Does wearing high heels boosts confidence?

@healthbiztips beauty beauty blog confidence healthbiztips high heels psychology psychology blog

Does wearing high heels boosts confidence?

1:54 PM

Does wearing high heels boosts confidence? | Healthbiztips | photo credit: Valery Sysoev @valerysysoev @unsplash

Does wearing high heels boosts confidence? | Healthbiztips

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | health | beauty | psychology

Individuals striding in high heels gives bystanders the impression of fearlessness and empowerment, but does standing in a high platform really build confidence or is it just an illusion created by assuming such tall stature?

Yes, walking in high heels does give certain people confidence. Wearing high heels changes the body's center of gravity, so in order to be able to walk in high heels, one has to assume a good posture in which the chest is held out, tummy is held in, and the head is positioned in line with the spine. This obliges the wearer to stand straight which many may find attractive and professional.

In a way, standing in high heels commands it's wearer to take on a high power pose. The highly criticized research by Amy Cuddy reveals that adopting a high power pose, in which the individual stands or sits straight with hands spread out to assume a dominant posture even for as little as 2 minutes can have a significant biochemical effect on a person, such that it increases the level of testosterone while decreasing the stress hormone cortisol. This hormonal changes makes the person feel positive and less anxious.

If you want to grab attention, then high heels is your friend. A study reveals that the higher the heels women wear, the more they get noticed, particularly by men. Wearing heels is fashion statement that speaks height, attractiveness, and femininity.

I did mention that high heels does indeed increases the confidence of "certain people" because high heels is absolutely not a confidence builder for all type of people. For example, take the case of a woman whose height is 5'10" and imagine how she might feel in a crowd when she wears an incredibly high heels. Indeed, she would really stand out in a weird way.

Let's not forget that wearing high heels regularly can have negative repercussions because it increases the risk of musculoskeletal problem and injury as it puts the feet in an unnatural position.

In my opinion, walking in high heels is a complicated stance, especially to those who are not used to it. I know a person who got so embarrassed for falling in a high heel that she vow never to wear it again as it certainly did an awful impact on her confidence. On the hand, I know a woman who gains incredible confidence when she's on high heels. Whether or not wearing high heels will increase one's confidence still depends on the preference and mindset of the one whose wearing it.

How to Improve Self-esteem

@healthbiztips blog healthbiztips psychology psychology blog self-esteem

How to Improve Self-esteem

8:47 AM

How to Improve Self-esteem; photo credit: Bart LaRue @bartlarueeppler @unsplash

How to Improve Self-esteem | Healthbiztips

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | psychology blog

People with high self-esteem feels a sense of self-worth and respect. Having an affirmative self-image is undeniably a crucial part of a sound psychology.

It's this unconditional self-love many people want more.

While there are factors like upbringing and life events we can't control, there are still ways we can use to build self-esteem.


Accept your self

Self-esteem is an unconditional self-love. You can have all that you've ever wanted in life but still end up having a tiny sense of self-worth. Here's where the mindset of a person comes to play.

In order for you to love yourself, you have to first accept yourself. You have to reflect on certain traits such as your weakness and strengths and recognize them.

Only by accepting those characteristics can you know those characters which you can change and those which you can not.


It's about improvement, not failure

Failure is a normal consequence of trying. Failure, while might seem dire, is often unavoidable. You have to keep in mind that no one is perfect, including you.

It is understandable that there are many who are afraid of committing a mistake, because an error can be fatal.

In theory, mistake is unacceptable, but we live in a world where mistake is a part of reality that we  have to accept and rectify.


Stop comparing
There are a lot of people who tend to compare themselves with others, in which they judge their success base on how far off their achievements are than that of their peers. When a person uses his or her friends achievement as a scale they have to reach in order to gain self-acceptance, then there is no real self-love there.


Purpose

Finding your purpose in life is something that makes mortality worthwhile. What is it that you want to do in your life? Often, finding one's purpose can be tricky and hard.


Think positive

Having a positive outlook in life is an indispensable tool to achieve a good mental health. It's your way of thinking that can ultimately have the most profound impact on your self-esteem.

Directing your thoughts on the positive side of every situation can get you through tough times. On the other hand, if your focus on the negative aspect of events, you can get drained and stressed out.


Grow

Self-esteem is not an unshakeable state of mind. There are life events or traumatic situations that can rattle your self-esteem. Allow yourself time to heal and move on.

In whatever field you choose, it is important to never stop improving yourself despite setbacks.

Physical appearance Impacts Student's Self-esteem

@healthbiztips healthbiztips psychology psychology blog school self-esteem

Physical appearance Impacts Student's Self-esteem

10:23 AM

Physical appearance Impacts Student's Self-esteem. photo credit: Emma Matthews @unsplash

Physical appearance Impacts Student's Self-esteem | Healthbiztips

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | psychology blog

A research reveals that student's physical appearance has a tremendous impact on their self-esteem. Looks matter so much that it out-weights academic performance in delivering happiness to the student.

Of course, schools are institutions designed to inculcate new skills and information. It's where you study hard, do school projects, cram on take-home assignments, and endure classes, to which in return, they pay you with metamorphic salary, in the form of intangible grades.

Of course, these "wages" students take home to their parents are important as it certainly does have tangible impact on their old folk's view of their child's present and future prospect.

Grades, in turn, especially when it's really good can build a child's positive self-esteem, but do you know that there is another thing that can give these young people true self-love?

In a school setting, there is a quality that can be far superior than grades in boosting a student's self-esteem--it's physical appearance. Looks matter. If you think about it, it's not that surprising that you value yourself based on how well you look. Heck, even just a single pimple can ruin self-confidence, especially when it's centerpiece.


What is self-esteem?

Each person has a degree to which they value their self, that is what we call self-esteem. A positive self-esteem can be the very thing which makes you love yourself when all the other's don't...well, apart from narcissism.

So, if we want to build a genuine self-confident person, self-esteem is the worst thing to neglect. Sure, focusing on your looks may seem like a superficial reason to love yourself more, but there's no doubt that it is indeed a very good reason.



In fact, a study reveals that a student's self concept of physical appearance has a greater impact than academic performance in having a positive self-esteem, especially among girls. Academic standing and interpersonal bonds still has huge bearing in a student's self-esteem, but this research shows how self-image surpass both.

So, now that we know how a student perceive his or her physical appearance strongly affects self-esteem, should we go about questioning the weird uniform, strict school-approved outfits, or the no-make up policy certain academic institutions have in place?

This is a complicated matter. School policies about grooming and proper attire may have reasonable justifications. For example, schools enforce certain rules to avoid certain kind of foreseeable problems. Often, when a child voices out concern about certain school policies, it is taken by the school as a sign of insubordination that challenges their institution's rules. But, in my experience, I find it helpful when the student council or parents intervene by talking to those encharge of the school.


For years, it has been told that school is a place of learning, but it does have a great influence on shaping one's attitude and perception.


Self-esteem that's reliant upon physical appearance can be the reason why a student persists in wearing lip gloss during class. It is the underlying cause of how a pimple can bring down one's confidence. It's why a nice uniform can make you feel good about yourself. It's why you feel ridiculous underneath that baggy uniform.


Resource:

Baudson, Tanja G et al. “More Than Only Skin Deep: Appearance Self-Concept Predicts Most of Secondary School Students' Self-Esteem.” Frontiers in psychology vol. 7 1568. 18 Oct. 2016, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01568

Moving your Eyes from side-to-side Improves Memory

@healthbiztips addiction brain healthbiztips memory psychology psychology blog

Moving your Eyes from side-to-side Improves Memory

10:50 PM

Moving your Eyes from side-to-side Improves Memory | Healthbiztips 
photo credit: Andrii Podilnyk @yirage @unsplash

Moving your Eyes from side-to-side Improves Memory | Healthbiztips

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | psychology blog

Memory is a crucial part of our everyday life, whether you have an upcoming examination or just trying to remember the name of the person  you've just met. Did you know that you can actually boosts your brain power simply by shifting your gaze from side to side in as short as 30 seconds.

Research by Andrew Parker and his colleagues uncovers that moving the eyes from side to side help people recall words. You may be wondering if moving the eyes up and down hacks the brain to enhance your memory, however, their studies reveal that it does not.

How is this possible? Moving the eyes from side to side for 30 seconds works because it triggers both hemisphere of the brain to interact. When you move your eyes to the right, it activates the left hemisphere of your brain, and when you move your eyes to the left, it activates the right part of your brain.


Related blog posts:

Is it true that talking to yourself makes you smarter?

Ginkgo Biloba sharpens memory and enhances attention.

It takes longer for liars to respond on text messenges

@healthbiztips healthbiztips liar psychology psychology blog

It takes longer for liars to respond on text messenges

12:21 AM

It takes longer for liars to respond on text messages | Healthbiztips

It takes longer for liars to respond on text messages | Healthbiztips

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | psychology blog

Have you ever had that gut instinct that someone is not being truthful on their response to your text messages? Well, it turns out there are clues to know if someone is indeed lying. One of those is to take a closer look into their response time. You see, it takes an individual longer to respond to a text message or chat when they are telling a lie.

It is often hard to  find out if someone is lying on their text message because unlike in a face to face interaction, we do not have the benefit of seeing real time facial expression and body language that can potentially give them away.

Yes, it is undeniable that pointing out that someone is lying simply on the basis that it took them a hefty long time to respond may seem unfair and downright wrong. That's because although this method is proven by research to have significance, it is not foolproof.

You can't convict a liar solely on the fact that it takes them a long time to respond, but it does give you a good factor to consider when judging to the true intent and nature of that person.


Resources:

Brigham Young University. (2013, September 5). People who lie while texting take longer to respond. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 18, 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130905113654.htm

What is the difference between depression and loneliness?

@healthbiztips depression healthbiztips loneliness mental health mental health blog psychology psychology blog

What is the difference between depression and loneliness?

7:54 PM

What is the difference between depression and loneliness? | Healthbiztips

Is loneliness and depression the same? | Healthbiztips

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | psychology blog

It is worth knowing that although loneliness and depression are associated with extreme feeling of sadness, these two are completely different things.

To a layman, the difference between loneliness and depression may not be apparent.


Let's look into loneliness. Have you ever felt the emotional pain caused by being far away from your family or loved ones? Have you ever experienced the pain of a break up?

Loneliness is the sadness a person feels caused by the absence of or being away from close relations like family, friends, and intimate relations.

In Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we learn that love and belonging  is a basic human need that needs to be fulfilled in order for a person to be motivated to achieve self-actualization. Other basic human needs include physiological needs (such as food, water, sleep, and clothing), safety, and self-esteem.

Humans can go to such extremes just to feel accepted and loved because the sense of belonging is a basic human needs.

When our need to belong is not met, it is normal to feel the pain of loneliness. Did you know that this feeling actually activates the same area of the brain that processes physical pain, thus, the pain experienced is real.

Loneliness stems from the absence of close ties and meaningful relationships.

Depression

Depression is mental health problem in which a person experiences profound sadness, worthlessness, and hopelessness. While loneliness is a normal and temporary response, depression is a serious mental illness that needs to be addressed and treated.

Depression affects both the individuals mental and psysical state. Below are several of it's manifestations:

• adhedonia (inability to feel pleasure)
• inability to feel pleasure in previouslt enjoyable activities
• loss of appetite
• fatigue
• sleep disturbance
• social withdrawal
• loss of self-esteem
• feeling of worthlessness
• inability to concentrate and think clearly
• loss of purpose and meaning in life
• developing suicidal thoughts

What causes depression?

The exact cause of depression if hard to point out, but there are several factors linked to it's development:

• genetics and family history
• mental health disorder such as bipolar disorder
• medications such as corticosteroid and isotretinoin
• unpleasant life experiences
• history of experiencing abuse
• death of a loved one

To summarize, loneliness is the feeling of temporary sadness that an individual experiences due to the absence of the basic need of being loved and accepted. On the other hand, depression if a serious mental health problem characterized by long lasting feeling of extreme sadness that's debilitating to a person's normal functioning.

Children who are Good at Lying tend to be Successful adults

@healthbiztips brain child children healthbiztips lying psychology psychology blog

Children who are Good at Lying tend to be Successful adults

3:59 AM

Children who are Good at Lying tend to be Successful adults | Healthbiztips

When a child tells a lie, is it bad? | Healthbiztips

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | psychology blog

If you want to be a successful adult, then as a child, you should focus on your grades and studies. Lying almost feels like cheating, but a research brings childhood lying into a better light.

A study by Dr. Kang Lee, the director of the Institute of Child Study at Toronto University, challenges the common notion that "honesty is the best policy".

The research finding reveals that being able to tell convincing lies at such a young age is a sign of good brain development and reflects competence in terms of social interaction.

Every good parent wants what's best for their children. But, many of them are not aware that lying is a common thing people do, which does not exclude children.

Lying is a form of deception but it isn't always bad. Think of the white lies you've told your colleagues just to make them feel happy or avoid senseless conflict. Have you ever thought about those lies you've told your interviewer so just you get the job?


Turns out, telling a lie requires higher brain processing that controls the executive functioning. So, anyone can tell a lie, but there are those who can tell it in a manner that makes it seem like the fake is authentic.


If you're worrying that your children will turn delinquent because of the lies they utter, then fear not. Turns out, delinquents are usually bad at lying. In fact, the research reveals that childhood lying have no impact on cheating on examinations, and becoming fraudulent later in life.


Of course, the fact that a study reveals a positive side of lying doesn't really make the act less ethical. There's always the question regarding it's morality.

Dr. Kang Lee still points out that parents who catch their child lying should take the opportunity to speak to their child regarding the untruthfulness of their words in a constructive manner.


In conclusion, when parents find out that their children are telling a lie, it shouldn't always be a cause of alarm. Research has reveal that children who tell good lies have good brain functioning and development. It is worthwhile to note that every child is unique so every situation should still be taken with regards to it's context.