Service dog earns a yearbook picture for his hard work

Service dog earns a yearbook picture for his hard workService dog earns a yearbook picture for his hard workOne service dog was so loyal, he earned himself a spot in a high school yearbook- and rightfully so.Andrew AJ Schalk, a junior of at Virignias Stafford High School with Type 1 diabetes, takes a pooch named to school with him every day. The dog smells the students breath to check his blood sugar levels, which keeps him alive.Schalk told Mashable about why Alpha entered his life, and the crucial role the dog plays in it.The decision to get a service dog came about just to have greater control over my blood sugar and A1C, and Alpha has even saved my life on multiple occasions, Schalk told the publication.The cutest shot everSchalk tweeted a photo of himself and Alpha in the yearbook - complete with their names.Grace Fuller, a junior on the high schools yearbook staff, told Fredericksburg.com about much Alpha means to the school.She reportedly featured the dog in in a small profi le in last years annual, and when looking at this years photos, she saw a picture of him andthought he had earned a spot in the book. Schalkwent with her to ask Alpha could be included and got a ton of support.AJ has always talked about how much he liked having Alpha at school, and he is here all the time- we see him in class and in the hallwaysHe is a part of this school now, Fuller told Fredericksburg.com.Heeven replied to a Twitter account with a photo of Alphas ID card.Alphas yearbook is sure to last forever- he is sure togo down in history atStafford High School.

Study Just the mere sight of coffee can enhance productivity

Study Just the mere sight of coffee can enhance productivityStudy Just the mere sight of coffee can enhance productivityA recent studyconducted by researchers at the University Of Colorado and published in the Journal of Consciousness and Cognition on March 27th proposes that merely being reminded of coffee or tea can provide boots to focus and alertness.This has a number of implications for how people process information and make judgments and decisions. says the studys coauthor, Sam Maglio.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraThe studied effects of primingThe phenomenon is called priming. Priming occurs when exposure to a stimulant effectively informs behavioral reactions and thoughts. These can be induced semantically, conceptually, or perceptually. More broadly, psychologists have explored the influence images have on our evaluation of concepts like politics.As Psychology Today r eports, Priming in a more general sense, still matters, such as when people use contextual cues during a conversation to interpret the meaning of ambiguous language.But how profound can association effects be in more specific instances?Magilo and his colleagues wanted to know if the mere associations made via coffee-related cues could induce any degree of arousal effects without consumption.The researchers began by conducting four separate studies, examining both tea and coffee related-cues across a wide range of individuals from eastern and western cultures. Their analyst yielded fascinating results.People who experience physiological arousal again, in this case as the result of priming and leid drinking coffee itself see the world in more specific, detailed terms, explains MagiloIn psychology, arousal refers to the state of active alertness and attentiveness usually triggered by a number of environmental, neurological or dietary factors.The strength of the results seemed to be d ependent on how pervasive coffee culture was within its respective region. For example, arousal based on coffee and tea related cues was not as strong in eastern civilizations as it was with participants residing in the west. Magilo comments,In North America, we have this image of a prototypical executive rushing off to an important meeting with a triple espresso in their hand. Theres this connection between drinking caffeine and arousal that may not exist in other cultures.Magilo intends to conduct further research to disclose the effects of associations with other kinds of foods and beverages.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

How to make allergies more bearable at work

How to make allergies more bearable at workHow to make allergies more bearable at workFor those of us afflicted with seasonal allergies, springtime not only gifts us with rain showers and bright flowers but also with presents that we would rather return to sender. We may be walking around the office with itchy eyes, runny noses, and stuffy lungs that are distracting us from getting any work done.Unfortunately, too many of us are dealing with these symptoms at work.More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies each year. Those of us who have it, know the drill identify the underlying trigger and then attack the reaction with medicine or prayer. But what can you do when you keep sniffling and wheezing at work despite your remedies?Enter mindfulness. Its a practice that will not magically cure your allergies, but it can make them more bearable.To be mindful of allergies, stop judging yourself for having themBeing mindful of your allergies begins with accepting your situation. No, you never asked for this hellish hay fever, but now that you have it, you will not dwell on the unfairness of your illness. Thats whatRachael Kable, host of The Mindful Kind podcast, advises.If your eyes are itching or your nose is running, try to acknowledge that without labeling the experience good or bad, she says. If your breath is affected by an allergic reaction - if your nose is stuffed up or your breathing is shallow - just notice this, again without judgment.When you are mindful, you are teaching your body to stay in the present moment, even if that moment is unpleasant. How you think can change how you feel. Ruminating about your symptoms will just make you feel worse.As Kable puts it, Dont be afraid to be mindful of your allergies, however unpleasant they may seem at first. Exploring the sensations in your body is a powerful way of becoming more accepting of them.So next time pollen is clogging up your airways, pay attention to the sensation so that you can learn to br eak its hold over you.