The secrets of dreaming are always interesting psychologists. It is generally acknowledged in the field that dreams people have during this time between childhood and full adulthood, that’s around 30, are the strongest and most influential. Yet not enough is known about the repeated patterns of dreaming. Researchers are still trying to answer a basic question: How does dreaming relate to the life experiences and developmental challenges?

G. William Domhoff and Adam Schneider, at the University of California, help to answer this question by examining the lengthy dream series of two individuals, “Izzy” and “Jasmine”. Izzy provided a collection of 4, 329 dream reports from between the ages of 12 and 25, while Jasmine provided 664 dreams recorded between the ages of 14 and 25.

Large collections of dreams like these pose challenges to researchers. Until recently, the means of studying dream series was to employ a team of recorders who take the time to code each dream for a predetermined(预先确定的)number of content categories, and then compare their results. Nowadays, digital technologies enable the analysis of language usage in dreams with high speed, accuracy, and objectivity. This marks a revolutionary advance in the science of dreaming. However, it can only lead so far.

To gain more specific and detailed insights, Domhoff and Schneider tailored word strings(词串)for each dreamer, mixing elements of traditional research with digital tools for analyzing large data sets. For Izzy these word strings included “family and relatives”, “celebrities” and “fantasy”, while the word strings they created for Jasmine included “familiar places,” electrical equipment” and “music”. The researchers used these word strings to identify connections between their dreams and real lives. Surprisingly, the results of the analysis revealed a great deal of consistency(一致性)and continuity in both sets of dreams. Izzy pays much attention to pop culture, and has affection for famous actors. Jasmine is an accomplished musician and performer.

“The frequencies of dream elements show the intensity(强度)of the dreamer’s personal concern with that element in waking thought,” Domhoff and Schneider conclude. For anyone who still claims dreaming is merely random nonsense from the brain and mental world, these findings are hard to explain away.

We all know that our body language can give off signals to those around us about how we’re truly feeling. Crossed arms or closed body language suggests that we are feeling defensive (防御的) and we didn’t really believe what we’re listening to. Walking here and there suggests that we’re bored. And poor eye contact can suggest that we’re lying.

One major development in the field of body language that hit the headlines is the “power pose.” This is a theory put forward in 2011 by U.S. social psychologists Amy Cuddy, Dana Carney and Andy Yap. They proposed that when you pretend to be powerful, you are more likely to actually feel powerful.

What the theory suggests is that the simple act of holding a powerful pose can have powerful impact. For example, sitting with your legs up on the desk and arms held behind your head can raise your androgen levels and lower your cortisol (皮质醇) levels. Androgen is the hormone that affects dominance (控制); cortisol is the stress hormone. The study assessed participants’ hormone levels before and after they held high-power and low-power poses.

Just as a male gorilla beats his chest to tell his dominance, humans can use body language to enhance their confidence, increase feelings of power, and lower their stress levels. These findings build on several psychological studies suggesting that some aspects of body language can change your emotional state. For instance, someone nodding “yes” to you can make you easier to persuade, and when you smile, you can feel more positive.

So, how can powerful poses help us in the workplace? Well, the study proposes that, simply by striking a powerful pose, you can better prepare yourself for difficult or stressful situations. Perhaps you’ve got a presentation that you’re nervous about giving, or a job interview coming up. Holding a power pose, even in private, can help you to approach these events in a confident and less-stressed way. In contrast, a weak pose with closed body language can make you perform poorly.

When you eat a traditional ice cream in the summer, you need to finish it quickly to make sure the treat doesn’t end up melting down your hand. Reach for an ice cream sandwich instead, and the ice cream seemingly stays solid longer magically. An ice cream that refuses to melt seems unnatural, but you might be surprised by what’s really behind its practically heat-proof (耐热的) abilities.

Ice cream without a container in the freezer would inevitably lead to ice blocks because of its water content. Most packaged ice cream-whether it’s in a cone or sandwiched between two cookies-contains some elements called emulsifiers (乳化剂) that can keep water to fat to prevent ice blocks. They go a step further by helping to keep ice cream consistent, even under the hot sun. On an element list, you might find different chemicals with the same goal: to hold water in so the ice cream doesn’t melt quickly. Ice cream sandwiches generally contain more of those chemicals than hand-made ones.

If you’re worried about those elements, and some additives (添加剂) might create images that belong to a lab rather than your kitchen, then you’d better be at ease. Even natural ingredients (成分), which come from beans, might give you pause if you’ve heard about their use and misuse in weight-loss efforts.

Of course, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) takes any of the side effects of those chemicals into account, and the amount you’d find in an ice cream sandwich isn’t enough to cause health problems. While we meet someone willing to share their ice cream cookies with us, there ‘s no reason to fear your kids’ safety if they want to enjoy a store-bought treat. A slow melt rate method causes you less cleanup.