What Your Facebook Friends Say About You

What Do Your Facebook Friends Say About You

Facebook gets more crap than every cheating politician, relapsed rock star, and Nickelback song combined. It leads to cheating. It distracts you at work. It killed your dog. The list goes on. But now, researchers at University College London have found something good about Zuckerberg’s social phenomenon: Your Facebook can tell you a lot about yourself—specifically, how well you’ll do at work and with women. When college students were given brain scans, researchers found that the amount of gray matter in regions responsible for processing social signs—such as body language and reading other people’s intentions—gradually increased as the number of Facebook friends increased, but there was no such association with real-life friends.

Researchers believe people with more gray matter are friendlier and more socially in-tune, which means they have the ability to make friends and influence people more easily. “On Facebook, we maintain social connections with people we aren’t very close with—like those we’ve met once at a party,” says Ryota Kanai, Ph.D. and researcher at University College London. “Simple things such as meeting new people or feeling comfortable with strangers may be more relevant for online social network size.”

Translation: The Facebook elite are already socially savvy. If you’re not swimming in Facebook friends, take it as a hint that your people skills could use an upgrade. Here are the seven habits that socially savvy men use to woo women, impress at work, and make more friends (both in person and online).

Dress to Impress

On a job interview or first date, you’re being evaluated before you even open your mouth. Look confident—even if you’re more nervous than a virgin in a brothel—with standout accessories. Try an unconventional tie from David Hart or cufflinks with personality.

Network

Even if you’re not the most social guy at the party, you can land a new job with a little thing called the Internet. Upgrade your LinkedIn profile and have recruiters find you.

Just make sure to use search-friendly terms, as Nicole Williams, connection director at LinkedIn and the author of Earn What You’re Worth told us in Find a New Job—Without Applying. (Think: “Director of Digital Media” instead of “Web Guru.”)

Wear Red

Women are more attracted to men who wear red—most likely because of its association with power, according to a University of Rochester study. Still, subtlety is best. Opt for a simple red button-up on your next date.

Mimic People

“We inherently trust people who are like us,” says Marc Salem, Men’s Health contributor, who has a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology. If you want to be on your boss’s—or wife’s—good side, emphasize the things you have in common. A study in the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology found that women were attracted to guys with a self-deprecating sense of humor. Don’t overdo it, though—no one wants a guy with low-self esteem. Making a joke when you drop something will do the trick.

Call Her

If she gave you her number, call her. And no, dialing her digits a week later doesn’t make you look cool, it makes you look scared.

Be Persuasive

Questions can be persuasive, according to Canadian research. Ask questions that begin with the word “if.” People process the information as if the “if” isn’t there, meaning they accept that information as fact. Example: “If I were to land this promotion…”

Immunity Boosting Foods for Winter

Immunity Boosting Foods for Winter

The nerve-chilling season of winter is also called "the flu season" and "the cold season". For all the vices that winter shelters, it is, in fact, the best time to improve one's immunity. All you need to do is be prepared for it. This article brings to you immunity boosting foods for winter that can be easily incorporated by wide range of meals and snacks.

Garlic

A major immunity booster is garlic. It is considered to be a natural wonder drug that has strong antioxidant properties. Furthermore, it has anti-bacterial properties; a good way to avoid catching cold and flu.

Chilli

If you can stand the heat, consume chilli peppers that contain an anti-inflammatory substance called capsaicin, which offers relief from pain that is associated with conditions such as arthritis. Chillies are also believed to protect the heart and fight infection. Thanks to large amounts of vitamin A and C that they are made of. 

Oily Fish

Fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel etc have ample amount of omega-3 fatty acid. They are good at protecting the body from respiratory infections. Try to consume at least 2 portions (140g) of oily fish every week. Omega-3 increases the activity of phagocytes (white blood cells) that help the body to fight infection by destroying bacterium cells.

Salads

Green and colourful vegetable salad is packed with flu-fighting phytonutrients.

Spices and Antiviral herbs

Besides adding flavour to your meal, spices hold therapeutic value. Some of these spices are turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground fennel, powdered dry ginger, ground black pepper and ground cinnamon.

Antiviral herbs are good immunity boosting foods for winters. Antiviral herbs for immunity boosting contain many medical compounds that attack virus without creating resistant viral strains. Andrographis, grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract and elderberry extract are some great antivirals.

Probiotics

Probiotic organisms present in yogurt increase the good bacteria present in your gut. They help you to fight infection and prevent serious health conditions such as cancer.

Stay away from sugar and processed food

It is wise to stay away from processed food and sugar. They dramatically decrease the immune function. Processed food is deprived of the essential nutrients and therefore, can never strengthen immunity. Furthermore, the preservatives used in processed food can negatively affect the gastrointestinal lining.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad can help Lose Weight

Cucumber and Tomato Salad can help Lose Weight

Cucumber and Tomato salads can stimulate weight loss. Both of them are diuretic and have high water content. This helps body to get rid of excess accumulated toxins and stimulate its natural process. Below mentioned are some of the useful features of cucumber and tomato salad that helps to lose weight:

High Water Content

The main factor that makes cucumber and tomato ‘food for weight loss’ is that they give longer feeling of fullness. As a result person eats less. According to the Centre of Disease Control,  water content of food influence how full the person feels.

High Fibre Content

Another way through which tomato and cucumber salad contribute to feeling of being ‘full’ is through their high fibre content. They provide high volume (low calories in ratio of their weight), take longer to digest and keep you away from consuming more calories. According to the Centre of Disease Control- dietary fibre are extremely effective for weight loss.

High Nutrition Level

Tomatoes are extremely effective at burning extra fat. They help to reduce inflammation and reverse leptin resistance. As a result you can easily get rid of excess weight. Tomatoes are rich source of folic acid, potassium, little protein, Vitamin A, C and E. It is for this reason that tomatoes are use in almost all the Fat Resistance Diet. 

Cucumbers are great food for metabolism as well as weight loss. They are quite satisfying and low in calories.

Low Energy Density

An effective way to lose weight is to consume food that is low in ‘energy density’. According to the Mayo Clinic food that has high volume and low energy density is good for weight loss. Cucumber and tomato have high volume yet low energy density.

Low in Carbohydrates

Combination of cucumber and tomatoes in salad is perfect low carb- diet. This is because both of them are low in carbohydrates.  According to the University of Illinois Extension, one cup of tomatoes has only 5.3 g and 12 unpeeled cucumber slices have 2 g of carbohydrates.

Here is how you can lose weight by eating cucumber and tomato salad:

• Replace your high-calorie food such as cheese, crackers and chips with cucumber and tomato salad.
• You can either eat tomato and cucumber salad before your meal or between the meals to get benefited by its fibre content.

7 steps to better sleep

7 steps to better sleep : Sleep tips

Better sleep can be yours! Consider sleep tips for the weary.

Feeling crabby lately? Or simply worn out? Perhaps the solution is better sleep.

Think about all the factors that can interfere with a good night's sleep — from pressure at work and family responsibilities to unexpected challenges, such as layoffs, relationship issues or illnesses. It's no wonder that quality sleep is sometimes elusive.

Although you might not be able to control all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, you can adopt habits that encourage better sleep. Start with these simple sleep tips.

No. 1:  Stick to a sleep schedule

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends, holidays and days off. Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle and helps promote better sleep at night. There's a caveat, though. If you don't fall asleep within about 15 minutes, get up and do something relaxing. Go back to bed when you're tired. If you agonize over falling asleep, you might find it even tougher to nod off.

No. 2:  Pay attention to what you eat and drink

Don't go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Your discomfort might keep you up. Also limit how much you drink before bed, to prevent disruptive middle-of-the-night trips to the toilet.

Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol deserve caution, too. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine — which take hours to wear off — can wreak havoc with quality sleep. And even though alcohol might make you feel sleepy at first, it can disrupt sleep later in the night.

No. 3:  Create a bedtime ritual

Do the same things each night to tell your body it's time to wind down. This might include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music — preferably with the lights dimmed. Relaxing activities can promote better sleep by easing the transition between wakefulness and drowsiness.

Be wary of using the TV or other electronic devices as part of your bedtime ritual. Some research suggests that screen time or other media use before bedtime interferes with sleep.

No. 4: Get comfortable

Create a room that's ideal for sleeping. Often, this means cool, dark and quiet. Consider using room-darkening shades, earplugs, a fan or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.

Your mattress and pillow can contribute to better sleep, too. Since the features of good bedding are subjective, choose what feels most comfortable to you. If you share your bed, make sure there's enough room for two. If you have children or pets, set limits on how often they sleep with you — or insist on separate sleeping quarters.

No. 5:  Limit daytime naps

Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep — especially if you're struggling with insomnia or poor sleep quality at night. If you choose to nap during the day, limit yourself to about 10 to 30 minutes and make it during the mid afternoon.

If you work nights, you'll need to make an exception to the rules about daytime sleeping. In this case, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight — which adjusts your internal clock — doesn't interrupt your daytime sleep.

No. 6:  Include physical activity in your daily routine

Regular physical activity can promote better sleep, helping you to fall asleep faster and to enjoy deeper sleep. Timing is important, though. If you exercise too close to bedtime, you might be too energized to fall asleep. If this seems to be an issue for you, exercise earlier in the day.

No. 7:  Manage stress

When you have too much to do — and too much to think about — your sleep is likely to suffer. To help restore peace to your life, consider healthy ways to manage stress. Start with the basics, such as getting organized, setting priorities and delegating tasks. Give yourself permission to take a break when you need one. Share a good laugh with an old friend. Before bed, jot down what's on your mind and then set it aside for tomorrow.