Science

While lasting relationships can’t thrive without love, trust in a relationship may matter most. Feelings of love come and go in long-term relationships, but trust withstands the test of time. Any healthy marriage goes through phases where the couple may fall out of love temporarily. However, if they have trust, it can keep the ship afloat on the stormiest of waters.

Any two people can fall into love, but those feelings tend to fade over time. After a while, relationships form into more of a loving friendship as the honeymoon phase ends. If the couple continues to build trust and work as a team, then the relationship stands a good chance of lasting forever. Simply put, you can have faith without love, but you can’t have love without trust.

In a successful relationship, you have to believe you can trust your partner before giving them your heart. Below, we’ll talk more about why trust predicts relationship success more than love.

Science says that trust matters even more than love in relationships.

In a nutshell, a successful relationship hinges on kindness and trust more than anything else. The feelings of infatuation will fade, but if you have confidence, nothing can take that away. People underestimate this and expect that they’ll feel the same in 20 years as they did in the very beginning. When their love starts to wane, couples assume that their relationship won’t make it.

However, they forget about the importance of trust. Even if you don’t feel in love with your partner anymore, you can still love and respect them. You can still hold onto the positive aspects of your relationship and choose to focus on those. The Gottman Institute says that accentuating the positives in a relationship is one of the most significant predictors of success.

John Gottman, a leader in studying what constitutes a healthy marriage or relationship, believes the little things matter most. After studying couples over the past 35 years, he says the following items ensure success in relationships more than anything else:

Learn your partner’s inner psychological world, such as their biggest hopes, fears, worries, and joy. This will help you bond with your partner and know their needs.

• Share fondness and admiration.

Gottman refers to this as a solution for contempt since it promotes affection and respect for each other. In other words, you want to focus on the positive things about your partner rather than the negatives.

• Lean into your significant other instead of away from them.

State your needs and respond to your partner’s attempts to connect. For example, if he or she points something out to you, or tries to engage in conversation, put your full attention on them. The smallest moments and interactions matter the most in relationship success.

• Maintaining a positive perspective.

Try to have a positive approach to solving problems, as trust in a relationship comes from how you respond to conflicts.

Part of building a healthy marriage or relationship comes from how you deal with conflict. It can either make or break a relationship, so make sure you work as a team. Listen to your partner and try to come to a resolution together. Conflicts are typical in any healthy relationship, as long as you treat your partner with love and respect.

• Work on making each other’s dreams a reality

Let your partner talk openly about his or her desires and dreams. Create an open environment where they feel safe and heard talking about the future.

Every relationship needs something that unites it, whether that means kids or perhaps a shared business. Or, maybe it means getting involved in something you both enjoy, such as biking or hiking. No matter what the trouble is, make sure your relationship involves something that matters to both of you.

Of course, this should remain a priority in a relationship. Without trust, you won’t have a foundation to build upon for a successful partnership. You want to know that your partner will have your back and that you can count on them for anything. Building trust in a relationship takes time, but being vulnerable with your partner will help the walls come down little by little.

Any successful relationship requires a commitment to your partner to make it work. If you want to remain with this person long-term, you need to embrace both their negative and positive qualities. However, you shouldn’t dwell on their negative traits, which will skew your image and perception of them. You will start noticing more of the things that you find annoying about them rather than what you adore about their personality.

In other words, admire them for their positive traits and learn to accept their flaws. If you can do this, it will ensure a successful union for life. Also, make trust your foundation early on in the relationship, as everything else hinges upon it.

So, why is trust more important than love in a relationship?

1. You can’t have love without trust.

If you can’t count on your partner and you feel uneasy around them, you can’t possibly become vulnerable enough to fall in love. Love will fade over time because some days, you’ll get under each other’s skin and take each other for granted. Other days, it’ll feel like you just met and you want to spend all your time with them. However, these feelings will fluctuate with the situations and experiences you go through as a couple.

Trust will remain steady throughout your relationship as long as you don’t do anything to betray it. If you stay faithful to your partner and put their needs first, you’ll never have a doubt in your mind if you can trust them or not.

2. It allows you to have boundaries in the relationship.

If you have love without trust, it may lead to codependency and attachment issues. However, if you cultivate trust, it brings a sense of security into the relationship. You can each go your separate ways at times without having to worry about each other’s whereabouts constantly. This way, you can develop a strong marriage by having your alone time as well as time spent together.

3. You’ll have a sense of peace when you have trust in a relationship.

Without trust, you constantly feel on edge or just unsure of where you stand with your partner. Will they suddenly break up with you or say they’ve been seeing someone else? Do they want a future with you? If you cannot answer these questions honestly, you need to have a serious talk with your partner and communicate your needs.

Everyone deserves to have a loving, supportive relationship where they can fully trust their partner. The person you love should eliminate your stress, not add to it by being unclear about their intentions. When you find a secure partnership, you’ll have a sense of peace.

4. Trust allows you to gauge how much you give of yourself to others.

If you don’t trust someone, you won’t want to open up to them about the details of your life. Trust gives us a way to decide the level of emotional intimacy we wish to experience with someone. It helps us control our emotions, in a way, because not everyone gains access to the deepest parts of ourselves. Trust in a relationship helps peel back our layers, slowly showing our partner more vulnerable sides of ourselves.

5. Love is blind, but trust never fails you.

You can love someone who might not love you back in the same way. You could bend over backward for someone you’ve fallen head over heels for, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll reciprocate. Many people get involved in one-sided relationships where the other person doesn’t have their best interests in mind, unfortunately. When you jump too quickly into a relationship out of loneliness or desperation, you may not see the person.

However, if you build upon the relationship slowly and get to know the person, you can establish trust. This way, you can gauge if your partner deserves your time, commitment, and heart. While love can overpower and blind you, faith will illuminate your path and steer you in the right direction.

Final thoughts on why trust is more important than love in relationships

Any healthy marriage or relationship requires trust as the foundation; without it, love cannot grow. You can’t plant a garden without tending to the soil; similarly, you can’t have a thriving relationship without establishing trust. All successful relationships require this faith because it helps you grow closer to people. It enables you to realize how much of yourself you should give away based on their input.

If someone only gives you 50%, why should you bother giving them 100%? If you care about trust in a relationship, make sure of your partner’s intentions before committing fully to them.

Negativity is toxic for many reasons: 1) it destroys your mental health, 2) it can actually make you physically sick, and 3) it just brings the mood down for everyone else around you. Negativity just can’t exist if you want to create a positive life. That doesn’t mean you can never have a bad thought, but for the most part, concentrating on the positives in life helps you attract more of the same. If you only focus on everything going wrong, you miss out on the beauty right in front of you.

Many people wonder how to find this elusive happiness that everyone talks about. It doesn’t actually exist tangibly, so this means it comes from our own minds. Therefore, we can feel happy whenever we choose because we get to control our emotions. With that said, this doesn’t mean that feeling good all the time happens overnight. It takes practice to train your mind to see the good in bad situations and circumstances.

Below, we’ll talk a little more about why negativity is toxic, and how you can engage in positive thinking to turn things around.

Science proves that negativity is toxic

“You can’t litter negativity everywhere and then wonder why you’ve got a trashy life.” – Unknown

If you’ve ever been around someone at work or school who just seems down in the dumps all the time, you know how it can affect everyone around them. In a work setting, it brings down the mood of the whole team because people can feel that energy. Just as positivity is contagious, negative moods are as well. You might think that negative moods or thoughts don’t really cause harm, but science proves otherwise.

Negativity is toxic because it can cause mental health problems.

Just as positive thinking can promote a healthy mindset, negative thoughts can do the opposite. When you constantly entertain negativity, you start to seek out experiences and people that reflect your mindset. The quote from Buddha that says “What you think, you become” very much applies here. Everything in life comes down to your mindset and the way you approach obstacles.

As they say, it doesn’t matter so much about the situation you face. Instead, it’s the attitude you have about your circumstances. A positive attitude can help you overcome any challenges. But negativity tends to drain your energy, rendering you powerless and stagnant. Studies have shown that a negative disposition can actually cause some of the world’s most common mental illnesses, like anxiety and depression. In fact, a U.K. study of more than 30,000 people, the largest of its kind, found that traumatic life events played more of a role in mental illness than even genetics or life circumstances.

The study

“Whilst we know that a person’s genetics and life circumstances contribute to mental health problems, the results of this study showed that traumatic life events are the main reason people suffer from anxiety and depression. However, the way a person thinks about and deals with, stressful events is as much an indicator of the level of stress and anxiety they feel,” said lead researcher Peter Kinderman, Head of the Institute of Psychology, Health, and Society.

So, now that you know that ruminating about the past is the main predictor of mental illness, perhaps this can offer some perspective. We often look at past experiences as a way to define ourselves, but really, they’re just stories. The things that happened to us may have shaped our character, but they don’t have to negatively affect our life moving forward.

Remaining in the present moment helps clear the chatter from your mind and keeps you focused on all the wonderful stories you can create right now. Negativity is toxic because it destroys your inner peace and takes away your strength, so try to choose positive thinking instead.

Negativity is toxic because it can harm your physical health.

It is well-documented that a negative mindset can actually cause physical health problems. Most people think negativity only affects the mind. Additionally, chronically sour moods can increase cortisol levels, which leads to all sorts of diseases. A passing negative mood probably won’t cause much harm, but making it a permanent part of your disposition can lead to problems.

Emiliana Simon-Thomas, Ph.D., science director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, said in an article on Health.com: “Many negative emotions such as anger, fear, and frustration become problematic when those emotions turn into a more permanent disposition or a habitual outlook on the world.” Some studies have shown exactly what can happen to our bodies when we maintain this habit of worry, anxiety, and stress for years on end.

The study

A 2014 study published in the journal Neurology linked high levels of cynicism later in life, i.e. a general distrust and skepticism of people, to a greater risk of dementia compared to those with a more trusting attitude. This remained true even after accounting for lifestyle factors such as smoking, age, sex, and heart health markers. Speaking of the heart, a negative outlook may affect it as well.

A 2009 study from the journal Circulation looked at data from nearly 100,000 women and found that the risk of heart disease increased in the most cynical patients. The more pessimistic women also had a higher chance of dying over the study period in comparison to those with a more optimistic outlook.

“We know that neural pathways are changing every minute of your entire life and that your brain is generating new cells throughout your life. And this neurogenesis is not only associated with the formation of new memories, but with mood stability, as well,” said Simon-Thomas.

She went on to say, “We can be deliberate about shifting our habits of feeling and thinking in the world.”

So, not only does negative thinking cause mental health problems, but it can wreak havoc on your body as well. Plus, being around negative people just brings down the mood of everyone in the surrounding area.

Negativity is toxic because it can affect other people.

In general, people don’t want to hang out with others who constantly complain or engage in negative thinking. Bad moods can easily infect everyone in a workplace or school environment, causing discord and poor morale. Of course, no one can feel happy all the time, but in general, it helps everyone when the overall mood remains positive.

If you struggle with this, it helps to block out everything except the present moment, and focus on the task at hand. You may not always feel like being at work or school, but positive thinking and staying mindful can help smooth out any tension you feel.

Now that we’ve talked about how negativity can harm your mental, physical, and emotional well-being, let’s discuss how to combat this toxic frame of mind.

How to boost positivity:

Positive thinking doesn’t always come easily, but in time, you can make it a habit instead of having to force it. Below, we’ll list a few ways that you can bring more positivity into your life.

• Keep a positive circle of friends. They say you are the five people you hang around the most. So make sure you enjoy the people you spend time with. Try to seek out friendships with people who have qualities you admire or wish to have yourself. Being around negative people will only bring you down. Therefore, try to distance yourself from those who engage in these types of attitudes.
• Recite positive affirmations or mantras every day. You can either keep sticky notes on your mirror with positive sayings or write them in a journal. Be sure you read them aloud each day. A positive mindset starts with what you feed to your brain; just like you nourish your body with wholesome foods, you have to take care of your mind as well.
• Challenge negative thinking. No one in this world can say they’ve never had a negative thought about themselves. It’s just a part of being human. However, you don’t have to agree with what your mind tells you. When a negative thought creeps into your mind, simply acknowledge it and then choose to focus on something else.

Final thoughts about how science proves that negativity is toxic

Negative thinking patterns such as rumination and overreacting can cause mental and physical health problems. It can also destroy other people’s moods and morale in a work environment. You may not think negative moods can really have that much of an impact. But science shows the harm in long-term pessimistic mindsets.

Studies prove that chronic pessimism can lead to heart problems, dementia, and mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. If you want to increase your chances of living a long, healthy life, make sure to engage in positive thinking. Recite positive affirmations, challenge your negative thoughts, and keep yourself motivated by surrounding yourself with positive people. Just remember, a positive attitude can make even the worst situation seem like a walk in the park!

The human brain is both exceptionally adaptable and resilient. Scientists have coined a term for these innate qualities of the brain: neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity can be defined as: “The brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.” There’s an emphasis on the words ‘throughout life’ here. The reason is that most people think that brain development is stagnant after a certain age.

We now know this to be untrue.

Indeed, it is this neuroplasticity with which we are going to hone our focus abilities to their peak – regardless of age.

But we must first acknowledge that neuroplasticity is a double-edged sword. Our brains will absorb the bad just as much as the good. As such, we must do our best to eliminate the former to maximize such outstanding benefits like enhanced focus.

We’re going to define focus as ‘the ability to direct and hold our mental resources onto a task.’ That is, we direct our attention to what requires it – and hold it there until the task is complete.

This focusing ability may be the biggest differentiator between individuals who achieve what they set out to do – and those that don’t. In other words, a strong focus will almost assuredly lead to goal achievement.

Before getting into the ten scientifically-backed ways of achieving laser-like focus, let’s discuss what must first be overcome: distraction.

Understanding Distraction

“By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.” ~ Christopher Columbus

When it comes to focusing, we must all deal with multiple distractions, all of which fall into one of two categories – internal distractions or external distractions. To truly focus requires that these disturbances be overcome or, at the very least, minimized.

Internal distractions are those that cloud the mind and stir the emotions. This inner frenzy is perhaps the biggest obstacle to doing what needs to be done. For referential purposes, here are just a few of the myriad internal distractions that we must overcome:

• Lethargy
• Laziness
• Anxiety
• Procrastination
• Fear
• Doubt
• Hesitation
• Boredom
• Impulsiveness
• Insecurity
• Low self-worth

An internal distraction is one that originates from the mind or body that has nothing to do with the task at hand.

An external distraction is one that originates in your environment, and may include:

• Chatty coworkers
• Loud noises
• IM notifications
• Cell phone notifications
• Chit-chat
• Clutter (especially around your desk)
• Kids playing
• Pets
• Poor lighting
• Music
• Email

An external distraction is one that originates from an outside stimulus that has nothing to do with the task at hand. Without recognizing and eliminating (or minimizing) these distractions, any attempts to become more focused will prove fruitless.

Now’s a good time to bring in the neuroplasticity effect.

If you remember, neuroplasticity can be thought of as a double-edged sword. In this case, distractions are one side of the sword – and focus is the other. What side of the blade are we going to choose? Also, keep in mind that once we want, it’s challenging to stop the brain’s powerful momentum!

Now, let’s get to the juicy part. Here are ten scientifically verified ways to achieve laser focus:

10 Approaches to getting Laser-Sharp Focus

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” ~ Alexander Graham Bell

1. Eliminate distractions

This can not be repeated enough, which is why it’s again repeated here. We simply cannot focus optimally amidst a din of distraction.

Please make sure that you understand (really understand) this point before moving on.

In case you wanted to know the scientific ramifications of continuous distraction, consider the following findings by the London Institute of Psychiatry:

• Emails produce an “addictive, drug-like grip” on our attention.
• The average IQ loss caused by distractions is about 10 points.
• Compulsive activity tires and slows down the brain
• A study revealed an “almost complete lack of discipline” in how we handle emails and virtual communications.

Move away from that chatty coworker. Deal with any internal conflict. Put on some headphones. Pop in some earplugs. Show some restraint in how you handle emails and text messages.

Get rid of or minimize distractions, and your focus will automatically be enhanced.

2. Monotask

Almost (but not quite!) as important as eliminating distractions is doing one thing at a time.

The simple fact, which is uncomfortable to some, is that multitasking is mostly a myth. For emphasis: multitasking doesn’t exist.

Task-switching, on the other hand, does exist, and it couldn’t be any different from “multitasking.” Task-switching is precisely that: we engage and disengage our attention with multiple tasks – sometimes very quickly. We’re not handling two tasks simultaneously, ever.

If it sounds like task-switching is inefficient, that’s because it is. First, there’s a sort of attention residue that remains as we move on from a task. Per Science Direct, attention residue “refers to cognitions about a [task] that persist even though one has stopped working on [the task]… and is now working on Task B.”

The result is that we drain our cognitive resources while getting less done.

3. Say ‘No’

Look, nobody likes to say ‘no.’ But here’s the thing: every time we say ‘yes’ to something, we’re saying ‘no’ to something else.

What are we saying ‘no’ to? Possibly those things that can improve our lives. So, in a way, we’re always saying no to something. It’s our job to make sure we’re saying no to things that bring little value.

What are those things?

They usually come in the form of ‘favors.’ To make things harder, people are pretty good at making you feel bad if you turn down their pleadings of “Pretty please…”

Ask yourself what you can afford in terms of time, then give in.

4. Manage your energy, not your time

It’s so much easier to remain focused on something if we have adequate energy levels. Moreover, we perform at our best when our energy levels are high.

It only makes sense then to schedule the necessary things for when your energy peaks.

Unfortunately, we’re often in the habit of planning things using time as a barometer. The problem with traditional scheduling is that it doesn’t consider your energy capacity. This isn’t a big deal if the task is dull and monotonous. It is a big deal if the job requires some real brainpower.

5. Get proper sleep

This one needs to introduction. For proper focus, it is essential to get adequate sleep. Per the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), seven to nine eyes of shuteye not only enhances focus, but also aids in decision making, productivity, reaction time, and memory.

6. Practice meditation

Talk about something that should need no introduction. Meditation, done correctly, may just be the most useful mind and brain training there is. Quite simply, no activity hones attentional skills quite like a regular meditation practice.

In a study published in the journal Psychiatry Research, participants of two types of meditation – focused-attention (FA) and open monitoring (OM) realized improved executive attention (or ‘attentional control.’) Scientists witnessed no improvement in concentration in the relaxation-only group.

7. Drink some java

Here’s some good news for all of the coffee lovers! Meta-analysis research shows that drinking up to four cups of brewed coffee per day improves cognitive function, “particularly alertness and vigilance [and] … perception of fatigue.”

The research also found that up to 400 mg of tea per day (around 8 cups) produces similar cognitive benefits.

8. Listen to Mozart

Researchers from Stanford University found that listening to classical music enhances the attentional capacity. If this sounds familiar, you’re probably thinking of the so-called ‘Mozart Effect,’ which purports that listening to Mozart increases general intelligence.

Why classical music and not another genre? Because classical music is entirely instrumental. There are no words or lyrics to cause distraction. Moreover, since much classical music features periods of silence – known as “transition points” – it helps to keep hearers alert and attention.

9. Get some cardio

We most commonly associate exercise with physical improvements, but the effect can be mental as well. Plenty of research suggests that cardiovascular exercise (‘cardio’) increases the size of the brain’s hippocampus, the brain area involved in learning and verbal memory.

Per an article published by Harvard Medical School, exercise improves the brain both directly and indirectly. It lowers inflammation, reduces insulin resistance, and stimulates the release of growth factors known as ‘BDNF.’ It can be deduced that physical activity improves focus as well, as exercise is known to improve mood and sleep and reduce anxiety and stress indirectly.

10. Practice relaxed concentration

To reap the full benefits of focus, you must remain relaxed and at ease. Too much tension caused by over-striving isn’t conducive to concentration and will only hinder your efforts.

Allow the mind’s focus to emerge naturally from a mind and body that’s at ease, rather than constricted or tight.

Do you dream of starting a business? Many people have entrepreneurial aspirations, but they never get beyond the dreaming phase because they are crippled by fear. The concerns you have of failure and going bankrupt may cause you to stay in a job that is draining you physically and emotionally.

However, did you know that some mental health professionals believe that starting a business can bring your personal fulfillment and improve your health? It sounds strange, but when you toss the stress of working for someone else and the stringent schedule that comes with it, then you can change your entire life for the better.

It’s all about personal fulfillment. When you are fulfilling your needs in your career, it bubbles over into your personal and spiritual life. If you’re on the fence about starting such a venture, then there are some things to consider. There are many ways that starting a business could improve your health.

7 Ways Starting a Business Can Improve Your Health

Yes, starting a business can mean taking an enormous leap fo fair.  But many who choose self-employment reap some surprising health benefits.

1. You Can Make Time for Exercise

Being the boss brings fulfillment because you get to call the shots. While you prioritize daily and weekly tasks, why not exercise on your schedule? Getting your body to move is especially important if your business keeps you sedentary.

You don’t need a fully equipped gym and a personal trainer to incorporate light exercise at work. Did you know that walking is one of the best activities you can do? There’s nothing like a brisk stroll around the block during lunch or another break.

Do you need to be at a desk for most of the day? Give your muscles a break and stand periodically to stretch, touch your toes, or jog in place. Get creative, and you can add more ways to exercise on your schedule and stay healthy.

Working from home allows you the freedom and the time to focus on your health like never before. Exercise is just as important as paying your mortgage payment. You need it to thrive.

2. You Will Meet New and Exciting People

Forget the mundane; one of the benefits of starting a business is that you will get to meet all sorts of people. Since you must position yourself as the face of the company, your interactions with others will increase. Do you like to mingle with the rich and famous, or are you drawn to those who march to the beat of their own drum?

Life is full of wonderfully diverse people, and they are waiting to find someone like you. Think of how much richer your life will be when you meet people from other countries, business owners like yourself, and those who made their way by climbing the corporate ladder. You’re in for a real adventure, and it’s going to be the ride of your life.

3. You Can Finally Make Family A Priority

The ability to have more family time may be one of the reasons you want to start a business. When you work for others, you must go through the process of requesting time off for special occasions or vacations. Many employers consider indispensability and seniority when granting requests, and your application may be denied.

When you own the business, you create the schedule. While you still must be aware of your customers’ needs, you can shift things around without asking permission from anyone. You know the demands of your business. Soon you will learn your peak times and can plan your schedule accordingly.

When most people reach the twilight of their lives, no one wishes they had been in the office more. One of the greatest regrets of folks is not having more family time. Money and prestige are of no comfort to those who are passing, personal fulfillment is important, but family is everything.

Of course, you work hard to ensure that your loved ones have what they need, especially when you are gone. Starting a business allows you to plan for retirement while making quality family time a priority.

4. You Can Improve Your Self Worth

For any business to succeed, owners and managers must empower their employees to prosper. As a business owner, how would your employees feel if you treated them the way you treat yourself? Would they be content, or would they resign?

That Golden Rule only works if the converse is true, that you treat yourself the same way you should treat other people. You can’t be at the helm of your ship if you don’t take care of yourself. Self-employment is a holistic approach that compasses the mind, body, and spirit.

In addition to observing a healthy diet and fitness regimen at work and spending quality time with your family, you need time for yourself. When you are exhausted, overstressed, and emotionally spent, you can’t be the business owner you need to be.

Now is your chance to change things in your life and take care of you. Just because you own the business doesn’t mean that you must shoulder all the responsibilities. If you need help, ask, or delegate jobs to an employee.

The beauty of working or yourself is that if you feel tired and stressed, you can set aside a few minutes to rest your eyes and meditate. Sometimes, taking a break away from your desk and taking a little walk will revitalize your body and senses. Know your limitations and prioritize your schedule to minimize undue stress.

5. You Become a Planning and Organizational Expert

If you’ve never been an organized person, you will quickly learn the importance of having everything in place. When starting a business, you’ll depend on being able to find documents at a moment’s notice. You will learn the importance of planning and scheduling your days.

You won’t have a scheduling clerk to grumble to anymore as you will oversee preparations for the next week in advance. With your new skills in planning and organization, you are sure to succeed. Plus, when you become so organized in your business life, it should rub off into your personal life too.

6. You Can Make Time to Change Your Eating Habits

Remember the days of gathering for coffee during break or lunch at work? Instead of eating sensible snacks and a light lunch, people were drawn to the abundant box of stale donuts and junk food dangling in the vending machines. No wonder you had a sugar rush that ended in an energy slump every workday.

The temptation can be even more significant to overeat or sustain on junk food when you own a business, but you can have a healthy lunch. Poor eating habits are especially prevalent for entrepreneurs who travel for their job. Such diets can be detrimental to your health and can potentially shorten your lifespan.

Since you’re starting a business, it’s a good time to change to a healthy eating plan. While you are exercising, nothing could be better than incorporating a healthy lunch along with it. Keep nutritious, low-calorie snacks portioned in small bags to grab when you get the munchies. Instead of sugar-laden sodas, stock your work fridge with bottled water and add some lemon or other fruits.

Plus, you can brew your coffee and tea instead of spending a fortune at the local coffee shop in the mornings too.

7. Your Mental Health Will Improve

Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life. ~Mark Twain

Novelist Mark Twain stated that choosing a job was important because when you’re doing something, you love it doesn’t feel like work. His wise observation doesn’t mean that you won’t struggle and work hard when starting a business. However, this journey is about finding what you love and doing it well.

What do you need for personal fulfillment? While you do want enough cash and resources to live, achievement transcends materialism. Many studies reveal that when people love what they do, they are often more content and happier than those who make much more money and hate their job.

When you are happy and content, your anxiety and stress will reduce. You may find that you have a bounce in your step and a song in your heart. Loving what you do can change your entire outlook on life, and it can make you a better person.

Final Thoughts on Starting a Business–A Fresh Start in Life

One of the most powerful sayings speaks to someone who is afraid to jump and take a chance. It challenges you to consider the following:

What if I fall? But Darling, what if you fly? ~Erin Hanson

Ask yourself that very question today.

Sure, taking on a new adventure is scary, and there are so many unknowns. You may fail, but you may be as successful as Apple, Google, or Mattel. You determine your destiny. It all starts with a dream and then taking that dream and daring to make it a reality.

Remember, you are one decision away from an entirely different life. Are you up for the challenge? Starting a business may be the ticket to the fulfillment you have always dreamed of.

Remember the fascinating things you learned in science class at school? When you have science experiments to do with kids at home, you can share amazing facts about our world. These fun activities and science projects are ideal for weekend enrichment or homeschooling assignments.

Children are intrinsically curious about their environment and how things work, so science is often their favorite subject. Doing science experiments at home appeal to all learning styles and can be tailored by age and learning levels. You may also choose experiments for your children according to their scientific interests.

You needn’t be Einstein or conduct experiments in a state-of-the-art laboratory. Many science experiments to do with kids can be done with everyday objects at home. Be sure that your science experiments are age-appropriate and performed with adult supervision.

Your children may have a science project due for school or as a homeschooling project. Maybe you want to learn something while having fun on a rainy day. Either way, you will be spending quality time with your gang while imparting valuable knowledge.

Perhaps you can make these experiments an exciting family hobby. Put on your lab coats, don your goggles, and light up the Bunsen burners. It’s time to discover the world with these ten science experiments to do with your kids that they will enjoy.

10 Fun Science Experiments for the Kids

1. Potato Power Battery

Who would have guessed that the humble potato could generate enough electricity to power a small clock? This enlightening experiment uses things you probably have around the house. Your kids will need two large fresh potatoes, two zinc nails, a tiny battery LED clock, and two bulky copper wires 6-8 inches long attached to alligator clips.

On a clean counter space, arrange the potatoes and push a nail into one side of each potato. Now, push one end of copper wire into the opposite end of the potato. Take the battery out of the clock and set it aside.

Place one alligator clip on the positive pole of the clock and the other clip on the negative. Watch your kids’ amazement when the clock lights up and works. Explain to them the basic principles of electricity and how the potato’s acid and the copper conduct it.

2. Weather Watcher: Tornado in a Bottle

Science experiments to do with kids at home can be perfect tools for learning about the weather. Natural disasters such as tornadoes are just as fascinating for children as they are frightening. Learning the science behind it helps kids process their fears better.

Science experiments with kids need not be messy. Give each child two clean 2-liter bottles with a connector you can find inexpensively online. Fill one of the bottles with water, a few drops of food coloring, and some glitter. Spin the mixture in the top bottle and set it upright on a flat surface.

The whirling motion creates a miniature tornado as air moves upward, and the liquid splashes into the bottom bottle. This experiment demonstrates how the collision of warm air and cold air creates an angry vortex in a thunderstorm.

3. Slime Time

What is it about neon-colored gooey slime that appeals to kids of all ages? Are you struggling to find science experiments to do with kids? This project is one of the science experiments to do with kids that teaches a lesson and makes a fun toy. You could buy a pricey container of slime in the store or make it for pennies at home.

You can find countless recipes for homemade slime online. However, most of them will include school glue, water, borax, and a little food coloring. You can glam your slime up a little with glitter and Styrofoam pellets. Make a big batch to divide between the kids and explain how the borax makes the glue’s molecules cling into one blob.

4. Germ Buster

How many times have you reminded your children to wash their hands? How about conducting a zany science experiment to illustrate the germ buster principle? Your kids will get a visual of how soap can repel germs.

Fill a small bowl with water and sprinkle the surface with a little black pepper. Now, place a bit of hand soap on the tip of your index finger and lightly touch the water’s surface. The pepper will instantly be repelled to the sides of the bowl because of the dense soap breaking surface tension.

Explain how washing your hands with soap and water repel microscopic bacteria and viruses. Reiterate the importance of when their hands should be washed and how to wash them. Scrubbing their hands to the tune of Happy Birthday completes the necessary 20-second rule.

5. Tasty Science: Homemade Ice Cream

Did you realize that we need scientific reactions to make some of our favorite foods? This idea is a yummy science experiment to do with kids that they will want to do often. They will be amazed to find out the process that creates ice cream.

Instead of purchasing a pricey ice cream maker, all you need is simple ingredients, ice, rock salt, a pint-sized resealable plastic bag, and a gallon-sized one. Use your favorite ice cream recipe and modify it for about two servings.

Fill the gallon bag halfway with ice and about six tablespoons of rock salt. Mix the ice cream ingredients in a measuring cup, pour it in the small bag, and bury it in the ice. Churn it in your hands for a few minutes, and you will have an amazing mixture that tastes great.

6. Freeze Water Instantly

Your children know that it takes time for water to freeze. However, there is a neat trick that you can do to speed up that process. You need some purified water, and you cool it to where it’s just below 32 degrees, or the freezing point. Then, all you need to do is place an ice cube in the water or shake the water a bit, and it will flash freeze.

Your children will think they have superpowers when they can turn water into a frozen mixture with a quick maneuver. There are so many science experiments to do with kids and so little time.

7. Make a Lava Lamp

One of the best science experiments to do with kids is making a lava lamp. Lava lamps are amazing to watch, but you can make them in the comfort of your home. All you need is a 2-liter bottle, some cooking oil, food coloring, water, and Alka Seltzer tablets.

Start by filling the bottle to about three-fourths of the way full of vegetable or canola oil. Next, you want to finish filling the bottle with water from your tap. Add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture. The oil and water constantly battle inside the container, which makes it dance.

The food coloring will gravitate to the oil, so the movements are colored. Lastly, add the Alka Seltzer tablets. If you want to make the show even more spectacular, then you can add some glitter of any color. Also, putting a flashlight behind it can make it look like a real lava lamp. You can do this at home without spending a dime.

8. Create Elephant Toothpaste

Have you ever heard of elephant toothpaste? The foaming reaction that this science experiment gives is as fascinating as watching a rocket shoot from a cannon. All you need is to take dish soap, food coloring, warm water, yeast, and hydrogen peroxide.

Take three tablespoons of water, a few squirts of dish soap, and some food coloring into a bottle. Then, add one-half of a cup of hydrogen peroxide to the mixture. Mix everything thoroughly. Last, you want to pour the yeast into the bottle.

It’s best to use a funnel to ensure the yeast doesn’t get everywhere. Then, wait for the chemical reaction to begin. The foaming wonder makes a spectacular sight that your children will enjoy.

9. Soap Clouds

Ivory is one of the purest soaps out there. Put the soap in the microwave oven and set it on the popcorn setting. The soap will begin to burst and make puffy clouds. The chemical reaction the soap has from the heat is spectacular.

Children will love watching the soap explode into a puffy mixture they can play with for hours. Plus, they can take it in the shower and wash with this uniquely created soap mass too.

10. Magic Mud

If your children always want to play in the mud, then you might want to consider making a cleaner version for them to explore. Magic mud is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. To do this project, you will need some food coloring, one cup of water, and two cups of cornstarch.

You can use whatever food coloring you want to get the color you desire. If you want it to resemble mud, indeed, then you should use brown or black. Make sure to let your kids mix it with their hands and make several colored batches to have all sorts of fun.

It’s very similar to play dough, and they will enjoy designed amazing creations.

Final Thoughts: These Science Experiments Are Fun and Educational for Your Children on a Rainy Day

Whether you’re stuck inside because it’s raining or you are sheltering-in-place, then these activities will be a fun way for you and your child to explore many fabulous science projects. There are so many science experiments to do with kids that you can fill all those long days with plenty of fun.

It’s a Whole New World! The Science Behind 3D Foam Modeling for Movie Sets

What compares to the magic of the movies? The darkened theater, the smell of popcorn in the air… there’s just nothing else like it. 

Movies can transport us, inspire us, entertain us, and allow us to see the humanity in ourselves and in others. But what goes into the work of making these magical marvels? It’s true that these days much of what see on the screen is made on computers. CGI has taken over the industry in a major way, and most major titles around the world are mostly CGI-generated. 

But there’s still something startling and fantastic about seeing something truly physical on the screen in front of you. The viewer can almost always tell the difference. If not computers, how do such amazing worlds come to life? 

Read on, and we’ll walk you through everything you should know about the amazing world of 3D foam modeling. 

The Marvel of Physicality 

CGI definitely isn’t going anywhere. But even the most average of movie-viewers can tell the difference between a CGI creation and a physical model. It’s why people online still talk of how the dinosaurs in the 1993 Jurassic Park look better than the ones in the modern incarnation. 

Foam models are used to create all sorts of things in movies. They are used frequently to design and build sets in films. Once painted and designed, they look amazing, almost like the real thing. They can be used to create castles, fantasy lands, ships, vehicles, creatures… really, almost anything. 

The physical nature allows actors and a camera to share the same real space with these creations. To move through them, touch them, and bring a sense of realism to the whole affair that’s often missing with CGI creations. 

Many of your favorite movies likely featured sets, props, and even characters that were designed with 3D foam modeling. A short list includes Alien, Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, Blade Runner, The Matrix. But literally, thousands of movies have been made with the help of 3D foam printing. 

But how does such a process work? Let’s look into it. 

How Creating Foam Sculpture Works 

There a few steps involved in creating a high-level 3D foam model.

Making a Model by Hand

Creators first choose the right foam for the project at hand. Polystyrene foam, such as EPS, is the most common choice among printers. But some other foams, even styrofoam, will be used depending on the needs at hand. 

Large blocks of this foam are then purchased and prepared for the creation process.

Sculptors usually draw a grid pattern across a piece of foam. They use this as a precise guide as they begin the sculpting process. The grid pattern sometimes is printed on to the foam, or hand-drawn. Sometimes it’s even projected by light. 

Hot wire and band saws are used to cut the foam cleanly. For large and thick foam, an electric saw might be used. After the big pieces are cut, smaller tools like electric knives and grinders are used to sand and fine-tune the edges. Smaller pieces of foam may be sculpted and pasted back onto the main body as details. This allows for texture. 

After the final shape is created, there are a number of finishing steps. Paint, weather-proofing, strength, and flexibility will all be added. Much is done in this step, and you can read more about coatings and finishes to understand the details. 

3D Printing A Foam Model 

New technology exists that makes the foam model creation process even easier. Companies have cutting-edge 3D printers that can print foam models to exact specifications. 

Professional designers and artists design these models on the computer instead of in person but print out their creations into physical form. No project is too large or too small for a 3D printer: anything from a two-inch badge to a twenty-foot dinosaur could be created with the right printer on hand. 

The printing process is fairly quick and turnaround can be surprisingly efficient once a design is in place. Many 3D printers are able to print in color now, which also keeps the finishing work needed to a minimum. In a way, 3D printing is the perfect blend of computer technology and physical, really-there results. 

Common Uses in Cinema 

While 3D foam printed models are used for a variety of functions in movies, it’s most common use is likely in architectural design. Foam allows realistic set creation on a tiny budget. In addition, the lightweight nature makes it easy to set up and take down sets without hours of construction. 

Since 3D printers can create just about anything, the form also allows for a lot of imagination and creativity on the part of designers. This is especially helpful when creating fantasy sets for worlds different than our own. Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, and Star Wars are great examples of this. 

Entire cities and large buildings have been made via foam structure in the past. But it also has been used to add on to or expand existing structures. 

Another common use of 3d foam printing in the movies? Props. Guns and futuristic weapons of all sorts are usually made from foam and made to look real. This helps keep the safety on movie sets up to code since the weapons are all make-believe. 

For fictional ray guns and so forth, foam design helps to create new devices that still feel and look real. 

Foam Modeling at the Movies 

Without foam modeling, some of our favorite on-screen creations wouldn’t exist. Understanding the science and work behind such creations can add to the fun of watching. 

Looking for more information about movies or music? Check out our blog for more.

5 Science Blogs that Nail Their SEO Strategy

Do you operate or write for a science blog? Are you wondering how to get your awesome content seen and heard by the masses? Are you utilizing SEO strategies to get higher rankings?

If not, now’s the time to start!

Unfortunately, there seems to be a disconnect between people and science. Brilliant science articles attract fellow science buffs – but what about everyone else? How can you get quality information out to them?

Science blogs need to market their content much like any other blog. An amazing article on the artists’ brain may get lost in the pages of Google. It may get taken over by the latest Kardashian sighting or Apple iPhone release.

And that just isn’t right. We need to reinforce that important connection between humans and science.

Here are 5 science websites that are killing the SEO game. Use them as inspiration for your own!

Science Blogs Worth Looking at

When we say SEO, what are we talking about, exactly? More than keywords (although they’re important, too).

The site should be easy to navigate. It should use click-worthy titles and social media. It needs to use internal and external linking to establish authority.

Take the PBMCs site, for example.

It has clear, click-through sections. It has a helpful FAQ page. They use text and video. 

Here are some others whose SEO techniques are on-point!

1. Scientific American 

This blog knows the importance of using video as well as text. Not only does Google love video, but so do mobile users. It offers an emotional and authoritarian connection, which is great for science writers.

They also have great headlines:

• “There Is No Such Thing as Conscious Thought”
• “A Novel Way to Fight Drug-Resistant Bacteria”
• “How and Why Scientists Redefined the Kilogram”

Are we nerdy, or do those titles make you want to know more?

2. Gizmodo 

This site is great at combining humor and education, bridging that science gap. “There Goes My Dream of a Viking Funeral,” says Bryan Menegus in one hilarious (but informative) article. 

They also know how to use internal linking to their advantage. Click any of their articles and you’ll find them referencing other articles of theirs. Authoritative and (sneakily) promotional.

3. HowStuffWorks

This site is also great at linking. They link back to their own content and cite reputable sources like universities and space.com. This increases their trustworthiness to audiences and the Google bots.

They also have a handy “Related Articles” section at the bottom of each article. This helps keep users on their site.

4. ScienceNews 

Quality is better than quantity – unless you can nail both as ScienceNews does. They post on a regular basis, sometimes even many times a day. But each article is chock-full of relevant, researched info.

They also use the “Subscribe” pop-up, a great way to keep users in touch with their content.

5. Popular Science

This science blog also uses the effective pop-up, offering a “largely ad-free” experience. The ads they do use are smartly placed and not annoying for users.

They have a super navigable page, starting from the toolbar at the top. They have sections such as “Science,” “Tech,” “Military,” and the popular “Video.”

Our favorite feature is the “Roll the Dice” button, which gives you random articles. Within two clicks, we got the articles “Monkeys May Technically Be Able to Talk,” and “The Rise of Personal Computers.” 

Fun, and interesting!

This site is also great at their linking.

Science for the Masses

SEO increases your blog’s credibility, something very important for science blogs. It might put you on Google’s coveted page 1, getting you the exposure you deserve.

Let’s make science popular again!

And while you’re at it, why not hone in your writing skills? Science can be a pretty technical subject. Here are 7 technical writing tips all scientists and bloggers should be using!