How much fat should a person lose in order to make them look more attractive?

A study conducted by the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto found that women and men of average height needed to loose about 3.5-4 kg (8-9 lbs) before the weight loss showed in the face.

The study shows that about twice that amount of weight needed to be lost before people were found to be more attractive.

Women needed to loose proportionally less weight then men. For women loss should be about 14 pounds and men 18 pounds.

Where is the root of happiness located in the brain?

A study conducted at the University of Kyoto, Japan found that happy people have a larger precuneus, which is grey matter located in the back of the brain between the two cerebral hemispheres. 

The precuneus is also linked to thoughts about self, memory, and the experience of consciousness.

Several studies show that meditation increases the grey matter in the precuneus.

In the study, researchers looked at two components of happiness:
1) the moment by moment experience of happiness.
2) overall feeling of satisfaction with life.

What is Mind-Body healing?

Body-mind healing refers to the strong connection between the body and the mind during wellness and illness.

The mind co-operates with wellness when it trusts the treatment.

The body is then aware of this trust.

There is communication between the body and mind, meaning that cells participate in a healing response.

There are both physical and mental aspects to being well. 

What is the value of hope?

Hope Theory was developed by Charles Snyder in 1991. He said that hope consists of agency (the will) and pathways (the way) to stay motivated.

Having goals is not enough. Hope provides the attitude to make things happen. In hopelessness, people give up.

People without hope can act helpless and feel a lack of control over their lives.

Can healthy foods lead to weight gain?

In a recent study published in The Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, it was found that when trying to lose weight people tend towards eating healthy foods.

The paradox is that people also tend to eat more of the food if they think it is healthy. People believe that healthy food is less filling, therefore they eat more of it, leading to weight gain, not loss.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is when aspects of a body's immune system reddens and swells as a response to infection and/or injury. This is the body's attempt to heal and protect.

Acute inflammation is immediately after an injury lasting from a few moments to a few days.

Chronic inflammation is an over-responsive immune reaction lasting years. Many diseases (IBS, arthritis, cancer, depression, heart disease) are now being linked to chronic inflammation.

Long term inflammation can be linked to "wear and tear" conditions as well as lifestyle habits (stress, weight, smoking, alcohol, poor diet). 

What is a synapse?

A synapse is a very small gap between two nerve cells (neuron). An electrical or chemical impulse triggers neurotransmitters to carry information across the synapse.

The word synapse is from two Greek words, "syn" and "haptein" meaning "together" and "to clasp" respectively.

When the connection between two neurons is strengthened, this results in the storage of information, which becomes memory.