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How much weight you need to gain or lose to look attractive, according to scientists
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A new study has found how much weight you need to lose if you want someone to find you attractive. - photo by Herb Scribner
Theres good news for anyone who wants to appear more appealing science has found how much weight men and women need to gain or lose for someone to find him or her attractive.

For men, its 18.1 pounds, where as for women, its 13.9 pounds, according to Medical News Today.

To find this, researchers looked at the facial adiposity the perception of ones weight through their face, which can be an indicator of ones body mass index, according to Medical News Today. Using a collection of digital photos of faces, specifically of men and women from 20 to 40 years old, the study asked participants to compare random faces and choose which one appeared heavier.

After finding that people notice a change in a persons weight after a loss or gain of 2.93 pounds, the researchers looked into how attracted participants felt about faces based on changes of their facial adiposity, Medical News Today reported. They found that women who had a facial decrease of 5.24 pounds and men who had a facial decrease of 5.7 pounds (about 13.9 pounds and 18.1 pounds overall, respectively) were perceived as more attractive.

"Women and men of average height need to gain or lose about 3.5 and 4 kg, or about 8 and 9 lbs, respectively, for anyone to see it in their face, but they need to lose about twice as much for anyone to find them more attractive, professor Nicholas Rule of the University of Toronto in Canada said about the study.

The difference between men and women may be because facial attractiveness of women may be more susceptible to changes in weight, Rule told Medical News Today.

The researchers hope this will "contribute to a greater basic understanding of the precision and limits of social perception and may provide information of value to medical practitioners and individuals seeking to manage changes in weight, according to Medical News Today.

But its not always beneficial for partners to lose weight before or during their relationship, according to a 2013 report from researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of Texas at Austin.

It can be especially dangerous if partners arent equally committed to losing weight, Daily Mail reported, or if one partner loses more weight than the other.

People need to be aware that weight loss can change a relationship for better or worse, and that communication plays an important role in maintaining a healthy relationship, Dr. Lynsey Romo, an assistant professor of communication at NCSU, told Daily Mail.

The researchers interviewed 21 couples across the United States who had lost at least 30 pounds within two years. They found that most of these couples had improved communications and relationships, but some saw their relationships fall apart.

This study found that one partners lifestyle change influenced the dynamic of couples interaction in a variety of positive or negative ways, tipping the scale of romantic relationships in a potentially upward or downward direction, Romo told Daily Mail.

Thats why experts agree that couples should work together to lose weight, according to WebMD.

"The advantages of dieting together include mutual support and inspiring one another," Lydia Hanich, MA and psychotherapist, told WebMD.

In fact, there are certain weight loss actions where men and women can benefit from each other.

For example, when men lose weight, they are less inspired to eat after a work out, where as women want to eat more after working out, Nancy Clark, MS and RD, told WebMD. By working together, men can help women avoid that post-workout snack, Clark said.

WebMD also recommends couples avoid emotional eating, especially when dealing with stress in a relationship. Rather, couples should constantly stay active and push each other to lose weight.

When it comes to weight control, Clark told WebMD, it's important to stay active throughout the day, not just run for an hour and then sit around."
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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