A Message From The Creator
Women’s Health: Happiness Gene Discovered In Women, Says New Study
Inspiration Of Style: Michelle Obama Wears Peculiar Outfit On ‘Late Show With David Letterman’
Inspirational Woman Of The Day: Barbara Van Dahlen
Inspirational Woman Of The Day: Barbara Van Dahlen
Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of Give an Hour™, is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been practicing in the Washington, D.C., area for 19 years. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of children. Dr. Van Dahlen has spent her career interacting with and coordinating services within large systems, including school districts and mental health clinics. In addition, for many years, she served as an adjunct faculty member at George Washington University, where she trained and supervised developing clinicians. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland in 1991. Concerned about the mental health implications of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Dr. Van Dahlen founded Give an Hour™ in 2005. The organization has created a national network of mental health professionals who are providing free services to U.S. troops, veterans, and their loved ones. Currently, the network has nearly 5,000 providers, who have collectively given more than $2.4 million worth of services. As part of her work with Give an Hour™, Dr. Van Dahlen has joined numerous panels, conferences, and hearings on issues facing veterans. She has participated in discussions at the Pentagon, Veterans Administration, White House, and Congress. She is now working with several states on initiatives to address these issues on a local level. She also writes a monthly column for Veterans Advantage, an organization that connects veterans with low-cost assistance, and is contributing to a book on post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries. She has become a notable source and expert on the psychological impact of war on troops and families and has made Give an Hour™ a thought leader in mobilizing civilian constituencies in support of active duty service members, veterans, and their families. In the summer of 2009 she launched You Serve LLC, to forge collaborations between the government and nonprofit sectors in providing outreach to the military community. In February 2010 Woman’s Day magazine named Dr. Van Dahlen one of 50 “Women Changing the World.”
Inspiration Of Style: Michelle Obama Wears Peculiar Outfit On ‘Late Show With David Letterman’
While the Republicans took in some quality Paul Ryan and Condoleezza Rice time at the Republican National Convention, Michelle Obama decided to play hooky and ham it up with David Letterman. (Ed. note: when we grow up, we want to be the first lady.)
Making her third appearance on the “Late Show With David Letterman” (she chatted with Dave about that infamous Target shopping trip in March and did Letterman’s “Top Ten List” in June), the first lady looked totally at ease and in her element. She and Dave, who seems to have taken a strong liking to Mrs. O, talked about Sasha and Malia going to summer camp, Todd Akin (whom Michelle described, essentially, as kinda stupid) and kale chips (Michelle: “They were good, Dave! They were good!” Dave: “It looks like something you’d fish out of the bottom of your lawnmower…”).
It was yet another flawless TV appearance for Michelle, except for one thing: her outfit, which we’re struggling to understand. When she first took the stage, she appeared to be wearing a black A-line dress with a flared-out hem… then she turned sideways and we saw the top half split down the side, like a long tank top pulled over a longer skirt. What’s going on here?
In any case, her charisma and that cute bow belt were enough to distract us once she sat down. Watch a clip and see some photos below — are you a fan of this FLOTUS look?
Read More And See Video: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/michelle-obama-david-letterman-video_n_1842383.html?utm_hp_ref=style
Women’s Health: Happiness Gene Discovered In Women, Says New Study
The Huffington Post | By Emma Gray
Money may not buy you happiness, but according to new research, genetics might be able to … if you’re a woman. A new study has isolated a gene that researchers believe is related to happiness in women. Unfortunately for the other half of the population, this doesn’t hold for men.
Researchers from the University of South Florida, Columbia University and the National Institutes of Health found that a type of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene was connected to higher levels of self-reported happiness in women. The study, published this month in the journal Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, looked at the DNA of 193 women and 152 men, reported Fox News. Researchers then compared these results to the participants’ levels of self-reported happiness, controlling for factors such as age, gender, race, income, marital status, self-esteem and physical health. Women with at least one copy of the low-expression version of the MAOA gene reported significantly higher levels of happiness than women without the gene as well as men both with and without the gene.
Hamian Chen, an associate professor at the USF College of Public Health and the study’s lead author, expressed surprise at the results in a press release. Happiness isn’t the only attribute that the MAOA gene has been linked to. “I was surprised … because low expression of MAOA has been related to some negative outcomes like alcoholism, aggressiveness and antisocial behavior. It’s even called the warrior gene by some scientists, but, at least for women, our study points to a brighter side of this gene.”
Chen and his research team said in a press release that they believe that the reason for this connection is that the MAOA gene allows larger amounts of dopamine, serotonin and other mood-elevating neurotransmitters to stay in the brain. (These are the same neurotransmitters that are released during orgasm, and really, who doesn’t have their mood lifted during the big O?)
The scientists said in a press release that they hope that this study will shed light on gender differences in happiness. Although women experience mood and anxiety disorders more frequently than men do, according to the study press release, women’s self-reported happiness tends to be higher than men’s across the board. Previous research on happiness has found mixed results when it comes to gender. A 2007 feature in the NYTimes reported that there was “a growing happiness gap between men and women” — with men coming out on top.
What remains unclear is why men with the same type of MAOA gene don’t experience the same increased self-reported happiness that women do. Chen surmised that testosterone could be to blame. However, he also stressed that more research needs to be done on the topic. After all, social factors could also be coming into play. Genetics are only part of the happiness picture.
LadyRomp 