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Anything that tells me that my favorite tipple has positive effects has to be good!

Red wine extract polyphenol resveratrol could improve mental performance on demanding tasks. [continue reading…]

Plants can have wide ranging effects on the brain and behaviour. The results of a number of studies highlighting the potential of plant-based treatments are brought together and were presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Brighton. Findings include:

• St John’s Wort leads to improvement in both physical and behavioural symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (to be presented by Sarah Canning and Louise Dye, University of Leeds)
• Naturally occurring chemical substances (polyphenols) in chocolate can lead to improved cognitive function (according to research by Crystal Haskell and colleagues from Northumbria University)
• Reservatrol, a polyphenol found in red wine, is linked to changes in blood flow to the brain and improved cognitive functioning (according to research by Emma Wightman and colleagues from Northumbria University)
• Lavender can decrease anxiety amongst adults in an audience watching a scary film (according to Belinda Bradley and colleagues from the University of Central Lancashire) [continue reading…]

Portia Mac and 'friend'

This is a post for all you dog lovers out there! Everyone who knows me knows how much I love “my doggies”! And guess what they are Scotties! According to Dr Lance Workman of Bath Spa University certain breeds of dogs are associated with particular kinds of people. So what does that say about me? Here is a description of the Scottish Terrier :

Scotties, like most terriers, are territorial. They are alert, quick moving and feisty — perhaps even more so than other terrier breeds.The breed is known to be independent and self-assured, playful, intelligent and has been nicknamed the ‘Diehard’ because of its rugged nature and endless determination.
Scotties, while being very loving, can also be particularly stubborn. Because the breed is inclined to be stubborn, it needs firm, but gentle handling from an early age or it will dominate the household

Does that sound like me? Well only those who truly know me can answer that one. Yes, you can match a dog to its owner. But the match is only skin deep.Dr Lance Workman asked group of 70 people who do not own a dog to match photos of 41 dog owners to three possible breeds – labrador, poodle or Staffordshire bull terrier. Owners were correctly matched to their breed of dog above the level of chance.

Dr Lance Workman said: “This suggests that certain breeds of dogs are associated with particular kinds of people. The non dog owners used stereotypes to match the dogs to their owners. These stereotypes persisted into judgements of the dog owners’ personalities: non dog owners considered the owners of each breed to share certain personality traits.

“But when we tested the dog owners’ personalities, we found no strong links between any particular personality trait and choice of dog breed, so any shared qualities are only skin deep.”

C’mon all you dog owners… what do you think about this?

Source: The British Psychological Society.