The effects of mother–infant singing on emotional closeness, affect, anxiety, and stress hormones

Among mammals who invest in the production of a relatively small number of offspring, bonding is a critical strategy for survival. Mother–infant bonding among humans is not only linked with the infant’s survival but also with a range of protective psychological, biological, and behavioral responses in both mothers and infants in the post-birth period and across the life span. Anthropological theories suggest that one behavior that may have evolved with the aim of enhancing mother–infant bonding is infant-directed singing. However, to date, despite mother–infant singing being practiced across cultures, there remains little quantitative demonstration of any effects on mothers or their perceived closeness to their infants. This within-subjects study, comparing the effects of mother–infant singing with other mother–infant interactions among 43 mothers and their infants, shows that singing is associated with greater increases in maternal perceptions of emotional closeness in comparison to social interactions. Mother–infant singing is also associated with greater increases in positive affect and greater decreases in negative affect as well as greater decreases in both psychological and biological markers of anxiety. This supports previous findings about the effects of singing on closeness and social bonding in other populations. Furthermore, associations between changes in closeness and both affect and anxiety support previous research suggesting associations between closeness, bonding, and wider mental health.

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Association of Physical Activity with Psychological and Biological Markers of Mental Health in an Internet-based Health Promotion Program: A Pilot Study

Asian Pacific Journal of Disease Management ◽

10.7223/apjdm.3.107 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 107-113

Author(s):

Hideki Kamikawa ◽

Yasuki Higaki ◽

Miwa Tayama ◽

Guangying Li ◽

Naoto Taguchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Biological Markers ◽

Health Promotion Program ◽

Promotion Program ◽

And Biological Markers

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Can Dogs’ Origins and Interactions with Humans Affect Their Accomplishments? A Study on the Responses of Shelter and Companion Dogs during Vocal Cue Training

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11051360 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 1360

Author(s):

Maria Luiza A. Fonseca ◽

Angélica S. Vasconcellos

Keyword(s):

Social Interactions ◽

Social Deprivation ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

The Other ◽

Influential Factor ◽

Vocal Cues ◽

Companion Dogs ◽

Shelter Dogs ◽

Tone Of Voice ◽

Neutral Tone

The inclusion of life history as a possible influential factor is pivotal in studies on behavior, welfare, and cognition. Shelter dogs have usually experienced a life involving poor social interactions with humans. Thus, we aimed to investigate the behavioral responses of shelter dogs (SDs) and companion dogs (CDs) during the training of two vocal cues (“sit”, “paw”), as well as the possible associations between their responses and the behaviors of trainers. We studied 15 SDs and 15 CDs in up to eight five-minute training sessions. Dogs’ and trainers’ behaviors were recorded and analyzed (through GLM, GLMM, correlation and Mann–Whitney tests). Shelter dogs responded to more cues per session, with shorter latencies and fewer repetitions of cues. Moreover, SDs spent more time wagging their tails. Dogs’ sex and trainers’ behaviors were also associated with differences in dogs’ responses. The use of a reproachful tone of voice was associated with a greater number of cues responded to, shorter latencies, and fewer repetitions of cues. However, this type voice/discourse was also linked to a greater exhibition of non-training behaviors (e.g., exploring the room or jumping on the trainer), and to dogs spending less time next to the trainer and wagging their tails. On the other hand, the use of a neutral tone of voice and laughter, besides being linked to performance, was also associated with longer durations of tail wagging. Furthermore, the duration of the trainers’ orientation to dogs was correlated with the orientation of the dogs to the trainers. Our data suggest that, even when having experienced social deprivation from humans, SDs’ capacities to learn vocal cues were preserved, possibly due to ontogenic homeostasis processes. Shelter dogs’ greater interest in the sessions may be also credited to their socially-deprived routine. Our outcomes also point to an association between friendly interactions during training and dog performance and excitement, which suggests that such interactions may have the potential to improve SD welfare.

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Association between ultrasound findings, tumor type, grade, and biological markers in patients with breast cancer

Egyptian Journal of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine ◽

10.1186/s43055-019-0048-1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yasmine Mohamed Elsaeid ◽

Dina Elmetwally ◽

Salwa Mohamed Eteba

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Biological Markers ◽

Tumor Grade ◽

The State ◽

Tumor Type ◽

Breast Cancers ◽

Duct Carcinoma ◽

Ultrasound Findings ◽

Her 2 ◽

And Biological Markers

Abstract Background This prospective study included 65 female patients with primary breast cancer. Ultrasound was performed for all patients. Ultrasound findings were analyzed according to the ACR BI-RADS lexicon 5th edition and correlated with tumor type, grade, and biological markers (ER, PR, HER-2/neu, and Ki67). The purpose of this study is to assess the association between ultrasound findings, tumor type, grade, and the state of biological markers in patients with breast cancer. Results Irregular shape and speculated margins are more frequently associated with invasive duct carcinoma than DCIS (p value < 0.001). There were no association between the ultrasound findings (shape, margin, orientation, echopattern, and posterior features) and the tumor grade (p value 1.0, 0, 0.544, 1.0, and 1.0), respectively. Irregular shape is more frequently seen in ER and PR positive breast cancers (p value = 0.036 and 0.026, respectively). Non-circumscribed margins were frequently seen in PR positive breast cancers (p value = 0.068). No statistically significant difference between US descriptors and HER-2/neu-positive cases. Conclusion Irregularly shaped tumors with speculated margins are frequently seen in invasive duct carcinoma and also more frequently seen in ER-, PR-, and Ki67-positive cases. No relation between ultrasound descriptors and the tumor grade of invasive duct carcinoma. Also, there were no relation between ultrasound descriptors and the state of HER-2/neu.

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Red meat consumption and biological markers of metabolic disorders

European Journal of Nutrition ◽

10.1007/s00394-021-02609-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tomoyuki Kawada

Keyword(s):

Biological Markers ◽

Metabolic Disorders ◽

Meat Consumption ◽

Red Meat ◽

And Biological Markers

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The Role of Employee Relations in Shaping Job Satisfaction as an Element Promoting Positive Mental Health at Work in the Era of COVID-19

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18041903 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 1903

Author(s):

Helena Bulińska-Stangrecka ◽

Anna Bagieńska

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Job Satisfaction ◽

Social Interactions ◽

Interpersonal Trust ◽

Well Being ◽

Working Environment ◽

Employee Relations ◽

Remote Work ◽

Mediating Role

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the mental health of employees. Deterioration of the well-being of workers is also caused by changes in the working environment. Remote working can affect both social interactions and job satisfaction. The purpose of the study is to examine what factors influence job satisfaction in the context of remote work caused by a pandemic. The study analyses whether employee relations and interpersonal trust are related to the level of perceived job satisfaction. The investigation started with a literature review and then research hypotheses have been formulated. Based on an empirical study, carried out on a sample of 220 IT employees during the pandemic, an analysis of the mediating role of trust in links between employee relations and perceived job satisfaction was conducted. The current study found that positive employee relations contribute to the level of job satisfaction. Additionally, trust is an important factor that mediates these relationships. Based on the results of the research, it was possible to describe the mechanism of shaping a supportive work environment during a pandemic.

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Learning as an Important Privilege: A Life Span Perspective with Implications for Successful Aging

Human Development ◽

10.1159/000514554 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 51-64

Author(s):

Rachel Wu ◽

Jiaying Zhao ◽

Cecilia Cheung ◽

Misaki N. Natsuaki ◽

George W. Rebok ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Cognitive Development ◽

Life Span ◽

Social Engagement ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Health Benefits ◽

Dynamic Environment ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Technological Advances ◽

Mental Health Benefits

Research has demonstrated the cognitive and mental health benefits of learning new skills and content across the life span, enhancing knowledge as well as cognitive performance. We argue that the importance of this learning – which is not available equally to all – goes beyond the cognitive and mental health benefits. Learning is important for not only the maintenance, but also enhancement of functional independence in a dynamic environment, such as changes induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and technological advances. Learning difficult skills and content is a privilege because the opportunities for learning are neither guaranteed nor universal, and it requires personal and social engagement, time, motivation, and societal support. This paper highlights the importance of considering learning new skills and content as an <i>important privilege</i> across the life span and argues that this privilege becomes increasingly exclusionary as individuals age, when social and infrastructural support for learning decreases. We highlight research on the potential positive and negative impacts of retirement, when accessibility to learning opportunities may vary, and research on learning barriers due to low expectations and limited resources from poverty. We conclude that addressing barriers to lifelong learning would advance theories on life span cognitive development and raise the bar for successful aging. In doing so, our society might imagine and achieve previously unrealized gains in life span cognitive development, through late adulthood.

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