Above is an interesting video from the NYTimes today about the lack of med students choosing primary care over specialties, mostly due to lifestyle and income (or lack thereof). Since graduating from WashU, I know many medical students and doctors — no one I know has gone down the path of primary care.

As a self-proclaimed semi-foodie, I love eating out. But after reading Smart Money’s ‘10 Things Restaurants Won’t Tell You‘, I might think twice about what I’m ordering next time I go out. For instance, should I be ordering the special of the day?

…Countless variables can leave surplus ingredients at the end of the day—which often become tomorrow’s special. “It could be the chef legitimately wants to try out something new,” says Stephen Zagor, founder of consulting firm Hospitality & Culinary Resources. “But it could also be something nearing the end of its shelf life that needs to get out of the kitchen.”

Ew. Ew. Ew.

Scientists estimate that humans have evolved for thousands of years. But according to New Scientist — along with our appendices, we have lingering characteristics that don’t make evolutionary sense… things that seem to make us inherently human.

1. Blushing
2. Laughter
3. Pubic Hair
4. Teenagers
5. Dreams
6. Altrusim
7. Art
8. Superstition
9. Kissing
10. Nose-picking

Because I’m working with a financial services client, I’ve been thinking a lot about the meaning of success. In America, successful accomplishments of personal goals are often tied to happiness and fulfillment. But as a recent study shows, this is not a universal concept.

Researchers found that while Americans link happiness to personal achievement, Japanese link happiness to social harmony. The same dichotomy occurs when talking about unhappiness — Americans cope through anger and aggression while Japanese cope through self-improvement.

It’s interesting to me that this one concept, happiness, is a result of two different stimuli in two different countries, and I wonder whether the expression of happiness differs as well. While working on oral care, I’d always hear that a smile is a universal symbol of happiness. Is that really true? Or does that also differ?

(via Mindhacks)

In a nutshell, Time Magazine tells us that working out to lose weight is a waste of time.

The basic problem is that while it’s true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued. Exercise, in other words, isn’t necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder.

The LA Times fires back, citing a high correlation between those who exercise and those who lose weight. In other words, while some people will eat back their calories, there’s evidence that others don’t.

While losing weight is not the only reason to exercise, it’s the primary reason for millions of people who sign up for gym memberships each year. I’d be interested to see if this article impacts gyms around the country…

This month, Wired has a great article chronicling Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, and his struggle with spasmodic dysphonia – a rare neurological condition that caused spasms in his hand and the loss of speech. What’s amazing to me? Through it all, he continued to publish Dilbert, giving a voice to millions of office workers far louder than one he could ever utter himself.