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Choosing photos for your Tinder profile is an absolute minefield.

The name of the game is to share snaps which help illustrate what you're all about, (the edited version, obvs) but according to a recent study, it doesn't matter how flattering your photos are because apparently no one makes passes at girls wearing glasses.

No, seriously.

The study, which was conducted by the uber-popular dating app, established that your chances of finding The One are reduced by a staggering 12% if you're rocking a pair of bifocals in your profile.

Commenting on the results, dating expert Dr Jessica Carbino explained that being able to see the eyes of a potential  partner is paramount  – something which is somewhat hindered if a possible match is wearing specs.

According to Marie Claire, Dr Carbino understands an individual's reluctance to swipe right on a glasses-wearer, saying: "Seeing the iris gives us clues as to whether you can be trusted."

Here, unless they're wearing sunglasses in every picture, that argument does NOT hold up.

Next!

 

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Look, it's a tough world out there, and it helps if you have the Midas touch when it comes to getting people on side, right?

But when our womanly wiles fail (apparently we're meant to have some), and our power of persuasion fall a little short, it's important to have a back-up plan.

And according to a recent study, a few choice words are all you need if you're trying to get certain people on the same page as you.

Conducting an experiment of over 600 people, Nicolas Guéguen, a behavioural scientist, concluded that the words 'You will probably refuse, but' work wonders when it comes to persuading people to do something.

Splitting his participants into two groups, the first was asked: "You are probably interested in organisations for children with health problems. I wonder if you could help us by making a donation?"

The second group was asked: "You are probably interested in organisations for children with health problems. You will probably refuse, but I wonder if you could help us by making a donation?"

The researcher established that those who were met with the words' You will probably refuse, but' were more likely to delve deep than those who weren't,

Results confirmed that of the group who were asked the second question, 39.1 per cent donated in comparison to 25 per cent in the first group.

So, it looks like a little bit of reverse psychology goes a long way.
 

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Finding the motivation to exercise is hard enough, but finding the motivation to exercise in December is another thing entirely.

It's pitch dark when you get up, pitch dark when you leave the office, and you have a bed that can't do enough for you, so it's no surprise most of us see our exercise routine fall by the wayside once winter sets in.

But if you've been busy beating yourself up over your desire to spend an extra hour under the covers instead of slogging it out on the treadmill, stop right now because the experts have your back on this one.

According to a study from Chicago's Northwestern University. our muscles work more efficiently when our body is properly awake which means early-morning workouts aren't all they're cracked up to be.

"Oxygen and the internal clock are doing a dance together inside muscle cells to produce energy, and the time of day determines how well that dance is synchronised," wrote lead author Dr Joseph Bass.

"The capacity for a cell to perform its most important functions, to contract, will vary according to the time of day. In the future, we may discover new ways to manipulate the oxygen response of the cell by resetting the clock."

"We’re not saying we can tell athletes when they should work out but in the future, perhaps, you may be able to take advantage of these insights to optimise muscle function."

So, if you've been trying and failing to hit up the 6am spin class for the last month, don't worry because it sounds like the lie-in would do you better.

Score!

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If you often find yourself reminiscing about hot and heavy weekends spent in bed at the start of your relationship, you're not alone.

Once that can't-keep-your-hands-off-each-other period dies down, it's normal to draw a comparison between the initial stages of your romance and the steadier routine you've become accustomed to.

But if you're really tying yourself in knots over how often your reach the big O with your other half, then it might be worth taking the advice of experts who insist once a week is enough to boost contentment levels in any relationship.

According to a study led by researchers at the University of Toronto, more than once a week doesn't generally make a difference to how happy you feel with your partner (Although, that's not to say you shouldn't go at it as often as you both want, obvs.)

After analysing findings from a 23-year study which harnessed the experiences of 25,000 people, researchers established that once a week was average and enough to boost happiness levels.

Speaking to CNN,study leader Amy Muise said: "I do think couples can end up feeling pressure to try to engage in sex as frequently as possible."

Hear that ladies? Once a week and you'll be laughing.

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A newly published study from the University of Copenhagen has found that women who take the contraceptive pill are more likely to suffer from depression.

After studying the health records of more than one million Danish women aged 15 to 34, researchers found that those taking the combined pill – which contains artificial varieties of oestrogen and progesterone – were 23 percent more likely to be prescribed an antidepressant than those who were not on a hormonal form of contraceptive.

Scarily, that figure rose to 34 percent for takers of progestin-only pills and up to 80 percent for teens aged between 15 and 19 who were on the combined pill.

Researcher Professor Øjvind Lidegaard told the BBC that the three year study’s most significant finding was the extent to which cases of depression increased among young women with no previous mental health issues once they began taking the combined pill.

He said: “If it is increasing by 80 percent it is not a trivial finding, it's something women should be fully informed about.”

While critics of the study have been quick to point out that the results do not prove that the pill causes depression, only that it is link to it, Professor Lidegaard believes hormonal contraceptives are inducing depression.

“We cannot see any other explanation,” he said.

The study – which is one of the largest of its kind – also found an association between depression and other forms of hormonal contraceptives like implants, the coil and vaginal rings.

A 2014 study by Bayer found that Ireland has one of the lowest rates of contraceptive use in the EU, while births to teenage mothers here remain among the highest.

Among those using contraception, the pill was found to be the most popular method of choice.

Feat image: iStock

Centre image: Shutterstock

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We all know the devastation that comes with dropping a much coveted piece food on the floor, so naturally on occasion we have employed the Five Second Rule.

But unfortunately for those of us who’ve justified the consumption of fallen food with the argument that it “barely touched the floor”, a two-year study has found that no matter how little time food spends on your kitchen tiles it will undoubtedly pick up bacteria.

According to The New York Times, the recently published results of the New Jersey based study which tested four different types of foods – cut watermelon, bread, buttered bread and gummy candy – on four different types of surfaces – stainless steel, ceramic tile, wood and carpet – for periods of one, five, 30 and 300 seconds show that no fallen food escaped contamination.

While the research did show that the longer the food spent on the ground the more bacteria it picked up, the main microbiologist involved said that “bacteria can contaminate instantaneously”.

The surfaces which transferred the most germs were tiles and stainless steel, while the food which absorbed the most bacteria was watermelon because of its moist texture.

So all those seemingly grand bits of toast, pasta, doughnuts and cake that bounced from the floor right into our bellies were well and truly – shudder – contaminated.

GIFs: giphy.com

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Searching for a job is a job in itself.

From endlessly tweaking your CV and customising your cover letter to submitting applications which you hope will accurately highlight your skillset, getting a foot on the career ladder is no mean feat.

But once you get past the first round and actually secure an interview, you should be fairly confident that your previous work experience and obvious enthusiasm for the job will speak for itself, right?   

Don’t be so sure.

According to a recent study by researchers in the UK and Canada, your appearance – and more specifically, your weight – actually plays as big a part in your chances of securing the job as anything included in your CV.

Researchers established that women who were on the heavier end of the ‘healthy’ BMI index were subject to more weight-based prejudice than male counterparts who would come under the ‘overweight’ category.

After manipulating images of women so their faces crossed various BMI levels, participants were asked how likely they would be to hire each one.

And it turns out thinner female faces were considered better qualified for the job… go figure, right?

The same prejudice was unsurprisingly not levelled at overweight men or those with fuller faces.

Commenting on the results of the study, lead author Dennis Nickson said the outcomes was “deeply unsettling from the viewpoint of gender inequality in the workplace”.

Yeah, we’re with him on that one.

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With social media dominating so much of our time, it’s hard to imagine life before filtering photos was part of our daily routine.

And while your Insta filter of choice may have seemed relatively insignificant before now, a new study has shown that your favourite form of camouflage may actually reveal some very important clues about your mental health.  

During a study of 166 Instagram accounts and almost 44,000 photos, researchers from Harvard and the University of Vermont discovered a link between particular colours, filters and subjects in people’s social media accounts and depression.

Photos which featured more blue, dark and grey colours were found to predict depression in the individual who posted them. 

People with depression were more likely to have fewer faces in their pics than those without – which could be linked to socialising less frequently – and they were also less likely to use filters.

Where filters were used, the black and white edit Inkwell was most commonly associated with depressive states.  Additionally, depressed individuals generally received fewer likes for their posts than those with more positive mental diagnoses.

According to the Evening Standard, those behind the study believe its results are significant enough to suggest that Instagram photos could actually be used in the future as a form of mental health screening.

So turns out all that time debating whether Hefe or Nashville is better could be of use after all.

Feat image: NPR

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There are few things in this world as genuinely relaxing as a long, candle-lit bubble bath, but did you know your evening soak could actually help you lose weight?

It has long been suggested that bathing allows the mind to unwind, the muscles to relax and the skin to heal, but a new study has revealed that an hour spent in the tub can also burn around 126 calories – that’s as many calories as 30 minutes out walking.

According to The Telegraph, research conducted by Loughborough University found that lying in a 40 degree bath also effectively reduces blood sugar levels.

Authors of the 20 year study – which was actually designed to investigate ways of managing type 2 diabetes – believe that the heat shock proteins released when the body’s temperature is significantly raised caused the noted reduction in blood sugar levels.

The study’s lead researcher Dr Steve Faulkner said: “We discovered the participants who bathed had, on average, 10 per cent lower peak glucose levels in comparison to the exercise, which was completely unexpected.”

“The amount our blood sugar rises after a meal is one of the risk markers for things like developing type 2 diabetes, so keeping it down can be good for our health.”

“We think the reason is that the bath may encourage the release of heat shock proteins, which may help lower blood sugar levels by improving insulin controlled glucose uptake.”

While experts have advised that bathing should not be used as a replacement for a balanced diet and exercise, it sure is good to know that time spent in the tub has so many benefits.

Feat image: GQ

GIFs: Giphy.com

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Earlier this month High School Musical heart-throb Zac Efron admitted he was left feeling down in the dumps after no one swiped right on his Tinder profile. 

And while that news is nothing short of concerning – like how on earth will we ever find love if a Hollywood star can't even get a swipe? – Zac's negative experience of the popular dating app is more common than you'd think.

According to a new study from the University of North Texas, Tinder could be lowering peoples' self-esteem and messing with their sense of body image all at the same time.

In one of the first psychological studies to focus primarily on the Tinder platform, researchers found that both male and female users reported less satisfaction with their bodies and looks when compared with non-users but, interestingly, only male Tinder users reported lower levels of self-esteem.

Jessica Strübel – who co-authored the study – said: "Tinder users reported having lower levels of satisfaction with their faces and bodies and having lower levels of self-worth than the men and women who did not use Tinder."

The Assistant Professor explained that Tinder usage was associated with "body dissatisfaction, body shame, body monitoring, internalization of societal expectations of beauty, comparing oneself physically to others and [a] reliance on media for information on appearance and attractiveness".

While Jessica did suggest that Tinder may make people feel like their social interactions are disposable and increase their awareness of perceived bodily flaws, the researchers did stress that the results could also be caused by people who already have self-esteem issues being drawn to the app to begin with.

Always remember no matter how many matches you get, you are flawless!

Feat image: Facebook

Gifs: giphy.com

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It seems that for those of us in a relationship, the last year of every decade in our lives is a major danger-zone when it comes to cheating.

So if you’re 19, or 29 – or more importantly if your partner is – you may want to take heed.

That and the most dangerous age of all for straying is… 39.

The results come from a study of 1,000 people by the somewhat controversial IllicitEncounters.com, a dating website for married people which says it has more than 70,000 Irish members.

It has now revealed it has 18 percent more Irish profiles in years ending in nine than for other years in the decade – suggesting the looming presence of another decade causes concern for some.

IllicitEncounters.com said in a statement today: "Beware of the figure nine – it is the danger age as far affairs are concerned.

"This is applicable to men and women. Both go looking for affairs when they are on the verge of entering a new decade.

"IllicitEncounters.com research shows that some people cheat to get their partner’s attention. If their partner’s a workaholic or unavailable to them, being caught with someone else is a way of saying: ‘Hey, if you love me, pay attention to me!'

"‘Payback cheating’ is also common. If you’ve cheated in the past or done something else to hurt your partner, they might retaliate to get even."

The website added that it sees its subscriptions rise by 25 percent over the summer months.

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While we all know scrolling through Facebook for hours on end isn’t exactly good for you, there is nothing like a good study to highlight just how bad for your health that very pastime can actually be.

A recent study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has shown that social media is not only a massive waste of time and energy, it also makes you feel bad about your career, financial situation and free time.

According to Forbes, the results suggest that people who spend more than an hour a day on social media are more likely to be depressed than those who don’t.

The report states that “exposure to highly idealized representations of peers on social media elicits feelings of envy and the distorted belief that others lead happier, more successful lives” which is actually totally understandable when we spend so much time reading “#goals” under people’s perfectly filtered holiday pics.

Additionally, the lead author of the study explained that time spent online can have a negative impact on an individual’s sense of body image and can also increase the likelihood that they could develop an eating disorder.

Jaime Sidani said: “We’ve long known that exposure to traditional forms of media, such as fashion magazines, is associated with the development of disordered eating and body-image concerns.”

“Social media combines many of the visual aspects of traditional media with the opportunity for social media users to interact and propagate stereotypes that can lead to eating and body image concerns.”

 

If there was ever a study to promote digital detoxing, we think this is it.

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