Spending time with friends will actually boost your immunity

If you can’t remember the last time you had a girl’s night out, you’ll want to want to plan one ASAP. One study shows why women should spend time with friends—and it’s not just for the wine and laughs.

Researchers at the University of Oxford found that women’s overall health and well-being improved when they spent time with four best friends twice a week to partake in specific activities. According to the study, these activities include drinking beer, gossiping, and discussing rivals. The research found that women interact best by joking and talking about things that make them laugh.

The health benefits from these regular friend dates included a stronger immune system, faster recovery times from illness, a decrease in anxiety, and an increase in generosity. The optimal way to make the most of these benefits was to meet with up to four friends, any more and the probability of generating the necessary endorphins for happiness was decreased.

In an interview with Scientific American in 2017, University of Oxford researcher and evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar explained how common activities associated with friendship actually benefit our health: “Laughing together, jogging together, dancing together, singing together, telling emotionally wrenching stories, going to see weepy films—these activities buffer the body biochemically and immunologically against the kinds of coughs and colds of everyday life.”

How did the study figure out exactly how often you should see your besties? “The figure of twice a week comes from our findings that this is the amount of time that you typically spend with your closest friends/family,” Dunbar told The Huffington Post.

Despite all the benefits, the study found that only two out of five women actually have the time to go out with friends once a week and less so once they have kids. It’s not easy to make time for yourself, but clearly making the effort for mom’s night out is worth it.

 

 

 

While plenty of cities are home to famous museums and attractions, Boston’s walkable neighborhoods and historic sites make it more unique and easy to explore for families. And when it comes to things to do in Boston with kids, the possibilities are endless. Whether you’re visiting, just had your first baby, or know the city like the back of your hand, this is a great place to start exploring the city with kids. From historic swan boats, to strolling through one of the city’s best museums, or visiting the Frog Pond at the Boston Common, this is just the tip of the family activity iceberg. Now is a great time to start exploring all the great attractions Boston has for kids and families.

Looking for things to do in Boston with kids? These are our top picks for year-round fun

photo: skeeze via Pixabay

Harvard Museum of Natural History

26 Oxford St Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-3045
hmnh.harvard.edu

Located on Harvard’s campus, this museum is a favorite of local families and tourists alike. And when it comes to things to do in Boston with kids, it doesn’t get any easier than this spot. Families love the glass flowers, and there is a great collection of rocks, minerals, and meteorites. It’s easy to spend a good 2-3 hours here, and kids of all ages will be entertained by the museum, which is jam-packed with exhibits. Tip: The museum can be a little hard to find if you’re just looking around the campus, so find Oxford Street.

Rose Kennedy Greenway

High Street &, Atlantic Ave Boston, MA 02110
(617) 292-0020
rosekennedygreenway.org

Built on top of the “Big Dig” and stretching a mile and a half, this park is a great outdoor destination for families. The Greenway features seven water features, public art and play structures, walking paths perfect for biking, and an incredible carousel. There are also a variety of organized activities on the Greenway; check their website for details.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Boston

598 Assembly Row Somerville, MA 02145
(617) 702-5593
legolanddiscoverycenter.com

If your kids love LEGO (and really, who doesn’t?!) visiting LEGOLAND is a no-brainer. Kids will be in their element, building structures from the plethora of LEGO blocks all throughout the building. If your kids are looking for inspiration, don’t miss the Master Builder, who you can see building drool-worthy structures, or the super-detailed, interactive miniature village. In addition to ample opportunities for creative play, there are two rides (a seated medieval knight ride, and a flying “Merlin’s Apprentice” ride), and a separate Star Wars experience. Tip: bring your own mini figure to trade with the staff!

Swan Boats at Boston’s Public Garden

4 Charles St S Boston, MA 02116
(617) 522-1966
swanboats.com

Uniquely Boston, the Swan Boats at Boston’s Public Garden are an unforgettable adventure your family will get a kick out of. Inexpensive ($4 for adults and $2.50 for kids), the 10-15 minute ride around the pond is beautiful and peaceful. The paddle boats are original from the 1800s and are completely human-powered.

The Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library

200 Massachusetts Ave Boston, MA 02115
(617) 450-7000
mbelibrary.org

This gorgeous, three-story globe is one of the main attractions at The Mary Baker Eddy Library. Featuring brilliant colors, LED lights, inspiring quotes and music, the Mapparium shows how ideas have changed the world.

New England Aquarium

1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110
(617) 973-5200
neaq.org

The unique New England Aquarium is Boston’s most-visited attraction, which is no surprise. The aquarium’s main feature is a huge, vertical coral reef teeming with sea life. Kids will be fascinated by the aquarium, which can be viewed from a spiral walkway which stretches from the bottom to the top of the building. At the top, you can see the staff feeding sharks and turtles. Kids will also love the seals and penguins.

Arnold Arboretum

125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 524-1718
arboretum.harvard.edu

If you’re looking for an outdoor adventure, look no further than the Arnold Arboretum. One of Boston’s most beautiful green spaces, the Arboretum is perfect for a quiet stroll, a scavenger hunt, kite-flying and duck-feeding.

Castle Island Park & Fort Independence

2010 Day Blvd, Boston, MA 02127
(857) 250-7755
boston.gov/calendar/castle-island-and-fort-independence-tours

Another great outdoor space for young kids, Castle Island Park is the spot for little airplane-lovers ,as many airplanes land and take off above the beach. Kids will love the playground, “castle”, boats, and beach. Make it a lunch date with a tour of the Castle and a visit the hot dog stand.

Boston Common Frog Pond

38 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108
(617) 635-2120
bostonfrogpond.com

No matter the time of year, your kids will find something fun at the Boston Common Frog Pond. In the Summer the pond is a splash pad with a wading pool and giant 70 foot spray plume, open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from July through Labor Day. In the winter, it’s converted to an ice skating rink with skate rentals, lockers, and a warm kiosk with a snack bar.

Minuteman Bikeway

minutemanbikeway.org

Chock full of history and gorgeous views, the Minuteman Bikeway passes through the historic area where the American Revolution began. The paved path is built on a former rail line and extends 11 miles, running through Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford. The path passes playing fields, ponds, neighborhoods, bakeries, bike shops, and more.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino is now open, giving you another outdoor space to explore with kids. (These other LA botanical gardens are open, too.) Read on for details on the new safety measures along with a guide on exploring the sprawling 130-acre garden.

Safety Measures

ML via Yelp

Tickets must be purchased in advance online, and admissions will be limited to 1500 people, about a third of the average amount of visitors. Before entering, there will be a temperature check and masks must be worn at all times. Unfortunately, high-touch areas as the Children’s Garden and The Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science, as well as the galleries and other indoor spaces, will remain closed at least until the fall.

Japanese Garden

Nina V. via Yelp

This 9-acre Zen garden within Huntington is open, complete with a moon bridge, koi-filled ponds and bonsai court. 

Chinese Garden

Nicholas B. via Yelp

Be sure to also check the Chinese Garden with its stunning 1.5-acre lake, stone bridges and waterfalls. Also in bloom? The stunning lotus flowers.

Jungle Garden

Lianne K. via Yelp

Escape to the lush Jungle Garden, featuring tall shaded trees, towering bamboo, climbing vines, tucked-away waterfalls and giant leaves. 

Rose Garden

Nadine C. via Yelp

Wander through the three-acre Rose Garden. With more than 3,000 individual plants, the garden is full of color and smells oh-so sweet. 

Additional Details

Charlene C. via Yelp

The Huntington will be open 7 days a week in July and August, 10a.m.–5 p.m., for more visiting opportunities! There will also be additional evening hours, from 5:30p.m.-8p.m, for Huntington Garden Strolls. See calendar for additional dates and details.

Admission: $25 for adults on weekdays; $29 on weekends; $13 for kids aged 4-11; children under 4 are free.

1151 Oxford Rd.
San Marino
626-405-2100
Online: huntington.org

–Shannan Rouss & Jennifer O’Brien

Between the wet weather (perfect timing, right?) and the call for social distancing, we’re all struggling to find ways to keep little ones entertained. For inspiration (and a little comic relief), we’re bringing you some ideas from our favorite LA celeb moms. Read on to see how Jessica Alba, Kristen Bell, Jenna Dewan and more are coping with quarantine boredom.

TikTok, Anyone?

Do we really know what TikTok is? Kinda, sorta—only after a quick Google search. Cool-mom Jessica Alba and daughter Havie bust some moves (is that a thing people still say?), while stuck inside. Here's how to host your own at-home dance party

It's a Sign!

Kristen Bell shares a "cool coloring project" by her and her kiddos. Looking for more at-home creative activities? Check out these 30 easy and fun paper crafts for kids.  

Strike a Pose

Nothing to see here. Just Busy Philipps and her daughter pausing for an impromptu photo shoot during a walk through the nabe. 

View this post on Instagram

Nature play. 🐌🌲🌴🌧

A post shared by Sarah Wright Olsen (@swrightolsen) on

Back to Nature

Break in the rain? Hit the trail (even if it's just around the block) like actress and Your Zen Mama Founder Sarah Wright Olsen. Click through the pics to see what her littles discovered along the way.

Beach Day

The Santa Monica Pier may be closed for now, but LA's beaches are* open—and most likely empty. So Selma Blair and her son Arthur were able to enjoy a solitary stroll on the sand. 

*Update: Since we first published this post, many of the area beaches have closed to enforce #SaferAtHome. We're urging everyone to follow the city's and state's guidelines.  

Hanging in There

Jenna Dewan's post says it all: "Day 2 of social distancing going well." We feel you.

Pet Project

When life gives you a Covid-19 lockdown, give your kid a... hamster?? That's what writer-director Kelly Oxford did, though she admitted in her post that Day 4 may have been a bit soon to go "full hamster." 

Thinking about getting your kid a pet? Here are the best critters for kiddos, when you don't want a dog or cat. 

–Shannan Rouss

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100+ Indoor Things to Do with Kids

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Your mother may have had four girls and no boys, but does that mean you are destined to only have daughters? A recent study says no. Researchers have found that whether a family is strictly made up of boys or girls or has an equal mix is simply a matter of chance.

sisters

“If you have a lot of boys in your family, or a lot of girls, it’s just a lucky coincidence,” said Dr Brendan Zietsch, co-author of the research from the University of Queensland.

These new finding debunk the long held theory that the sex ratio of siblings is not random, rather it is based on genetics.

“In some other animals, such as wasps, sex ratio is clearly not random, and scientists thought human offspring sex ratio may be subject to similar evolutionary forces,” said Zietsch. But, he added, the idea had problems. “Most theories were about the type of sperm men make, but no one had a good idea of a biological mechanism that would create tendencies for having more boys or girls,” he said.

An international team of researchers reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, how they looked into records for all people born in Sweden in 1932 or later and had at least one child before 2014. The study included more than 6.7 million individuals.

The team then carried out an analysis to explore whether first cousins tended to be of the same sex. The findings revealed that there was no link, even when researchers only based their evidence on firstborn children. 

“Siblings are genetically similar. Therefore, if offspring sex ratio is heritable – ie influenced by genetic differences– siblings should have similar offspring sex ratios,” said Zietsch.

The team found that within a family unit, families with only two children tended to have a boy and a girl. This split occurred more often than could be attributed to chance. Families who had more than two children did tend to have more of one sex than the other. 

The researchers deduced that this occurred due to the parents choosing to add onto their families in an attempt to achieve the balance they desired by continuing  to have children until they reached their goal. 

The team says that the sex ratio of offspring is completly random and not inheritable. 

“To be honest it is a bit surprising,” said Ralf Kuja-Halkola, a co-author of the research from the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden, noting that almost all other complex traits in humans show some degree of heritability.

The researchers found that the findings overturn a number of theories. Fisher’s principle, suggests the approximately 1:1 sex ratio in a population is maintained by an equilibrium effect operating through natural selection. If the sex ratio skews one way, children of individuals with a predisposition to have offspring of the rarer sex will be more in demand, and hence have more children themselves, such that the imbalance becomes redressed.

Kuja-Halkola recognizes there may be environmental factors that influence whether an individual will tend to have offspring of one sex, but feels it is improbable based on links to other inheritable traits. 

Although not involved in the research, Professor Stuart West of the University of Oxford, said, “It is interesting that offspring and parent sex ratio don’t correlate, but that could be because nothing is going on with the sex ratio – as the [authors] suggest– or because something is going on, such as sex ratio being adjusted in response to any of the things not measured.”

Professor Ben Sheldon, also of the University of Oxford, was not involved in the study but welcomed the results. He said, “The authors show here that there is really no hint of heritable variation in the sex ratio in their dataset, and this seems a really robust finding.  We know that there is very good evidence for heritable variation in the sex ratio in some animals – though these are typically living in quite different situations from humans.”

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash

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A new study recently published in Brain, A Journal of Neurology, may have found a genetic link to left-handedness.

Not only did these researchers, from the University of Oxford, find a possible genetic link to handedness, but they may have also uncovered a connection between left-handers and increased verbal skills.

photo: mentatdgt via Pexels

The study included DNA data from 400,000 people from the UK Biobank, 38,332 of which were lefties. After analyzing brain imaging from 10,000 of the people studied, the researchers found a possible connection between genetics, handedness and language abilities.

Even though the study revealed a potential connection, Gwenaëlle Douaud, joint senior author of the study and a fellow at Oxford’s Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, told CNN, “We need to assess whether this higher coordination of the language areas between left and right side of the brain in the left-handers actually gives them an advantage at verbal ability. For this, we need to do a study that also has in-depth and detailed verbal-ability testing.”

Before you start wishing you were a leftie, the study also found some not-so-great news. The genes responsible for left-handedness are also implicated in the development of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. This possible connection doesn’t necessarily mean all lefties will develop these diseases. The researchers note that this is a correlation, and not causation at work.

Dominic Furniss, joint senior author alongside Douaud and a fellow at Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Science, said in an interview with CNN, “It has long been known that there are slightly more left-handers amongst patients with schizophrenia than the general population. By contrast, there are slightly less left-handers with Parkinson’s disease than the general population.”

—Erica Loop

 

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New Study Finds Link Between Exercise During Pregnancy & Infant Motor Development

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Your tykes are sure to be the most stylish on the playground with a brand new kids clothing line debuting on Maisonette.

Since 2017 Maisonette has been featuring the most style-savvy kids clothing brands and now the company is launching their very first kids clothing line Maisonette Essentials. Designed by Maisonette’s in-house team, the new collection is focused on created fashionable kids styles at a wallet-friendly price point. All of the items in the collection run from $16 to $46 and feature styles for girls and boys in sizes 2 – 8. Here are a few of our favorite picks from the new Maisonette Essentials collection.


Delphine Short Sleeved Pocket Dress Abstract

Maisonette Essentials

$34

Teddy Jogger Short

Maisonette Essentials

$32

 

 

Millie Overall in Marigold Twill

Maisonette Essentials

$38

Morgan Sweatshirt Navy

Maisonette Essentials

$34

Catherine Pull On Short Cat Tulips

Maisonette Essentials

$26

Ollie Short Sleeve Button Down Blue Oxford

Maisonette Essentials

$32

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Maisonette Essentials

 

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Daily
Today Is Roald Dahl Day
It’s splendiferous.
1

True fans will not be able to live without the Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary and we caught up with its creators to find out just how gloriumptious it is.

2

From giant peaches to little mice, these Dahl-inspired projects will have you gobblefunking for days.

3
Grab Uncle Joe’s hand and head to a Wonka-worthy factory tour you’ll not soon forget.

{ Today’s ideas brought to you by Charlie Bucket }

Seattle in the winter is wet and cold, crisp and windy, with brief moments where the sun breaks through the clouds. How do you keep looking good under all of those coats, hoods, and umbrellas? The art of layering, explained by the lovely and always fashionable Seattle Magazine, can keep you warm and stylish. Date Night never looked so good while being so very comfortable.

Club Monaco manager Sean Frazier creates dapper, preppy appeal with Northwest-ready layering pieces.

WHY WE LOVE THE LOOK:
When in doubt, put on another layer. That is style dogma according to Frazier, who layers (multiple) timeless, classic men’s silhouettes at a time to suit life in all-over-the-map Northwest temps.

“I’m drawn to anything I see that has the potential to go over, under, around or with other pieces, like long, elegant scarves or a cotton blazer worn as a jacket,” the Capitol Hill resident says. The result is gentlemanly with an added ounce of the debonair, pulling in hip-again pocket squares and ’60s-esque eye bobs. Or, the long and lanky style blogger often rolls up his favorite skinny jeans above the ankle to show off a pair of mod striped socks.

THE ENSEMBLE:
Gray and navy cotton striped T-shirt, by and from AllSaints Spitalfields; gray cable-knit button-up sweater, navy cotton blazer and tan wool/cashmere scarf, all by and from Club Monaco; The Hill-side black polka-dot pocket square, thehill-side.com; Hazelwood dark skinny jeans, Blackbird; striped black and white socks, J.Crew; vintage Allen Edmonds lace-up Oxford shoes, a Brooklyn find; brown tortoiseshell eye bobs, Blackbird.

Click through to the full article to see the best places to shop in store and online for these great looks!

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.

Take some time for yourself, Moms, and break out the plastic, because Seattle Magazine found some distinguished outfits in honor of back to school and the fall. Get inspired and round up your favorite shopping partners — it’s a take some time for yourself!

Oxford University 
Embrace fall’s thesis statement: The latest Oxfords mix prim and proper schoolgirl charm with bold laces and masculine-meets-feminine details for grown-up sass.

Fom left to right: Bass “Reid” brown cocoa suede heel with contrasting cognac waxy milled leather panels, $79.95, available at Nordstrom downtown; By Hudson “Lita” gray and tan suede saddleback flats with plaid laces, $270, at Edie’s on Capitol Hill; Miz Mooz “Nash” brown and beige leather lace-up saddleback heel, $110, and Miz Mooz “Brite” black and whiskey gray leather lace-up Oxford flat, $105, both at Clementine in West Seattle; Prada “Linnea Rossa” quilted patent leather flat with black nylon laces, $480, at Nordstrom, multiple locations including The Bellevue Collection; leather chair courtesy of Masins Fine Furnishings.

If you’re looking to stay on the pulse of Seattle’s local shopping trends, then check out the full article so you don’t miss out!

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.