Jezebel
leftovers
Posts Tagged “
Studies
”
Women Of A Certain Age
A recent study at UC Irvine has found that women over the age of 90 are more likely to have dementia than their male counterparts. Of the study participants, 45 percent of the women had dementia while only 28 percent of the men had it. The best-known form of dementia, of course, is Alzheimer's, and it can result in memory loss and gradual restriction of daily activities. According to the U.S. Census, people over 90 are the fastest growing age-group of the population, and two-thirds of those are female. [Eureka Alert]
Researchers at the University of Utah have found that gastroschisis, a serious birth defect in which infants are born with their intestines and organs outside of their abdomen, is linked to STDs and UTIs contracted just before or during pregnancy. Although the causes for gastroschisis are not known, women in the study who had contracted STDs and UTIs were four times more likely to give birth to infants with the defect. Gastroschisis is also linked to age, with women under 20 more likely to give birth to children with the defect than women over 25. STDs and UTIs are said to be contracted by 1 in 4 teens and 6 out of 6 Jezebels (kidding). [UPI]
leftovers
hells bells
Same Sex Marraiges More Egalitarian Than Heterosexual Couplings, Some Studies Show
With California slated to start handing down marriage licenses to gay couples this month, the New York Times science section has a roundup of studies pertaining to longterm homosexual relationships. One notable study was performed in Vermont after the state legalized same-sex civil unions in 2000. The study examined sources of strife: housework, sex, and money, and how homosexual couples dealt with these issues when compared to heterosexual couples. According to Tara Parker-Pope of the Times, "Same-sex relationships, whether between men or women, were far more egalitarian than heterosexual ones. In heterosexual couples, women did far more of the housework; men were more likely to have the financial responsibility; and men were more likely to initiate sex, while women were more likely to refuse it or to start a conversation about problems in the relationship." In addition, while the rate of conflict was similar between homosexual and heterosexual couples, the rate of satisfaction was higher amongst the gays. More »
Bikini Time!
If you ever looked at a men's magazine you would quickly realize that straight men really, really like to look at women in bikinis, but a new study suggests that bikini-viewing also make men seek immediate gratification....like through shopping! After showing a group of men a video of women running through a park in bikinis (oh to be a fly on the wall during that study) researchers saw that men choose the most immediate awards and gratification, even if those awards and products were not linked with sex. Of course, not all men responded the same, but at least we now have some scientific proof behind that old adage "sex sells," as well as some explanation of the increasing success of American Apparel's retail stores. [Eureka]
Mom to almost-18 Michelle Duggar is going to be one toothless old biddy, if this new study holds any water: according to the data, women who give birth to more children lose more teeth, regardless of socioeconomic status, reports Reuters. Even "in the highest socioeconomic group, women with no children were missing on average less than one tooth, those with one child were missing about two teeth and those with four or more were missing about five teeth." In the lowest social strata, women with four or more children were missing more than eight teeth, on average. Women are more prone to gingivitis during pregnancy, and when knocked up are less likely to go to the dentist, according to experts, who say gestating women want to avoid dental X-rays. [Reuters via MSNBC]
leftovers
Female Fantasy Writers Accused Of Being "Simple" • Women Care More About Weight Loss Than Cancer
Guardian writer rails against critics who call JK Rowling and other women fantasy writers "simple". • Palestinian and Israeli women mingle in a special diet group to lose pounds and gain mutual understanding. • The ASPCA and other animal rights groups have filed a lawsuit against Ringling Bros. for chaining elephants for up to 100 hours. • Woman pops out baby in car, without the help of doctors or spouse. • A roving group of women are stealing flowers from graves to make crafts. • Girls in bikinis serving coffee? Awfully original. • The EEOC is launching a study into why Hispanics are so underrepresented in government jobs. • Fasting for up to 16 hours may help fend off jet lag. • Irregular periods in teens may be a sign of bulimia. • Has anyone else noticed that roller derby is really popular with rockabilly and punk girls? • Women are more concerned with losing weight than avoiding cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. • Perhaps that's because their weight could cost them their jobs!
Church & Chong
It seems like almost every major religion in the world burns incense during religious practices and it turns out there may be a reason: it gets you totally stoned. Well, sort of. A chemical given off from burning frankincense can alleviate anxiety and depression, or, in the words of one doctor, it can "make you feel warm and tingly all over!" Right, well, we'll say this: Religion + "warm and tingly" is not an image we have any interest in further contemplating. [Science Daily]
leftovers
Justine Henin Retires • Basket-Weaving Brings Women Together
Justine Henin, the # 1-ranked tennis player in the world, is retiring at 25. The battling Belgian is going out on top! • In other sports news, Kashmiri girls are beginning to play soccer more and more. An under-19 tournament will be held in Kargil next month. • A new study has shown that obese adults are twice as likely to suffer from depression (among other mental illnesses) as adults of normal weight. • Nutritionists have found that dairy intake does not necessarily promote weight loss, despite what certain marketing messages would like to have us believe. .• Chemicals called pyrethrins, found in pet shampoos and insecticides, may cause autism in unborn and very young children. • Rwandan women are weaving "peace" baskets to be sold at Macy's; one of the weavers, Iphigenia Mukantabana, a Tutsi, works alongside Epiphania Mukanyndwi, a Hutu — whose husband helped kill Iphigenia's entire family. • A new dating site called RocknRollDating.com pairs people off by musical preference. • The makers of "the original fitness skirt," SkirtSports, are sponsoring the SkirtChaser Race Series in which women wearing skirts are chased by men. • Women working in hard sciences find that it still has an "old boys club" atmosphere, according to a new report from the National Science Foundation. Fifty-two percent drop out of these fields between ages 35 and 40.
girls, interrupted
More Than One In Ten Teen Girls Will Suffer From Depression
Almost 13% of teenage girls have experienced a bout of serious depression in the past year, according to a new federal study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. There is a marked difference among genders when it comes to depression, Reuters reports, as only 4.6% of boys reported a major depressive episode in the past 12 months (though the disparity might be because this survey was self-reported, and lots of boys are unwilling to admit their unhappiness). For the purposes of the survey, a "major depressive episode" is defined as "two weeks or longer of depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure, and at least four other symptoms such as problems with sleep, energy, concentration or self-image." More »
knocked up
'Breaking': Erratic Contraceptive Use Can Lead To Pregnancy
If you're not interested in getting pregnant, this new study might inspire you to be more vigilant with condom use. Nonprofit sexual research organization the Guttmacher Institute claims that half of all pregnancies are unplanned and one in four American women will get preggers because of inconsistent contraceptive use. There are several reasons for erratic contraceptive use, reports Guttmacher, including lack of access to health care, being unable to afford birth control pills, and major life changes like the end of a relationship, a move, job change or personal crisis. Often when women are lax about birth control, researchers reason, they are ambivalent about preventing pregnancy. Many women surveyed "confessed that they would be very pleased if they found out they were pregnant," Reuters notes. Speaking of women who are pleased to be pregnant, yesterday, a second baby was born among the young women plucked from the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints compound in Texas. More »
The old adage that men marry their mothers has some truth to it, according to some scientists who study this sort of thing. Researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered that "If a man's mother is highly educated, chances are the woman he marries will have a similar education," Reuters reports. They surveyed men in their 20s and 30s who earned salaries in the top 10% for their age group and found that 80% of men whose mothers had college degrees married women with college degrees. Sociologist Christine Whelan, the co-author of the study, told Reuters, "For an increasing number of these men ... when they make their own choices about someone who they think will be a good wife in the future or a good mother, they go back to their role models." [Reuters]
Beauty Immunity
You've probably heard that people find face-symmetry attractive, but researchers report that the "sexiness" of face symmetry can be seen across cultures and even in "non-human primates" (again with the monkeys judging attractiveness!). Researchers also looked at sexual dimorphism — or how masculine/feminine a face appears — and how it fits into general attractiveness and explain that the reason people/primates find symmetry and sexual dimorphism attractive is because they may be an indicators of disease resistance. (Wonder when Vogue is going to start marketing "disease immunity" as a Hot New Beauty Trend! Probably once they run out of ways to market $50 sunscreen.) Either way, we all can feel bad about our lack of face symmetry, because how the hell are you supposed to know how symmetrical you are?[UPI]
Bette Davis Eyes
Do you have big eyes? Apparently monkeys are really into them. A recent study at the University of Bremen, Germany has found that macaque monkeys have the most brain cell attention focused on the size of the iris of different faces. The more extreme the iris size, the bigger the reaction of the brain cells. There were also 19 other features of the face that different brain cells responded to, but the cells dedicated to eye size were the most numerous. I guess this explains MRirian's huge macaque monkey following on YouTube. [Scientific American]
booze losers
When It Comes To Alcoholism, Women Are Closing The Gender Gap
Though women are still lagging behind men when it comes to salary, ladies are gaining on dudes in at least one respect: alcoholism. According to a new and comprehensive cross-sectional study of existing data, there has been a substantial increase in general drinking and alcohol dependence among women, particularly Hispanic women, starting with those born after WWII. (Alcohol use and abuse among men has remained consistent over the years.) Experts attribute this increase to a number of factors. Richard A. Grucza, a Washington University School of Medicine epidemiologist and co-author of the data analysis used an "immigration" analogy to explain the up tick in alcohol abuse among women. Grucza tells Science Daily, "We can think of U.S. culture as having been traditionally dominated by white men. As women have 'immigrated' into this culture, they have become 'acculturated' with regard to alcohol use." More »
dumping grounds
Study: Breaking Up Not Hard To Do
Though wallowing endlessly in your own crapulence (and tub of frosting) post-breakup is always an attractive option, psychologists at Northwestern have found that breaking up isn't as hard as you think it will be. Researcher Paul Eastwick discovered that people overestimate the amount of time it will take for their lives to go back to "pre-breakup mode" by double; i.e., if you think a break-up will take you a month to get over, it will actually only take you two weeks. The study followed a group of 70 Northwestern freshman over the course of 9 months, according to Live Science. Every week the students would answer a survey asking them about their relationship status, if they were in love, and if they could imagine themselves being with someone else. "If participants reported a breakup, they indicated their level of distress and happiness," says Live Science and also forecasted how long they thought they would take to recover. More »
fertile myrtles
Women's Voices Are "Sexiest" When They're "In Heat"
Though Scarlett Johansson is known for her deep and torrid voice, a new study shows that women are most attractive to the opposite sex when they are ovulating — because their voices go up in pitch. Researchers Nathan Pipitone and Gordon Gallup recorded women counting from 1 to 10 at different points in their menstrual cycle, according to the New Scientist. Then they replayed the recordings to a group of men and women; across the board and regardless of gender, everyone found the women's voices most "attractive" when they were at their "peak fertility." According to the New Scientist, "The results are in line with evidence that the female voice box, or larynx, is under the influence of sex hormones." Other animals show physical evidence that they are in "heat" (experiencing estrus)— their genitals swell, they urinate more frequently — but the results of this study are giving more weight to the idea that humans experience estrus as well; the evidence is just more subtle. More »
leftovers
