Generation Next Blog

December 2013

Study reveals striking differences in brain connectivity between men and women

By |2013-12-07T14:15:29+11:00December 7th, 2013|Categories: Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , , |

A new brain connectivity study from Penn Medicine published today in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences found striking differences in the neural wiring of men and women that's lending credence to some commonly-held beliefs about their behavior. In one of the largest studies looking at the "connectomes" of the sexes, Ragini Verma, PhD, [...]

What it’s like to suffer from body dysmorphic disorder

By |2013-12-07T14:27:14+11:00December 5th, 2013|Categories: Science & Research, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Sufferers become obsessed by perceived - but in reality almost non-existent - flaws in their appearance. A specific area usually becomes the target - their nose, hair, or weight. Dieting, weight lifting, excessive exercise, tanning, measuring, camouflaging techniques, and agoraphobia are just some of the cruel behaviours associated with the disorder as sufferers try to [...]

Immune system may play crucial role in mental health

By |2013-12-07T14:33:08+11:00December 2nd, 2013|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , , , |

A growing body of research on conditions from bipolar disorder to schizophrenia to depression is starting to suggest a tighter link than was previously realized between ailments of the mind and body. Activation of the immune system seems to play a crucial role in both."We just didn't understand how much of a role the immune [...]

Petition Launched to Reverse Alcohol and Other Drugs Council Funding Cut

By |2013-12-05T12:27:47+11:00December 2nd, 2013|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Friends of ADCA, the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia, has launched a petition http://chn.ge/1b9KBCx to the Prime Minister to reinstate the organisation's funding. ADCA, the national peak body representing organisations and workers in the sector for nearly half a century, learned in late November that the Assistant Minister for Health, Senator Fiona Nash had cut [...]

Put the iPhone down and talk to your Kids!

By |2013-12-02T10:30:57+11:00December 2nd, 2013|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

The recent SMH article outlining author Mem Fox's genuine concern about the increasing use of technology as a replacement for parental interaction with their kids was spot-on, and should raise alarm bells - but will it? I know I'm not Gen X, Y or Z - happy to admit I am a Baby Boomer - [...]

November 2013

Aussie Parents are the most overprotective!

By |2013-11-29T16:25:13+11:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

You may have read my column a couple of weeks ago about how schools are banning playground games because students lacked the resilience or social skills to handle losing. This week I came across research from Deakin University and VicHealth that supported the idea that younger Australian kids are “bubble wrapped” more than their UK [...]

Google, Microsoft ramp up fight against online child pornography

By |2013-11-29T16:17:49+11:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: Cybersafety, Society & Culture, Technology|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

In response to the longtime, alarming proliferation of photos and videos containing child pornography on the Internet, Web search giants Google and Microsoft plan to introduce measures to block the content from their search results. The modifications will prevent more than 100,000 search terms from generating results that link to images and videos associated with [...]

Researchers find being exposed to fast food symbols makes it harder to appreciate everyday joys

By |2013-11-29T15:37:13+11:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: Science & Research, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Success, in the Western world, means “gaining time,” according to French philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard. The faster we do things — work, eat, sleep, read — the more time we “gain.” But this focus on time efficiency could be making the small things in life harder to enjoy. A trio of Canadian researchers have discovered that [...]

Is it possible to have Internet addiction?

By |2013-11-29T15:29:18+11:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: Cybersafety|Tags: , , , , , , |

Is there really such a disorder as "Internet addiction"? In my estimation, the short, honest answer is, "We don't know enough to say for sure." Part of the problem is the ambiguity in—and disagreement over—the terms "addicted" and "addiction." An even more serious problem is sorting out the role of "the Internet" (and other electronic [...]

Drugs and alcohol: the secret life of us

By |2013-11-29T15:16:46+11:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Scores of middle-class Australians are drinking at dangerous levels and ending up in emergency departments with alcohol-related problems, the largest survey of Australians' present drug and alcohol use has found. Addiction medicine specialists say the Global Drug Survey of 22,000 people worldwide has identified a largely invisible group of professional Australians who are drinking excessively, [...]

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