19. We're going to sit down and eat dinner together, because that's what families should do.
Right. Kids learn how to be close and how to share. They might also eat better. A 2000 study of 9 to 14 year olds found that eating family dinner gave kids more fruit and vegetables, less fried food, less saturated fat, and less chance of depression. Just don't force it. If people miss their favorite activity, all you get is a tableful of resentment, says Nadine Kaslow, PhD, a professor and chief psychologist at the Emory medical school in Atlanta. And dinner should be a break from the stress of the day, not a source of it. So don't bug someone about eating his liver or cleaning off his plate because of starving street kids. Speaking of which...
20. Clean your plate, there are starving street children.
Wrong. Eat until you're full, not until the plate is empty. The whole guilt trip was well intentioned, but your leftovers weren't going to be given to them anyway. Adults with clean-plate habits may end up overweight, says Kristine Clark, PhD, RD, director of sports nutrition at the Center for Sports Medicine at Pennsylvania State University in the US. Eat slowly so your stomach can tell your brain it's filling up. Otherwise those extra calories will get stored as fat.
21. That music is too loud.
Right. Too many years of being blasted by Ozzy or Led Zep can permanently damage your cochlear hairs, which, unlike Styx, will not make a comeback. You'll lose the higher frequency sounds, such as consonants and women's voices. If you don't want to confuse "Let's go" with "Let go," sit in a corner of the room, where sound is more contained, says Jo Shapiro, MD, chief of otolaryngology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
22. Hold it until we get home.
Wrong. If you continually deny yourself the pleasure, your overstretched bladder loses strength, leading to dribbling, lack of stream power, and frequent trips to the loo because you can't empty your bladder completely. Go at least every 4 or 6 hours—you, too, truckers and teachers—even if you don't feel the urge, says J. Stephen Jones, MD, a urologist at the Cleveland Clinic, USA.
23. Mean people are mean because they don't feel good inside.
Right. Demanding people push others away so they can avoid being rejected. Does that describe your miserable boss? Remember to breathe when he's berating you. It'll calm down your nervous system, says Dana Everson, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic. Amid his diatribe, repeat back any pertinent facts, such as, "So you want the report by three?" He'll feel that he's been heard. And don't forget to wish him a nice weekend. Kindness may make him loosen up, or at least ease up. Whatever the case, don't tell him what you think of him. You'll just be giving ammo to a sniper, says Beth Seelig, MD, director of the Emory Psychoanalytic Institute, in Atlanta.
24. Don't watch TV in the dark, you'll wreck your eyes.
Wrong. How come ophthalmologists haven't shut down all the movie theaters? Lack of light doesn't actually harm the eyes, says Nathan Congdon, MD, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins's WilmerInstitute in the US. So keep yourself in the dark. See if we care.
25. Eat your breakfast so you can concentrate on your test.
Right. Lousy blood sugar, lousy concentration. If you have a cup of yogurt, a piece of fruit and a bagel, or whole grain cereal and milk, you'll get the carbohydrates and protein you need, along with fiber that will stabilize your blood sugar and prevent sluggishness, says Clark.
26. Don't go out with that wet hair, you'll catch cold.
Wrong. All you'll get is frozen hair. Cold tempe-ratures can make you sneeze, but it's not caused by anything viral. You get sick in the ber months because you're indoors more and in closer contact with people and their germs.
27. If you keep making that face, it'll freeze that way.
Wrong. Muscles don't permanently lock up because of face making. Same with crossing your eyes. Expressiveness—smiling, frowning, worrying—can contribute to wrinkles though. If you don't want wrinkles, don't make any facial expressions. Buckingham Palace guards are forever youthful.
» Guy Wisdom archive
Men's Health Philippines - June 2005 Issue
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Too many years of being blasted by Ozzy or Led Zep can permanently damage your cochlear hairs, which, unlike Styx, will not make a comeback.
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