A study conducted by researchers from the US, Canada, France and Israel, has discovered that adults over the age of 60 are significantly cleverer at the start of autumn compared with spring. The difference between the autumn and spring equinox say the scientists, was equivalent to four years of ageing.

The study analysed data involving more than 3,000 people in North America and Europe, most of whom were over 70. They had each been given annual tests of memory and processing speed, with their testing spread randomly throughout the year.

Doctors had assumed that the month the testing occurred was irrelevant, but the paper in the online journal Plos Medicine found that the seasons did matter. In fact, cognitive performance was shown to be higher in the summer and autumn compared with winter and spring. It peaked at the autumn equinox then dropped off until the spring equinox six months later.

Important considerations for dementia testing

For some participants, the researchers also looked at levels of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. This revealed seasonal rhythms in Alzheimer-disease-related proteins in the spinal fluid, and in the expression of specific genes in the brain, giving us a window into the underlying mechanisms.

They found a 30% greater chance of meeting diagnostic criteria for mild cognitive impairment or dementia if cognitive tests are carried out in late-winter or early-spring. “The difference in performance was enough to impact the clinical impression of what diagnostic category a patient was going to be in,” said one of the researchers Andrew Lim, from the University of Toronto.

The team could only speculate on the cause of such a change. Light, temperature, the body’s hormone levels or vitamin D consumption could be to blame, Lim said. But on the bright side, the study opens up the possibility that “good cognition” could be extended beyond that peak time to prevent or slow the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

One theory is that our lifestyle and health habits vary with the season, we may for instance eat, sleep and exercise differently.

Lead researcher Philip De Jager, from Columbia University, said another theory was that during winter our brains experienced something akin to a mild hibernation. “The underlying rhythms are similar to those that regulate many other mammals and animals,” he said. “They probably help us minimise activity in months when fewer resources are available and take advantage of them at a time when they are abundant.”

• For more on the connection between weather and health see our article Must be the weather

It’s true we all have regrets. Forsaken dreams. Romantic interests not pursued. Securing a job near home rather than an adventurous position overseas.

But, according to new Cornell University research, our most enduring regrets are the ones that stem from our failure to live up to our “ideal selves”.

A survey undertaken by psychologist Tom Gilovich and former Cornell graduate student Shai Davidai has found people are haunted more by regrets about failing to fulfill their hopes, goals and aspirations than by regrets about failing to fulfill their duties, obligations and responsibilities.

The research, “The Ideal Road Not Taken,” was published in the journal Emotion. It builds on the idea that three elements make up a person’s sense of self: the actual, ideal and the ought selves.

The actual self is made up of the attributes a person believes they possess. The ideal self is the attributes they would ideally like to possess, such as hopes, goals, aspirations or wishes. The ought self is the person they feel they should have been based on duties, obligations and responsibilities.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda

Gilovich and Davidai surveyed hundreds of participants through the course of six studies, describing the differences between the ought and ideal selves, and asking them to list and categorise their regrets based on these descriptions.

The participants said they experienced regrets about their ideal self far more often (72% versus 28%). More than half mentioned more ideal-self regrets than ought-self regrets when asked to list their regrets in life so far. And when asked to name their single biggest regret in life, 76% of participants mentioned a regret about not fulfilling their ideal self.

Why do ideal self failures spark such enduring regret? The expectations of the ought self are usually more concrete and involve specific rules – such as how to behave at a funeral – and so are easier to fulfill. But ideal-related regrets tend to be more general: Be a good parent, be a good mentor. “Well, what does that mean, really?” Gilovich said. “There aren’t clear guideposts. And you can always do more.”

Just do it

The research has practical implications, he said. First, we often assume we first need inspiration before we can strive to achieve our ideals. But a significant amount of psychological research shows that’s not true, Gilovich said.

“As the Nike slogan says: ‘Just do it,'” he said. “Don’t wait around for inspiration, just plunge in. Waiting around for inspiration is an excuse. Inspiration arises from engaging in the activity.”

And people often fail to achieve their ideal goals because they’re worried about how it will look to others. For example, a person might want to learn how to sing but feel they could never let others hear how bad they are.

Again, Gilovich says, just do it.

“People are more charitable than we think and also don’t notice us nearly as much as we think,” he said. “If that’s what holding you back – the fear of what other people will think and notice – then think a little more about just doing it.”

The Finnish researchers collected data from more than 20 countries, with approximately 40,000 respondents participating in their study. This makes this one of the largest studies into CAM use ever.

Four treatment types were examined: traditional Asian treatments (Chinese medicine, acupuncture, acupressure), alternative medicine (homeopathy, herbal remedies), manual therapies (massage, chiropractic, osteopathy, reflexology), and mind-body therapies (hypnosis and spiritual healing).

Used by one in four

According to the findings, one in four people in the study population had used complementary and alternative treatments in the past year. The most commonly used forms of treatment were massage (12%), homeopathy (6%), osteopathy (5%) and herbal remedies (5%). Most subjects had experienced only one treatment form.

The study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, also revealed that women and those with higher education use complementary and alternative medicine more often than others.

It found that complementary and alternative medicine is being used in connection with various health problems, particularly in situations where help provided by conventional medicine is considered, by the patient, to be inadequate.

For that reason ailments such as headaches, back pain and other vexing conditions are popular reasons why Europeans turn to alternative forms of treatment.

“We also found that alternative and complementary medicine was used primarily in a complementary manner, or together with conventional medicine.” says Teemu Kemppainen, a researcher at the University of Helsinki.

“This should be kept in mind both in practical patient care and public discourse, where these treatments are often framed as an alternative to conventional medicine” he adds

Differences between countries

The prevalence of treatments varied greatly between the countries in the study. In Germany, nearly 40% of the study population had used complementary and alternative forms of treatment, whereas in Hungary the corresponding share was 10%. In Finland and Estonia, 35% of respondents had used these forms of treatment.

Culture also played a part. In large multicultural countries, such as France and Germany, the use of different CAM modalities is widespread, whereas this is not the case in the more homogeneous Nordic countries.

“The differences are partly explained by the fact that in some countries these treatments are covered by insurance. Some countries also train general practitioners in complementary medicine,” notes Kemppainen.

Previous studies have shown that the most frequently used CAM treatments in Europe are herbal medicine, homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture and reflexology. Massage is also a popular treatment.

That’s the takeaway finding from a new study from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.

The researchers conducted experiments with nearly 800 smartphone users in an attempt to measure, for the first time, how well people can complete tasks when they have their smartphones nearby, even when they’re not using them.

In one experiment, the researchers asked participants to sit at a computer and take a series of tests that required full concentration in order to score well. The tests were geared to measure participants’ available cognitive capacity – that is, the brain’s ability to hold and process data at any given time. Before beginning, participants were randomly instructed to place their smartphones either on the desk face down, in their pocket or personal bag, or in another room. All participants were instructed to turn their phones to silent.

Brain drain

The researchers found that those whose phones were in another room significantly outperformed those with their phones on the desk, and they also slightly outperformed those participants who had kept their phones in a pocket or bag.

The findings suggest that the mere presence of one’s smartphone reduces available brain power and impairs cognitive functioning, even though people feel they’re giving their full attention and focus to the task at hand.

“We see a linear trend that suggests that as the smartphone becomes more noticeable, participants’ available cognitive capacity decreases,” said co-author and McCombs Assistant Professor Adrian Ward. “Your conscious mind isn’t thinking about your smartphone, but that process – the process of requiring yourself to not think about something – uses up some of your limited cognitive resources. It’s a brain drain.”

Dependence

In another experiment, researchers looked at how a person’s self-reported smartphone dependence – or how strongly a person feels he or she needs to have a smartphone in order to get through a typical day – affected cognitive capacity.

Participants performed the same series of computer-based tests under the same conditions as the first group. Those who reported being the most dependent on their smartphones performed significantly worse compared with their less-dependent peers, especially when they kept their smartphones on the desk or in their pocket or bag.

The researchers write “Ironically, the more consumers depend on their smartphones, the more they seem to suffer from their presence or, more optimistically, the more they may stand to benefit from their absence.”

An unconscious distraction

Ward and his colleagues also found that it didn’t matter whether a person’s smartphone was turned on or off, or whether it was lying face up or face down on a desk. Having a smartphone within sight or within easy reach was an unconscious distraction that reduced a person’s ability to focus and perform tasks because part of their brain is actively working to not pick up or use the phone.

“It’s not that participants were distracted because they were getting notifications on their phones,” said Ward. “The mere presence of their smartphone was enough to reduce their cognitive capacity.”

However a type of rainforest honey may help reduce some of the risk.

In a recent study Malaysian researchers looked specifically at the impact the antioxidants in honey have on the oxidative stress in smokers.

In addition to raising levels of free radicals in the body,smoking also lowers levels of beneficial anti-oxidants.  Past research has shown supplementing with antioxidant rich herbs and algae may help improve oxidative status in smokers. In addition, supplementing with honey, which is rich in sugars but also minerals, proteins, organic acids and antioxidants has been effective in reducing the toxic effects of cigarette smoke in rats, yet prior to this study the effects of honey supplementation in chronic smokers was yet to be documented.

The researchers looked at the effect 12 weeks of supplementation with a particular kind of rainforest honey called tualang on a small group of 32 chronic smokers and compared their findings to two ‘control groups: 32 other chronic smokers and 32 non-smokers who were not taking the supplement.

Rainforest honey

Tualang honey is produced by a type of bee called Apis dorsata, or the giant honeybee, in large nests hanging from the high branches of the tualang trees. It is produced in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Before the study began the researchers looked at levels of antioxidants in the blood of all participants. As expected the smokers had a greatly reduced antioxidant status compared to the non-smokers.

At the end of the 12 weeks, honey group smokers were found to have greatly improved antioxidant status, strongly suggesting that the  honey had strong free radical ‘scavenging’ activity that helped offset oxidative stress in the smokers.

The authors conclude: “Our findings may suggest that honey can be used as a supplement among those who are exposed to free radicals in cigarette smoke either as active or passive smokers in order to protect or reduce the risk of having cardiovascular diseases.”

In a commentary that coincides with the UK’s Stoptober campaign – a month-long drive to help people stop smoking – US researchers write:

Researchers from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke quantified the impact of combined multiple healthy lifestyle behaviors on the risk of developing bowel cancer, and found that this impact is stronger in men than in women.

According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, ethical consumption is motivated by a need for consumers to turn their emotions about unethical practices into action.

“Advocates of ethical consumerism suggest that consumers should consider the environmental and human costs of the products they choose, but unfortunately only a small number of people in North America consume ethically on a regular basis while most consumers just look for good deals and ignore the social impact of the products they buy. Why are some consumers willing to spend time, money, and energy on making more responsible choices?” writes author Ahir Gopaldas  of Fordham University.

After analysing dozens of websites of advocacy groups and companies driven by ethical mission statements, and conducting at-home interviews with people who identify as ethical consumers, the author identified three common emotions driving ethical behaviour – contempt, concern and celebration.

• Contempt happens when ethical consumers feel anger and disgust toward the corporations and governments they consider responsible for environmental pollution and labour exploitation.
• Concern stems from a concern for the victims of rampant consumerism, including workers, animals, ecosystems, and future generations.
• Celebration occurs when ethical consumers experience joy from making responsible choices and hope from thinking about the collective impact of their individual choices.

Advocates of ethical consumerism, he says, should consider the role of emotions in motivating consumers to make more responsible decisions. For example, anger can motivate consumers to reject unethical products and concern can encourage consumers to increase charitable donations, while joy and hope can lead consumers to cultivate ethical habits such as participating in recycling programs.

“This research has critical implications for advocacy groups, ethical brand managers, and anyone else trying to encourage mainstream consumers to make more ethical choices. It is simply not enough to change people’s minds. To change society, one must also change people’s hearts. Sentiments ignite passion, fuel commitment, and literally move people to action,” the author concludes.

The study from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, highlights the importance of exposure to natural light to employee health and suggests that natural daylight exposure for workers should be a priority in the minds of architects who design office spaces.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, included 49 day-shift office workers; 27 in windowless workplaces and 22 in workplaces with windows. Health-related quality of life and sleep quality were measured via a self-reported survey.

In addition light exposure, activity and sleep were measured by actigraphy in a representative subset of 21 participants; 10 in windowless workplaces and 11 in workplaces with windows. Actigraphy is a single device worn on the wrist that gives measures of light exposure as well as activity and sleep.

Let there be light

Employees with windows in the workplace received 173% more white light exposure during work hours and slept an average of 46 minutes more per night than those who did not have the natural light exposure in the workplace.

There also was a trend for workers in offices with windows to have more physical activity than those without windows.

Workers without windows had poorer scores on quality of life measures related to physical problems and vitality, as well as poorer outcomes on measures of overall sleep quality and sleep disturbances.

“There is increasing evidence that exposure to light, during the day, particularly in the morning, is beneficial to your health via its effects on mood, alertness and metabolism,” said senior study author Phyllis Zee, MD, a Northwestern Medicine neurologist and sleep specialist.

“Workers are a group at risk because they are typically indoors often without access to natural or even artificial bright light for the entire day. The study results confirm that light during the natural daylight hours has powerful effects on health.”

Redesigning office spaces

Co-lead author Mohamed Boubekri, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign added, “Architects need to be aware of the importance of natural light not only in terms of their potential energy savings but also in terms of affecting occupants’ health,” said

A simple design solution to augment daylight penetration in office buildings would be to make sure the workstations are within 20 to 25 feet of the peripheral walls containing the windows, because, as Boubekri notes, “Daylight from side windows almost vanishes after 20 to 25 feet from the windows.”

“Light is the most important synchronising agent for the brain and body,” said Ivy Cheung, co-lead author and PhD candidate in neuroscience in Zee’s lab at Northwestern.

“Proper synchronization of your internal biological rhythms with the earth’s daily rotation has been shown to be essential for health.”

In addition , the authors note, people who get more light during the day may sleep better at night, which can also help improve health.

“Individuals who exercised regularly were more confident they could handle the interaction of their work and home life and were less likely to be stressed at work,” said Russell Clayton, assistant professor of management at Saint Leo University and lead author of a new study.

Conflict between work and home can be categorised in two ways. Work interference with family describes typical job-based pressures that can lead to interference (either time or psychologically) of family time. Family interference with work is when personal issues find a way into the workday and compete with “work time.” The researchers wanted to find if exercise helped both.

Previous studies, for example on Tai Chi and  high-intensity aerobic exercise, have shown that exercise helps to reduce stress. What wasn’t clear was whether the reduction of stress actually helped empower individuals to feel they had better work-life balance.

Counter-intuitive, but…

“The idea sounds counter-intuitive. How is it that adding something else to our work day helps to alleviate stress and empower us to deal with work-family issues? We think exercise is a way to psychologically detach from work – you’re not there physically and you’re not thinking about it either – and, furthermore, it can help us feel good about ourselves.”

Researchers examined responses of 476 working adults to survey questions. Respondents were asked on a four-point scale (1 never – 4 always) questions about exercise behaviour. For example, “I exercise more than three days a week.” Respondents were then asked a number of questions on a 7-point scale (strongly disagree – strongly agree) about their confidence in handling work-family conflicts.

“Our findings suggest that employers can help employees with work-life balance by encouraging them to exercise.”

Clayton and colleagues’ findings will be published in a forthcoming edition of the journal Human Resource Management.