Subtle signs can indicate troubled marriages. According to scientists who have studied volumes of data on married couples, couples who talk negatively about their early years together have a 90% chance of divorcing. Couples who don’t fight are initially happier, but 3 years later those who bickered from the beginning of their marriage have worked out problems and have a more stable relationship. Eye-rolling – even with a smile – is bad. It signals that a spouse is no longer valued. Finally, just questioning compatibility is a sign of marital unhappiness. It seems unhappiness puts the “ i age” in marriage.
People shouldn’t put the “i” in insult if they are told they have a big head. Researchers have equated big heads with big brains; and according to a study published in Neurology, big brains deal with Alzheimer’s disease better. The brains of 270 Alzheimer’s patients were scanned. Then their heads were measured and their thinking abilities were tested. The patients with bigger heads did better on memory and cognitive tests. Nevertheless, the average male brain weighs 3 pounds. Albert Einstein’s brain weighed 2.7 pounds – and you don’t have to be an Einstein to figure out what that means.
The majority of people can’t figure out how to cover their coughs and sneezes correctly. In a New Zealand study medical students witnessed 384 coughs and sneezes during a 2-week period of swine flu. Although three-fourths of the people covered their nose and mouth, two-thirds used their hands. Health officials recommend coughing and sneezing into the elbow, but only 1 in 77 did and only 1 in 30 used a tissue or handkerchief. According to a 2007 Harris study, 1 in 4 people don’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom – 1 in 3 when it comes to "men-aces".
Plastic has become a menace because the majority of people don’t recycle it. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only 7.1% of plastic was recycled in 2008. Out of 30.5 million tons, almost 28 million tons ended up in landfills. That’s equivalent to 366,000 Boeing 737’s. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated that in 2006 4.6% of petroleum consumption – 331 million barrels – was used to manufacture plastic resin. With 40% of Americans not having access to curbside recycling and not all recycling programs accepting all kinds of plastic, we need to think outside the box – especially if the box is made of plastic.
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