Source: http://greatist.com/live/science-of-resting-bitch-face?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Yep, scientists study everything. To find out why some people always look like they’re throwing shade, researchers used fancy software to analyze resting bitch face. When they added photos of celebrities notorious for RBF (like Kanye West and Kristen Stewart), the computer program registered higher levels of contempt.

Even though these faces are basically neutral (part of the reason we call it “resting” in the first place), our brains can recognize the contempt from a tiny curl of the lips or a slight squint of the eyes. Once we register it, we associate that face with feelings of uneasiness—our hardwired reaction to negative emotions.

Photo: Noldus Information Technology

Another interesting finding: The software measured equal amounts of RBF in photos of men and women, so the idea that it’s mainly a female phenomenon probably comes from commonly held stereotypes, not science.

(h/t The Washington Post)

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Source: http://greatist.com/live/eating-disorder-birthday?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Society tells us that eating disorders are something we should keep hush-hush. But in a powerful essay on Bustle, writer Molly Jean Bennett explains why she’s not ignoring her own—she’s celebrating its 10th anniversary instead.

Bennett has come a long way from the obsessive eating and exercising of her teenage years. She’s been through treatment, moved to New York, and made a healthier life for herself, but she’s also honest about the fact that the struggle isn’t over. Her story reminds us that the journey to getting healthier is a path with lots of bumps along the way.

Check out our favorite part below:

Photo: Bustle

For many years, whenever I talked about my eating disorder, which wasn’t often, I used the past tense. “When I was a teenager, I had an eating disorder. I lost a lot of weight through a combination of caloric restriction and obsessive exercise. I was lucky that I recovered quickly and didn’t relapse.” Until recently, I refused to confront the ways in which my eating disorder has remained present in my life. Most of the time, I like my body. I like the things it can do, and the places it’s taken me. But there are flashes of that old panicky self-hate, the kind I felt constantly in recovery.

Even though I’ve ne…

Source: http://greatist.com/live/northpoint-cozy-blanket?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

​Northpoint Cashmere Plush Velvet Throw

We’ve been through enough brutally cold winters to know how to put together the perfect hibernation kit. The essentials: a mindless but hilarious TV show to stream, cups and cups of your favorite tea or hot chocolate, and the coziest blanket you can find. We’ve got you covered on that last one.

The first time we wrapped ourselves up in the Northpoint Cashmere Plush Velvet Throw, it felt like a nice, warm hug. The next thing we knew, we had parked it on the couch all day—so when you pick a show, make sure it has a bunch of seasons. If you accidentally spill on yourself in the midst of a cliff-hanger, don’t worry. Just toss the blanket in a cold wash load of laundry, and find out what the dryer’s fluff setting was truly meant for.

Best of all? At $16.99, this throw is crazy cheap. We know what you’re wondering: Could something so inexpensive be cashmere, as the name implies? Nope. This throw is 100 percent polyester, but it feels just as soft as our favorite cashmere sweater, so we’ll let the false advertising slide.

I Want This!
$16.99

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Source: http://greatist.com/eat/healthy-wing-recipes?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Wings tend to get a bad rap because they’re often deep-fried and smothered in sauce. But they can be made healthier without sacrificing flavor or crispiness. The following recipes are baked, grilled, or made in that beloved kitchen appliance—the slow cooker.

Some of the sauces veer into the not-so-healthy territory (we see you, truly crispy oven-baked buffalo wings), but if you keep the dressing on the side or skip it altogether—the wings will still taste delicious.

Now go forth, and eat your protein.

Photo: The Cookie Rookie

1. Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Wings

When we said a Crock-Pot could do anything, we meant it. Whip out the magical appliance for this recipe that will surely be a hit. The garlic Parmesan sauce isn’t too spicy, making it the perfect crowd-pleaser. One thing to keep in mind: While the Crock-Pot is convenient, the wings never really get that crispy.

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Source: http://www.thefitbits.com/2016/02/white-collar-take-two-punching-fear-in.html

I’ve been putting it off for too long.
I’ve had my excuses – no time to dedicate to it, too much else to train for, not the right time – but really, if I’m totally honest, I was just too scared. Every time I went back to watch my friends have their moment I got jealous – I wanted to do it again but I let the excuses get in the way.

I’m still scared now, maybe even a little bit more so because I know what to expect. I don’t think I went into that ring the first time round totally prepared to actually fight. You can spar all you like, but nothing prepares you for what it feels like to fight your heart out.

Then there’s the first time you take a punch to the face, the stinging of the eyes and lump in throat; the absolute annihilation of your senses in the ring and complete battering of your body in training as you try to push out just one more punch, just one more squat jump, just one more press up.

Learning how to anticipate what’s coming whilst blocking punches throwing the right ones b…

Source: http://greatist.com/live/dry-brushing-benefits?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Maybe we spend way too much time on Pinterest, but when we first heard about dry brushing, it sounded like a skin-care miracle. Proponents of the technique claim dry brushing stimulates the lymphatic system, unclogs pores, exfoliates dead skin cells, reduces cellulite, and basically gives you the skin of your dreams. But, like we do when anything sounds too good to be true, we took a deep dive into the facts to see if the benefits match up to reality.

The Brush-Off

The proper way to dry brush: Give your body a thorough rub-down while your skin is dry, using a bristled brush, an exfoliating mitt, or washcloth to brush in circular motions toward your heart. (The stiffer the bristles, the better.) The aim is to leave your skin clear, cellulite reduced, and your body energized. It’s also, supposedly, a way to stimulate your circulatory stystem and remove toxins from the body.

The problem is that these claims aren’t entirely true, says Paul Jarrod Frank, M.D., a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist and Alphaeon physician. The skin is the largest organ of the body, and as such, comes fully equipped with one of the most intricate circulatory systems.

So while your skin does create “toxins,” like dead skin cells (we get a…

Source: http://greatist.com/live/soda-commercial-parody?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

If we’re to believe soda commercials, opening a can of the bubbly beverage livens up any moment. A bottle quenches your thirst after a game of basketball, gives you the energy for a fun day in the sun, and if you’re Taylor Swift, it somehow makes cats appear out of thin air. We’re not just being sold a beverage, we’re being sold happiness. (Coke had a whole campaign with the tagline “open happiness,” after all.)

But if these ads were being honest, they’d tell us we’re basically sipping on a bottle of liquid candy—or perhaps “wet sugar with bubbles” is more to the point. The clever people over at Cracked made this parody of a soda commercial that will definitely make you think twice before you pick up your next can of Coke.

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Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/02/06/465803034/after-introducing-changes-keurig-sales-continue-to-fall?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

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Weekend Edition Saturday

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Sales for the Keurig, an individual coffee brewer, are down about $60 million from last year.

Kathy Willens/AP

There was a time when it felt like Keurig coffee pods were going to take over the world — or at least encircle it.

But now sales are on the…

Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/02/05/465309625/two-grad-students-use-science-to-bust-the-dinner-hoax-of-the-century?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

According to legend, the Explorers Club — a society of scientific adventurers — served its members a prehistoric dish at its annual dinner in 1951. By some accounts, the mystery meat was woolly mammoth; by others, extinct giant sloth. Now DNA analysis has provided a definitive answer — and unraveled a decades-long deception.

Katherine Du/NPR

There aren’t a lot of people who have dined on meat from the Pleistocene, prehistoric humans notwithstanding. That’s why accounts of the 1951 Annual Dinner of the Explorers Club, a societ…

Source: http://greatist.com/move/negotiate-gym-membership-deal?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Most of us don’t realize that when we’re casually sitting in a room with a friendly gym associate, we’re actually in the middle of a negotiation. After all, health clubs and gyms are businesses, and in business, you can negotiate anything—well, at least you can try.

According to one site, the average monthly cost of a gym membership in 2014 was $41—a significant financial commitment that adds up to nearly $500 per year. What’s more, only 44 percent of gym members attend their gym more than 100 times a year—meaning there’s significant waste from underutilization. So while investing in your health is usually a good idea, wouldn’t it also be nice to avoid overpaying?

Many gym chains are willing to negotiate the price of your monthly membership or what you have access to, though boutique studios and gyms tend to be even more flexible. Your success largely depends on your local branch and myriad other things that we’re about to discuss.

So, don’t just waltz into a gym unprepared. Here are 12 tips to help you when you’re in the negotiating hot seat.

1. Do your homework.

It’…