Gamblers Continue Playing Because Want to Win and…Lose
Even though they lose, gamblers feel almost the same excitement as when they win, says new research.
“Gamblers often interpret near misses as special events, which encourage them to continue to gamble,” claims Dr Luke Clark, from Cambridge University, who led the study.
“Our findings show that the brain responds to near misses as if a win has been delivered, even though the result is technically a loss.”
These signs were red herrings, confusing the brain about the odds of winning, he said.
“On games where there is some skill involved, like target practice, it makes sense to pay attention to near-misses.
“However, on gambling games where the wins are random, like slot machines or roulette, near misses do not signal your future success.
“Importantly, our volunteers in this study were not regular or problem gamblers, and so these findings suggest that the brain may naturally respond to near misses in this way.”
The study looked at the reactions in the brains of 15 volunteers as they gambled on a fruit machine.
When the volunteers won on the machine their brains responded in the areas known to process natural rewards like chocolate and drugs, the study, published in the journal Neuron, found.
But near-misses, such as scoring two cherries and an orange, also caused activity in the same region.
When asked later the players described the near-misses as unpleasant, but said that they made them want to continue playing the game.
Those who responded more forcefully to near-misses were also more likely to agree with statements of problem gamblers, the study found, such as “losses when gambling are bound to be followed by a series of wins”.
[ telegraph.co.uk ]
Using Acai Berry During Pregnancy
The Acai Berry is truly a super-food. It contains all the anti-oxidants a person could want, and will help cleanse, nourish, and sustain the body better than most foods, if not better than any foods. However, there have been some women in pregnancy who wonder if Acai berries are safe when a woman is pregnant.
Everybody knows that carrying a baby and delivering it healthily is what the main concern of any future Mom is. So, it is completely normal that a woman would wonder whether or not any food is safe, whether it is a super food like the Acai Berry or anything else that might be available. Some people wonder about the Acai Berry because it is so often touted as a weight loss tool. Well, it is good for weight loss, but that is not what the Acai Berry is all about. The Acai Berry is about the anti-oxidants, the cleansing properties, the life sustaining nutrients, and about the health benefits that it provides. It has been proven that Acai Berries perform a number of different functions for the body that help institute better health, nutrition, and well being.
There are many different Acai Berry products out there. One of them, Acai Berry Edge, is called one of the best Acai Berry supplements ever. But the big question remains… is it safe for pregnant women? Well, actually, the Acai Berry itself promotes everything that a healthy, successful child bearing mom would need to bring a healthy, happy new baby into the world. It is packed with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, and cleansers that would do nothing but benefit both the mother and the child inside her. Some doubters say that you need to get your doctors permission before taking Acai Berry supplements like Acai Berry Edge. It is true that you should ask your doctor what he/she thinks about any diet change, but I am sure that your doctor will also agree that the Acai Berry is one of the best things you could possibly take to encourage healthy well being for your baby, and for you.
Found deep in the Amazon, these tiny berries (relatives of the blueberry…) offer tremendous health benefits to people all around the region in which they are grown, and are now becoming increasingly popular in the United States. More and more people are turning to the miraculous benefits of the Acai Berry as opposed to other diets that utilize powerful drugs or surgery to lose weight. What makes the Acai Berry so amazing is that it does everything that these alternatives do (and even more…), but it does it all the right, natural, and healthy way! Ask your doctor today if an Acai Berry supplement like Acai Berry Edge is right for you and your pregnancy.
Health Benefits of Sleeping on a Waterbed
Many people are health conscious in our modern world. Especially with the scientific advances and the dietetic facts that have been discovered by them. Also with the advancement of medicine, we as human being are living longer than we have in a long time.
Many people focus on eating right and getting enough exercise. While these things are tremendously important, there is one aspect of health and well being that our modern culture makes a point to overlook… and that is quality of sleep. Never before has such a culture prided itself on its ability to function with so little sleep. Do you know that most Americans sleep for only around 6 hours a night? And that’s if they even sleep well to begin with!
By the time work is done, the kids are fed and in bed, college homework is done, and chores are done, there is little time left for sleep before the early weekday morning starts all over again. And what about these schooling parents who work two jobs? It is obvious that most people do not get enough sleep.
But there is a way that you can help yourself get more sleep. See, the amount of time taken to sleep is not necessarily as important as the amount of quality sleep you get. Because, after all, if you don’t get a quality nights rest, than those eight hours you were supposed to spend resting can be the longest eight hours of your life!
The health benefits of sleeping on a waterbed lie in the great nights sleep it can provide. Waterbeds fit you perfectly, so that whatever size or shape you are, it conforms easily. There are no pressure points. You can maintain your ideal sleeping temperature no matter what the season. Also, many doctors, therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, and even physiotherapists recommend waterbeds for the benefits that a zero pressure point sleeping environment bring. This can help many medical conditions, and getting the better nights sleep can have a tremendous impact on your quality of life in general!
Many who buy waterbeds say they would never go back to an ordinary bed. This is because they have never slept so soundly! If you get 8 hours of serious sleep instead of 8 hours of tossing and turning, you will be amazed at how much more energy and zest you will have upon waking! Stop wishing you were in bed all day, and get up ready to live by sleeping in a waterbed!
Caffeine May Cause to Hallucinations
A person who take in the caffeine equivalent of three cups of brewed coffee is more likely to hallucinate, says new study.
Researchers at Durham University found that people with a caffeine intake that high, whether it came from coffee, tea, chocolate or caffeinated energy drinks or pills, had a 3-times-higher tendency to hear voices and see things that were not there than those who consumed the equivalent of a half-cup of brewed coffee (or one cup of instant coffee).
Though most people who drink loads of coffee are not known to hallucinate seriously, when these types of experiences interfere with daily functioning, they are considered to be psychotic.
Seven cups of instant coffee contain a total of 315 milligrams of caffeine, according to data used by the researchers. That translates to about six cups of strong tea, nine colas, four Red Bulls and about one-and-a-half cups of coffee at a boutique cafe.
[ livescience.com ]
Flu in the U.S. is Resistant to the Leading Antiviral Drug
Virtually all the flu in the United States this season is resistant to the main antiviral drug Tamiflu, and scientists and health officials are trying to figure out why.
The problem is not yet a public health crisis because this has been a below-average flu season so far and the chief strain circulating is still susceptible to other drugs — but infectious disease specialists are worried nonetheless.
Last winter, about 11 percent of the throat swabs from patients with the most common type of flu that were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for genetic typing showed a Tamiflu-resistant strain. This season, 99 percent do.
“It’s quite shocking,” said Dr. Kent Sepkowitz, director of infection control at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. “We’ve never lost an antimicrobial this fast. It blew me away.”
The single mutation that creates Tamiflu resistance appears to be spontaneous, and not a reaction to overuse of the drug.
Complicating the problem, antiviral drugs work only if they are taken within the first 48 hours. A patient with severe flu could be given the wrong drug and die of pneumonia before test results come in. So the new guidelines suggest that doctors check with their state health departments to see which strains are most common locally and treat for them.
[ iht.com ]
