Smiling could help you live longer

A wide smile could add years to your life

The wider you grin and the deeper your laughter lines, the more likely you are to have a long existence.

Broader smiles and wrinkles around your eyes point to a positive outlook on life which translates to better long-term health.

It has long been thought that a happy disposition can impact on life expectancy, and the recent study by experts at Wayne University in Michigan, America, seems to back this.

They came to their conclusions by studying 230 pictures of major league baseball players printed in the 1952 baseball register. Each picture came with a listing of the player's vital statistics, including age, weight, height and marital status.

Researchers then ranked to players according to their smiles and laughter lines, spanning from none at all, to partial and then those with a full blown toothy grin and crinkled eyes. They then compared the chart to the lifespan of each player to reach their conclusions.

Of the 184 players who had since died, those in the "no smile" section lived an average of 72.9 years while the "partial smile" group lived to around the age of 75. Those with the widest grins lived an average of 79.9 years – a full seven more years than their glum colleagues.

The study also found that putting on a false smile did not work, as only those who looked genuinely happy had the extra life expectancy.

From: Telegraph.co.uk, Published: 7:33AM BST 13 Apr 2010: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7584633/Smiling-could-help-you-live-longer.html 

Brain Training Doesn't Work. Or - Does It?

"Six weeks of computer brain training has little benefit beyond boosting performance on the specific tasks included in the training." That's according to an online study involving more than 11,000 participants conducted as part of the BBC's 'Bang Goes The Theory' science programme.

Adrian Owen of the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and his colleagues first measured participants' baseline performance on a range of freely available tests on such measures as reasoning, verbal short-term memory, spatial working memory and paired-associates learning (a test of longer-term verbal memory).

Accoring to the researchers: "The results provided no evidence for any generalised improvements in cognitive function following brain training in a large sample of healthy adults".

The new findings are just the latest to cast doubt on the value of commercial brain training products. A 2008 investigation by the consumer charity Which? concluded that 'none of the claims [of commercial brain training products] are supported by peer-reviewed research published in a recognised scientific journal and involving the specific product'.

The Which? investigators recommended a healthy diet, physical exercise and challenging mental activities, including learning a new instrument or language, or completing crosswords, as the most effective ways to maintain a healthy mind.

What is your take on this story?
Do you thnk that results with children would be entiely different?
Do you think there is an "age limit" on our brain's ability to form new connections as a result of "btrin training"?
Is it possible that some people still benefit from these excersises even though the evidence suggest otherwise?
Does it still make sense to suggest brain training routines to older people in order to "keep their brains active?"
Please share your opinion with us.
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The results of this study will be shared and discussed on Bang Goes The Theory on BBC One at 9pm on 21 April and on the BBC's Lab UK website.
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A.M. Owen, A. Hampshire, J.A. Grahn, R. Stenton, S. Dajani, A.S. Burns, R.J. Howard, & C.G. Gallard (2010). Putting brain training to the test. Nature [In Press].
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Further reading: http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2010/04/brain-training-doesnt-work.html

Skills for Clinical & Case Supervision DVDs

This very popular course is now available in the new - DVD - format.

The course consists of 2 DVDs and you can purchase individual version of it for your private use, group version - for organisations and staff training and Interactive Training Version that enables you not only to learn by watching DVD, but to explore materials on the additional CD-ROM and to take an online quiz that entitles you to Assessed Academic Competence Certificate with 6 CPD hours attached.

To see all the datails on this DVD go to:

http://www.psychotherapydvds.com/epages/colt5155.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/colt5155/Products/0106/SubProducts/0106-0001

Managing Anxiety-Based Problems in Older People - Feedback

Paul Grantham has just finished the first block of trainings on Managing Anxiety-Based Problems in Older People.
The feedback has been very good - with the vast majority of delegates rating the course as "Very Good" or "Good".
Below are some examples of feedback given by delegates after the course:

"Excellent day + very relevant + helpful to my job role." (A.A., Social Worker)
"Very good hands-on information, good video clips, excellent background information." (I.K., OT)
"Lots of useful ideas to work with." (B.B., CPN)
"Interesting stuff! Will test some of those approaches when the opportunity arises." (T.W. RMN/AMHP)
"Very relaxed style. Have learnt a lot of ideas to try. Thank you." (H.P., OT)
"Very interesting concepts that will aid my support work & counselling." (G.L., CMSW)
"Useful - practical techniques, and interventions." (S.B., Nurse)
"I have learnt a great deal. It was very informative. I will use this when working with anxiety and with illness in my workplace." (G.O., OT/Physiotherapist)

This topic is currently only available for in-house training. If you are interested please contact us via info@skillsdevelopment.co.uk