subject: What Does Research Tell Us About Us? [print this page] Researchers at the University of Georgia found that self-control - or lack of it - is contagious. In one of 5 studies over 2 years, 36 volunteers were asked to think about a friend with good or bad self-control. Those who thought about a friend with good self-control persisted longer on a hand grip test. In another study 42 volunteers participated in a computerized test measuring self-control while names of friends were flashed on the screen long enough to make only subliminal impressions. Those who were subliminally primed by the name of a friend with good self-control tested better. It seems more self-control should be used when choosing friends.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin posted a questionnaire online. Approximately 4,500 people answered questions measuring agreeableness, conscientiousness, extroversion, neuroticism and openness - 5 areas that have proven to cover most personality traits. The participants also indicated if they were cat people, dog people, both or neither. According to the research, dog people are more social and outgoing - more agreeable, conscientious and extroverted. Cat people are more neurotic, creative, philosophical and nontraditional. In 2009 37% of American households had dogs, 32% had cats - and 31% probably thought this research was "petty".
Researchers at the University of California at San Diego discovered the "golden ratio" - measurements that supposedly define facial beauty. It seems that the distance between eyes should be 46% of the face's width and the distance from eyes to mouth should be 36% of the face's length. When 126 college students - mostly female - compared pictures of identical faces with different eye-mouth ratios, faces differing from the golden ratio were ranked less attractive. The good news is this ratio applies only to white women. If there's good news for white women, it's in the eyes of the beholder.
Researchers at Ohio State University looked at records of emergency room visits compiled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They discovered that more than 1,000 pedestrians went to the ER in 2008 because of tripping, falling or running into something while using a cell phone to talk, text or implement applications. That number was double the number in 2007 and 2007's number was almost double 2006's number. The age breakdown of the distracted cell phone users was about half under 30, a quarter 16-20 and a quarter 41-60. Obviously, we're never too old to know better.
