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PloS One 2024Catchiness and groove are common phenomena when listening to popular music. Catchiness may be a potential factor for experiencing groove but quantitative evidence for...
Catchiness and groove are common phenomena when listening to popular music. Catchiness may be a potential factor for experiencing groove but quantitative evidence for such a relationship is missing. To examine whether and how catchiness influences a key component of groove-the pleasurable urge to move to music (PLUMM)-we conducted a listening experiment with 450 participants and 240 short popular music clips of drum patterns, bass lines or keys/guitar parts. We found four main results: (1) catchiness as measured in a recognition task was only weakly associated with participants' perceived catchiness of music. We showed that perceived catchiness is multi-dimensional, subjective, and strongly associated with pleasure. (2) We found a sizeable positive relationship between PLUMM and perceived catchiness. (3) However, the relationship is complex, as further analysis showed that pleasure suppresses perceived catchiness' effect on the urge to move. (4) We compared common factors that promote perceived catchiness and PLUMM and found that listener-related variables contributed similarly, while the effects of musical content diverged. Overall, our data suggests music perceived as catchy is likely to foster groove experiences.
Topics: Humans; Music; Female; Male; Adult; Auditory Perception; Young Adult; Pleasure; Adolescent; Acoustic Stimulation
PubMed: 38748741
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303309 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2024Physical inactivity is a risk factor for obesity and non-communicable diseases. Despite myriad health and non-health benefits resulting from physical activity (PA), most... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
INTRODUCTION
Physical inactivity is a risk factor for obesity and non-communicable diseases. Despite myriad health and non-health benefits resulting from physical activity (PA), most individuals do not meet PA recommendations. Providing an incentive for meeting activity goals may increase activity levels. Classical economists argue that cash is the best incentive. Behavioral economists have posited that hedonic (pleasurable) incentives (e.g., massages, restaurant meals) may be superior to cash when incentives are offered over multiple time periods. To date, no studies have directly compared the effectiveness of cash versus hedonic incentives in promoting PA across multiple time periods.
METHODS
We conducted a two-arm, parallel, 4-month randomized controlled trial with healthy adults in Singapore where participants were randomized to either cash or hedonic incentives. Participants could earn up to SGD50 (≈USD37) in cash or hedonic incentives each month they met the study's step target of 10,000 steps daily on at least 20/25 days out of the first 28 days of a month. The primary objective was to compare the mean proportion of months that participants met the step target between the two arms.
RESULTS
By month 4, participants in the cash ( = 154) and hedonic incentive ( = 156) arms increased their mean daily steps by 870 ( < 0.001) and 1,000 steps ( < 0.001), respectively. The mean proportion of months the step target was achieved was 90.53 and 88.34 for participants in the cash and hedonic incentive arms respectively, but differences across arms were small and not statistically significant for this or any outcome assessed.
CONCLUSION
Our findings suggest that both cash and hedonic incentives are effective at promoting physical activity but that neither strategy is clearly superior.: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04618757 registered on November 6, 2020.
Topics: Humans; Motivation; Female; Male; Singapore; Exercise; Adult; Middle Aged; Health Promotion; Reward
PubMed: 38745998
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1354814 -
Cancers Apr 2024It is our pleasure to serve as the guest editors for the journal for this Special Issue, titled "Comprehensive Review on Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: An Update in...
It is our pleasure to serve as the guest editors for the journal for this Special Issue, titled "Comprehensive Review on Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: An Update in 2023" [...].
PubMed: 38730566
DOI: 10.3390/cancers16091613 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Generally, beauty has been regarded as an outward expression of elegance and harmony, providing visual pleasure and evoking a sense of aesthetic enjoyment. However, in...
Generally, beauty has been regarded as an outward expression of elegance and harmony, providing visual pleasure and evoking a sense of aesthetic enjoyment. However, in recent years, a phenomenon called "ugly-cute" has emerged, challenging the conventional standards of beauty by embracing a form of "ugliness" to enhance its appeal. The reasons and mechanisms behind this phenomenon remain largely unexplored so far. This study aims to investigate the role of emotions, such as pleasure, humor, and surprise, in the relationship between ugly-cute characteristics and attractiveness. The findings reveal that general beauty directly generates attractiveness by eliciting pleasurable emotions, whereas ugly-cute memes achieve attractiveness by inducing pleasurable emotions through the mediation of humor. Furthermore, while both "ugly" and "ugly-cute" memes evoke a sense of surprise, that elicited by ugly-cute memes is accompanied by a humorous response, thereby enhancing their attractiveness, whereas the "ugly" memes fail to evoke humor and lack attractiveness. Finally, we discuss the potential implications and practical value of the current research.
PubMed: 38725958
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1340552 -
BJPsych Open May 2024Few previous studies have established Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) cut-off values using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and applied these...
BACKGROUND
Few previous studies have established Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) cut-off values using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and applied these values to compare predictors of anhedonia between clinical and nonclinical groups.
AIMS
To determine the optimal cut-off values for the SHAPS and use them to identify predictors of anhedonia in clinical and nonclinical groups in Taiwan.
METHOD
This cross-sectional and correlational study used convenience sampling to recruit 160 patients from three hospitals and 412 students from two universities in northern Taiwan. Data analysis included receiver operating characteristic curve, univariate and multivariate analyses.
RESULTS
The optimal SHAPS cut-off values were 29.5 and 23.5 for the clinical and nonclinical groups, respectively. Moreover, two-stage analysis revealed that participants in the clinical group who perceived themselves as nondepressed, and participants in the nonclinical group who did not skip classes and whose fathers exhibited higher levels of care and protection were less likely to attain the cut-off values. Conversely, participants in the nonclinical group who reported lower academic satisfaction and were unwilling to seek help from family or friends were more likely to attain the cut-off values.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings highlight the importance of optimal cut-off values in screening for depression risk within clinical and nonclinical groups. Accordingly, the development of comprehensive, individualised programmes to monitor variation trends in SHAPS scores and relevant predictors of anhedonia across different target populations is crucial.
PubMed: 38721787
DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2024.35 -
BMC Women's Health May 2024In this study we shed light on ongoing trends in contraceptive use in Flanders (Belgium). Building on the fundamental cause theory and social diffusion of innovation...
BACKGROUND
In this study we shed light on ongoing trends in contraceptive use in Flanders (Belgium). Building on the fundamental cause theory and social diffusion of innovation theory, we examine socio-economic gradients in contraceptive use and the relationship to health behaviours.
METHODS
Using the unique and recently collected (2020) ISALA data, we used multinomial logistic regression to model the uptake of contraceptives and its association to educational level and health behaviour (N:4316 women).
RESULTS
Higher educated women, and women with a healthy lifestyle especially, tend to use non-hormonal contraceptives or perceived lower-dosage hormonal contraceptives that are still trustworthy from a medical point of view. Moreover, we identified a potentially vulnerable group in terms of health as our results indicate that women who do not engage in preventive health behaviours are more likely to use no, or no modern, contraceptive method.
DISCUSSION
The fact that higher educated women and women with a healthy lifestyle are less likely to use hormonal contraceptive methods is in line with patient empowerment, as women no longer necessarily follow recommendations by healthcare professionals, and there is a growing demand for naturalness in Western societies.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study can therefore be used to inform policy makers and reproductive healthcare professionals, since up-to-date understanding of women's contraceptive choices is clearly needed in order to develop effective strategies to prevent sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies, and in which women can take control over their sexuality and fertility in a comfortable and pleasurable way.
Topics: Humans; Female; Adult; Belgium; Contraception Behavior; Health Behavior; Young Adult; Educational Status; Middle Aged; Adolescent; Contraception; Choice Behavior; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
PubMed: 38706007
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-024-03079-y -
Frontiers in Public Health 2024A large proportion of young people reports poor mental health, which is a major public health concern. Positive mental health is important for young people's... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
A large proportion of young people reports poor mental health, which is a major public health concern. Positive mental health is important for young people's development, quality of life, functioning in everyday life, and long-term possibilities. Thus, there is a great need to develop and implement mental health-promoting initiatives and activities in young people's lives. Participating in organized leisure communities has a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing. However, more knowledge is still needed about and participating in organized leisure communities targeting young people can promote mental health. The aim of this study was to gain knowledge about the mental health-promoting potential of organized leisure communities for young people by exploring the that contribute to mental health promotion.
METHOD
Given the complexity of the subject, this study implemented a realist review approach to explore the interaction between context, mechanism, and outcome. The study follows Pawsons' five key steps for conducting a realist review: (1) clarify scope, (2) search for evidence, (3) study selection criteria, and procedures, (4) data extraction, and (5) data synthesis and analysis. The literature was systematically searched in the four databases PsycINFO, Scopus, Embase, and SocIndex.
RESULTS
In the literature search, a total of 11,249 studies were identified, of which 52 studies met the inclusion criteria. Based on the 52 studies, seven different contexts i.e., types of organized leisure communities for young peoples were identified. Across the seven different types of organized leisure communities, five active ingredients that promoted the mental health of young people were identified: social connectedness, development of skills, development of self-confidence, pleasure-driven participation, and safety and trust.
CONCLUSION
This review contributes important knowledge about how to promote young people's mental health when participating in organized leisure communities. Moving forward, an important task consists of establishing and maintaining the five active ingredients in organized leisure communities through e.g., education and training that strengthens the skills and knowledge of those responsible for facilitating the leisure communities, such as sports coaches or music teachers, as these adults play a central role in supporting the active ingredients.
Topics: Humans; Health Promotion; Leisure Activities; Mental Health; Adolescent; Young Adult; Quality of Life
PubMed: 38694971
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1336736 -
Hamostaseologie Apr 2024It is an honor and a great pleasure for us to be guest editors for this special issue of , which addresses important issues surrounding the complex of venous...
It is an honor and a great pleasure for us to be guest editors for this special issue of , which addresses important issues surrounding the complex of venous thromboembolism (VTE). In February 2023, the revised guideline on "Diagnostics and Therapy of Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism" has been published on the website of the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF)1. This guideline was drawn up under the leadership of the German Society of Angiology (DGA), and representatives of 17 scientific societies contributed to its content. As an S2k guideline, its recommendations are consensus based and are the result of a systematic review and evaluation of current evidence and consideration of the benefits and harms of diagnostic and therapeutic options. In this special issue, guideline authors provide a comprehensive overview of selected guideline topics which might be of clinical relevance to our readers and our community of haemostaseologists.
Topics: Humans; Germany; Venous Thromboembolism; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Anticoagulants; Pulmonary Embolism
PubMed: 38688265
DOI: 10.1055/a-2239-0770 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Studies have established the benefits of horticultural therapy and activities for human health and well-being. Nonetheless, limited research has been conducted on the...
INTRODUCTION
Studies have established the benefits of horticultural therapy and activities for human health and well-being. Nonetheless, limited research has been conducted on the potential restorative advantages and distinctions between different types of horticultural activities in terms of stress reduction.
METHODS
This study employed a quantitative research method to investigate the stress recovery benefits of five horticultural activities (flower arrangement, sowing and transplanting seeds, crafting, pressed flower card making, and decorative bottle painting with dried flowers) and one reference activity (short composition writing) for children. The experiment was conducted in a children's activity center's multi-purpose classroom with 48 elementary students aged 9-12 years. The subjects first took a stress test to induce stress and then engaged in horticultural activities for 20 min. Physiological stress was assessed using electrocardiograms and electroencephalograms as feedback indicators. Psychological and emotional changes were determined using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children and Self-Assessment Manikin scales.
RESULTS
The results demonstrated that horticultural activities greatly reduced physiological fatigue, and their recovery benefits were significantly greater than those of the reference activity. The recovery effects from different horticultural activities were similar across physiological indicators, although flower arrangement and sowing and transplanting seeds exhibited relatively robust recovery benefits. The heart rate and α-EEG-based generalized estimating equation revealed that horticultural activities offered significantly better relative recovery at each time phase of operation than the reference activity, with girls showing a 3.68% higher relative recovery value than boys. Flower arrangement and crafting offered better physiological recovery for students with prior horticultural experience, and these two activities received the highest scores in terms of positive effects and the "pleasure" dimension. Students believed that participating in horticultural activities resulted in a noteworthy increase in personal confidence and a greater sense of achievement.
CONCLUSION
The study suggests that horticultural activities that involve real and vibrant plants or natural materials and are more attractive have more stress-relieving benefits. We conclude that horticultural activities are beneficial leisure activities that aid in stress relief for children and that it is important to consider the attributes of activities when developing horticultural programs for elementary students.
PubMed: 38680274
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1352186