GOOD NEWS
Thought-provoking culture, insightful science and inspirational snippets to bring you up to date on all things uplifting, hopeful and happy-making
Deck the halls!
While late decorators may scoff at those who put up their trees on 1 December or sooner, this increasingly common trend for early trimming can make you feel happier. Psychologists say it’s because baubles and fairy lights reconnect you with your inner child, creating anticipation, reminding you of a simpler time, and extending the excitement of the season.
Don’t forget to share the joy with others, too; research in the Journal Of Environmental Psychology found that people who decorate the outside of their houses are perceived as friendlier than their neighbours who don’t.
Genes for greens?
Do you prefer eating nut roast to the traditional Christmas turkey dinner? Being a veggie could be in your DNA.
Scientists from Northwestern University have identified 34 genes that could predispose carriers to sticking to a meat-free diet, making it more than just a matter of willpower. The research study, which compared the genetic make-up of around 330,000 people aged 40–59 from the UK Biobank, also picked up three genes in particular that are found more commonly in vegetarians.
David Attenborough is the nation’s most wanted Christmas dinner g uest, followed by Barack Obama, Ant and Dec, Jeremy Clarkson and Adele, a survey by Chef &Brewer Collection found.
A quarter of middle-aged British women are ‘fit but fat’, experts say.
This group have metabolically healthy obesity, where their BMI is classed as overweight but they have none of the associated complications, such as abnormal blood sugar levels, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or other signs of heart disease. More than one in four women aged 40–50 fall into this category, compared to just eight per cent of their male peers. But Professor Matthias Blüher, of the University of Leipzig, says this still means they are at higher risk of health issues in later life, even if the onset is delayed.
Picture perception
Selfies might make you appear slimmer, but they don’t make you more attractive. Astudy by York St John University took ten women of amix of body shapes and BMIs, and had them pose in gym clothes for four images.
These were atraditional portrait taken from 6ft away, aselfie at arm’s length, another with aselfie stick, and one from the volunteer’s own perspective, looking down from the chin towards the body.
While selfies made onlookers perceive the subjects as thinner compared to the other pictures, they did not rate them as any more good looking in these shots.
