The Conversation

Am I being too cringe? If this question keeps going around in your head, let it go. ⁠ ⁠ In the dating world, don't be too worried with presenting the perfect version of yourself. Embrace those awkward, cringe-worthy moments knowing they improve your love life. ⁠ ⁠ Imagine not fearing potential rejections from others and instead becoming optimistic that your authentic self will attract like-minded people. ⁠ ⁠ Embracing the cringe can help us meet others who elevate our self-esteem and encourage us to be authentic.⁠ ⁠ For more tips and explanations, we have more from a clinical social worker and therapist (link in bio via The Conversation Canada) ⁠ ⁠ #DatingAdvice #EmbraceTheCringe #Authenticity #LoveLife #BeYourself #dating #relationships ⁠

"The mental health crisis among U.S. military veterans is a pressing concern: up to 29% of post-9/11 veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD.⁠ ⁠ A new study of what happened after matching a group of veterans with service dogs shows that, after three months, most of the vets had less severe symptoms and a better quality of life. ⁠ ⁠ Service dogs are trained in specific tasks to help with a disability. For veterans with PTSD, a dog’s role could include interrupting a panic attack or laying across their human's lap to calm them. ⁠ ⁠ Click link in bio to learn more from this study conducted by @UArizona researchers. ⁠ ⁠ #ServiceDogs #PTSD #Veterans #MentalHealth #HealingPaws #DogsOfInstagram @k9sforwarriors "

Hormonal contraceptives can increase the risk of depression. ⁠ ⁠ Hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, are crucial for brain health and they need to be balanced to properly regular the body's response to stress. ⁠ ⁠ Estrogen and progesterone have broad effects on neurons and cellular processes that go beyond just reproduction. For example, estrogen plays a role in memory formation and protects the brain against damage, whereas progesterone helps regulate emotion.⁠ ⁠ Researchers are working on understanding more about how birth control affects mood, so they can predict who will have negative effects.⁠ ⁠ Link in bio for more on the article written by Natalie C. Tronson, from @uofmichigan and The Conversation U.S.⁠ ⁠ #MentalHealth #BirthControl #WomenInScience #WellnessJourney #InformedChoices #women #womenshealth #health

Here's the origin story of the FGC-9, the world’s most popular 3D printed gun – and our latest podcast tells the fascinating story of the search to unmask its anonymous creator. ⁠ ⁠ Rajan Basra, a research fellow on radicalisation at King’s College in London, became fascinated by the FGC-9’s designer who went by the online moniker JStark1809 in homage to the American revolutionary general John Stark.⁠ ⁠ "He just captivated me straight away. When he would appear on podcasts or in interviews, he would be wearing a balaclava with sunglasses on and he was very careful about not giving away exactly who he was or where he was," Basra says. ⁠ ⁠ Basra eventually sent himself down an internet rabbit hole through the depths of 4Chan on a hunt for JStark’s real identity and his motivations.⁠ ⁠ 🔗 in bio to listen to the episode. ⁠ ⁠ #guns #gunlaws #3dprinted #truecrime #investigation #podcast #newepisode

Fifty years ago, scientists discovered pieces of bone from a 3.2-million-year-old female specimen of Australopithecus afarensis. She was named Lucy.⁠ ⁠ Although popular renderings show her in thick, reddish-brown fur, with her face, hands, feet, and breasts peeking out of denser thickets, technological analysis suggests that Lucy may have been naked, or at least much more thinly veiled!⁠ ⁠ How Lucy is depicted in newspapers, textbooks, and museums may reveal more about us than it says about her, meaning that her discoveries speak to the complex relationships among nudity, covering, sex, and shame. ⁠ ⁠ Check out link in bio to learn what else this fossil tells us about nudity, shame, and how modern culture influences representations of the past. The article is by Stacy Keltner, Professor of Philosophy at Kennesaw State University. ⁠ ⁠ #Anthropology #Nudity #Shame #Naked #LucyFossil #HumanEvolution #ScienceDiscovery #AncientHumans

Have you ever walked into a room and then wondered why you went there? This is called prospective memory lapse, and it's much more common than you think. ⁠ ⁠ This represents the ability to remember to do something in the future. But sometimes this takes serious effort! ⁠ ⁠ Older adults tend to lose prospective memory as they age. This may be because of brain changes in the aging prefrontal cortex.⁠ ⁠ But habits young people make can also be a cause. For example, one study found that college students who drink heavily showed lower scores on time-based prospective memory. ⁠ ⁠ Any other tips you'd add to the list above? ⁠ ⁠ Check out link in bio to learn more about this phenomenon, explained by Sarah Raskin, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at @trinitycollege . ⁠ ⁠ Illustration: Malte Mueller/fStop via Getty Images⁠ ⁠ #linkinbio #memory #health #hacks #don 'tforget #neurology #deadlines #work #news #psychology

Happy #HydrationDay 🥤⁠ ⁠ Here’s a reminder that the science shows you don’t need to drink gallons of water a day. Just drink when you feel thirsty… and trust your body to tell you when you need more.⁠ ⁠ #hydration #water #fitness #health #healthnnews #science #nutrition #diet

The key to raising empathic kids is to show empathy in your parenting and out in the world.⁠ ⁠ New research out of @uva shows that parents who express empathy toward their teenagers give teens a head start in developing the skill themselves.⁠ ⁠ In addition, adolescents who show empathy and support toward their friends are more likely to become supportive parents, which may foster empathy in their own offspring. The study followed kids for 25 years until they themselves had children.⁠ ⁠ What are ways you encourage and teach empathy to the kids in your life? ⁠ ⁠ 🔗 in bio for full story (3-minute read via The Conversation U.S.) ⁠ ⁠ #empathy #parenting #parents #teens #kids #tips #advice #research

Everybody who takes supplements early in pregnancy might not get the nutrients they need.⁠ ⁠ None of the most widely available over-the-counter prenatal supplements provide adequate levels of the 5 key nutrients recommended by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, and what goes into the supplements isn't regulated in the US by the FDA.⁠ ⁠ 🔗 in bio for full story from The Conversation U.S.⁠ ⁠ #health #vitamins #pregnant #pregnancy #research #science #medicine

Joint accounts can bring partners closer. But it doesn’t mean that’s the only account a couple needs to have. ⁠ ⁠ Scholar Scott Rick of @uofmichigan has some tips for achieving ‘financial translucency’, which is associated with marital harmony (:link: in bio for full story from The Conversation U.S.). ⁠ ⁠ "The data from our experiment with young couples clearly suggests that using only a joint account is better than using only separate accounts. However, I argue in my new book, 'Tightwads and Spendthrifts', that just a joint account is probably not optimal," he writes. ⁠ ⁠ "There are reasons to believe that complete transparency can be harmful for couples."⁠ ⁠ For one – you may have hobbies or habits that aren't fully understood by your partner. This is part of why Rick – after years of research surveying couples – encourages partial financial transparency. ⁠ ⁠ Image: RapidEye/iStock via Getty Images Plus⁠ ⁠ #relationships #married #husbandandwife #spouse #LGBTQ #money #moneytips #advice #weddingseason #wedding #justmarried

Is Earth getting too hot to survive? No, it may be uncomfortably hot, but in most of the inhabited world, especially in dry climates, it will never get too hot for people to live. Although many countries have seen extremely hot weather lately, when it’s hot outside in dry places, most of the time, our bodies can cool off by evaporating water and heat from our skin as sweat. However, there are places where heat waves can get dangerously hot, especially when it’s also humid. When this happens, sweat doesn’t evaporate as quickly, so sweating doesn’t cool us the way it does in drier environments, which can be deadly. The bad news: As long as we keep burning carbon, it will continue to get hotter and hotter, which means less comfortable for people all around the world. The good news: We do have the technology to use clean energy to power the products and services of modern life. Link in bio for more from Scott Denning, a professor of atmospheric science at @coloradostateuniversity via The Conversation U.S. #environment #climate #climatechange #heat #heatwave #summer #summer2024 #cleanenergy #energy #news #research #science #sciencenews

Happy Juneteenth! ⁠ ⁠ These books about Juneteenth offer fresh perspectives on the history and culture of African Americans on a quest to fully express their freedom.⁠ ⁠ Juneteenth is also an invitation for all Americans to continue to learn about and strive for freedom for all people.⁠ ⁠ Link at bio for more (via The Conversation U.S.) ⁠ ⁠ #Juneteenth #Juneteenthcelebration #Juneteenth2024 #freedom #Blackhistory #History #FreedomDay #Freedom #Books #Bookrecommendations #Booklover #Read #JuneteenthBooks