numbers flashed on the screen only briefly before they were replaced by white squares. The challenge, again, was to touch these squares in the proper sequence.

When the numbers were displayed for about seven-tenths of a second, Ayumu and the college students were both able to do this correctly about 80 percent of the time.

But when the numbers were displayed for just four-tenths or two-tenths of a second, the chimp was the champ. The briefer of those times is too short to allow a look around the screen, and in those tests Ayumu still scored about 80 percent, while humans plunged to 40 percent.

Now when I’m preparing for finals, in the back of my mind I’ll know that a chimpanzee would be doing a better job than me. Chimps, 1. College students, 0.

Happy studying.

Tags: research, monkeys, studying, memory, | Comment

pregame the gym with some Sexual Chocolate...

Exercise + Alcohol = Healthy?!?

Posted by Kelly on Jan 28, 2008 - 11:13 pm

So we’ve all heard that a glass of red wine is good for your heart, but new research from Denmark (are you surprised? nah) show some surprising new findings.

People who don’t drink at all and don’t exercise had the highest risk of heart disease. People who drink moderately and exercise had a 50% lower risk. Teetotaling exercisers had a 30% decreased risk, as did moderately drinking couch potatoes. “There’s an additional protective effect to doing both,” says Gronbaek. “That’s the new finding.”

People who drank (in moderation) had the same health benefits of those who only exercised.  Do both and you have cut your risk of heart disease in half!!  There also benefits for diabetes and stroke recovery.  Unfortunately, the research found that the benefits of alcohol consumption are mostly applicable to those at risk for heart disease, people over age 45. 
But no one’s saying we can’t practice, right?

Tags: health, research, alcohol, | Comment

College Sex Publications Increase, Actual Sex Declines

Posted by Kelly on Feb 25, 2008 - 08:30 pm

A trend amongst top tier colleges lately has been to publish sex columns and magazines.  I am included in this group of sex columnists, and I agree that it is not seen as a taboo or risky activity, but a potential resume builder.  Editors from sex magazines are not ashamed of what they write because it atmosphere is more open than it has been in the past.  Despite the growing number of sex-related publications, researchers have found that sexual activity has actually decreased.

The study also found that for male students, the number of sexual partners in the previous year has dropped, from 2.1 in 2000 to 1.6 in 2006. According to a Centers for Disease Control survey, the number of ninth- to 12th-grade students who have had sex dropped almost 10 percent, to fewer than half of respondents, between 1991 and 2005. And a 2001 study found that 39 percent of freshman college women were virgins, and 31 percent of those women still hadn’t had sex by senior year. In 2006, nearly half of Harvard undergrads who responded to a survey reported they had never had intercourse.

One possible reason for this trend is that people are more open about sex- the good and the bad.  Being aware of emotional and physical consequences of sex makes students more able to make informed decisions- possibly a reason for the decline of sexual activity.  By talking about this topic- whether in print, or in person- may boost confidence and good decision making skills.

Photo by Flickr user Kyle Kesselring, used under a creative commons license.

Tags: sex, research, college, | Comment