Tag Archives: happiness

Eating vanilla makes you happy, reveals new research

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Eating something pleasant or equally unpleasant can change a persons mood is not a surprise to any of us.

But according to new research in Food Research International vanilla yogurt made people feel happy according to the latest tests, researchers say.

Yogurt

It is widely accepted that emotional reactions to the consumption of foods or the perception of fragrances play an important role in successful sales.

Until now emotional reactions have not been fully investigated.  But a team of researchers from the Netherlands, Austria and Finland, used four different techniques to measure people’s emotional responses, and to find out what emotional effects, if any, eating different yogurt had on people.

Three groups of around24 participants were each given a pair of yogurts to taste, and the four tests were carried out around this activity. The pairs of yogurts were of the same brand and were marketed in the same way, but they had different flavours or fat content.

The four methods used to measure emotional response were:

1. Face reading during consumption
2. A new emotive projection test (EPT)
3. An autobiographical reaction time test based on mood congruency
4. Eye tracking to measure the impact of the packaging.

EPT was used to determine the effect of different yogurts on people’s moods. Participants were shown photographs of other people and asked them to rate the people in the photographs on six positive and six negative traits before and after eating the yogurt. The idea is that people project their emotions onto others, thus giving an indication of their own mood.

The eye-tracking test aims to characterize gazing behaviour and visual attraction of stimuli, and was used to evaluate the food packaging. Gazing behaviour can be influenced by emotional reactions, but the results of the eye-tracking measurements are not able to describe emotion states.

Comparing eye-tracking measurements before and after eating the yogurt showed the effects of familiarity but not necessarily emotion.

The team found that that liking or being familiar with a product had no effect on a person’s emotion. What did affect the emotions was changes in attitude to the food after tasting it. Being pleasantly surprised or disappointed about the food appears to influence people’s moods.

Positive response to low-fat yogurts
The team also looked at the sensory effect of the yogurts. There was no difference in the emotional responses to strawberry versus pineapple yogurts, but low-fat versions led to more positive emotional responses.

Most strikingly, vanilla yogurt elicited a strong positive emotional response, supporting previous evidence that a subtle vanilla scent in places like hospital waiting rooms can reduce aggression and encourage relationships among patients and between patients and staff.

The team found that eating vanilla yogurts made people feel happy and that yogurts with lower fat content gave people a stronger positive emotional response.

They also found that even if people reported differences in liking them, yogurts with different fruits did not show much difference in their emotional effect.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Jozina Mojet from the Netherlands, said: “This kind of information could be very valuable to product manufacturers, giving them a glimpse into how we subconsciously respond to a product. We were surprised to find that by measuring emotions, we could get information about products independent from whether people like them.”

 

 

Tai Chi

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Tai Chi, as it is practised today, is a combination of a moving form of yoga and meditation. In Tai Chi there are a number of so-called ‘forms’ or ‘sets’ which consist of a humber of movements.

Many of these movements were originally derived from martial arts and from the natural movements of animals and birds. These movements are performed slowly and gracefully, with smooth, even, transitions between them.

Thai-chi in the dunes

In Chinese philosophy and medicine there exists the concept of ‘chi’, a vital force that animates the body. The aim of Tai Chi is to foster the circulation of this ‘chi’ within the body to enhance health and vitality. Another aim is to develop a calm and tranquil mind focused through the precise execution of Tai Chi exercises.

Lots of useful books here tai chi

Kamalaya – Koi Samui

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Koh Samui, Thailand: Think palm trees swaying under a gentle breeze, bodies luxuriating on open-air day beds being rubbed head to foot with sweet-smelling oils, and a myriad of exotic fruit and vegetable juice combinations freshly squeezed and constantly on offer.

This is Kamalaya Asia’s award-winning and renowned Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa situated on Thailand’s ‘island of coconuts’ – Koh Samui, one hour’s flight from Bangkok.

From the moment you arrive here, it’s easy to see that this is no ordinary spa resort. Small, cosy, warm and friendly, it’s a resort where every staff member greets you with a smile and by name no matter whether you’re lazing by the pool, ordering delicious fare at the restaurant or being pampered with one of a multitude of incredible treatments at the wellness pavilion. It’s just one of many personal touches here that really work as each guest is made to feel so special and so welcome.

It’s Kamalaya’s ultimate goal to make every visitor feel great by providing life-enriching, long lasting experiences. Your visit begins with a series of diagnostic procedures, including bio-resonance evaluations and nutritional and biological age assessments to check where you’re currently at, and consultations and comparisons also conclude your stay.

Set on a steep hillside, among lush tropical vegetation that leads down to a private beach, the resort is built around a sacred cave where Buddhist monks have worshipped for centuries.

Founder John Stewart actually spent a year living in such a cave during the 16 years he served as a monk in a remote Himalayan community. A Princeton graduate, John met his wife Karina, also a graduate of Princeton and a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the two decided to combine their passions and vision.

The result was Kamalaya and the resort, which was born in 2006, has been swaddled in spirituality and serenity ever since a haven far away from the madness of the industrialised world just waiting to nurture and nourish every aspect of a visitor’s being.

My personal journey here certainly managed to tick every box. Having selected my preferred treatment package from a substantial wellness program menu some weeks prior to arrival, I was pleased to find the standard of practitioners even more sensational than I’d been led to expect. Kamalaya offers solutions for detox, yoga, stress and burnout, fitness and weight control. I chose the Asian Bliss package from the Stress and Burnout range but had I simply been looking for a relaxing and restorative holiday, I needn’t have committed to a program at all, and could have just soaked up the environment and complimentary inclusions like naturopathic consultations and holistic activities including yoga, meditation, tai-chi and pilates.

My chosen package cost me 61,000 baht (around 1,086 GBP’s) for 7 days but was the best decision I could have made. Disrobing constantly, drinking countless cups of delicious home-made mulberry tea before and after sessions, I was pampered and pummeled several times a day during 60 or 90 minute sessions which ranged from Vital Essential Oil, Thai and Marma Point (trigger point) massages to Reiki and ancient Ayervedic treatments like Shirodara ( a stream of warm, medicated oil is poured continuously on the forehead) and Chi Nei Tsang (Taoist abdominal massage).

One of my practitioners by the name of Saimy had the best hands I had ever encountered. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised given his background as an Indian masseur of some 30 years standing who’d learnt and perfected his craft from his grandfather who was the village healer, since the tender age of ten. As each treatment surpassed the one before, it didn’t take long before I began to slip into what for me was an extremely foreign state of relaxation akin to being semi comatose.

Usually highly active to the point of hyperactivity, I was hardly able to recognize myself as I dragged my weary body up and down countless steps between the pool, the restaurant, the wellness centre and the yoga pavilion for the next few days. Lethargic and bloated despite an over-indulgence in the healthiest food I’d ever eaten, I sought advice from resident naturopath Samantha who told me my state was perfectly normal as the mind begins to unwind and relax and the body adjusts to the pace and to the intake of so much raw food.

Indeed, it’s the food that attracts so many people to Kamalaya. While over sixty per cent of guests come on their own in order to undergo detox therapy, Kamalaya’s unique philosophy is that one should detox with abundance and not starvation. As a result, Chef Kai Mueller continually creates the most amazing menus which include mouth-watering delicacies like lotus root and herbed mangosteen salad with wheatgrass spirulina dressing and Thai herb cured wild salmon sashimi on buckwheat with rocket goat cheese. There’s even a chocolate soufflé!

Guests have the choice of selecting meals from a specific detox menu which features low inflammatory, low allergenic and low GI vegetarian dishes, or from the broader menu, which changes with the seasons and features fresh, local and where possible organic produce.

Here, food is the medicine of choice, and much of what’s on offer is healing in function and tantalising in form. By day four, my stomach had settled right down and I began to regain lost energy. The fresh juices, signature tonics and herbal teas had begun to work their magic and I realized that while each is bursting with nutrients, medicinal properties and taste-bud tempting goodness, it’s often the unique combinations here that keep visitors returning time and time again.

No matter what accommodation option you choose here, you’re bound to find life soothing and serene. We stayed in a magnificent villa perched in the tree tops overlooking both the ocean and the two infinity pools that have been hewn out of rock with a freshwater spring running into them. I particularly loved our open-air bathroom that resembled a mud brick cocoon, and found it truly liberating to take a shower without the confines of walls or screens.

As accommodation options are additional to the price of wellness programs, there are several to be considered. But no matter if you select a room for around 7900 baht (141GBP’s), a suite for 11,900 baht ( 212.50 GBP’s) or a rocktop, pool or beachside villa for 29,000baht (516.50 GBP’s), you’re bound to enjoy your experience. Kamalaya is an inclusive rather than an exclusive resort. It doesn’t boast ultimate luxury or super slickness, but it’s warm, caring, supportive – and very comfortable indeed.

It’s a tranquil healing hideaway with no boundaries, no pressures and no prerequisites, where the natural environment and the inspiring palate of sights, sounds, aromas and textures, empowers and amplifies the healing experience. What you will find, as I most certainly did, is that as the days go by, your mind clears, your eyes shine, your skin glows, your vitality increases and your heart opens to the spirit of possibility.

By the time I arrived home and people asked why I looked so good there was only one word to give in answer – Kamalaya. And that’s not a word or a place I will easily forget.

Contact information
Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa:
102/9 Moo 3, Laem Set Rd, Na-Muang, Koh Samui, Suratthani 84140 Thailand Tel +66 (0)77 429 800
www.kamalaya.com

Review by Sandy Kaye, Australasia Correspondent

Older women are happier than men

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London: UK scientists who questioned nearly 9,800 people over the age of 50 about their lives and found women were more optimistic than men.

Wealth also helps you live longer with the poorest people more than twice as likely to die at any given age than the richest, researchers at University College London discovered.

Report co-author Dr Elizabeth Breeze said that women could become happier as they get older as they no longer have to worry about looking after their families.
She said: “There is a difference between the way men and women view their quality of life and they are influenced by slightly different things.”

“Women are affected negatively by caring for someone else or if they are not in employment but if they see their children and family more they are positively affected.”

Examples might be actresses Meryl Streep, 59, Helen Mirren, 62, and Judi Dench, 72.

Last year, Mirren said: “A weird thing happens to male actors, especially movie stars, in my experience.

“They become grumpy old men. A young male actor feels that all the girls want him – he’s a star. As actors get older that sense of not being in control of their destiny grates on them and they get grumpy.”

Researchers interviewed people born before 1952 at two year intervals.

They found that the poorest fifth of the population were over twice as likely to have died by 2008 as those in the wealthiest fifth.

In some age groups, the difference was even greater with the poorest women between 60 and 74 six times more likely to have died than the richest women of the same age.

According to the study, you have more chance of living longer if you are married, educated to degree level and a professional.

Single people are twice as likely to die early as those who are married or living with a partner.

The study found that exercise increases life expectancy with the physically inactive twice as likely to die before those keeping fit.

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Happiness – its mostly in your genes

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Edinburgh: Happiness is in your genes, according to the latest research from the University of Edinburgh.

Fifty per cent of our disposition is genetic, with external factors such as money, career, health, relationships accounting for the rest, says the report in the journal Psychological Science.

Those who are lucky enough to inherit a happy disposition also have extra reserves for times of stress, the researchers who studied 900 sets of twins found.

Leader researcher Dr Alexander Weiss says: “Together with life and liberty, the pursuit of happiness is a core human desire. Although happiness is subject to a wide range of external influences we have found that there is a heritable component of happiness which can be entirely explained by genetic architecture of personality.”

Those who have inherited a poor set of genes have to work harder at being happy, they said.

Dream of changing your life? Learn how to at One Life Live

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London: Do you dream of achieving a more sustainable lifestyle?

One Life Live (29th Feb – 2nd March, Olympia, London), is the event for people who know we only have One Life and want to make it count.

Have you ever longed to achieve a more green and ethical lifestyle? According to the new ‘Life Change Survey’, commissioned by One Life Live, you’re certainly not alone. Over 72% of people in the UK now recognise that achieving a more sustainable lifestyle on personal, as well as a global, level is now essential to the future of the planet.

Findings from the research also show that 47% of people believe it is the responsibility of individuals to make changes to their lifestyles to help stop the effects of climate change, 77% currently buy products on the basis of environmental or ethical concerns and 32% believe sustainable products and services will become the norm for consumers within the next ten years.

Taking place from 29th Feb – 2nd March 2008, One Life Live is the UK’s only event dedicated to helping people achieve their dream of a more meaningful life. Supported by The Independent, the event brings together a host of options to help people achieve life changes – from helping them create a green and ethical lifestyle to ideas for people who want to put something back through volunteering or who want to retrain for a more rewarding career.

One Life Live is divided into a number of different zones, each providing inspiration and advice about a different aspect of our lives. Zones at One Life Live 2008 include:

– Green & Ethical Living: products, services and advice for those looking to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle

– New Careers: a chance to start again and retrain for a more rewarding career

– Volunteering & Fundraising: options for those keen to put something through volunteer work

– Relocate UK: for those who want to escape the rat race, downshift and live their dream of a life in the country or by the coast

– Be Your Own Boss: support to help visitors break free, start a business and become their own boss

– Travel & Career Breaks: for those looking to take a sabbatical and become a volunteer overseas – ideas for some rewarding time out

– Life Balance: from relaxation remedies and life coaches to new hobbies – its all about here and now ways to improve your life

One Life Live 2008 will also play host to over 150 seminars, a range of clinics offering free one-to-one consultations and over 300 inspirational exhibitors. ‘One Lifer’s’ – people who have already made a change to achieve a more rewarding life – will also be on hand to give first hand advice to those looking to follow suit.

One Life Live 2008 takes place in Grand Hall Olympia, London from 29th Feb – 2nd March. Tickets are priced £12 in advance from www.onelifelive.co.ukor £15 on the door.
Alternatively call booking line 0844 8483225.

Statins may be new weapon against Alzheimer’s

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Seattle: The family of anti-cholesterol drugs called statins and taken by millions around the world, can protect against Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research.

An examination of brain tissue has provided the first direct evidence that statins – taken to prevent heart disease and strokes – can also ward off dementia and memory loss. The study is published in the American Journal of Neurology.

The new findings s come from a study of 110 brains – donated for medical research – at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. The researchers led by Dr Gail Li examined the brains for changes linked to Alzheimer’s -including the creation of ‘plaques’ and ‘tangles’ made from the protein called beta amyloid.

These changes appear in the brain long before any symptoms of dementia develop. Eventually, they damage enough brain cells to trigger confusion, memory loss and eventually death. The researchers found far fewer tangles in the brains of people who had taken statins, compared to those who had not.

The findings were true even after age, sex and the history of strokes were taken into account. This is the first study to compare the brains of people who took statins with those who did not.

Dr Eric Larson, study co-author said: “These results are exciting, novel and have important implications for prevention strategies.”

Statins work by blocking the action of a chemical in the liver which is needed to make the ‘bad’ form of cholesterol, LDL. Reducing levels of bad cholesterol keeps blood vessels unclogged.

The researchers are not sure how statins also prevent the buildup of protein tangles in the brain. They suspect that a healthy flow of blood is a key factor.

Another study, five year’s ago at Boston University found that statins may cut the risk of Alzheimer’s by as much as 79 per cent, even in people with a family history of the disease. Some small- scale studies have found an apparent link between statins and cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Other studies, however, suggest that the drugs can ease the pain of rheumatoid arthritis.

Longevity linked to happiness, says Carnegie Mellon research

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New York: There is growing evidence that positive emotions such as happiness are linked to good health and increased longevity, but too many questions remain unanswered to draw definitive conclusions, according to a review of research conducted over the past 10 years.

The paper, authored by Sheldon Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, and Sarah Pressman, a doctoral candidate in psychology at Carnegie Mellon, was published in the December 12 issue of the Psychological Bulletin.

The strongest links between positive emotions and health were found in studies that examined “trait” emotions, which reflect a person’s typical emotional experience, rather than “state” emotions, which reflect momentary responses to events. People who typically report more positive emotions experience lower rates of chronic illness, symptoms and pain.

Moreover, among the elderly who live on their own or with family rather than in retirement homes, positive emotional dispositions are linked to living longer. In contrast, positive emotions are not associated with increased longevity in studies of other populations, and though possibly beneficial for recovery from less serious diseases, extremely positive emotions are in some cases associated with poorer outcomes among those with serious illness.

“Overall, the literature suggests an association between positive emotions and some measures of good health, but there are many subtle weaknesses in these studies and it would be inappropriate to make any strong conclusions,” Cohen said.

One problem in interpreting the literature is that in many cases, it is difficult to distinguish between the effects of positive and negative emotions. For example, do elderly living on their own or with family live longer because they are happy or because they are not sad? Interestingly, people’s experiences of positive and negative emotions are partly independent in some circumstances. For instance, in looking back over the last month or year, one can reasonably report having been both happy and sad. A definitive answer to whether positive or negative emotions are contributing to a health outcome can only come from studies that measure both types of emotions and examine their independent effects. Consequently, it is difficult to conclude from the existing literature whether happiness leads to a healthier and longer life or unhappiness results in a less healthy, shorter one.

The authors also were concerned with the possibility that some measures of positive emotions may themselves be direct indicators of physical health. For example, adjectives such as “energetic,” “full-of-pep,” and “vigorous” may reflect a positive mood, but may also reflect how healthy one feels. Self-rated health has been found to predict illness and longevity above and beyond objective health measures such as physician ratings. Consequently, it is important for future research to include standard measures of self-rated health to help exclude the possibility that researchers are merely predicting good objective health from good perceived health masquerading as positive emotions.

Cohen and Pressman suggest that future research focus on determining how emotions “get under the skin” to influence health. In other words, what behavioral or physiological changes do positive emotions trigger to ward off illness? The authors propose that emotions can have a direct impact on health; for example, they may influence lifestyle choices, or the function of the immune and autonomic nervous systems. Alternatively, they suggest that positive emotions may also influence health by mitigating the harmful effects of stress.

“Overall, we consider this literature provocative but not definitive. It does not unequivocally indicate that positive emotions are beneficial for health, but instead suggests a more divergent view of when positive emotions may have positive, negative or no effects,” Cohen said.