Smartphones may impact birth rate decline
Could your phone be the reason there are fewer babies being born? That's the question behind a new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, and it's got people talking about how smartphones might be part of why America's birth rate keeps dropping.
Here's how they got there: researchers tracked the rollout of AT&T's mobile network between 2007 and 2011, and found that early smartphone adoption could explain as much as half the drop in fertility during that stretch. Their theory is that instead of spending time with other people, we started spending it scrolling it and texting.
...But not everybody is buying it. One Oxford demography professor points out those early iPhones didn't even have an app store or social media yet, and she thinks something else was driving the trend, such as the 2008 financial crisis. The study hasn't been peer-reviewed yet.
Omega-3 supplements may not benefit long-term brain health
A new study is challenging long-held claims about the brain benefits of fish oil supplements. A new clinical trial out of the University of Southern California looked at 365 people without dementia between the ages of 55 to 80. All had very low Omega-3 levels.
Researchers found after two years of taking the supplements, those people had no improvement in memory, cognition, or brain cell loss. The study's lead author says the best way to improve brain health is through regular exercise, quality sleep, and a balanced diet. That should include getting Omega-3's from fatty fish, nuts, and seeds.
Dad jokes good for body chemistry
I was going to tell you a joke about a broken clock, but just can't seem to find the right time!
Did you groan at that dad joke? You may roll your eyes at dad's latest pun, but new research says that groan-worthy joke might actually be doing you some good. Turns out those simple, corny puns can actually change your body chemistry - lowers stress hormones like cortisol and bumps up feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. One study even found that a single laughing session can cut cortisol levels by more than 36%.
And it's not just good for the one telling the joke. When you share a laugh with your kids, it boosts oxytocin, the hormone that helps deepen that bond between parent and child.
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