Mood News.(diet; mental health and outdoor activities; stress and allergy)

Byline: Lois B. Morris

Peer-Pressure Eating

The amount women eat is affected more than they may realize by other people. In a study by Lenny R. Vartanian, assistant professor of psychology at Syracuse University, and his colleagues, 122 women watched television in pairs, with mini pizzas available for snacking. When later asked what accounted for the amount they ate, the women mentioned hunger (52 percent), their TV watching (26 percent), taste (19 percent), and fullness (12 percent). Only 2.5 percent cited the food intake of the other personbut in reality, there was a correlation between how much each pair consumed, and this influence seemed stronger than any other factor, such as when they had last eaten. To promote mindful eating, the researchers suggest, choose meal partners "more judiciously" and "modify the environment"by using smaller dishes, for example.

A Natural Performance Boost

Interacting with natureoutdoors or through picturesenhances mental productivity, a study at the University of Michigan has shown. Participants memorized number sequences and recited them backward before and after walking for nearly an hour in either a large wooded park or on city streets. A week later, they repeated the experiment but did the other type of walk. Amazingly, the subjects' ability to perform the number task improvedby about 20 percentonly after their time in the woods. Computerized attention tests interspersed with ten minutes of ...