Speak up! Put yourself out there!   American society seems to put a great deal of value on being outspoken and outgoing. That can be stressful for introverts, who are more reserved and prefer solitary to social activities.   Expert Susan Cain, an introvert herself, has become the voice of those quiet people. In 2012, her book, Quiet: The Power of the Introvert in a World that Can’t…

For managing the memories acquired across a lifetime, human beings need to forget-as part of the brains’ system, says new research that has identified a new protein required for normal forgetting by the brain. The findings uncovered a protein called “scribble”, which orchestrates a series of molecules, joining several molecules to forge a pathway. “What scribble does is combine…

The elderly are less willing to indulge in risk-taking behaviour for potential rewards when compared to youngsters because of the declining levels of dopamine in the brain, finds a study.   Dopamine is a chemical in the brain involved in predicting which actions will lead to rewards and has been known to fall by up to 10 per cent every decade throughout adult life.   The findings showed…

In an era when finding true love sometimes seems to be a distant dream, budding Indian writers still hold on to romantic fantasies to mark their debut in the world of fiction. "The best thing about books is that they offer temporary escape from reality. Fortunately, romance is a genre that appeals to people of all ages, who look upon it as a gateway from the routine that dictates their routine,"…

Women are using smartphones for four hours a day or longer and are more prone to succumb to smartphone addiction than men, the first-ever academic study on this topic has revealed. The study, conducted in South Korea, noted that 52 percent of the women in the survey used their smartphones for four hours a day or longer-far higher than the comparable ratio of 29.4 percent among men, Korea Times reported…

Would-be-mothers please listen! The more fruits you eat during pregnancy, the higher would be your kid’s IQ levels, reveals a study. The results showed that if pregnant mothers ate six or seven servings of fruit or fruit juice a day on average, their infants placed six or seven points higher on the IQ scale at one year of age. “We found that one of the biggest predictors of cognitive development…

In a four-part series, psychiatrist Shyam Bhat decodes and helps you overcome the oldest ailment of all. Why is a psychiatrist interested in the subject of love and heart break? Why is a doctor dispensing advice to the lovelorn, a topic that is usually the domain of pop psychologists and agony aunts? It's because heartbreak -the end of a romantic relationship -is potentially fatal. More than 25,000…

Are you a workaholic? If so, you may be at an increased risk of having psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression, warns a new study, suggesting that taking work to the extreme may be a sign of deeper psychological or emotional issues. The findings showed that workaholics are at greater risk of anxiety, depression and disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), -- a chronic…

Polish your shoes well, go for shoe rotation and more to keep your footwear in good condition, says an expert. Shoe care industry expert Sahil Gupta of shoe care company Helios India, shares some tips for better maintenance of shoes: * Shining and conditioning: Polishing the shoes every week keeps them looking their best. This also helps to make them last longer. The ideal way of polishing the shoes…

Toronto:  Parents, take note! A baby's cry not only commands your attention, it can also rattle your executive functions - the neural and cognitive processes used for making everyday decisions, according to a new study. "Parental instinct appears to be hardwired, yet no one talks about how this instinct might include cognition," said David Haley, associate professor of psychology…

Sweat stains can be unpleasant and embarrassing, so try using sweat pads or an antiperspirant to prevent it, suggests an expert. Gunjan Gaur, make-up expert and executive director of ALPS Cosmetic Clinics, shares some hacks to prevent sweat patches on your clothes: Protect with sweat pads: You can steer clear of embarrassing sweat stains by affixing a sweat pad to the area of the shirt under your…

Are you over 50 and remain wearily busy? If yes, take heart. A new study says older adults with a busy daily lifestyle tend to have better mental functioning than their less busy peers. The findings showed that at any age, and regardless of education, a busier lifestyle can lead to superior processing speed of the brain, working memory, reasoning, and vocabulary. “We show that people who report…

Children exposed to chemicals used in liquid laundry detergent packets may have serious health effects such as breathing problems, heart problems, and even death, warns a study. The study, published online in the journal Pediatrics, found that from January 2013 to December 2014 poison control centres in the US received 62,254 calls related to laundry and dishwasher detergent exposures among children…