What I wouldn't give...

to be back here

In a dramamine-induced coma on a trip with a total pleasure seeker. You know exactly the the type of person I'm taking about. The kind of person that sighs after taking a bite of something delicious, stops to really put their feet in the sand, and always sees the beauty in life (which make her a great photographer to boot). Not an over-indulger per se, but rather a satisfaction seeker (SS) who snarls at the idea of personal homeostasis. I have traits similar to an SS, but really I teeter back and forth. Sometimes I allow amusement to guide me and at other times I don't.

Speaking of what guides a person, I recently read this series in O magazine (I don't subscribe to the magazine, but read it at every possible chance: nail salon, doctor's office, Bliss, etc.) on intuition. In the series of articles, Martha Beck writes about how to tune in to your voice within to find personal fulfillment. Martha explains that everyday we have two voices in our heads, two advisers, your logical (somewhat pedantic) self and your passionate, satisfaction seeking, self. This is so very true for me. I often lack clarity as the multiple voices chime around in my head.

Beck argues that when making a choice we should ignore the voice of social conditioning (voices that echo our parents, teachers, and other authority figures) and listen to you own wisdom that often appears as emotions or physical sensations in the body.

She suggests that if you are wondering whether a choice is wise or not, that you shouldn't search your mind for a rational arguement. Instead, hold each option in your attention, then feel its effects on your body and emotions. When something is wrong for you, you'll feel constriction and tightness. The wise choice should lead to feelings of freedom and even excitement. A prime example of our conflicting selves comes from my friend over at ramshackle glam whose blog post on the day she quit her job  I carried around with me for MONTHS. Whenever an overwhelming sense of dread came over me, I pulled out the ratty paper and read her words on how she let intuition lead and stepped away from safety.

P.S. O's series on intuition was also written up on NPR.

(picture by pleasure seeker of me in the Thai islands)

Debunking conventional wisdom on longevity

Wonder Woman lived forever - no?

Veronique Greenwood interviews Howard S. Friedman, co-author of The Longevity Project:

One of our longevity myths is "Get married, and you will live longer." The data tells a different story. Marriage was health-promoting primarily for men who were well-suited to marriage and had a good marriage. For the rest, there were all kinds of complications.

For example, women who got divorced often thrived. Even women who were widowed often did exceptionally well. It often seemed as if women who got rid of their troublesome husbands stayed healthy—most women, it seemed, can rely on their friends and other social ties. Men who got and stayed divorced, on the other hand, were at really high risk for premature mortality. It would have been better had they not married at all. 

(source: the Atlantic, Veronique Greenwood)

Check this out: The Best Questions For a First Date

okCupid's use of its database information for applied stats is, to me,  some of the most interesting behavioral science around right now! Check this out:

The Best Questions For a First Date

Speaking of human behaviors, did you know that non-sexual male holding of hands and shoulders is common practice in middle east and India (and I'm sure other places too)? It's a sign of friendship. I think it is lovely.

What's in a Surname?

Being American and a bit heritage obsessed, I am delighted to have stumbled upon this view of the United States based on the distribution of common last names. It shows great history and diversity. Unfortunately, none of my family names show up. I've decided to keep some anonymity on this blog and not share, but nevertheless you should know that my family name is a long polish last name with 12 letters and my mother's family name originated somewhere in Latin America. The name I now share with my husband is a somewhat common name in America, but with a unique spelling.

Based on this website that lets visitors find hot spots for their surnames around the globe, my husband's name is most commonly found in New Zealand. Cool-li-o! Plug in your surname and it shoots out a color-coded map showing you the top countries where that name is prevalent. It also spits out amazing statistics like roots of the name, top regions, top cities, and top forenames!

For example my family name is most prevalent in Poland! Duh! I knew that! Daddy-o's first language was Polish. What's more fascinating are the top forenames: Jan, Irena, Stanislaw (very common Polish names!). So cool.

When I plugged in my Mother's maiden name it's most prevalent in Argentina and the USA. Totally debunking my Grandmother's fishy story that they came from Spain to Puerto Rico, in fact, the name shows low status in Spain on the color-coded map. Very interesting!

Now back to my lovely husband's name. Top surnames are: David, John, Richard, Sally, and Peter! What!

Needless to say, I'm obsessed with Heritage of names and people, so therefore I'm obsessed with this.  To all my friends out there, I've definitely already put in you name!

A bit morbid, but entirely fascinating

If you are like me, when you were a little girl you had nightmares about being stolen during a home break-in. I was convinced that my fate was to die at the hands of a homicidal maniac. Perhaps it was the bad TV my parents watched about missing children or it was the scary dark van phenomenon from the 80's (we were all afraid of men in vans). It's not to say that these things don't happen, obviously, but the risk is low. My Mom continues to send around email forwards about the guy in the parking lot who helped change some girl's tire only to discover he had rope and a scary mask in the back of his car! Ahhhh fear, it's America's aphrodisiac.

Last week, Simon Rogers of The Guardian posted this diagram of mortality rates in England and Wales. How fascinating! So for those of you who want to know what is more likely - dying in the hands of a crazed-lunatic, catching swine flu and deceasing, or drowning in the bath tub here you go.

It also, as Simon says (catch that? Simon says! Simon says, click here to read more.)  in his post, gives us a realistic picture of risk. Perhaps we should worry less about the risk of walking alone at night and more  about a real killer - heart disease.