Tuesday, 11.45 am. According to new research, it?s not Monday, but Tuesday that really provides the ?blues?. A study by Bimuno, British health supplement found that the real workload for the week hit employees, making stress levels rise precisely at this moment. The finding, based on a poll on 3,000 adults, is undoubtedly interesting, but where does it eventually lead us to? Has anyone become wary of that moment? Does someone now prepare to make the moment lighter for themselves?
Research findings like such may remind one of Albert Einstein. ?If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it,? he is known to have asked. There are plenty of examples that could qualify for Einstein?s observation.
Consider another study. Karen Redwine, a neuro-economist at Whittier College in California found that testosterone causes men to be stingy. A testosterone-containing gel was given to 25 male university students and their generosity was tested thereafter. The study revealed that the testosterone cream caused a 27% reduction in generosity. Now, how is one to make use of this study at a practical level? Redwine may be able to elucidate. Or maybe not. There was another study that found that newborns cry in their mother tongue! Yet another, which says that 10 generations on, women will be one kg heavier. And of course, the one that says mind-blowing sex triggers amnesia attacks.
Paradox of our age
Another interesting study published in the European Journal of Operational Research found that if a man was five or more years older than his wife, it improved the odds of marital bliss. Alternatively, they were more than three times as likely to divorce if they were the same age. The researchers interviewed over 1,500 couples, either married or in a serious relationship, and followed up with 1,000 of them five years later to find how many of them lasted. Not many would subscribe to the view?at least not those who believe in Cupid or think that ?matches are made in heaven.? On the other hand, a study that wearing your cell phone on hip weakens pelvic bones is cautionary in approach and easily adaptable in real life.
At other times, it is the sample size of a study that makes the findings difficult to believe. Dr Steven Cramer and his team tested 29 people?22 without a particular gene variant and seven with it ?asking them to drive 15 laps on a simulator and then repeat the task a week later. People with the gene variant performed more than 20% worse on a driving test than people with a different DNA sequence. Apparently, the gene controls a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which affects memory. So, what do you do now? Ignore that irrational driver on the road criss-crossing your way on grounds of his genetic makeup? While we know that?s not to be, there?s no real reason to admonish this, or any other, research. Maybe, another study can take this further and find out how this particular gene variant can be controlled. Now, that will be a welcome move?a revolutionary step that will create traffic rules-abiding citizens.
There?s another study noteworthy for its small sample size. University of Ulster recently studied 16 married stroke survivors (nine males, seven females), aged 33 to 78 to conclude that ?the stroke significantly affected sexual activity, led to blurred relationship roles, and feelings such as anger and frustration were confounded by persistent fatigue and lack of independence.? Does the sample size, in your opinion, justify the conclusions drawn? Comme ci, comme ca!
New and confusing
Some research conclusions also lead to a situation of peculiar predicament. For years, Aspirin was hailed as the magic bullet which protected our hearts. Until this week when the Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin said it can cause serious internal bleeding and does not prevent cardiovascular disease deaths. So, to pop the pill or not is a difficult question to answer. And one that solely rests on one?s beliefs. The case for coffee is similar. The latest study published in the November issue of Hepatology says that having three or more cups of coffee may benefit people with Hepatitis C. The intake reduced liver disease progression by 53%, the study reported.
The long and the short of it
However, on a serious note, research does help and it might change the way we live. If all goes well, you will have ?safe alcohol? in another 25 years. Professor David Nutt is working to develop a prototype of a synthetic alcohol which will make you feel inebriated before reversing the process. While the experiment might make binge drinking a thing of the past, it is not devoid of its share of controversies. If the substance happens to get rightly classified as a drug, there?s little hope of finding an alternative to alcohol.
For instance, your cell may soon turn into a diagnostic machine. Just cough into your cell phone and a specially developed acoustic vocalisation analysis software will measure and interpret your cough for characteristics of pneumonia. This project by Dr Suzanne Smith and Dr Joel MacAuslan won a $100,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Another company, Microskia, has adapted cellphones to substitute for microscopes. For instance, a blood test can be carried out by simply inserting the slide over the phone?s camera sensor. The sensor will transmit the information wirelessly to the nearest diagnostic centre.
So, while some research findings do promise to change the way we live, others just beg for a bit more logic.
