Trying to help a smoker quit? Bribe them

In an analysis of 16 projects where people were given money, lottery tickets, and other monetary incentives, scientists have found that when trying to quit smoking, rewards do help.

In the study, they found that those given rewards were more than twice as likely to give up the unhealthy habit compared to those who were simply given advice. Financial penalties where people lost money also helped.

The Newcastle University researchers also found that financial incentives also encouraged people to exercise more, lose weight, and go for health checkups.

One of the researchers, Dr Jean Adams, observes that offering smokers small amounts of money to get them to quit might be cheaper in the long run than dealing with the health complications triggered by this habit.

Spending more time in the dark will treat hearing loss

Scientists have found a new non-invasive treatment for age-related hearing loss. In a study that involved mice, researchers from Johns Hopkins University found enhanced auditory ability in the mice that were deprived of visual stimulation. They were also found to be better at detecting quieter noises.

Explaining these findings, which have been published in the journal Neuron, Emily Petrus, the study author, observes that the human brain remains plastic even in old age, meaning that it can adapt to our experiences.

In this case, the neurons re-organise and work at enhancing the hearing sense.

No one would want to be kept in the dark or blindfolded for prolonged periods of time, but, the scientists note, even short spells of sensory deprivation will have the same desired effect.

That stroller may harm your baby’s brain

Strollers are invaluable to today’s mother, who would otherwise be forced to carry her baby everywhere. However, new research suggests that strapping your child in them for too long and too often can undermine balance, attention, and coordination skills.

Researchers from the Institute for Neuro Physiological Psychology in the US have found that prams, especially those that face forward, reduce the time a child spends exploring freely or interacting with the parent.

Youngsters regularly pushed in strollers facing backwards were found to have more developed speech, though. Researchers warn that these effects can interfere with a child’s school performance and persist into adulthood. Neuro-psychologist, Sally Goddard Blythe, the study author, recommends that children be allowed social interaction and rough play as she says that these physical movements help develop pathways in the brain which are the foundation for problem solving later in life.

How your personality affects your health

Researchers from Duke University in the US have found that besides lifestyle, your personality has an effect on your health as well.

The researchers examined five traits in 1,037 people over a 10-year period — extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness to experience. They found a strong link between these characteristics and one’s health.

They especially found that conscientious people have a lower risk of developing health problems such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and inflammation than less-conscientious people. Openness to experience was also linked to better health outcomes.

With these findings in mind, the researchers recommend that personality traits be assessed so that preventative measures can be taken.