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Why Do We Smoke Cigarettes?

Nirupama Surubhotla
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from
The Psychology of Everyday Living
by Ernest Dichter

None of the much flaunted appeals of cigarette advertisers, such as superior taste and mildness, induces us to become smokers or to choose one brand in preference to another. Despite the emphasis put on such qualities by advertisers, they are minor considerations. This is one of the first facts we discovered when we asked several hundred people, from all walks of life, why they liked to smoke cigarettes. Smoking is as much a psychological pleasure as it is a physiological satisfaction. As one of our respondents explained: “It is not the taste that counts. It’s that sense of satisfaction you get from a cigarette that you can’t get from anything else.”

Smoking is Fun

What is the nature of this psychological pleasure? It can be traced to the universal desire for self-expression. None of us ever completely outgrows his childhood. We are constantly hunting for the carefree enjoyment we knew as children. As we grew older, we had to subordinate our pleasures to work and to the necessity for unceasing effort. Smoking, for many of us, then, became a substitute for our early habit of following the whims of the moment; it becomes a legitimate excuse for interrupting work and snatching a moment of pleasure. “You sometimes get tired of working intensely,” said an accountant whom we interviewed, “and if you sit back for the length of a cigarette, you feel much fresher afterwards. It’s a peculiar thing, but I wouldn’t think of just sitting back without a cigarette. I guess a cigarette somehow gives me a good excuse.”

Smoking is a Reward

Most of us are hungry for rewards. We want to be patted on the back. A cigarette is a reward that we can give ourselves as often as we wish. When we have done anything well, for instance, we can congratulate ourselves with a cigarette, which certifies, in effect, that we have been “good boys.” We can promise ourselves: “When I have finished this piece of work, when I have written the last page of my report, I’ll deserve a little fun. I’ll have a cigarette.”
The first and last cigarette in the day are especially significant rewards. The first one, smoked right after breakfast, is a sort of anticipated recompense. The smoker has work to do, and he eases himself into the day’s activities as pleasantly as possible. He gives himself a little consolation prize in advance, and at the same time manages to postpone the evil hour when he must begin his hard day’s work. The last cigarette of the day is like “closing a door.” It is something quite definite. One smoker explained: “I nearly always smoke a cigarette before going to bed. That finishes the day. I usually turn the light out after I have smoked the last cigarette, and then turn over to sleep.”
Smoking is often merely a conditioned reflex. Certain situations, such as coming out of the subway, beginning and ending work, voluntary and involunatary interruptions of work, feelings of hunger, and many others regulate the timetable of smoking. Often a smoker may not even want a cigarette particularly, but he will see someone else take one and then he feels that he must have one, too.
While to many people smoking is fun, and a reward in itself, it more often accompanies other pleasures. At meals, a cigarette is somewhat like another course. In general, smoking introduces a holiday spirit into everyday living. It rounds out other forms of enjoyment and makes them one hundred per cent satisfactory.

Smoking is Oral Pleasure

As we have said, to explain the pleasure derived from smoking as taste experience alone, is not sufficient. For one thing, such an explanation leaves out the powerful erotic sensitivity of the oral zone. Oral pleasure is just as fundamental as sexuality and hunger. It functions with full strength from earliest childhood. There is a direct connection between thumbsucking and smoking. “In school I always used to chew a pencil or a pen,” said a journalist, in reply to our questions. “You should have seen the collection I had. They used to be chewed to bits. Whenever I try to stop smoking for a while, I get something to chew on, either a pipe or a menthol cigarette. You just stick it in your mouth and keep on sucking. And I also chew a lot of gum when I want to cut down on smoking….”
The satisfied expression on a smoker’s face when he inhales the smoke is ample proof of his sensuous thrill. The immense power of the yearning for a cigarette, especially after an enforced abstinence, is acknowledged by habitual smokers. One of our respondents said: “When you don’t get a cigarette for a long time and you are kind of on pins, the first drag goes right down to your heels.”

The Cigarette — A Modern Hourglass

Frequently the burning down of a cigarette functions psychologically as a time indicator. A smoker waiting for someone who is late says to himself, “Now I’ll smoke one more cigarette, and then I am off.” One person explained, “It is much easier to watch a cigarette get smaller and smaller than to keep watching a clock and look at the hands dragging along.”
In some countries, the farmers report distances in terms of the number of pipes, as, for example, “It’s about three pipes from here to Smithtown.”
A cigarette not only measures time, but also seems to make time pass more rapidly. That is why waiting periods almost autuomatically stimulate the desire to smoke. But a deeper explanation of this function of smoking is based on the fact that smoking is ersatz activity. Impatience is a common feature of our times, but there are many situations which compel us to be patient. When we are in a hurry, and yet have to wait, a cigarette gives us something to do during that trying interval. The experience of wanting to act, but being unable to do so, is very unpleasant and may even, in extreme cases, cause attacks of nervous anxiety. Cigarettes may then have a psychotherapeutic effect. This helps to explain why soldiers, waiting for the signal to attack, sometimes value a cigarette more than food.

“With a Cigarette I Am Not Alone”

Frequently, our respondents remarked that smoking cigaretees is like being with a friend. Said one, “When I lean back and light my cigarette and see the glow in the dark, I am not alone any more….” In one sense, a cigarette seems to be something alive. When it is lighted it appears to be awakened, brought to life. In a French moving picture (Daybreak) the hunted criminal, played by Jean Gabin, holds out as long as he has his cigarettes. He barricades himself against the police and stands siege courageously for some time — until his last cigarette is gone. Then he gives up.
The companionable character of cigarettes is also reflected in the fact that they help us make friends. In many ways, smoking has the same effect drinking has. It helps to break down social barriers. Two smokers out on a date light up a cigarette as soon as they get into their car. “It’s just the right start for an evening,” they say. Immediately they feel at ease, for they have found an interest they both share.
We could report many true anecdotes to illustrate how cigarettes bring people together. One such story was related by a middle-aged lady: “A long time ago, on a steamer, there was a boy I was quite eager to meet… but there was no one to introduce us…. The second day out, he was siting at a table right next to me, and I was puffing away at my cigarette. The ashes on my cigarette were getting longer and longer, and I had no ash tray. Suddenly he jumped up and brought me one. That’s how the whole thing started. We are still happily married.”

“I Like to Watch the Smoke”

In mythology and religion, smoke is full of meaning. Its floating intangibility and unreal character have made it possible for imaginative man to see therein mystery and magic. Even for us moderns, smoke has a strong fascination. To the cigarette smoker, the clouds he puffs out seem to represent a part of himself. Just as most people like to watch their own breath on cold winter days, so they like to watch cigarette smoke, which similarly makes one’s breath visible. This explains the emotional attitudes of many toward smoke. “Smoke is fascinating,” said one of the people we interviewed. “I like to watch the smoke. On a rainy day, I sort of lie in a haze in the middle of the room and let my thoughts wander while I smoke and wonder where the smoke goes.”
The desire to make things is deep-rooted — and smoke is manufactured by the smoker himself. Smoking provides satisfaction because it is a playful, creative activity. This fact was well stated by one cigarette devotee as follows: “It’s a fascinating thing to watch the smoke take shape. The smoke, like clouds, can form different shapes…. You like to sit back and blow rings and then blow another rings through the first ones. You are perfectly relaxed.”

“Got a Match?”

Some of the appeals of a lighted cigarette derive from the appeals of fire in general. Fire is the symbol of life, and the idea of fire is surrounded by much superstition. In this connection, it is interesting to note that traces of superstition can be seen in the smoking habits of modern man. For instance some people never will light three cigarettes on one match. It is said that this superstition is based on experiences during World War I. As three soldiers were lighting up the third man was hit when the light of a match flared up for the last time. Our custom of lighting another smoker’s cigarette for him may sometimes have an erotic significance, or it may serve as a friendly gesture. Match and cigarette are contact points.

Smoking Memories

Certain moments in our lives are closely linked with cigarettes. These situations often leave on people’s memories an important imprint never to be forgotten. Here is such an occasion, described by an office clerk of twenty-one. “…I can remember the moments when I returned home – no matter how late – after having been out with a girl on a Saturday night. Before going to bed, I’d sit on the fire escape for a while and enjoy a smoke. I’d turn around so that I could see all the smoke going up. At the same time, the windows would be bright with lights on the other side of the courtyard. I would watch what the people were doing. I would sit, and watch, and think about what my girl and I had talked about and what a nice time we had had together. Then I’d throw the cigarette away and go to bed. I feel these were really the most contented moments in my life….”
“I remember one time we were in North Africa on a trip and it was evening,” said one of our respondents, a nurse about twenty=seven years of age. “During the day, I had noticed there was a lovely spot to sit, across the way from the hotel where we were staying. I went there at night, and sat looking at the stars and the tall cypresses illuminated against the night sky. I was far away in my thoughts. I was thinking of God and the beautiful world he had made. The smoke from my cigarette rose slowly into the sky. I was alone, and at the time I was a part of all the world around me….”

Smoking Mannerisms

Usually the way we smoke is characteristic of our whole personality. The mannerisms of smokers are innumerable. Some people always have cigarettes drooping from their mouths. Others let the cigarette jump up and down in their mouths while they are talking. Men sometimes complain about the way women smoke: “A lot of women blow out the smoke with a gust of wind, right into your face. They just puff it at you.” Some men, when they want to appear to be aggressive, hold their cigarettes with thumb and forefinger so that the glowing end shows toward the palm of the hand.
Often smokers will assume a pose, because they have found that it fits their personality best, or at least they think so. A not too modest glamor girl revealed to us some of her “smoking secrets”: “I think it looks so much better to smoke with a holder. I studied that very carefully. Don’t you think I’m somewhat of a Latin type? It all really depends on what type you are…. I always have holders that are long and dark. I think a long holder is somewhat like a big hat: it’s alluring and ‘don’t dare come close’ at the same time.”
While every smoker has to go through the motions of lighting and inhaling the smoke, the way in which these acts are carried out varies according to his mood. The nervous smoker has a faster smoking tempo than the relaxed one. The angry smoker blows the smoke in an aggressive way, almost as if he were trying to blow somebody down. A smoker who is about to ask for a raise in salary will press his lips tightly around the cigarette as if to gain courage by holding it that way.

“Smoking Helps Me Think”

The mind can concentrate best when all outside stimuli have been excluded. Smoking literally provides a sort of “smoke screen” that helps to shut out distractions. This explains why many people who were interviewed reported that they cannot think or write without a cigarette. They argued that moderate smoking may even stimulate mental alertness. It gives us a focal point for our attention. It also gives our hands something to do; otherwise they might make us self-conscious and interfere with mental activity. On the other hand, our respondents admit that smoking too much may reduce their efficiency.

Cigarettes Help Us to Relax

One shortcoming of our modern culture is the universal lack of adequate relaxation. Many of us not only do not know how to relax, but do not take time to learn. Smoking helps us to relax because, like music, it is rhythmic. Smoking gives us a legitimate excuse to linger a little longer after meals, to stop work for a few minutes, to sit at home without doing anything that requires effort. Here is a nostalgic comment contributed by a strong defender of smoking: “After a long day’s work, to get home and sit in a chair and stretch my legs ‘way out, and then to sit back and just smoke a cigarette and think of nothing, just blow the smoke in the air – that’s what I like to do when I’ve had a pretty tough day.” The restful effect of moderate smoking explains why people working under great stress use more tobacco.

“I Blow My Troubles Away”

In times of high tension, cigarettes provide relief, as indicated by the following typical comments of one of our respondents: “When I have a problem, and it comes back and back, warningly saying, ‘Well, what are you going to do about this?’ a cigarette almost acts like a consolation. Somehow it relieves the pressure on my chest. The feeling of relief is almost like what you feel in your chest after you have cried because something has hurt you very much. Relaxing is not the right kind of word for that feeling. It is like having been in a stuffy room for a long time and at last getting out for a deep breath of air.” That man’s explanation comes very close to stating the scientific reason why smoking brings relief. Worry, anxiety, depress us not only psychologically but also physiologically. When a person feels depressed, the rhythm of his breathing becomes upset. A short and shallow breath creates a heavy feeling in the chest. Smoking may relieve mental depression by forcing a rhythmic expansion of the breast and thus restoring the normal pace of breathing. The “weight on the chest” is removed.
This connection between smoking and respiration accounts for the common expression, “Smoking helps us to let off steam.” When we are enraged, we breathe heavily. Smoking makes us breath more steadily, and thus calms us down.

Cigarette Taste Has to Be Acquired

Most people like the smell of tobacco but dislike the taste of a cigarette. Frequently we were reminded that “a cigarette never tastes as good as it smells. One usually very much dislikes his first cigarette. Taste for cigarettes must be acquired slowly. And whenever a smoker tries out a new brand, with a lightly different taste, he finds that he has to repeat this process of becoming accustomed to the taste. Often smokers who say they do not like the taste of certain brands really mean that they are not accustomed to it. Few advertisers of cigarettes realize that it takes time for a smoker to change his taste habits. No matter how pleasant the taste qualities of a brand may seem to be, at first the unaccustomed taste will be disliked. One of our respondents made the following interesting comment on this point: “I went to Bulgaria once and was forced to smoke Bulgarian cigarettes. I tried one brand after another till I had gone through five brands. Finally, the sixth brand seemed to be perfect. I discovered much later that any of the other brands might have become my preferred brand if only I had tried it in the sixth place. It just took me that long to learn to appreciate Bulgarian tobacco.”

How Many a Day?

Despite all the millions spent on comparing the potentially harmful effects of different brands of cigarettes, our respondents seemed very little concerned about this matter. But all of them, even those who do not smoke excessively, worry abbout the quantities they smoke. Scientific and medical studies on the physiological effects of smoking provide a confused picture: Some conclude that smoking is harmful; others deny it. This same confusion prevails among smokers themselves. Nevertheless, all of them worry about smoking too many cigarettes, as shown by the fact that nearly everyone has tried, at one time or another, to “cut down on” smoking. “I’ll tell you something I do,” one smoker confided. “I give up smoking cigarettes every year for one month, and I say to myself that I’ll prove to myself I can still do without them.” Periodic abstemiousness of this kind indicates an underlying feeling of guilt. Such individuals really think that constant smoking is not only harmful, but also a bit immoral. Efforts to reduce the amount of smoking signify a willingness to sacrifice pleasure in order to assuage their feeling of guilt.
The mind has a powerful influence on the body, and may produce symptoms of physical illness. Guilt feelings may cause harmful physical effects not at all caused by the cigarettes used, which may be extremely mild. Such guilt feelings alone may be the real cause of the injurious consequences.

The First Cigarette

Much of this guilt feeling can be traed directly to one’s first cigarette, which the older generation remember as a forbidden and sinful thing. Their fathers considered the habit an educational problem, whereas many parents nowadays have adopted a “modern” attitude toward smoking. Here is what one such father said: “I told my son I thought he was a little young… He is seventeen. It might not do him any harm to wait another year or two. Then I remembered my own first cigarette and what awful stuff I had to smoke in secret. In a way, my son is lucky to be able to start with a good cigarette without running the danger of ruining his health. I gave him a pack of the brand I smoke.”
Most of us remember vividly the first cigarette we smoked. “I certainly remember my first cigarette,” said one of our respondents. “We were a bunch of boys on our way to a football game. I had trouble lighting my cigarette, and at that moment a man passed by and yelled at me: ‘Throw that cigarette away, you rascal!’ I was so shocked and frightened that I obeyed his command without hesitation. But only a few minutes later, I lighted another one just to demonstrate to myself that I was not afraid.

“No, Thanks, I’ll Smoke My Own”

This is the reply of most smokers when they are offered a brand different from their own. Brand loyalty among smokers is strong and persistent. Individuals smoke one brand consistently, so that they become identified with it. A guest who discovers that his host smokes the same brand considers this a personal flattery. If a young lady changes to the brand of an admirer, he understands that he has surely made an impression. Here is the experience of one young man, and his interpretation of it: “I was very fond of a girl. She was giving a farewell party before leaving the country. I didn’t have any idea how I stood in her affection. The only clue was that at her party she had my brand of cigarettes. I always felt that that was in deference to me.” “My brand” has a special significance, as if it were a part of the smoker’s credo and personality.

A Package of Pleasure

A new pack of cigarettes gives one a pleasant feeling. A full, firm pack in the hand signifies that one is provided for, and gives satisfaction, whereas an almost empty pack creates a feeling of want and gives a decidely unpleasant impression. The empty pack gives us a feeling of real frustration and deprivation.
During the seventeenth century, religious leaders and statesmen in many countries condemned the use of tobacco. Smokers were excommunicated by the Church and some of them were actually condemned to death and executed. But the habit of smoking spread rapidly all over the world. The psychological pleasures derived proved much more powerful than religous, moral, and legal persuasions. As in the case of the prohibition experiment in the United States, repressive measures seem to have aroused a spirit of popular rebellion and helped to increase the use of tobacco.
If we consider all the pleasure and advatnages provided, in a most democratic and international fashion, by this little white paper roll, we shall understand why it is difficult to destroy its power by means of warnings, threats, or preachings. This pleasure miracle has so much to offer that we can safely predict the cigarette is here to stay. Our psychological analysis is not intended as a eulogy of the habit of smoking, but rather as an objective report on why people smoke cigarettes. Perhaps this will seem more convincing if we reveal a personal secret: We ourselves do not smoke at all. We may be missing a great deal.

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Eight Ways to Spot Emotional Manipulation

Nirupama Surubhotla
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1) There is no use in trying to be honest with an emotional manipulator. You make a statement and it will be turned around. Example: I am really angry that you forgot my birthday. Response – “It makes me feel sad that you would think I would forget your birthday, I should have told you of the great personal stress I am facing at the moment – but you see I didn’t want to trouble you. You are right I should have put all this pain (don’t be surprised to see real tears at this point) aside and focused on your birthday. Sorry.” Even as you are hearing the words you get the creeped out sensation that they really do NOT mean they are sorry at all – but since they’ve said the words you’re pretty much left with nothing more to say. Either that or you suddenly find yourself babysitting their angst!! Under all circumstances if you feel this angle is being played – don’t capitulate! Do not care take – do not accept an apology that feels like bullshit. If it feels like bullshit – it probably is. Rule number one – if dealing with an emotional blackmailer TRUST your gut. TRUST your senses. Once an emotional manipulator finds a successful maneuver – it’s added to their hit list and you’ll be fed a steady diet of this shit.

2) An emotional manipulator is the picture of a willing helper. If you ask them to do something they will almost always agree – that is IF they didn’t volunteer to do it first. Then when you say, “ok thanks” – they make a bunch of heavy sighs, or other non verbal signs that let you know they don’t really want to do whatever said thing happens to be. When you tell them it doesn’t seem like they want to do whatever – they will turn it around and try to make it seem like OF COURSE they wanted to and how unreasonable you are. This is a form of crazy making – which is something emotional manipulators are very good at. Rule number two – If an emotional manipulator said YES – make them accountable for it. Do NOT buy into the sighs and subtleties – if they don’t want to do it – make them tell you it up front – or just put on the walk-man headphones and run a bath and leave them to their theater.

3) Crazy making – saying one thing and later assuring you they did not say it. If you find yourself in a relationship where you figure you should start keeping a log of what’s been said because you are beginning to question your own sanity –You are experiencing emotional manipulation. An emotional manipulator is an expert in turning things around, rationalizing, justifying and explaining things away. They can lie so smoothly that you can sit looking at black and they’ll call it white – and argue so persuasively that you begin to doubt your very senses. Over a period of time this is so insidious and eroding it can literally alter your sense of reality. WARNING: Emotional Manipulation is VERY Dangerous! It is very disconcerting for an emotional manipulator if you begin carrying a pad of paper and a pen and making notations during conversations. Feel free to let them know you just are feeling so “forgetful” these days that you want to record their words for posterity’s sake. The damndest thing about this is that having to do such a thing is a clear example for why you should be seriously thinking about removing yourself from range in the first place. If you’re toting a notebook to safeguard yourself – that ol’ bullshit meter should be flashing steady by now!

4) Guilt. Emotional manipulators are excellent guilt mongers. They can make you feel guilty for speaking up or not speaking up, for being emotional or not being emotional enough, for giving and caring, or for not giving and caring enough. Any thing is fair game and open to guilt with an emotional manipulator. Emotional manipulators seldom express their needs or desires openly – they get what they want through emotional manipulation. Guilt is not the only form of this but it is a potent one. Most of us are pretty conditioned to do whatever is necessary to reduce our feelings of guilt. Another powerful emotion that is used is sympathy. An emotional manipulator is a great victim. They inspire a profound sense of needing to support, care for and nurture. Emotional Manipulators seldom fight their own fights or do their own dirty work. The crazy thing is that when you do it for them (which they will never ask directly for), they may just turn around and say they certainly didn’t want or expect you to do anything! Try to make a point of not fighting other people’s battles, or doing their dirty work for them. A great line is “I have every confidence in your ability to work this out on your own” – check out the response and note the bullshit meter once again.

5) Emotional manipulators fight dirty. They don’t deal with things directly. They will talk around behind your back and eventually put others in the position of telling you what they would not say themselves. They are passive aggressive, meaning they find subtle ways of letting you know they are not happy little campers. They’ll tell you what they think you want to hear and then do a bunch of jerk off shit to undermine it. Example: “Of course I want you to go back to school honey and you know I’ll support you.” Then exam night you are sitting at the table and poker buddies show up, the kids are crying the t.v. blasting and the dog needs walking – all the while “Sweetie” is sitting on their ass looking at you blankly. Dare you call them on such behavior you are likely to hear, “well you can’t expect life to just stop because you have an exam can you honey?” Cry, scream or choke ‘em – only the last will have any long-term benefits and it’ll probably wind your butt in jail.

6) If you have a headache an emotional manipulator will have a brain tumor! No matter what your situation is the emotional manipulator has probably been there or is there now – but only ten times worse. It’s hard after a period of time to feel emotionally connected to an emotional manipulator because they have a way of de-railing conversations and putting the spotlight back on themselves. If you call them on this behavior they will likely become deeply wounded or very petulant and call you selfish – or claim that it is you who are always in the spotlight. The thing is that even tho you know this is not the case you are left with the impossible task of proving it. Don’t bother – TRUST your gut and walk away!

7) Emotional manipulators somehow have the ability to impact the emotional climate of those around them. When an emotional manipulator is sad or angry the very room thrums with it – it brings a deep instinctual response to find someway to equalize the emotional climate and the quickest route is by making the emotional manipulator feel better – fixing whatever is broken for them. Stick with this type of loser for too long and you will be so enmeshed and co-dependent you will forget you even have needs – let alone that you have just as much right to have your needs met.

8) Emotional manipulators have no sense of accountability. They take no responsibility for themselves or their behavior – it is always about what everyone else has “done to them”. One of the easiest ways to spot an emotional manipulator is that they often attempt to establish intimacy through the early sharing of deeply personal information that is generally of the “hook-you-in-and-make-you-sorry-for-me” variety. Initially you may perceive this type of person as very sensitive, emotionally open and maybe a little vulnerable. Believe me when I say that an emotional manipulator is about as vulnerable as a rabid pit bull, and there will always be a problem or a crisis to overcome.

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Things You Din’t Know About Sleep

Nirupama Surubhotla
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A General Overview On: Dentifrices

Nirupama Surubhotla
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Introduction:
Dentifrices are preparations meant to clean the teeth and other parts of oral cavity (gums) using a finger or a toothbrush. They are available as tooth powder, toothpastes, gels, dental creams and even as dental foams. They are meant to enhance the personal appearance of the teeth (daily removal of pellicles) by maintaining cleaner teeth, reduction of bad odour (removal of putrifying food particles from spaces between teeth) and also make the gum healthy.

Types of Dentifrices:
1) Toothpaste:
Toothpaste is a dentifrice used in conjunction with a toothbrush to help maintain oral hygiene. The essential components are an abrasive, binder, surfactant and humectants. Other ingredients are also used. The scientific and dental community also recommends a fluoride containing toothpaste. The main purpose of the paste is to help remove debris and plaque with some marketed to serve accessory functions such as breath freshening and teeth whitening.

2) Toothpowder:

Tooth powder is an alternative to toothpaste. It comes in both a fluoride and non-fluoride version.
Tooth powder was generally used among the Romans, who used a variety of substances, such as the bones, hoofs, and horns of certain animals; crabs; egg-shells, and the shells of the oyster and the murex. They were reduced to a fine powder after having been previously burnt, and sometimes mixed with honey.
Ingredients that were sometimes added were ground myrrh, niter and hart shorn. Tooth powder was used to clean and whiten teeth and to fix them when loose, to strengthen the gums, and to assuage toothache.

3) Mouthwash:
Mouthwashes come in a variety of compositions, many claiming to kill bacteria that make up plaque or to freshen breath. In their basic form, they are usually recommended to be used after brushing but some manufacturers recommend pre-brush rinsing. Dental research has recommended that mouthwash should be used as an aid to brushing rather than a replacement, because the sticky resistant nature of plaque prevents it from being actively removed by chemicals alone, and physical detachment of the sticky proteins is required.

Scientific evidence suggests three main types of mouthwash:
Plaque inhibiting – this prevents dental disease
Ant gingivitis – this prevents gum disease
Fluoride – designed to strengthen enamel, preventing cavities or repairing existing ones to some degree

General Ingredients:
These ingredients are common for toothpowder and toothpaste
Abrasives/Polishing Agents
Foaming/Wetting/Cleaning/Surface active Agents
Sweetening Agents
Flavouring agents

Toothpastes also contain additional agents like
Binding/Gelling Agents
Water
Humectants
Preservatives
Therapeutic Agents
Miscellaneous Agents

Abrasives/Polishing Agents:
These are solid cleansing materials which primarily, act by removing the debris and residual stain from the teeth by providing friction and secondarily by polishing the surface of the enamel. They generally comprise of 20-50% of the total formulation. Examples are silica, sodium metaphosphate, magnesium trisilicate, precipitated chalk, tribasic calcium phosphate, hydrated alumina. Some attempts have been made to substitute mineral abrasiveswith softer organic substances etc, that will clean the surface of the teeth and  the same time overcome the eroding action of   mineral abrasives but they have been found very expensive.

Commonly used abrasive are listed below together their advantages and disadvantages.

Chalk or precipitated calcium carbonate: It is prepared by the double decomposition of calcium chloride andsodium carbonate in an aqueous solution. These are of low cost and are easily available in number of density grades, ranging from light to extra dense. However, the popularity has seen some set backs impurities present and variation in the abrasivity in different lots of the same grade.

Calcium Phosphate: There are a variety of  insoluble calcium phosphates that are extremely popular and effective in dentifrices formulation.

Dicalcium phosphate, dehydrate is excellent and relatively low in abrasion but is incompatible with most fluorides. For dentifrices use it should contain a stabilizer to prevent grittiness, caking or hardening of the paste of ageing. For this purpose magnesium phosphate, magnesium stearate, magnesium sulphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphates are used.

Dicalcium phosphate, anhydrous is very abrasives and generally used in low concentrations to increase the total abrasivity of the paste. It is also incompatible with most fluorides.

Insoluble sodium metaphosphate: is moderately abrasives and compatible with fluorides but relatively costly.

Silica’s: Hydrate silica’s are becoming increasingly popular choices as dental abrasives. They are off two types.
-Abrasive silica
-Thickening silica

Abrasive silica: are dense, relatively non absorbent, odorless and tasteless powders. Commercial grade silica “xerogels” are manufactured under specific manufacturing conditions and are conspicuous by having such structures which are free void or air spaces.

Thickening silica: also referred to as “aerogels “commercially, are extremely small size particles with very large surface areas and have the capability of swelling and of thickening the resulting pastes.

Foaming/Wetting/Cleaning/Surface active Agents:
These are either a surface active agent or a soap which is used to aid the action of abrasives by reducing the surface tension and wetting, the surface of the teeth. They penetrate and loosen surface deposits, emulsify and suspend the debris, which the dentifrices remove from tooth surface. Surface active agents are foaming agents employed at levels of 0.5-2% to provide necessary foaming action.
The most popular is: sodium lauryl sulphate, other surfactants that may be used are sodium lauryl sacrosinate, sodium lauryl sulfoacetate and dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate. Soap is generally used for lather making and cleansing action in dentifrices. The soap should be completely saponified, should contain 2% moisture, not more than 0.3% free alkali, calculated as sodium carbonate.

Sweetening Agents:
These are added to mask the bitter tastes of ingredients specially foaming agent and flavour oils. Nutritive sweeteners like carbohydrates cannot be used hence synthetic compounds like saccharine, aspartame, cyclamates or potassium acesulfane can be used in concentrations between 0.05-0.25percent.

Flavouring agents:
Dentifrices flavours belong to a class which not only satisfy the requirements of the formula but also satisfy the psychology of the consumer who is looking forward to fresh breath after brushing. Therefore they should help prepare a product which have a pleasant long lasting effect and which preferably has a medicinal or freshening impact. Examples are spearmint oil, peppermint oil, oil of winter green, clove oil, eucalyptus oil, anise oil, sassafras oil etc. The flavours are generally used at level between 0.2-2percent.

Binding/Gelling Agents:
Binders are natural or synthetic gums used in dentifrices formulations to hold the liquid and solid constituents in the form of a smooth paste. They increase the body and viscosity of the liquid phase as well as the final formulation, preventing liquid bleeding from the paste. Binders are generally used in concentrations between 0.9-2.0percent of the formulations. Natural synthetic gums, resins and other hydrocolloids may be employed. The most popular binder is “carboxy methyl cellulose”.

Water:
Deionised water should be used to formulate toothpastes, water is present in most dentifrices formula as both solvent for soluble ingredients as well as for supporting the binding agents, which swell after imbibing a lot of water.

Humectants:
These are one of  the liquid components of a toothpaste. They are incorporated to prevent moisture loss and drying out of dentifrices so that the viscosity of the product is maintained. In opaque paste they are generally employed in concentrations of between 20%-40%. Clear gels are formulated with as much as 80%. Most frequently used are sorbitol, glycerol and propyl glycol.

Preservatives:
Formulations of toothpastes require the incorporation of preservatives to maintain the quality and stability of the product. Some preservative action is obtained by the flavouring oils and chloroform present. A mixture of 0.15% methyl paraben is effective as a preservative. Some flavouring (volatile) oils, chloroform, methyl hydroxyl benzoate, propyl hydroxyl benzoate are the common preservative used in toothpastes.

Therapeutic Agents:
All toothpaste doesn’t contain these agents. These are added in specially formulated medicated toothpaste has either bacterial, bacteriostatics, enzymes-inhibiting or acid neutralizing qualities. They thus reduce dental disease prevents mouth odour. Chlorophyll fluoride salt, urea, triclosan, dibasic ammonium phosphate penicillin, chlorhexidine, sodium dehydroacetae, neem extract are added for there therapeutics agents.

Miscellaneous Agents:
Titanium dioxide may be added as a whitening agent whenever desired. Buffers salts such as sodium phosphate may be used to maintain ph at the desired levels. Certified colors may be added.

1) TOOTHPASTE:-
Formulation:
Tooth pastes are prepared either by the dry  gum technique or wet gum technique . in the first technique all the solid components, including the binding agent ( but excluding surfactants ) is first dry mixed and then the liquid components , that is humectants and water is gradually added while in the second technique the binding agent is first mixed in the liquid phase, a mucilage prepared an then the rest of the solid ingredients are added(excepting surfactants ) and mixed well to produce a homogenous paste mass . The homogenous paste obtained from either processed must then be mixed with both the surfactants and flavored under the vacuum .

Based on this technique a no. of acceptable procedure are in use.

Cold process:-
The humectants such as glycerin or sorbitol is added  to the bowl of the mixer. The binder is sprinkled  in under agitation, so that the particles are dispersed in the absence  of water, preventing swelling at this point a separate liquid phase is prepared, which includes the available water, sweetener, preservatives and any therapeutics additives. This solution is than added to the humectants binder mixer. The mixer is placed under vacuum for 5 min. to de-aerate the thick gelatinous liquid phase the vacuum is open and the abrasive areadded with mixing until they are thoroughly wet down. Vacuum is re applied and the paste is mixed for at least 30 min. under 28 inches or more of vacuum. In the mean time the surface active agents and flavour are dispersed in about 5% of the available humectants at the conclusion of the 30 min. time, vacuum is again opened, the flavour mixer is added. 5 min. of  additional mixing under vacuum will usually produce a smooth air free paste .

Heated liquid phase process:-
In this method the abrasive, binder and preservatives are premixed as dried powders in the mixer a hot solution of the humectants, water and sweetener is than slowly added with mixing of the dried powders . the resulting  mass is mixed under vacuum for 30 min. after which the solution of flavour and surfactant is added for a final 5 min. of vacuum mixing

Multiple Liquid– Phase Process:-
This method is particularly adaptable to formulation using a magnesium aluminum silicate- carboxy methyl cellulose binder system. Magnesium aluminum silicate is added to hot water in the mixing vessels followed by the sweetener a separate phase is prepared consisting of the bulk of the humectants, the binder, the flavour and the preservatives . this solution is added to the mixer, followed by the balance of the humectants. 5 min. of vacuum mixing should be perform to desecrate the liquid mixer, abrasives added and again mixes for 30 min. under vacuum after this the surfactant is added in dry form, followed by another 5 min. of vacuum mixing. [1][9]

A Formula For Toothpaste:

INGREDIENTS

%  PROPORTION

Precipitated calcium carbonate

39.5%

Glycerol

20%

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate

6.3%

Gum Tragacanth

0.4%

Sodium Saccharine

0.1%

Peppermint oil

1.2%

Water

32.5%

A Formula For Therapeutic Toothpaste:

INGREDIENTS

%  PROPORTION

Calcium Carbonate

50.0%

Sodium copper chlorophylline

0.30%

Tetrasodium pyrophosphate

0.25%

Peppermint oil

1.00%

Gum tragacanth

1.00%

Glycerol

20.00%

Sodium saccharine

0.10%

Water

24.85%

Some Commercial Brands of Toothpastes:-

*  Pepsodent
*  Close up
*  Colgate
*  Meswak
*  Dabur

2) TOOTHPOWDER:
Formulation and  Preparations:The main components of  toothpowders are solid particles of very fine size and the end product is also a very dry powder. Since the main components like abrasives, surface active agent are solid powders, it is required that they all are in very fine particle size, comminuted, if desired, passed through a sieve and mixed in a mortar  in the lab scale and in blenders on an industrial scale. The flavoring oils are added in the end either by spaying on the powder mixture  or first blending with one  of the components and then  mixing this blend to the rest of the mixture by  the method of dilution or geometric progression.

A Typical Toothpowder Formula [1]:

INGREDIENTS

QUANTITY

Hard soap (in fine powder)

50 gm

Precipitated calcium carbonate

935gm

Saccharine sodium

2 gm

Peppermint oil

4 ml

Cinnamon oil

2 ml

Methyl salicylate

8 ml

To make about

1000 gm

Some Commercial Brands of Toothpowders:-
*  Colgate
*  Dabur red
*  Vico vajardanti

3) MOUTHWASH:
A mouth wash is an aqueous solution which is most often used for its deodorant, refreshing or antiseptic effect in the oral cavity. Water is the simplest mouthwash, and aqueous saline is the least complex type of mouthwash. A  mouth wash may contain alcohol, glycerin, synthetic sweeteners and surface active, flavouring and colouring agents.

Types of Mouthwashes:-
1. Cosmetic mouthwashes.: contain water, flavour, alcohol, surface active agent.
2. Antiseptic mouthwashes: whose main purpose is to remove or destroy the bacteria normally found in the oral cavity in the large number.
3. Mouthwash concentrates: which are concentrated products labeled to be diluted before use.
4.Buffered mouthwashes: which primarily control the pH, within narrow ranges, in the oral cavity. E.g. alkaline buffered mouthwash.
5. Deodoring mouthwashes: which primarily serve to deodourize the oral cavity, by the antibacterial.
6. Therapeutic mouthwashes: which are specifically formulated for the purpose of relieving infection, preventing dental caries.
7. Liquid mouthwashes: ready to be used without any dilution.[9]

Formulation of Mouthwashes:
Most mouthwashes contain for basic ingredients:
-Alcohol
-Flavours
-Humectants
-Surfactants with water

A Formula For Mouthwash:[1][3]

INGREDIENTS

% PROPORTION

Boric acid

1.5%

Thymol

0.1%

Euclyptol

0.5%

Methyl salicylate

0.5%

Oil of thyme

0.03%

Menthol

0.1%

Alcohol

30.00%

Water

67.67%


Manufacture of Mouthwashes:
Manufacture of mouthwashes is extremely simple and in principle, it only requires one or more stainless steel tanks, efficient mixture and a storage tank. This is because all ingredients are soluble in water and the finished product  has a viscosity more or less  similar to that of water. Glass lined, non pitted mixing tanks are satisfactory for most of the products. Explosion roof equipment and a bonded storage area is required, and stringent safety precautions and very strict control on bonded ethanol is maintained.

Evaluation of Formulated Mouthwashes:
1.Soft Tissue Examination:- A complete oral tissue examination should be carried out to evaluate the  condition of the oral mucosa of the volunteers.
2.Gingival index:- Can be determined employing Ram fjord teeth.
3.Odour Measurement:- organoleptic measurements can be made by odour judges based on the whole mouth expirates as well as odour assessment from the anterior and posterior of the tongue dorsum.
4.Oral Microbial Levels:- It is generally determined using the oral test, a technique which measures the rate of oxygen depletion in expectorated milk samples.

FILLING OF DENTRIFRICES IN TUBES:
The working process of a tube filling and closing machine can be divided into four main groups
-Handling of tubes
-Tube preparation
-Filling of Tubes
-Tubes closing and sealing

IN PROCESS EVALUTION AND STABILITY STUDIES:
While the formula is being validated, experimental paste should be evaluated to assure that they meet the pre established characteristics. Samples in tubes should be placed under stability testing at various temperatures, not only to ensure the stability of the formulation but also to assure compatibility with the tubes choose for marketing of the product.
Stability is the ability of toothpaste to retain its important characteristics essentially unchanged throughout its expected shelf life. test must access the physical stability of the paste as well as the chemical stability of its ingredients . in the case of therapeutic (medicated ) toothpaste , which are considered drugs , the stability of the active ingredients must be established and the reflected in the expiration data on the packages . stability evaluation must be conducted in conjunction with the packages development . final stability tests should always be performed on product packaged in its commercial container. Since stability studies should reflect the storage conditions that may be encountered during the expected lifetime of the product, there fore the evaluation should be carried out at temperatures ranging from 0  to 50 degree Celsius over the shelf life of the product. Insight into long term stability can often be attained through the use of accelerated stability studies during which increased temperatures may simulate the behavior of the product over along period in a relatively short studies a stability protocol may consist of the following schedule
-select the sample product
-perform the test for physical properties
-analyzed for chemical test
-weigh them store them at 5, 35, 45 degree centigrade and room temperature
-Samples are withdrawn at intervals and re-evaluated. Recommended evaluation intervals are 1 week, 1 month, 3 month and 6 months at elevated and reduced temperatures studies for 1, 2 and 3 years.
-In addition, samples should pass three cycles of freezer, oven without separation or  major changes in specifications. Initial expiration dates for drugs containing toothpastes may be based on accelerated test data, but should be modified as real time data becomes available. Paste that still remain their original specifications after three months at 45 degree Celsius may carry an estimated expiration date of 2 year after manufacture.

Stability of Gels
The formulation and manufacture of a gel system is not complete without an evaluation of the stability of that system. The chemical integrity of dispersed active ingredients must be assured over the shelf –life of the product.
Types of unstable gels may vary from gels that “set up” during storage and can no longer be expressed from a tube.
-“gels that undergo a separation of phases, either of the liquid(as in syneresis) or of the solid (as in particle sedimentation)
-gels” that suffer a progressive loss of viscosity o consistency, changing from semisolid to viscous liquid.

Indian standard comprise of specification for tooth powder, this standard prescribes the requirements and the method of sampling and test for toothpowders. As per this standard, toothpowder shall be smooth, uniform, free flowing fine powders, free from hard abrasive materials. The other requirement as per this standard are determination of fineness, moisture and volatile matter, pH of 10% aqueous suspension, foaming power, presence of lead, arsenic and hard and sharp edged abrasive particles.[1][7][8][9][10]

RECENT TRENDS:
Some years ago semisolid pastes (with viscosity) were sold in inverted polyethylene bottles. These had limited success and were followed by pressurized aerosols containers producing products called “Dental foams” dispensing paste through a dip tube and foam-style valve. These pastes were pressurized with nitrogen. But they failed in the market owing to several reasons. One of it was that as the paste was dispensed the remaining paste in the container tended to cavitate, eventually discharging the nitrogen, inactivating the container and wasting the balance of product. Accidental misuse caused loss of the nitrogen propellant and was responsible for many failures.

CONCLUSION:
The snapshot of global oral health outlined in this article represents a ‘good news/bad news’ scenario. Overall, many adults are keeping their teeth longer, but retaining ones’ dentition longer translates to greater oral health challenges, such as plaque, calculus, and stain control. The development of new advanced all-in-onedentifrices, such as this advanced stannous-containing sodium fluoride formulation, represent a welcome supplement to patient oral care routines. A dentifrice serves as a logical delivery vehicle for therapeutic antimicrobials, plaque-removing surfactants, caries-fighting fluoride, and esthetic-enhancing ingredients, all in a single, accessible medium.

Authors

Shashi Kant*, Satinder Kumar, Dr. Bharat Prashar

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Anti-Binge Strategies

Nirupama Surubhotla
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When shopping, make a list before going. ALWAYS shop on a full stomach. Stick to ONLY those items on your list.

Never eat from a bag or box. Always portion out single-serving sizes into a bowl or onto a plate. Put the rest away before you BEGIN to eat.

Avoid eating in front of the TV, or when engaging in other activities. Make meals an event. Set the table, turn off the TV, and focus on enjoying your meal.

NEVER LET MORE THAN 3-4 HOURS PASS BETWEEN MEALS!!!!!!! Eat every 3-4 hours WHETHER YOU HAVE BINGED OR NOT! If you wait too long, you WILL be setting yourself up for a binge.

Protein, protein, protein! This can’t be stressed enough. Protein balances your blood sugar and aids in tissue repair- essential for anyone recovering from an eating disorder! Protein also helps to promote feelings of satiety, so you’re less likely to feel hungry all the time.

If you want to eat ice cream, candy, cookies, cake, etc, by all means, do so. Part of ‘normal’ eating is being able to eat such things. However, to avoid major blood sugar swings, ALWAYS eat desserts AFTER a full meal. That way, you’ll be getting in adequate nutrition during your meal, and you’ll be less hungry, and therefore less likely to binge on the dessert.

Make sure that your kitchen is well-stocked with ‘safe’ foods. If you have plenty of food available that you feel comfortable eating, it can prevent those I’m-super-hungry-and-there’s-no-food trips to the grocery store, which usually end up with the purchasing of binge food.

Restrict the amount of money you carry with you. If you have a habit of stopping at fast food places after class, or before work, make this more difficult by leaving your cash at home.

When cooking, avoid tasting. For some, picking at food triggers binges. This can also happen for some people when they keep returning to the kitchen for little bites of food all day long. Chewing gum helps keep your mouth busy, and satisfies your need to taste something.

Avoid unnecessary exposure to food. If you work around food, or enjoy cooking, you may want to reconsider these things. Spending a lot of time around food can be problematic. If it’s not necessary, try to avoid food except during meals, preparation of meals, and shopping.

If you choose to keep binge food around, be sure to store it where it is out of sight. Sometimes, just the sight of a binge food can trigger a binge.

Sit down and ask yourself why you are tempted to binge. Are you hungry? Bored? Sad? Lonely?

Go for a walk, call a friend, turn on the TV, or find some other distracting activity

Paint your fingernails, learn to knit, or find some other way to keep your hands busy.

Soak the binge food in water.

Calculate how much money you would be spending on binge food right now. Every time you succeed in avoiding a binge, put that money in a jar. Save up for something special.

If you tend to binge out of boredom and you are NOT hungry (keep in mind that many people often think they’re not hungry when they actually ARE), try drinking hot coffee or tea or munching on celery. Chew gum or suck on mints.

Find another way to indulge your senses. Light a fragrant candle, take a bubble bath, go outside and sniff the fresh air, touch something warm and fuzzy, etc.

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Why women think they are fat: brain ‘thinks body is two thirds bigger than it is’

Nirupama Surubhotla
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By Heidi Blake

Even the slimmest women have, on occasion, stood in front of the mirror and asked: “Does this dress make me look fat?” But according to a new study, long-suffering husbands and friends called upon for reassurance may be dealing with more than just irrational anxiety.

Scientists have discovered that the body image a person projects in their own brain is “massively distorted” and can be up to two thirds wider than it is in reality. The brain’s own “body model” is also around a third shorter than the body actually is, according to the study at University College London.

Researchers believe the findings could explain why slim women look in the mirror and see themselves as fat. They may also help explain the cause of some eating disorders.

The effect could be more pronounced in women as they tend to be more sensitive to the appearance of particular parts of their bodies, the researchers believe.

Dr Michael Longo, the neuroscientist who led the research, said: “These findings may well be relevant to psychiatric conditions involving body image such as anorexia, as there may be a general bias towards perceiving the body to be wider than it is.”

“Some people look in the mirror and receive information which tells them they are not fat, but they still can’t use that to over-ride their distorted body model and make themselves believe it.”

The researchers conducted the study by asking participants to place the palm of their left hand down under a board and then to judge the locations of 10 “landmarks” such as their knuckles and fingertips.

Their estimates were then used to create a “map” of the brain’s image of the hand, which was compared with its actual size and shape.

The distance between the index finger and the thumb was estimated to be on average 69pc larger than the actual size of the participants’ hands.

The length of the fingers was judged to be an average 27.9pc shorter than their actual length.

Scientists believe the distortion stems from the number of sensory signals being sent to the brain from different parts of the skin.

The brain’s warped “model” of the hand could be extrapolated to the rest of the body, especially those which have “high tactile sensitivity”, Dr Longo said.

The oversized body model could be particularly exaggerated in women who are anxious that parts of their bodies, such as their thighs or stomach, are too big, Dr Longo said.

“It’s certainly possible that there may be situations in which these implicit distorted perceptions that we have observed can come to dominate the brain image and rise into the consciousness, where they could explicitly affect the way a person views their body,” he said.

Curiously, participants shown images of various hand “templates” were generally able to match their own hand to another of a similar size.

Researchers believe this shows that people have an accurate visual image of their own body but are still unable to use that information to over-ride the “brain model” which tells them they are larger.

“It has been known for a long time that people have a distorted image of their body, with areas with a high tactile sensitivity enormously exaggerated. But previously, it has simply been assumed that people could use an accurate representation of their bodies for their position sense,” Dr Longo said.

“This study showed that they weren’t able to do that, which raises questions about how capable we are of over-riding our distorted brain models with an accurate visual representation of ourselves.”

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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10 Life Lessons from a Reluctant Runner

Nirupama Surubhotla
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— This is a guest post from Brigitte Lyons ofUnfettered Ink.

True confession: When I was a kid, I couldn’t run a mile. I was relatively athletic. Good swimmer. Deadly at 3rd base. Hiked up and down and all around.

But running? No thanks.

Until, at age 20, I started dating a runner. I decided to let him teach me. This did not go well. We fought about it, because I was constantly miserable. I tried and gave up countless times.

Now I’m 30. I’m married to that runner. And, somehow, miraculously, I caught the running bug. And learned a few things along the way …

1. Sometimes things that suck are also awesome. This is not a post that extols the many physical benefits of running — or even teaches you how to get started. I’ll leave that up to Leo. I’m not even here to tell you that I love running.

I still find it a bit miserable most days. You get all sweaty. Your legs burn. Your heart races.

And, then, when you’re finished, your endorphins come flooding in. If you track your runs, you get to feel smug about your progress.

Totally worth it.

2. It’s all mental. Typing those words, I already want to take them back! My husband used to tell me this, back when we were still running and simultaneously squabbling about it. Nothing made me angrier.

But it hurts … !

Yeah, it hurt. It often still does. But once I made that mental switch that I will get out and run, I was able to do it. The only thing holding us back is our state of mind.

3. There’s a discernable difference between pain and discomfort. When I started running, every step felt like the worst step of my life. I was whiny. I hated, hated, hated every moment.

But, as people do when they want to impress someone they love, I kept picking it up again. And, finally, I began to notice the difference between pain and discomfort.

In the last 10 years, I’ve only suffered an injury once. I was at the gym, running along, when suddenly it felt like something snapped inside me. Like a rubber band that had been stretched too far, and it finally pops. I pulled a muscle. A term that doesn’t really do the thing justice.

The miracle of it is, though, that I’m so much more in tune with my body’s signals. I’m aware when it’s craving movement, even though I’m feeling lazy. When it’s saying enough is enough. When it can go just a little longer, even though I’m ready to turn the corner and head home.

4. Equipment matters — find what works for you. For me, there are two essential pieces of running equipment. Nike Frees and SmartWool socks. Seriously, I am obsessed with these socks.

That’s it.

On the flip side, I can’t stand one of the most frequently recommended pieces of gear: the technical shirt. I cannot abide the feeling of Dri-FIT or similar fabrics on my skin. Especially on my arms. I know all the benefits. I don’t care. It makes my skin crawl.

When I started running, I went out and bought loads of these shirts. It took me a year (because I’m slow) to realize that my hatred of them was actually de-motivating me. So, now, I run in cotton tank tops. They’re cheaper anyway!

5. Take joy in small accomplishments. I wish I were sitting here writing that I ran miles and miles and miles. Wait, no. That’s a lie. For a girl who couldn’t run a mile as a kid, getting off my bum and running 3 is a huge accomplishment. Epic.

Instead of feeling shame that I’m not running marathons, I take joy in taking in the sights and smells of my neighborhood (especially in the spring … flowers!). Of turning down streets that aren’t a part of my daily routine. And, occasionally, at shouting down the barking dogs that lunge at their gates as I run by.

6. Inconsistency is OK. I face a huge barrier in becoming a better runner – Chicago’s temperature swings. I know I can suit up in the winter and strip down in the summer, but extreme temperatures make me sick. So I don’t.

Ultimately, I work out to feel good. Running, yoga, spinning, whatever. I don’t stop working out when the weather is unbearable, but I certainly don’t run outside.

This used to really bother me. How could I ever become a “real” runner this way?

Maybe I can’t, but it doesn’t matter. This spring, after a 6 month break, I ran 20 minutes my first day out. And, I’m currently running faster and longer than ever.

7. It feels good to pick up your pace at the finish. This week, I ran 30 minutes. This is pretty much my outer limit (for the present!). My average pace was 10:19. At the end, I picked it up to 9 flat. Even though my calves were burning.

It felt damn good. And, although I have no expert studies to cite, I swear it helps create an endorphin rush.

8.  But, slow down at the beginning, already! While it’s a good habit to pick it up at the end, I tend to overdo it at the start. As Leo has mentioned, this is inadvisable. In my case, it’s the single factor holding back my mileage.

My body is most comfortable at an 8 minute pace. That’s when I feel like a gazelle (no, really). Except, my body isn’t yet conditioned to hold this pace. So, I start fast. And then die. The only way I’m going to improve is to intentionally hold back from the very start.

9. Play is critical. Always. The first time I ran 30 minutes, it poured. My husband and I went for a 2 mile run, and the rain started coming down in sheets just after we got home. Instead of heading inside, I looked at him and asked if he’d run a bit further with me. We added a third mile. Running down the middle of our Chicago neighborhood streets, jumping in and over puddles … it’s still my most fun run to date.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t storm every summer day. Luckily, I know how to find the parks with fountains and sprinklers set out for kids and the young at heart. Racing to catch a light works, too. Just the other day I sprinted at a 5:58 minute pace, and it was exhilarating.

10. It’s ok to trick yourself. This is something else Leo has mentioned, but it bears repeating. Sometimes you have to just get out the door. If that means telling yourself, “oh, I’ll just run a mile, no biggie,” then do it. If it means adding one or two extra blocks before you turn back home, because you’re feeling stellar, do it.

My greatest breakthrough moments were the direct result of tricks I played on myself.

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Semi-Productive Things I Do Online When I’m Trying to Avoid Real Work

Nirupama Surubhotla
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POST WRITTEN BY: MARC

You don’t always have to work hard to be productive.  Productivity can simply be the side effect of doing the right things.

So here’s a list of 29 semi-productive things I do online when my mind is set on avoiding ‘real work.’

  1. Check delicious popular tags like ‘useful,’ ‘tutorials,’ ‘tips,’ ‘howto,’ ‘advice,’ ‘entrepreneurship,’ etc. for interesting, educational articles to read.
  2. Watch one of the thousands of educational videos streaming at TED.com,Academic Earth and Teacher Tube.
  3. Read an online book list and find a new book to grab next time I’m at the library.  Here’s another list.  And another.  And another.
  4. Read a classic book online for free at Project Gutenberg, Planet eBook, or the E-books Directory.
  5. Research a new Do It Yourself project at DIY Network, Instructables,eHow, or WikiHow.
  6. Add to, delete from, or just generally sort my ongoing to-do list atRemember The Milk.
  7. Create a cool graphical mind map of some of my recent ideas at bubbl.us.
  8. Email a close friend or family member I haven’t spoken to in awhile.
  9. Share my favorite mp3s, photos, videos, etc. with friends and family usingDropbox.
  10. Backup my recent photos, documents, and other important files online using Microsoft’s free 25 gig SkyDrive.
  11. Use Wikipedia’s random article function to pick a random article to read.
  12. Touch up on my math and science skills over a the Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseWare, or LearningScience.org.
  13. Send a paper greeting card directly to a friend or relative at enGreet.
  14. Start learning a new language online for free at BBC Languages orLivemocha.
  15. Watch one of the insightful 6 minute and 40 second presentations atIgnite Show.
  16. Use Memorize Now to memorize a cool joke, or poem, or whatever.
  17. Use Media Convert to convert video files I have on my computer into a format I can view on my iPhone or iPod later on.
  18. Listen to an educational podcast over at Odeo or via iTunes on iTunes U.
  19. Read one of the academic journals at the Directory of Open Access Journals.
  20. Get a free college education online using this guide from Lifehacker (or read one of the other useful articles on Lifehacker).
  21. Inspire and spark my creative mind by looking at a rolling slideshow of the highest rated photos on Flickr for the last 7 days.
  22. Catch up on a short history lesson at HyperHistory or The Internet History Sourcebooks Project.  Or find out what happened today in history.
  23. Take a fun, educational online quiz at Quizlet.
  24. Play an educational online game at Lumosity, Sporcle, Games for the Brain, or Math Run.
  25. Add a little gentle rain to my environment using RainyMood.com and then simply meditate and relax in my computer chair for 10 minutes.
  26. Sell old stuff I no longer need on eBay and make a little extra cash.
  27. Find a new musical artist to listen to based on music I like at Grooveshark,Pandora, last.fm, or Deezer.
  28. Find out what’s happening in our world from quality international news sources like BBC News and Reuters.
  29. Write a blog post like this one.

Oh, and ever since I bought my new (super sexy) Apple iPad, I’ve been enjoying all of these sites on the go and catching looks from almost everyone who passes me while I browse.

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Great Reads That Changed My Life

Nirupama Surubhotla
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0

POST WRITTEN BY: MARC

It’s fairly easy to find a well written book or online article.  But it’s not always easy to find one with genuine value that you connect with.

That’s because, these days, books and online articles are a dime a dozen.  There are literally thousands of them written on the same topic every year.  So deciphering the ‘good’ from the ‘great’ can prove to be quite a challenge.

But if you look hard enough, in the right places, you’ll find a few gems containing life-altering advice that can be immediately implemented and used as an instrument for self-improvement.

For this reason, I’ve compiled the following list of books and online articles containing value so profound that each of them literally changed my life.

I therefore extend my gratitude to the authors and pass them along to you with the simple hope that they will provide value to you as well.

Happy reading…

  1. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle – Tolle’s message is clear: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment.  This book is carefully, thoughtfully and beautifully written.  Not only does it illuminate the fundamental, slippery, destructive patterns of the mind or ego which confound one’s spiritual and even physical well-being, but it also provides a variety of simple and practical techniques for breaking down and dissolving these various forms of mental pollution.  I use Tolle’s calming, contemplative techniques almost every day and they work wonderfully for me.
  2. The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck– Pretty much the granddaddy of all self-improvement books, it’s easily one of the best nonfiction works I’ve ever read.  By melding love, science, and spirituality into a primer for personal growth, Peck guides the reader through lessons on delaying gratification, accepting responsibility for decisions, dedicating oneself to truth and reality, and creating a balanced lifestyle.
  3. “Find what you love.” – 2005 Stanford Commencement Address by Steve Jobs – In his 2005 Stanford University commencement address Steve Jobs discussed three personal stories from his life.  The advice he delivered was clear: find what you love, trust in your instincts, and follow your heart.  Before reading Jobs’ speech back in 2005, I was struggling with a job I didn’t love because it was really the only thing I had ever tried.  It was all I knew. Jobs says, “You’ve got to find what you love.” And his article helped me do just that.  I finally realized that I was wasting my life living someone else’s dream.  If I settled for someone else’s dream, I’d grow old and die without ever seeking my own.
  4. Getting Things Done by David Allen – The ultimate ‘organize your life’ book.  Allen’s ideas and processes are for all those people who are overwhelmed with too many things to do, too little time to do them, and a general sense of unease that something important is being missed.  The primary goal of this book is to teach you how to effectively get your ‘to-do inbox’ to empty.
  5. Advice, Like Youth, Probably Just Wasted on the Young by Mary Schmich – While the advice here is a bit more inspirational than it is practical, I have always enjoyed this short piece of literature.  In the late 1990’s when I was in high school it became an international phenomenon when it was turned into a slow rock song by Baz Luhrmann (director of the 1996 movie Romeo and Juliet) that jumped to #1 on the U.S. and U.K. pop charts.  The song was played at my high school’s class of 1999 graduation commencement ceremony.  It eventually became famously known as “Wear Sunscreen.”  Details aside, I still re-read it in it’s entirety from time to time when I need a quick dose of inspiration.
  6. Don’t Die With Your Music Still In You by Steve Pavlina– Above all, this short read taught me that “to abandon a comfortable lifestyle that isn’t deeply fulfilling is to abandon nothing at all.”  It helped me understand that I was defending a comfortable, unfulfilling career without good reason.  At the start of each workday, I was reluctant to get out of bed.  At the end of each workday, the amount of satisfaction I received from the work I was doing was insignificant.  Which in turn caused me to ask myself: Why should I stay loyal to such a meaningless job?  So I switched it up and never looked back.
  7. Switch: How To Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath – A super great psychology book about real, concrete ways to make lasting change in both your personal and professional life.  So many powerful insights, based on fact not theory.  Inspiring counter-intuitive stories of huge organizational change against all odds.  As they explain in the first chapter, “All successful changes share a common pattern.”  I highly recommended this read for everyone.
  8. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason – The best book on money management ever written.  Although only 145 pages, this book is packed to the brim with powerful, life changing information.  I’ve read it three times and I still pull new pearls of wisdom out of it.  Babylon should be mandatory reading beginning at the grade school level, then again in college, and should be given as a gift right along with a college diploma.
  9. How To Become A Millionaire In Three Years by Jason L. Baptiste – Every once in a while I come across an online article I wish I had read ten years ago.  This is one of them.  It contains timeless advice on making money by building something of your own.  Every wannabe entrepreneur should print this out, hang it on their refrigerator, and read it every morning.  That’s what I did with it.
  10. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie – Easily one of the best and most popular books on people-skills ever written. Carnegie uses his adept storytelling skills to illustrate how to be successful by making the most of human relations.
  11. How to Find What You Love to Do by Brian Kim – For me, this short read was a wake-up call.  It’s basically a how-to guide based on the ideas Steve Jobs presented in his 2005 commencement address.  Kim emphasizes the importance of self-assessment and made me take a long hard look at myself to figure out what it is that makes me happy.  What’s more, his article discusses how uncertainty and fear are the most common obstacles preventing people from doing what they love to do.  His solution involves self-analysis: identify your skills and interests, then use your strengths to live your passion.  In Kim’s words, “conquer indecision and ACT, and you will most definitely conquer all fear.”
  12. The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz – This is another classic self-improvement book.  Schwartz gives the reader useful, proactive steps for achieving success.  He presents a clear-cut program for getting the most out of your job, marriage, family life, and other relationships.  In doing so, he proves that you don’t need to be an intellectual or have innate talent to attain great success and satisfaction in life.
  13. Everything You Wanted to Know About Simplifying Your Lifeby Leo Babauta – This compilation of online articles has truly helped me simplify my life.  Together, they cover everything from appreciating simple pleasures to decluttering your work space.  These articles are about creating a simple life for yourself, which means getting rid of many of the things you do so you can spend time with people you love and do the things you love and value.  If you’re looking to simplify your life, look no further.
  14. Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi – Ferrazzi explains the guiding principles he has mastered over a lifetime of personal and professional networking and describes what it takes to build the kind of lasting, mutually beneficial relationships that lead to professional and personal success.  Most of this book is fantastic – you learn how to relate to people, how to establish contacts and maintain connections, and how to create a social network.  If you interact with a lot of people on a regular basis, it’s a great read.
  15. The Most Important Blog Post You’ll Probably Never Read by Glen AllSopp – If you’re even slightly interested in making money online as a blogger, website owner, etc., then this article is for you.  It provides a short, insightful, bullsh**t free look at how to do just that.  It really opened my eyes to perspectives on success that I wasn’t seeing clearly beforehand.
  16. Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin – A linchpin, as Seth describes it, is somebody in an organization who is indispensable, who cannot be replaced—her role is just far too unique and valuable.  And then he goes on to say, well, seriously folks, you need to be one of these people, you really do.  To not be one is economic and career suicide.  It is a book that reveals the truth about working for a boss, fitting in and following the rules.  The only way to create a good life for yourself is to become indispensable and stand out.
  17. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho – More parable than novel, “The Alchemist” uses the story of young shepherd Santiago’s search for his personal legend as an allegory for everyman’s struggle to break from the comfortable confines of conformity and pursue his life dreams.  Along the way, of course, our young everyman is beset by numerous setbacks, testing his resolve and forcing him to become attuned to the Soul of the World in order to survive.  By paying attention to the details in the world around him, which serve as omens guiding him towards his goal, young Santiago becomes an alchemist in his own right, spinning unfavorable circumstances into riches.  I’ve read this tale a few times now, and it always provides priceless inspiration.
  18. 18 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was 18 by me – I know what you’re thinking.  How did an article I personally wrote change my life?  Well, it’s all about the soul searching that went into writing it.  I had to dig deep within myself and seriously contemplate all the important lessons I’ve learned over the last ten years.  In doing so, I noticed a few things that were out of place in my life, and I adjusted them.  I can already directly attribute a few of my recent successes to the actions I took after I wrote this article.

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10. Rank score tests

Nirupama Surubhotla
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0

10. Rank score tests Population distributions are characterised, or defined, by parameters such as the mean and standard deviation. For skew distributions we would need to know other parameters such as the degree of skewness before the distribution could be identified uniquely, but the mean and standard deviation identify the Normal distribution uniquely. The t test described earlier depends for its validity on an assumption that the data originate from a Normally distributed population, and, when two groups are compared, the difference between the two samples arises simply because they differ only in their mean value. However, if we were concerned that the data did not originate from a Normally distributed population, then there are tests available which do not make use of this assumption. Because the data are no longer Normally distributed, the distribution cannot be characterised by a few parameters, and so the tests are often called “non-parametric”. This is somewhat of a misnomer because, as we shall see, to be able to say anything useful about the population we must compare parameters. As was mentioned in Chapter 5, if the sample sizes in both groups are large lack of Normality is of less concern, and the large sample tests described in that chapter would apply. Wilcoxon signed rank sum test Wilcoxon and Mann and Whitney described rank sum tests, which have been shown to be the same. Convention has now ascribed the Wilcoxon test to paired data and the Mann-Whitney U test to unpaired data. Boogert et al (1) (data also given in Shott (2) used ultrasound to record fetal movements before and after chorionic villus sampling. The percentage of time the fetus spent moving is given in table 10.1 for ten pregnant women. If we are concerned that the differences in percentage of time spent moving are unlikely to be Normally distributed we could use the Wilcoxon signed rank test using the following assumptions: The paired differences are independent. The differences come from a symmetrical distribution. We do not need to perform a test to ensure that the differences come from a symmetrical distribution: an “eyeball” test will suffice. A plot of the differences in column (4) of table 10.1 is given in figure 10.1. and shows that distribution of the differences is plausibly symmetrical. The differences are then ranked in column 5 (negative values are ignored and zero values omitted). When two or more differences are identical each is allotted the point half way between the ranks they would fill if distinct, irrespective of the plus or minus sign. For instance, the differences of -1 (patient 6) and +1 (patient 9) fill ranks 1 and 2. As (1 + 2)/2 = 1.5, they are allotted rank 1.5. In column (6) the ranks are repeated for column (5), but to each is attached the sign of the difference from column (4). A useful check is that the sum of the ranks must add to n(n + 1)/2. In this case 10(10 + 1)/2 = 55. The numbers representing the positive ranks and the negative ranks in column (6) are added up separately and only the smaller of the two totals is used. Irrespective of its sign, the total is referred to Appendix Table D.pdf against the number of pairs used in the investigation. Rank totals larger than those in the table are nonsignificant at the level of probability shown. In this case the smaller of the ranks is 23.5. This is larger than the number (8) given for ten pairs in table D and so the result is not significant. A confidence interval for the interval is described by Campbell and Gardner (2) and Gardner and Altman, (4) . and is easily obtained from the programs CIA (5) or MINITAB. (6) The median difference is zero. CIA gives the 95% confidence interval as – 2.50 to 4.00. This is quite narrow and so from this small study we can conclude that we have little evidence that chorionic villus sampling alters the movement of the fetus. Note, perhaps contrary to intuition, that the Wilcoxon test, although a rank test, may give a different value if the data are transformed, say by taking logarithms. Thus it may be worth plotting the distribution of the differences for a number of transformations to see if they make the distribution appear more symmetrical. Unpaired samples A senior registrar in the rheumatology clinic of a district hospital has designed a clinical trial of a new drug for rheumatoid arthritis. Twenty patients were randomised into two groups of ten to receive either the standard therapy A or a new treatment, B. The plasma globulin fractions after treatment are listed in table 10.2 We wish to test whether the new treatment has changed the plasma globulin, and we are worried about the assumption of Normality. The first step is to plot the data (see fig 10.2). The clinician was concerned about the lack of Normality of the underlying distribution of the data and so decided to use a nonparametric test. The appropriate test is the Mann-Whitney U test and is computed as follows. The observations in the two samples are combined into a single series and ranked in order but in the ranking the figures from one sample must be distinguished from those of the other. The data appear as set out in table 10.3 . To save space they have been set out in two columns, but a single ranking is done. The figures for sample B are set in bold type. Again the sum of the ranks is n(n + 1)/2. Totals of ranks: sample A, 81.5; sample B, 128.5 The ranks for the two samples are now added separately, and the smaller total is used. It is referred to Appendix Table E.pdf, with equal to the number of observations in one sample and equal to the number of observations in the other sample. In this case they both equal 10. At = 10 and = 10 the upper part of the table shows the figure 78. The smaller total of the ranks is 81.5. Since this is slightly larger than 78 it does not reach the 5% level of probability. The result is therefore not significant at that level. In the lower part of , which gives the figures for the 1% level of probability, the figure for = 10 and = 10 is 71. As expected, the result is further from that than the 5% figure of 78. To calculate a meaningful confidence interval we assume that if the two samples come from different populations the distribution of these populations differs only in that one appears shifted to the left or right of the other. This means, for example, that we do not expect one sample to be strongly right skewed and one to be strongly left skewed. If the assumption is reasonable then a confidence interval for the median difference can be calculated.(3, 4) Note that the computer program does not calculate the difference in medians, but rather the median of all possible differences between the two samples. This is usually close to the median difference and has theoretical advantages. From CIA we find that the difference in medians is -5.5 and the approximate 95% confidence interval is – 10 to 1.0. As might be expected from the significance test this interval includes zero. Although this result is not significant it would be unwise to conclude that there was no evidence that treatments A and B differed because the confidence interval is quite wide. This suggests that a larger study should be planned. If the two samples are of unequal size a further calculation is needed after the ranking has been carried out as in table 10.3 . Let = number of patients or objects in the smaller sample and the total of the ranks for that sample. Let number of patients or objects in the larger sample. Then calculate from the following formula: Finally enter table E with the smaller of or As before, only totals smaller than the critical points in are significant. See Exercise 10.2 for an example of this method. If there are only a few ties, that is if two or more values in the data are equal (say less than 10% of the data) then for sample sizes outside the range of we can calculate On the null hypothesis that the two samples come from the same population, z is approximately Normally distributed, mean zero and standard deviation one, and can be referred to Appendix table A.pdf to calculate the P value. From the data of table 10.2 we obtain and from Appendix table A.pdf we find that P is about 0.075, which corroborates the earlier result. The advantages of these tests based on ranking are that they can be safely used on data that are not at all Normally distributed, that they are quick to carry out, and that no calculator is needed. Non-Normally distributed data can sometimes be transformed by the use of logarithms or some other method to make them Normally distributed, and a ttest performed. Consequently the best procedure to adopt may require careful thought. The extent and nature of the difference between two samples is often brought out more clearly by standard deviations and t tests than by non-parametric tests. Common questions Non-parametric tests are valid for both non-Normally distributed data and Normally distributed data, so why not use them all the time? It would seem prudent to use non-parametric tests in all cases, which would save one the bother of testing for Normality. Parametric tests are preferred, however, for the following reasons: 1. As I have tried to emphasise in this book, we are rarely interested in a significance test alone; we would like to say something about the population from which the samples came, and this is best done with estimates of parameters and confidence intervals. 2. It is difficult to do flexible modelling with non-parametric tests, for example allowing for confounding factors using multiple regression (see Chapter 11). Do non-parametric tests compare medians? It is a commonly held belief that a Mann-Whitney U test is in fact a test for differences in medians. However, two groups could have the same median and yet have a significant Mann-Whitney U test. Consider the following data for two groups, each with 100 observations. Group 1: 98 (0), 1, 2; Group 2: 51 (0), 1, 48 (2). The median in both cases is 0, but from the Mann-Whitney test P<0.000 1. Only if we are prepared to make the additional assumption that the difference in the two groups is simply a shift in location (that is, the distribution of the data in one group is simply shifted by a fixed amount from the other) can we say that the test is a test of the difference in medians. However, if the groups have the same distribution, then a shift in location will move

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Weird Facts about Humans

Nirupama Surubhotla
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0

While sitting at your desk make clockwise circles with your right foot. (go ahead no one will see you) While doing this, draw the number “6″ in the air with your right hand.

Your foot will change direction – that is a fact. Pretty interesting, huh?

Keep on reading..

1. People with higher number of moles tend to live longer than people with lesser number of moles.

3. When filming summer scenes in winter, actors suck on ice cubes just before the camera rolls – it cools their mouths so their breath doesn’t condense in the cold air.

4. Thinking about your muscles can make you stronger.

5. Grapefruit scent will make middle aged women appear six  years younger to men. The perception is not reciprocal and the grapefruit scent on men has no effect on women’s perception.

6. The world’s youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

7. The colder the room you sleep in, the better the chances are that you’ll have a bad dream.

8. There are more people alive today than have ever died.

9. Women’s hair is about half the diameter of men’s hair

10. Women blink twice as many times as men do.

11. The average person who stops smoking requires one hour less sleep a night.

12. Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

13. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

14. The human heart creates enough pressure while pumping to squirt blood 30 feet!

15. The brain operates on the same amount of power as 10-watt light bulb. The cartoon image of a light bulb over your head when a great thought occurs isn’t too far off the mark. Your brain generates as much energy as a small light bulb even when you’re sleeping.

16. The brain is much more active at night than during the day.

17. The brain itself cannot feel pain. While the brain might be the pain center when you cut your finger or burn yourself, the brain itself does not have pain receptors and cannot feel pain.

18. The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger. And the nail on the middle finger of your dominant hand will grow the fastest of all. Why is not entirely known, but nail growth is related to the length of the finger, with the longest fingers growing nails the fastest and shortest the slowest.

19. The lifespan of a human hair is 3 to 7 years on average.

20. Human hair is virtually indestructible. Aside from it’s flammability, human hair decays at such a slow rate that it is practically non-disintegrative. Hair cannot be destroyed by cold, change of climate, water, or other natural forces and it is resistant to many kinds of acids and corrosive chemicals.

21. The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razorblades. Hydrochloric acid, the type found in your stomach, is not only good at dissolving the pizza you had for dinner but can also eat through many types of metal.

22. The surface area of a human lung is equal to a tennis court.

23. Sneezes regularly exceed 100 mph.

24. Approximately 75% of human waste is made of water.

25. The average person expels flatulence 14 times each day. Even if you’d like to think you’re too dignified to pass gas, the reality is that almost everyone will at least a few times a day.

26. Earwax production is necessary for good ear health. While many people find earwax to be disgusting, it’s actually a very important part of your ear’s defense system. It protects the delicate inner ear from bacteria, fungus, dirt and even insects. It also cleans and lubricates the ear canal.

27. Babies are always born with blue eyes.  The melanin in a newborn’s eyes often needs time after birth to be fully deposited or to be darkened by exposure to ultraviolet light, later revealing the baby’s true eye color.

28. Every human spent about half an hour as a single cell.

29. After eating too much, your hearing is less sharp.

30. Women are born better smellers than men and remain better smellers over life.

31. Your nose can remember 50,000 different scents.

32. Nails and hair do not continue to grow after we die. They do appear longer when we die, however, as the skin dehydrates and pulls back from the nail beds and scalp.

33. By the age of 60, most people will have lost about half their taste buds. Perhaps you shouldn’t trust your grandma’s cooking as much as you do.

34. Your eyes are always the same size from birth but your nose and ears never stop growing.

35. By 60 years of age, 60-percent of men and 40-percent of women will snore.

36. Monday is the day of the week when the risk of heart attack is greatest.  A ten year study in Scotland found that 20% more people die of heart attacks on Mondays than any other day of the week. Researchers theorize that it’s a combination of too much fun over the weekend with the stress of going back to work that causes the increase.

37. Provided there is water, the average human could survive a month to two months without food depending on their body fat and other factors.

38. Over 90% of diseases are caused or complicated by stress.

39. A human head remains conscious for about 15 to 20 seconds after it is been decapitated. While it might be gross to think about, the blood in the head may be enough to keep someone alive and conscious for a few seconds after the head has been separated from the body, though reports as to the accuracy of this are widely varying.

40. Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood the number is reduced to 206.

41. We are about 1 cm taller in the morning than in the evening.

42. It takes twice as long to lose new muscle if you stop working out than it did to gain it. Lazy people out there shouldn’t use this as motivation to not work out, however. It’s relatively easy to build new muscle tissue and get your muscles in shape, so if anything, this fact should be motivation to get off the couch and get moving.

43. Tears and mucus contain an enzyme (lysozyme) that breaks down the cell wall of many bacteria.

44. It is not possible to tickle yourself. Even the most ticklish among us do not have the ability to tickle ourselves.

45. The width of your armspan stretched out is the length of your whole body. While not exact down to the last millimeter, your armspan is a pretty good estimator of your height.

46. Humans are the only animals to produce emotional tears.

47. Women burn fat more slowly than men, by a rate of about 50 calories a day. Most men have a much easier time burning fat than women. Women, because of their reproductive role, generally require a higher basic body fat proportion than men, and as a result their bodies don’t get rid of excess fat at the same rate as men.

48. Koalas and primates are the only animals with unique fingerprints. Humans, apes and koalas are unique in the animal kingdom due to the tiny prints on the fingers of their hands.

49. One human hair can support 3.5 ounces. That’s about the weight of two full size candy bars, and with hundreds of thousands of hairs on the human head, makes the tale of Rapunzel much more plausible.

50. Cna yuo raed tihs? I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it

+ 51. It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it.

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Facts about Dreams

Nirupama Surubhotla
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0

Dreaming is one of the most mysterious experiences in our lives. During the Roman Era, some dreams were submitted to the Roman Senate for analysis and dream interpretation. They were thought to be messages from the gods. Dream interpreters even accompanied military leaders into battles and campaigns! In addition we know, that many artists have received their creative ideas from their dreams. But what do we know about dreams? Here are 13 interesting facts for you.

1. You Forget 90% of Your Dreams

Within 5 minutes of waking, half of your dream is forgotten. Within 10, 90% is gone.

2. Blind People also Dream

People who became blind after birth can see images in their dreams. People who are born blind do not see any images, but have dreams equally vivid involving their other senses of sound, smell, touch and emotion.

3. Everybody Dreams

Every human being dreams (except in cases of extreme psychological disorder). If you think, you are not dreaming, you just forget your dreams.

4. In Our Dreams We Only See Faces, That We already Know

Our mind is not inventing faces – in our dreams we see real faces of real people that we have seen during our life but may not know or remember. We have all seen hundreds of thousands of faces throughout our lives, so we have an endless supply of characters for our brain to utilize during our dreams.

5. Not Everybody Dreams in Color

A full 12% of sighted people dream exclusively in black and white. The remaining number dream in full color. Studies from 1915 through to the 1950s maintained that the majority of dreams were in black and white, but these results began to change in the 1960s. Today, only 4.4% of the dreams of under-25 year-olds are in black and white. Recent research has suggested that those changing results may be linked to the switch from black-and-white film and TV to color media.

6. Dreams are Symbolic

If you dream about some particular subject it is not often that the dream is about that. Dreams speak in a deeply symbolic language.  Whatever symbol your dream picks on it is most unlikely to be a symbol for itself.

7. Emotions

The most common emotion experienced in dreams is anxiety. Negative emotions are more common than positive ones.

8. Recurring Dreams

While the content of most dreams is dreamt only once, many people experience recurring dreams—that is, the same dream narrative is experienced over different occasions of sleep. Up to 70% of females and 65% of males report recurrent dreams.

9. Animals Dream Too

Studies have been done on many different animals, and they all show the same brain waves during dreaming sleep as humans. Watch a dog sleeping sometime. The paws move like they are running and they make yipping sounds as if they are chasing something in a dream.

10. Body Paralysis

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a normal stage of sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eyes. REM sleep in adult humans typically occupies 20-25% of total sleep, about 90-120 minutes of a night’s sleep.

During REM sleep the body is paralyzed by a mechanism in the brain in order to prevent the movements which occur in the dream from causing the physical body to move. However, it is possible for this mechanism to be triggered before, during, or after normal sleep while the brain awakens.

11. Dream Incorporation

Our mind interprets the external stimuli that our senses are bombarded with when we are asleep and make them a part of our dreams. This means that sometimes, in our dreams, we hear a sound from reality and incorporate it in a way. For example you are dreaming that you are in a concert, while your brother is playing a guitar during your sleep.

12. Men and Women Dream Differently

Men tend to dream more about other men. Around 70% of the characters in a man’s dream are other men. On the other hand, a woman’s dream contains almost an equal number of men and women. Aside from that, men generally have more aggressive emotions in their dreams than the female lot.

13. Precognitive Dreams

Results of several surveys across large population sets indicate that between 18% and 38% of people have experienced at least one precognitive dream and 70% have experienced déjà vu. The percentage of persons that believe precognitive dreaming is possible is even higher, ranging from 63% to 98%.

And for the end:

Dreams are illustrations… from the book your soul is writing about you.  (Marsha Norman)

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