Telomeres, the tiny caps on the end of your chromosomes that protect your DNA, might be affected by the stress hormone cortisol. This latest study from the DiSH Lab found that shorter telomere length (indicative of accelerated cellular aging) was related to several different measures of a revved up stress system. Head on over to the Publications page to download the paper!
Have you ever wondered why people reach for high fat, sweet food when they’re stressed? It’s because it works! In a new study by the DiSH Lab and collaborators now covered in the press, we report findings that very highly stressed women who have high abdominal fat actually have LOWER reactivity to stress, most likely due to comfort food eating. So don’t be so harsh on yourself when you reach for a donut on a bad day – it may be serving a real need and helping dampen your biological stress systems.
According to two independent judges whose votes were unanimous, DiSH Labber Cassandra Fletcher wrote the best paper in Dr. T’s Health Psychology class this semester! Congrats, Cassie, on a well-deserved honor.
The assignment was to examine the way the media portrays scientific studies and sometimes distorts the findings. Read on to see her paper, the original scientific study on absent fathers and early puberty, and the press piece that she critiqued.
The DiSH Lab is now accepting applicants to be part of the DiSH Lab for Fall 2011. Please complete the application, which you can find at the Opportunities page.
If you are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in social or health psychology, the first step is to contact Dr. T at janet.tomiyama@rutgers.edu to discuss your research interests. Step 2 is to go to the Opportunities page to submit an online application to the Graduate Program.
After a 10-day long drive across the country, Dr. T has now officially moved to Rutgers University! Here, she will be affiliated with the Psychology and Nutrition departments as well as the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and the Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health. Please use janet.tomiyama@rutgers.edu as her email address going forward.