By Rick Nauert, PhD, Senior News Editor, PsychCentral.com

First we learn about sex addiction, now researchers are studying work addiction and how better to measure the disorder.

In a new study, Spanish researchers have developed a new scale for measuring addiction to work.

According to background information, around 12 percent of all working people in Spain suffer from the disorder. The experts say that 8 percent of the working population in Spain devotes more than 12 hours per day to their job.

“Addiction to work is a kind of psychosocial problem that is characterized by two primary features – working excessively and working compulsively,” Mario Del Líbano, lead author of the paper, said.

The results, published in the Spanish journal Psicothema, not only confirm the two dimensions of workaholism, but also relate the results with psychosocial well-being (perceived health and happiness), in order to highlight the negative features of addiction to work in Spain.

“People are only workaholics if, on top of working excessively, they work compulsively in order to reduce anxiety and the feelings of guilt that they get when they’e not working,” Del Líbano explains. “This study helps to evaluate addiction along with other phenomena that affect the psychosocial health of workers, without the time taken to fill in the questionnaire having any impact on their motivation,” he adds.

The new scale, called DUWAS (Dutch Work Addiction Scale), has been validated as a result of the criticisms about its validity and reliability made by two evaluation tools that have been most used to date – the WorkBAT (Workaholism Battery) and the WART (Work Addiction Risk Test).

Data on the worldwide prevalence of addiction to work vary from one study to another. It is placed at around 20 percent in countries such as Japan, while in Spain the figures are between 11.3 percent and 12 percent, according to research carried out in 2004 by Sánchez Pardo, Navarro Botella and Valderrama Zurián, and Del Líbano’s group in 2006, respectively.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) says that 8 percent of the working population devotes more than 12 hours per day to their profession in order to escape from personal problems. According to the experts, spending more than 50 hours per week working could be a determining factor in addiction.

Addiction to work is characterized by extreme activity in and devotion to work (with people even working outside working hours, at weekends and on holidays), compulsion to work (inability to delegate), disproportionate involvement with work (people relating their self-esteem to their work), and focusing on work to the detriment of their daily lives (poor interpersonal communication).

Some risk factors that can lead to such addiction include financial, family and social pressures; fear of losing one’s job; competition in the labor market; the need to achieve a desired level of success; fear of overbearing, demanding or threatening bosses; high levels of personal work efficiency; and lack of personal affection, with the person trying to make up for this with their work.

In addition, workaholic people can also end up taking illegal substances to help them work harder, enabling them to increase their workplace performance and overcome tiredness and the need for sleep.

Source: “Work Addiction Measured With New Scale”, LiveScience

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a rapidly expanding inventory of ailments–including heart disease , cancer and the common cold . A new discovery demonstrates how the vitamin plays a major role in keeping the body healthy in the first place, by allowing the immune system's T cells to start doing their jobs.  [More]

Source: “Another reason vitamin D is important: it gets T cells going”, Scientific American

Derek Paravicini has absolute pitch, which is better than perfect pitch. When he hears a chord with ten notes in it, he can identify them all. And, he can play the piano like crazy.

“He can master any melody on earth, has a databank of thousands of songs in his head and can play any one of them at will, improvising as he goes,” The Daily Mail reports.

Interestingly, Paravicini (now in his 30s) was born 14 weeks premature and not expected to survive. He is blind and severely disabled. But man, can he play.

via Blind Pianist Can Play Anything | LiveScience Etc..

By PASTOR CASEY SCOTT, Outreach Minister, Broadway Christian Church

As the outreach minister here at Broadway Christian Church, I spend a lot of time reading about what causes people to choose the church that they do.

So in case you’ve been thinking about going to church (or going back to church because you have kids now and you’re fine, but they need it!), here are four suggestions that you might want to consider:

1. Integrity matters! Find a church that practices what it preaches. The biggest criticism thrown against Christians today is that we are hypocrites.

My regular response is, “You know, when the standard you measure your life against is someone who was perfect (Jesus), the drift toward hypocrisy will be a constant battle.”

But let’s face it — other than Jesus, no one (Christian or otherwise) is perfectly consistent all the time.

The key is to find a church whose members are known for the integration of their beliefs with their actions.

We must remember that there is a tension here that needs to be kept. I would stay away from any church whose members claim to be perfect, just as I would stay away from a church where people’s lives are not regularly being changed by the power of Jesus Christ.

So if you’re looking for a church, look for one in which the members are doggedly pursuing the life of Christ, even through all of life’s ups and downs.

2. Doctrine matters! Whether a church is more overt with its doctrine, or has more of a tendency to come in the back door with its specific beliefs, what they believe will determine what kind of church they are.

Mark Hall, the singer of the band Casting Crowns, said, “You can say what you think, but you live what you believe.”

When you are looking at a church, go ahead and ask for a doctrinal statement (if the church has a Web site, it’s probably on there). If there’s something you don’t understand, ask the minister.

Trust me, if he or she is worth their salt, you’ll get more answer than you bargained for (it’s kind of like saying “sick ‘em” to a pit bull)!

A church’s doctrine will affect who they are, and you need to know that information.

3. Friendliness matters! OK, let’s get real. If you go to a church for the first time (without being invited by a friend), you’re probably not going to know anyone.

You need to come to terms with that. Once you do, you will want to look for a church that is full of people that you’d like to get to know!

When you first get there, be looking for people that will show you where to go, help you find a seat, and introduce you to a couple of people around you.

If in a couple weeks, no one has made any effort to become your friend, move on.

4. Fit matters! Before moving to Central Illinois, my wife and I planted a new church.

I’d tell our visitors, “Churches are like blue jeans. Some fit some kinds of people, others don’t. You have to find the kind that fits you. So keep looking until you find it!”

In your search for the right church, you have to be a little like Goldilocks and look for the one that’s “just right.”

If you go to a church focused on meeting the spiritual needs of senior adults, and you and your husband have 16 hyperactive kids, that may not be a good fit.

But if you walk in and your whole family thinks, “Wow — I feel at home here!” You’ve found the right church!

God bless you in your search.

via JG-TC.com > Features > Clergy Views: How to choose a church — Four suggestions for seekers.

Speed of email replies reveals stress levels | NEWS.com.au.

THE Hunter could have its second university by 2016.

A national review agency has found that Avondale College is well on its way to achieving university status.

Source: “Avondale College on road to uni status”, The Herald

A TWO-year-old girl who spent 20 minutes under water after falling into a swimming pool has stunned British doctors by making a full recovery in hospital.

Source: “Toddler survives 20 minutes under water”, NEWS.com.au | Top Stories

“

[Below is the original script. But a few changes may have been made during the recording of this audio podcast.]

Confession of a crime is considered highly persuasive in court. It seems inherently honest. Why would an innocent confess guilt? It appears counterintuitive to basic human self-interest.

[More]“

“When an Innocent Confesses to a Crime”, Scientific American

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends – Martin Luther King”

“in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends – Martin Luther King”, Verba Volant

“A study finds a link between happiness and spirituality among ‘tweens’ and kids in mid-childhood.“

“Spirituality, Not Religion, Makes Kids Happy”, LiveScience.com