In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there
Tickling the ivories boosts AV processing
Taking weekly piano lessons can improve audio-visual (AV) processing.
Having hour-long piano lessons for just 11 weeks boosts the ability to detect whether an image and sound are in sync, according to a paper published in Scientific Reports.
Although musical training has already been linked to benefits, including improving emotion recognition and cognitive functioning, much of the research has compared musicians with non-musicians, so it’s not easy to know if the musicians were already different in some way.
The randomised controlled trial was conducted by Bath University’s Yuqing Che and colleagues among 31 adults, all supposedly with no formal musical training other than school music lessons.
One group received individual piano lessons, while a second group spent an hour every week listening to the pieces of music the others were learning. A control group read or studied quietly during these periods.
The researchers claim their study presents the first evidence that musical training causes an improvement in AV processing outside the realm of music-related perception.
Read more: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-23340-4
Decaf eases caffeine quitters’ withdrawal
If you or a client are trying to cut out or reduce caffeine intake without experiencing unpleasant withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and irritability, try drinking decaffeinated coffee.
Apparently, even when heavy coffee drinkers know they’re drinking decaf, withdrawal symptoms are reduced, according to a study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
The effect was strongest when participants in the study falsely believed they were drinking regular coffee but it still occurred when people were aware they were drinking decaf.
Some 61 heavy (at least three cups per day) coffee drinkers took part in the research by Llewellyn Mills from the University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues. Participants abstained from caffeine for 24 hours, then completed a series of questionnaires in the laboratory, before drinking normal coffee, decaf or water. They then completed another questionnaire about their current experience of withdrawal symptoms.
Participants in the water group experienced similar levels of withdrawal symptoms before and after having a drink. Those who thought they had been drinking caffeinated coffee reported significantly less severe withdrawal symptoms at the second time point – a classic example of a placebo effect. And participants who knew they’d drunk decaf coffee still experienced a significant drop in withdrawal symptoms.
The authors suggest that the effect is the result of conditioning – the sensations that are part of the experience of drinking coffee are soon followed by the physiological effects of ingesting caffeine, including a reduction in withdrawal symptoms. After experiencing this association time and time again, the sensations themselves reduce withdrawal symptoms, they suggest, even when drinking a decaf coffee.
Absolutely wildly fabulous
Law firm, Vardags, has invited its 120 employees to say goodbye to cufflinks and business suits at work, and to instead adopt a dress code inspired by London Mayfair private members’ nightclub, Annabel’s.
Ayesha Vardag, founder and president of the divorce and family law firm, has suggested staff “bring their personality to work”, and to “be as wildly fabulous as you feel like and express yourself to the full”, according to a report in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/26/more-like-annabels-london-law-firm-seeks-to-redress-dress-code
Vardags’ memo to employees added: “If you fancy an electric-blue sequined jacket and gold leather trousers, if you want pink hair or scarlet DMs, if you want a purple velvet jacket, that’s all good.” There were a few caveats – clothing still has to be “absolutely top-end and appropriate to the luxury market with which we engage, not undermining your gravitas as a professional”. Suits are still required for court-based work.
According to Personnel Today (https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/hsbcs-new-uniforms-casual-menopause-sustainable-bank-dress-code), HSBC UK has also ditched traditional attire, with its director of distribution, Jackie Uhi, saying the days of “bowler-hatted bankers” are over. Typical outfits now include t-shirts, jeans, jumpsuits, Converse trainers, menopause-friendly garments for women, tunics and hijabs.
HSBC added that its new uniforms, which took two years to develop, were highly sustainable, being made from recycled polyester, dissolving plastic, ocean-recovered plastic and sustainable cotton.
British Airways also recently unveiled a new uniform including a jumpsuit for female ground staff and cabin crew, and is planning to roll out the new range of clothing this spring.
- Contributions to this slot are welcome.
- Email: liz@coaching-at-work.com