【推荐2】Grandparents who help out occasionally with childcare in their community tend to live longer than seniors who do not care for other people, according to a study from Berlin, Germany.

“Having no contact with grandchildren at all can negatively impact grandparents’ health. This link could be deeply rooted in our evolutionary past when help with childcare was important for the survival of the human species,” said Sonja Hilbrand, one of the researchers.

The findings are drawn from data on more than 500 people over age 70. Overall, after accounting for grandparents’ age and general state of health, the risk of dying over a 20-year period was one-third lower for grandparents who cared for their grandchildren, compared with grandparents who provided no childcare.

Caregiving was associated with a longer life even when the care receiver wasn’t a relative. Half of all childless seniors who provided support to friends or neighbors lived for seven years after the study began, while non-helpers lived for four years on average.

“Caregiving may give caregivers a purpose of life because they may feel useful for others and society. Caregiving may be thought also as an activity that keeps caregivers physically and mentally active,” said Professor Bruno Arpino.

Arpino noted, however, that caregiving is not the only activity that can improve health and that too many caring responsibilities can take away from other beneficial activities like working, being in social clubs, or volunteering. “Children should take into account their parents’ needs, willingness, and desires and agree with them on the timing and amount of childcare,” he suggested.

“It is very important that every individual decides for himself/herself, what proper amounts of help means,” Hilbrand said, adding, “As long as you do not feel stressed about the intensity (强度) of help you provide you may be doing something good for others as well as for yourself.”

【推荐3】Recently, Israeli researchers discovered dance movement therapy （治疗）can be used as an enjoyable and effective tool to promote exercise, boost mood, improve quality of life and create intergenerational closeness. The findings are published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

Researchers from the Kibbutzim College and University of Haifa in Israel hired 16 dance movement therapists to meet with their grandmothers for three free-form dance lessons, whose goal was to see how these lessons would affect each group, and whether intergenerational links might strengthen. The researchers also wanted to examine a potential low-cost method to treat issues commonly faced by an aging population, such as depressed mood and limited mobility.

Shuper Engelhard from the University of Haifa analyzed the videos of the lessons, personal diaries, and semi-structured interviews between granddaughters and grandmothers, she found that for grandmothers dancing promoted positive feelings and mood. For granddaughters, dancing changed their views of aging and allowed them to face their grandparent's eventual death. Both groups expressed gratitude and felt their link was stronger than before.

Shuper Engelhard said familiarity was important to the success. The dancing lessons promoted physical activity even when the body was fatigued and weak,“ Shuper Engelhard says. "This emphasizes the significance of the close and familiar relationship as a means to promote new experiences for the older person.

However, the research had some limitations as only 32 individuals participated, and although the study was open to grandchildren of all genders, all participants were female. Besides, all granddaughters in this study were dance movement therapists. Shuper Engelhard would like to conduct similar research in other populations. With an activity as simple and accessible as free-form dancing, aging populations can improve their physical and mental health and also connect with their loved ones.

【推荐2】During an interview for one of my books, my interviewer said something I still think about often. Annoyed by the level of distraction (干扰) in his open office, he said, “That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street—so I can focus.” His comment struck me as strange. After all, coworking spaces also typically use an open office layout (布局). But I recently came across a study that shows why his approach works.

The researchers examined various levels of noise on participants as they completed tests of creative thinking. They were randomly divided into four groups and exposed to various noise levels in the background, from total silence to 50 decibels (分贝), 70 decibels, and 85 decibels. The differences between most of the groups were statistically insignificant; however, the participants in the 70 decibels group—those exposed to a level of noise similar to background chatter in a coffee shop—significantly outperformed the other groups. Since the effects were small, this may suggest that our creative thinking does not differ that much in response to total silence and 85 decibels of background noise.

But since the results at 70 decibels were significant, the study also suggests that the right level of background noise—not too loud and not total silence—may actually improve one’s creative thinking ability. The right level of background noise may interrupt our normal patterns of thinking just enough to allow our imaginations to wander, without making it impossible to focus. This kind of “distracted focus” appears to be the best state for working on creative tasks.

So why do so many of us hate our open offices? The problem may be that, in our offices, we can’t stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’ conversations while we’re trying to focus. Indeed, the researchers found that face-to-face interactions and conversations affect the creative process, and yet a coworking space or a coffee shop provides a certain level of noise while also providing freedom from interruptions.

【推荐3】A butterfly’s wings can have many jobs besides keeping the insect high up in the air. They may be used to attract mates, or to warm potential attackers to stay away. All of these roles, though, depend on their unchanging colouration. This plays into the idea that butterfly wings are dead tissue, like a bird’s feathers. In fact, that’s not true. For example, in some species males’ wings have special cells releasing some chemicals which attract females.

Nanfang Yu, a physicist at Columbia University, in New York, has been looking into the matter. Together with Naomi Pierce, a butterfly specialist at Harvard University, he has now shown, in a paper published in Nature Communications in February, 2020, that butterfly wings are, indeed, very much alive.

In their experiments, the two researchers used a laser to heat up spots on the wings of dozens of butterfly species. When the temperature of the area under the laser reached 40℃ or so, the insects responded within seconds by doing things that stopped their wings heating up further. These actions included a butterfly turning around to minimize its profile to the laser, moving its wings up and down or simply walking away.

Butterflies engaged in all of these heat-minimizing activities even when the researchers blindfolded them. That suggested the relevant sensors were on the wings themselves. Dr. Yu and Dr. Pierce therefore searched those wings for likely looking sensory cells. They found some, in the form of neurons (神经元) that were similar to heat detectors known from other insects. They also uncovered disc-shaped cells that appeared to be similar to pressure-sensitive neurons. They guess that these are there to detect deformation of the wing—information an insect could use to control its flight pattern.

The third discovery they made to contradict the “dead wing” idea was that some butterfly wings have a heartbeat. A butterfly’s wings have veins (静脉). These carry a bloodlike liquid which, researchers have now found in males, shows a pulse of several dozen beats per minute. The source of this pulse appears to be the scent pad, a dark spot on the wings that produces the female-attracting chemicals. Apparently, this “wing heart” acts as a pump that helps bloodlike liquid through the scent pad.

In all their experiments simulating different environmental conditions, Dr. Yu and Dr. Pierce consistently found that, different parts of the wing are covered by different sorts of scales (鳞屑). In particular, tubes pass through scales over the scent pads. This improves their ability to spread heat away and helps keep the living parts of a butterfly’s wing alive.

【推荐1】A new study, conducted by British company Mind lab International, has found that listening to music at work increases accuracy and speed, The Telegraph reported. Perhaps, some parents disagree with this idea, saying, “Switch off the music and concentrate!” Well, if that’s the case with your parents, you might now be able to convince them that you have science on your side.

The company gave 26 participants a series of different tasks for five days in a row, including spell checking, mathematical word problems, data entry, and abstract reasoning. The participants completed these tasks while listening to music or no music at all.

The results showed that while music was playing, 88% of participants produced their most accurate test results and 81% completed their fastest work. David Lewis, chairman of Mind lab International, told The Telegraph, “Music is a very powerful management tool if you want to increase not only the efficiency of your workforce but also their emotional state...they are going to become more positive about the work.”

However, you may have a list of your favourite songs, but not all kinds of music match all homework. For maths or other subjects involving numbers or attention to detail, you should listen to classical music, the study found. In the study, pop music enabled participants to complete their tasks 58% faster than when listening to no music at all. If you are reviewing your English writing, pop music is the best choice, as it is the best kind for spell checking. It cut mistakes by 14%, compared to listening to no music. After finishing your homework, do you often take time to check your answers? Maybe, some dance music is suitable for you.

【推荐2】Have you ever considered the way you spend your money? What do you buy? When do you buy? It is important to use your money wisely. Then, you will have enough for the things you want. You can make smart decisions about your money. All it takes is some careful, smart thinking.

One way to be smart with your money is to shop around before you buy. Visit more than one store, check the prices at each store, and try not to be in a hurry to buy. You don’t have to buy at the first store you visit; another store might have what you want at a lower price. You can even check online and compare prices.

Another way to be smart with your money is to wait for a sale. Many stores offer special discounts. For example, suppose you want to buy a camera. Wait until a store has a sale. You can save 20 percent, 30 percent, or more on the price of the camera by waiting for a sale. Some stores also offer a discount if you buy more than one of an item. So, look for sales offering a lower price per item if you buy two of that item. You could save money.

You can also use your money wisely by buying larger sizes of things. For example, large bags of dog food usually cost less per pound than small bags cost. A large pack of pens usually costs less per pen than a small pack of pens. So, even though you may spend more on a large size, you are really saving money per item.

You can learn to be smart with your money. It takes some practice, and it takes patience. You cannot always have what you want right away. But if you are patient, you will save money. Then, you will have more money to spend on what you want.

【推荐3】Teenagers from low-income families in particular are more likely than their middle-class peers（同龄人）to do less well in schoolwork and to drop out of school. Studies have shown, however, that a positive attitude towards schoolwork and the support and encouragement from their parents can help at-risk youngsters to overcome the economic barriers and lack of resources they face. Most of the evidence about the effects of parental involvement（参与） comes from research on mothers. Little is known, however, about how teenagers experience their fathers’ warmth and the beliefs and behavior that are most affected by it.

This new study is part of a large one focusing on low-income families conducted in four middle schools in the southwestern United States. Researchers asked 183 sixth-graders about how optimistic and motivated they were about their school work, and how they experienced their fathers' warmth. The students' maths and language arts grades were also gained. The research team took into account the influence that mothers have on their children’s well-being in their analyses.

Their findings show how fathers can support their teenagers in ways that result in greater optimism and higher achievement at school. “Low-income fathers affect their teenagers’ beliefs about themselves and their future, and these beliefs influence their achievement by increasing their determination to complete school tasks, “says Dr, Marie-Anne.

These positive effects extend to both sons and daughters, although in different ways. Experiencing their fathers’ warmth first influences daughters’ sense of optimism, and then spills over into their feeling more determined and certain about their academic abilities. This in turn leads to better maths grades. There is a more direct link between their fathers, love and boys' belief in their ability to succeed in academy.