Generation Next Blog

October 2015

Cats Don’t Love You, Scientists Conclude

By |2015-10-15T15:07:35+11:00October 15th, 2015|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , |

Your cat is just fine on its own. Photo: Getty Images Rudyard Kipling was right. Cats really do walk by themselves, and do not need their owners to feel secure and safe, a study has shown. Although absent owners might worry that their pet is pining, in fact, cats show no sign of separation [...]

What Neuroscience’s Newest ‘Genius’ Discovered

By |2015-10-19T09:53:19+11:00October 15th, 2015|Categories: Science & Research, Technology|Tags: , , , , , |

Shutterstock You have fewer synapses in your brain now than a 2-year-old. That may sound like an insult, but it’s a scientific fact. We’re all born with heads full of lonely, isolated neurons. But as our baby brains are inundated with sensory information over the first two years of life, those neurons rapidly [...]

17 Mind-Blowing Psychology Findings that Explain the Baffling Choices You Make Every Day

By |2015-10-19T16:04:10+11:00October 15th, 2015|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , |

Credit: Bruce Conner If you assume that you understand why you think and act the way you do, you’re probably wrong. Decades of psychological research suggest that people behave in ways that are mysterious and perplexing — even to themselves. We sifted through the Quora thread, “What are some mind-blowing facts about social [...]

Children and Media – Tips for Parents

By |2015-10-16T08:23:53+11:00October 15th, 2015|Categories: Cybersafety, Technology|Tags: , , , , , |

shutterstock In a world where children are "growing up digital," it's important to help them learn healthy concepts of digital use and citizenship. Parents play an important role in teaching these skills. Here are a few tips from the AAP to help parents manage the digital landscape they're exploring with their children. Treat [...]

Gifted Girls Suffer the Most Stress, Study Finds

By |2015-10-15T09:52:27+11:00October 15th, 2015|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , , , |

Students feel too much is expected of them in year 12. Photo: Lyn Osborn Female year 12 students put the most pressure on themselves in the lead-up to exams and gifted girls who strive for top marks suffer the highest levels of stress and anxiety, new research into how Sydney teenagers cope with the HSC shows. [...]

Throat Cancers Linked to the “Common Cold of Sexually Transmitted Viruses”, HPV, Are on the Rise

By |2015-10-26T12:46:14+11:00October 15th, 2015|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , |

Dr Matthew Magarey, a surgeon who uses robotic technology to remove cancer from people's throats. Photo: Simon O'Dwyer The sexual revolution is producing a new wave of throat and tongue cancers among middle-aged people, who are falling victim to a rare side effect of the "common cold of sexually transmitted infections". A growing [...]

Reality Bytes for Opponents of Digital Parenting

By |2015-10-11T13:21:16+11:00October 11th, 2015|Categories: Cybersafety|Tags: , , , , , , , |

shutterstock Good news for parents feeling the techno-shame of exceeding the hideously outdated screen time guidelines touted by the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) since 2001 -- well before digital life, as we know it, began to swipe, tap, beep, and buzz around us. Rather than attempting to squeeze screen time into just two hours [...]

Australian Children Exposed to Toxic Mining Metals Do Worse at School

By |2015-10-11T13:31:25+11:00October 11th, 2015|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , |

Children living closest to the mines had the lowest literacy and numeracy scores. Katherine Clark/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND Children in mining and smelting towns who are exposed high levels of lead, arsenic and cadmium are more than twice as likely to have developmental disorders than the national average. They also perform lower than neighbouring [...]

Researchers Report Biomarkers and Apps that Predict Risk of Suicide

By |2015-10-12T16:46:35+11:00October 8th, 2015|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Technology|Tags: , , , |

stockphoto People being treated for bipolar disorder and other psychiatric illnesses are at greater risk of attempting suicide, but physicians may now have tools to predict which of those individuals will attempt it and intervene early to prevent such tragedies from occurring. Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine reported Tuesday in the [...]

Sleep Loss Makes Memories Less Accessible in Stressful Situations

By |2015-10-08T17:03:41+11:00October 8th, 2015|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , , |

galleryhip It is known that sleep facilitates the formation of long-term memory in humans. In a new study, researchers from Uppsala University now show that sleep does not only help form long-term memory but also ensures access to it during times of cognitive stress. It is well known that during sleep newly learned [...]

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