Do you really know who you are? This is not a trick question but rather an honest understanding into the inner workings of each one of us. We usually share with our friends a piece of who we are, the piece that we want them to like or connect with. However, there is a secret, a hidden piece that doesn’t want to be noticed by others.

Our personal inner beliefs play a vital role in the way we think, act and live. They set us up to accept a belief and then it is the belief that separates our personal story. There are numerous people who have taken on the pain and suffering of their parents. Some have devoted their lives to living with lack; that is lack of love because they saw what they thought was love while in the crib(婴儿床) and it frightened them. Subconsciously(潜意识地) they made great efforts in their lives to avoid a similar experience.

Each one of us carries around with us our inner beliefs. If one of your beliefs is one that causes you to hold back from getting the perfect job or blocking love to come to you, that belief is a negative belief and one that needs to be dealt with if you are seeking a life of joy, contentment and personal success, whether it is emotional, spiritual, financial or physical.

Do not let your blocked or frozen emotions guide the way you want to lead your life. Now it is your time to finally become victorious over those past situations that have upset you during your entire life and become the winner you were born to be.

Quiet carriages on trains are a nice idea: travellers voluntarily turn phones to silent, turn stereos off and keep chatter to a minimum. In reality, there is usually at least one inane babbler (话痨) to break the silence.

A couple of problems prevent peaceful trips. First, there is a sorting problem: some passengers end up in the quiet carriage by accident and are not aware of the rules. Second, there is a commitment problem: noise is sometimes made by travellers who choose the quiet carriage but find an important call hard to ignore.

The train operators are trying to find answers. Trains in Queensland, Australia, are having long-time signs added to show exactly what is expected; a British operator has put lots of money in signal-jamming technology to prevent phone calls. Microeconomics suggests another approach: putting a price on noise.

Fining(罚款) people for making a noise would surely dissuade the polluter and sounds a neat solution, but it requires costly monitoring. Another way would be to use prices to separate quiet and noisy passengers. A simple idea would be to sell access to the quiet carriage as an optional extra when the ticket is bought. Making the quiet coach both an active choice and a costly one would dissuade many of those who do not value a peaceful ride.

Charging may also solve the commitment problem. This is particularly tricky, as attitudes to noise can change during the journey. Some passengers would pay the extra money but still chatter away when some very important news arrives. Programs that reward the silent—a rating system among fellow passengers, for example—could help. But such a system also fails the simplicity test.

A 2010 book by George Akerlof and Rachel Kranton argues that “norms”—feelings about how everyone should behave—also play a role in decision-making. Charging a price, even if just a token (象征性的) amount, means the quiet carriage becomes a service that fellow passengers have bought, not just a preference they have expressed. Perhaps different norms would come into play, encouraging calm.

When we’re in need, we always turn to our parents for help. But would you like them to hear the conversations you have with your friends on the school playground or lunch queue? Social networking sites have become extensions (延伸) of the school hallways, so would you add your parents as “friends” and allow them to view your online activities and conversations with friends?

In the past the generation gap included a technology gap, where children were up to date with latest technology and parents were left behind, content to continue their day to day lives as they always had because they had no need to know more about technology. However, more and more parents are beginning to realize just how important social networks are in their lives. This realization has given many parents the motivation to educate themselves about social networking sites.

These days many people are attracted to social networking sites because they can choose who they have around them; there’s also a certain amount of control over privacy that we don’t get in real life. Sometimes we feel that privacy is violated (侵犯）when we must accept a “friend” request from a parent or family member.

It’s a difficult choice whether or not to allow a parent to become a part of our online lives. On the one hand we don’t want to “reject” their request because that might hurt their feelings or make them feel you have something to hide. On the other hand if you do accept, then you could have a sense of being watched and no longer feel free to comment or communicate the way you did before.

A recent survey suggested that parents shouldn’t take it personally if their child ignores their request: “When a teen ignores a parent’s friend request, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are hiding something, but it could mean that this is one part of their life where they want to be independent.”

Perhaps talking with parents and giving explanations would help soften the blow if you do choose not to add them to your friends list.

Is It Worth Buying Organic Food?

        Organic food, grown without artificial chemicals, is increasingly popular nowadays. Consumers have been willing to pay up to twice as much for goods with organic labels (商标). However, if you think paying a little more for organic food gets you a more nutritious and safer product, you might want to save your money. A study led by researchers at Stanford University says that organic products aren't necessarily more nutritious, and they're no less likely to suffer from disease-causing bacteria, either.

           The latest results, published in the Annuals of Internal Medicine, suggest that buyers may be wasting their money. "We did not find strong evidence that organic food is more nutritious or healthier," says Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler from Stanford. "So consumers shouldn't assume that one type of food has a lower risk or is safer."

          For their new study, Smith-Spangler and her colleagues conducted a review of two categories of research, including 17 studies that compared health outcomes between consumers of organic against traditional food products, and 223 studies that analyzed the nutritional content of the foods, including key vitamins, minerals and fats.

         While the researchers found little difference in nutritional content, they did find that organic fruit and vegetables were 20% less likely to have chemicals remaining on the surfaces. Neither organic nor traditional foods showed levels of chemicals high enough to go beyond food safety standards. And both organic and traditional meats, such as chicken and pork, were equally likely to be harmed by bacteria at very low rates. The researchers did find that organic milk and chicken contained higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, a healthy fat also found in fish that can reduce the risk of heart disease. However, these nutritional differences were too small, and the researchers were unwilling to make much of them until further studies confirm the trends.

           Organic food is produced with fewer chemicals and more natural-growing practices, but that doesn't always translate into a more nutritious or healthier product. The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that "whether you buy organic or not, finding the freshest foods available may have the biggest effect on taste." Fresh food is at least as good as anything marketed asorganic.

Getting less sleep has become a bad habit for most American kids. According to a new survey(调查) by the National Sleep Foundation, 51% of kids aged 10 to 18 go to bed at 10 pm or later on school nights, even though they have to get up early. Last year the Foundation reported that nearly 60% of 7- to 12-year-olds said they felt tired during the day, and 15% said they had fallen asleep at school.

How much sleep you need depends a lot on your age. Babies need a lot of rest: most of them sleep about 18 hours a day! Adults need about eight hours. For most school-age children, ten hours is ideal(理想的). But the new National Sleep Foundation survey found that 35% of 10- to 12-year-olds get only seven or eight hours. And guess what almost half of the surveyed kids said they do before bedtime? Watch TV.

“More children are going to bed with TVs on, and there are more opportunities(机会) to stay awake, with more homework, the Internet and the phone,” says Dr. Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher at Brown University Medical School. She says these activities at bedtime can get kids all excited and make it hard for them to calm down and sleep. Other experts say part of the problem is chemical. Changing levels of body chemicals called hormones not only make teenagers’ bodies develop adult characteristics, but also make it hard for teenagers to fall asleep before 11 pm.

Because sleepiness is such a problem for teenagers, some school districts have decided to start high school classes later than they used to. Three years ago, schools in Edina, Minnesota, changed the start time from 7:25 am to 8:30 am. Students, parents and teachers are pleased with the results.

Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do so many things together with. Surely, there are times when we need to be alone. We donˈt always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.

No two people are the same. Sometimes friends donˈt get along well. That doesnˈt mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away. Then they feel very sad. We miss them very much. But we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again. And we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.

Thereˈs more good news for people, if they have friends. These people live longer than those who donˈt have friends. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares about you. If someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.

    Vacation is a time for refreshment. In work, we are often called to think. Sometimes, it’s good to give our brains a rest. Without a break, we may not be able to perform up to our potential. This can be a problem, not only for the employee, but for the employer as well.

    “The main benefit of vacation is for the worker to come back energized,” says Weaver. “If they haven’t had a break, then they’re not coming back with new energy. They haven’t had a chance to step back and get perspective (远景), and come back with renewed enthusiasm.”

    Long working hours without a break, insecurity (不安) about one’s job, and other work-related worries can lead to burnout and stress. Humans can usually adapt to pressure, but not for a limitless amount of time.

    “It is a problem of relating good workers and having them loyal to the firm while they’re there,” says David Maume, PhD, professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati. He says burnout can also affect employees’ productivity, creativity, and effectiveness.

    In addition, high levels of stress are likely to be precursors (前兆) to depression, which can hit both the employer and employee’s pocketbook. Even people who manage to remain productive at work can have problems. If they’re always at work, then they’re not with their family and friends. If they’re working while on vacation, for the time that they’re on the job, they’re not really present.

    An unbalanced emphasis on work can strain family and social life. When you come up for air, you may see that you’re alone, or that your relationships have gone on without you.

If you’re locking into your career plans, college counselor Nancy has three words for you: Don’t do it. Actually, Nancy isn’t the only counselor advising students to take their time in discovering who they are and what they want to do when they get out of college.

“Preparing broadly makes sense to me,” she explains, “and that the best preparation for a future that is still unfolding, is a broad preparation. It shouldn’t prevent you from following areas that light you up, but a broad preparation will prepare you for multiple careers.” That’s important because jobs change more frequently due to changes in technology and business competition. Some jobs that are available today may be on their way out in 10 years. “The best thing about preparing broadly is that you get to live in a big world,” says Nancy. “You avoid getting stuck in a job or business area, and if your job becomes out of date, you can move on.”

Many students make the mistake of working on "the next step in front of them," avoiding time to explore their interests or reflect on what theyˈre learning about themselves. For example, students will look at a college and try to figure out what the college is looking for in a student. Then they try to remake themselves into that student, even though it might go against who they really are.

Students let the “next-step mentality” hold back their learning aswell.Many students don’t take courses outside their comfort zone for fear it will ruin their GPA(平均成绩) and their chances of getting into a certain college. “You may be unwilling to go outside your areas of strength for fear you’ll get a low grade,” says Nancy. “But if you think one grade in one class will ruin your chances of admission, you’re doing harm to yourself. Colleges look at a number of factors in addition to grades. Students often think requirements of colleges are much stricter and narrower than they really are.”

Since colleges work to admit a diverse group of students, the best thing to do is be yourself and explore your options. There are many people in their late 20s who are unhappy in their careers and who regret that they didn’t pursue a wider range of interests while in college.

“One of the reasons I find this topic very interesting is because my mom was a smoker when I was younger,” say Lindson-Hawly, who studies tobacco and health at the University of Oxford.

By studying about 700 adult smoker, she found out that her mom quit the right way-by stopping abruptly and completely.

In her study, participants were randomly(随机地)assigned to two groups. One had to quit abruptly on a given day, going from about a pack a day to zero. The other cut down gradually over the course of two weeks. People in both groups used nicotine(尼古丁)patches before they quit, in addition to a second form of nicotine replacement, like gum or spray. They also had talk therapy with a nurse before and after quit day.

　　Six months out, more people who had quit abruptly had stuck with it-more than one-fifth of them, compared to about one-seventh in the other group. Although these numbers appear low, it is much higher than if people try without support.

　　And the quit rates were particularly convincing given that before the study started, most of the people had said they’d rather cut down gradually before quitting. “If you’re training for a marathon, you wouldn’t expect to turn up and just be able to run it. And I think people see that for smoking as well. They think, ‘Well, if I gradually reduce, it’s like practice.’ ”says Lindsons-Hawley. But that wasn’t the case. Instead of giving people practice, the gradual reduction likely gave them cravings(瘾)and withdrawal symptoms before they even reached quit day, which could be why fewer people in that group actually made it to that point. “Regardless of your stated preference, if you’re ready to quit, quitting abruptly is more effective,” says Dr. Gabrieia Ferreira, “When you can quote a specific number like a fifth of the patients were able to quit, that’s compelling. It gives them the encouragement, I think, to really go for it,” Ferreira says.

　　People rarely manage to quit the first time they try. But at least, she says, they can maximize the odds of success.

 The latest study by the University of Florida has found that eating from smaller, less beautiful, and even paper plates will help prevent overeating. Eating with a fork instead of a spoon can help you lose weight, the researchers say. Much to their surprise, they find that putting mirrors in the dining room will also help reduce weight.

   The researchers asked 185 college students to choose a chocolate cake or a fruit salad, and evaluated the taste. Those who ate in a room with a mirror scored the taste of junk food much lower than those in a room without a mirror. But the taste of fruit salad remained the same in any case.

   Lead scientist, Dr. Ata Jami, says that a glance in the mirror tells people more than just about their physical appearance. It enables them to view themselves objectively (客观地) and helps them to judge themselves and their behavior in the same way that they judge other people.

   The mirrors were found to push people to compare and match their own behavior with accepted social standards. The researchers believe it proves that people don’t want to look in the mirror when they feel they are following the social standards. When they look in the mirror with mouths full of junk food, feelings of discomfort and failure can be increased. Therefore, the presence of the mirror lowers the taste of unhealthy food.

   However, researchers say this is only the case if people select the food they are eating, because they are responsible for that choice. The researchers suggest that mirrors be placed in dining rooms and other eating spaces, so that people will start eating more healthily.