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Ten (Research-Tested) New Year’s Resolutions

Ten (Research-Tested) New Year’s Resolutions

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Need help choosing a New Year’s resolution? Research from the University at Buffalo can provide some direction. Below is a summary of useful health and wellness tips assembled from studies published by UB researchers in 2010.

Have a happy, healthy and safe new year. 

 
1.     Take care of a loved one and boost your own well being. Research by UB assistant professor of psychology Michael J. Poulin shows that helping sick family members can reduce stress and anxiety.
 
2.     Losing a few pounds may help you survive a car crash. Research by UB’s Dietrich V. Jehle, M.D. and professor of emergency medicine, found that moderately obese drivers are more likely to die in a severe car crash. 
 
3.     Hit the sack early. UB researcher Lisa B. Rafalson found that seven hours of sleep may decrease the risk of developing diabetes.
 
4.     Keep kids involved with friends to prevent overeating. Research by UB’s Sarah-Jeanne Salvy, associate professor of pediatrics, shows that childhood friendships can be a substitute for food and therefore can help stem obesity in children.
 
5.     Don’t give up hope when the going gets tough. Research by UB’s Mark D. Seery, assistant professor of psychology, found that adverse life experiences appear to make us more resilient and adaptable to stress.
 
6.     Talk to your kids about current events. Research by UB’s Ming M. Chiu, professor of learning and instruction, found that children who discuss current events with their parents develop better math and reasoning skills.  
 
7.     Jack-up your consumption of soy. Research by UB’s Anne M. Weaver and co-researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute shows that soy products are associated with a reduced risk of developing invasive breast tumors. 
 
8.     Encourage your kids to walk to school. Research by UB’s James N. Roemmich, associate professor of pediatrics, shows that a simple morning walk could help curb stress-related spikes in heart rate and blood pressure in children, potentially reducing their risk of heart disease later in life.
 
9.     Pay with cash at the grocery store to avoid junk food. Research by UB’s Satheeshkumar Seenivasan found that people who bought groceries with credit and debit cards were more likely to load up on unhealthy foods. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101018174345.htm
 
10. Have a few drinks to boost romance. Drinking in moderation with your spouse or partner can increase intimacy, according to research by Ashley Levitt of UB’s Research Institute on Addictions. 

 

Related Topics:

adaptability, behavior, blood pressure, cancer, caretaking, credit and debit cards, current events, diabetes, emergency medicine, grocery store, health, heart rate, intimacy, junk food, kids, learning, math and resoning, moderate drinking, overeating, pediatrics, resilience, resolutions, sleep deprivation, soy invasive breast tumors, stress, walking, weight loss

Behavioral ID programs could have spotted Northwest terror suspect before he boarded plane

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EXPERT CONTACT :

Mark Frank, PhD

Associate Professor of Communication

University at Buffalo

716-645-1172

mfrank83@buffalo.edu

The would-be bomber aboard Northwest Flight 253 likely would have been caught before boarding the plane, had any of a number of existing, scientifically-vetted behavioral identification programs been used in ANY of the security layers through which he passed, says Frank, an expert on use of behavioral screening at security checkpoints.

No single security technique, on its own, even when deployed effectively, is going to be 100 percent effective, 'e points out. The goal should be to employ multiple layers of security, each with strengths and weaknesses, and each under some circumstances, capable of catching a terrorist.

For example, intelligence and investigatory processes may find terrorists and their cohorts. Travel restrictions may dissuade a would-be terrorist from traveling at all. If a suspect gets through the first layer of security and travels anyway, then the goal is to force him or her into a group marked for intense secondary screening.

This is the point at which any of a number of excellent and proven behavioral identification programs like FAST (Future Attribute Screening Technologies) and SPOT (Screening of Passengers by Observation Technique), developed by Frank and other scientists working with the Department of Homeland Security, can be very, very useful. Both are observational systems with strong scientific foundations proven to be very effective in identifying suspicious behaviors and forcing would-be terrorists into yet another level of scrutiny. Unfortunately, it appears that they are not being used effectively or often enough, Frank says.

Related Topics:

behavior, security, social psychology, terrorism, terrorist

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