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The recent admission by aircraft industry giant Boeing that there was indeed a bug in the software systems of its 737 Max airplane is sad, regrettable but — quite unfortunately — not a new phenomenon in the software industry.

There have been bugs, or programming errors, ever since there was software. Examples abound in the 60 years or so history of modern computing, in all fields of application. The severity and the eventual consequences go from very mild, even funny in some cases, to extremely dramatic, like in an air crash, in others.

The public awareness about IT and high-tech today is such that people know very well what a software bug is, and how it enters a programme because of a human error. They also know that such errors are impossible to avoid completely, that the human error factor will always be there.

However, the obvious question that most of us would ask is the following: How come that the process of debugging a programme, of making it 100 per cent bug-free by having it extensively verified and thoroughly tested, by several different teams, time and again, how come that this process is not applied and followed systematically as it should be, scrupulously, before critical and life-threatening applications are actually put to work?

The question is simple but the answer is not. There is in fact a set of them.

The first is that debugging a large software system is a daunting task. Think of the most common of these systems, the one that most people in the world use: MS-Windows. It is a gigantic piece of code, developed over the years, by different teams. The size of the code sometimes consists of millions of line — yes, millions. The change of the successive teams who do the development adds another dimension to the complexity and therefore the fragility of the project. We all know that MS-Windows is not 100 per cent bug-free, that each version may iron out previous mistakes but introduce new ones and we accept to live that way.

Moreover, software developers and coders sometime argue that if they have to do complete and perfect testing before they release their product, it would take years and years, and therefore is not a commercially doable approach, not a viable solution. Such argument should not be acceptable in what we call critical applications. It is one thing to experience a bug in your bank account, while chatting with your friend over Skype, or while watching a Netflix video stream, and it is totally another when it hits aboard a flying aircraft, or in a busy hospital operating room.

The current trend towards driverless vehicles — among other heavily IT-dependent high-tech trends — implies more and more software, constantly more complex programming, and larger coding size. Will the industry rush to release software for unmanned cars for commercial reasons or will it spend the time it takes to produce clean, thoroughly tested applications?

A few weeks ago I downloaded and installed the very latest version of my software music player, J. River Media Centre. The manufacturer was very professional and warned us users that this new release may not yet be perfectly debugged, and that it was up to each and every one to go for it immediately or to wait for its complete debugging, knowing and keeping mind that the very fact that some users are willing to try it out as it is does help debugging it, thanks to their testing and feedback.

I bravely went for it from the start, experienced a couple of minor bugs (sudden shutdowns), and six weeks later I was happy to receive the fully-debugged copy from the maker. This is all but fair and ethical, but again in no way acceptable in otherwise critical applications. My music player certainly does not qualify as anything “critical”.

The above is nothing new. The industry knows very well what is critical and what is not, and what methodology is to apply in the first case. It is therefore not about knowing what is right, but about doing it by the book. Maybe it is a management issue after all! At a very big scale, certainly.

People who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods — such as frozen entrees, white bread and canned side dishes — tend to consume more calories than those who eat foods that are not processed, a new study suggests. 

Government researchers found that people ate about 500 calories more when offered meals that contained ultra-processed items, according to the results in Cell Metabolism. 

“It was a surprise to us,” said the study’s lead author Kevin Hall, a senior investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland. “Despite our matching meals for salt, sugar and fat — the nutrients people think cause weight gain — we still saw substantial increases in consumption with ultra-processed foods.” 

The results underscore the futility of cutting out specific nutrients to lose weight, Hall said. “This study suggests that there could be major benefits from reducing ultra-processed foods and not focusing on specific nutrients or calories,” he added. 

Hall and his colleagues rounded up 20 volunteers who were willing to live in the lab for 28 days and consume only the foods that were offered to them. 

Each participant was randomly assigned to get either meals containing ultra-processed foods for two weeks or meals with only unprocessed foods. At the end of two weeks, the participants switched to the other group’s diet. 

Included in the ultra-processed food category were items such as canned ravioli, canned peaches in heavy syrup, turkey sausages, frozen macaroni and cheese, frozen fried chicken. In the unprocessed category were fresh fruits, homemade hash brown potatoes, scrambled fresh eggs, grilled chicken breast, frozen but unprocessed vegetables. 

Meals were designed such that they contained the same amount of nutrients and calories, whether they were ultra-processed or unprocessed. 

The researchers calculated how many calories each volunteer should be eating each day to maintain their weight and then doubled that amount for the meals that were offered. Volunteers were told to eat as much as they wanted, and the researchers measured the calories left unconsumed. 

The volunteers reported that both diets tasted good and were satisfying, which meant they were not eating less of the unprocessed foods because of taste issues. 

One big difference, Hall said, was that levels of an appetite suppressing hormone increased when study participants consumed unprocessed foods “and similarly, ghrelin, a hormone that induces hunger, was lower in those consuming an unprocessed diet, suggesting that this may have suppressed hunger and enabled them to eat fewer calories”. 

During the two weeks the volunteers ate ultra-processed food, they consumed an average of 508 more calories per day compared to the amount they ate on unprocessed food days. Moreover, during the two weeks of consuming ultra-processed foods volunteers gained an average of two pounds as compared to a loss of two pounds after two weeks of eating unprocessed food. 

While they do not yet know why people ate more and gained weight on a diet rich in ultra-processed foods, the researchers have some theories. 

It is possible, Hall said, that the processed foods combine high levels of sweetness and fat in a way that would not occur in nature. “That may stimulate the reward region in our brains,” he said. 

Another hypothesis suggests that people ate more ultra-processed food because these items “may be softer and easier to chew and swallow”, Hall said. “We did notice they ate these foods more quickly. When you eat that quickly, it doesn’t give your gut enough time to process that signal.” 

This is a “really great study”, said Dr Rekha Kumar, an endocrinologist and an assistant professor of medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. 

“Even though the obesity epidemic was correlated with the increasing prevalence of processed food consumption, this is the first time we’ve seeing this in a randomised, controlled trial,” Kumar said. “This kind of study is hard to do. I have a feeling that other things, such as blood sugar and liver enzymes, would go the wrong way as well with these ultra-processed foods in a longer-term study.”

A balanced, low-fat diet significantly lowers the risk of dying from breast cancer in postmenopausal women, according to new long-term data from the Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification trial. 

“Ours is the first randomised, controlled trial to prove that a healthy diet can reduce the risk of death from breast cancer. The balanced diet we designed is one of moderation, and after nearly 20 years of follow-up, the health benefits are still accruing,” lead investigator Dr Rowan Chlebowski from Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre in Torrance, California, said in a statement. 

He discussed the findings during a press briefing May 15 ahead of a presentation June 2 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting. 

“This study makes clear there are no down-sides, only up-sides to a healthier diet, and it adds to a growing volume of studies showing similar positive effects across cancer types,” ASCO President and briefing moderator Dr Monica M. Bertagnolli said in the statement. 

The trial enrolled 48,835 postmenopausal women with no previous breast cancer and with dietary fat accounting for at least 32 per cent of total daily calories. From 1993 to 1998, the women were randomly allocated to a usual-diet comparison group or a dietary intervention group that aimed to reduce fat intake to 20 per cent of daily calories and increase consumption of vegetables, fruit and grains. 

Women in the balanced, low-fat diet group stuck to the diet for roughly 8.5 years. Most of them increased their intake of fruits, vegetables and grains, and cut their daily fat intake to 25 per cent or less, although most did not reach the 20 per cent goal.

The research team was able to track half of the women for more than 19.6 years.

A total of 3,374 women developed breast cancer between 1993 and 2013. The low-fat diet did not significantly reduce women’s risk of developing breast cancer — still, women in the dietary intervention group experienced a range of short- and long-term health benefits as compared with women in the normal diet group, Chlebowski noted. Specifically, they had a 21 per cent lower risk of death from breast cancer and a 15 per cent lower risk of death from any cause during the follow up period.

Postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome (increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels) were particularly likely to benefit from the dietary intervention.

Commenting on the findings during the briefing, Dr Lidia Schapira from Stanford Cancer Institute in California said this study is “very important and helps us understand that what we put on the plate matters, and it is worth coaching and pushing our patients to put fruits, vegetables and grains on their plate”.

She continued, “This is not easy, Dr Chlebowski said that they did not accomplish reducing the dietary fat as much as they had intended to, but even at the level that they did, they showed that there was a health advantage.” 

“Quality of the diet and dietary patterns over time are an important component of long-term health in women with breast cancer,” Kelly Hogan, a registered dietician and clinical nutrition and wellness manager at Mount Sinai’s Dubin Breast Centre of the Tisch Cancer Institute in New York City, told Reuters Health by e-mail.

“The health benefits of a plant-based diet are well known, and this study further emphasizes the importance and possible protective factors of a diet high in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, in women with breast cancer, as well as the importance of continued nutritional guidance from their healthcare teams to help them adapt these dietary changes throughout their treatment and beyond,” said Hogan, who was not involved in the study.

A car that has seemingly taken Jordanian roads by storm on a somewhat small scale, the now common electric-powered Fiat 500e’s popularity stands in contrast with regular petrol Fiat 500 derivatives.

With limited local take up of the broader 500 range since the Italian carmaker’s defining retro heavy model was first introduced in 2007, enthusiasm for the 500e’s seems to largely stem from substantial electric vehicle (EV) duty exemptions and, as of more recently, reduced levies compared with petrol cars.

Diminutive charms

A perfect case of how the Jordanian market differs from other regional markets and how car companies can miss out small but significant opportunities when approaching the Middle East as a homogenous GCC-oriented entity rather than a collection of more locally nuanced markets, the Fiat 500e, like other similar cars, is officially unavailable for sale in the Middle East. Instead, demand for the 500e has been met by independent auto traders importing used and new examples from the US market.

On sale in the US since 2013, Fiat’s diminutive 3-door city hatchback is almost identical and charming in EV 500e guise as petrol versions, with the same high urban manoeuvrability and somewhat limited practicality compared with conventional-looking competitors like its own Fiat Panda sister. With few tell-tale distinguishing signs, the stylish 500e, however, stands out for its rounded, bug-eyed, big footprint and narrow upright retro-infused charisma harking back to Fiat’s iconic original post-war people’s car, rather than laboured, unconvincing and complicated attempts at aesthetically singling it out as an EV.

Ready responses

Driving the front wheels through a front-mounted electric motor and single-speed gearbox in place of regular models’ transverse combustion engines, the Fiat 500e is, however, significantly heavier at 1,355kg owing to its 364V, 24kWH batteries positioned underneath the cabin.

Producing 111BHP and 147lb/ft torque with an almost immediately accessible and responsive jolt from standstill, the 500e is capable of 0-100km/h in around 9.5-seconds. Top speed is meanwhile limited to 141km/h — presumably somewhat due to weight and its single ratio gearing, but regardless, it overtakes responsively when cruising.

With near instant access to it generously torque-biased output the 500e launches confidently with a little torque steer, and chirp from its relatively slim tyres. Seamlessly smooth in delivery and with healthy mid-range versatility, the 500e does its best work at lower and more moderate speeds.

Like most EVs, the 500e is at its most energy efficient in the city, where it returns 160km single charge range in ideal conditions, which drops to 139km on the combined cycle, with a fuel efficiency equivalency of 2l/100km.

Stylish city car

More efficient in town than on highway as most EVs are, the 500e’s range is further reduced at speed and under heavy acceleration input. Meanwhile charging times vary from lengthy 24-hours for basic 120V home charging to four hours with a high capacity 240V charger.

That given, combined with its fundamental small and tall city car design, the 500e is particularly well suited as a mostly urban commuter car with good efficiency, adequate range and easy manoeuvrability from home to work, where battery charge can be topped up.

A nippy and agile city car well able to zip through narrow and confined conditions, the 500e’s forte is not to be found in long distance touring, owing mainly to its range and re-charge time restrictions, despite it being adequately stable reassuring at speed.

And while a little busy in its ride quality over imperfect surface, the 500e’s somewhat altered weighting for EV service lends it a more planted ride quality, in addition to perhaps a slightly more increased instinct for understeer if pushed too hard on turn-in.

Perched high and grounded low

That said, the 500e is otherwise tidy and responsive on turn-in, and with direct steering and adequate road feel from its 185/55R15 tyres, is easily maneuvered through narrow winding lane and tight parking garages alike. Nimble and agile, but stable through corners owing to its tiny 2,300mm wheelbase and relatively big footprint, it leans slightly through corners. But with much of the added weight situated in the under-cabin battery packs, the low centre of gravity seems to counteract its tall and narrow roofline.

Driving with a slightly more grounded feel than regular petrol versions but the same high perched driving position, the 500e provides terrific driving visibility for manoeuvring. With commanding road view and good front headroom and narrow cabin, driving controls also fall easily to hand.

Stylishly retro inside, the 500e’s cabin accommodates four people, but with rear leg and head room at a premium, and 199L regular boot space, a compromise between passenger capacity and comfort and extended folded rear seat luggage volume sometimes has to be made.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: Permanent magnetic electric traction, front-mounted electric motor

Battery, voltage/capacity: Lithium-ion, 364V/24kWh

Gearbox: 1-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive

Final drive: 9.59:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 111 (112) [83]

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 147 (200)

0-100km/h: approximately 9.5-seconds

Top speed: 141km/h

Range, city/combined: 160/139km*

Fuel consumption equivalency, combined: 2-litres/100km*

Charging time, at 120V/240V: 24-/4-hours

Length: 3,617mm

Width: 1,627mm

Height: 1,527mm

Wheelbase: 2,300mm

Track, F/R: 1,407/1,397mm

Ground clearance: 115mm

Aerodynamic drag co-efficiency: 0.311

Headroom, F/R: 989/903mm

Legroom, F/R: 1,035/702mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,255/1,179mm

Hip room, F/R: 1,215/1,083mm

Seating capacity: 4

Luggage volume: 199-litres

Kerb weight: 1,355kg

Weight distribution, F/R: 57/43 per cent

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Lock-to-lock: 3-turns

Steering ratio: 16.3:1

Turning Circle: 9.54-metres

Suspension: MacPherson struts/twist beam

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs, 284 x 22mm/251 x 11mm

Tyres: 185/55R15

*US Environmental Protection Agency figures

Living with Arabs: Nine Years with the Petra Bedouin

Joan Ward

Um Peter Publishing, 2014

Pp. 190

Many in Jordan probably know the author of this book, UK citizen Joan Ward, for she was Head of English at the International Community School (ICS) in Amman from 2006 until 2008, before deciding to settle in Um Sayhoun, the housing built for the bedouin who were relocated from Petra’s caves.

In “Living with Arabs”, she relates her experience with open-mindedness, compassion, humour and a critical eye. At first, Ward spent weekends in the Petra area, but her decision to live there began with an epiphany that occurred on her first visit as a tourist in 2004. On a hike north of Petra, it hit her: “my heart lurched with the realisation that this place was my soul’s home. I wanted to stay here forever”. (p. 7)

Her way of expressing this reflects her deep spirituality, which is further revealed in later parts of the book.

After securing a job at the ICS, she began spending as much time as possible in the Petra area: “Those early holidays and the weekends of the two years that I taught in Amman, were spent on donkey back in the Petra mountains, accompanied by a wonderful guide, whose family were to become my closest friends and neighbours.” (p. 8) 

By summer 2006, building began on the house for her guide’s family with separate accommodations for her. “Over the years our lives were to become intermingled in many different ways. In the course of my life, I have battled cancer, injustice, unhappy marriages and physical pain, but nothing was to make me dig as deep into my reserves as the life that lay ahead of me in Um Sayhoun.” (p. 74)

One might imagine that Ward had found a quiet, peaceful retreat, but the noise and confusion of her neighbours and their animals was her biggest problem in the beginning. One remedy for this was long hikes alone. “The luxury of uninterrupted time on my own, to sit and think was such a rarity back in the village that, on my days out, knowing that I would be a source of interest, I tried to stay hidden.” (p. 92) 

This is not to say that she always avoided social contact, on the contrary. One chapter of the book consists of a journal she kept after her friends in the UK asked her what she did all the time. Its entries attest to how much time and effort she devoted to social relations with her neighbours and helping the women of the community in particular, by driving them on errands or to the doctor. If the doctor was in Aqaba, it gave excuse for a fun excursion. 

Through Ward’s eyes and eloquent prose, one meets dozens of people and hears their stories. She is a keen observer of human behaviour, attune to the significance of small gestures and body language. As her Arabic improved, she gained more and more insight into the Petra bedouins’ lives, how families and the community functioned, and what was meaningful to them. There are also beautiful descriptions of nature and graphic accounts of her adventures in the mountains. Ward was especially admiring of the matriarchs but found all the women delightful: “They are lovely. They are kind and sensitive. They are welcoming and accepting. They have, on average, eight children each. They are old before their time… They are the salt of the earth and I love them.” (p. 47)

Ward also expresses admiration for the ability of the bedouin to make a life wherever they are, despite poverty and marginalisation. “The bedouin are extremely resourceful and are masters of improvisation. No hammer? Use a disused engine part. No tea-glass? Cut the top or bottom off a plastic water bottle. No tripod for the pot? Use stones?” (p. 19)

It is interesting to compare Ward’s book to Marguerite van Geldermalsen’s “Married to a Bedouin” (2006), because presumably it is the same community in which they lived. However, Marguerite’s book covers seven years of living in a cave, while Ward came later, when the Petra bedouin were resettled in Um Sayhoun. Both women seem to have struck a balance between integrating in the community and being themselves, but there is one surprising difference in their narratives: Marguerite does not mention instances of cruelty, whereas Ward, though essentially positive about the community, is deeply disturbed by the instances of cruelty to animals and women’s subordination which she observes. Did the people change after they relocated? Why are the two women’s perspectives on this so different? One wonders if they ever met. 

The only disconcerting thing about this book is the cover which shows a woman who resembles a Gulf Arab more than a Jordanian bedouin, evoking a stereotype that is otherwise completely absent in Ward’s narrative. “Living with Arabs” is available at Books@cafe, Redwan bookstore in Aqaba, and the Crown Plaza gift shop in Wadi Musa.

Sally Bland

During the Holy Month of Ramadan, the whole routine of life changes for those fasting. A combination of several factors may have a negative impact on our bodies, including our skin.

Long hours of fasting hours and fewer hours of sleep combined with warmer weather may leave your skin dehydrated and susceptible to breakouts and dry patches. Here are my five skin care tips to keep your skin refreshed, radiant, glowing and healthy leading up to Eid.

1. Water…much more

Drinking water is the mother of all skincare tips. I recommend drinking two to three litres of water during iftar hours. Even better, adding mint, cucumber or lemon makes it all the more refreshing and appealing. Water will hydrate your skin, reduce breakouts and aid in digestion and bowel movement. 

Recommended: Water-rich food — fruits like cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, oranges and cucumber are full of water. 

Avoiding or limiting: Milk, coffee, soda, sugar and salt are dehydrating.

2. Hydrating and moisturising your skin 

Moisturising is a must any day of the year but it’s even more important when your skin cannot be internally hydrated. I recommend using a moisturiser in the morning, not forgetting the sunblock, applying a serum before bedtime and moisturising your body after every shower.

Recommended: A homemade face mist: Simply find a bottle mist, add one quarter rosewater, two quarters filtered water and 10 drops of pure glycerine (you can get it from any pharmacy). Whenever you feel the need or after each wudu’ (ablution), just spray it over your face to lock in moisture. 

Avoiding or limiting: Long sun exposure — sunblock should be reapplied every two to three hours for optimal protection Showering in hot water: Hot water dries the skin faster.

3. Extra eyecare

Regularly staying up late and interrupted sleep may impact our eyes with darker circles, puffiness and more wrinkles. Extra care is needed to stay looking refreshed throughout the month. I recommend using a water based eye cream and searching for these ingredients in your eye cream: amino acids, peptides, hyaluronic acid.

Recommended: Perfume-free, paraben-free and glutenfree eye cream.

Avoiding: Sleeping with your makeup on and harsh ingredients that irritate the eye area.

4. Eating foods that make your skin glow

Raising your antioxidant intake during iftar and suhoor will give you radiant, healthy looking skin even when fasting. I eat foods that are rich in fibre and antioxidants, such as berries, almonds, dark chocolate and pomegranates and have a handful of berries as they are a great source of the vitamins and minerals our skin needs after a day of fasting.

Recommended: Plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish as they are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Avoiding or limiting: Fast food, sugar and refined carbohydrates as they are really bad for our skin. Eating this sort of food can lead to skin blemishes, breakouts and makes skin look generally dull.

5. Less makeup during the day

The combination of heat, dehydration and heavy makeup can lead to clogged pores and breakouts. I recommend products that are light and moisturising such as BB creams (also known as beauty balms or blemish balms) and lip balms with added SPF. If you want extra coverage, go for a water-based foundation.

Recommended: Rosewater mist (mentioned above) before applying your makeup for added moisture.

Avoiding: Oil-based makeup and applying foundation directly onto your skin — cleanse, moisture and apply sunblock before spreading on your foundation I wish you all a blessed month! Let us make smarter decisions about our skincare throughout Ramadan and may this be the perfect opportunity to get into good habits for the rest of the year.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours Magazine

Kindergarteners who get more than two hours of screen time a day may be more likely to have behaviour and attention problems in school than their classmates who spend less time in front of televisions, smartphones and tablets, a Canadian study suggests. 

Doctors urge parents of young kids to limit screen time or avoid it altogether because all of those hours watching videos or gaming have been linked to slowed development of speech and language, fine and gross motor skills, and social and behavioural skills. After all, time spent in front of screens means less time for scribbling with crayons or playing games that help kids learn how to kick a ball or take turns. 

In the current study, researchers surveyed parents of more than 2,400 Canadian kids to assess screen time at three and five years. The second assessment also asked about behaviour problems like inattention and aggressiveness as well as issues like sleep difficulties, depression and anxiety. 

Very few five-year-olds had these problems: just 1.2 per cent of kids had so-called “externalising” behaviour problems like aggression or inattention and just 2.5 per cent had “internalising” problems like depression and anxiety. 

But compared to kids who got less than a half hour of screen time daily, children who had more than two hours daily had an almost six-fold greater risk of attention problems and an almost eight-fold greater risk of meeting the criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 

“It is never too early to talk to your child about limiting screen time,” senior study author Dr Piush Mandhane of the University of Alberta in Canada said by e-mail. 

Canadian guidelines recommend that parents limit screen time to less than one hour a day for children two to four years old and less than two hours daily for older kids, researchers note in Plos One. 

At age three, kids in the study exceeded these limits, getting an average of 1.5 hours a day of screen time. They got slightly less — 1.4 hours a day — by age five. 

Overall, almost 14 per cent of kids had more than two hours a day of screen time. 

It is possible that some kids in the study who already had challenges with behaviour or social skills opted to spend more time in front of screens because they struggled to relate to peers. 

The study also was not a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how screen time might cause behaviour problems. 

“This study does not draw any conclusion about certain types or contexts of media use being better for child development than others,” said Andrew Ribner, a psychology researcher at New York University who was not involved in the research. 

“However, other research has suggested screen time that has a slower pace, is relatively less fantastical, and provides some kind of contingent responsiveness — something like Sesame Street or Dora the Explorer rather than Spongebob Squarepants — is better than the alternative,” Ribner said by e-mail. 

Fast-paced digital media can precondition little ones to expect unnatural stimulation, leading to shorter attention spans because real life can seem slow and underwhelming by comparison, said Dr Dimitri Christakis, director of the Centre for Child Health, Behaviour and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. 

“We also know from decades of research that real, human interaction and play is critical to cognitive and social development,” Christakis, who was not involved in the study, said by e-mail. “Even if it were ‘harmless,’ the time spent on digital devices displaces these interactions.” 

Beyond just limiting screen time, parents should concentrate on creating screen-free times in children’s daily routines, said Dr Jenny Radesky of the C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. 

“The more important thing is reducing tech distractions during meals, when playing solo or together, and before bedtime — and not giving in to every moment of boredom or whining with tech use,” Radesky, who was not involved in the study, said by e-mail. “It’s so important for children to learn how to handle big feelings, tolerate boredom, and settle themselves down at night.” 

People spend nearly an hour each day gossiping, but most of our behind-the-back chatter is not necessarily negative. That is according to a new study that reveals just who is most likely to dish on others and why.

University of California–Riverside researchers looked at 467 people who wore portable recorders that picked up bits of their conversations for two to five days, the university said in a release. Those snippets were then analysed for overall gossipiness.

What they found: The average person gossips for 52 minutes a day, but only about 15 per cent of the gossip picked up in the study was negative.

“We actually found that the overwhelming majority of gossip was neutral,” Megan Robbins, study co-author and UC Riverside psychologist, told NPR.

“About three-quarters of the conversation we heard in our sampled conversations was neither positive nor negative,”

The recorders picked up about 10 per cent of participants’ conversations, the university said. Anything spoken about a person not present counted as gossip, which research assistants then rated as positive, negative or neutral.

Women gossip more than men, the study found, but only on neutral, information-focused topics — think updates about a niece’s job or a friend’s cancer treatment. Younger people sling more negative gossip than older adults, the data showed.

People are way less likely to gossip about celebrities like Kim Kardashian than they are about an acquaintance like Kim from accounting, the study found.

And, unsurprisingly, extroverts are more likely than introverts to gossip whether positive, negative or in-between.

People often imagine gossips to be poorer and uneducated, the authors said, but the study found those with less education and wealth do not gossip more than wealthier, more educated people.

“These naturalistic observation findings dispel some stereotypes about this prevalent yet misunderstood behaviour,” the study’s authors said.

The study was published earlier this month in the peer-reviewed journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

For people without heart disease, taking a daily aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes may increase the risk of severe brain bleeding to the point where it outweighs any potential benefit, a research review suggests. 

US doctors have long advised adults who have not had a heart attack or stroke but are at high risk for these events to take a daily aspirin pill, an approach known as primary prevention. Even though there’s clear evidence aspirin works for this purpose, many physicians and patients have been reluctant to follow the recommendations because of the risk of rare but potentially lethal internal bleeding. 

For the current study, researchers examined data from 13 clinical trials testing the effects of aspirin against a placebo or no treatment in more than 134,000 adults. 

The risk of intracranial haemorrhage, or brain bleeds, was rare: taking aspirin was associated with two additional cases of this type of internal bleeding for every 1,000 people, the study found. 

But the bleeding risk was still 37 per cent higher for people taking aspirin than for people who did not take this drug. 

“Intracranial haemorrhage is a special concern because it is strongly associated with a high risk of death and poorer health over a lifetime,” said study co-author Dr Meng Lee of Chang Gung University College of Medicine in Taiwan. 

“These findings suggest caution regarding using low-dose aspirin in individuals without symptomatic cardiovascular disease,” Lee said by e-mail. 

For people who have already had a heart attack or stroke, the benefit of low-dose aspirin to prevent another major cardiac event is well established, researchers note in JAMA Neurology. But the value of aspirin is less clear for healthier people, for whom bleeding risks may outweigh any benefit, the study team writes. 

Already, guidelines on aspirin for primary prevention of heart disease in the US, Europe and Australia have incorporated a need to balance the potential benefits against the risk of bleeding. For elderly people, who have a greater risk of bleeding than younger adults, the risks may be too great to recommend aspirin. 

For adults ages 50 to 59 considering aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes, for example, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends the pill only for people who have at least a 10 per cent risk of having a heart attack or stroke over the next decade and who do not have a higher-than-average risk of bleeding.

One limitation of the analysis is that the smaller clinical trials examined a variety of aspirin doses up to 100 miligrammes daily. The analysis also only focused on brain bleeds, and not on other types of internal bleeding associated with aspirin. 

“We have long known that aspirin can precipitate bleeding, most commonly in the gastrointestinal tract, but most devastatingly in the brain,” said Dr Samuel Wann, a cardiologist at Ascension Healthcare in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who was not involved in the study. 

Despite the benefits for preventing heart attacks, the consensus on aspirin has changed over time, particularly for people without heart disease or hardening and narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis). 

 “We have previously recommended aspirin to prevent platelets from sticking to the inside of an individual’s arteries, but the benefit, while real, turns out to be small compared to the rare but devastating incidence of brain haemorrhage,” Wann said by e-mail. “We no longer recommend routine use of aspirin in individuals who have no demonstrable cardiovascular disease or atherosclerosis.”