Studies say: mind the gap and remember to stretch

British Columbia: Think twice next time you’re looking for honesty via text message. A study by researchers at the University of British Columbia found that people are more likely to lie when texting than in face-to-face conversation. In a simulation featuring deceitful stockbrokers, they found people would more readily lie if they felt less directly scrutinized or visible.

Alberta: A study by the Canada West Foundation found that, while having four of the five highest income cities in the country, the gap between the rich and the poor is widest in Western Canada. It found that B.C. and Alberta have the most unequal after-tax incomes in the country, pointing to less effective wealth redistribution programs like government transfers and progressive taxation.

Ontario: Researchers at the University of Toronto are suggesting concussed athletes aren’t the only ones to experience foggy memories and slow reaction times; they found similar symptoms in athletes with muscle or tendon injuries. Their study points to emotional distress, frustration and depression as possible explanations.

Quebec: McGill University researchers have contributed to a study that might pave the way to deeper sleeping for people suffering from disorders like insomnia. After uncovering how melatonin—commonly referred to as “the sleep hormone”—reacts with two separate brain receptors that regulate sleep, they developed a drug that may be able to more effectively trigger deep sleep.

Nova Scotia: Conducting a study at Dalhousie University, researchers were able to predict people’s propensity to binge drink based on the boozing habits of their long-term partners. The study focused on non-married couples in their early 20s, solidifying what every university student already knows: binge drinking is a contagious social phenomenon.