Today is your day Boomer! Are there health benefits associated with star gazing? You know, looking skyward on a clear night and pondering life and the universe? Yup, a number of studies have been done...especially on college students...that indicate you will get a big bump of mental health! Here's a few examples published on Castanet News: (1) star gazing is "associated with greater openness to new ideas and experiences, increased investigative ability, increased artistic proclivity, a more rational approach to problem solving, increased need for cognition and thinking, a propensity to engage in fantasy, a tendency to become focused...and a willingness to consider unusual ideas and possibilities." (2) night sky watching is "correlated with an increased ability of coping mechanisms. Coping ability is associated with better cognitive and behavioural strategies during stress and tension." Oh, good! (3) There is "an improved rational approach to problem solving." And finally, (4) People who night stare have "a higher openness to experience and appreciation of aesthetic values." Retired Boomers, we have the time to do this sort of thing...especially when we go camping in the three warm seasons. For your health, try it? Cheers!

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