health and wellness
Can you change your personality? Psychology research says yes, by tweaking what you think and do
Shannon Sauer-Zavala, University of Kentucky
Have you ever taken a personality test? If you’re like me, you’ve consulted BuzzFeed and you know exactly which Taylor Swift song “perfectly matches your vibe.”
It might be obvious that internet quizzes are not scientific, but many of the seemingly serious personality tests used to guide educational and career choices are also not supported by research. Despite being a billion-dollar industry, commercial personality testing used by schools and corporations to funnel people into their ideal roles do not predict career success.
Beyond their lack of scientific support, the most popular approaches to understanding personality are problematic because they assume your traits are static – that is, you’re stuck with the personality you’re born with. But modern personality science studies find that traits can and do change over time.
In addition to watching my own personality change over time from messy and lazy to off the charts in conscientiousness, I’m also a personality change researcher and clinical psychologist. My research confirms what I saw in my own development and in my patients: People can intentionally shape the traits they need to be successful in the lives they want. That’s contrary to the popular belief that your personality type places you in a box, dictating that you choose partners, activities and careers according to your traits.
What personality is and isn’t
According to psychologists, personality is your characteristic way of thinking, feeling and behaving.
Are you a person who tends to think about situations in your life more pessimistically, or are you a glass-half-full kind of person?
Do you tend to get angry when someone cuts you off in traffic, or are you more likely to give them the benefit of the doubt – maybe they’re rushing to the hospital?
Do you wait until the last minute to complete tasks, or do you plan ahead?
You can think of personality as a collection of labels that summarize your responses to questions like these. Depending on your answers, you might be labeled as optimistic, empathetic or dependable.
Research suggests that all these descriptive labels can be summarized into five overarching traits – what psychologists creatively refer to as the “Big Five.”
As early as the 1930s, psychologists literally combed through a dictionary to pull out all the words that describe human nature and sorted them in categories with similar themes. For example, they grouped words like “kind,” “thoughtful” and “friendly” together. They found that thousands of words could be accounted for by sorting them between five traits: neuroticism, extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness.
What personality is not: People often feel protective about their personality – you may view it as the core of who you are. According to scientific definitions, however, personality is not your likes, dislikes or preferences. It’s not your sense of humor. It’s not your values or what you think is important in life.
In other words, shifting your Big Five traits does not change the core of who you are. It simply means learning to respond to situations in life with different thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Can you change your personality?
Can personality change? Remember, personality is a person’s characteristic way of thinking, feeling and behaving. And while it might sound hard to change personality, people change how they think, feel and behave all the time.
Suppose you’re not super dependable. If you start to think “being on time shows others that I respect them,” begin to feel pride when you arrive to brunch before your friends, and engage in new behaviors that increase your timeliness – such as getting up with an alarm, setting appointment reminders and so on – you are embodying the characteristics of a reliable person. If you maintain these changes to your thinking, emotions and behaviors over time – voila! – you are reliable. Personality: changed.
Data confirms this idea. In general, personality changes across a person’s life span. As people age, they tend to experience fewer negative emotions and more positive ones, are more conscientious, place greater emphasis on positive relationships and are less judgmental of others.
There is variability here, though. Some people change a lot and some people hold pretty steady. Moreover, studies, including my own, that test whether personality interventions change traits over time find that people can speed up the process of personality change by making intentional tweaks to their thinking and behavior. These tweaks can lead to meaningful change in less than 20 weeks, instead of 20 years.
Cultivating personality traits that serve you best
The good news is that these cognitive-behavioral techniques are relatively simple, and you don’t need to visit a therapist if that’s not something you’re into.
The first component involves changing your thinking patterns – this is the cognitive piece. You need to become aware of your thoughts to determine whether they’re keeping you stuck acting in line with a particular trait. For example, if you find yourself thinking “people are only looking out for themselves,” you are likely to act defensively around others.
The behavioral component involves becoming aware of your current action tendencies and testing out new responses. If you are defensive around other people, they will probably respond negatively to you. When they withdraw or snap at you, for example, it then confirms your belief that you can’t trust others. By contrast, if you try behaving more openly – perhaps sharing with a co-worker that you’re struggling with a task – you have the opportunity to see whether that changes the way others act toward you.
These cognitive-behavioral strategies are so effective for nudging personality because personality is simply your characteristic way of thinking and behaving. Consistently making changes to your perspective and actions can lead to lasting habits that ultimately result in crafting the personality you desire.
Shannon Sauer-Zavala, Associate Professor of Psychology & Licensed Clinical Psychologist, University of Kentucky
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
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Food and Beverage
Cinnamon, spice and ‘everything nice’ – why lead-tainted cinnamon products have turned up on shelves, and what questions consumers should ask
A Consumer Reports investigation revealed alarming lead levels in ground cinnamon, prompting concerns over safety, especially for children and pregnant women.
Katarzyna Kordas, University at Buffalo
Spices bring up feelings of comfort, cultural belonging and holidays. They can make our homes smell amazing and our food taste delicious. They can satisfy our cravings, expand our culinary horizons and help us eat things that we might normally dislike. Spices have health-enhancing properties and, in medicine, have been used to heal people since the ancient times.
Recently, however, spices have been getting a bad rep.
In September 2024, Consumer Reports, a nonprofit organization created to inform consumers about products sold in the U.S., investigated more than three dozen ground cinnamon products and found that 1 in 3 contained lead levels above 1 part per million, enough to trigger a recall in New York, one U.S. state that has published guidelines for heavy metals in spices.
The Food and Drug Administration issued three alerts throughout 2024, warning consumers about lead in certain brands of cinnamon products. Such notices rightfully put consumers on alert and have people wondering if the spice products they buy are safe – or not. https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxAwznMht8M?wmode=transparent&start=0 A Consumer Reports investigation of more than three dozen ground cinnamon products found that 1 in 3 contain lead levels above 1 part per million.
As an environmental epidemiologist with training in nutritional sciences, I have investigated the relationship between nutritional status, diets and heavy metal exposures in children.
There are several things consumers should be thinking about when it comes to lead – and other heavy metals – in cinnamon.
Why is lead found in cinnamon?
Most people are familiar with cinnamon in two forms – sticks and ground spice. Both come from the dried inner bark of the cinnamon tree, which is harvested after a few years of cultivation. For the U.S. market, cinnamon is largely imported from Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India and China.
One way that lead could accumulate in cinnamon tree bark is when trees are cultivated in contaminated soil. Lead can also be introduced in cinnamon products during processing, such as grinding.
When ground cinnamon is prepared, some producers may add lead compounds intentionally to enhance the weight or color of the product and, thus, fetch a higher sale price. This is known as “food adulteration,” and products with known or suspected adulteration are refused entry into the U.S.
However, in the fall of 2023, approximately 600 cases of elevated blood lead levels in the U.S., defined as levels equal to or above 3.5 micrograms per deciliter – mostly among children – were linked to the consumption of certain brands of cinnamon apple sauce. The levels of lead in cinnamon used to manufacture those products ranged from 2,270 to 5,110 parts per million, indicating food adulteration. The manufacturing plant was investigated by the FDA.
More broadly, spices purchased from vendors in the U.S. have lower lead levels than those sold abroad.
There is some evidence that cinnamon sticks have lower lead levels than ground spice. Lead levels in ground cinnamon sold in the U.S. and analyzed by Consumer Reports ranged from 0.02 to 3.52 parts per million. These levels were at least 1,500 times lower than in the adulterated cinnamon.
There are no federal guidelines for lead or other heavy metals in spices. New York state has proposed even stricter guidelines than its current level of 1 part per million, which would allow the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets to remove products from commerce if lead levels exceed 0.21 parts per million.
What does it mean that ‘the dose makes the poison’?
The current FDA guideline on daily intake of lead from diets overall is to limit lead intake to 2.2 micrograms per day for children. For women of reproductive age, this value is 8.8 micrograms.
The lead dose we are exposed to from foods depends on the level of lead in the food and how much of that food we eat. Higher doses mean more potential harm. The frequency with which we consume foods – meaning daily versus occasionally – also matters.
For spices like cinnamon, the amount and frequency of consumption depends on cultural traditions and personal preference. For many, cinnamon is a seasonal spice; others use it year-round in savory dishes or sauces.
Cinnamon is beloved in baked goods. Take a cinnamon roll recipe calling for 1.5 tablespoons (slightly less than 12 grams) of the spice. If a recipe yields 12 rolls, each will have around 1 gram of cinnamon. In the Consumer Reports investigation, some cinnamon products were classified as “okay to use” or “best to use.”
The highest value of lead in cinnamon products in the “okay to use” category was 0.87 parts per million, and in the “best to use” category, it was 0.15 parts per million. A child would have to consume 2.5 or more rolls made with the “okay to use” cinnamon to exceed the FDA guideline on limiting lead intake from foods to 2.2 micrograms per day, assuming that no other food contained lead. To exceed this guideline with “best to use” cinnamon, a child would have to eat 15 or more rolls.
Can cinnamon contribute to elevated blood lead levels?
Because of lead’s effects on development in early life, the greatest concern is for exposure in young children and pregnant women. Lead is absorbed in the small intestine, where it can latch onto cellular receptors that evolved to carry iron and other metals.
The impact of a contaminated spice on a person’s blood lead level depends on the dose of exposure and the proportion of lead available for intestinal absorption. For several spices, the proportion of available lead was 49%, which means that about half of the lead that is ingested will be absorbed.
Lead absorption is higher after a fast of three hours or more, and skipping breakfast may contribute to higher blood lead levels in children.
People who have nutritional deficiencies, such as iron deficiency, also tend to absorb more lead and have higher blood lead levels. This is because our bodies compensate for the deficiency by producing more receptors to capture iron from foods. Lead takes advantage of the additional receptors to enter the body. Young children and pregnant women are at higher risk for developing iron deficiency, so there is good reason for vigilance about lead in the foods they consume.
Studies show that among children with lead poisoning in the U.S., contaminated spices were one of several sources of lead exposure. Studies that estimate blood lead levels from statistical models suggest that consuming 5 micrograms of lead or more from spices daily could substantially contribute to elevated blood lead levels.
For occasional or seasonal consumption, or lower levels of contamination, more research is needed to understand how lead in spices would affect lead levels in the blood.
For people who have other sources of lead in their homes, jobs or hobbies, additional lead from foods or spices may matter more because it adds to the cumulative dose from multiple exposure sources.
How to test for elevated blood lead levels
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children at risk for lead exposure get a blood lead test at 1 and 2 years of age. Older children can also get tested. Finger-prick screening tests are often available in pediatric offices, but results may need to be confirmed in venous blood if the screening result was elevated.
Adults in the U.S. are not routinely tested for lead exposure, but concerned couples who plan on having children should talk to their health care providers.
What to consider when using or buying cinnamon or other spices
If the product is on an FDA Alert or the Consumer Reports “don’t use” list, discard it.
Other questions to consider are:
- Does your household use spices frequently and in large amounts?
- Do young children or pregnant women in your household consume spices?
- Do you typically consume spices on breakfast foods or beverages?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then buy good-quality products, from large, reputable sellers. Think about using cinnamon sticks if possible.
And continue to enjoy spices!
Katarzyna Kordas, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, University at Buffalo
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
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(Family Features) As people prepare to gather with family and friends this holiday season, it’s important to think about health and safety.
“With the holidays just around the corner, now is the perfect time to think about how you can help protect yourself from serious illness from flu, COVID-19 and RSV – and support your loved ones in doing the same,” said Dr. Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “Vaccination is an important step in having a happy and healthy celebration.”
While preparing for holiday festivities, keep these recommendations in mind to help protect yourself from severe flu, COVID-19 and RSV.
Flu: Flu season usually peaks during the winter months, so now is a great time to get the 2024-25 flu vaccine. It’s recommended for people 6 months and older to lower their risk of infection or serious illness from the flu. In fact, people who skipped their flu shot last year were twice as likely to need medical help for the flu. The best time to get vaccinated is at least a couple of weeks before a holiday gathering. But getting vaccinated later in the season can still help. Encourage your family and friends to get the flu vaccine, too. Together you can create safer holiday celebrations.
COVID-19: Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is also important for everyone ages 6 months and older. The updated COVID-19 vaccines offer the best protection against serious illness from the virus, especially for those at higher risk. This includes people with certain health conditions or older adults, which may include parents, grandparents and great aunts or uncles. By getting vaccinated, people of all ages can lower their risk of getting severely sick. In fact, young adults are at higher risk of developing Long COVID than older adults. However, staying up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines lowers your risk of Long COVID, too.
RSV: RSV can be especially risky for older adults and babies. That’s why everyone 75 and older, people 60-74 with certain health conditions or who live in a nursing home and pregnant people should get the RSV vaccine. Pregnant people should get the RSV vaccine at 32-36 weeks of pregnancy to help protect their newborns from severe RSV during their first six months of life.
As you prepare for the holidays, remember that prevention is the best way to keep from getting seriously sick from flu, COVID-19 and RSV. By getting vaccinated now, you can enjoy the holiday season with greater confidence and less risk of missing time together. Being vaccinated helps keep your symptoms milder if you get infected after vaccination so you can do the things you want to do with less risk of spreading infection.
Talk with your doctor about which vaccines are right for you as well as for any loved ones you help care for. Visit cdc.gov/RiskLessDoMore for more information on vaccines, or visit vaccines.gov to get started.
The Effects of Flu, COVID-19 and RSV on Different Populations
People who are Black, Hispanic or who live in rural areas may be at higher risk of severe illness from flu, COVID-19 and RSV than others. Getting vaccinated is the best protection from getting seriously sick from these viruses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- Last flu season, Black adults were more than twice as likely as white adults to be hospitalized for flu.
- Last flu season, Hispanic adults were more likely than white adults to be hospitalized for flu.
- One in 3 adults living in rural areas have never been vaccinated against COVID-19. For people living in rural areas, health services may be far away. That can mean it takes some planning to get vaccinated. But being far from medical care also means it’s even more important to lower your risk of serious illness by getting vaccinated.
Photos courtesy of Shutterstock
SOURCE:
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
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Tome medidas para limitar el riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular
(Family Features) En la última década se ha producido un aumento de factores de riesgo cardiovascular, como la hipertensión arterial no controlada, la diabetes y la obesidad, cada uno de los cuales aumenta el riesgo de desarrollar enfermedades cardíacas y accidentes cerebrovasculares. Estas tendencias están llevando a los investigadores a concluir que la prevalencia de las enfermedades cardiovasculares (ECV) seguirá aumentando.
Más del 60 % de los adultos estadounidenses tendrán algún tipo de ECV para 2050, según las proyecciones previstas de la American Heart Association, que celebra 100 años de servicio salvando vidas como la principal organización mundial sin fines de lucro dedicada a la salud del corazón y el cerebro de todos. Además, se espera que los costos totales relacionados con las ECV casi se tripliquen en ese período hasta alcanzar más de 1.8 trillones de dólares.
El aumento será impulsado por una población más anciana y diversa, pero estos factores de riesgo están aumentando incluso entre niños y adultos.
“Reconocemos que el panorama de la salud cardiovascular cambiará en las próximas tres décadas debido al tsunami que se avecina de aumentos en los costos de la atención médica, una población de mayor edad que vive más tiempo y un número cada vez mayor de personas de poblaciones de pocos recursos”, dijo la voluntaria de la American Heart Association, Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA. “Aun así, estas siguen siendo las principales causas de muerte y discapacidad en Estados Unidos”.
Si bien se necesitan cambios sistemáticos continuos en la ciencia, las políticas y la atención de salud, la mayoría de las ECV se pueden prevenir a nivel individual. Usted puede ayudar a cambiar el rumbo de las terribles perspectivas de la ECV y, al mismo tiempo, mejorar su propia salud siguiendo y alentando a otros a seguir los “Life’s Essential 8” de la American Heart Association.
Coma mejor. Intente seguir un patrón de alimentación saludable en general que incluya alimentos integrales, frutas y verduras, proteínas magras, frutos secos, semillas y cocinar con aceite de oliva y de canola.
Manténgase activo. Los adultos deben realizar 2 horas y media de actividad física moderada o 75 minutos de actividad física vigorosa por semana. Los niños deben tener 60 minutos cada día, incluidos juegos y actividades estructuradas.
Deje el tabaco. El uso de productos que suministran nicotina por inhalación, que incluyen cigarrillos tradicionales, cigarrillos electrónicos y vaporizadores, es la principal causa de muerte evitable en los EE. UU.
Duerma bien. La mayoría de los adultos necesitan dormir entre 7 y 9 horas cada noche. Los niños de 5 años o menos necesitan entre 10 y 16 horas, incluidas las siestas; de 9 y 12 horas, en niños de 6 y 12 años, y entre 8 y 10 horas, entre los 13 y 18 años.
Controle el peso. Lograr y mantener un peso saludable tiene muchos beneficios. El índice de masa corporal es un indicador útil. El IMC óptimo es menor de 25, pero menor de 18.5 se considera bajo peso. Puede calcularlo en línea o consultar a un profesional de la salud.
Controle el colesterol. Los niveles altos de colesterol no HDL, o “malo”, pueden provocar enfermedades cardíacas. Su profesional de atención médica puede considerar el colesterol no HDL como el número preferido para monitorear, en lugar del colesterol total, porque se puede medir sin ayuno previo y se calcula de manera confiable entre todas las personas.
Controle el nivel de azúcar en sangre. La mayor parte de los alimentos que consume se convierten en glucosa (o azúcar en sangre) que su cuerpo utiliza como energía. Con el tiempo, los niveles altos de azúcar en sangre pueden dañar el corazón, los riñones, los ojos y los nervios.
Controle la presión arterial. Mantener su presión arterial dentro de rangos aceptables puede ayudarle a mantenerse saludable por más tiempo. Los niveles inferiores a 120/80 mmHg son óptimos. La presión arterial alta se define como una presión sistólica de 130 a 139 mm Hg (el número superior en una lectura) o una presión diastólica de 80 a 89 mm Hg (el número inferior).
Encuentre más formas de cuidar su salud en el nuevo año y más allá en heart.org.
Foto cortesía de Shutterstock
SOURCE:
American Heart Association
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