So You Think About Dance?

Spectators experience some of the same brain impulses as the dancers they’re watching.

By Edyta Zielinska |

Researchers place a magnetic coil over the head of spectators as they watch dance performersPhoto courtesy of Corinne Jola

Watching a beautiful ballet can move viewers in more ways than one, according to a recent study inPLoS One.  When spectators watched dance, especially a type with which they were familiar, they put themselves in the place of the dancer, their brains showing activity similar to what researchers would expect to see in dancers.

In general empathy is considered critical for deeper appreciation of art. But it is unclear whether this kind of empathy, said first author Corinne Jola a research fellow from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, actually indicates a viewer’s level of enjoyment.

Earlier studies had suggested that spectators only mimicked movements they saw if they had been physically trained to perform those movements themselves. “Even without the physical expertise,” said Jola, who is a dancer as well as a researcher, “viewers’ brains were automatically active, as if they were replicating the movement.”

Researchers showed study participants two roughly 4-minute long dance performances—one classical Indian and one ballet—as well as an acted skit, as their neural responses were recorded. (Performances used in the experiment can be viewed here.) Jola and her team recorded the viewer’s intentions to move with an indirect measure of brain activity. They placed a rubber swim cap on the viewers’ head, which they used to mark the placement of a magnetic coil.  The coil helped researchers amplify the signal that the brain sent to the arm muscles, which is where the researchers would record the intention to move. Jola and her colleagues could record the viewers’ response to the movements they watched by recording the impulses in the spectator’s arm.

Viewers who had watched either ballet or Indian dance many times before had higher responses to that dance form.  Those spectators who were naturally more empathic — a characteristic measured by their responses to questions such as, “when I am reading a book I become completely immersed in the story and forget what is happening around me?”— also had higher responses.

The viewers’ mirroring of the performance wasn’t perfect, however.  If a dancer lifted her arm, the spectators might respond by triggering arm muscles responsible for lifting. But the dancer would have used many other muscle groups, such as those of the back, to send her arm upwards. “When I’m learning a dance, I don’t only see the end result of the movement, I can see the initiation of it as well,” said Madelyn Ho, a dancer with the Taylor 2, a Paul Taylor dance company in New York, who was not involved in the study.

When she watches dance, “I can almost feel myself experiencing the movement,” said Ho. But she switches between three mind sets. “I visualize someone else doing it, I can visualize myself doing it, and I can also visualize what the movement feels like without carrying out the movement,” she said. While that level of perception is unlikely to occur in a casual ballet-goer, the researchers showed that the response does exist, without any dance training.

It’s tempting to assume that those who watch dance regularly and mimic the movement they observe in their minds, might learn dance moves with more facility — a secret fantasy of many a spectator. But Jola says that her study did not look at learning specifically, though it is a question she’s interested in pursuing.

Source: TheScientist
http://the-scientist.com/2012/03/30/so-you-think-about-dance/

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek

3 TIPS FOR MAINTAINING GOOD CREDIT

If you have credit, you should learn to manage it effectively. This way, you will have a chance to pay off debt and accrue wealth over time. Get the best tips for credit management here!

Sallie Mae suggests…

1. Live within your means (to keep your debt level low)

Let’s start by answering the first question regarding smart credit management. What do you owe, and to whom do you owe it?

Simply put, to avoid running into credit problems, don’t spend more than you can afford. But it’s often easier said than done, especially at this stage of your life. That’s why you need to develop . . . and stick with . . . a budget.

But let’s face it. Mention that word to many people and they immediately think of some restrictive, penny-pinching plan that keeps you on a steady diet of macaroni-and-cheese and watered-down soup. But believe us, budget is not a dirty word.

Instead, think of it as a personal spending plan. It’s simply a way for you to understand where your money goes, make any necessary changes to fill in the “gaps,” and be prepared for both predictable and not-so-predictable expenses.

2. Borrow only what you can afford

The concept is simple: Don’t borrow more than you need. But how can you know how much is “too much”? Calculate your debt-to-income ratio.

Your debt-to-income ratio compares what you owe and what you earn (every month), and it’s a key number lenders use to determine your capacity to borrow additional funds. It’s usually a principal component in determining whether a loan application is approved.

How much is too much? Figure your debt-to-income ratio

Your debt-to-income ratio is one way to get a snapshot of your fiscal health. The formula is easy:

Divide
your monthly minimum debt payments
(including mortgage or rent)
by
your monthly gross income

Example: You earn $5,000 each month in gross income, and a yearly bonus nets you $500 a month. Your total monthly income is $5,500.

You pay $200 a month in student loans, $500 in rent, $150 on a car payment, and $150 on your credit cards and other expenses. Your total monthly debt payments are $1,000.

$1,000 (debt) divided by $5,500 (income) = a ratio of18.2%.

3. Maintain a Good Credit Score

Your credit score can affect many aspects of your life. Whether you need a loan to buy a home or if you apply for a credit card, your credit score is used to judge your reliability and risk.

Your credit score helps determine the terms of your loans and if you’ll even be approved.

The pros to having a good credit score

A good credit score means lower interest rates. It shows that you have a responsible credit history and are a low-risk borrower less likely to default on your loans. When you apply for a mortgage or auto loan, a lower interest rate saves you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in interest costs.

A good credit score also lets you be more selective when choosing your lender. The better your score, the more leverage you may have in getting good terms on your loans. Shop around: Having lenders compete against each other can mean you get a more competitive interest rate and ensures that you know that you explored a wide range of lenders before you committed to one.

The cons to having a poor credit score

Lenders use your credit score to judge how likely you are to repay a loan. A poor credit score may mean your loan application is rejected. But that’s just the start.

Your credit score is not only checked by lenders — it can be used when you make other financial arrangements, such as renting an apartment or signing up for utilities. In cities where rental companies can be selective about tenants, a bad credit history can make you an unappealing candidate. Bad credit can get you denied for basic services, such as electricity or a cell phone if your credit report shows you tend to pay late.

A poor credit score can even cost you a job! Prospective employers may check your credit rating to judge your degree of responsibility.

Many lenders charge different interest rates, depending on the applicant’s credit score, so even though you might get approved with a so-so credit score, you may pay a higher interest rate than someone with a better credit score.

What about needing a credit history?

Sometimes having no credit can be just as much of a problem as having bad credit.

If you have no credit history, lenders have no record to assess your borrowing behaviour. In this case, you need to establish some form of credit and use it responsibly to build up your credit rating.

Ways to improve your credit score

Your score continually changes, depending on how well — or poorly — you manage your credit.

These are some ways to build and maintain a high credit score:

• Pay your bills on time.
• Apply for credit only when necessary. Opening too many credit cards in a short time can be harmful to your credit score.
• The longer your credit history, the better. Cancelling an old credit card could hurt your credit score because it may shorten the length of your credit history.
• Keep credit card balances to less than 50% of the credit limit on the credit card.
• Make more than the minimum payment on credit cards.
• Have a mix of credit account types, such as revolving (varied monthly payments, such as credit cards) and instalment (regular monthly payments, like you make on a student loan).
• Check for errors on your credit report periodically, and ensure you have not become the victim of identity theft.

Ways to hurt your credit score

There are some sure-fire ways to get a low score:

• Exceed your credit limit on your credit cards.
• Open and close too many credit accounts in a short period.
• Make payments past due date or, even worse, default on a loan.
• Write bad checks.
• Declare bankruptcy.

Get the entire article at Sallie Mae!

 

TEN WAYS TO SAVE MONEY BY GOING GREEN

10 Ways to Green Your Retail Store

Going green can help small retailers stand out from competitors, but few seem to be focusing on becoming more environmentally friendly.

An MIT Sloan Management Review study released last year found that while most big retail chains already have green initiatives in place, only 9 percent of businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees have embraced sustainability as a core value.

That small percentage may reflect two of the major challenges small retailers face: their landlord and their budget. When you don’t own your store and don’t have a lot to spend, it’s hard to make expensive changes that could bring big energy savings, such as adding insulation or installing skylights.

But going green doesn’t necessarily have to be costly. Here are 12 easy steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint and cut waste:

1. Switch to energy-efficient lighting. You may be able to reap some cost savings and reduce energy use by trading incandescent or older fluorescent light bulbs for newer light-emitting diode (LED) or compact fluorescent (CFL) lights, says Chris Lynch, director of the Business Environmental Program at the University of Nevada-Reno. “If you have five years left on your lease, the savings could pay for the project before the lease ends.”

Be on the lookout for grant programs that might help with the initial costs. At Mugshots Coffeehouse & Café in Philadelphia, owner Angela Vendetti applied for a 2010 energy-reduction grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce, which covered half the $4,176 bill for energy-efficient lighting in two of her three shops. She estimates energy cost savings will let her break even on her share of the lighting costs within two years.

2. Clean greener. If you purchase your store’s cleaning supplies, it shouldn’t cost much to simply switch to less-toxic products as you run out of current stocks, Lynch notes. Or you can make your own. Simply using a combination of water and distilled vinegar can give you a home-made cleaning spray in no time.

3. Buy used fixtures. A great way to both recycle and save money is to scavenge for salvagedfixtures — ideally ones made of natural materials — rather than spend big for new shelving made from metal or petroleum-based plastics, says Julie Gabrielli, owner of the green-business consulting and architectural firm GOfor Change. Where Gabrielli lives in Baltimore, she points to men’s apparel store Sixteen Tons, which uses antique wood cabinets and shelves throughout its store.

4. Create a living wall. Improve air quality with a wall full of indoor plants placed under air-conditioning vents, recommends Gabrielli. This is an especially good move at indoor malls, where air can be recirculated and stale.

Related: Green-Business Experiment: Crowdsourcing an Energy Upgrade

5. Make bags and receipts optional. Gabrielli recommends getting rid of plastic bags and substituting reusable or recycled paper bags. Then, ask customers if they need a bag at all. Also, ask them if you can save a tree and email the receipt. The bonus: You capture emails for future marketing.

6. Buy energy-efficient equipment. If you're purchasing a new fax machine, computer, printer or other equipment, compare Energy Star ratings and buy the most efficient item, advises Jennifer Kaplan, author of Greening Your Small Business and owner of the consulting firmGreenhance. She also notes that countertop point-of-sale machines use a lot of electricity, but you could reduce energy consumption by switching to mobile payments on smartphones or tablets paired with a device such as Square.

7. Turn it off. Many businesses leave cash registers, computers and other devices on day and night. Instead, shut everything off each night, says Kaplan, to avoid sucking "vampire power" to dormant equipment.

8. Turn it down. Put timers on lights in sporadically used areas such as bathrooms, says Kaplan. Also, see if you can use less overhead lighting during the day, at least in parts of the store near windows.

9. Stock green. Examine the materials lists on the merchandise you sell for petroleum byproducts, metals and other nonreplenishable materials, says Kaplan. Investigate whether similar products made from renewable resources are available. Take a look at where goods are made, too. If possible, switch to products made closer to your store to reduce the environmental costs of transportation.

10. Cut packaging. Encourage existing vendors to ship products in less elaborate packaging and consider switching to suppliers that are less wasteful, Kaplan says. For the waste you do receive, try to expand your recycling efforts and compost if you have a restaurant. 

The critical final step for any green initiative is training, says GoforChange's Gabrielli. Make sure workers understand your policies for reducing and managing waste and cutting electricity use, and put it in writing. Get staffers' ideas and incorporate them into the plan, too. "Ultimately, there need to be a set of guidelines," Gabrielli says.