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PTSD-linked gene variations found in study of NIU undergrads on campus during mass shootings
The Washington Post: A study of college students’ reactions to shootings on their Illinois campus gives fresh insight into how genes may influence the psychological impact of traumatic events. The researchers found that symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder were more common in Northern Illinois University students who had certain variations in a gene that regulates levels of serotonin, a brain chemical linked with mood that is the target of popular antidepressants. The researchers say the results could someday lead to new treatments for PTSD, and also could help predict who will develop the condition, which could be useful for soldiers involved in combat.
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Why Thinking About Dying Makes Us More Generous
Huffington Post: You're visiting a friend who lives on the 20th floor of an old, inner city block of apartments. It's the middle of the night when you are suddenly awakened from a deep sleep by the sound of screams and the choking smell of smoke. You are shocked to find the room filling fast with thick clouds of smoke. Grabbing a blanket off the bed and using it as protection, you manage to turn the handle and open the door. Almost immediately, a huge wave of flame and smoke roars into the room, knocking you back and literally off your feet. There is no way to leave the room. Panicked, you scramble to the only window in the room and try to open it.
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The Psychological Price of Unfair Pay
The Huffington Post: It's going to be a gloomy Labor Day for many this year. The national unemployment rate, now 9.1 percent, won't seem to budge, and many states are doing worse than that. The unemployment rate in California exceeds 12 percent, with some communities registering staggering rates of more than 30 percent. Yet jobs go begging. I see jobs advertised in store windows of my hometown, Washington, D.C., where 1 in 10 workers is out of work. Many working Americans find this perplexing. Isn't it simple economics that the unemployed would take these jobs -- indeed, welcome any job -- when times are rough?
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Do Happier People Work Harder?
The New York Times: LABOR DAY is meant to be a celebration of work. Yet, on this Labor Day, few have reason to rejoice. Even those who have jobs. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which has been polling over 1,000 adults every day since January 2008, shows that Americans now feel worse about their jobs — and work environments — than ever before. People of all ages, and across income levels, are unhappy with their supervisors, apathetic about their organizations and detached from what they do. And there’s no reason to think things will soon improve. Employee engagement may seem like a frill in a downturn economy. But it can make a big difference in a company’s survival.
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Getting Doctors to Wash Their Hands
The New York Times: A new study has a message for doctors and nurses who fail to wash their hands: Don’t think about yourself. Think about your patients. Getting health care professionals to comply with notices to wash their hands before and after dealing with patients has been something of a thorn in the side of many hospitals. Although this simple measure limits the spread of sickness — and could potentially reduce the nation’s hospital health care bill by billions of dollars — many doctors and nurses simply ignore it.
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When Organic, Sustainable, Fresh and Local Is Not Enough
Huffington Post: Many of my clients come to my office already very much aware of the importance of eating fresh, organic, locally-grown food. They are eager to talk about the nutritional value of what they eat and they know to avoid fast food. And that's a great sign of progress -- a generation of research and education has taught Americans that there is an important relationship between our food and our basic health. But while we talk all the time about the content of our food, we tend to neglect an equally important aspect: how we eat it. This, I strongly believe, is one of the missing links between food, body and health. Read the full story: Huffington Post
