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Expressed Emotion

Hide and Seen: Gestures and Facial Expressions Help Communication; Government Attempts to Keep Science Information Hidden (November 8, 2006)
In this episode, Scientific American Mind executive editor Mariette Dichristina talks about a special section of the magazine devoted to the roles of gestures and facial expressions in communications. A panel discussion of government secrecy at the annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists featured climate researcher James Hansen.

Watching Someone Else's Fear Induces Your Own (March 21, 2007)
Horror movies may bank on the same part of your brain getting excited while watching someone else in fear as when you're in fear yourself.

Experienced Emotion

Laughing Matter (December 13, 2006)
Functional MRI studies show that part of laughter's contagious quality may be because just hearing laughter triggers facial muscles to get ready to smile or laugh.

Life's U-Shaped Path of Happiness (February 7, 2008)
A cross-cultural study including 74 countries finds that most people do indeed have a midlife crisis—but most also find ways to get happy again. Adam Hinterthuer reports.

Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Liberals? (June 24, 2008)
Conservatives have greater subjective life satisfaction than liberals, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Two New York University researchers performed three studies to find out why. Christie Nicholson reports.

Stress and Health

Literacy A Matter of Life And Death (July 24, 2007)
In a study of over 3,000 Medicare patients, only smoking was a stronger predictor of early death than was illiteracy. Patients who can't read or understand health information don't take medicine properly and fail to seek care when necessary. Steve Mirsky reports.

Immune System Keeps Your Brain Tidy Too (December 26, 2007)
Researchers have uncovered a link between the the brain's nerve cell network and the immune system—the same protein that helps gets rid of uninvited bacteria also eliminates unused neural connections. Karen Hopkin reports.

Geome-Based Medical Choices Draw Nearer (January 23, 2008)
A study of over 38,000 hypertension patients (the ALLHAT study, for Antihypertensive and Lipid Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial) finds that individuals respond better to some drugs than to others, based on their personal genetics. Steve Mirsky reports.

Docs Make Fake Pills Real Meds (January 4, 2008)
A new study finds that a significant number of physicians will on occasion knowingly prescribe a placebo. Cynthia Graber reports.

Athletes Should Just Chill (August 9, 2007)
Putting athletes into a cooling chamber for a brief period prior to a training session seems to improve performance. Steve Mirsky reports.

Good Vibrations May Stop Fat From Forming (October 23, 2007)
Mice that spent 15 minutes a day on a vibrating platform had 30 percent less fat around their middles than mice on stationary surfaces. Karen Hopkin reports.

Study Finds Diet Indeed Affects Acne (September 26, 2007)
Young men with moderate acne saw their condition improve after following a low-glycemic diet. Cynthia Graber reports.

A Second, Clean Plate May Be A Cue To Keep Eating (February 06, 2007)
Super Bowls provide plenty of opportunity for snacking, and for researchers who study eating habits. A soon-to-be published experiment done at a Super Bowl party found that people ate more when they had their plates consistently cleaned off than if their detritus was left on the plate.

Lying in Weight: The Hidden Epidemic of Eating Disorders in Adult Women (And A Few Men (May 23, 2007)
In this episode, molecular biologist and journalist Trisha Gura discusses her new book, Lying In Weight, about eating disorders in adult, even elderly, women, as well as a small percentage of men. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news.

Some Light Medicine (December 08, 2006)
A new device will enable researchers to gauge the effects of everyday lighting on circadian rhythms and health.

Promoting Health

No Purchase Necessary For Anti-Smoking Product Ads To Work (July 25, 2007)
The so-called spillover effect means that exposure to stop-smoking product ads persuades people to stop even if they don't buy the product. Steve Mirsky reports.

The Guts to Fight AIDS (September 13, 2006)
HIV can hide and replicate in the intestines, affecting immunity even while blood levels of the virus are low.

Home Visits Improve AIDS Outcomes (March 25, 2008)
In rural areas of developing countries, home visits can vastly lower AIDS and all-cause mortality rates. Cynthia Graber reports.

Researchers Heart Yak Cheese (March 25, 2008)
Cheese made from the milk of yaks, shaggy beasts from Tibet and Nepal, has some heart-healthy qualities. Steve Mirsky explains, with reporting from Harvey Black.

The Mythical Daily Water Requirement (April 2, 2008)
There's no evidence that humans actually need the oft-cited "eight-glasses-per-day" of water. Karen Hopkin reports.

Protect Your Heart on Valentine's Day—Take A Nap (February 14, 2007)
Lying down on the job might be great idea. A study of over 24,000 Greeks found that midday naps in healthy individuals reduced the risk of cardiac death by a third.

Gene Helps Turn Carbs into Fat (December 5, 2007)
A gene determines whether highly processed carbs get stored as fat or burned away. But deactivating the gene to prevent fat build-up has its own problems. Cynthia Graber reports.

Virus Infection Could Be Contributing to Obesity (August 20, 2007)
The presence of human adenovirus-36 seems to transform adult stem cells found in fatty tissue into fat cells—infection with the virus may therefore be a factor in at least some cases of obesity. Steve Mirsky reports.

Diets Don't Work (April 05, 2007)
A meta-analysis from UCLA finds that—no surprise—most dieters gain the weight back and more in the long term.

Fruits and Vegetables Still Not On American Diet (March 19, 2007)
Studies coming out in April show that Americans are falling far short of the recommended daily five servings of fruits and vegetables.

People Eat More Food When Labeled Low Fat (January 12, 2007)
Researchers found that people consume more calories when they eat low-fat foods, by eating more of them.

Hefty New Year (December 26, 2006)
Keeping your eating under control can be a special challenge during the holiday season.

Can Fat Be Fit? (September 12, 2007)
In this episode, award-winning journalist Paul Raeburn talks about his article in the September issue of Scientific American, called "Can Fat Be Fit?" as well as another piece he wrote as a sidebar to a feature, about losing weight and keeping it off.

Putting Food on the Table: What to Eat (September 5, 2007)
In this episode, New York University's Marion Nestle talks about her article in the September issue of Scientific American, called "Eating Made Simple." Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news.

World is Fat: Obesity Now Outweighs Hunger Worldwide (August 22, 2007
In this episode University of North Carolina Chapel Hill nutrition epidemiologist Barry Popkin discusses the growing problem of obesity, even in developing countries that only recently faced hunger as their primary diet challenge.

Why We Eat, Eat and Eat Some More; and Remembering Mr. Wizard (June 20, 2007)
In this episode, Brian Wansink, eating behaviorist and director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, talks about "Mindless Eating" habits; and Doug Lane, who was once a youngster on the Mr. Wizard TV series, remembers his time with the late Don Herbert.

Gene Helps Turn Carbs into Fat (December 5, 2007)
A gene determines whether highly processed carbs get stored as fat or burned away. But deactivating the gene to prevent fat build-up has its own problems. Cynthia Graber reports.

TV That Might Be Good For You (September 19, 2007)
A storyline on the show ER may have modestly improved the health habits of some viewers. Steve Mirsky reports.

Extra Genes for Starch Eaters (September 10, 2007)
Humans have different numbers of a gene for digesting starch, probably because starch-eaters who got more of the genes had an advantage. Karen Hopkin reports.

Obesity May Be Contagious (July 26, 2007)
When friends put on weight, packing on a few extra pounds yourself may become more acceptable. Karen Hopkin reports.

Clustered Outdoor Smokers Rival Auto Exhaust (May 30, 2007)
Sidewalk smokers hanging out in front of bars and restaurants produced more carbon monoxide than auto traffic did.

Coffee and Cigarettes May Protect Some Against Parkinson's (April 10, 2007)
Although tobacco and large amounts of caffeine are risk factors for many conditions, they apparently confer some protection to those with a predisposition for Parkinson's.

Tobacco To The Drawing Board (November 01, 2006)
Two touted antismoking measures—media campaigns aimed at parents and ventilation systems to protect nonsmokers in restaurants—may actually increase exposure to smoke.

ICU Not Getting Nicotine (October 26, 2006)
Studies of smokers in a hospital intensive care unit found that they are probably better off going cold turkey than being given nicotine replacement therapy to deal with withdrawal while hospitalized.

Weight Loss Gains (September 07, 2006)
Evolution may account for losing weight being so hard. But a vaccine could lighten the load.

Smoking Can't Buy Happiness (March 18, 2008)
Smokers tend to be less happy than nonsmokers, and the effect is heighened the lower their economic status. Karen Hopkin reports.

Combat stress, Intel high school science competition, GLOBE At Night astronomy project (March 22, 2006)
In this episode, clinical psychologist and U.S. Army Captain Bret Moore discusses combat stress in Iraq and his article on combat stress in the February/March issue of Scientific American Mind.

Little Liver Leaves Big Livers Lively (November 29, 2007)
A tiny model liver made from real liver cells may help to better predict drug toxicities. Cynthia Graber reports.

Tobacco To The Drawing Board (November 01, 2006)
Two touted antismoking measures—media campaigns aimed at parents and ventilation systems to protect nonsmokers in restaurants—may actually increase exposure to smoke.