Exposure to other people’s sweat can reduce anxiety study suggests

Mar 27 2023

Put aside your mindfulness practice because, apparently, getting a whiff of someone else’s sweat can help reduce anxiety in social situations.

People with social anxiety may benefit from relaxing and mindfulness therapy combined with exposure with odours from other’s sweat, a new study suggests.

Lead researcher Elisa Vigna, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, explained that a person’s state of mind caused the production of chemo-signals in sweat which communicate an emotional state. This can, reportedly, produce corresponding responses in other people.

She went on to state that the studies suggest combining these chemo-signals with mindfulness therapy seem to produce better results in treating social anxiety than what can be achieved with mindfulness on its own.

The study was presented at the European congress of psychiatry in Paris and involved collecting sweat from volunteers and exposing patients treated for social anxiety to chemo-signals.

The samples were collected from people who were watching clips from films which elicited particular emotional states. 48 women, all of whom suffered from social anxiety, were divided into three groups of 16. The study found that the group exposed to the odour samples responded better to a therapy.

This study still requires further research to confirm the findings, but one thing’s for sure: we’re not sure we want to be part of the test groups for this one…

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Italy win against Malta in front of a packed National Stadium

Mar 26 2023

In front of a packed National Stadium, Italy emerged victorious against Malta.

This was Italy’s first win in the European Qualifying round and Malta’s second defeat.

The Italians took the lead after just 15 minutes from a corner-kick that Mateo Retegui got his head on. They doubled the lead close to the half-hour mark in what was an unfortunate own-goal for Matthew Guillaumier. The first-half ended with Italy leading by two goals to nil.

The second half offered a lot of action but no goals.

16,015 was the total attendance at the National Stadium for tonight’s match.

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Parliamentary Secretary and husband opt for rival support in Euro Qualifiers game

Mar 26 2023

Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg and her husband have decided to not watch tonight’s European Qualifiers game together.

Rebecca Buttigieg posted on social media explaining that she has decided to support the Maltese national team from home whilst her Italian husband Andrea, is at the National Stadium supporting his home country.

The long-awaited football match has seen around 16,000 people flock to Ta’ Qali to support Malta and Italy in match number 2 from Group C as both teams look for their first win after losing to North Macedonia and England respectively.

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UM Rowing Club launches new fleet of coastal rowing boats

Mar 26 2023

On the morning of March 25th, the University of Malta Rowing Club launched new additions to their fleet of coastal rowing boats. The event showcased four Quads (four-person boats with one coxswain) and four Doubles (two-person boats), which are the first of their kind in Malta.

This investment allows the club to expand their activities and build a significant international presence. “This fleet through the next few weeks will be in action as we will host the World Rowing Tour 2023 in collaboration with the World Rowing Federation, the most prominent international rowing association,” said UM Rowing Club President Rebekah Caruana. “To top it all off, in three weeks’ time, UM Rowing Club will host 20 youths from New Zealand and Australia, who, together with our athletes, will compete in the first Annual ANZAC Beach Sprint Competition.”

Rowing is considered an elite sport in the water sports community due to the high cost of equipment. The total amount invested in boats represents a cost of more than 70,000 euros. The Fund for Social Causes (Il-Fond għal Kawżi Soċjali) covered a considerable part of these costs. The fund’s main purpose is to help various organizations that have social, cultural, educational, sporting, philanthropic, or religious activities. “The application made by the University of Malta Rowing Club was welcomed by the Committee that manages the fund because it not only affects the sporting activity but also affects other aspects, including social, as it will bring together a large number of participants, as well as the cultural aspect of the country that we will export abroad,” said a fund representative. Through these funds, the Club can further popularize the sport of coastal rowing to make it more accessible to the wider public.

“The Central Bank of Malta’s aim, together with that of the organizers, is to promote sports amongst youths, raise Malta’s profile as a destination for coastal rowing, and showcase Malta to an international audience through the participation of mixed gender groups in rowing,” said Prof. Edward Scicluna, Governor of Central Bank of Malta, which is among the club’s main investors.

The club primarily brings together UM students and alumni but is not exclusive to them. “Given the size of our national territory and the fact that we’re an island, UM easily qualifies as a ‘coastal university.’ Hence, the Rowing Club is a natural if belated presence on campus, and we are so happy to lend our support to the Club and its activities,” said UM Rector Prof. Alfred Vella. “Indeed, we hope our enthusiastic club members will manage to apply themselves diligently and effectively in the sport of Coastal Rowing in preparation for the Commonwealth games in 2026 where we would dearly love to see them excel.”

In April, the Club will host two events on an international scale, and from May it will resume its indoor rowing trainings and coastal activities in full force. Club officials point out that a new thriving community is growing around coastal rowing in Malta.

#Malta Daily