August 2008

Contrary to what many people believe, highly intelligent children are not necessarily destined for academic success. In fact, so-called gifted students may fail to do well because they are unusually smart. Ensuring that a gifted child reaches his or her potential requires an understanding of what can go wrong and how to satisfy the unusual learning requirements of extremely bright young people. Link to read more

Source: Scientific American

From: Nature
But those with siblings are more selfish than those without

Children become more egalitarian as they get older, learning the principles of equality by the age of eight, according to a study by Swiss scientists. That may not be too surprising to anyone who has kids – but the researchers also found that having older siblings actually tends to make children more selfish, and that children with no siblings are the least selfish. Link to read article

 Hear more about this story in an exclusive interview on Nature’s podcast.

Source: Published online 27 August 2008 | Nature |

© iStockphoto.com

© iStockphoto.com

It’s the opposite of a vicious cycle: Healthy people might be happier, and a new study shows that people who are happy and satisfied with their lives might be healthier.

Moreover, the benefit comes with a quick turnaround time, with greater happiness possibly boosting health in as little as three years.

“Everything else being equal, if you are happy and satisfied with your life now, you are more likely to be healthy in the future. Importantly, our results are independent of several factors that impact on health, such as smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption and age,” said lead author Mohammad Siahpush, Ph.D. [continue reading…]