…when making anti-gay statements starts being seen as near-definitive proof of one’s being gay him- or her-self, some of these f$@$@#(s will just keep their yaps shut.

Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

There is, apparently, what might be called a Neuroscience of Belly Dancing — including a small literature on what skills at a young age predict belly dancing ability at an older age.

If you’ve got nothing better to do this afternoon, you can read all about it in “Impact of motor abilities on belly dance performance in female high school students,” a study about which I would have had a great deal of skepticism were I the grant administrator:

The aim of the study was to determine the relation of motor abilities and belly dance performance in female high school students, 1st to 4th graders aged 15-18 years. A battery of 19 motor tests were used and nine belly dance elements evaluated in the study sample that included 148 students aged 15-16 (1st and 2nd graders) and 123 students aged 17-18 (3rd and 4th graders). Factor analysis of the motor space isolated six factors in either study group: in 1st and 2nd graders, the first factor integrated coordination, trunk strength, aerobic and muscle endurance, and speed of lower extremity movements; second factor defined explosive strength; third factor defined flexibility; fourth factor defined rhythm coordination; fifth factor defined equilibrium; and sixth factor defined back musculature strength; in 3rd and 4th graders, the first factor integrated coordination and lower extremity explosive strength; second factor defined flexibility; third factor integrated trunk strength and aerobic-muscular endurance; fourth factor defined equilibrium; fifth factor defined rhythm coordination; and sixth factor defined lower extremity strength. Factor analysis of the scores allocated to particular belly dance elements isolated only one factor as a factor of the general specific ability for belly dance performance. Regression analysis in the latent space indicated the factor of flexibility, which is responsible for muscle tone regulation, to be the best predictor of belly dance performance in 1st and 2nd graders. In 3rd and 4th graders, the factor of rhythm coordination was found to be superior in predicting belly dance performance, followed by the factor of trunk strength and aerobic-muscular endurance, the factor integrating coordination and lower extremity strength, and factor of equilibrium.

So, rhythm coordination is apparently the key. All of which is just an excuse to link to this page of videos of a belly dancing robot.

HT: Mind Hacks

Off to a good start...

Are elderly Koreans more jolly the fatter they are? Has this question kept you up at night? If so, take a gander at, “Obesity and depressive symptoms in elderly Koreans: Evidence for the ‘Jolly Fat’ hypothesis from the Ansan Geriatric (AGE) Study“:

The current study is to examine the association between obesity and depressive symptoms and to test the validity of “Jolly Fat” hypothesis in elderly Koreans. A total of 1229 elderly (60-85 years old) Koreans selected from the Ansan Geriatric Study participated in this study. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from the measured weights and heights of subjects. Overweight and obese were defined as BMI >/=23 and >/=25, respectively. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 30-item Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (K-GDS), with a cutoff point of 18. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in elderly Korean women was higher than in men (20.9% vs. 9.2%, p<0.001). Among elderly women, higher mean values of obesity indexes, such as weight, BMI, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio, and body fat mass, were found in normal subjects than in those with depressive symptoms. No such differences were found in elderly men. Obese elderly women were less likely to suffer from depressive symptoms compared to those with apparently normal weight (odds ratio (OR)=0.63, 95% CI: 0.41-0.96). This inverse association was evident after adjustment for confounders, such as age, education, personal expenses, smoking, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, self-perceived health, presence of chronic disease, and cognitive function. Our data are consistent with the “Jolly Fat” hypothesis being valid only in women, but not in men, among elderly Koreans. A causal relationship between obesity and depressive symptoms should be evaluated in future studies in elderly Korean women.

Finally, women catch a break on a weight-related cultural norm. At least elderly Korean women.

HT: Barking up the wrong tree

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Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

Everybody’s set to make fun of Tiger Woods should he decide to claim “sex addiction.” Maybe, though, he could avoid that trope by trying this more exotic diagnosis: the first male case of Restless Genital Syndrome.

Prof. Dr. Marcel D. Waldinger of The Hague Leyenburg General Hospital, in The Netherlands, describes it here:

Restless Genital Syndrome is a medical disorder that has been reported only in women.

These women report weird sensations at the clitoris, vagina, labia and the region around the vagina, (such as on the pubic bone and the groins) and sometimes the anal region. These sensations have previously been called Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome (PSAS) and Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD).

The weird sensations consist of tingling, itching-like and wave-like sensations, small shocks or cramps in or around the clitoris and vagina. Women usually experience a close to orgasm sensation as if they are on the verge on getting an orgasm. These feelings do not cease like in a genuine orgasm but lead to an imperative urge to masturbate or to have intercourse in an attempt to get rid of these feelings. Miraculously, while having these sensations, women do not long for or fantasize about sex.

Unfortunately, masturbation or intercourse do not lead to a diminishment of the genital sensations, but, usually, aggravate the sensations.

The sensations are usually present the whole day, aggravate with sitting down and are often accompanied by restless legs (restless legs syndrome; RLS) and a frequent urge to void (overactive bladder syndrome; OAB).

Restless genital syndrome makes a woman often completely desperate. Most affected women do not talk about their complaints out of embarrassment. Avoidance to talk with anybody else about the complaints usually leads to social isolation meaning the losing of friends, who usually do not understand what is the matter.

Tiger’s wife, in turn, might want to claim Restless Golf Club Syndrome.

HT: Improbable Research

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Image by mcclave via Flickr

Do kids enjoy going to see Santa? That sounds like a question for science:

Four recent informal successive yearly enquiries of the emotions of 1,050 children (total) immediately before their visit with Santa Claus at a shopping mall suggested that about 80% displayed facial expressions, judged by an observer, as indicating indifference. To investigate possible change in emotions of children immediately after their visit with Santa, this study was conducted in 2007. Of the 280 exiting children observed, about 60% appeared to be indifferent.

So, 20% of kids shifted from indifference before Santa to… something else.

Also funny: How many times this study has been replicated.

HT: NCBI ROFL

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