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eHarmony’s online dating advertisements claim a unique personality profiling system matching people according to personality traits. Being a Psych major, I decided to look into it. I quickly recognized eHarmony was modeling their personality profiling system off the “big five” personality traits found in psychology.

The Big Five factors and their constituent traits can be summarized as follows:

Although these trait clusters are statistical aggregates, exceptions may exist on individual personality profiles. On average, people who register high in Openness are intellectually curious, open to emotion, interested in art, and willing to try new things. A particular individual, however, may have a high overall Openness score and be interested in learning and exploring new cultures. Yet he or she might have no great interest in art or poetry. Situational influences also exist, as even extraverts may occasionally need time away from people.

(source: Wikipedia)

In completing the eHarmony personality report and comparing it with that of the traditional “big five” personality test versions I’ve found the eHarmony personality report has an extremely high degree of accuracy. Honestly, I was blown away with how dead on it was compared with other personality reports. It is free to take the eHarmony personality test and view the detailed reports.

Understanding ourselves, knowing our strengths and weaknesses, is an excellent way help ourselves in all aspects our lives. People with different personality types are more compatible with others. Understanding how we react to people with differing personality traits helps us better understand each other. The list goes on about how valuable knowing your personality is.

Something to note: eHarmony refers to “neuroticism” as “emotional stability” in their report. This change is more appropriate given the negative connotation often associated with “neurotic” and the this report being targeted at the masses.

I’m not advocating the dating portion of the service; my emphasis is on the free personality profile report. Go take the eHarmony personality test now - you won’t be disappointed! I guarantee you’ll learn something about yourself you didn’t know.

Let’s take a look at the new comer: Diet Pepsi Max weighing in at 46 milligrams of caffeine per 8 fluid ounces. Regular Diet Pepsi contains 24 milligrams of caffeine per 8 fluid ounces. Not a bad taste, has a bit of kick, not expensive…but do we need another energy drink?

Our society is bombarded with advertisements for energy drinks including but not limited to Redbull, Tim Horton’s coffee, Rock Star, Pepsi, Coke, etc. First off, this is horrible because are putting liters of chemicals in our bodies everyday. This isn’t to say a cup of coffee or tea in moderation doesn’t have it’s beneficial effects. When our bodies are so over stimulated synthetically we lose our natural ability to produce energy as our bodies become dependent on the effects of these stimulants. As time goes on, like any drug, tolerance rises and more of the drug is need to give the same desired effect. It’s not uncommon in many offices to have people running to the coffee perk every 30 minutes for the entire day. This translates into 600 - 800 milligrams of caffeine per day - this is just for the coffee drinkers. Others will drink 6 - 8 Redbull energy drinks per day (well over the max recommended limited of 2 cans per day). This over stimulation increases Cortisol (also known as the stress hormone) to previously unknown heights. This combined with the modern day lifestyle is linked to dozens of mental illnesses.

This being said, I think I’ll go enjoy myself another tall cold glass of Diet Pepsi Max! Bottoms up!

I came across this startling article that will make us question our online habits. “Compulsive e-mailing and text messaging could soon become classified as an official brain illness.” (source, Canada.com) say psychiatrists. “Users experience cravings, withdrawal” (source, Canada.com).

I’ve been aware of this for years observing friends and family and how they operate online. This problem is finally getting the attention it deserves. Bringing awareness to this issue is the first step in preventing and treating this “addiction”. As more people are “wired” than ever before this problem will continue to grow. If not dealt with swiftly it will escalate to the point of no return.

If we are aware of this issue we can consciously and cognitively control it. Maybe it’s time I stop e-mailing and go outside for a run. I think so.

Want to be in a committed relationship? Pick the socially-awkward type

I originally heard this on TWIS (This Week in Science) around Valentines Day. At this time I was studying human behavior in school and it caught my eye (or ear shall I say). I’m told the behaviorist school of thought was succeeded by that of cognition. Although this may be true, we definitely can’t dismiss behaviorism totally - we are still animals after all. I think Skinner would agree. I bet Kelly would have something to say on this too.

“The best “catches” in dating land may be the worst choices in the long-run, new research shows.

By self-monitoring, people assess how their actions affect others and adjust to fit the appropriateness of the situation. They screen their words and behavior to suit the people around them.”

Check out the full article yourselves. Worth a read. Post your feedback in the comments - I’d love to hear what you have to say.