Category Archives: Did you know

Millennials read more than those over 30! (not really…)

Un- or under-employed, and employed millennials alike have been called superficial, self-obsessed (Read GenTwenty column here), but according to a new Pew Research Center study, they have one redeeming virtue. The millennials are reading more than their over-30 counterparts.

I did a little dance when I read this. Despite our proclivity for social sharing (oh selfies), we are after all literary. The sophisticate of our young minds, we…

My euphoria immediately dissipated the moment I read the next line, as reported by Quartz:

Some 88% of Americans younger than 30 said they read a book in the past year compared with 79% of those older than 30.

ONE book. We beat the older generation because an additional 9% of us read one book last year?

Millennials read more than the older generation (image credit: www.theteatalk.com)

Are millennials reading?

If yes, from where and what and how are they reading?

According to a study by McKinsey, a global management consulting firm based in the UK, the average person consume 72 minutes of news a day, and the increase was driven predominantly by people under the age of 35.

Nevertheless, millennials are reading differently. The Associated Press (AP) found that millennials are more versatile as information gatherers, and do not rely solely on newspaper for news. 

They [younger consumers] consume news across a multitude of platforms and sources, all day, constantly. Among the key touch points in the new environment are online video, blogs, online social networks, mobile devices RSS, word of mouth, Web portals and search engines.

Furthermore, according to the same AP study, millennials not want to be informed, but they want information that are relevant and shareable.

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Sunglasses and hotness? There’s science behind it

Post my Brazil trip in early January this year, I eagerly showed my friend a picture of myself smoking a cigar at a local cigar bar. Looking at the eyes-hidden-behind-RayBan person, the following conversation ensued:

Friend (F): Wow, who’s that girl — she’s hot!
Me (M): Wait, you serious? That’s me.
F: No way, she does not look like you. She’s… she’s hot.
M: Hum, translation: you are saying that I will be hot if I cover my entire face with sunglasses.

Thanks, seriously, for that compliment. 

But could it be, could it possibly be true that people are infinitely hotter with shades on? New York Magazine reports ‘YES.’

前往閱讀中文版:墨鏡讓你正起來

(image credit: eyeweardaily.com/Tom Ford)

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Donuts — “oh-my-nutty-goodness”

image credit: gotsmile.net

image credit: gotsmile.net

Combine flour, egg, sugar and you get donuts (or doughnuts). Brought over by the Dutch in the 19th century, donuts were fried balls of cake in pork fat.

Despite donuts’ humble origin, mere “olykoeks” or “oil cakes,” there’s much to be loved. I have nothing against anything fried or sweet. Americans love their donuts. Annually, roughly 10 billion donuts are made in the US alone, raising the per capita consumption for donuts to 63 donuts per person. That is, a lot of donuts.

From plain just-glazed-donuts to crazy you-say-what-donuts, donuts have never been so full (wonderful) guilty pleasure. Check out these great Bay Area picks!

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Like sweet things? You might just be sweet!

If you love sweets like cookies and cakes, you might just be a sweet person! According to a series of studies published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people who prefer sweet foods to other foods (say sour, bitter, salty) are nicer, more agreeable and more likely to help others.

Photo Credit: Web Image, HD Love Wallpaper

Photo Credit: Web Image, HD Love Wallpaper

Makes total sense. What, you ask for proof? Well, what about… moi?

Just kidding. But I do think the theory makes sense. Think about it, are you more likely to be happy after eating something tasty or something mediocre? I would guess the former. The paper’s lead author, Brian Meier, explains that taste affects our mood. Sweet foods give us a sense of “happy or rewarding feeling” (hint: positive mood). Therefore, because you feel happy after eating sweet foods, you are more likely to think positively of other people, as well as more likely to help them out.

What do you think?

Reference: Meier, B. P., Moeller, S. K., Riemer-Peltz, M., & Robinson, M. D. (2011). Sweet taste preferences and experiences predict prosocial inferences, personalities, and behaviors. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, DOI: 10.1037/a0025253

 

Spice up your life! (literally, with spices)

Spice Girls are probably not singing about spices in “Spice Up Your Life,” but you can bet that spices—red chili, nutmeg, oregano, thyme—do spice up your meals!

Spices make a big difference in enhancing the flavors of life. And they do more than just add flavor to foods, they can also stimulate the senses (smell, taste) and even serve as aphrodisiacs, according to an article in Psychology Today.

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Men say ‘I love you’ first, but women love longer

I recently came across a study that says men start thinking about professing their love about three months into the relationship whereas women start thinking about it around five months into the relationship. [Source: “The Love Code.” Psychology Today Sept. 2011: 16. Print.] 

My initial reaction was that it made sense from an evolutionary standpoint. After all, women have a lot more to lose by committing to a potential unworthy mate. But the more I thought about love and the difference between men and women when it comes to falling in love, the more intangible the word “love” means to me. Not only do we use the word “love” rather carelessly—from “I love ice cream” to “I love my new boots” to “I love my boyfriend/girlfriend”— we also lack synonyms to categorize increments of love. There is no single adjective to describe loving someone a little bit, somewhat or a lot.

(image credit: fanpop.com)

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“Thank you!” for this 19th Century Invention: Vibrator

Hysteria is a psychological condition that displays uncontrolled outbursts of emotion and behaviors. The term, for the majority of history, more than 4,000 years, was regarded as a sex-selective disorder, affecting only women.

What were some of the outdated theories behind “female” hysteria? There was the uterus theory, which claimed the female sex organ was to be blamed for female problems like anxiety, insomnia, depression, irritability and fainting.  There was also Sigmund Freud’s famous ‘Oedipal moment of recognition’ theory, which stated that women experienced hysteria because they were unable to reconcile the loss of their (metaphoric) penis.

With that introduction in mind, I’d like to share with you Hysteria (2011). The film, Official Selection for both Toronto and Tribeca Film Festival, looked at a time in history when female hysteria was a common medical diagnosis, and the prevalence of the condition also led to the creation of vibrators.

Women suffering from hysteria (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Women suffering from hysteria (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

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Boys take note, King Arthur said, “Let her decide”

The adventures of the legendary King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table definitely add a masculine glamour to medieval times. But the story that has piqued my interest has nothing to do with adventures or fighting, but more of a lesson on relationships. The message: Keep your woman happy. Let her decide.

For boys and men alike, take note on the story’s wise advice.

Curious? Here’s how the story goes.

The Green Knight, illustration (image credit: Sphere Magazine)

The Green Knight, illustration (image credit: Sphere Magazine)

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