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This week in obvious science
Shayne Jacopian for redOrbit.com – @ObviousScience
Ahhhh, it’s our favorite time of the week: Time for another round of This Week in Obvious Science!
Science has been particularly groundbreaking this week, informing us that people who bite their nails may be bored or frustrated; melatonin might cause sleepiness; paying for expensive medications can be difficult; and exercise causes more fatigue in people who are already fatigued.
But before we get to the show, we’d like to offer a disclaimer:
If we are wrong (which we probably are) about your research being obvious, feel free to hit us with a rebuttal, explaining where we were wrong (probably everywhere) and how awesome your study actually is. We’ll gladly publish it and acknowledge our mistake. Email the editor-in-chief, Christopher Pilny, at [email protected].
Now, back to the show…
THIS WEEK IN OBVIOUS SCIENCE
1. Boredom and frustration trigger skin-picking and other compulsive behaviors via University of Montreal
According to this study, skin-picking and other repetitive behaviors (like nail-biting and hair-pulling) are more likely to develop in those who are easily bored or frustrated.
In fact, by the time we finished reading it, we didn’t have any fingernails, hair, or skin left. The redOrbit staff looks pretty terrifying, guys.
Buuuuut…per usual, there is something cool about this study.
The researchers found that when it comes to treating compulsive behaviors, medical professionals may have more luck with treatments designed to reduce frustration and boredom, as well as perfectionism—another common trait they found among subjects exhibiting compulsive behaviors.
2. Feeling sleepy? Might be the melatonin via California Institute of Technology
The summary of this publication notes that melatonin in pill form (as a supplement) can aid in sleep. Additionally, our bodies produce melatonin naturally. However, according to the study, nobody knew if natural melatonin had any effect on sleep until after the study was done.
Okay, wait a minute. Melatonin can be produced in the form of a pill, and this pill is taken to aid sleep. Melatonin is also produced naturally by the human body. So if both are melatonin, then wouldn’t they both be involved in sleep?
The authors apparently predicted such a question:
“This is a reasonable response based on articles in newspapers and melatonin products available on the Internet. However, while some scientific studies show that supplemental melatonin can help to promote sleep, many studies failed to observe this, so the effectiveness of melatonin supplements is controversial. More importantly, these studies don’t tell you anything about what naturally occurring melatonin normally does in the body.”
But…it’s all melatonin, right?! (This feels a lot like last week’s study that found no correlation between exercise and improvement in artery health, yet found sitting all day could hurt artery health.)
Regardless, the study finds some cool new stuff about melatonin. The nature of the hormone has been controversial, since there was no explanation for nocturnal animals that produce more melatonin at night during the day, just like animals that sleep at night. However, this study finds that melatonin doesn’t aid sleep, but rather, it regulates it, keeping organisms’ circadian rhythms in check.
So this one is only half obvious. The other half is pretty neat.
3. Alternative way to pay for expensive drugs may be needed, analysis says via RAND Corporation
According to an analysis by the Rand Corporation, paying for $1,000 per pill medications is a bit different than, say, going to the store and buying a bottle of Tylenol, and may require a different approach.
Yup.
4. Study shows why exercise magnifies exhaustion for chronic fatigue syndrome patients via University of Florida
Oh, this is good.
What causes chronic fatigue patients to be fatigued by exercise—something that tends to cause fatigue?
One answer is the neural pathways that transmit feelings of fatigue. Another answer could be muscles.
The study found that lactic acid and ATP, produced when muscles are used, activate the neural pathways for fatigue. Can you guess what causes chronic fatigue? That’s right—the neural pathways are more sensitive in some people, causing them to be more exhausted than everyone else.
Thanks for sticking around for This Week in Obvious Science! We hope to see you again next week, and until then, follow @ObviousScience on Twitter!
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Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113352056/this-week-in-obvious-science-031315/
