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For many people, this time of year is all about the shopping. And there's a fair chance many feel less than joyful about the prospect. If fulfilling your lengthy list feels overwhelming, learning what brain science and evolutionary psychology say about shopping and gift-giving might help you understand exactly why you're stressed – and even point you toward a healthier, happier holiday season. Our reactions are encoded into our nervous system, said Dr. Beth Frates, a part-time associate professor in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "By understanding these brain responses, people can develop strategies to manage stress better, such as setting realistic expectations, focusing on mindfulness and simplifying holiday preparations," said Frates, who also is the immediate past president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. The idea of exchanging gifts at this time of year can be traced back to pagan solstice celebrations. But the drive to share with another is as old as humanity itself, said Dr. Diego Guevara Beltran, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at the University of Arizona in Tucson who studies cooperation and generosity. The science of generosity is more about survival than stocking stuffers, Guevara Beltran said. Sharing food gave early humans an evolutionary advantage. "Generosity is just one of the ways by which we can accumulate resources, be it wealth itself or friendships or work partners or more attractive, more intelligent mates," he said. Sharing with other people, Guevara Beltran said, is "a signal that communicates how much you value them, their welfare, your relationship with them." Research has shown that helping people makes us feel good. Part of that, he said, is because when someone is part of a community, they feel protected. One way this manifests is through the act of giving gifts. But to derive happiness from gift-giving, the giver needs to feel both that it was not an obligation and that it was effective, according to the . That means it could be stressful to be in a culture where gift-giving feels mandatory, or if we can't see that a gift helped someone, Guevara Beltran speculated. It also might be stressful if gift-giving becomes a competition to show that you care about somebody more than the others around them. Our brains on shopping Stressful shopping can cause several physiological responses to kick in, Frates said. First is the "fight or flight" reaction that comes with stress. The release of chemicals that increase our heart rate, raise our blood pressure and intensify our breathing evolved to give us bursts of energy to escape danger. Frates said that while holiday stressors are not life-threatening, they can still trigger the stress response. The pressure to stay within budget could create a sense of scarcity, she said. "This taps into an evolutionary response, where the fear of losing resources like money can feel urgent and distressing." The holiday season also involves a lot of choices. "The brain has limited capacity for decision-making, and making multiple decisions can lead to decision fatigue," Frates said. "This fatigue reduces the ability to self-regulate and cope, which can lead to heightened stress responses when confronted with even minor setbacks, like a long line or out-of-stock item." The stress of needing to complete tasks within a limited time can intensify the fight-or-flight response, she said, as the brain interprets the ticking clock as a sense of urgency or threat. Meanwhile, Frates said, holiday shopping can also trigger brain chemicals that affect our feelings. "Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, is released when we anticipate something exciting or enjoyable, like finding a great gift or finding a good deal," she said. "This anticipation can feel rewarding even before any actual purchase is made." For some people, this dopamine boost can make shopping a relaxing experience. "It provides a temporary distraction from other stressors and allows them to focus on something positive, creating a 'holiday high,'" Frates said. For some people, that can be problematic. "When shopping becomes a way to chase that next dopamine hit, it can lead to excessive spending or impulsive purchases," she said. "This can become a trap, particularly during the holidays, when deals, sales and gift-giving pressures are everywhere." Understanding how all these processes work can help people recognize why they feel the way they do and adopt strategies to cope, Frates said. Here are some of her suggestions. 1. Start with self-care before shopping Prioritizing self-care means people can be their best selves and make good decisions, Frates said. So, "eat food that is delicious and nutritious. Get seven to nine hours of sleep. Make sure to enjoy physical activity. Take walks when you can and invite friends along. Practice stress reduction like meditation or yoga to help you calm your body and mind." Before going shopping, try taking deep breaths using stress-relieving techniques such as 4-7-8 breathing (inhale through your nose for four counts, hold for seven counts, and exhale through your mouth for eight) or box breathing (inhale through the nose for four counts, hold your breath for four, exhale for four, then hold for four). 2. Be strategic Don't shop when you're hungry, tired, lonely or stressed, Frates said. And don't start shopping 15 minutes before a store closes or a website's online deals end, she said. That's setting yourself up for triggering the fight-or-flight response. 3. Be mindful Before making a purchase, take a moment to consider whether it's truly needed or whether it's an impulsive choice. To avoid overindulging, set a specific budget or limit yourself to a couple of hours or specific shopping days. "This keeps dopamine-driven spending in check while still allowing for the enjoyable aspects of holiday shopping," Frates said. Look for post-shopping activities that provide rewards without the financial cost. That can satisfy your brain's desire for more dopamine in a healthier way. "Plan enjoyable, stress-relieving activities after shopping, like going for a walk, spending time with friends or indulging in a hobby," she said. 4. Bring a friend Not only does this support healthy social connections, Frates said, but if things start feeling stressful, "you have a buddy, and you have a support system right there for you." 5. Rethink the focus of the season "With gift-giving, we need to change mindsets in order to be able to manage the stress," Frates said. The holidays could be used to emphasize social connections, she said. "Thinking about the connection with the person and making gift-giving more about deepening the connection than anything else, I think, will really help to reduce the stress around the process," she said. So instead of scouring shops and websites for the "perfect" gift, think about making a meaningful and personal one, she suggested. It could be a poem, a painting, a song or a framed photograph that captured a special time. 6. Lessons for children It's easy to get caught up in the hunt for a hard-to-get item, Frates said. But ask yourself what the holiday means in your family's traditions. "Is it about getting that perfect gift for the child? Or is it about celebrating the meaning of that holiday?" So instead of having children ask for one specific toy, or a specific brand of clothing, teach them to leave a little leeway on their lists. "It is a good reminder to express to children that this season is about giving and sharing what we can in the best way that we can," she said, "and sometimes the exact gift is not available." Encouraging such an attitude can be a tall order, Frates said, but it's a place to start. "A simple mindset shift could be the difference between a stressful holiday shopping season or a joyful journey to find meaningful gifts for people you care about." covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. Sign up here to get the latest health & fitness updates in your inbox every week!RJ Thompson scored 23 points -- including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 56 seconds left -- as Charleston Southern shocked host Miami 83-79 on Saturday afternoon. Miami entered the game as a 23.5-point favorite. Charleston (2-7) won its first game of the season away from home after losing its previous six road or neutral-court contests. The Buccaneers also got 21 points from Thompson Camara and 20 points and 11 rebounds from Taje' Kelly. Camara match his previous career point total. Miami (3-4), playing at home for the first time in two weeks, lost its fourth straight game. Brandon Johnson led Miami with 23 points and freshman Austin Swartz scored a career-high 15. Swartz entered the game averaging just 2.3 points For the first time this season, Miami was without Nijel Pack, who has a lower-body injury. Pack leads the team in scoring (15.2) and assists (4.7). With Pack out, five-star freshman Jalil Bethea made his first start and had six points. The game featured quite a contrast in coaches. Miami's Jim Larranaga, 75, has won 743 games in 41-plus seasons. Charleston Southern's Saah Nimley, 31, is in his full first season as a head coach. He was named interim coach in November 2023. In the first half, Miami raced to a 17-10 lead. However, Charleston Southern posted an 11-0 run to grab a 21-17 advantage. The Hurricanes lost control late in the first half as Miami's Johnson hit a 3-pointer and was hit with a technical foul for taunting. Later in the first half, Larranaga was also hit with a technical. By the end of the half, the Buccaneers led 45-37. Camara led Charleston Southern with 16 first-half points on 6-for-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 on 3-pointers. Johnson scored 12 for Miami in the opening half, all on 3-pointers. In the second half, Charleston Southern stretched its lead to 13. Miami rallied as the clock wound down. With 38 seconds left, Miami called a timeout while trailing 81-79. With 15 seconds left, Swartz missed a 3-pointer and the Buccaneers got the rebound. Daylen Berry made two free throws with 11 seconds left to ice the game. Up next, Miami will host No. 19 Arkansas on Tuesday night as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Charleston Southern will return home to face Tennessee-Martin on Tuesday night. --Field Level Media
ESTERO, Fla. (AP) — Kennard Davis' 15 points helped Southern Illinois defeat Florida Tech 81-54 on Wednesday. Davis shot 6 for 13, including 1 for 5 from beyond the arc for the Salukis (3-5). Jarrett Hensley added 14 points while going 6 of 9 (2 for 4 from 3-point range) and he also had six rebounds. Sheridan Sharp finished 5 of 6 from the floor to finish with 12 points. The Panthers were led in scoring by Donovan Brown, who finished with 17 points. Elhadji Thiam added 14 points, six rebounds and two steals for Florida Tech. Max Polk finished with 14 points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Published 14:53 IST, November 30th 2024 China's Baidu has received the licence to test autonomous vehicles with its Apollo robotaxi service in Hong Kong as it expands its footprint outside China Testing of Autonomous Cars: China's Baidu has received the licence to test autonomous vehicles with its Apollo robotaxi service in Hong Kong as it expands its footprint outside Chinese mainland. Baidu Apollo International Ltd was approved to conduct trials for 10 autonomous vehicle in North Lantau, according to a statement released by Hong Kong's Transport Department on Friday. The license will be valid from December 9, 2024 to December 8, 2029, with only one self-driving car operating on specified road sections at a time in its first phase, according to the statement. During the trial, a backup operator stationed on board shall take over control of the vehicle if necessary, it added. The Hong Kong government has since at least 2017 actively promoted autonomous vehicles, but has only recently allowed wider trials of autonomous vehicles including on public roads following the rollout of a new regulatory legislation in March this year. This is the first pilot licence given out by the Hong Kong government since the introduction of the new regulatory regime. It also marked Baidu's first known permit for autonomous vehicle testing outside mainland China. The company's robotaxi service Apollo Go is operating in multiple Chinese cities, with the largest fleet of more than 400 vehicles in central China's Wuhan city. As competition to commercialise autonomous vehicles heats up, Baidu plans to launch its robotaxi service outside mainland China, including Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported last month. This development shortly comes after the automaker announced about the price reduction and production costs of the Apollo RT6 self driving model. The company has brought down the production cost to 2,50,000 yuan (approximately $34,525). Baidu claims that this move will enhance the accessibility of autonomous driving technology in China. According to the company, the RT6 is the only mass produced Level-4 autonomous vehicle in world. Updated 14:53 IST, November 30th 2024Prior to joining the faculty at Seckinger High School, art teacher Megan Fowler's only experience with anything even resembling was a single graphic design class in college. But as her teaching career progressed, "I just felt like what I was teaching was not necessarily applicable to ," she told Business Insider. Now, Fowler, who is in her 13th year of teaching, uses AI every day. Whether she's teaching students how to use large language models like ChatGPT as an artistic thought partner, introducing kids to the , or spearheading AI-centered professional development content for fellow teachers, Fowler has fully submitted to the power of machine learning. Seckinger High School, located in , opened its doors in August 2022, right as AI went big. The public school, with an enrollment of about 2,000 students, operates like any other public school in Georgia's largest school district, with one critical distinction: Students at Seckinger learn all the standard fare — math, science, English, and social studies — via an AI-embedded educational experience. With outside help from tech partners and community collaborators, including and Microsoft, as well as higher ed experts and school district leaders, Gwinnett County Public Schools created an "AI-ready" framework for Seckinger students, replete with six components ranging from technical proficiency to ethics, said Sallie Holloway, director of artificial intelligence and computer science at the district. "Our students are making connections to their future that is not as common in other schools," Holloway said. Teachers and administrators at the school see it as their responsibility to prepare students for the jobs of the future, many of which will require , four Seckinger educators told BI. And it's an approach that is likely to pay off, according to education experts. Bree Dusseault, managing director at the Center for Reinventing Education, cited an Institute for the Future statistic that approximately 85% of the jobs that will be available in 2030 don't yet exist. "So, how do we build a school system that is helping ?" Seckinger staff members explain the school's AI approach using a water-based metaphor. Students can choose to swim, snorkel, or scuba dive in the oceans of AI. "We like to say that all of our kids are swimming in AI," said teacher Jason Hurd, who heads the AI career and technical education pathway at Seckinger. "They are exposed to it, have access to it, see it integrated into their lessons across all content areas at school." Next are the snorkelers, students who want to dive a bit deeper into the tech. They might take an AI elective class or join the robotics team. Scuba divers, meanwhile, are the students who opt to enroll in the school's AI pathway, which immerses students to the nuanced mechanics of AI via three advanced courses. These students finish high school prepared to go into a , Hurd said. AI integration at Seckinger looks very different depending on the class, subject, and teacher. For example, Scott Gaffney, a social studies teacher, uses AI to teach students historical problem-solving. In one instance, Gaffney presented students with an outbreak of cholera in 1854 London and asked them to use AI to map the spread via dot distribution. The students then used AI to analyze the data and pinpoint the nexus of the outbreak to a specific street, he told BI. " way faster than previous generations," Gaffney said. "It's fun to present them with a challenge and task them to use AI to get the solution." Hurd's AI pathway course covers everything from programming to applied reasoning to ethics. "I tell students that some days it will feel like a math class, some days it will like a philosophy class, some days it will feel like a history class," Hurd said. The school, which is currently in its third year of operations, is still in pilot mode as the district waits to see what aspects of Seckinger's AI approach are ready to scale and share across the rest of the 142-school system, Holloway said. But the anecdotal results thus far have been overwhelmingly positive, educators said. "Kids aren't skipping class as much and there's a genuine interest in how teachers are teaching this content," Holloway said. "It's not a magic bullet, but they really are seeing an increase in engagement." It helps that students at Seckinger generally feel like they know they're learning something and how it might , teachers said. While there was some early community skepticism around Seckinger's AI concept, educators said that parent attitudes have done a 180 in the last three years. "Parents want their kids to go here, and kids want to be here," Fowler said. Still in its infancy, the school has yet to graduate a cohort that spent a full four years at Seckinger. Hurd, who runs the AI pathway, said he's gotten great feedback from former students who have gone on to enroll at Georgia Tech. Similarly, Fowler said she's seen some students go on to study digital art or after graduating from Seckinger. Looking to the future Part of the fun — and challenge — for Seckinger teachers is staying up-to-date with the . When the district first began discussing the idea behind Seckinger in 2019, ChatGPT had yet to be released. Today, it has over 180 million users. "Algebra has always been algebra and will be forever," Hurd said. "But the field of AI is constantly changing. While some schools and districts are taking a hard-line approach to dealing with AI in education — or Gemini from school servers — Seckinger staff are excited to see how their students can use AI to one day change the world. "There were once things called Google and Wikipedia that people thought would ," Gaffney said. "They haven't. They've actually sharpened our future leaders." Read the original article on
City at least avoided a sixth consecutive defeat but the manner in which they blew a commanding advantage will do little to settle nerves in and around the club ahead of Sunday’s trip to Premier League leaders Liverpool. City appeared in total control after a brace from Erling Haaland and another from Ilkay Gundogan had them three up seven minutes into the second half, but after Anis Hadj Moussa got one back in the 75th minute, City imploded. “It is what it is, difficult to swallow right now,” Guardiola said. “The game was good, we played well, we scored three and could have scored more. We do everything and then we give away, especially the first one, and after we are not stable enough to do it. “It’s not about no run or no commitment, but football you have to be [switched on] in certain moments to do it.” Santiago Gimenez got Feyenoord’s second in the 82nd minute and David Hancko got a dramatic equaliser in the 89th, making City the first team in Champions League history to have led 3-0 in the 75th minute of a match and fail to win. Some City fans, who suffered through Saturday’s 4-0 humiliation at home to Tottenham, made their frustrations known at the final whistle. “The last game against Tottenham, 0-4, the supporters were there, applause,” he said. “They are disappointed of course and we understand it. “People come here not to remember success of the past, they come here to see the team win and perform well. I am not the one when the situation is bad or good [to say] what they have to do. “These supporters, when we go away, our fans are amazing, travelling. There is nothing to do and they are right to express what they feel.” Guardiola’s own frustrations were apparent given the number of scratches visible on his head after the match. The Catalan had arrived at the ground with a cut on his nose, which he said he had caused himself with a long fingernail. City now face a trip to Anfield to face the Liverpool side of former Feyenoord boss Arne Slot, whose named was chanted by the visiting fans during the match. “Everybody knows the situation, I don’t have to add absolutely anything,” Guardiola said. “We are going to train tomorrow, recovery and prepare the next game. Day off and we have two or three days to prepare that and go for it. We will learn for the future and what has been has been. “It will be a tough season for us and we have to accept it for many circumstances.” Feyenoord’s late fightback brought jubilant scenes in the away end. “I think if you’re from Feyenoord it was an unbelievable evening,” head coach Brian Priske said. “A strange game which ends 3-3 which is an unbelievable result for us and also remarkable in the essence of being 3-0 down in minute 75 away from home against still, for me, the best team in the world. “Normally we don’t celebrate draws but this one is a little bit special.”
3 nourishing recipes to cut down on ultra-processed food in 2025BLOOMINGTON — Myles Rice scored 18 points to lead Indiana to a 77-68 victory over Winthrop on Sunday. Rice made 7 of 13 shots and all four of his free throws for the Hoosiers (10-3), who improved to 9-0 at home by holding the Eagles (10-5) scoreless over the final 3:16 to wrap up the victory. He added four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Malik Reneau totaled 14 points and seven rebounds for Indiana. Trey Galloway added 11 points and five assists. Langdon Hatton had a game-high 11 rebounds to go with seven points off the bench. K.J. Doucet and Kasen Harrison both scored 14 to lead Winthrop, which fell to 1-4 on the road. Doucet grabbed 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Kelton Talford scored 13 and Paul Jones III and Nick Johnson added 10 points apiece. Rice had 12 points in the first half to help Indiana take a 41-37 advantage into the break. Doucet had eight points and Harrison and Jones both scored seven to keep Winthrop close. Luke Goode followed his basket with a three-point play to give Indiana a 54-47 lead with 15:15 left to play. Talford finished off a three-point play to get Winthrop within three with 11:34 to go. Reneau answered with a basket and Mackenzie Mgbako followed with a dunk as Indiana quickly pushed its lead back to seven. Johnson buried a 3-pointer with 3:16 remaining to pull Winthrop within a point at 69-68, but the Eagles went scoreless from there. Indiana will host Rutgers on Saturday in a Big Ten Conference matchup. Winthrop returns home to play South Carolina Upstate on Thursday in a Big South Conference opener.
Fat Joe is making sure his Bronx neighborhood is all stocked up for the Thanksgiving holiday and you gotta call him a pro Turkey giver at this point -- he's been doing it for over a decade!!! TMZ Hip Hop caught a few minutes with the super busy Joe on Tuesday outside his Up NYC boutique and the line was around the corner!!! Joe tells us it's one of his proudest moments as a native New Yorker to give back to the streets that molded him. He's also hosting another turkey drive at the other location and estimates he'll feed thousands of people!!! And, everyone who turned out got a turkey and plenty of fixins ... Joe says they also handed out mac and cheese, rice, fresh produce and more!!! Don't forget, Joe's not one of those rap stars who only pops up to the hood when there's a convenient photo op involved ... he's donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to BX schoolkids in the past year and received an honorary doctorate in May.Polytechnic Universities now operational in six cities