How Not to Screw up Your First Date

by ‘Jonathan Ribarro ’15

Fifty First Dates; more like the very first date!  A great number of men and women will go on their first date sometime in their lives.  It may be fearful, stress-induced, nerve-racking or a complete disaster.  Reflect upon your first date; was it stressful? Were you constantly trying to impress or create a good impression to your significant other?  It is okay for the first date to be stressful and filled with anxiety. That is how many first dates are.  Was your first date a day filled with fear, anxiety, and nervousness?  Or was it a day filled with success and the possibility of a new life with someone?

Reflecting back on the date, there are ways to ensure that it went well.  The first thing is the location, where did you go on the date?  Was it a long romantic walk on the beach under the stars?  Or was it in a location with the stench of inexpensive chicken nuggets and sweaty men protruding into your nostrils?  Obviously, we can say a walk on the beach beats chicken nuggets by a land slide, thereby signifying a successful date, but there are many other things that also provide insight into a successful date and how the ideal date should be.

Of the nine individuals who had been on their first date, 60% had reported that they asked or were asked via text message, 20% stated that they asked their significant other through face-to-face interaction, and 10% said that they were asked through a video chat.  Interestingly enough, out of the 60% who asked or were asked through text message, 100% of the respondents went on to have second dates or even had a lasting relationship come out of it.  This is clearly significant because this would tend to suggest that the old-fashioned in-person interaction is dying out, and now asking for a date through text is becoming acceptable clearly by a great many individuals.  It is undeniably much easier to text someone a question that in a face-to-face interaction would make one nervous or panicked.  With texting, the ease of asking someone on a date is much easier, but may be more controversial because there are still many people who are traditional and would rather be asked on a date, especially their first date, in person. 

 

Inside the Minds of Twins and Triplets

                                                            by: Vanessa Morin '15
 5,905 triplets were born in America in 2009. 1.8% of the population of the world consists of triplets. Identical triplets of the same sex are extremely rare; it is something that occurs only once in every 500,000 births. The percentage rate of twins living in the United States is 43%. Twins can either be fraternal or identical. Identical twins have nearly the same brain wave patterns. 22% of twins are left-handed. In the year 2006, 137,085 sets of twins were born.

            Of the ten people interviewed, 80% said they were fraternal. When asked if it was difficult to develop their own identity as an individual, only 30% responded yes. Most responded by saying that their different interests and personalities were things that set them apart. Twins of opposite genders developed differently. When questioned what famous twins or triplets they would like to be, answers such as Dylan and Cole Sprouse, Tia and Tamera, the Olsen twins, and the Johannson twins emerged.

            Being a twin or a triplet is an extraordinary trait that is due to a gene being present within some families. 60% of people that are twins or triplets say they enjoy being a twin or triplet. However, it has advantages and disadvantages. 50% of people that are twins say they would love to have twins when they grow up, but the other 50% say they would not due to negative and positive things such as people always treating them the same way.  

5 Ways Kindness Can Make You a Better Person

by Jonathan Ribarro ‘15

It has been proven by scientists that being kind is a mood enhancer for humans around the world by connecting the satisfaction of kindness to the chemical processes of the brain.  Kindness has played a factor in our society and in the entire world throughout the history of the human race.  Whenever someone is feeling down, all they have to do is forget about themselves and put aside their woes for a minute and think of someone else for a second, be nice, and it is likely they will feel better. 

            When people help each other to complete a goal or finish a project that they themselves cannot complete on their own, this is known as an act of kindness.

  Acts of kindness are done because people want to be cordial and beneficial to others.  Being actively kind will not only benefit you, but will also benefit the one you are being helped. 

           The types of people that can be reached out to and helped can range anywhere from a variety of friendly and unintelligent people, to snobbish and hyper-intelligent persons.  These acts of kindness can actually cause feel-good chemicals such as Oxytocin to run through your brain and give you a boost of morale or energy.

  But for what reason would someone so smart need help? Well everyone is human, and everyone makes mistakes.  That is why kindness is so important.  

Music Influences Happiness

by Vanessa Morin ‘15

Music relaxes and offers an escape from the everyday struggles and difficulties of life.   Music can help people feel good about themselves.  As an author of books on health topics and columnist for the New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope states, “Music also incorporates a person’s individual identity, memories, and mood.” Music helps people connect with one another. People listen to music to gain happiness and pleasure.  But some individuals listen to certain music simply to fit in with their peers around them which is supported by Jeanette Bicknell an author of academic articles on the philosophy of music.

            Most teenagers listen to about two and a half hours of music a day, which is causing issues in our society, specifically, infecting their minds with addiction to drugs and alcohol. Students lack motivation in school and work. American journalist, Virginia Heffernan, revealed that the number of teenagers with hearing loss has increased by 33 percent since 1994. It is becoming increasingly difficult for teenagers to hear consonant sounds. Young people listen to music through their ear buds too loudly and it ends up affecting their hearing.

            Headphones and ear buds most definitely allow individuals to listen to their own music and obtain happiness. However, it blockades the interactions with one another. Hopefully the community will start to shift towards more verbal conversations and less of secluded ideas. The effects of hearing loss from headphones must be spread now before it is too late. We need to prevent our future generations from having hearing aids at a very young age.