24 MEN’S FITNESS OCTOBER 2019■ We all know that
the support of friends
and family can play a
key role in protecting
our physical and
mental health. But
a new study from
Ohio State University,
US, suggests that
the benefits don’t go
to people who may
really need it – those
with low self-esteem.
Results of the study
showed that
perceived social
support didn’t help
people with low self-
esteem when it
came to one key
measure of physical
health: inflammation.
Previous research
has shown chronic
inflammation is
a potent driver of
diseases, including
cancer and heart
disease. “People
with a negativeRelationships
BreakthroughsLife support
Peoplebornpre-
term(< 37weeks)are
lesslikelytohavea
romanticrelationship
ora sexualpartner
thanthosebornfull
term.Thiscomes
fromanalysisofdata
from4.4millionadults,
whichfoundthat
thosebornpre-term
are28%lesslikely to
everbein a romantic
relationshipand2.3
timeslesslikelyto ever
havea sexualpartner.
Whyis it so?Pre-
termkidshavebeen
foundtohavepoorer
socialinteractions
in childhood,which
makesit harderfor
themtomastersocial
transitionssuchas
findinga partner
whentheygrowup.■ Cuddled any kidlets
lately? You probably
cradled it in your left
arm. More than two-
thirds of all people
prefer to carry a baby
in their left arm. The
figure is as high as
three-quarters for
women, as well as
right-handed people.
This is the result of
an analysis of 40
studies from the past
60 years carried out
by a team from theLeft holding the baby
In 2016, there were 87 million
people diagnosed with
gonorrhoea, the most
antibiotic resistant of all sexually
transmitted infections. There is
a global rise in gonorrhoea rates
and, until now, no-one has understood
why. New research from Monash
University, Melbourne, has released
data which indicates that a significant,
and previously unrecognised, route of
transmission of the bacterial infection
is kissing. Researchers found that
the transmission of the disease is
high in people who kiss only, and
was higher in those who have sex
with kissing compared to those
who have sex without kissing. “If
transmission by kissing is a key route
of transmission, then it’s important to
investigate new methods of control,
such as antibacterial mouthwash,”
says Monash’s Professor Kit Fairley.Kiss off
Two-thirds of all
people prefer to
carry a baby in
their left arm.Department of
Biopsychology at
Ruhr-University
Bochum, Germany.
Researches assume
that one reason for
this preference is
that emotions are
primarily processed
in the right
hemisphere of the
brain, which is linked
to the left side of the
body. Researchers
claim this could
also be the reason
why men who are
uncomfortable
hugging other
men tend to hug
each other from
the left, because
they’re feeling
negative emotions.COMING
TO TERMS13
%
Rates of chlamydia
increased by this
much between
2015-2017.63
%
Gonorrhoea rates
increased by this
much between
2012-2016.75
%
of Aussies
carry the herpes
simplex type
1 virus.
self-view may
actually feel more
stress when people
try to help them,” says
Professor Baldwin
Way, study co-author.
“They may feel they
don’t deserve the
help or they worry
that they’re asking
for too much from
their friends and
family. The result
is that they may
not get the benefits
ofsocialsupport.”So help
me.