Tag: healthscienceclimate

There’s no proven cure for a cold, but many people have remedies they swear by when they’re feeling under the weather. (Chicken soup or citrus fruit, anyone?) One common strategy is taking tablets or lozenges that contain zinc, a natural mineral that helps the immune system fight back against bacteria and viruses.

But many experts don’t recommend that people pop zinc tablets at the first sign of a sniffle. Dr. Katharine DeGeorge, a family-medicine physician at the University of Virginia who has studied cold remedies, is one of them. “Some people might benefit,” she says. “But that comes at a cost—a monetary cost, and a risk of adverse events, too.”

Zinc users do have some science to back their decision. Some research suggests that zinc may stop the cold virus from binding to cells in the body and copying itself, potentially shortening the length of an illness. (Some scientists have researched whether zinc has the same effect against other viruses, such as those that cause flu and COVID-19, but there’s not much data to back that hypothesis, says Dr. Roy Gulick, chief of infectious disease at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.) Adults who start taking roughly 80 mg of zinc per day within 24 hours of getting a cold feel better faster than those who don’t use zinc, some studies suggest.

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A recent Cochrane review article affirmed that finding, based on an analysis of 34 previously published studies on zinc and colds. The authors didn’t find evidence that taking zinc proactively can prevent a cold, but they did find some proof that taking it while sick speeds up recovery by about two days.

Fewer sick days sounds great, right? Not so fast, says Daryl Nault, an assistant professor at the Maryland University of Integrative Health and co-author of the Cochrane review article.

She and her fellow researchers rated their results as “low-certainty” because the studies in the review were all over the map, covering different forms and doses of zinc and designed with varying levels of scientific rigor. “We don’t truly have enough evidence to draw a conclusive finding from it,” she says. “At best, we saw that it is possible that it could reduce the average duration of a cold by a couple days.” 

But, DeGeorge says, not everyone benefits from taking zinc, and it frequently causes side effects such as an upset stomach, headaches, and a bad aftertaste. Taking zinc in high enough doses for it to be effective—around 80 mg per day, according to studies on the subject—raises the likelihood of experiencing these symptoms, she says.

“At a certain point, you’re replacing the symptoms of your cold” with new ones, Nault says. There may be instances when dealing with those side effects is worth it—if you have a vacation coming up and want to get better before you leave, for example. (In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists zinc as a potential tool for travelers.) But other times, she says, you may be just as well off hunkering down and riding out your cold symptoms.

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People who take very high doses of zinc for a prolonged period of time can also experience a range of complications—including neurological issues and, ironically, getting sick more often. Taking a product marketed for cold relief for the limited period of time you have symptoms shouldn’t put you in danger of serious complications, DeGeorge says, but don’t go overboard. And the Mayo Clinic says never to use nasal sprays that contain zinc, as they can damage your sense of smell. (These products are rare anyway, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told consumers to stop using them in 2009.)

Given zinc’s uncertain benefits and potential drawbacks, Gulick says he doesn’t routinely recommend it to his patients. People who want to ease their symptoms are probably better off with over-the-counter drugs such as decongestants and sore-throat lozenges, he says. 

DeGeorge also says she typically recommends that people save their money and avoid zinc side effects by focusing on the fundamentals: staying home, getting plenty of rest, and drinking lots of fluids. A cold “is going to go away on its own no matter what you do,” she says. “It’s going to suck for a week, but it’s okay.”

If you want to excel at pickleball, cake-decorating, or playing the piano, you’ll probably sign up for a class or enlist an instructor. But what about talking? Communication is one of the cornerstones of successful personal and professional life—yet many of us never receive any formal training on how to do it well.

“We copy what our parents do, and then what our teachers and friends do,” says Raele Altano, a communication coach who also dispenses tips to her social-media following. “We assume that’s the standard—it definitely comes from our upbringing.”

That can lead to a lot of blunders, from hijacking the conversation to shutting down when things don’t go our way. Investing time in learning to better communicate, meanwhile, can improve the way we represent and advocate for ourselves, Altano says, while also boosting confidence. “It impacts all areas of life, whether it’s dating, asking for a raise, presenting in a public-speaking environment,” or even making and keeping friends, she adds.

With that in mind, we asked experts to share what they consider the most toxic communication habits—plus, what to do when you encounter them (or even recognize them in yourself).

Making it all about you

We’re all psychologically wired to find common ground with other people, Altano says. That’s why, when a friend describes their recent Bahamas trip, you might use it as a springboard to recount your own favorite trip to the island. You want to relate to them—but matching each of their anecdotes with one of your own isn’t the best way to do it. “Constantly bringing up your experience when someone is talking, and saying, ‘Oh, yeah, that happened to me, too’ is deflating to the other person,” Altano says. “It sounds very self-centered after a while.”

If you recognize that you often bring the conversation back to the subject you know best—yourself—make it a point to work on your active listening skills, like paraphrasing what the other person said and asking questions. Remember that people want to feel heard, and don’t necessarily need you to add anything to their story.

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If conversation-hijacking becomes a pattern for one of your friends, meanwhile, muster up the courage to address it. Altano likes this non-confrontational approach: “I noticed that when I bring up something about what’s going on with me, the conversation tends to pivot. Is that something you’ve noticed, too?” You could also try to redirect every time it happens, she adds—“As I was saying…”—or preface a story with a request for their advice, which can help ensure the focus remains on what you have to say. “If they feel included, there’s less of an urge to be like, ‘Oh, well, this happened to me too,’” she says.

Shutting down

Do you tend to withdraw when someone says something you don’t like—or maybe sulk off, refusing to engage? Stonewalling, as it’s called, is a protective technique some people default to when overwhelmed by big emotions, says Roma Williams, a therapist and author of Unload It: An Effective Guide for Leveling Up Your Communication. But it can leave the other person feeling frustrated, isolated, and rejected.

If you shut down when you’re upset, you might benefit from journaling or other emotion-regulation techniques, Williams says. She coaches clients to practice saying, “I’m upset—I just need a moment right now,” rather than walking away without a word. If you let the other person know you’d like to continue the conversation later, once you’ve had a chance to collect yourself, they’ll be less likely to start spiraling.

If your friend or partner is stonewalling you, on the other hand, you might say: “It seems like this is tough for you to talk about right now. Would a break from the conversation help?” That can give them the time and permission they need to get their emotions under control before talking, Williams says.

Frequent interrupting

The first step to breaking a habit of interrupting is to acknowledge it—and then dive into the root cause. “Why am I doing it? Is it because I don’t feel like I’m being heard? Because I have an ego?” says Anne Willkomm, an associate teaching professor in the department of communication at Drexel University. You might realize, for example, that you interrupt during Zoom meetings because you’re eager to contribute and worried you’ll miss your opportunity.

To overcome the habit, work on accepting that not all of your ideas will be heard in that specific moment—but you’ll have ample chances to share them later. You could follow up with an email, Willkomm suggests, or schedule another meeting. If you still catch yourself trying to interrupt, get in the habit of apologizing: “I’m sorry, Sandra, I interrupted you. Please finish what you were saying.”

If you’re the one who finds yourself being interrupted, Willkomm suggests calmly interjecting: “Excuse me, Jim. I’m interested in what you have to say, but I would like to finish my thought.” Expressing that you care about their perspective and plan to listen—once you’ve had your turn—will help them feel less defensive or like they just got their hand slapped, she adds.

Rambling on, and on, and on

We’ve all met someone who turns what would have been a two-sided conversation into a monologue. “It’s the top complaint I hear when I work with clients,” says Alex Lyon, a professor in the department of communication at SUNY Brockport who makes popular online videos coaching people to become better communicators. “It takes some people two minutes to say something that could have been said in 20 seconds.” Why? Probably because of the mistaken assumption that the ability to talk a lot means they’re an effective communicator, he believes. “You hear people say, ‘I have the gift of the gab,’ but it doesn’t always seem like a gift to listeners.”

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If you’ve reached the limit of how much you can take, cut in—this is one time when interrupting is OK. In workplace scenarios, you might ask the rambler what they need from you, or what the bottom line is, Lyon suggests. In social situations, redirect the conversation to some other topic (or come up with a polite excuse to exit).

If you recognize that you’re the one who can be long-winded, ask your friends for feedback. Tell them you’re working on your communication skills, Lyon advises, and that you’d appreciate knowing where you could improve. Let them know it’s OK to cut you off when you start to go on and on, and that you’re making a genuine effort to break the habit. “That takes bravery,” Lyon acknowledges, but the payoff can be significant.

Distracted “listening”

Generally speaking, humans are not good listeners, Willkomm says. We read emails during Zoom meetings; “subtly” check our phones at dinner; start mapping out the next day’s itinerary while a friend is talking. That distraction is a problem. “The inability to actively listen is so important, because it can really diminish someone’s sense of value,” she says.

If you notice a colleague clearly isn’t paying attention in a work setting, Willkomm suggests approaching them privately: “There’s so much on your plate—I don’t know if you realize, but it comes across to others that you’re disengaged.” Or you could employ some humor, which works in both professional and social settings: “What’s burning up your phone? Want to share?”

If you know your listening skills could use a tune-up, meanwhile, set yourself up for success by putting your phone in your pocket or turning it upside down, and physically removing any other distractions, Willkomm advises. Give the other person your complete attention by looking them in the eye, use body language like nodding to show you’re following, and resist the temptation to start planning what you’re going to say before it’s your turn to talk.

One-upping the other person

Conversation isn’t a competition—yet some people act like it is. You know the type: If you share that you got a new car, they’ll tell you about their shinier, fancier version. You just adopted a puppy? Their doodle graduated first in its class from obedience school; next stop, Westminster.

The best way to handle a one-upper, Lyon says, is with a simple, “Good for you. I’m happy for you.” “It kind of means swallowing your pride, because it might feel like you’re letting them win,” he says. “But conversations aren’t something you’re supposed to win.” Maybe you’re still tempted to fire back a not-so-humble brag that will top whatever they just said. Checking your ego in real time—“Why am I trying to one-up them? Is it because I have some insecurity or feel competitive?”—can help remind you to simply not engage.

Opinion-jacking

Willkomm has noticed an interesting—and frustrating—phenomenon: When a woman gives her opinion about something in a work meeting, a male colleague will restate it as though it was his own. She hopes more people feel comfortable shutting down this kind of behavior, which is often called “hepeating.” “I think it’s really incumbent upon fellow women and men to respectfully call people out on that,” she says. For example: “Bill, thank you for summing up what Janet said.” That does the trick nicely, she adds, because you’re not demeaning Bill—but you’re still giving credit to the person whose idea it was.

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You could also consider pulling them aside privately afterwards to say, “I’ve noticed this a couple times—you’re probably not aware of it,” Willkomm suggests. “I think we always have to give that benefit of the doubt. You’ll know soon enough if they are aware, and they continue to do it.” And if you’re the culprit? It might help to reflect on the origins of the habit and work on overcoming it with a therapist or communication coach.

Offering unsolicited advice

Sometimes, you just want to let it all out—which means you’re looking for an open ear, not a torrent of unwanted (and potentially irrelevant) help. Unsolicited advice “rubs people the wrong way, because it’s a bit presumptuous,” Altano says. If you’re on the receiving end, she suggests stopping the person you’re talking to: “I really appreciate you giving your input, but I’m just looking to vent right now.” “It might seem so obvious, and like a no-brainer, but the other person doesn’t necessarily know that,” she says.

If you find yourself inclined to dish out some words of wisdom to a friend, on the other hand, ask first: “Are you open to hearing a few suggestions, or would you rather not right now?” That phrasing empowers people to say no, Altano points out—in which case it’s important to respect their boundary and save the advice for another time.

If misery loves company, so does anger. It can feel downright delicious to vent to your loved ones about life’s annoyances, big and small.

You may think it’s healthy to rant about that annoying work assignment or rude comment, but research suggests otherwise. Venting “is the worst thing you can do” when you’re mad, says Brad Bushman, a professor of communication at the Ohio State University who studies the topic. It’s “adding more fuel to the fire.”

For a long time, psychologists believed in “catharsis theory,” or the idea that it’s better to release negative emotions than hold onto them. But back in 2002, Bushman published a study that questioned that logic. He demonstrated that when people expressed anger, such as by hitting a punching bag, they only got more irate and aggressive. That’s not good, because research suggests anger is linked to a variety of mental and maybe even physical health problems.

Dissecting a frustrating conversation or social slight can prompt rumination—the psychological term for fixating on negative thoughts and feelings—and blow out of proportion relatively minor annoyances, says Jesse Cougle, a psychology professor at Florida State University who studies anger. Neither is healthy. Indeed, a 2020 study of coping strategies during the pandemic found that venting was linked to poorer mental health, while tactics like accepting, joking about, and positively reframing the situation seemed to boost well-being.

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“You should generally act how you hope to feel,” Cougle says. For most people, that means trying to move past anger rather than getting stuck in it.

Bushman’s more recent research suggests that calming practices such as meditation, yoga, and deep breathing are better at dissipating rage than, well, raging. The goal should be to lower rather than raise arousal, he says. (Even running, which many people view as a kind of therapy, raises arousal too much to be an effective anger-buster. “You should go for runs because they’re good for your health,” but not because they’ll make you feel calmer, Bushman says.)

The problem is that when you’re furious, it feels better to rant and rave than it does to take some centering deep breaths. Bushman has seen that in his research. Even though activities like hitting a punching bag don’t actually lessen anger, “75% of people report feeling better” after they do it, he says. 

The same is often true for venting to a friend, Cougle says. It feels great to have someone validate your perspective, especially when they’re agreeing that you were in the right and the jerk who cut you off in traffic was in the wrong. “You take [the person you’re complaining about] down a level and lift yourself up,” Cougle says.

Can something that feels so good really be so wrong? Bushman says it’s not always a bad thing to get something off your chest. Talking through a negative feeling with the goal of understanding why something bothered you and how to better respond in the future, such as with a therapist, can be beneficial, he says. And you don’t need to make yourself meek for the sake of avoiding anger, Cougle says; when someone has genuinely wronged you, or you’ve encountered an infuriating situation you have the power to change, it’s okay to speak up about it.

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Venting becomes less helpful, Cougle says, when it’s mean-spirited—when you’re just out to make your mother-in-law look bad, rather than make yourself feel better—or when you’re re-treading the same ground you’ve covered dozens of times before, keeping yourself stuck in that past anger without trying to move past it. “It’s all a matter of degree,” he says.

The person listening to your rant matters, too, research suggests. One 2023 study found that people with vast social networks often felt worse when they vented, whereas those with smaller circles felt better. That may be because people with big networks tend to vent to lots of people, some of whom may not respond well, whereas people with fewer social contacts are more selective with their audiences and the way they talk about their problems, the authors hypothesize.

When you feel yourself getting stuck in the quicksand of venting, look for healthier coping strategies. If yoga and meditation aren’t your thing, try a quick shift in perspective. Bushman’s research supports the “fly-on-the-wall” technique, which challenges angry people to imagine themselves as a third party observing the situation that made them fume. A 2019 study also found that it’s healthier to look for broader meaning in an annoying situation (Think: “you can’t always get what you want”) than to fixate on every last infuriating detail.

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And contrary to old-school, “get it out” psychological wisdom, suppressing negative thoughts may sometimes help them lose their edge, according to the research of Michael Anderson, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. In a 2023 study, Anderson and his colleagues found that when people tried to avoid thinking about things that made them scared or upset, their mental health improved. The effects were particularly positive for people with ruminative conditions like anxiety.

While his study didn’t look at venting and anger specifically, Anderson says the same principle may apply. “By processing and elaborating and discussing something, you run the risk of making that thing so memorable and so connected to a whole bunch of other thoughts that it becomes that much harder to regulate,” he says. “If things are outside your control, or annoying but not particularly important, put them to bed. Just shut them down.”

And finally, don’t underestimate the impact of hanger—that is, getting angry when you’re hungry. Science suggests it’s a real phenomenon. So next time you feel yourself gearing up for a venting session, think of grabbing a snack and taking a few deep breaths instead.