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No, taking drugs like Ozempic isn’t ‘cheating’ at weight loss or the ‘easy way out’

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/clare-collins-7316">Clare Collins</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a></em></p> <p>Obesity medication that is effective has been a long time coming. Enter semaglutide (sold as Ozempic and Wegovy), which is helping people improve weight-related health, including <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37952131/">lowering the risk</a> of a having a heart attack or stroke, while also silencing “<a href="https://theconversation.com/some-ozempic-users-say-it-silences-food-noise-but-there-are-drug-free-ways-to-stop-thinking-about-food-so-much-208467">food noise</a>”.</p> <p>As demand for semaglutide increases, so are <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/in-a-fat-phobic-world-ozempic-is-hardly-the-easy-way-out-20240401-p5fgjd.html">claims</a> that taking it is “cheating” at weight loss or the “easy way out”.</p> <p>We don’t tell people who need statin medication to treat high cholesterol or drugs to manage high blood pressure they’re cheating or taking the easy way out.</p> <p>Nor should we shame people taking semaglutide. It’s a drug used to treat diabetes and obesity which needs to be taken long term and comes with risks and side effects, as well as benefits. When prescribed for obesity, it’s given alongside advice about diet and exercise.</p> <h2>How does it work?</h2> <p>Semaglutide is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GLP-1_receptor_agonist">glucagon-like peptide-1</a> receptor agonist (GLP-1RA). This means it makes your body’s own glucagon-like peptide-1 hormone, called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucagon-like_peptide-1">GLP-1</a> for short, work better.</p> <p>GLP-1 gets secreted by cells in your gut when it <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38218319/">detects increased nutrient levels</a> after eating. This stimulates insulin production, which lowers blood sugars.</p> <p>GLP-1 also slows gastric emptying, which makes you feel full, and reduces hunger and feelings of reward after eating.</p> <p><iframe id="tc-infographic-1031" class="tc-infographic" style="border: none;" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/1031/c11b606581d4bc58a71f066492d7f740b52c04e1/site/index.html" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p>GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) medications like Ozempic help the body’s own GLP-1 work better by mimicking and extending its action.</p> <p>Some studies have found less GLP-1 gets released after meals in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38218319/">adults with obesity or type 2 diabetes mellitus</a> compared to adults with normal glucose tolerance. So having less GLP-1 circulating in your blood means you don’t feel as full after eating and get hungry again sooner compared to people who produce more.</p> <p>GLP-1 has a very short half-life of about <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28443255/">two minutes</a>. So GLP-1RA medications were designed to have a very long half-life of about <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185/">seven days</a>. That’s why semaglutide is given as a weekly injection.</p> <h2>What can users expect? What does the research say?</h2> <p>Higher doses of semaglutide are prescribed to treat obesity compared to type 2 diabetes management (up to 2.4mg versus 2.0mg weekly).</p> <p>A large group of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36691309/">randomised controlled trials</a>, called STEP trials, all tested weekly 2.4mg semaglutide injections versus different interventions or placebo drugs.</p> <p>Trials lasting 1.3–2 years consistently found weekly 2.4 mg semaglutide injections <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36691309/">led to 6–12% greater weight loss</a> compared to placebo or alternative interventions. The average weight change depended on how long medication treatment lasted and length of follow-up.</p> <p>Weight reduction due to semaglutide also leads to a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36769420/">reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure</a> of about 4.8 mmHg and 2.5 mmHg respectively, a reduction in <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/triglycerides">triglyceride levels</a> (a type of blood fat) and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38041774/">improved physical function</a>.</p> <p>Another recent trial in adults with pre-existing heart disease and obesity, but without type 2 diabetes, found adults receiving weekly 2.4mg semaglutide injections had a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37952131/">20% lower risk</a> of specific cardiovascular events, including having a non-fatal heart attack, a stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease, after three years follow-up.</p> <h2>Who is eligible for semaglutide?</h2> <p>Australia’s regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/shortages/information-about-major-medicine-shortages/about-ozempic-semaglutide-shortage-2022-and-2023">approved</a> semaglutide, sold as Ozempic, for treating type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>However, due to shortages, the TGA had advised doctors not to start new Ozempic prescriptions for “off-label use” such as obesity treatment and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme doesn’t currently subsidise off-label use.</p> <p>The TGA has <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/prescription-medicines-registrations/wegovy-novo-nordisk-pharmaceuticals-pty-ltd">approved Wegovy to treat obesity</a> but it’s not currently available in Australia.</p> <p>When it’s available, doctors will be able to prescribe <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36934408/">semaglutide to treat obesity</a> in conjunction with lifestyle interventions (including diet, physical activity and psychological support) in adults with obesity (a BMI of 30 or above) or those with a BMI of 27 or above who also have weight-related medical complications.</p> <h2>What else do you need to do during Ozempic treatment?</h2> <p>Checking details of the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36691309/">STEP trial intervention components</a>, it’s clear participants invested a lot of time and effort. In addition to taking medication, people had brief lifestyle counselling sessions with dietitians or other health professionals every four weeks as a minimum in most trials.</p> <p>Support sessions were designed to help people stick with consuming 2,000 kilojoules (500 calories) less daily compared to their energy needs, and performing 150 minutes of <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/tips-for-getting-active">moderate-to-vigorous physical activity</a>, like brisk walking, dancing and gardening each week.</p> <p>STEP trials varied in other components, with follow-up time periods varying from 68 to 104 weeks. The aim of these trials was to show the effect of adding the medication on top of other lifestyle counselling.</p> <p>A <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38041774/">review of obesity medication trials</a> found people reported they needed less <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28652832/">cognitive behaviour training</a> to help them stick with the reduced energy intake. This is one aspect where drug treatment may make adherence a little easier. Not feeling as hungry and having environmental food cues “switched off” may mean less support is required for goal-setting, self-monitoring food intake and <a href="https://theconversation.com/9-ways-wont-power-is-better-than-willpower-for-resisting-temptation-and-helping-you-eat-better-71267">avoiding things that trigger eating</a>.</p> <h2>But what are the side effects?</h2> <p>Semaglutide’s side-effects <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38041774/">include</a> nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation, indigestion and abdominal pain.</p> <p>In one study these <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185/">led to</a> discontinuation of medication in 6% of people, but interestingly also in 3% of people taking placebos.</p> <p>More severe side-effects included gallbladder disease, acute pancreatitis, hypoglycaemia, acute kidney disease and injection site reactions.</p> <p>To reduce risk or severity of side-effects, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36934408/">medication doses are increased very slowly</a> over months. Once the full dose and response are achieved, research indicates you need to take it long term.</p> <p>Given this long-term commitment, and associated <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/private-health-insurance/what-private-health-insurance-covers/out-of-pocket-costs#:%7E:text=An%20out%20of%20pocket%20cost,called%20gap%20or%20patient%20payments">high out-of-pocket cost of medication</a>, when it comes to taking semaglutide to treat obesity, there is no way it can be considered “cheating”.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Read the other articles in The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/ozempic-series-154673">Ozempic series</a> here.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219116/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/clare-collins-7316"><em>Clare Collins</em></a><em>, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: </em><em>Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-taking-drugs-like-ozempic-isnt-cheating-at-weight-loss-or-the-easy-way-out-219116">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Woman’s outrageous act to catch cheating partner

<p dir="ltr">A woman has issued a desperate plea online for someone to help her catch her cheating boyfriend in the act. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Sydney woman, named Ariana, listed a job on the site Airtasker for someone to drive her to the suburb of Five Dock to catch her boyfriend, who she suspected was having an affair. </p> <p dir="ltr">She asked the potential driver to sit with her in the car for a few hours, in exchange for $350. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I need someone to drive me and a friend to Five Dock and sit in the car with us for a few hours so I can try and catch my cheating boyfriend,” she wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">The ad, which was posted just before Valentine’s Day, quickly went viral and received mixed reactions. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The way I would do this for free,” one person said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Wow, who would've thought of putting it on Airtasker! This is genius,” another wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, some people didn't see the point of going through so much trouble and wasting $350. </p> <p dir="ltr">“This never makes sense to me - if you don't trust him, just leave. The relationship is dead regardless of if he is cheating,” a woman said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite garnering massive attention online, it is not known if Ariana’s stealthy operation was a success, or if she is still in a relationship with her boyfriend. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Facebook</em></p>

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Adorable reason behind Chris Hemsworth’s red carpet cheat notes

<p>Chris Hemsworth has been married to Spanish actress Elsa Pataky for almost 13 years, and while she speaks fluent English, Hemsworth is yet to master her native tongue.</p> <p>On June 8, he was at the premiere of his Netflix film Extraction 2 and was caught with some Spanish words scrawled on the palm of his hand.</p> <p>The 39-year-old was then photographed with what appeared to be a cheat sheet, which he personally found hilarious.</p> <p>“After years of coming to Spain and being asked ‘has my Spanish improved’ I can safely say it’s in the palm of my hand,” he wrote on Instagram alongside the photo.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CtOqVmTJ1sx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CtOqVmTJ1sx/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Chris Hemsworth (@chrishemsworth)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The actor revealed what was written on his hand during a guest appearance on local TV program El Hormiguero (Spanish for The Anthill).</p> <p>In the interview, Hemsworth also shared that his three children with Pataky - daughter India, 10, and twin sons Tristan and Sasha, 9 - find it funny that he doesn’t speak nor understand the language.</p> <p>“I try, but I can’t. My children laugh at me when I try to have a conversation with them in Spanish,” he admitted.</p> <p>“Sh*t, f**k, what happened? … I know that, that’s what my wife yells at me. The more she gets angry, the more she speaks Spanish.”</p> <p>Speaking to <em>Today</em> in 2017, Pataky said she had pretty much given up on teaching Hemsworth her native language, focusing on teaching their children instead.</p> <p>“He promised me, he said, ‘I’ll be speaking Spanish in two months.’ There we go, we have been together for six years,” Pataky – who speaks five languages: English, Spanish, Italian, French and Romanian - told <em>Today</em>.</p> <p>“That’s important, that’s what my mum did to me, talked in Romanian. I start to speak in English, I’m like, ‘I don’t express myself great.’ I got used to making an effort to speak to [the kids] in Spanish.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

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Husband cheats on wife and blames her

<p dir="ltr">Kerry knew her marriage “wasn’t in the best shape”, and that there was not much happening in the bedroom department. She was working full-time and busy with their kids, aged five and seven. She was also considering suggesting couples counselling to her husband. </p> <p dir="ltr">"I knew he was preoccupied, but told me it was work stress and I believed him.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She also noticed had a few more “business trips” than usual. </p> <p dir="ltr">One night, realising that her husband was avoiding eye contact with her, she demanded to know what was going on. </p> <p dir="ltr">He had been cheating on her. For six months. </p> <p dir="ltr">He revealed that flirtation with a work colleague transformed into meeting for drinks, kissing and some “home bases”.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He said 'I didn't have sex with her until recently' as though he thought he deserved some sort of prize.”</p> <p dir="ltr">That’s not all he told her.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He was like, 'Oh you must know you haven't been meeting my needs'. I was like 'I cook, and look after the kids, and carry the mental load so what the f--k do you mean?”</p> <p dir="ltr">"He told me we'd been distant, sort of leading separate lives. I was like, really? How separate is sharing a bedroom? How separate is having two kids together? How separate is watching Succession together?”</p> <p dir="ltr">Before he cheated, he had been counting the days since Kerry had initiated sex - while not initiating it himself - as a bizarre test.</p> <p dir="ltr">An understandably emotional Kerry blew up at him yet he allegedly does not want the marriage to end. He has since cut off contact with the colleague apart from necessary exchanges at work. </p> <p dir="ltr">"He doesn't seem that remorseful, though. He keeps saying how I was so distant. I still feel like he wants me to shoulder some blame.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Kerry revealed she had issues with her self-worth that stemmed from her father. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Now, because of the cheating, that thought keeps popping up – that maybe I'm not good enough."</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

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Is your spouse micro-cheating? Here’s what that is and how to know

<h2>Micro-cheating is trending</h2> <p>Although cheating is as old as time, you might be surprised to learn that people are still coming up with creative new ways to do it. Enter micro-cheating, the latest way people are stepping out on their relationships – but they may not even realise what they’re doing. Thanks to the rise of digital technology and the impact of current events, it’s no surprise micro-cheating is mega-trending.</p> <h2>What is micro-cheating?</h2> <p>This phrase has been used recently to describe day-to-day actions that could be considered ‘inappropriate flirting’ when someone is in a relationship. The hallmark of micro-cheating is being emotionally and perhaps even physically focused on a person who isn’t your partner. “What is cheating?” is one of the questions sex therapists get asked the most. For a more detailed look, here’s what relationship experts say are some of the common ways people micro-cheat:</p> <ul> <li>Texting flirty jokes and memes</li> <li>Making a Tinder profile just to see how many matches/likes you get</li> <li>Putting extra effort into your appearance in case you run into your crush</li> <li>Google stalking a crush</li> <li>Lying about your relationship status, either in person or online</li> <li>Sending anonymous flirty messages, tweets, or posts</li> <li>Liking and/or commenting on a crush’s social media</li> <li>Discussing your sex life with someone who isn’t your partner</li> <li>Constantly texting throughout the day</li> <li>Sending ‘feelin’ cute’ or slightly revealing selfies to a crush</li> <li>Hiding a friendship</li> <li>Telling someone you’d date them if you/they weren’t married</li> <li>Having inside jokes that your partner isn’t a part of</li> <li>Inventing reasons to see or spend time with your crush</li> <li>Confiding emotionally intimate things in someone who’s not your partner</li> <li>Sexting, including graphic language and sending nudes</li> </ul> <h2>It’s a slippery slope</h2> <p>While these behaviours may seem innocent on the surface, micro-cheating takes harmless crushing to the next level and if left unchecked, can lead to a full-blown affair, says psychiatrist, Anisha Patel-Dunn. Even if it never turns physical, micro-cheating fits all the criteria for an emotional affair, and those can be even more damaging to your relationship, she says.</p> <p>“In many cases, physical cheating is an impulsive act, often as the result of being temporarily impaired from drinking,” she says. “On the other hand, emotional affairs are intentional, and require a series of increasingly intimate decisions over a period of time.” Both types of affairs are terrible (and they can happen together) but it’s often the emotional aspect that is the hardest to recover from because it was premeditated, she says.</p> <p>“It can feel easier to forgive a spouse for a one-night stand than for months of lying and deception,” she says.</p> <h2>Micro-cheating is real cheating</h2> <p>These behaviours can feel like a grey area. Things that are totally innocent when done between friends become cheating when one or both people get feelings for each other, says marriage therapist, Dr Caroline Madden. For instance, having lunch with an old friend is a great way to reconnect, but if you have always harboured a crush on this person, a solo lunch all-too-quickly can lead to flirting. In addition, different people have different comfort levels in a relationship; some things that you may consider micro-cheating, your best friend may take more seriously.</p> <p>When it comes to deciding if something is cheating, follow the Golden Rule principle. “Ask yourself, if you found out your partner was doing what you are about to do, would it hurt your feelings?” Madden says. “Transparency is everything. Any picture or text you send to a ‘friend’ should be able to be posted on social media or sent to your mother.”</p> <p>However, don’t get caught up in black-and-white definitions as that can be a way to rationalise bad behaviour, Madden says. Only you know your own feelings and motives and it’s important to be honest with yourself about them. What other people think is irrelevant; the only person whose opinion counts in this conversation is your partner’s, Madden says.</p> <p>“Bottom line, doing anything that your partner would have a problem with is cheating in your relationship. And, yes, this is in fact ‘real’ cheating. These behaviours are the beginning of the slippery slope that leads to a full-blown sexual affair,” she says. “This isn’t new, it just has been given a cutesy name to make it sound harmless. It isn’t.”</p> <h2>Why micro-cheating is on the rise</h2> <p>The pandemic and other disruptive current events have created a perfect storm for micro-cheating, Dr Patel-Dunn says. A lot of micro-cheating happens through digital means like social media and texting because it’s easier to hide or explain away than physical actions. And, thanks to working from home and lockdown orders, many of us are spending more time online than ever.</p> <p>It’s not just spending more time at home, though. The upheaval of normal life has cut people off from their social support groups and coping techniques. Plus, spending extra time together in a stressful situation has made a lot of people see flaws in their relationship, which can lead to increased fighting. There’s been plenty of time over the last few years to ruminate on problems and idealise other people who aren’t in the thick of it with you, she explains.</p> <p>“Since the pandemic started and many people are now working from home, I have many clients confide in me that they are surprised at how much they miss certain co-workers,” Madden says. “It turns out that the ‘special friend’ at the office was acting as a Band-Aid on a bad marriage by meeting their needs for respect, appreciation and emotional connection.” The extra time spent at home during the pandemic has made some people realise they are stuck in an empty marriage or toxic relationship, she says.</p> <p>“The core issue is that current events have greatly increased anxiety and insecurity, putting people in a very emotionally vulnerable position,” Dr Patel-Dunn explains. “It’s normal for people to look for comfort and support from friends and loved ones during these times and sometimes that can turn into cheating.”</p> <h2>Signs your spouse might be micro-cheating on you</h2> <p>It can be difficult to tell when your spouse is micro-cheating, specifically because many of these behaviours can be innocent in the right context. So it’s important to look at other behaviours that may indicate they’re being sneaky.</p> <h2>They always keep their phone face down</h2> <p>You can’t see notifications that pop up if your partner keeps their phone face down. Some micro-cheaters will go so far as to disguise texting apps as other apps or only chat within password-protected social media private messages, Madden says.</p> <h2>They delete whole text conversations</h2> <p>Are there whole text threads missing with someone you know your spouse texts regularly with? “If they are deleting stuff so you don’t accidentally see something, even if it has nothing to do with sex, that is still cheating,” Madden says. “There’s a reason they feel like they have to hide it and it’s not a good reason.”</p> <h2>They’re constantly on their phone during family time</h2> <p>If you ask your spouse to put the phone away so you can have uninterrupted time together, and they can’t, that’s a red flag, Dr Patel-Dunn says. It shows they prioritise that ‘friendship’ over your relationship.</p> <h2>They call someone ‘just a friend’ but spend more time talking to them than you</h2> <p>“People caught micro-cheating will almost always claim they are ‘just friends’ with the person you are worried about,” Madden says. “If the other person has feelings for them, they might not even be aware that they are on a slippery slope.” Pay more attention to what your spouse does than what they say.</p> <h2>They won’t share their phone passcode</h2> <p>There are plenty of reasons you need the passcode to your partner’s phone –­ like using it to look something up or answering the phone when their mum calls, Madden says. People who don’t have anything to hide won’t have an issue sharing their unlock code.</p> <h2>They like and comment on every single post a friend makes</h2> <p>This is definitely a thing that more and more couples fight about these days with everyone on social media. Liking and commenting on another person’s social media posts isn’t a definitive sign your partner is cheating but it can give you a lot of clues, Madden says. For instance, if your husband is liking all the bikini pics of the woman next door or your wife comments on every post her high school crush makes, it’s evidence they are spending a lot of time thinking about that person in a flirty way. Likes and comments often lead to private messages, she adds. Many people say that there were early warning signs on social media of cheating.</p> <h2>They have someone saved in their phone under the wrong name</h2> <p>Any time someone is lying, there’s a problem, Dr Patel-Dunn says. So if you notice that your spouse is constantly texting with someone whose name you don’t recognise, they’re either hiding their relationship with that person from you or they’ve saved someone you do know under a false name – often a name of the opposite gender, to throw off suspicion.</p> <h2>They swear they could never cheat and laugh at those who do</h2> <p>Some people think, either due to low self-esteem or an overestimation of their willpower, that cheating could never possibly be a temptation for them. “This is dangerous. Because he thinks he would never cheat, he feels free to get really close to the edge,” Madden says. “Then he falls off the cliff taking his marriage and your heart with him.”</p> <h2>Your sex life is dead</h2> <p>When your partner is getting their romantic and sexual needs met through another person, they naturally turn less to you, Dr Patel-Dunn says. This often manifests as a declining sex life and much less physical and emotional intimacy between you.”</p> <h2>What to do if your spouse is micro-cheating</h2> <p>“The best way to counteract and prevent micro-cheating is to work on strengthening your relationship,” Madden says. “Lean into the relationship, pay more attention to your partner, plan date nights. Because here is the truth: many people are tempted to cheat because they don’t feel appreciated or loved at home.”</p> <p>Oftentimes micro-cheating highlights what is lacking in your relationship, Dr Patel-Dunn says. “One or both partners may be surprised to realise micro-cheating is happening because it starts on a very subconscious level,” she says. “This is a real opportunity for introspection and communication. You need to talk about it and get it out in the open.”</p> <p>These conversations can be very difficult to have, particularly if your spouse is in denial about their micro-cheating, Dr Patel-Dunn says. In this case, it’s time to get marriage counselling immediately, before micro-cheating turns into something more devastating. “If both partners are committed to fixing the underlying issues, this type of emotional honesty can strengthen your relationship and fortify you against micro-cheating in the future.”</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/true-stories-lifestyle/relationships/is-your-spouse-micro-cheating-heres-what-that-is-and-how-to-know?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Relationships

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Woman buys ad in newspaper to call out cheating partner

<p dir="ltr">A furious woman who was cheated on by her partner has taken out a whole page of the local newspaper to call him out. </p> <p dir="ltr">Jenny from Queensland purchased one page from the Mackay and Whitsunday Life paper with her cheating partner’s credit card page. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Dear Steve, I hope you’re happy with her,” the message on page 4 read. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Now the whole town will know what a filthy cheater you are. From Jenny.</p> <p dir="ltr">“PS. I bought this ad using your credit card.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The newspaper said they have received several messages from locals asking who Steve and Jenny are but they have kept quiet about it.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We do NOT know who Steve is, but apparently he’s been very very bad,” the newspaper said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We won’t be revealing any details about Jenny.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite writing that she used Steve’s credit card for the ad, the newspaper confirmed they have not yet charged the card. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We have not charged the credit card in question.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The ad made its way to social media with many commending Jenny for calling out her cheating partner. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Jenny sounds like someone I want to be friends with,” someone wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Not all heroines wear capes. Jenny is my new favourite person,” another commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Sucks to be Steve,” another wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

Relationships

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Voicemail and a car crash: How Tiger Woods’ cheating scandal emerged

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite becoming the first athlete to make $USD 1 billion in 2009, it was also the year that saw Tiger Woods’ life crumble around him as </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://honey.nine.com.au/latest/tiger-woods-cheating-scandal-details-elin-nordegren-what-happened-explainer/b93a94da-8d22-4398-a9d3-2c4d58a26c11" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">it was revealed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> he had been cheating on his wife Elin Nordegren with multiple women.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In November of that year, tabloids reported on Woods’ affair with nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel. Several days later, he crashed his car outside his Florida mansion at 2am, with rumours emerging that he had tried to flee after being confronted by Nordegren.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following the news of his crash, reports of his infidelity continued to surface from a number of women.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some outlets also reported that Nordegren made the discovery while looking at Woods’ phone.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A voicemail allegedly left by Woods for one of the women he was seeing was later published by </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">US Weekly</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Hey, it’s Tiger,” a man said in the message. “I need you to do me a huge favour. Can you please take your name off your phone? My wife went through my phone and may be calling you.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Woods initially denied the claims, he later admitted they were true and apologised.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over the next few months, women continued to come forward with claims of sleeping with Woods during his eight-year relationship with Nordegren.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He would go on to speak about the situation and share new details at a press conference several months later.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I was unfaithful, I had affairs and I cheated. What I did was unacceptable,” he said at the time.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation and kids all around the world who admired me.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A year later, Woods and Nordegren announced they would be getting a divorce.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Daily Beast</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the couple had a prenuptial agreement that would see Nordegren receive $20 million after 10 years of marriage.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Woods allegedly tried to negotiate their existing prenup to get Nordegren to stay – allegedly including an immediate $5 million payment and an added $55 million to the original value - the divorce was finalised. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to TMZ, she received $USD 100 million ($AUD 129 million or $NZD 106 million).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite their marriage ending, Woods and Nordegren have maintained a good relationship.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The former couple share two children: Sam Alexis, 14, and Charlie Axel, 12.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We communicate so much better now, it’s incredible,” Woods told </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">US Weekly</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in 2019. “I wish we would have done that earlier on, but it’s been incredible to have a best friend like that.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Relationships

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Novak Djokovic accused of cheating at French Open

<p>Novak Djokovic had to come from behind to make the French Open semi-finals and the Serbian star has been accused of using dodgy tactics to get there.</p> <p>Djokovic earned his spot in the final four after beating Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-4, but he asked for a medial timeout while losing his only set of the tournament.</p> <p>The world No.1 had his arm and neck treated but Busta suspected foul play and questioned whether he was really injured after the match concluded.</p> <p>“Every time the match gets complicated, he asks for medical assistance,” Busta said.</p> <p>“It’s something that he has been doing for years. When he is down, he asks for the trainer.</p> <p>“The last (few) years, he’s always doing this when he has problems on court.</p> <p>“Maybe it’s the pressure or something that he needs to do it.</p> <p>“But, he continues playing normal. I don’t know if he’s in pain really. Ask him.”</p> <p>Djokovic refuted the accusation and emphasised he needed treatment.</p> <p>“No, it wasn’t that at all,” he said.</p> <p>“I had to deal with that. I told you guys many times I’m over it. I’m not thinking about it at all. I mean, zero percent.”</p> <p>“As the match went on, I felt better, didn’t feel as much pain.</p> <p>“I had some neck issues and some shoulder issues. I’ll just say that. I don’t want to get really too much into it.”</p> <p>Djokovic next faces Greek young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas, while Rafael Nadal takes on Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman in the other semi-final.</p>

Legal

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The surprising reasons people cheat at social distancing

<p>As the world fights the novel coronavirus pandemic, our strongest weapon right now is <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-covid-19-coronavirus-pandemic-social-distancing-1.5507379">physical distancing</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30073-6">Proven by studies</a> and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/03/23/820066211/an-unfinished-lesson-what-the-1918-flu-tells-us-about-human-nature">supported by history</a>, staying home save lives. In fact, bending this rule to meet even a few other people may <a href="https://www.washington.edu/news/2020/04/13/just-one-friend-covid-19/">undo our efforts</a>.</p> <p>While many have accepted the safety directions, some are <a href="https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/04/14/mayor-island-traveller-covid/">still travelling</a>. More people have died of COVID-19 in the United States than any other country, yet the President Trump has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-governors.html">encouraged people to gather</a> and Georgia’s governor supported the <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/493748-georgia-to-reopen-some-businesses-including-gyms-and-salons">reopening of bowling alleys and nail salons</a>. So why is it so hard for us to do what is right?</p> <p><strong>Subconscious biases affect our behaviour</strong></p> <p>As a doctor and a father, I get that we are all trying to keep a sense of normalcy for ourselves and our families. But the reasons we resist distancing are often <a href="http://danariely.com/books/predictably-irrational/">beyond rationality</a>: there are reflexive thoughts that drive our behaviour, often <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/09/cognitive-bias/565775/">without our own awareness</a>. And if we want to save as many lives as possible, our efforts have to take these subconscious biases into account.</p> <p>For example, asking people to <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-physical-distancing-is-our-only-hope-we-must-all-adhere-to-it/">observe physical distancing</a> may actually have the opposite effect for those who fear that compliance will lead to a restriction in their freedom. This is called <a href="http://journal.sjdm.org/15/15824a/jdm15824a.html">reactance bias</a>, and it is partly why in our society teenagers drink alcohol and some drivers resist seatbelts.</p> <p>It is also why pandemic safety measures can be easily framed as a restrictive “<a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/04/17/dr-fauci-shuts-down-fox-news-laura-ingraham-after-she-complains-about-lockdowns_partner/">lockdown</a>” and why the U.S. president can <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/04/18/837974858/sen-tim-kaine-trump-is-trying-to-foment-division">incite people to unsafely meet up</a> in order to “liberate” their state. Given how quickly and passionately protesters follow populist leaders, it is not surprising that many of the same <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-monitors-sees-coordinated-covid-19-disinformation-effort-by-iran-russia-china/30570938.html">bad actors</a> seen in anti-science campaigns against vaccination and climate change are again preying on swift emotions like <a href="https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-0912">fear and disgust</a> to manipulate us into acting before we think.</p> <p>Another way our minds mislead us is that we judge ourselves differently than we judge others. When we trip it is because the ground is uneven; others misstep due to clumsiness. Two-thirds of people say they are <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/culture/commuting/two-thirds-of-drivers-think-theyre-better-than-you/article589874/">better than average drivers</a>. We all need some esteem to allow us to feel capable in life, but the flip side of this self-centredness is that we downplay the risks of daily grocery trips or play dates because, well, it’s us.</p> <p>But the novel coronavirus <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6914e1.htm">does not differentiate</a> between us and others, good or bad, our tribe or not. So although some people are more susceptible to serious complications, many otherwise <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/05/health/young-people-dying-coronavirus-sanjay-gupta/index.html">young and healthy</a> people have died from COVID-19. We just don’t think we’ll become one of “those people.”</p> <p><strong>The tales we tell</strong></p> <p>Stories, whether tales or in pictures, are also important in understanding our behaviour since <a href="https://hbr.org/2014/10/why-your-brain-loves-good-storytelling">we are wired</a> to remember them much more than numbers. Dry statistics of deaths in Asia or Europe are difficult to comprehend because our brains cannot emotionally connect.</p> <p>But <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3758%2Fs13423-015-0807-6">stories are memorable</a> and become compelling when they evoke <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/02/new-research-says-there-are-only-four-emotions/283560/">basic emotions</a> such as happiness, sadness and fear. The heartbreaking image of three-year-old Alan Kurdi’s body lying on a Turkish beach is unforgettable, and elicited a much greater reaction than reports of <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/03/13/syria-war-bashar-assad-prospers-9-years-barbarity-confusion/4939671002/">Syria’s attacks on its citizens</a>. Recently, Dr. Anna Carvalho’s decision to <a href="https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/04/16/er-doctor-vancouver-plea-viral/">isolate from her family</a> included a photograph of her children waving through their aunt’s window, making the plea to physically distance more real and immediate — factors that <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-41549533">nudge us</a> towards action.</p> <p>Science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein wrote, “Don’t appeal to man’s better nature — <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/291501/time-enough-for-love-by-robert-a-heinlein/">he may not have one</a>.” More accurately, hundreds of cognitive biases such as those discussed here greatly affect the decisions we make, sometimes to our detriment. So if we are to change behaviour during this pandemic we must address both the rational and subconscious ways our minds work.</p> <p><strong>Effective communication</strong></p> <p>In order to build trust, leaders must be humble and honest. Familiar and regular communications from leaders like Drs. <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-bonnie-henry-is-a-calming-voice-in-a-sea-of-coronavirus-madness/">Bonnie Henry</a> and <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/april-2020/canadas-chief-medical-officers-put-womens-leadership-in-spotlight/">Theresa Tam</a> and Prime Ministers <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2020/03/31/donald-trump-should-take-a-lesson-from-justin-trudeau-and-even-doug-ford-on-coronavirus-leadership.html">Trudeau</a> and <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/jacinda-ardern-new-zealand-leadership-coronavirus/610237/">Ardern</a> can have <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374533557">positive effects</a>. Pro-science messages from diverse influencers like <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/ryan-reynolds-twitter-hayley-wickenheiser-medical-supplies-1.5523390">Hayley Wickenheiser</a>, Ryan Reynolds, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1716219971713">Chris Hadfield</a> and <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6732110/michael-buble-coronavirus-appeal-social-distancing/">Michael Bublé</a> have resonated. And <a href="https://covidstories.ihi.org/">we need stories</a>, lots of them, <a href="https://time.com/collection/coronavirus-heroes/5816885/frontline-workers-coronavirus/">of the front-line workers</a> risking their safety.</p> <p>In turn, we must attempt to slow down and process our emotions and consider that bending the rules endangers others and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30073-6">lengthens the time</a> of distancing restrictions. For those whose opinions have become part of their own <a href="https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/public-health-experts-are-just-that-experts-u-of-c-professor-rejects-stephan-s-claim-that-covid-19-is-a-hoax-1.4893822">self-identity</a>, no fact will likely change their behaviour. Some personal liberties <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/covid-19-rising-costs-of-social-distancing">may have to be restricted</a> for the greater good in the same way we legislate sobriety for drivers and helmets for cyclists.</p> <p>Containing the COVID-19 pandemic will require more than the heroic measures of our front-line workers: we must all make difficult sacrifices. Success will not be easy, but to save lives we must take into account the hidden ways our brains work. We must use strategies that represent more reasoned logic than we tend to rely on, left to our own devices.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137987/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/eric-cadesky-1055131">Eric Cadesky</a>, Clinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-british-columbia-946">University of British Columbia</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-and-cognitive-bias-the-surprising-reasons-people-cheat-at-social-distancing-137987">original article</a>.</em></p>

Mind

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“We’re working our way through it”: The Chase star opens up about wife after cheating scandal

<p>The Chase’s Mark Labbett revealed he is trying to patch things up with his wife Katie, despite her allegedly cheating on him. </p> <p>The 53-year-old genius TV star, best known as The Beast, told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/9901866/the-chase-star-mark-labbett-wife-katie-reunion/" target="_blank"><em>The Sun</em></a> he and his 26-year-old partner were “working through a rough patch”. </p> <p>This news comes just a mere four months after Katie confirmed the couple had split after she began dating another man.</p> <p>New reports said she had been having an affair with a 28-year-old metal worker. </p> <p>However, on Tuesday, despite the debacle surrounding the couple, Mark said on the British talk show <em>Loose Women</em> they were trying to make things work. </p> <p>“Like a lot of relationships, you go through a rough patch. We’re working our way through it,” he said.</p> <p>“A newspaper offered us a sum of money and we kindly denied. We’re quite private, there’s no pictures of our son online and I’m not going to name him until he’s old enough to make the decision.”</p> <p>After photographs were uncovered of Katie with her secret beau, she came forward to say her and Mark have been “drifting for a while”. </p> <p>“Mark and I had been talking about separating for some time — we have been drifting for a while.</p> <p>“He works away a lot and that’s been hard. A lot of people think it’s the age difference but we don’t see that as the factor.</p> <p>“It’s more that we don’t have mutual friends, and our lives are just very different.</p> <p>“I met Scott by accident, on a night out, and we just clicked. It wasn’t intentional, it just happened. But Mark always knew — straight from the off I was honest.</p> <p>“He knew I was going out and who I was seeing. He was incredibly understanding. If it was anybody else it wouldn’t matter, but because Mark’s in the limelight people have been gossiping. It’s frustrating.</p> <p>“We remain good friends and he is happy for me that I’ve met Scott — and I’d be fine if he met someone else.</p> <p>“So I just want to set the record straight now as I’m sick of all the speculation. I want us all to be able to get on with our lives.”</p> <p>Mark met Katie after they began chatting on Facebook, and eventually their friendship grew into a serious relationship. </p> <p>Katie moved from Dubai to be with The Chase TV star and they went on to marry in 2014 at Arundel Castle in West Sussex. </p> <p>Interestingly enough, it turns out the couple are second cousins - a fact they didn’t know until after they wed.</p>

News

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Why drug cheats are still being caught 7 years after the 2012 London Olympics

<p>When two swimmers <a href="https://theconversation.com/swimmer-protests-at-the-world-championships-renew-calls-for-urgent-anti-doping-reforms-120848">refused to acknowledge victories</a> by Chinese swimmer Sun Yang at the last month’s world swimming championships, the very public protests riveted the swimming world and cast a spotlight (again) on suspected doping in sport.</p> <p>But in the midst of the drama, a separate, failed drug test was slightly overshadowed. Uzbek wrestler Artur Taymazov became the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/49092020">60th athlete</a> – and seventh gold medallist – to retrospectively test positive for doping from samples taken at the 2012 London Olympics.</p> <p>In addition to the nine athletes caught doping during the games themselves, that brings the <a href="https://www.olympic.org/-/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/IOC/Who-We-Are/Commissions/Disciplinary-Commission/2019/Antidoping-factsheet-retests-23-07-2019.pdf">total number of disqualified athletes from London to 69</a> – more than triple the number caught doping at the 2004 Athens Olympics.</p> <p><strong>When did retrospective testing begin?</strong></p> <p>That athletes from the 2012 Olympics are still being caught cheating might come as surprise. But the World Anti-Doping Code (<a href="https://www.wada-ama.org/en/resources/the-code/world-anti-doping-code">WADC 2015</a>) provides for a 10-year window following a competition to test athletes’ samples for a possible doping violation. This is known as retrospective testing.</p> <p>Under the old regime, authorities had eight years to test samples. This means that samples from the 2012 London Olympics <a href="https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-sanctions-one-athlete-for-failing-anti-doping-tests-at-london-2012-3">can be tested until 2020</a>.</p> <p>The WADC’s limitation period first came to prominence in 2010, with the release of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/books/review/Tanenhaus-t.html">Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open</a>. In it, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/oct/28/andre-agassi-wada-doping">the tennis star admitted</a> to taking a banned drug, crystal methamphetamine, in 1997. He also revealed he avoided suspension by the tennis authorities, who, in confidence, accepted his plea that the positive test had resulted from a drink spiked by one of his entourage, known as “Slim”.</p> <p>The then-head of WADA, John Fahey, wrote to the tennis authorities for an explanation of “Slim’s spiked soda”, but further investigation was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/oct/28/andre-agassi-wada-doping">barred because the WADC’s statute of limitations</a> had long since expired.</p> <p>In another prominent case in 2012, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) <a href="http://cyclinginvestigation.usada.org/">argued</a> it should be able to expunge all of cyclist Lance Armstrong’s competitive results from 1998 onwards – including all seven of his Tour de France victories. This was due to evidence that Armstrong’s cycling team had run.</p> <p>the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.</p> <p>USADA acknowledged this would be in breach of the WADC’s statute of limitations, but justified the move on the grounds that Armstrong had fraudulently concealed his doping for many years. The International Cycling Union <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/sports/cycling/armstrong-stripped-of-his-7-tour-de-france-titles.html">did not challenge</a> USADA’s interpretation of the time limitation rule and Armstrong’s results were subsequently erased.</p> <p>Due to the level of doping in the sport at the time, no retrospective champion was declared for the seven Tours between <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cycling-armstrong/no-winner-for-1999-2005-tours-says-uci-idUSBRE89P0S620121026">1999-2005</a>.</p> <p><strong>How many athletes have been caught?</strong></p> <p>The reason the 10-year window exists is because drug testing has failed to keep pace with cheating. There is a lag period between WADA both becoming aware of a new performance-enhancing substance that it needs to prohibit and developing a test that can, with scientific accuracy, detect it.</p> <p>Put simply, the 10-year limitation period allows anti-doping authorities to retrospectively test samples of athletes after new methods allow them to do so, thus acting as a deterrent against doping in the future.</p> <p>In 2017, WADA testing figures revealed that of the 322,050 samples taken in and out of competitions that year, only 1.43% led to an <a href="https://www.wada-ama.org/en/media/news/2018-07/wada-publishes-2017-testing-figures-report">adverse analytical finding</a>. But <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/aug/29/sport-doping-study-revealing-wider-usage-published-after-scandalous-delay">some research</a>indicates the prevalence of doping among athletes may be much higher than that.</p> <p>The hit rate of retrospective testing in the Olympics has increased in recent years. The International Olympic Committee <a href="https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-sanctions-one-athlete-for-failing-anti-doping-tests-at-london-2012-3">began storing samples</a> and allowing retrospective testing from the Athens Olympics in 2004. <a href="https://www.olympic.org/-/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/IOC/Who-We-Are/Commissions/Disciplinary-Commission/2019/Antidoping-factsheet-retests-23-07-2019.pdf">Five athletes</a> were caught retrospectively from those games, followed by 65 from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and now 60 (and counting) from London.</p> <p>And in theory, USADA’s interpretation in the Armstrong decision – which was supported by rulings in the Court of Arbitration for Sport - leaves open the possibility that the statute of limitations for drugs violations could be extended even beyond ten years.</p> <p>In theory, this could allow the International Olympic Committee to revisit the results from the Olympics of the 1970s and 1980s, where there is documented evidence – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/03/stasi-files-east-germany-archivists-losing-hope-solving-worlds-biggest-puzzle">from Stasi files</a>, for example – that countries such as East Germany engaged in a state-sponsored doping program to achieve sporting success.</p> <p>Interestingly, one of the first former Australian Olympians to support Horton in his protest last month at the world swimming championships was <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/swimming/taking-a-stance-or-overstepping-20190723-p52a14.html">Raelene Boyle</a>, who has long claimed she was denied two gold medals at the 1972 Olympics by East German athletes suspected of doping.</p> <p><strong>Limitations of retrospective testing</strong></p> <p>Although more cheats are being caught, this doesn’t mean the system of retrospective testing is working perfectly.</p> <p>For starters, a decade-late public declaration that an athlete was the rightful winner of a championship offers some recompense, but the denial of immediate glory often has severe financial and even <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/01/sports/olympics/shirley-babashoff-swimming-montreal-olympics-medals.html">health consequences</a>.</p> <p>Moreover, having to correct the result of races held years previously may be adding to a growing <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-argue-about-doping-in-sport-43600">public indifference</a> to doping in sport. The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/10/26/olympic-weightlifting-class-notorious-for-positive-doping-tests-may-get-chopped/?utm_term=.fda76e8a8d5d">men’s 94-kilogram weightlifting event</a>from the 2012 Olympics shows just how little confidence remains in certain sports: all three medallists were disqualified for doping, as were the fourth, sixth- and seventh-place finishers.</p> <p>Finally, there is one strange quirk within WADA’s system of retrospective testing. If, for example, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-02/shayna-jack-vows-to-clear-name-doping-swimmer-ligandrol-asada/11376924">Australian swimmer Shanya Jack</a> loses her appeal following her positive test for ligandrol, then her samples, <a href="https://www.independent.ie/au/sport/other-sports/athletics/ewan-mackenna-the-curious-case-of-sprinter-steven-colvert-the-positive-test-the-destroyed-sample-and-the-lurking-questions-37723196.html">as with all proven cases</a>, will be destroyed.</p> <p>This is a questionable, unnecessary practice. Although the scientific integrity of the anti-doping testing regime has greatly improved thanks to WADA, the system still has flaws.</p> <p>Former Liverpool FC player Mamadou Sakho, for instance, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jul/24/crystal-palace-mamadou-sakho-sues-wada-for-13m-over-drugs-test-error-liverpool">is suing WADA</a> for an alleged drug-test blunder. And Chinese swimmer Sun Yang was permitted to compete at last month’s world swimming championships <a href="https://theconversation.com/snubbing-chinese-swimmer-sun-yang-ignores-the-flaws-in-the-anti-doping-system-120895">after a tribunal ruled in his favour</a> over another questionable testing procedure.</p> <p>WADA protocol could easily be changed to mandate that all samples be maintained for ten years to allow athletes who have been punished for a positive test to later challenge that sanction, with the aid of advancing technology.</p> <p>The strength of any justice system lies not only in how often it closes cases against athletes rightly accused of doping, but how open it is to giving athletes the opportunity to the show that, on occasion, the system got it wrong.</p> <p><em>Written by Jack Anderson. Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-drug-cheats-are-still-being-caught-seven-years-after-the-2012-london-olympics-121123"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Body

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Mack Horton’s controversial refusal to share podium with "drug cheat" causes furore

<p>Mack Horton has received a flurry of criticism online through his social media platforms from furious Chinese swimming fans.</p> <p>The Australian swimmer sparked a heated debate after refusing to stand on the podium next to his Chinese rival "drug cheat" Sun Yang at the swimming championships on Sunday night.</p> <p>The bold move of refusing to stand next to Yang by Horton made international headlines.</p> <p>Sun underwent a three-month doping suspension in 2014 and is now being investigated again finishing first in the 400m freestyle – beating Horton by 0.73 of a second.</p> <p>The Australian Olympian made his anger apparent by snubbing the medal podium where he would stand next to Yang – a clear protest to show he was unhappy with the Chinese swimmer being allowed to compete in the eight-day championship.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7828825/new-project.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9c9a3591c0ac4d3b90f22c561d1ca172" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Silver medalist Mack Horton of Australia, gold medalist Sun Yang of China and bronze medalist Gabriele Detti of Italy.</em></p> <p>The incredible move and bitter rivalry between the two has sparked an intense international debate after Yang accused Horton of disrespecting China.</p> <p>“I was aware that the Australian athlete had dissatisfaction and personal feelings towards me,” Yang said via an interpreter.</p> <p>“But it was unfortunate because disrespecting me is okay but disrespecting China was very unfortunate and I felt sorry about that.</p> <p>“I’m aware of the rumours (about his alleged hammer attack). (But) I think this has been the greatest achievement in history for the Chinese (swimming) team.”</p> <p>10-time world champion Yang is accused of smashing vials of his blood during a clash with drug testers last year, however, he was allowed to compete in the eight-day swimming event while he awaits a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in September.</p> <p>Horton has not been shy of his feelings on Yang, suggesting <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/aussie-team-stands-by-mack-horton-in-china-swimming-feud" target="_blank">he was a “drug cheat” at the 2016 Rio Olympics.</a></p> <p>The Olympian admitted on Sunday he was unhappy with the results of the race.</p> <p>“Frustration is probably it,” Horton said after the race.</p> <p>“I think you know in what respect.”</p> <p>Andrew Horton, father of the swimmer, told 3AW Radio their family have a “huge respect” for China.</p> <p>“There’s a lot of commentary about China. We have huge respect for China. This is about ensuring that there are systems and processes in the sport that keep the sport clean,” he said.</p>

Caring

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Are you cheating yourself of sleep?

<p>We all know that sleep patterns can change with age. Quality and quantity of sleep can sometimes deteriorate and studies are now pointing toward this having adverse health impacts.</p> <p>Perhaps the importance of good sleeping patterns has been downplayed in our modern culture, but the potential health benefits make it worthwhile to identify ways you can improve this vital ‘biological downtime’.</p> <p><strong>Poor sleep linked to cognitive function<br /></strong>Studies have pointed toward a link between poor sleep and cognitive performance. A University of Oregon-led study examined around 30,000 adults over age 50 in six nations. Their findings were a real eye-opener (pardon the pun) with suggestions that both lack of sleep and too much sleep can both have adverse effects. Tests revealed that those with less than six hours, and more than nine hours sleep, revealed that cognitive functions such as memory, recall, and verbal fluency had reduced performance. </p> <p>Another study even pointed toward poor sleep creating brain imaging patterns akin to someone with Alzheimer's. While much more research needs to be done to give conclusive proof, the indications are that it is worth taking a closer look at your sleep in order to be at your best later in life. <u><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/wellbeing/7-ways-to-improve-your-brain-health.aspx">Read more tips on improving your brain health</a></u>. </p> <p><strong>What can you do about it?<br /></strong>Many over 50s report an increase in interruptions during sleep and this can mean a loss of the valuable periods of deep sleep, where the body and mind achieve the greatest restorative benefits. The objective, therefore, is to work on techniques to reduce broken sleep patterns.</p> <p><strong>Re-set your body clock (and nap less)<br /></strong>The occasional nap during the day may well boost your daytime stamina and may be something you increasingly look forward to, but if it is affecting the quality of night time sleeping then it is best to limit naps to no more than 30 minutes. It also helps to get your biological clock into a rhythm by having set times for when you go to bed and when you wake up, and maintaining a regular pattern.</p> <p><strong>Move more!<br /></strong>Exercise is important too for burning off energy and encouraging your body to get some solid rest. Aim for at least 30 minute sessions at least three days a week. It doesn’t need to be intense; even <u><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/exercise/walk-your-way-to-better-health.aspx">a brisk walk</a></u> will create the desired effect, but make sure you don’t do it too close to bedtime.</p> <p>An added benefit of doing something active outdoors is the fresh air and daylight that you are exposed to, which can improve sleep too. There are plenty of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/exercise/get-fit-no-gym-required.aspx">simple ways to make fitness fun</a>.</p> <p><strong>Think about what you are consuming (and when)<br /></strong>Drugs and stimulants need to be controlled, so watch the timing of any caffeine, chocolate and sugar intake, and check your medications to see if they are causing sleeplessness if taken too late in the day. Dietary patterns can aid sleep too. Reduce alcohol and other liquids close to bedtime and don’t go to sleep either too full or too hungry.</p> <p>Good deep sleep can be an integral part of better health management, so assess the above issues in your daily routine and gain greater benefits from a quality night's rest.</p> <p> </p> <p><em>Written by Tom Raeside. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/wellbeing/are-you-cheating-yourself-of-sleep.aspx">Wyza.com.au.</a></em></p>

Caring

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Hearty cheat's lasagna

<p>It’s quick and easy to make and it’s packed with flavour. Try it out for yourself! You won’t regret it.</p> <p><strong>Serves:</strong> 6</p> <p><strong>Prep:</strong> 20 mins</p> <p><strong>Cooking time:</strong> 50 mins</p> <p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p> <ul> <li>1 tbs olive oil</li> <li>2 red onions, peeled, finely chopped</li> <li>2 garlic cloves, crushed</li> <li>500g beef mince</li> <li>3 x 400g cans diced tomatoes</li> <li>1 tsp white sugar</li> <li>1⁄2 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped</li> <li>625g packet fresh ricotta and spinach tortellini</li> <li>250g piece mozzarella, thickly sliced</li> <li>fresh basil leaves, to serve Béchamel sauce</li> <li>40g butter, chopped</li> <li>1⁄4 cup plain flour</li> <li>3 cups full cream milk</li> <li>Pinch ground nutmeg</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method</strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat oven 220°C fan forced. Lightly grease a large, deep ovenproof dish.</li> <li>Heat oil in a medium, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for 6 minutes, or until onion is soft. Increase heat to high, add mince. Cook, stirring to break up mince, for 4 minutes, or until browned.</li> <li>Add tomatoes and sugar. Bring to boil. Gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly. Stir in basil. Season.</li> <li>Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 3 minutes. Drain.</li> <li>For béchamel sauce, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from heat. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly, until smooth. Return to the heat. Cook, whisking until sauce comes to the boil. Remove from heat. Stir in nutmeg, season.</li> <li>To assemble, spoon half the pasta into the prepared dish. Spoon over half the beef mixture. Spoon over half the béchamel sauce. Repeat with remaining pasta, beef mixture and béchamel sauce. Top with mozzarella.</li> <li>Place onto a tray and bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is golden. Sprinkle with extra basil leaves and pepper. Serve.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Serving suggestion:</strong> Delicious served with rocket and baby spinach tossed with balsamic dressing.</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Tortellini can be replaced with other types of filled pasta i.e. agnolotti or ravioli.</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Try adding 2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes with onion and garlic for a spicy kick.</p> <p><strong>Make ahead tip:</strong> You can make the lasagna to the end step 5 the night before. Cover and place in the fridge. It will take about 40 minutes to cook from fridge temperature.</p> <p><em>Photo and recipe courtesy of </em><a href="https://www.australianonions.com.au/#Weo4XWk0tYlugxcw.97"><em>Australian Onions</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Woman writes brutally honest letter to her cheating husband’s girlfriend

<p>A woman has shared her anguish over her relationship ending via parenting platform Mumsnet.</p> <p>She’s written a moving post to the person who is having an affair with her husband and explained how she’s in the middle of a split as her husband has left her for a woman he met at work.</p> <p>She also shared her daughter’s perspective on the situation.</p> <p>“I just need to understand the reasoning behind having an affair with a taken/married man? In the middle of a break up and I’ve had 10-year-old daughter ask “why did the woman take daddy away?” she writes.</p> <p>“Such an innocent yet poignant question… please, for anyone that has been the ow (other woman) explain what you get out of it?”</p> <p>The anonymous writer also explains that her and her DP (dear partner) were close before the split.</p> <p>“I can just about grasp couples who aren’t happy, not getting on or no sec etc [sic]. My and my dp were happy, close. He was with me almost always. We went out and drank together. Had the odd date night, holidays.”</p> <p>After thinking on it, the anonymous woman decides that she would rather spend her time looking elsewhere.</p> <p>“I’d rather spend my time looking for someone else. A meaningful relationship rather than be used as an ego boost,” she finishes.</p> <p>Mumsnet users urged the woman to realise that her anger is misdirected, and she should be angry at her husband instead of “the other woman”.</p> <p>“Another woman did not take Daddy away. Life isn’t like that. Daddy left. He left. HE left – no one took him,” wrote one user.</p> <p>Another wrote: “Where’s your letter to your partner? The OW is not blameless but she did not take him away. He willingly cheated and left. Your anger is misdirected.”</p>

Relationships

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"You can't cheat then?" Queen Elizabeth's hilarious reaction to self-serve checkouts

<p>Queen Elizabeth has popped into a supermarket and learnt how to use self-serve counters to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the British high street chain Sainsbury’s.</p> <p>The Queen went to London’s Covent Garden to visit a pop-up replica of the original Sainsbury’s store, which was founded in 1869 and sold just three items – butter, eggs and milk.</p> <p>She was greeted by Lord John Sainsbury, the great grandson of the supermarket chain’s founder John James Sainsbury, who showed her around and gave her an overview of the supermarket’s history and the popular trends among customers.</p> <p>“Tastes have changed,” she said when she was told how the average basket’s content shifted from porridge and orange during the war years to avocados and ready-made meals today.</p> <p>The 93-year-old monarch was also introduced to modern technology used in stores, such as self-service checkout and mobile phone payments.</p> <p>“And you can’t trick it? You can’t cheat then?” she asked during a demonstration.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxxKPvgHQaO/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxxKPvgHQaO/" target="_blank">Today, The Queen was taken back in time to Sainsbury’s stores from the past to celebrate the British retail chain’s 150th anniversary. The pop-up experience in London’s Covent Garden included a recreation of the very first store, founded by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury on London’s Drury Lane in May 1869. It sold just butter, milk and eggs. Sainsbury’s 150th anniversary celebrations focus on the colleagues and customers who have helped shape the business over the years. Her Majesty met employees who have been involved in fundraising and volunteering in their local communities, and explored some of the technology which customers use today, including self-service tills. In the first image The Queen views a ration pack as presented by Lord and Lady Sainsbury and learns more about the work which was done with the government to develop the rationing process when goods were in short supply during the Second World War.</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/theroyalfamily/" target="_blank"> The Royal Family</a> (@theroyalfamily) on May 22, 2019 at 7:26am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>When manager Damien Corcoran said the self-service counter is particularly popular amongst shoppers, she responded, “I’m sure they do – everybody wants to hurry.”</p> <p>The Queen also met Sainsbury’s employees who dressed up as store clerks from the era of the supermarket’s first store.</p> <p>She concluded the visit by cutting a birthday cake baked by Claire Ptak, who also created Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s wedding cake.</p>

Retirement Life

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Want to know if your partner's cheating on you? Just listen to their voice

<p>Picture Morgan Freeman, Donald Trump or Margaret Thatcher. Most likely you can hear their voices in your mind, and the characteristic inflections that they put on certain words, as well as their tone and pitch. Even without listening to the words, when you hear someone speak you can pick up important information about them from characteristics such as how loud or deep their voice is.</p> <p>At the most basic level, voices convey biological characteristics such as whether someone is <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/279/1728/601">male or female</a>, their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347204003987?via%3Dihub">body size</a> and <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/277/1699/3509">physical strength</a>, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327027hc0803_2">age and sexual maturity</a>. For example, Donald Trump’s voice can signal to you that he is a man, and that he has passed middle age. But did you know that voices can also signal a person’s attractiveness, fertility and even the likelihood of them being unfaithful?</p> <p>A popular theory with evolutionary psychologists, known as <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12110-003-1008-y">“cads versus dads</a>”, suggests that more masculine, dominant men are not as paternal and generally invest less in their children and grandchildren than less masculine men. Yet research shows women generally prefer <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347204003987?via%3Dihub">deeper voiced, more masculine-sounding men</a>, especially when these women are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X05001704">near ovulation</a>.</p> <p>This may be because partnering with deeper-voiced men could lead to genetically healthier children. Deeper voices have been linked to having more <a href="http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/3/6/682">surviving children and grandchildren</a>, <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/283/1829/20152830">higher testosterone and</a> lower stress hormones, and longer-term survival in men.</p> <p>On the other hand, deeper-voiced men are also rated by women as more likely to <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/147470491100900109">cheat on a partner</a> and as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090513816300368?via%3Dihub#f0005">less trustworthy</a> in general. Women who judge men with lower-pitched voices as more likely to cheat also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886913012324?via%3Dihub">prefer those men for short-term</a> rather than long-term partners. Meanwhile, when women <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2008.1542">are breastfeeding</a> and so currently taking care of a child, they are more likely to prefer men with higher-pitched voices than at other times.</p> <p>This suggests women use something in men’s voices to try to assess how likely to cheat they are, as well as their general trustworthiness. This in turn can affect their attractiveness as a partner, depending on whether the women are drawn towards the paternal care of a potential long-term mate or just good genes.</p> <p><strong>Spotting a cheater</strong></p> <p>But can our voices really indicate whether we are likely to cheat? A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704917711513">recent study</a> from researchers in the US suggests that they can. Participants were played recordings of people speaking and given no other background information about them, and successfully rated cheaters as “more likely to cheat” than non-cheaters. Interestingly, women were better at this task than men.</p> <p>The recordings were taken from people with voices of similar pitch and attractiveness, who were of similar size and shape, and had similar sexual histories (aside from cheating). This means that none of these factors affected the results. So we currently don’t know what cues the participants used to judge whether the voices came from cheaters.</p> <p>It is not only women who can pick up on men’s vocal cues of good genes and likelihood to cheat, and use it to their benefit. A woman’s voice changes during her menstrual cycle when she is not using contraceptive pills. Perhaps unsurprisingly, men find women’s voices most attractive when the women are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090513808000263?via%3Dihub">near ovulation</a> (most fertile), than at other times of the month. This information is important to pick up on, as women do not display very explicit signals that they are fertile (unlike baboon females whose bottoms turn red, or female deer who release scents to advertise their fertility).</p> <p>Voices can also signal whether someone is <a href="http://www.ehbonline.org/article/S1090-5138(14)00078-6/fulltext">interested in you</a>. In one clever study, participants were asked to judge the voices of individuals who spoke in a different language to attractive or unattractive potential partners or competitors.</p> <p>The researchers found that, when talking to attractive people, men’s voices tend to reach a deeper pitch, and both men and women increase how varied their pitch is so their voices sound more dynamic than monotonous. Practically speaking, picking up on these types of cues could allow someone to decide whether a person they are talking to might be attracted to them or not.</p> <p>In these ways, the non-verbal characteristics of voices can play a significant role in signalling health, fertility, attraction and potential infidelity, to name a few. Picking up on these cues, alongside the many other cues we receive when talking to someone, can help us make more informed and well-rounded choices about who to spend time with and who to avoid. But the next time you find yourself listening to and judging someone’s voice for these subtle cues, remember that they are judging yours, too.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92387/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Viktoria Mileva, Postdoctoral Fellow in Psychology, University of Stirling and Juan David Leongómez, Assistant Professor of Evolutionary Psychology, El Bosque University</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-know-if-your-partners-cheating-on-you-just-listen-to-their-voice-92387"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>. </em></p>

Relationships

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Woman sells cheating ex-husband’s gift in brutal Gumtree ad

<p>2019 is the year for change, well … for one woman anyway.</p> <p>Wanting to remove all traces of her previous relationship, a lady took to Gumtree to sell a gift given to her by her ex-husband.</p> <p>The gift – a Pandora bracelet – was listed on the buy and sell website for NZ$370, but it wasn’t the product that caught people’s attention, but rather the detailed item description.</p> <p>The bracelet was filled with charms and the Melbourne based woman took the liberty to describe each of them with a reason as to why she left her husband.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 468.9922480620155px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7822649/f409a5385c2fffb95830b6ebf32b4121.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/58087e68af474de69d76a29e7c669319" /></p> <p>“I’m selling the Pandora bracelet that my ex-husband thoughtfully put together for me while he lied to me throughout our marriage. It turns out that pretty trinkets don’t pay for betrayal,” she wrote.</p> <p>“Heart with a 14ct yellow gold arrow – symbolising the pain in my heart when I found out about the lies. And then again, when I found out how long they’d been going on for.</p> <p>“Chick – like the babies he was trying to force me to have because he wanted babies before he was 30 and wouldn’t entertain the discussion about what I wanted,” she continued.</p> <p>The bracelet also featured a limited edition teddy bear, complete with a 14ct yellow gold heart which she said was “much like the limited nature of his trustworthiness.”</p> <p>“The pieces are all in very good condition (much like I am now after the divorce),” she concluded, adding payment can be made via PayPal or cash because “apparently tears of my enemy is not a legitimate payment type”.</p> <p>Safe to say, he definitely got what he deserved.</p>

Relationships

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Bride replaces wedding vows with fiancé’s cheating text messages

<p>A heartbroken bride has confronted her fiancé at the altar of her wedding ceremony after finding out that he was cheating on her the night before their big day.</p> <p>Casey* was celebrating her final night of being unmarried with her bridesmaids when she received a text message from an unknown number, reported <a href="https://www.whimn.com.au"><strong><em><u>Whimn.</u></em></strong></a></p> <p>Casey was expecting a congratulatory message but instead received a series of screenshots from a conversation involving her boyfriend of six years, Alex*, and another woman.</p> <p>The conversations between Casey’s boyfriend and the ‘other’ woman, who she described as looking the “complete opposite of her”, went back months.</p> <p>The sender wrote to Casey: “I wouldn’t marry him. Will you?”</p> <p>The texts also included selfies of the pair and immediately Casey knew “there was no questioning the legitimacy” of the screenshots.</p> <p>Casey said every message was a “dagger to her heart”, but didn’t know what to do as the wedding would be taking place in a few hours and it was already paid for.</p> <p>So she hatched a plan for the next day. </p> <p>“I was going to go ahead with the wedding as expected, and ‘out’ him in front of our friends and family,” she said.</p> <p>After walking down the wedding aisle the following day, Casey announced there would be “no wedding” instead of reading her vows.</p> <p>“It seems Alex is not who I thought he was,” she told her guests, before reading out every single message he had sent to the other woman.</p> <p><em>"Your body is f***ing incredible. And s** do you know how to use it. I wish my GF (girlfriend) had half the skills you do."</em></p> <p><em>"I miss you so much…I’ve never had this kind of connection before."</em></p> <p>All colour left Alex’s face and Casey let her weeping eyes rise and meet his.</p> <p>The embarrassed groom didn’t have anything to say but walked out of the church in shame with his best man close behind him.</p> <p>“I love all of you and as horrible as this is, I’m glad you all are here,” Casey bravely told her guests.</p> <p>“There will not be a wedding reception today, but instead, there will be a celebration of honesty, finding true love and following your heart even when it hurts.”</p> <p>Although it was not the day Casey has planned, she said despite the heartbreak, the reception was “one hell of a party”.</p> <p><em>*Names changed for confidentiality </em></p>

Technology

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Why The Crown’s historical consultant doesn’t believe Prince Philip cheated

<p>In the second season of <em>The Crown,</em> the show hints at the rumours of Prince Philip’s infidelity.</p> <p>Throughout the 10 episodes, the second season highlights his feelings for ballerina Galina Ulanova and rumoured flings while travelling abroad without the Queen. However, we never actually see the Prince cheat on his wife.</p> <p>According to Robert Lacey, <em>The Crown</em>’s historical consultant, that was the intention of the show, to showcase the facts so that the audience could make their own assumptions.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7267633/the-crown-historical-consultant-hero_498x245.jpg" alt="The Crown Historical Consultant Hero"/></p> <p>This choice highlights that for the royal family, the appearance of scandal is nearly as bad as committing the wrongdoing itself.</p> <p>"Sometimes we have to reflect the ambiguity of the truth," Lacey told the <em>Good Housekeeping.</em></p> <p>"That's one of the appeals of the series. That we don't go for easy solutions. We don't say 'yes, Philip was unfaithful,' nor do we say 'he was pure as the driven snow.' We say 'here is the evidence, you make up your mind.'"</p> <p>The show’s creator Peter Morgan has previously stated that he believes Philip was unfaithful.</p> <p>Last year, he reportedly said, "Doesn't everyone in Britain know [Philip] had an affair?"</p> <p>However, Lacey believes that Philip never cheated on his wife. "I actually believe he was not unfaithful," Lacey said. "I feel that just as I believe that the Queen does not watch <em>The Crown</em> because she's above it."</p> <p>The historical consultant also acknowledged that the Duke of Edinburgh made it too easy for rumours to fester as he spent time one on one with female companions, even travelling with them.</p> <p>"Prince Philip has never made any secret that later in life he had several very close lady friends with whom he would go away for weekends — one friend used to enjoy carriage riding with him. Another, philosophical debates and discussions — but Philip's attitude has always been, 'So what? My wife trusts me.'"</p>

TV