Using data from 2 million people in 80 countries, researchers at the University of Warwick and Dartmouth College, USA. UU. have found an extraordinarily consistent international pattern in depression and happiness levels that leaves us more shot at maturity.
His article entitled “Does the U-shaped welfare in the cycle of life?” Is published in Social Science & Medicine, The journal most cited social scientist in the world. Researchers have found that levels of happiness follows a U-shaped curve, with happiness higher towards the start and end of our lives and leaving more shot at maturity. Many previous studies on the effect of life have suggested that psychological well-being stays relatively flat and consistent as we age.
Using a sample of 1 million people from Britain, the researchers found that both men and women, the probability of depression peaks around age 44. In EE. UU. found a significant difference between men and women unhappy with a peak around age 40 for women and age 50 for men. They found the same U-shape in happiness levels and life satisfaction by age for 72 countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China , Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos , Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Korea South, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, UK, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA. UU., Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe. The authors, economists Professor Andrew Oswald of Warwick University and Professor David Blanchflower of Dartmouth College in USA. UU., Believe the U-shaped effect stems from something inside human beings. They show that in all types of people are signs of depression in adulthood, not caused by having young children at home, by divorce or by changes in employment or income. Economist at the University of Warwick Professor Andrew Oswald said: “Some people suffer more than others, but in our data, the average effect is large. It happens to men and women, married and single people, rich and poor and those with and without children. Nobody knows why we see this record “. “It is not known what causes this U-shaped curve and similarly in different parts of the developed world and even in the developing world. However, one possibility is that individuals learn to adapt to their strengths and weaknesses, and ending with maturity infeasible aspirations. Another possibility is that cheerful people live systematically longer. A third possibility is that operating a kind of comparison process in which people die are considered similar to oneself and is valued more the remaining years. Perhaps people somehow learn to give thanks for what they have. “ “From the data, it seems that something happens inside the human being. For the average person in the modern world, the decline of happiness and mental health starts slowly, not abruptly in a single year. Most people do not quit until this period under 50s. By encouraging, when you reach 70 and if it is still physically fit, on average is as happy and mentally healthy as 20 years old. Perhaps realizing that such feelings are completely normal in maturity could help people to cope better with this phase. “ The research analyzed data from a sample of 500,000 Americans and Western Europeans randomly selected from general social surveys of U.S. and Eurobarometer surveys. The authors also found mental health levels of 16,000 Europeans, the levels of depression and anxiety among a large sample of people in the UK and data from the “World Values Survey,” which features samples from 80 countries.
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Scientists at the Institute of Neurosciences of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona have been observed in experiments with rats, that individuals who had shared litter with a higher number of siblings have a less anxious behavior in adulthood, are more active to adverse situations and have a behavior more likely to explore new environments. The results could be extrapolated to the behavior of individuals.
Scientists at the Institute of Neurosciences of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona have been observed in experiments with rats, that individuals who had shared litter with a higher number of siblings have a less anxious behavior in adulthood, are more active to adverse situations and have a behavior more likely to explore new environments. The results, which could be extrapolated to the behavior of individuals, were published in the journal Physiology and Behavior.
Researchers have evaluated the behavior of rats that differed in the number of siblings, a variable little studied so far. In one group of animals had less than 10 litters of pups, another group who came from litters of 10 to 15 pups, and a third group of over 15 pups. Furthermore, it has also examined maternal behavior toward these offspring to guess whether this influenced the emotional changes that could be seen in adult life. The results of these experiments have shown that animals reared in larger litters are less anxious behavior as adults, have a more exploratory behavior in novel environments, and are less reactive to adverse or stressful situations, compared with animals reared in smaller litters. Other studies had shown that rats receiving more maternal touch and have less anxiety in adulthood. Thus, the research shows that regardless of maternal care, relationships with siblings also have important implications in adulthood. According to the study’s authors suggest “the first years of life are very important for the development of our nervous system and our behavior in adulthood. Although research has been conducted with rats, an experimental animal model, “this is a very useful model to study the effect of early experience on adult behavior. The research, conducted by researchers at the Neurosciences Institute at UAB, Roser Nadal and Maria Rosa Escorihuela, was published in the journal Physiology & Behavior.
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A study of more than 100 British criminals, led by Martin Gill, Professor of Criminology at the University of Leicester, has confirmed that the SmartWater (Water Smart), a chemical that leaves a mark for months, is more effective than other anti-theft measures .
Criminals have admitted that the most effective way to stop them is to use a high-tech invisible liquid that can only be seen under ultraviolet light. Thieves are automatically sprayed with code similar to DNA that lasts for months and that links them directly to the scene of a crime. This forensic technology is also used to “encrypted” value items. These are the conclusions of a study on anti-crime measures that the University of Leicester has announced after a private research perpetuity Research and Consultancy International, owned by the University.
The study, led by Martin Gill, Professor of Criminology at the University of Leicester, found that SmartWater (Water Smart) was more effective than security guards, burglar alarms, ink tags and CCTV to deter experienced criminals. The impact of SmartWater as a deterrent was even higher than police patrols high visibility. The study of more than 100 offenders found that the mere fact of showing signs indicating that the goods and premises were protected by SmartWater was sufficient to deter most criminals interviewed by the team. Professor Gill said: “According to our sample, SmartWater deterrent value has attained a high expected,” given that 74% of the offenders interviewed said that in the future, the presence of a poster / poster of SmartWater in a building be discouraged from enter it. “Overall, the findings indicate that crime reduction strategies using SmartWater products have a powerful deterrent. In particular, an interesting finding of the study was that although the mark of property is generally a pretty effective deterrent, the combination of forensic products used by SmartWater in its holistic approach substantially increases the deterrent factor. On a scale of 1 to 10 depending on the deterrent value, SmartWater received the highest average score (8.3 out of 10) compared with a range of other products against crime. The CCTV got a 6.2, burglar alarms, 6.0 and security guards, 4.9. According to South Yorkshire Police, who lent their cooperation in the report, it has used SmartWater in covert operations to catch car thieves and has achieved no less than 24 criminal convictions on separate occasions. Currently there are in Doncaster, where research was carried out 15,000 homes that use SmartWater property coding forensic within them, while 117 sites managed by Doncaster Education Authority also use this technology. Although beyond the scope of this investigation, the SmartWater technology is being used today in various ways, including protecting the lead from the roofs of churches, theft of “money in transit” and raids on businesses. In Leicestershire, Ecclesiastical Insurance has provided blisters SmartWater to protect churches that are targeted by lead thieves. In the words of CEO of SmartWater, Phil Cleary: “Over the years we have collected evidence from across the UK that SmartWater StrategyTM (The SmartWater Strategy) has resulted in significant decreases in several types of crime. We are therefore pleased that this investigation by an eminent academic body back up our claims. SmartWater brand is known in the world of crime, and many companies like Scottish Power, G4S and Ecclesiastical Insurance, use it.
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 The Universitat Jaume I work in the last phase of Butler that facilitates access by seniors to ICT to enhance their social relationships and avoid possible isolation. The developed software tool that also contains a therapeutic aspect to assess their mood.
The research team has shown that with the tool Butler, a 82 year old person can send a photo, music sharing, chat or maintain a videoconference without problems. Satisfactory results of the first signs of users have led the computer tool will now begin testing in two nursing homes in Valencia.
“In recent years, governments are promoting research that impact on increasing the quality of life for the elderly, a group that is becoming more important to the progressive aging of the European population,” says researcher Soledad Quero, belonging Cristina Botella team, director of the Laboratory of UJI Labpsitec. Butler makes use of new technologies to promote the welfare and promote healthy aging. “In this sense, one of the results we are seeing is increasing perceived self-efficacy for the older person to feel able to use the tools that employ young people. Thus breaking the gap between the elderly and ICT, “explains Professor Quero.
The revolutionary program of cognitive and emotional telecare besides this playful component contains a therapeutic aspect to serve professionals who treat older people as it assesses the mood of users and offers treatment. Depression and anxiety are two of the most common problems among this section of the population. Butler continuously monitors the person’s emotional state through a virtual assistant that asks the user how it is.
“If the answer is right, the program offers all the recreational possibilities of the application. However, if the older person is regularly answered, nervous or sad, the tool does a more comprehensive assessment raised various questions as validated psychological scales to assess their level of depression or anxiety. According to this analysis, offers the possibilities of the program from the psychological point of view are more convenient at that time, “says the researcher. This is possible through the use of virtual reality environments that emulate nature and induction procedures used mood happy or relaxed.
Positive Memories
The Book of Life “is another therapeutic tools with which the project account. This is a more complex treatment tool that must be conducted by a therapist and that helps the user specific evoke positive memories of his life. According to Soledad Quero, “the elderly who are depressed tend to have general memories are usually negative overgeneralization and this makes it difficult to access the positive developments that have lived but not remembering that moment.”
Butler, also be directed at older users, by providing recreational and therapeutic tools, includes two platforms: one designed for the external user, ie family members, who will have access to mail and videoconferencing, and Another, aimed at professional (psychologist or social worker), and that messages arrive ongoing evaluations that automatically performs the program with different levels of alarm indicating if you need personalized help.
The proposed collaboration between the Laboratory of UJI Labpsitec, Labhuman group directed by Dr. Mariano Alcaniz of the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the team of Dr. Rosa Baños de la Universitat de València.
After validation of an early version with a small group of people to test the usability of the tool is now being validated with a larger population. Have recently completed tests on volunteers who are still autonomous and that, in principle, have no psychological problems, or significant visual or hearing impairments. The sample came from the University of Elders of UJI and UV, the youngest was 58 years and older, 82 years. “All were satisfied with the program, were able to use the system for themselves and emotion induction systems have the desired effect. We were also able to detect some cases requiring psychological treatment, “says researcher Castellon.
The next step is the final validation with people from nursing homes. The residential system was introduced as a therapeutic tool was the main objective of Butler and two schools were selected for testing in Valencia. The University of Zurich has also expressed interest in the project and will test a version translated into German in a country residence.
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There are important individual differences in the degree of mastery of a second language, even in people who have lived in a bilingual environment since childhood. Researchers at the Research Group in Cognitive Neuroscience (GRNC) linked to the Barcelona Science Park, have conducted a study to ascertain the reason for these differences, and found that people who are able to perceive a second language like a native are also better when distinguishing the sounds of their own language. However, both groups did not differ when they hear sounds other than speech. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The results of this work, “are of great interest to predict an individual’s aptitude for learning languages and protocols and to design programs that optimize successful learning outcomes», explains Begoña Díaz of GRNC, co-authored the study with Albert Costa and Núria Sebastián, Department of Basic Psychology at the University of Barcelona (UB), which also form part of GRNC. The study also involved researchers Carles Escera the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology at the UB, and Cristina Baus, from the Department of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology at the University of La Laguna (Tenerife).
To investigate individual differences in speech perception, the study authors evaluated the perceptive abilities of 126 university students born in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, from monolingual Castilian families who learned Catalan when they started compulsory schooling. All of them therefore were born, raised and lived in a bilingual environment. This population is ideal for the study as Catalan has some vowel sounds that are particularly difficult to perceive for most of the Spanish population and / or Castilian-speaking. Of this population, 31 individuals were selected who corresponded to two distinct groups: the best and worst perceiving the sounds of the second language (Catalan). For these 31 individuals were measured the brain’s ability to notice changes to auditory stimuli. This was recorded electrophysiological response to different types of sounds and calculated the amplitude of an electrical wave called the mismatch potential. Since the amplitude of this wave increases with increasing the brain’s capacity for an auditory change, comparing the amplitude of the mismatch potential between the different groups to determine whether there are differences in auditory processing. To assess their general auditory capacity (non-linguistic) all 31 selected participants listened to tones of varying frequencies than composed, the length or the order of presentation. Linguistic auditory capacity was measured by exposure to vowel sounds in the native language, Castilian, and vowels in a language unknown to the participants, the Finn. The results showed similar amplitudes of the mismatch potential for the two groups when the participants heard sounds that were not language. However, when sounds were presented with their own language (Castilian), the amplitude of this wave was significantly greater for individuals who perceived better his second language (Catalan). Reference article: “Brain potentials to native phoneme discrimination reveal the origin of individual differences in learning the sound of a second language”, Begoña Díaz, Cristina Baus, Carles Escera, Albert Costa and Nuria Sebastian-Galles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Doi: 10.1073/pnas.0805022105
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