Over the years of educating parents, teachers and caregivers about early childhood development, we've received many questions about how to raiseemotionally intelligent kids. Kids with high emotional intelligence have the tools they need to navigate their feelings and relationships in a healthy and secure way. Key components include self-awareness, self-regulation and motivation. But surprisingly, the most overlooked one is empathy. Parents of the most emotionally intelligent children lead by example — and teach their kids four empathy skills at a young age: 1. How to take on different perspectives Perspective taking does not mean having the same experience as someone…

Researchers have discovered that laughter may indeed be the best medicine after all. A new study published in PLOS One has found that spontaneous laughter can significantly reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, leading to positive effects for overall health. When human bodies respond to stress, whether it’s physical (e.g. disease) or psychological (e.g. anticipating a threat), a system called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is activated. The stress hormone, known as cortisol, is released as part of this. Some studies suggest that spontaneous laughter can reduce levels of cortisol. Genuine laughter is intuitive, with brain pathways specific to laughter…

On the second floor of the Latyfah hair salon in Dakar, brushes, hairdryers and scissors were in constant motion. Sitting amidst bags full of wigs, owner Awa Ndao checked the finishing touches before handing over the precious locks to the delivery men, while glancing at the video surveillance screens set up in the middle of the room. In recent weeks, the store has been undergoing security upgrades, after thieves recently tried to gain entry in the middle of the night. "Burglars took about 30 wigs, computers and perfumes three years ago. More than 20 million CFA francs [€30,500] were taken,"…

Even as airlines try to maximize their route networks and fly more planescloser to full than ever before, many travelers are still hoping old tricksaround "asking nicely for an upgrade" will work for them. Earlier this year, longtime flight attendant Patricia Green wrote a post saying that "can I have an upgrade?" is both the single most frequently asked and annoying question for flight attendants due to their limited ability to help. Another flight attendant with a commercial airline, 25-year-old Destanie Armstrong became the latest to speak up against such actions on social media platform TiKTok. 'Our airline considers it…