Will bank buildings become obsolete?

Most Americans think bank buildings will become a thing of the past in the near future.  Why?  The digital age has revolutionized the banking industry.  About 27% of Millennials, ages 23 to 38, have never been in a bank and make all of their transactions electronically.  Not only can business be conducted fast and easy, but all of the records are online.  No more paper chase.  It’s not just the Millennials that think banks are quickly becoming a thing of the past.  Nearly 70% of Baby Boomers believe that brick-and-mortar facilities are outdated.  We’re quickly becoming comfortable about not having a physical building in our neighborhood.  Banks and tellers may not disappear for a while yet, so enjoy while you can.  And, start educating yourselves about the values and risks of online transactions.  Don’t wait ‘til your local bank is a pile of rubble.

What is the happiest time in a marriage?

Every marriage has its own season.  It can’t be all rainbows and champagne every day, but, many marriages enjoy specific periods of time that seem to bring the greatest satisfaction.  The happiest time in a marriage is said to be 11 months and 8 days after the wedding.  All of life is fresh, new and exciting.  About 2 years and 4 months in, couples enjoy the height of intimacy.  At about 2½ years, wives are satisfied with the attention they’ve received in terms of compliments, gifts and flowers.  Men helping with household chores peaks just before the 3rd anniversary and after that, something special happens.  Couples feel completely comfortable with each other and have a clear path for their future.  It takes work.  Make sure, as you start your marriage, you’ve got an agreed-upon plan for resolving conflicts.  Now, you can sit back and enjoy your happily ever after.

That diet lasts only a year

Don’t you feel like the science people keep upping the ante when it comes to keeping our weight under control?  Yep, the latest bad news is that most diets stop working after a year.  You thought you had it made when you got to the one-year mark, but that’s not the case.  Sure, you enjoyed lower blood pressure with that weight loss and your doctor has stopped nagging you.  Yes, you benefited emotionally from those workouts.  You’re not as anxious as you once were, and you’ve managed to stave off that growing depression that really scared you.  But, the reality is you’re not home free.  You need to maintain your healthy diet and the exercise plan in order to continue to benefit from your efforts.  For how long?  Probably for the rest of your life.  As you age, your body will change.  Not only will you have to maintain your regimen, you’ll have to tailor it as you go along.  You probably remember your parents saying, “Anything worth having is worth working for”.  Stick with it.

Oh no, say it ain’t so, Dr. Claudia!  Waddya mean that doing housework can make me happier?  People who clean their own homes are 25% happier than those who don’t.  And, what’s worse is that for every extra hour of cleaning a week, the happier you are by a whopping 53%.  What’s going on here?  If you have a tidy home, you’re likely to be more relaxed, have increased focus, greater productivity and you’ll sleep better.  If your environment is a mess, you feel out of control.  You can’t find anything and that ancient brain of yours, well, if you’re female, your ancient brain is on edge.  Because we’re not as strong as men, we need to be very aware of our environment so that we can protect ourselves.  What’s that in the corner?  A saber-tooth cat?  Nah, just a backpack.  The best part of all of this is that if your home is clean, your kids’ behavior will improve.

Social anxiety might be genetic

Ten percent of people will experience social anxiety in their lifetimes.  Social anxiety is that distressing feeling you get when you worry about being judged by others.  You avoid any social situation where people will think poorly of you.  And, in your mind, they can only be critical of you.  If you prefer to interact online rather than in person, you just might have social anxiety.  Physically, it causes you to have a rapid heartbeat and feel out of breath.  You get shaky and your palms sweat.  Science is now telling us that there’s a genetic factor to this painful condition.  The gene that’s supposed to get serotonin, the body’s antidepressant, to the brain, doesn’t get the job done.  We used to think that learning to expect social failure was responsible for this distress, but not anymore.  OK, so maybe it’s not your fault that you inherited social anxiety, but it is your responsibility to treat it.

Delivered, take-out food can make you fat

Too busy to cook?  What to eat tonight?  Grab the stack of take-out menus and get something delivered.  It’s another night in front of the tv watching the latest popular series eating out of cartons.  Too busy to worry about what it’s doing to you.  You’re young and healthy.  You’ll worry about it later.  At some point, you’ll catch a peek at yourself in a window and say, “OK, NOW I’ve gotta do something!  Here’s the plan.  Get low-fat, high protein meals delivered from well-known restaurants and when you get it, put it on a plate.  Eat at your table and don’t watch tv.  Why?  Because when you watch and eat, you’ll get distracted and gulp down about 400 more calories than you need.  Learn to make the basics and make your own dinners 2 times a week.  Order the groceries online and wean yourself off the fat trap.  Your bank account will grow, and your waistline will shrink.

Feeling full and getting depressed

People who regularly eat fast food over a period of 6 years are 41% more likely to become depressed than those who avoided the fat crud.  Scientists looking at this connection decided that it’s the high level of artificial trans fats that’s interfering with the brain’s ability to produce certain mood stabilizing neurotransmitters.  Neurotransmitters are chemicals responsible for sending messages throughout the body.  Kind of important, right?  Despite the 2018 ban on artificial trans fats because of their destructive properties, they’re still here.  The main culprits are vegetable shortening, some microwave popcorns, some vegetable oils, fried fast foods, bakery products and non-dairy coffee creamers.  Check the ingredients on packaged foods you buy.  Don’t eat this stuff without knowing it.  Don’t let your potato chips make you depressed.

Left brain, right brain.  It’s a no-brainer.

Not too long ago, we still thought that people who are left-brained are more logical, analytical and math oriented while right-brained folks are more emotional, intuitive, artistic and free spirited.  We don’t believe this anymore because science has learned the truth.  Even common sense tells us that both sides of the brain should be working together.  Most behaviors and abilities require that both sides of the brain cross the aisle to process information and solve problems.  If you’re right-handed or left, you need your whole brain to achieve your goals.  You have talents, quirks, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, but they have nothing to do with which side of your brain you use more.  Every time you learn something, say or do something, you need both sides of your brain to get it done.  It takes two, baby, just like the song says.

So, what is this new umami taste anyway?

You keep hearing about it.  Suddenly, out of the blue, there’s a new flavor.  It’s umami, a Japanese word that means a “pleasant, savory taste”.  Foods with an umami flavor have a brothy or meaty essence that’s long-lasting, mouth-watering and leaves a coating sensation over the tongue.  The source of the taste is a high level of glutamate, an amino acid.  Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and have critical roles in your health.  The umami taste is found in meats, dairy, fish, mushrooms, miso and vegetables.  Ketchup is an umami flavor.  Since umami is readily sensed in foods with high levels of protein, detecting it is critical for survival.  Umami-rich foods are more filling and curb your appetite.  Move over sweet, salty, bitter and sour, there’s a new taste in town.

Can your friends make you fat?

Do your friends influence your weight?  Yes, they do, and it makes sense, doesn’t it?  Our friends influence our fashion, our way of speaking and gesturing, the movies we see, the books we read and our love interests.  A study from Harvard Medical School cautions us about the powerful influence of our friend’s weight on our eating habits.  If they’re thin, you’re likely to mind your calories.  If they’re overweight, your scale is likely to move in that direction.  As friends, you may end up eating out more than you’d like, and you may adopt some of their food preferences.  Snacking accounts for more than half of our daily eating events.  We’re eating and drinking 14 different kinds of food and beverages daily.  Overall, we’re eating just too much.  Host social events that don’t involve eating a lot of food or consuming sugary drinks.  Focus on the friends and not the food.