falenas108

The Importance of Research

This is just a quick example of why it's always good to check the source material. Cracked ran an article today about several things people are doing wrong, and the number one thing they listed was sitting. According to a an experiment they cite, one researcher tested disk movement for people slouching, sitting up straight, and leaning back at a 135˚ angle. They found that leaning back does the least damage to the spine. Interested, I clicked on their link which sent me to this article from MSNBC, which among other things, says: > When strain is placed on the spine, the spinal disks start to move and misalign. At a 90-degree sitting position, this movement was most prominent. With this, I was considered making a lifestyle change to slouching when using the computer, as leaning back isn't usually an option for serious work. But, I still wanted to read more about the experiment. Unfortunately, they didn't have the link to the actual paper. A bit of googling led me to an article that actually had the experiment's methodology, which says that slouching was actually the worst position! It maintained that leaning back is best, but according to the results the 90˚ angle isn't that bad, especially since most of the other articles I found were implying that the advice to sit up straight is wrong. Considering that people are usually slouching when the advice is given, sitting up is still an improvement. This is especially true at places like dinner tables, where leaning back as suggested isn't really an option. Moral of the story: Do research before changing personal habits, regardless of where the information comes from. Note: Afterwards, I did a bit more googling to see which other news sources carried this story incorrectly. The most prominent misinformation came from a Fox News article, who carried the following headline: > Study: Slouching Better for Back Than Sitting Up Straight

31Apr 4, 2011

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Benefits of Calorie Restriction Linked To Other Factors

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11432.html > We report here that a CR regimen implemented in young and older age rhesus monkeys at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) has not improved survival outcomes. Our findings contrast with an ongoing study at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC), which reported improved survival associated with...

Aug 30, 201212

Ask an X

In many previous comments, people call on professionals to answer questions about specific fields, like physicists, neuroscientists, economists, or computer scientists. There are many people in all these professions on this site willing to respond to questions, but most of the time none of them happen to read that comment....

Jun 5, 201210

Defeating Ugh Ideas

Related to: Ugh Fields Ugh Fields are internal negative reactions that occur before the conscious mind has an opportunity to process the information, often resulting in less than optimal decision making. We have previously discussed Ugh Fields that involve performing tasks, but as far as I can tell we haven't...

Mar 25, 20127

Meetup : University of Chicago (Again)

Discussion article for the meetup : University of Chicago (Again) WHEN: 03 March 2012 01:00:00PM (-1300) WHERE: 1135 E. 57th Street Chicago, IL 60637 People were interested in having meetups more frequently, so we're experimenting with having another one this week. To get there, walk into the building labeled Reynolds...

Feb 27, 20126

Meetup : At the University of Chicago

Discussion article for the meetup : Chicago Meetup at the University of Chicago WHEN: 25 February 2012 01:00:00PM (-0600) WHERE: 1135 E. 57th Street Chicago, IL 60637 It's been a while since the last meetup, so we're having another one! It'll be at the University of Chicago, in Hutch Commons...

Feb 17, 20128

Teaching Suggestions?

I am going to do Splash! Fall 2011 at the University of Chicago, where I chose a subject to teach kids. I'm teaching a 1 hour class on the basics on rationality, and I am outlining the topics I want to cover. Right now, I'm planning on teaching map and...

Aug 2, 20119

Developing Empathy

Empathy is a huge life skill, useful in almost every interaction with other people. But, many people aren't able to empathize with others as effectively as they might want to. The standard technique is "put yourself in their shoes," which works for me. However, this doesn't always work with people...

Jul 24, 201117

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falenas108

falenas108

falenas108

The Importance of Research

Developing Empathy

Benefits of Calorie Restriction Linked To Other Factors

Ask an X

falenas108

Benefits of Calorie Restriction Linked To Other Factors

Ask an X

Defeating Ugh Ideas

Meetup : University of Chicago (Again)

Meetup : At the University of Chicago

Teaching Suggestions?

Developing Empathy

The Importance of Research

Developing Empathy

Benefits of Calorie Restriction Linked To Other Factors

Ask an X

Benefits of Calorie Restriction Linked To Other Factors

Ask an X

Defeating Ugh Ideas

Meetup : University of Chicago (Again)

Meetup : At the University of Chicago

Teaching Suggestions?

Developing Empathy