Useful Science | Your source for research useful in everyday life.

Follow @usefulsci

15-year-olds who had a moderate amount of daily screen time reported better mental well-being compared to those who had very little (less than 1-2 hours) or a lot (more than 5-6 hours) of screen time each day.

Even short breaks of less than a minute help people stay focused and attentive during demanding tasks. Watching dog videos during breaks can also make such tasks feel less stressful.

Consciousness and Cognition

Newborns fed with their mother's milk had greater microbial "richness" (more variety of bacterial species) than those fed with formula.

PLOS ONE

The 2B-Alert app can tell you how to optimize caffeine intake for alertness based on your sleep schedule and average caffeine consumption.

Poor sleep makes it more difficult for mothers at 18 weeks postpartum to perceive and interpret their infant’s cues and respond appropriately.

Sleep Medicine

Among adults in the U.S., diets with about 50% carbs were associated with reduced mortality risk, whereas low- and high-carb diets (less than 40% or more than 70%) were associated with higher risk. This risk increased when carbs were replaced by animal fat or protein, and decreased when replaced with plant-based foods.

Climate change may be causing more Tufted puffins to die by starvation in Alaska.

Environment

When one member of a couple commits to losing weight, there is a higher chance that their partner will lose weight as well, regardless of whether they participated in a formal program or in self-guided weight loss.

Although housing discrimination has decreased over the last four decades, ethnic minorities still experience more discrimination when applying to rent than non-minorities. Providing landlords with positive information about an applicant's socio-economic status, as opposed to no information, may reduce discrimination.

Persuasion

Seniors who received free bus passes in England reported greater overall well-being, in part due to less social isolation and more physical activity.

Journal of Transport & Health