The upcoming Canada-wide legalization of recreational marijuana will have all sorts of consequences, both intended and unintended. But what, specifically, will it do to the male body? Quite a lot, it appears.

For starters, pot affects males and females differently. A team of researchers from Washington State University, a state where cannabis has been legal since 2012, has given us some answers. Psychology professor and researcher Rebecca Craft found that, in female rats, the effects of THC were closely linked to hormone levels, with a spike in sensitivity right around ovulation.

Craft also notes that “the majority of research in humans suggests that women are more likely to be affected by cannabinoids than men, with reports of enhanced and decreased performance on various tasks.” She has also studied cannabis withdrawal symptoms, and says that women often have a harder time discontinuing pot after heavy use, with symptoms like irritability and sleep disruption. In rats, THC withdrawal has even caused changes in the menstrual cycle timing.

Smoking pot also can also affect the male hormone balance.

Find out more

Calgary Herald

World Cup soccer fans in Russia have been laughing, crying, and screaming as their favorite teams win or lose. But Russians themselves aren’t known for their emotional displays. In fact, in the lead up to the World Cup, Russian workers actually got training on how to smile at visiting fans. Which raises a question: Why?

Why do some cultures smile more than others? Masha Gartstein is a professor of psychology and director of advanced programs at Washington State University and she’s written about what she calls, “the smile gap.”

“Russians are suspicious of people who appear to be smiling for no reason, and at worst are probably thinking that perhaps there is some intellectual deficits, or maybe even mental illness behind this seemingly unnecessary expression of positive emotionality,” Gartstein said.

There are a variety of reasons for this cultural difference. One of them is the fact that historically, there used to be vast differences in commerce.

“Back in the days of USSR there was of course no pressure to provide any kind of customer service because nothing was consumer driven.”

That’s part of the backdrop. Another part, Garstein noted, is that there really isn’t a smiling deficit in Russia. It’s a smiling gap.

Listen and read more

Living Lab Radio

The Washington Post

A new, interdisciplinary senior-living degree at WSU is in the works, with not only hospitality business operations but also nursing, technology, and psychology, to reflect how many communities serve a broad range of seniors’ needs.

After business professor Nancy Swanger developed a senior living-specific course in the business college, she began talking with other faculty around WSU who had interest in the field of aging and senior living, including Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe in psychology and colleagues in human development, electrical engineering, and nursing, to name a few. The discussions led to the idea of a holistic degree and a research institute.

The Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living will focus on three dimensions: workforce development, collaborative management and sponsored research, and undergraduate education. Some of that research includes smart home technology.

WSU has also started a noncredit online certificate program that will allow people to train in senior living management over the course of a year. The industry isn’t meeting current demand for people to run senior-living communities, Swanger said, and this certificate can help get people up to speed.

Find out more

Washington State Magazine