In Brief: From Hypnosis to Siestas

You're Getting Sleepy... and Pregnant

Hostile womb? Hypnosis may be a boon to conception. Being hypnotized significantly improves a woman's chances of conceiving through in vitro fertilization, according to a study. Would-be mothers who underwent hypnosis prior to the procedure were nearly twice as likely to conceive. Hypnosis may fight stress, allowing the uterus to relax and accept the embryo.

Dine and Doze

Ever find yourself struggling to stay awake after a big meal? You might want to consider a catnap. Denis Burdakov of the University of Manchester in England found that food shuts down protein-producing brain cells responsible for keeping us awake and alert. Burdakov theorizes that siestas may be nature's way of regulating glucose levels and protecting energy reserves. Looks like the Spanish are onto something.

Paging Dr. Mario

Skip the shrink and advance to the arcade. A team of researchers in Israel report that they can diagnose schizophrenia with 85 percent accuracy by analyzing how people perform in a virtual maze on a desktop computer. Team leader Avi Peled says his eventual goal is to revolutionize psychiatric diagnosis via a one-two techno punch of VR and brain scans.

A Figure To Die For

What would you give to be thin? Five percent of respondents in a Yale study would rather lose a limb or be blind than be overweight. Nearly half of the 4,000 surveyed said they'd rather give up a year of their life than be obese.

71 Percent

Seventy-one percent of workers wouldn't want their boss's job

Still Man's Best Friend?

If you expect the underdog to save the day, don't put your faith in Fido. Psychologists at the University of Western Ontario tested dogs not trained to respond to emergencies. Owners faked having a heart attack or being pinned under a bookcase, and every canine failed to fetch a bystander. Bad dog.

On The Run

Women feel more rushed than men and have half an hour less free time per day. It's possible that nurturing tendencies prevent many women from delegating chores. They fear if they don't do it, no one will.

When Sex Doesn't Sell

Sometimes a hot model can make you cool on a product, finds a study reported in the Journal of Consumer Research. A seller's sexiness might have an initial positive effect on a buyer, but if her good looks aren't related to the goods and the buyer has time to think about it, he'll realize his beauty bias and downgrade his opinion. Another reason bikinis and band saws don't mix.