Holiday Myths Examined
Saturday December 27, 2008
The holiday season is a time for togetherness, joy, and cheer. There are however some common myths that are associated with the holiday season. Some of them are: sugar makes kids hyperactive, suicides increase over the holidays, and eating at night makes you fat.
Researchers have looked into the science behind these and other myths and have concluded that they are not true or are not medically substantiated. Studies have shown that sugar does not make kids hyperactive and suicides do not increase over the holiday season. While eating at night may be associated with weight gain, it does not mean that it causes you to become fat. An increase in caloric intake overall leads to weight gain no matter what time of day you eat.
Learn more about this study, see:
Researchers have looked into the science behind these and other myths and have concluded that they are not true or are not medically substantiated. Studies have shown that sugar does not make kids hyperactive and suicides do not increase over the holiday season. While eating at night may be associated with weight gain, it does not mean that it causes you to become fat. An increase in caloric intake overall leads to weight gain no matter what time of day you eat.
Learn more about this study, see:
- Medical Myths For The Holiday Season (Science Daily)
Comments
While many of the myths are untrue (hence the name “MYTH”!), there are other, just as deadly and destructive things surrounding a supposedly joyful holiday like Xmas.
People (especially in these economically disastrous times) are stressed to the max by relative’s expectations of gifts, holiday cheer and all sorts of things that people either do not or CAN not meet. They feel like failures or “Scrooge’s”, thus leading to depression, irritability, anxiety and other psychological woes.
If parents feel they MUST get their kid the latest gaming system for example, but it’s going to cut into must-pay bills, they may do it anyway, yet then take it out on the kid.
Families often fight during the holidays, with some relatives keeping a “checklist” of who did what and when over the years. This is very destructive and NOT what the Xmas season is about.
Holiday stress isn’t all about money, either. Sometimes, old (or new) family grudges and fallouts are expected to be “solved”, as in the movies, and when they are NOT, everyone feels let down and/or angry.
I think that EVERYONE should dial back their holiday frenzy, take some deep breaths and go for a simpler celebration. If you’re religious, make it about THAT, not gifts.
And we would ALL appreciate a break from the insanity of shopping and traffic amidst a mass of over-stressed, ready-to-explode people, when their REAL intention is to celebrate!