There is a lot of advice out there. It seems that regardless of the topic everyone is willing to throw in his or her two cents. Sorting through the whirlwind of advice and opinions isn’t easy, especially when it’s backed by claims of “common knowledge.” We all grow up hearing the same clichés and common sayings and most of the time we tend to just accept them. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, ignorance is bliss, sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me and so on and so on. Some of these seem to be at least a little misguided—in my opinion, essential oils to do a better job of keeping the doctor away than a daily apple, ignorance is torture, and I’ll choose sticks and stones any day—but, as it turns out, there is actually some truth to a number of them. Here is a list of 5 common phrases related to health and wellness and some research to back them up.
Count Your Blessings
Expressing thankfulness is one of the most scientifically validated ways to increase personal happiness. A large body of research confirms that identifying blessings, as opposed to focusing on the negatives, will help to improve mood, enhance the capacity to cope with difficulty and may even translate to improved physical health.
Cleanliness is Next to Godliness
Researchers from the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute would agree with this one. Their research shows that a cluttered environment inhibits the ability to focus, process information and makes you more likely to be distracted.
Giving is Better than Receiving
Elizabeth Dunn, Lara Aknin and Michael Norton performed a three-part study to investigate the relationship between day-to-day activities such as gift-giving and personal happiness. The study included a survey of over 600 Americans on their spending choices and happiness levels and it was found that gift giving is in fact connected to higher levels of happiness, whereas spending money on one’s self is not.
Get Some Beauty Sleep
In 2010 a study was done in Stockholm, Sweden to figure out whether or not sleep deprived people are really perceived as less attractive and less healthy. 23 adults were photographed after a night of 8 hours of sleep and then again after 31 hours of wakefulness following a night of reduced sleep and the photos were then shown in a randomized order to 65 untrained observers. The results? The sleep-deprived people were rated by the observers as appearing more tired, less attractive and less healthy.
Hard Work is Good For You
UC Irvine researchers compiled data from an exhaustive study on personality as a predictor of longevity in their publication, “The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight-Decade Study,” (Hudson Street Press, March 2011). Among their findings was the discovery that those that work hardest and are continually productive will typically live longer than more laid-back people.
About the author
Paisley Hansen is a freelance writer and expert in health and beauty. With a combination of her deep passion for learning and writing, Paisley is always looking for new ways to help people achieve a healthier state. When she’s not writing, she can found reading a good book or playing with her two beautiful children.
You can follow Paisley on Twitter @paisleyhansen.