Posts tagged with "SWNS Digital"

Above, the majority believe that they’re a nicer person if they’re sufficiently hydrated. (Chart source: Brio)

Does being hydrated make you a better person?

October 7, 2024

Confidence, generosity, and productivity: A new study shows the various ways in which our water intake affects work quality, relationships, and mood, reports SWNS Digital.

According to a recent poll of 2,000 Americans, people who are hydrated on a regular basis are more receptive to constructive criticism compared to those who are dehydrated (33% vs. 22%). Coincidentally (or not) hydrated Americans are also more likely to help a co-worker in need (45%) than dehydrated Americans (40%).

The survey split respondents between those who are properly hydrated on a regular day (68%), those who said they’re typically dehydrated (10%), and those who placed themselves somewhere in the middle (22%).

Commissioned by Brio Water for National Drinking Water Week, and conducted by Talker Research, the study found more than a few quality of life and work quality positives related to proper hydration.

Those who said they’re hydrated on an average day are more likely than their dehydrated counterparts to cook (64% vs. 58%), spend quality time with friends and family (62% vs. 50%), and read (53% vs. 51%) on a regular basis.

Eight out of ten Americans (80%) said their lives, including work quality, relationships, health and mood, would improve if they improved their hydration. And the majority (57%), said they’re a nicer person if they’re sufficiently hydrated.

On average, respondents reported drinking five glasses of water, out of the commonly recommended eight classes, on a normal day. And only 44% think eight glasses is an up-to-date hydration recommendation.

Looking at water intake throughout the day, the average American will start drinking water around 9:00 a.m., chug water come 12:00 p.m., and stop drinking water around 4:00 p.m.

However, over a quarter of respondents (26%) avoid drinking water in general because they’re afraid of taking too many bathroom breaks during the day.

Other than forgetfulness, factors that most influence Americans’ water intake include exercise and physical activity (39%), seasonality (38%), being busy (34%), mood (27%) and the taste of their water (27%).

“Hydration is one of the most important factors influencing happiness and health. While the physical benefits of proper water intake are obvious, the mental health benefits need to be highlighted,” said Georgii Tsatrian, director of filtration at Brio Water. “For National Drinking Water Week, May 5 – 11, we encourage everyone to take a look at their water intake and evaluate if it’s up to par. Improving your

hydration is one of the simplest and easiest ways to improve your quality of life.”

According to the poll, the most common outcomes of drinking enough water are being more productive (36%), feeling more prepared for the day (32%), having more control of the day (29%) and feeling more confident (27%).

More than six in ten Americans (65%) said drinking filtered water is important to them but over a third (34%) don’t have a water filter at either their home or workplace. Top concerns about drinking unfiltered water include that it contains harmful chemicals and toxins (42%), it tastes bad (36%), and it causes mineral buildup (30%).

“The study showcased that most people believe drinking more will improve their work, relationships, mood and health. So if you haven’t recently, see how you can up your water intake during the day, so you can live your very best life,” said Tsatrian. “Proper hydration with high-quality water really is the foundation of a good life, which you deserve.”

Research contact: @SWNS

Above, 80% of respondents said their lives, including work quality, relationships, health and mood, would improve if they improved their hydration. (Image source: firstnutrition.weebly.com)

Does being hydrated make you a better person?

May 27, 2024

Confidence, generosity and productivity: A new study shows the various ways in which water intake affects work quality, relationships, and mood, reports SWNS Digital.

According to a recent poll of 2,000 Americans, people who are hydrated on a regular basis are more receptive to constructive criticism compared to those who are dehydrated (33% vs. 22%). Coincidentally (or not), hydrated Americans are also more likely to help a co-worker in need (45%) than dehydrated Americans (40%).

The survey split respondents among:

Those who believe they are properly hydrated on a regular day (68%);
Those who said they’re typically dehydrated (10%); and
Those who placed themselves somewhere in the middle (22%).

Commissioned by Brio Water for National Drinking Water Week (May 5-11) and conducted by Talker Research, the study found more than a few quality-of-life and work-quality positives related to proper hydration.

Eight in 10 Americans said their lives—including work quality, relationships, health, and mood—would improve if they improved their hydration. And the majority (57%), said they’re a nicer person if they’re sufficiently hydrated.

Looking at water intake throughout the day, the average American will start drinking water around 9 a.m., chug water come 12 p.m., and stop drinking water around 4 p.m. However, over a quarter of respondents (26%) avoid drinking water in general because they’re afraid of taking too many bathroom breaks during the day.

During a busy day, Americans reported drinking beverages other than water (33%), going from task to task without taking breaks (24%), and running out of bottled water (17%) as the top reasons they forget to drink water throughout the day. Other than forgetfulness, factors that most influence Americans’ water intake include exercise and physical activity (39%), seasonality (38%), being busy (34%), mood (27%) and the taste of their water (27%).

“Hydration is one of the most important factors influencing happiness and health. While the physical benefits of proper water intake are obvious, the mental health benefits need to be highlighted,” said Georgii Tsatrian, director of Filtration at Brio Water. “For National Drinking Water Week, May 5 – 11, we encourage everyone to take a look at their water intake and evaluate if it’s up to par. Improving your hydration is one of the simplest and easiest ways to improve your quality of life.”

More than six in ten Americans (65%) said drinking filtered water is important to them—but over one-third (34%) said they don’t have a water filter at either their home or workplace. Top concerns about drinking unfiltered water include that it contains harmful chemicals and toxins (42%), it tastes bad (36%), and it causes mineral buildup (30%).

“The study showcased that most people believe drinking more will improve their work, relationships, mood, and health. So, if you haven’t recently, see how you can up your water intake during the day, so you can live your very best life,” said Tsatrian. “Proper hydration with high-quality water really is the foundation of a good life, which you deserve.”

Research contact: @SWNS

Above, 59% of Americans would be happy inheriting a pet. (Photo source: Victor Grabarczyk for Unsplash)

Americans would rather inherit a pet from a loved one than a car

November 28, 2023

Americans would rather inherit a pet from a loved one than a car, according to new research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Trust & Will, reports SWNS Digital.

A poll of 2,000 U.S. adults has revealed that the top assets respondents would like to inherit one day are a house or property (65%), followed by their four-legged friends (59%), and money (58%). A little more than half (53%) would like to be passed down collectibles or a car.

Even so, the researchers learned, as many as one-third (32%) of Americans haven’t considered what happens to their assets when they die. As for the others, a similar number of respondents both have a will (45%) or are included in someone else’s estate plan (46%).

Half (51%) expect to inherit something from a loved one when they pass, and results revealed that respondents prefer valuable heirlooms to sentimental ones (44% vs 27%). When asked the most sentimental thing they’d either want or have inherited from a loved one, responses varied from “My dad’s ring,” to “my mother’s watch,” or “a coin from my father that was very important and personal to him.”

Two in five respondents admit that they’d be jealous of family members who inherited more than they did.

And it seems that the old saying “you can’t take it with you,” might have lost some appeal; respondents would rather save their money for future generations than spend it all when they’re alive (47% vs 30%).

For others, it goes much deeper. “Photographs of my family and the special moments I can go look at to remind of a simpler time and the moments of good memories.”

Research contact: @SWNS

Above, Norman Rockwell's famous holiday painting. (Photo source: Library of Congress)

Most Americans say they’re banning unvaccinated family members from holiday gatherings

November 15, 2021

The holidays are about to get heated. Nearly two-thirds of vaccinated Americans have banned unvaccinated family members from their holiday gatherings this year, according to findings of a new poll, reports SWNS.

A survey of 2,000 U.S. residents—conducted by OnePoll on November 2—examined how the COVID-19 vaccine has impacted people’s relationships with their loved ones ahead of the holidays this year.

Based on the results, nearly seven in 10 respondents (67%) said they feel they cannot go home for the holidays without getting vaccinated first.

Of the 65% who are fully vaccinated, 6 in 10 (58%) have reportedly cut off family members who refuse to get vaccinated, while 63% don’t feel comfortable inviting unvaccinated relatives to their parties.

Seventy-two percent of vaccinated respondents don’t think they could ever get some of these family members to understand the importance of the vaccine.

In fact, 14% of survey respondents don’t plan to ever get the shot themselves.

When asked about their decision, one respondent shared that they “don’t trust the vaccine is safe,” while another said they were “concerned about side effects.”

One even admitted believing the vaccine “was rushed and people who are getting vaccinated are still getting sick.”

Half of unvaccinated respondents (49%) have stopped communicating with family members who don’t understand why they refuse the shot.

These strained family dynamics may explain why 22% of unvaccinated respondents have so far been excluded from all family gatherings, including the holidays.

However, 38% of unvaccinated people said they remain in contact with their vaccinated loved ones, and 58% of the same group added that they’re still welcome at family get-togethers.

Research contact: @SWNS

Photo source: Family photo created by lookstudi

Top dog: Americans trust their pets’ judgment when it comes to romantic partners

Hot number: Internet puzzler dares you to find the digits in a huge UK Superdraw lottery

The ‘eyes’ have it: How to read facial expressions when they are obscured by a mask

November 24, 2020

In a recent study, commissioned by York, England-based Vision Direct, fully 76 % of Brits struggled to read the moods of others who were wearing protective face coverings—with more than half misinterpreting their conversational partner’s expressions and feelings completely.

Indeed, the survey of 2,000 Brits—conducted on behalf of Vision Direct by OnePoll—found that:

More than two-thirds of adults struggle to see how someone is feeling when they have a mask on;
More than 60% of adults admit to misunderstanding what someone was saying when they had a mask on, with 42% putting this down to not being able to see their lips.
About 70% now are consciously trying to look at people’s eyes to guess what expression they are hiding behind the mask.

Now, UK-based body language expert and TV personality Judi James has revealed her top tips—and not surprisingly, it is all in the eyes, SWNS Digital reports.

James says, “The human animal has always depended on facial expression as a way of social and workplace communication and, over the years, the key focus has been the mouth. We have come to depend on this widening of the lips as a rapport-building social shorthand, which is why the wearing of face masks has caused worries in terms of closing down our ability to communicate.

“The good news,” she notes, “is that our eyes are more than capable of taking over the job of transmitting and reading non-verbal signals, in fact one of the reasons we tend to direct attention to our mouths is that our eyes are such strong (and more honest) conveyors of moods and emotions.”

She indicates a genuine-looking eye-smile should involve some wrinkling at the corners and the rounding of the cheeks.

An “eye-flash”—during which the eyes narrow in the eye-smile but the brows pop up and down again in one rapid movement—can signify that someone is flirting and “likes what they see.”

While a rounding of the eyes suggests shared excitement and those who are in love will have dilated pupils—giving true meaning to the ‘look of love’.

But not all eye-signs are indicators of happy: As James points out, there are tell-tale signs of someone feeling disgusted or angry. To recognize disgust on the face of someone wearing a mask, you should look out for a puckered frown, narrowed eye shape, and a wrinkling of the skin at the bridge of the nose.

Similarly, anger is typically displayed with knitted brows that come as low as possible over the eyes, plus a hard eye-stare with the eyes slightly rounded. The head would be tilted slightly forward too.

What’s more, James cautions that reading other’s eye expressions is important but we also need to be aware of our own. “Our ‘resting’ faces can make us look miserable and unapproachable and without all those mouth shrugs or grins in our repertoire we need to make an active effort to use our eyes to transmit friendly smiles and expressions of empathy.”

Following the findings, Vision Direct has created a quiz to test the nation on its ability to recognize key everyday expressions—via the eyes.

To take the quiz visit www.visiondirect.co.uk/facial-expressions-under-the-face-mask

Research contact: @SWNS

The ‘eyes’ have it: How to read facial expressions when they are obscured by a mask

November 24, 2020

Indeed, the survey of 2,000 Brits—conducted on behalf of Vision Direct by OnePoll—found that:

More than two-thirds of adults struggle to see how someone is feeling when they have a mask on;
More than 60% of adults admit to misunderstanding what someone was saying when they had a mask on, with 42% putting this down to not being able to see their lips.
About 70% now are consciously trying to look at people’s eyes to guess what expression they are hiding behind the mask.

Now, UK-based body language expert and TV personality Judi James has revealed her top tips—and not surprisingly, it is all in the eyes, SWNS Digital reports.

She indicates a genuine-looking eye-smile should involve some wrinkling at the corners and the rounding of the cheeks.

An “eye-flash”—during which the eyes narrow in the eye-smile but the brows pop up and down again in one rapid movement— can signify that someone is flirting and “likes what they see.”

While a rounding of the eyes suggests shared excitement and those who are in love will have dilated pupils – giving true meaning to the ‘look of love’.

Following the findings, Vision Direct has created a quiz to test the nation on its ability to recognize key everyday expressions—via the eyes.

To take the quiz visit www.visiondirect.co.uk/facial-expressions-under-the-face-mask

Research contact: @SWNS

Photo source: newyewhealing.com

Study: Most Americans feel ‘pressure’ to work sick

November 11, 2019

It won’t be any surprise to most working stiffs that, no matter how Americans feel on a given day—from hale and hearty to feverish and weak—most will give in to the pressure to show up at the job site.

Indeed, SWNS Digital reports, if you dread taking a sick day, you are far from alone.

Nearly four in five Americans—78%—give in to management expectations “to power through an illness” at the workplace, based on findings of a survey of 2,000 adults (1,930 of them, employed) conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Robitussin.

Compare that with the four in ten Americans (41%) who would prefer to take on extra work than to deal with a sick co-worker. In fact, 83% say they are annoyed if somebody shows up at the office with a cough. However, fully 69% said a bad cough is not a valid reason to take a sick day—and one in three said his or her boss would agree.

Finally, more than one-third of respondents said they actually would be willing to give up vacation time (37%) or social media (36%) for an entire year, if it meant the promise of 12 months without a cough or a cold.

Research contact: @SWNS

Breakfast in bed is just one of the perks a peripatetic pup might enjoy. (Photo source: Hotels.com)