This New Year help your kids make New Year’s Resolutions and encourage them to follow them all through the year. New Year resolutions for kids have been divided into resolutions for Preschoolers, School Age kids, and Teens. The article also includes New Year’s Parenting Resolutions to help moms and dads stay on track.

New Year’s Resolutions for Preschoolers
•I will brush my teeth twice a day
•I will wash my hands after going to the bathroom and before eating.
•I will clean up my toys.

New Year’s Resolutions for School Age Kids
•I will do my homework in time.
•I will sleep in time.
•I will drink milk and water, and limit aerated drinks.
•I’ll never give out personal information such as my name, home address, school name or telephone number on the Internet or to strangers.
•I’ll be nice to other kids. I’ll be friendly to kids who need friends – like someone who is shy, or is new to my school
•I will wear my seat belt every time I get in a car. I’ll sit in the back seat and use a booster seat until I am tall enough to use a lap/shoulder seat belt.
•I will apply sunscreen before I go outdoors
•I will try to stay in the shade whenever possible and wear a hat and sunglasses, especially when I’m playing sports.
•I will try to find a sport (like basketball or soccer) or an activity (skipping rope, dancing or horse riding) that I like and do it at least three times a week!

New Year’s Resolutions for Teens
•I will eat at least one fruit and one vegetable every day, and I will limit the amount of soda I drink.
•I will take care of my health through physical activity and nutrition.
•I will resist peer pressure to try cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
•I will wipe negative “self talk” (i.e. “I can’t do it” or “I’m so dumb”) out of my vocabulary.
•I will choose non-violent television shows and video games, and I will spend only one to two hours each day – at the most – on these activities.
•I will be nice to my parents, teachers and elders and show respect to them.
•I will help out in my community – through volunteering, working with community groups or by joining a group that helps people in need.
•When I feel angry or stressed out, I will take a break and find constructive ways to deal with the stress, such as exercising, reading, writing in a journal or discussing my problem with a parent or friend.
•When faced with a difficult decision, I will talk with an adult about my choices.
•I will be careful about whom I choose to date, and always treat the other person with respect and without coercion or violence.

New Year’s Parenting Resolutions
Here are some New Year’s Parenting resolutions for Moms and Dads who want to be a more effective parent in the coming year.

I will be a Good Role Model for my Child…
Parents have profound influence on the way their children grow up. This New Year give up your bad habits like procrastinating, smoking etc and be a role model for your children.

I will make efforts to Understand my Child…
Instead of cribbing over your child’s tantrums and unhealthy habits try and understand why he is behaving in that peculiar manner. This will help you understand and resolve the issue in a much better manner. This not so easy goal can be achieved by spending quality time and being patient with child.

I will Teach my Child to Eat Healthy…
Encourage your child to develop healthier eating habits which includes consuming fruits, milk and vegetables and giving up junk food. Of course, you need to practice this before you preach.

I will encourage my Child to take Regular Physical Activity…
Obesity in children is rising because of their sedentary lifestyles. It is extremely important to make your children realize the benefits of regular physical activity. Enrolling them in the sports class of their choice will be a good idea.

I will Reward My Child for His Good Behavior…
For the proper personality development of your child, it is important to praise and reward his achievements and good behavior. Besides, it is also important to show a calm and patient behavior when your child misbehaves or is in trouble. This helps him become a cool and level-headed person.

Time isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Students who spend more hours in the classroom aren’t guaranteed higher test scores, and many nations that outpace the U.S. on standardized reading and math assessments keep their children in school for much less time, according to a report from the National School Boards Association.

“There is a perception among policymakers and the public that U.S. students spend less time in school. The data clearly shows that most U.S. schools require at least as much or more instructional time as other countries,” said Jim Hull, senior policy analyst at the NSBA’s Center for Public Education.

The findings challenge a popular theme in education debates, one espoused by federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

“Right now, children in India … they’re going to school 30, 35 days more than our students,” he said at an education forum in September, explaining one reason he thinks the American education system is falling behind those of global competitors.

“Anybody who thinks we need less time, not more, is part of the problem,” Mr. Duncan said.

While Mr. Duncan is technically correct that Indian students have a longer school year when measured in days, they spend fewer hours in class than almost all their American counterparts.

India requires 800 “instructional hours” at the elementary level, well below the thresholds mandated by most states. Florida and New York require 900 classroom hours for elementary students. California calls for 840, while the Texas school year lasts 1,260 hours, the report states.

There is no federally mandated number of hours in a school year, and the figures differ greatly from state to state. Eight states require less than 800 hours for elementary-school-age children, the report says.

South Korea, which boasts some of the highest scores on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, keeps its elementary students in class for 703 hours. Hungarian elementary students, who score only a few points below their peers in the U.S., attend school for 601 hours each year, the second-lowest among the 24 nations in the study — almost all wealthy First World countries.

As in most other nations, the school year is longer for U.S. high school students than their elementary counterparts. They spend, on average, about 1,000 hours in class each year.

In Poland, high school students need 595 hours in the classroom, the lowest of all the countries in the study, yet they top U.S. students on the math and science portions of the PISA exams, the most widely used measuring sticks for international comparisons.

Finland, Norway, Australia and other nations also show higher levels of student achievement while requiring less instruction.

The reverse is also true. Mexico requires its high school students to spend 1,058 hours in class annually, but Mexican students perform much worse on international tests. France has mandated a 1,048-hour school year, but the extra time has resulted in scores roughly equal to those of U.S. students.

Mr. Duncan made the India comparison in Washington at a Sept. 30 forum co-sponsored by the National Center on Time and Learning, which advocates for more schooling as one way to cure to the nation’s educational ills.

NCTL President Jennifer Davis said Tuesday that the report, while interesting, simplifies the issue of school time.

“The picture is a lot more complicated than the data reveals,” she said. “Families in South Korea, for example, spend about 10 percent of their annual income on outside tutoring, resulting in 58 percent of their students participating in those programs. A much lower percentage of U.S. students are able to access similar programs. Therefore, our country’s most disadvantaged students must rely exclusively on their time in school to get the education they need.”

South Korean students also report spending nearly five hours per week on a combination of “out-of-school” mathematics lessons, such as homework, and “independent study” not assigned by teachers. For U.S. students, it’s about three hours a week, according to PISA.

Adding more time to the school day, Ms. Davis said, would begin to level the playing field.

But Mr. Hull, the study’s sole credited author, argues that lengthening the school year, while maintaining the same curricula and teaching methods, isn’t the answer.

“Providing additional time can be an effective tool for improving students’ outcomes, but how that time is used is most important,” Mr. Hull said.

A recent survey by Kelton Research, finds that most eighth and ninth graders consider Algebra to be their toughest — scariest — subject. Their parents share the same algebra anxiety. A staggering 97 percent of parents feel more prepared to talk with their children about drug and alcohol use than to help them tackle their algebra homework. Those facts are scary. 

The survey finds that one third of these students say they are willing to give up video gaming and Facebook for a month if it means they’d never have to solve another polynomial equation. Parents feel just as lost. More than seven in 10 parents polled feel that helping their kids with algebra homework is harder than teaching them to drive a car.

The survey of eighth and ninth grade students and their parents was conducted between August 1 and August 8, 2011, for various learning centers throughout Canada and the US.

Algebra is crucial to every student’s success, especially in technology dependant 21st century professions. Mastering algebraic concepts inherently leads to success in high school mathematics and eventual success in college and career. Our children’s future depends on the mastery of these essential skills.

The question most parents ask: How can I help make algebra less scary for my child?

Every child learns algebra differently and these skills build over time. One of the most important considerations for student success in algebra is their readiness. In this process, the first step is to identify the student’s algebra proficiency and understand if any skills require improvement. Identifying student misconceptions, challenges, and struggles earlier can help parents and teachers better understand the kind of support the student needs to succeed.

Parents who are concerned — or curious — about how prepared their child may be for algebra can take matters into their own hands by screening their child’s readiness at sites such as www.letsgolearn.com/fit4algebra . This is one of many free, interactive online “screeners” that parents can use to check their children’s algebra readiness. After their child completes the screener, parents will be able to review their child’s results which highlight areas of strength as well as areas that are in need of further skill development.

As parents embark on this journey to help their child with algebra, here are five tips to help middle-school students overcome algebra fears:

1. Strengthen Core Skills
Algebra matters because algebra skills build in time. Miss one component and you will continue to have difficulties with algebra, as well as other higher-level math courses. As a parent, challenge your child to become a better problem solver. If the student is struggling in algebra, talk to the child’s math teacher to learn about extra help and search online for other available resources.

2. Leverage Technology
Technology should support algebra instruction. Today’s “Net Gen” students find technology-infused instruction especially engaging and can help them to gain an understanding of the underlying reasoning and computations used in problem-solving.

3. Instill Algebra Confidence in Your Child
Praise not only your child’s academic progress, but also the effort that he or she extends to learn new concepts. Tell them that you are proud of their algebra progress even when they struggle. When students are confident in their abilities, they enjoy learning. That love of learning leads to a willingness to try new academic experiences without fear of failing.

4. Make Real-world Connections
We use math and algebra in everyday lives. There are many opportunities for parents to make algebra connections in day-to-day life — and help students. Analytical thinking for daily tasks or decisions essentially means using the fundamentals of algebra. Think of tasks that you do every day that can be “teachable algebra moments.”

5. Encourage Your Child to Take Higher Level Mathematics
Early and Often – Many students don’t take mathematics classes beyond their school’s minimum requirements, but algebra and other higher level mathematics courses offers critical learning skills that are needed throughout life. Children should take algebra early in their educational careers if and only if they are academically ready. Students who do not take courses covering algebraic concepts early risk missing important opportunities for growth. By the end of junior and senior years, students who have not planned ahead have fewer class options and may not be able to complete all college prerequisite courses. This can restrict a student’s post-secondary educational options and career choices.

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Article by: TeensHealth and The Nemours Foundation

After a summer of sleeping in or doing things on your time, the alarm bell announcing that first day of school can be a rude awakening. Whether you’re an anxious new freshman or a confident senior, heading back to school signals a time of transition: new classes, new teachers, new schedules, and a new social scene.

Dread it or love it, you gotta go to school. Here are some ways to make the transition from summer to school a little easier.

First-Day Mania
There’s no escaping the fact that the first day of school can be crazy. New kids wander around in circles. Lockers won’t open. The school nurse needs your medical records. You forgot your gym shorts. Freshmen are running in all directions, looking for their homerooms.

How can you combat first-day chaos? If you’re headed to a new school, try to arrange a visit before classes begin. Explore any areas that are of particular interest, such as the gymnasium, library, or science labs. Some schools offer maps. Get one and give it a read before school starts — then keep it in your backpack until you’re familiar with your new surroundings.

Your first day is also the time to bring in school supplies and paperwork. It can help to pack your backpack the night before school starts so you’re not scrambling around at the last minute looking for what you need. In addition to packing basic supplies (such as notebooks, pens, pencils, and a calculator), hunt down any of the school forms that were mailed to your family over the summer: immunization (shot) records, permission slips, and class schedules.

Did you try on eight different outfits before deciding what to wear? Lots of people check out who’s wearing what on the first day of school. The key is to wear what makes you feel good, whether it’s a brand-new outfit or a comfy old sweater. If you plan to wear a new pair of shoes, break them in a few days beforehand or your feet may scream for relief long before last period.

Each school has a different opening-day drill. Some start with homeroom or an assembly, but others may jump right into the first-period class. You’ll meet your new teachers, and they’ll probably give you an overview of the course syllabus, class rules, what the semester will be like, what supplies you’ll need, and expectations of your performance and behavior. Some teachers will jump right into their first lesson, while others may have non-coursework activities planned. It all depends on the class and teacher.

Emotions
Here’s a simple equation: new place = new emotions. Lots of people feel anxious, scared, or excited about school. Although students who are coming back as seniors may be happy they’re in their final year and can’t wait to visit with friends, most freshmen or new kids are likely to be tense or worried.

It’s perfectly normal to feel nervous on the first day of school. Getting back to the school routine and adjusting to new workloads takes some getting used to after a long summer break. If you’re having a mental meltdown, think back to some previous “first days.” Everything probably settled down pretty quickly once you got into the routine.

Meeting new people or getting reacquainted with classmates can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re the shy or reserved type. Start small: If large groups make you nervous, try saying hello to one or two new people a day — the kid at the desk next to yours in homeroom is a good place to start. Or ask new people to sit with you in the cafeteria.

If you still feel uncomfortable after a few days, talk to the school guidance counselor, a favorite teacher, or someone else you trust about how you’re feeling and what you can do. But give yourself time — most problems adjusting to school are only temporary

Making Your Way Through the Lunchroom
What’s everyone’s favorite period? Lunch, what else? But with foods like tacos, pizza, or cheeseburgers staring you in the face when you’re at your most hungry, it can be hard to make healthy choices.

Here are some tricks to choosing foods that will keep you focused and active throughout the day — as well as help you grow and develop throughout the school year:

•Get a copy of the menu. If your cafeteria provides a weekly or monthly menu, check it out. Knowing what’s on the menu puts you in control: You can pick and choose which days you want to buy lunch and when you want to bring your own.
•Head for the salad bar. If your school offers a salad bar, take advantage. If you’d rather pack, consider adding carrot sticks, a piece of fresh fruit, or pretzels to your lunch bag.
•Think energy. Some foods are better choices than others for maintaining energy during the day. Choose low-fat proteins, like chicken, beans, or low-fat yogurt and add lots of fruits and veggies to your meal. They’ll provide the vitamins and minerals you need and the energy to get through the day. Foods that have a lot of simple carbohydrates, like sugary snacks, donuts, or french fries may give you a quick rush of energy but it’s not sustainable — which means you’ll be left wanting more soon after you eat. The same is true of drinks filled with caffeine or sugar. You don’t have to cut these out entirely — just enjoy them in moderation.
•Stop for a snack. You can’t concentrate or absorb new knowledge without a well-fed mind and body. So take along a healthy snack, like carrot sticks or trail mix, to stave off hunger between classes (don’t munch during class, though, or you may face a reprimand!). Not only will this keep you going, it will also help you avoid overeating when mealtime finally arrives.

Having a Brain Drain?
School seemed simple when you were younger. Everyone told you where to go, what classes to take, and how to finish your homework. Now things are different; there are so many choices and priorities competing for your time. Stretch yourself too thin and you may find yourself feeling stressed out.

Here are some things you can do to help regain control:
•Plan ahead. Get a wall calendar or personal planner. Mark the dates of midterms, finals, and other tests. Note the due dates of term papers, essays, and other projects as they are assigned. List any other time commitments you have, like basketball practice or play rehearsals. When your calendar starts to fill, learn to say no to additional activities until things calm down.
•Stay ahead. Try not to fall behind. If you feel yourself falling behind and starting to feel frustrated, let your teachers know. It’s better to get help early on than to wait and think you can ace the final if you spend a few nights cramming. Almost everyone struggles with a particular subject or class. If you’re having trouble with a particular subject or homework project, ask your teacher for extra help after class. Taking a few minutes to address the problem right away can save time later, and if your teacher knows that you’re struggling with something, he or she is likely to be more understanding of the situation.
•Listen up. Paying attention in class can actually pay off in the long run. Sure, it’s often easier said than done, but actively listening and taking notes during lectures can make recalling information easier when it comes time to study and remember things.
•Take notes. If you take notes and review them before class begins (or while studying for an exam), you can ask a teacher to go over anything you don’t understand. It can also be helpful to go over notes with a friend after class — as long as you’re confident your friend really grasps the material! Learning good note-taking skills in high school also helps put you ahead of the curve in college, when good lecture notes are key to studying and doing well.

Ahh-choo! What to Do?
Nearly everyone gets sick at one time or another. If you’re out sick, ask friends to take notes and pick up your homework.

If you’re out for more than a day or two, do a little work every day if you feel up to it to keep from falling behind. Some teachers post assignments and notes on the Internet — find out if they will accept faxed or emailed homework. If not, have your mom or dad drop your assignments off at school. Then be prepared to make up lab time and tests when you return.

If you’re not feeling well enough to keep up with your classes, that’s OK. It’s more important that you take care of yourself. Again, establishing a good relationship with teachers helps them be more understanding and they’ll be able to help you catch up when you make it back to school.

Survival Tips
Here are some more things that can help put you ahead in school:

•The old saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is never more true than when you’re going to school. Students are more alert and perform better in class if they eat a good breakfast.
•Get enough sleep. Studies show that teens need at least 8½ hours of sleep each night to feel rested. Sleep deprivation can lead students to fall asleep in class (embarrassing if you’re caught!) and can also make it hard to concentrate. It can be more productive to get the sleep you need than it is to stay up late cramming: A recent study found that students who got adequate sleep before a math test were nearly three times more likely to figure out the problem than those who stayed up all night.
•Do more at school and you’ll have less to do at home. Take advantage of those times during the school day when you’re not in class: Review notes, go to the library or computer lab, get a head-start on your homework, or research that big term paper. You’ll be thankful later while you’re at the mall or a concert and your classmates are stuck at home cramming!
•One of the best ways to make friends and learn your way around is by joining school clubs, sports teams, and activities. Even if you can’t kick a 30-yard field goal or sing a solo, getting involved in other ways — going to a school play, helping with a bake sale, or cheering on friends at a swim meet — can help you feel like a part of things.
School is a time to make friends and try new things, but it’s also a place to learn skills like organization and decision making that will come in handy for the rest of your life

For parents and kids, that time of year is coming. No, unfortunately, not summer vacation (yet!) but final exams, projects and portfolios. It’s natural and normal to feel some worry and distress about school projects but, sometimes, when the anxiety becomes overwhelming, students experience test anxiety, a type of performance anxiety where stress and anxiety interfere with the student’s ability to perform on tests and in academic tasks.

If left unattended, this can lead to a host of issues such as lowered grades and poor academic performance, low academic motivation, poor self esteem, school refusal, anxious thoughts such panic or worry, somatic concerns such as upset stomach, headaches, and body aches and depression.

What causes test anxiety?
Most students experience some nervousness and stress related to academic performance. Students who are worriers, perfectionistic, and those with poor study skills are most likely to suffer from test anxiety. Worriers tend to allow themselves to think negative thoughts and to focus on bad things happening and to ignore positive messages. Students who are perfectionistic rigidly focus on being perfect and don’t allow for the possibility of mistakes. Finally students with poor study skills may feel unprepared for the test situation, that they do not possess enough knowledge or that they are comparatively less intelligent than their peers.

What can I do?
For Parents:

• Compliment the effort. Encourage your child to do his or her best not to obtain a specific grade or score.

• Model for your child on some task or activity by not performing as well as you would like, but being satisfied with the effort or enjoying the challenge.

• Supervise and help your child structure his time and study plan to allow for adequate preparation.

• Maintain regular contact with school staff to identify problems early on.

• Encourage a healthy diet, exercise and plenty of sleep. According to the Centers for Disease Control, per night, children ages 5-10 require 10-11 hours of sleep and those ages 10-17 require 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep.

• Consult a professional if anxiety begins to negatively affect mood, self esteem and performance. You may also notice change in sleep or appetite, sharp decline in academic performance, irritable mood or social withdrawal.

For Students:

• Prepare in advance for tests and projects – don’t save them for the last minute.

• Give yourself realistic but positive messages about performance, for example, instead of “I’m going to fail,” perhaps “This is hard and I may not get an A, but I’ll do my best.”

• Allow yourself to make mistakes; it’s part of learning.

• Take care of yourself through sleep, diet and exercise. Develop personal relaxation strategies such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation, yoga, or seeking support of a friend or family member.

• Ask for help when you need it; don’t wait until you are behind.

Test taking is a skill developed over a period of time as a student progresses in school. Remember, your child’s ability to take a test is just one area of your child’s academic life. Below is a list of test taking tips that can be applied to improve multiple choice test questions. It’s important that children practice test taking skills on a regular basis.

Practice the following when taking a multiple choice test:
1. Read the question twice before you look at the answers.
2. After reading the question and before looking for the answer provided on the test, try to come up with the correct answer on your own.
3. Read all the possible choices before selecting one.
4. Use a process of elimination to discover the correct answer.
5. If “All the above” is a possible answer and you see two correct answers, then “All the above” would be a correct choice.
6. In most cases, a positive choice is more likely to be the correct answer (or true) than a negative choice.
7. The correct answer often has the most information included in the answer.
8. Usually your first choice will be your best choice.
9. When there is no penalty for guessing then make an educated guess when selecting an answer.

This is one of many exercises used to provide a structure for learning that actively promotes the comprehension and retention of knowledge through the use of engaging strategies that acknowledge the brain’s limitations of capacity and processing.

RAFT

Purpose: To engage student learning through analysis and synthesis of information

Description: Using this strategy, students will take on the role of someone or something related to the topic of study. They will then generate a product for a designated audience. This activity requires students to both analyze and synthesize information previously introduced. The creative thinking required for completion of this product addresses many of the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning.

Procedure:

1. Introduce this activity by explaining the RAFT acronym:

R- Role of the writer

A- Audience to whom the product is being directed

F- Format of the product being created

T- Topic of the product

Example: Pretend that you are an ant trying to convince a young boy not to step on you. (R- ant, A- young boy, F- verbal plea, T- convincing the boy not to step on you)

2. Pass out a sheet of possible roles, audiences, and formats.

3. Assign students to create a RAFT for a given topic related to your unit of study.

4. Allow students to share their RAFTs with the class in the form of short presentations.

Sample RAFTs for technology:

1. You are a tab. The Tab Federation of America is trying to ban you from all word processing documents. Write a letter persuading the TFA to keep you working!

2. You are a search engine. No one appreciates how hard you work. Create a message to post on your home page informing Internet users of what you do

As a parent, you realise sharing a family meal is an important way to spend time with your children, but did you know kids also recognise the importance of this activity?
Interestingly, 82 per cent of parents feel closer to their kids and 72 per cent of kids feel closer to their parents when families sit down together for a quality meal, according to the recent “Share the Table Survey,” commissioned by Barilla, a top Italian food company, and Family Circle magazine.

The survey emphasised the importance of the quality of mealtime for both parents and kids. In fact, parents and kids who share high-quality meals together, regardless of how often they share those meals in some instances, are more likely to be happier and feel they possess specific positive emotional and social attributes.

“This innovative research showed us that kids value the family dinner as much as adults do, and they actually appreciate their parents more when they take the time to share a meal,” says Dr William J Doherty, professor of family social science and director of the Citizen Professional Center at the University of Minnesota, as well as a contributor to the study.

“These findings tell us that something as simple as everyone sitting down together and talking about their day over a good meal can strengthen the bonds between parents and kids.”
Parents and kids agree that the key ingredients for a high-quality meal include laughter, relaxation, conversation and being together eating something everyone likes. Survey highlights include:

* Both parents and kids agree that spending time together is a top priority – and both wish they had more time to connect – and sharing family meals is the most important way families can do this.

* Families that regularly share mealtime have parents who feel happier and less stressed, and children who get better grades, develop healthy habits, and feel their parents are relaxed and fun to be around.

* Mealtime togetherness contributes more strongly to kids’ well-being than other common activities that families do together and other activities competing for kids’ time (sports, dance, arts, clubs) and yet family dinners are given away to accommodate those other activities.
“We know how hard it is to always get the whole family together for dinner, and it’s great to see that teens and ‘tweens appreciate family time just as much as moms and dads,” says Linda Fears, editor-in-chief of Family Circle. “We always tell our readers that the best way to make the most out of mealtime is to check technology at the door, engage each other, take time to relax and enjoy the food.”
Doherty offers some advice for how parents can make sharing a meal a regular, beneficial occurrence in their home:

* Minimise outside activities that interfere with family dinners. Start small, perhaps choosing one night a week for a family meal. Make it special and start adding days from there. If your children let you know that they think family dinners are inconvenient and boring, resist the temptation to cave in.

* Ban TV and other electronic media, except background music, from family dinners. Encourage conversation and laughter to be the focal point.

* Involve children in meal planning and preparation. It’s a great way for parents and kids to interact, and can also help children learn healthy nutrition and eating habits.

The better looking have better careers. They receive better grades in college, they receive higher paychecks and are the first to be promoted. Why is this true and to what extent do looks play a part in our ability to persuade and get ahead?

Finally, what can you do about it?

Why Are Looks So Important to Us?
It comes from when we are infants. Within seventy-two hours after birth, we are prewired to appreciate beautiful people and thus stare at them for longer periods of time. Naturally, infants will look at and analyze smiles more than frowns.

Unknowingly, parents will gaze at good-looking infants and care for them more than parents with unattractive infants will.

Babies who are perceived as unattractive have their diapers changed less frequently, are burped less often and are not fed on as set a schedule as good-looking babies. Interestingly enough, the parents have no idea that they are doing this.

The 4-Second First Impression
Did you know that people whom you meet make a decision about you within 4 seconds or less? In this time, millions of neurons in their brain have been activated. Without being prompted to do so, the human brain will quickly try to categorize the new individual.

This is before even saying hello. This judgment is made without knowing political affiliations, job or marital status, personal history or even basic personality traits. When first meeting a person, studies show that a woman will look at the individual’s body, while a man will look at the face first.

It can take quite a bit of work to overcome any initial judgments. However, sometimes that initial judgment is too concrete.

The Skewed Perception That Someone’s Appearance Gives Us
College professors who are good-looking are consistently voted among the top educators in universities. In studies done by J.E. Singer, conventionally attractive females received significantly higher grades than unattractive females. Conventionally attractive females will enjoy a net worth that is roughly 11 times more than “unattractive” females.

In our heavily gendered society, attractive men don’t hold as much power, as women place less importance on looks than men do. In times of war, peace treaties handed to the opposing side by an attractive person have been known to get signed without even being read.

Want to Become a CEO or U.S. Senator? Buy Rogaine.
According to ABC news 35 million men in the United States are currently losing their hair. That’s about 50% of the male population. 25% of that 35 million is comprised of people under 30. By contrast, only 10% – 20% of male U.S. Senators are bald. Moreover, fewer than 25% of Fortune 500 CEO’s are bald.

What Can You Do to be on an Even Keel With Your Conventionally Better Looking Co-Workers?
Dress and look your best. Since women observe the chest before they do the face, always wear a very nice tie and matching shirt. This is the last part of your wardrobe that you want to save money on. However, you don’t have to splurge on every piece of business attire.

The basic rule is to pick well-constructed clothing pieces that fit you correctly. You can be wearing the highest-end suit there is, but if it fits horribly or has old coffee stains on the lapel, you’re out of luck.

More importantly, smile. Positive attitude and upbeat energy will instantly cue other people’s brains to respond better to you. It’s a kind of social law of reciprocity: if someone smiles at you, you are more inclined to smile back. Human beings – adults as well as babies – respond better to smiles than to frowns.

This fact can be translated from what you do with your facial muscles all the way to how you speak and think about your day and the tasks at hand. Be positive, and others think positively about you.

Acting positive often translates from feeling positive. Eat right, prioritize sleep and physical activity. When you are properly nourished, well-rested, and have healthy ways to deal with day-to-day anxiety (exercise, meditation, and other activity go a long way to mitigating anxiety, depression and more), you won’t just look better, you’ll feel better. And looking and feeling better or worse is a self-perpetuating cycle. One tends to follow the other.