The Lab DoctoRs

This week, we kick off the two-part series on friendship with the topic of making and losing friends. Join us as we go through our personal journey of friendships and strategies for making friends as well as what the research has to say about what it takes to make a friend. Finally, we talk about relationship decay and why we have lost friends in our own lives. TLDR : Reasons for losing friends in...

When you buy groceries, how confident are you in the product that you walk out the store with? How about your confidence in the bigger, life-changing decisions that you’ve made? This week, we discuss a recent study that examined what leads to greater confidence in value-based choices. Don’t miss out as we get real with our personal experiences, from buying eggs to navigating our careers, and find...

Gyms for spin classes, CrossFit, circuit training, and so many other types of fitness activities are popping up all over the world, but is it really all people hype it up to be? In this episode, we talk about the pros and cons of group fitness as well as our personal experience with training in a group. What is your experience? Should TLDR go for a group spin class? Let us know! TLDR : There are a...

A recent study conducted by researchers at Cardiff University found that women found men who wore medical masks more attractive. Do you agree? Do we agree? This week, we discuss their research findings, possible reasons for this preference, and pre-pandemic perceptions of mask-wearing. Don’t miss out on where evolutionary psychology fits in all of this and our (hot?) takes on mask-wearing and attr...

Stitch, more accurately referred to as exercise-related transient abdominal pain (ETAP), is a sharp, stabbing pain that people often experience when exercising. Despite its overwhelming prevalence across different sports, researchers do not really understand why this side ache or muscle stitch occurs. This week, we go through the various theories that have been proposed and decide which makes the...

Rhabdomyolysis cases are on the rise in Singapore, with one of the precipitating factors being spin classes. What is this condition and is it very dangerous? Listen this week to find out more about the causes and symptoms of rhabdomyolysis, and how it could possibly lead to more serious conditions like kidney failure and heart issues. TLDR : Rhabdomyolysis refers to striated muscle breakdown, and...

Some experts consider lying, which starts as early as age 2, a developmental milestone in humans. So we decided to find out how often people lie, by how much, and how often. What are some of the reasons that people lie, and what stops people from lying? Listen along as we discuss lying in our day-to-day lives. TLDR : Most lies are told for selfish reasons, but other reasons include protecting othe...

Does a sudden traffic jam or train fault throw you off for the rest of your workday? Researchers at Dartmouth College conducted a study to assess whether worker commutes can predict job performance and productivity. This week, we delve into the commuting patterns of high and low performers, and how our personal commutes affect our workday. TLDR : Research shows that your commute to work predicts t...

During the current pandemic, consultation rates in both primary and specialist care declined compared to that of pre-COVID-19 levels. A recent study showed that one-fifth of the population avoided healthcare institutions during the pandemic. Tune in this week to find out how the pandemic has affected us in terms of seeking medical attention, why some people may be avoiding their doctor and what is...

Within TLDR, we are team #CryYourHeartOut, and the research shows that this may not be a bad thing at all, as long as you don’t take things to the extreme. The real and intense emotions that we feel when consuming content, from watching TV/movies to reading, is a byproduct of the parasocial relationships that we form with the characters or personas. This week we talk about the four stages of paras...

This week we discuss spousal concordance, from the genetic, social, and the environmental factors that all contribute to not only our health, but the health of our partners (and our families). We delve into how these findings relate to other couple studies on immunity and microexpressions, and finally how cardiometabolic factors (including high BMI, hypertension, and smoking) fit into all of this....

Feel betrayed by your new shoes that look so good but give you painful friction blisters? This week we discuss how they form, and go through the other types of blisters that exist; blood and heat blisters. Finally, as much as we do not advise you to pop a blister, we go through the step-by-step guide of how to do it properly and signs to look out for that would necessitate further medical attentio...

Who doesn’t like a big breakfast? But also, how many of us have our largest meal at dinner time? Research shows that metabolism and digestion is not just about the food you eat, but also what time you eat. On this week’s episode, we discuss the importance of meal times, the consistency of these meal times, and the size of each meal. TLDR : The science behind: “eat breakfast like a king; lunch like...

This week, join us as we embark on a journey of self-discovery about picky eating. Take the quiz along with us and find out where you fall within the demographic of picky eaters. We also discuss the relationship between picky eating and other biological factors (like dietary consumption and hard stools) as well as psychosocial outcomes (including social phobia and situational distress). TLDR : Amo...

Are personality tests a sham or are they on to something? New research reported an interesting association between personality and neurological disease: participants who scored higher in neuroticism and lower in conscientiousness exhibited biological factors that increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. In this episode, we discuss our personality traits and our response to these interesti...

The war on sugar has begun, with countries around the world lobbying to reduce the amount of sugar in packaged foods and beverages, or to impose a levy on these products. Researchers in the US have developed a model to simulate and quantify the impacts of these policies with staggering results: the prevention of 2.48 million and half a million heart disease-related events and deaths respectively i...

This week we discuss the TED talk that makes the case for us to reframe our understanding of obesity as a disease, rather than a physiological condition brought about merely by overeating and not enough exercise. Listen along as we cover the high-fat feeding rat study, hormones like GLP-1 and other genetic factors in obesity, and finally the environmental and social factors surrounding this topic....

Do you get a headache after taking a nap? Two out of the three of us do! In this episode, we talk about the common causes of these specific types of headaches including teeth grinding or clenching, snoring, sleep hygiene, and serotonin disruption. Listen until the end for some nap headache remedies (and whether any of them work for us). TLDR: Common causes of nap headaches include snoring, teeth g...

Have you ever felt the hit of wakefulness right after drinking coffee, but slowly start to feel tired and sleepy as the day wears on? This week we discuss the paradox of caffeine and the science behind this phenomenon, particularly, the involvement of adenosine and ATP. We veer off-topic to talk about caffeine- (and nap-)induced headaches then circle back to how to optimize your coffee-drinking ex...

We got carried away talking about all things period with Luting, so here is part TWO! This week we discuss our experiences with delayed periods, and being freaked out about blood clots. We continue the conversation reflecting honestly about our PMS, how we feel and how we live with the changing hormones and emotions. We round out the episode talking about period hygiene and other period telltale s...

On this TIS episode, it is all about knowing your flow. With our special guest, Luting, we talk about our period experiences and how we handle our monthly visit from Aunt Flo. From dealing with period cramps and bloating, to the period products that we use. Luting also shares with us what to look out for when experiencing abnormal symptoms (including possible conditions such as endometriosis, fibr...

Periods, as remarkable as the phenomenon of childbirth is, can get quite frustrating. From abdominal cramps and bloating to mood swings and anxiety, we wanted to find out why these symptoms occur and what causes them? As an added bonus, we also discuss whether period syncing is legit or a myth. Hint: Fluctuating hormones is a repeat offender, affecting many systems in the body (even serotonin leve...

Welcome to the Period Month Extravaganza Questionnaire! In this month’s edition, we asked the period practical basics like what is menstrual flow, how long do periods and cramps last, and how much blood does the body lose? We also talk about period products, and how to deal with period displeasures: what to eat and what to avoid, easing menstrual cramps and swimming during periods. Listen along to...

It’s the start of PERIOD month! How apt that we will be talking about the menstrual cycle for a whole month, since that coincides with an average menstrual cycle. Consider this your cheat sheet for the basics of periods and menstruation, where we tell you about the different stages of the menstrual cycle and period through the different ages of life. We also cover more practical aspects like perio...

Does the belly button even serve a purpose after the umbilical cord is cut? If the appendix is so important, why does removing it not affect the patient much? And are male nipples necessary, or is it for aesthetics? Listen to this TWL episode to hear us sort through our curiosities and the research on these body parts. TLDR : Scientists have proposed several functions for each of these useless bod...