Blog Posts by Sarah B. Weir, Yahoo! blogger

A firm handshake may be more important than you thinkCould handshakes become a thing of the past? As the cold and flu season rolls in, hello waves and distant air kisses become my preferred greetings. And I'm not the only one. According to the industry newsletter PharmPro, almost 50 percent of Americans are reluctant to shake hands because they are afraid of germs, and prior to the Summer Games, the chief medical officer for the British Olympic Association suggested athletes refrain from the time-honored custom. Yet a new study on the science of handshakes that will appear in the December issue of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience says it's smarter to get a grip despite the creepy crawlies.

Related: Meditation, Exercise May Cut Sick Days from Colds

Evaluating MRI brain scans and skin conductance tests (that measure the way that electricity travels through the skin in response to psychological stimuli), the researchers observed that strangers formed a better impression of each other after a handshake. Even after a negative

Read More »from The Handshake: Why It’s Important to Get a Grip

Wonder what's really going on in his head? Christopher Brya and Miguel Almaraz, professional market researchers and authors of the new book 'WTF Are Men Thinking?,' didn't set out to coax 250,000 men into spilling their guts about hooking up, in-laws, dating turn-offs, and other hot-button topics, they were just helping a friend.

"We were with an old friend and colleague," Brya tells Shine, "and she revealed to us that she was going through a divorce." The woman told them what she could really use was hard data on what men are thinking. She had been married for years, and she complained that she, "didn't know what the rules were any more." Brya and Almaraz quizzed some of their research panels and the project snowballed. "Miguel had the idea of asking a range of women if they had specific questions for men and wanted totally unvarnished feedback," says Brya. "Within 48 hours, we had 1,000 responses."

"Women get mixed messages from their girlfriends, or best guy friends," says Almaraz. "They are trying to make sense of

Read More »from ‘WTF Are Men Thinking?’ Surprising Answers from 250,000 Guys

Like many inspired ideas, the notion to live for a year according to the Bible's instructions for women came to writer Rachel Held Evans while she was taking a shower. "I was thinking about the book 'The Year of Living Biblically' [by male journalist A. J. Jacobs] and how different it would be if a woman had written it," the Tennessee native tells Shine. She embarked on twelve-month radical experiment to explore the Bible's rules for women-from not cutting her hair to calling her husband 'master'-and wrote about in on her popular blog. A book about her experiences, 'A Year of Biblical Womanhood' is being released at the end of October.

Related: Couple Trades in Family Home for Tiny Home on Wheels

Evans was raised an Evangelical Christian and says within that community there is a lot of pressure for women to live according to the Bible. However, the way she sees it, many of the rules that are espoused by church leaders or in articles are "bullet points" that force women to be

Read More »from Rachel Held Evans: A Woman’s Year of Living Biblically

Rainbow Waffles, source: Gimme Some OvenI don't usually crave foods that look like they belong in Teletubbyland, but fun, dayglo rainbow waffles are irresistible—and something even the most breakfast-averse kid is sure to gobble up.

Yahoo Health: 10 Worst Kids Breakfast Cereals

The blogs Gimme Some Oven and Random Thoughts of a Super Mom offer tips that make whipping up a batch super quick and easy. Both blogs are a little color obsessed and also provide recipes for rainbow cupcakes, rainbow pudding pops, and even rainbow pasta with Parmesan "clouds."

Photo Gallery: Weirdest Food Trends Ever

Colored batterTo make rainbow waffles at home you will need a round waffle maker, six small bowls, and pastry piping bags (if you want to get fancy about it). Use your favorite mix or try this recipe from scratch:

Simple Waffles

(Yields 4 cups batter)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups milk
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 eggs
Vegetable spray for waffle iron
Read More »from Rainbow Waffles: Easy At-Home Instructions

Jason Kroft, courtesy Kroft familyHave you seen a 40-year-old red-haired hero in dark blue blazer and dress pants on the streets of New York City? If so, two children want to thank him for saving their dad's life.

Related: 10 Real Life Women Heroes

On October 5, Toronto-native Jason Kroft, his wife, Marci, and their two kids, Harper, nine, and Sloan, seven, were strolling though Midtown Manhattan to get a tour of 30 Rockefeller Plaza from brother-in-law, Andrew Zeller. Kroft, 40, who had no history of heart disease, suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed to the sidewalk. His wife screamed for help as he stopped breathing. Suddenly, a stranger appeared and placed his briefcase under Kroft's head, tore open his shirt, and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Yahoo health: Heart Experts Make Boosting Bystander CPR a Priority

While Kroft sustained a couple of broken ribs during CPR, Zeller tells Shine, "If he hadn't done CPR compression between cardiac arrest and the time the ambulance

Read More »from Jason Kroft: Heart Attack Victim Searches for Savior

The video sequence opens gradually—frame after frame captures a tiny baby from the first day he entered the world at Harrogate General Hospital in Yorkshire, England. Then it races forward and literally becomes a life flashing before our eyes through pictures that Ian McCleod took of his son, Cory, essentially every day of his 21 years. He compiled the more than 7,500 images into a six-minute time-lapse sequence he posted on YouTube in late September. Cory's life, from birth to becoming a young man, has now been witnessed by more than 800,000 people around the world, and received 300,000 hits on one day alone in Japan.

Photo Gallery: Artist Makes Uncanny Fingerprint Portraits

McLeod tells the Yorkshire Post the project started as a "daft" idea conceived over a couple of drinks. "I was thinking I could do it for one or two years at most…But then you get to the point where you wonder if you'll regret it if you stop." He says it became like brushing his teeth.

Read More »from 21-Years: Ian McLeod, Dad, Makes Time Lapse Video from Son's Portraits Taken Every Day

[Warning: The last few seconds of this video contain graphic content]

A month ago, a Canadian teen named Amanda Todd posted a heart-wrenching video describing her breakdown after a cyberbully broadcast a topless image he coerced from her when she was in seventh grade. The incident triggered a spiral of misery from which she could never escape. In the video, she stands silently turning over cards printed with phrases that chronicle her journey into depression and self-harm. "Hello," she begins, "I've decided to tell you my never ending story." On Wednesday night, the 15 year old was found dead in her home. According to the National Post, the initial coroner's report indicated that she took her own life.

In the introduction to her YouTube video titled, My Story: Struggling, Bullying, Suicide, Self-Harm, she writes, "I'm not doing this for attention. I'm doing this as an inspiration and to show I can be strong." Although YouTube removed the video for a few hours on Thursday for

Read More »from Amanda Todd: Teen Who Shared Bullying Nightmare Commits Suicide

Jennifer AnistonHer "Rachel" hairdo was one of the most popular cuts of all time, so it seems fitting that recently engaged actress Jennifer Aniston would become the face of an exclusive hair care line. The Wall Street Journal reports that the former "Friends" star will be putting her money where her mouth is by also investing in the Massachusetts-based company, Living Proof. She'll shoot an ad campaign in November and have a say in package design and product development. Aniston is also the spokesperson for Smartwater.

More photos: Jennifer Aniston, Awkward Tween to It Girl

While details of how much Aniston will make upfront in the deal are unknown, the actress seems to be following in the footsteps of rap artist and businessman 50 Cent, who invested in and promoted Vitaminwater, reportedly making over $100 million when the brand was sold for $4.1 billion to Coca-Cola in 2007.

Living Proof, which is currently available online as well as at high-end outlets such as Nordstorm and Sephora,

Read More »from Jennifer Aniston’s Living Proof Hair Care Deal: Spokesmodel Turns Investor