Not Hazardous to Their Mental Health

Adapting psychological studies from one culture to another can be tricky, but a report published in a Chinese journal may point the way to one of the great secrets of life, says HealthScout, an online health-news service. Chinese researchers interviewed 114 people about their TV-watching habits. Those who were avid fans of soap operas but watched little else said they were happy with their lives. Those who were avid TV watchers but rarely, if ever, watched soaps considered themselves unhappy. But maybe this applies only in China, and maybe they’re unhappy because the Chinese don’t get “Ally McBeal.”

Subtracting the Embarrassment Factor

It’s understandable why people who want to buy a home AIDS test might be hesitant to ask a pharmacist for help. According to the December issue of Men’s Fitness, when packages of the Home Access test kit--which allows a person to take his own blood sample, mail the sample to a testing center and get results by phone--were moved from behind the pharmacy counter and put on store shelves, sales rose by 360% in one drugstore chain and 570% in another.

Reducing Pounds Before They Happen

It’s been estimated that the average American gains 4 to 10 pounds between Turkey Day and New Year’s, says the December-January issue of Men’s Journal. The magazine suggests several ways to avoid or deal with the extra weight. One way is to acknowledge a lapse. If you’ve pigged out at a party, don’t flog yourself. Tell yourself that it was a temporary deviation from your normal healthy eating habits.

Don’t give in to the guilt and think you might as well go hog wild and stuff yourself more since you’ve already blown it.