The Terrillific! Tumbler

So the next time I say goodbye to you in a social situation by saying “Go home and boink your (significant other)” I can make it less awkward now by saying “It’s for your health”

Researchers found that in tests those who consider themselves more alert in the morning can concentrate for less time than those who work best at night.

The study by the University of Liege, in Belgium, pitted the early risers against people who stay up late in a test to see who could perform complicated tasks for longest.

Our happy hour fact to amaze your drinking buddies with.

Being in the presence of an attractive woman sends a man’s stress levels to dangerous heights.

Researchers at Spain’s University of Valencia paid 84 male college students about $20 to participate in an experiment, which they were told would involve solving sudoku puzzles. That, however, was cover to have the guy spend five minutes alone in a room with a pretty woman, who presumably was also there to do sudokus. 

The subjects’ levels of cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress, was tested before and after the interaction. The researchers conclude that, when in the presence of a desirable female, the average male’s production of cortisol shoots up by roughly the same amount as it would if he were in the process of jumping from an airplane. 

Short, extreme bursts of cortisol can be bad for the heart. Chronic exposure can lead to adult diabetes and impotency.

So even if you overcome your trepidation and get the hottie, things aren’t looking good for you.

via Asylum 

The recently released annual Harris Poll that measures key health risks—-smoking, weight, and obesity—-offers mixed reviews for the health of the United States’ population. The good news is the proportion of adults who smoke cigarettes declined in every five year period. However, at the same time the total number did not significantly decrease from 2005.

From other sources, we find smoking declining in most places around the globe. In part, these declines are due to bans that have made smoking less convenient and more expensive. Countries banning smoking include the US, Canada, many of the European countries, and even South Africa. Brazil and Argentina lead the way for South America. The big surprises are Japan and China, where rates are relatively high (over one-third).

Despite these bans, rates in some countries remain stubbornly high: According to The World Health Organization over 70 percent of Russian Federation men smoke. China is a close second at 59.5 percent, and Turkey is third with 51.6. “Male smoking rates have now peaked, and trends in low-and middle-resource countries indicate slow but sure declines.” The problem is the trend is extremely slow and meanwhile, millions die every year from direct or indirect effects of smoke; in fact 13 percent of all worldwide deaths are smoking-related.

The really bad news is that US obesity rates continue to rise, having increased for every five year period since Harris started measuring the trend. The proportion of adults who are obese has not changed significantly since 2006.

Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them are obese. These numbers are increasing, due to the consumption of “more energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats”. Combine these poor eating habits with reduced physical activity and you have a sure recipe for weight gain.

As human beings worldwide cling to their bad habits, expect these trends to continue. We have already seen intensified campaigns to address smoking (by employers) and childhood obesity (by world governments). As society discovers the real human and bottomline costs, we will see more attempts to guide people to healthier behaviors.

© Copyright 1998-2010 by The Herman Group, Inc. —

As strange as it may sound there is some upside to our depression. This article from the NYTIMES magazine details how depression actually helps us think better.

“People actually were taking great comfort in this idea, that this animal was there and might be there when their loved ones eventually pass,” He was there when they couldn’t be.”

Momentary touches, whether an exuberant high five, a warm hand on the shoulder, or a creepy touch to the arm — can communicate an even wider range of emotion than gestures or expressions, and sometimes do so more quickly and accurately than words.