30 | April• 2018Japan found that people who looked
at pictures of baby animals before
completing a task performed far bet-
ter than those who observed photos of
adult animals or neutral subjects.18
Staring down at your phone.
he average head weighs 4.5
to 5.5 kilograms, but when you let it
hang down to read on your phone, it’s
the same as putting 27 kilograms of
stress weight on your neck, according
to a study inSurgical Technology Inter-
national. he solution: hold the phone
more in line with your eyes – or leave
it in your pocket.19
Diningal desko.There are
lots of reasons why eating in
frontofyourcomputerisabadidea.
Researchshowsyoutendtoeatmore,
make less-healthy choices, miss out
on lunchroom camaraderie and are
more likely to hit a creative wall. In
arecentstudy,workerswhotook
a 30-minute lunchtime walk threerecalled29percentmoreinforma-
tionlateriftheyhadbeendoodling
during the call. Meanwhile, among
science students who were asked
to draw what they’d learned during
lectures and readings, doodlers not
only retained more information but
alsoreportedmoreenjoymentand
engagement with the material.16
Not phoning your mother.
AUniversityofWisconsin
study found that participants ex-
posedtoastressfulsituation(public
speaking followed by solving maths
problems in front of an audience)
showedamarkeddecreaseinstress
hormones and an increase in happi-
ness-producing oxytocin when they
spoke to their mothers on the phone
immediately after.17
Scoffing at Instagram
kittens.Cuteness releases
oxytocin, and oxytocin reduces stress.
One study at Hiroshima University in35 EVERYDAY MISTAKES AND HOW TO FIX THEM