In case you missed last week’s news:
A study from Ohio State University found that fear alters perception. In the study, the researches recruited 57 people who were clinically afraid of spiders to interact with tarantulas. Afterward, they were asked to estimate the spider’s size. Some participants who were very fearful of spiders estimated the spider’s size to be twice as big.
Local family-owned company Sipping Dreams has brought drinking chocolate to the Pacific Northwest since 2007. The company donates a portion of its proceeds to local nonprofits, such as Food for Lane County and Ophelia’s Place.
Other noteworthy news:
A new Northwestern Medicine study found that people who live a healthy lifestyle have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease when they’re middle-aged. The study defined a healthy lifestyle as no smoking, no excessive drinking, eating healthy foods, exercising regularly and having a low body mass index (BMI). When people followed these healthy guidelines, the researchers found that 60 percent of participants had a low risk cardiovascular disease in their middle-aged years.
In a new study led by an Ohio State University psychologist, researchers found that winning makes people act more aggressive toward those they defeated. Losers didn’t show any increase in aggressive behavior toward those who defeated them. This is the first study to look at whether winners or losers are more likely to act aggressive.
University anthropology professor Nelson Ting is the lead author of a study that shows how climate change affects wildlife. Ting and other researchers looked at an endangered species of monkey, called wild drills, in an African rainforest. They found that around 3,000 to 5,000 years ago, the monkeys experienced an extreme population decline when the weather became hotter and drier. His findings suggest a similar situation could happen again should forests and vegetation dry out.