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Many studies have shown that having a meal together with others increases food intake. In contrast, the effects of having a meal on interactions with others have rarely been examined. More specifically, it is unknown if having a social interaction during a meal alters how people feel, behave, and perceive others. In the present study, 98 working individuals provided information on their everyday social interactions over a three-week period by filling in a form soon after each interaction. Record forms included items representing mood state, interpersonal behaviors, and perceptions of interaction partners. Participants also indicated whether interactions took place during a meal. Engaging in an interaction that involved eating a meal was associated with decreased alertness and, particularly in women, with increased pleasant affect, compared to interactions that did not involve eating a meal. Independently of this, during a meal participants reported fewer dominant and submissive behaviors and more agreeable behaviors, and also perceived interaction partners as more agreeable. These results were largely independent of contextual factors such as the gender and role of the primary social interaction partner, the presence of multiple partners, and the location of the interaction. Overall, social interactions during a meal were more positive in terms of how people felt, behaved, and perceived others. At the same time, agentic behaviors were reduced. These results suggest that shared meals are events in which affiliative bonds are strengthened in the context of weakened displays of hierarchy.

Bright light is used to treat winter depression and may also have positive effects on mood in some healthy individuals. However, there is little information on how bright light treatment influences social behavior. We performed a cross-over study in winter comparing the effects of morning bright light administration with placebo (exposure to negative ions) on mood and social behavior in 38 healthy people with mild to moderate seasonality. Each treatment was given for 21days with a washout period of 14days between treatments. An event-contingent recording assessment was used to measure mood, and social behavior along two axes, agreeable-quarrelsome and dominant-submissive, during each 21-day treatment period. During treatments, participants wore a combined light-sensor and accelerometer to test this method for adherence to light treatment self-administered at home. Data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Bright light improved mood but increased quarrelsome behavior and decreased submissiveness. Data from the light monitor and accelerometer suggested that 21% of the participants did not adhere to bright light treatment; when this group was analyzed separately, there was no change in quarrelsomeness or mood. However, results for individuals who followed the procedure were similar to those reported for the whole sample.

PURPOSE: Anxiety is common among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Despite the benefits of home-based CAD prevention interventions on quality of life and atherosclerotic risk factors, the efficacy of home-based programs in reducing patient anxiety is unknown. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all randomized trials that examined the effects of home-based interventions on anxiety reduction in patients with CAD published in 18 databases until December 2009. Analyses were based on changes in the standardized mean difference between treatment groups. RESULTS: Eight trials containing intervention means and standard deviations on anxiety were reviewed. Overall quality of the trials was low to moderate. Compared with usual care or center-based cardiac rehabilitation, home-based interventions had a small but significant effect in reducing anxiety (total effect size: -0.13; 95% CI: -0.20 to -0.06; P < .001; I2 = 66%). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis provides evidence that home-based secondary prevention programs are effective in reducing anxiety level in CAD patients. However, because of the limited number of trials available and high degrees of heterogeneity in the data, further research needs to be done to provide a definitive answer on the benefits of home-based programs on anxiety management in CAD patients.

Background Although lower urinary tract symptoms have been associated with falls, few studies have been undertaken to understand this relationship in vulnerable community dwelling older adults. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship over time of falls risk and lower urinary tract symptoms among community based older women receiving home support services. Methods A prospective cohort study which took place in an urban setting in western Canada. Participants were 100 older women receiving home care or residing in assisted living with home support services and were followed for six months. Demographic characteristics were collected at baseline, with the Timed Up and Go (TUG), International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ-FLUTS), and self-report of falls collected at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic data. Differences between the three visits were analyzed using the Friedman test with post hoc analysis and associations between variables by the Spearman Rank-Order Correlation Coefficient. Results One hundred women initially enrolled; 88 and 75 remained at three months and six months. Mean age = 84.3 years; 91% reported at least one urinary symptom at baseline and 35% reported falling in the six months prior to enrollment; 15.9% reported falling between the baseline and three months and 14.6% between three and six months. Mean TUG scores at each time point indicated falls risk (27.21, 29.18 and 27.76 seconds). Significant correlations between TUG and ICIQ-FLUTS (r = 0.33, p