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Research suggests those who use buy-now-pay-later services end up spending more

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ashish-kumar-1056067">Ashish Kumar</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Once, borrowing money to make a purchase was a relatively tedious process, not a spur-of-the-moment thing. True, some stores offered lay-by plans that would let you pay for goods in instalments. But if they didn’t, and you didn’t already have a credit card, you’d have to go to a bank and apply for one. That would mean providing a range of supporting documents, negotiating an appropriate credit limit, and waiting for approval. It’s unlikely you’d apply for credit just for a single, small purchase. In recent years, though, the financial technology or “fintech” revolution in the customer credit market has changed all that, with the meteoric rise of buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services. BNPL credit allows consumers to split their purchases into smaller, interest-free instalments. It is often directly integrated into online checkouts with fast approval, making it easy to purchase something instantly and spread the cost over coming months. There are some obvious risks. Many BNPL providers charge less visible fees, such as late payment fees and account maintenance fees. In many countries, the BNPL sector is also less regulated than traditional credit. But does it also change our spending habits? Our recent <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2024.09.004">research</a> uncovered a concerning insight: consumers who use BNPL services end up spending more money online than those who don’t. This effect is particularly strong among younger shoppers and those with lower incomes. <h2>Our research</h2> We <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2024.09.004">analysed</a> data from an online retailer in the Nordic region that offered customers three payment options for online purchases: card, pay on delivery and BNPL. We found that consumers who used BNPL spent an average of 6.42% more than those who didn’t. This increase was particularly noticeable for low-ticket items, suggesting that BNPL may encourage customers to buy more when shopping for smaller, everyday things. Why might this be the case? For one, BPNL spending is constrained by the size of the loans on offer. In the US, the average BNPL loan amount is <a href="https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_consumer-use-of-buy-now-pay-later_2023-03.pdf">US$135</a> (A$217). It may also be related to what’s known in economics as the “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/dec/22/recession-cosmetics-lipstick">lipstick effect</a>”, where customers under financial strain tend to reduce spending on big-ticket items in favour of lower-priced luxuries. Selling such low-ticket items doesn’t always give online retailers the biggest profit margins. But it can play a crucial role in acquiring and retaining customers, and creating opportunities to upsell. Our research also showed that younger, lower-income customers were more likely to spend more when using BNPL services, likely because it provides them with additional “liquidity” – access to cash. <h2>Why might they be spending more?</h2> It’s easy to see why so many consumers like BNPL. Some even think of it as more of a way of payment than a form of credit. The core feature of such services - offering interest-free instalment payments for online purchases - has a significant psychological impact on customers. It leverages the principle that the perceived benefit of spending in the present outweighs the displeasure associated with future payments. This behaviour aligns with theories of “hyperbolic discounting” – our preference for smaller immediate rewards over larger later ones – and the related “<a href="https://www.behavioraleconomics.com/resources/mini-encyclopedia-of-be/present-bias/">present bias</a>” phenomenon. Our results also suggest customers with high category experience – that is, more familiar with the larger product categories carried by a retailer – and those more sensitive to deals and promotions are likely to spend more when online retailers provide BNPL as a payment option. <h2>A growing influence on spending</h2> The economic impact of BNPL is substantial in the countries that have pioneered its adoption. In Australia, birthplace of Afterpay, Zip, Openpay, and Latitude, it’s <a href="https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AFIA_BNPL_Research_Report-1.pdf">estimated</a> that (allowing for flow-on effects) BNPL services contributed A$14.3 billion to gross domestic product (GDP) in the 2021 financial year. Industry research firm Juniper Research <a href="https://www.juniperresearch.com/press/pressreleasesbuy-now-pay-later-users-to-exceed-670-million-globally/">projects</a> the number of BNPL users will exceed 670 million globally by 2028, an increase of more than 100% on current levels. Substantial projected growth in the sector is attributed to multiple factors. These include increasing e-commerce usage, economic pressures, the flexibility of payment options and widespread adoption by merchants. <h2>Buyer, beware</h2> BNPL services can be a convenient way to pay for online purchases. But it’s important to use them responsibly. That means understanding the potential risks and benefits to make your own informed decisions. Be mindful of your spending. Don’t let the allure of easy payments let you get carried away. Customers should explore beyond the marketing tactics of interest-free split payments and pay close attention to terms and conditions, including any fees and penalties. They should treat BNPL like any other form of credit. Whether you’re a shopper considering using BNPL or a business thinking about offering it, our research highlights that it may have the power to significantly influence spending patterns – for better or worse.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/246686/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ashish-kumar-1056067">Ashish Kumar</a>, Senior Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/research-suggests-those-who-use-buy-now-pay-later-services-end-up-spending-more-246686">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

Women spend more of their money on health care than men. And no, it’s not just about 'women’s issues'

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mike-armour-391382">Mike Armour</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amelia-mardon-1505419">Amelia Mardon</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/danielle-howe-1492317">Danielle Howe</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hannah-adler-1533549">Hannah Adler</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-oshea-457947">Michelle O'Shea</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> Medicare, Australia’s <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/medicare?language=und">universal health insurance scheme</a>, guarantees all Australians access to a wide range of health and hospital services at low or no cost. Although access to the scheme is universal across Australia (regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status), one analysis suggests <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/news/healthcare-out-of-pocket-costs-an-agenda-for-international-womens-day/">women often spend more</a> out-of-pocket on health services than men. Other research has found men and women spend similar amounts on health care overall, or even that men spend <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/ah/pdf/AH18191">a little more</a>. However, it’s clear women spend a <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/ah/pdf/AH18191">greater proportion of their overall expenditure</a> on health care than men. They’re also more likely to <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/news/healthcare-out-of-pocket-costs-an-agenda-for-international-womens-day/">skip or delay medical care</a> due to the cost. So why do women often spend more of their money on health care, and how can we address this gap? <h2>Women have more chronic diseases, and access more services</h2> Women are <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/health-conditions-prevalence/latest-release">more likely</a> to have a chronic health condition compared to men. They’re also more likely to report having multiple chronic conditions. While men generally die earlier, women are more likely to spend more of their life <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(24)00053-7/fulltext">living with disease</a>. There are also some conditions which affect women more than men, such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-biological-differences-between-men-and-women-alter-immune-responses-and-affect-womens-health-208802">autoimmune conditions</a> (for example, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis). Further, medical treatments can sometimes be <a href="https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/967984/CIU-Evidence-Brief-Gender-disparity-and-gender-equality-measures-in-health.pdf">less effective for women</a> due to a focus on men in medical research. These disparities are likely significant in understanding why women <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/news/healthcare-out-of-pocket-costs-an-agenda-for-international-womens-day/">access health services</a> more than men. For example, <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/men-women/female-health/contents/access-health-care">88% of women</a> saw a GP in 2021–22 compared to <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/men-women/male-health/contents/access-health-care">79% of men</a>. As the number of GPs <a href="https://practices.hotdoc.com.au/blog/the-decline-of-bulk-billing-and-its-impact-on-general-practice-in-australia/#:%7E:text=The%20Medicare%20rebate%20for%20patients,to%20ensure%20their%20financial%20sustainability.">offering bulk billing</a> continues to decline, women are likely to need to pay more out-of-pocket, because they <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/32ea8a7f-50d5-4047-b70b-92dd63d387b8/aihw-phe239-240-factsheet.pdf.aspx">see a GP more often</a>. In 2020–21, <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/men-women/female-health/contents/access-health-care">4.3% of women</a> said they had delayed seeing a GP due to cost at least once in the previous 12 months, compared to <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/men-women/male-health/contents/access-health-care">2.7% of men</a>. Data from the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-services/patient-experiences/2020-21">Australian Bureau of Statistics</a> has also shown women are more likely to delay or avoid seeing a mental health professional due to cost. Women are also more likely to need prescription medications, owing at least partly to their increased rates of chronic conditions. This adds further out-of-pocket costs. In 2020–21, <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/news/healthcare-out-of-pocket-costs-an-agenda-for-international-womens-day/">62% of women</a> received a prescription, compared to 37% of men. In the same period, <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/men-women/female-health/contents/access-health-care">6.1% of women</a> delayed getting, or did not get prescribed medication because of the cost, compared to <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/men-women/male-health/contents/access-health-care">4.9% of men</a>. <h2>Reproductive health conditions</h2> While women are disproportionately affected by chronic health conditions throughout their lifespan, much of the disparity in health-care needs is concentrated between the first period and menopause. Almost <a href="https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/news/impact-of-pelvic-pain-vastly-underestimated">half of women</a> aged over 18 report having experienced chronic pelvic pain in the previous five years. This can be caused by conditions such as endometriosis, dysmenorrhoea (period pain), vulvodynia (vulva pain), and bladder pain. <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/2023/2023-september/1-in-7-australian-women-aged-44-49-have-endometriosis">One in seven women</a> will have a diagnosis of endometriosis by age 49. Meanwhile, a quarter of all women aged 45–64 <a href="https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/research/womens-health-survey/menopause-in-australian-women">report symptoms</a> related to menopause that are significant enough to disrupt their daily life. All of these conditions can significantly reduce quality of life and increase the need to seek health care, sometimes including surgical treatment. Of course, conditions like endometriosis don’t just affect women. They also impact <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10501128/">trans men</a>, intersex people, and those who are gender diverse. <h2>Diagnosis can be costly</h2> Women often have to wait <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9518795/">longer to get a diagnosis</a> for chronic conditions. One <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.12.23296976v2.full-text">preprint study</a> found women wait an average of 134 days (around 4.5 months) longer than men for a diagnosis of a long-term chronic disease. Delays in diagnosis often result in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33004965/">needing to see more doctors</a>, again increasing the costs. Despite affecting about as many people as diabetes, it takes an average of between <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33050751/">six-and-a-half</a> to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33004965/">eight years</a> to diagnose endometriosis in Australia. This can be attributed to a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35928674/">number of factors</a> including society’s normalisation of women’s pain, poor knowledge about endometriosis among some health professionals, and the lack of affordable, non-invasive methods to accurately diagnose the condition. There have been recent improvements, with the introduction of <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/historic-medicare-changes-for-women-battling-endometriosis#:%7E:text=In%20addition%20to%20the%20specialised,with%20complex%20histories%20and%20symptoms.">Medicare rebates for longer GP consultations</a> of up to 60 minutes. While this is not only for women, this extra time will be valuable in diagnosing and managing complex conditions. But gender inequality issues still exist in the Medicare Benefits Schedule. For example, both pelvic and breast ultrasound rebates are <a href="https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/the-gender-medicare-gap-is-seeing-women-pay-more-for-ultrasounds-and-other-health-services/">less than a scan for the scrotum</a>, and <a href="https://www.endozone.com.au/treatment/MRI">no rebate</a> exists for the MRI investigation of a woman’s pelvic pain. <h2>Management can be expensive too</h2> Many chronic conditions, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0167482X.2020.1825374?casa_token=yIlFZg_vJxsAAAAA%3ALwSa5DBMoDDWTiZsU1FC0MLLXkDd_eWBrGa2gr8b6NeRevp4ynlsTD_IMMYV_ek766j2P5C-B4Qy#d1e167">such as endometriosis</a>, which has a wide range of symptoms but no cure, can be very hard to manage. People with endometriosis often use allied health and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/imj.15494?casa_token=1sc4ZMGvDjIAAAAA%3AIrIY2B-RNVDDnUPMSsHI4axnBiTv-omNDHGlNSpsrm_qbMGY9iQ4htIyco5mj-Qhd7krsp7rfHtcbQ">complementary medicine</a> to help with symptoms. On average, women are more likely than men to use both <a href="https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2017/may/patterns-of-complementary-and-alternative-medi-2">complementary therapies</a> and <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/primary-health-care/general-practice-allied-health-primary-care">allied health</a>. While women with chronic conditions can access a <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/chronic-disease-management-plan?context=20">chronic disease management plan</a>, which provides Medicare-subsidised visits to a range of allied health services (for example, physiotherapist, psychologist, dietitian), this plan only subsidises five sessions per calendar year. And the reimbursement is <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9346321/">usually around 50% or less</a>, so there are still significant out-of-pocket costs. In the case of chronic pelvic pain, the cost of accessing allied or complementary health services has been found to average <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12905-022-01618-z">A$480.32 across a two-month period</a> (across both those who have a chronic disease management plan and those who don’t). <h2>More spending, less saving</h2> Womens’ health-care needs can also perpetuate financial strain beyond direct health-care costs. For example, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31600241">women with endometriosis</a> and chronic pelvic pain are often caught in a cycle of needing time off from work to attend medical appointments. Our <a href="https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-5480104/v1">preliminary research</a> has shown these repeated requests, combined with the common dismissal of symptoms associated with pelvic pain, means women sometimes face discrimination at work. This can lead to lack of career progression, underemployment, and premature retirement. Similarly, with <a href="https://www.superannuation.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ASFAResearch_ImpactofMenopauseOnRetirement_080324.pdf">160,000 women</a> entering menopause each year in Australia (and this number expected to increase with population growth), the <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Menopause/Report/Chapter_3_-_Impact_on_work_and_the_economic_consequences_of_menopause#:%7E:text=3.1This%20chapter%20explores%20the,on%20partners%20or%20family%20members.">financial impacts</a> are substantial. As many as <a href="https://www.superannuation.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ASFAResearch_ImpactofMenopauseOnRetirement_080324.pdf">one in four women</a> may either shift to part-time work, take time out of the workforce, or retire early due to menopause, therefore earning less and paying less into their super. <h2>How can we close this gap?</h2> Even though women are more prone to chronic conditions, until relatively recently, much of medical research has been <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8812498/">done on men</a>. We’re only now beginning to realise important differences in how men and women experience certain conditions (such as <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-neuro-092820-105941">chronic pain</a>). Investing in women’s health research will be important to improve treatments so women are less burdened by chronic conditions. In the 2024–25 federal budget, the government committed $160 million towards <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-ged-kearney-mp/media/reforming-the-health-system-to-improve-sexual-and-reproductive-care">a women’s health package</a> to tackle gender bias in the health system (including cost disparities), upskill medical professionals, and improve sexual and reproductive care. While this reform is welcome, continued, long-term investment into women’s health is crucial.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/243797/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mike-armour-391382">Mike Armour</a>, Associate Professor at NICM Health Research Institute, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amelia-mardon-1505419">Amelia Mardon</a>, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Reproductive Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/danielle-howe-1492317">Danielle Howe</a>, PhD Candidate, NICM Health Research Institute, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hannah-adler-1533549">Hannah Adler</a>, PhD Candidate, Health Communication and Health Sociology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-oshea-457947">Michelle O'Shea</a>, Senior Lecturer, School of Business, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/women-spend-more-of-their-money-on-health-care-than-men-and-no-its-not-just-about-womens-issues-243797">original article</a>. </div>

Caring

Booking a summer holiday deal? Beware ‘drip pricing’ and other tactics to make you pay more than you planned

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jeannie-marie-paterson-6367">Jeannie Marie Paterson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Have you ever spotted what looked like a great deal on a website, added it to your “basket” and proceeded to checkout – only to find extra fees added on at the last minute? It’s frustratingly common when making airline, hotel and many other kinds of bookings to see an advertised price get ratcheted up at checkout with additional fees – perhaps “shipping insurance”, “resort fees” or just “taxes”. The practice is known as “<a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/pricing/price-displays">drip pricing</a>” and it can <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/WH-Junk-Fees-Guide-for-States.pdf">distort</a> consumer decision-making and affect competition. Nonetheless, there is no specific ban on this conduct in Australia. Some companies have, however, effectively been prosecuted for it under the Australian Consumer Law, which contains some strict rules about misleading consumers through advertising. Many of us have already begun booking flights, hotels and more as we head into the summer holiday season. Here’s what the law says about companies changing prices in the lead-up to checkout, and how you can protect yourself as a consumer. <h2>What’s wrong with drip pricing?</h2> The tactic that underpins drip pricing is to draw a customer in with an attractive “headline” price but then add in other fees as the customer approaches the checkout. It’s reasonable to ask whether there’s anything wrong with this practice: after all, the customer still sees the final price at checkout. Why might that be seen as misleading conduct under Australian Consumer Law? The reasons lie in views about consumer buying behaviour and the nature of the statutory prohibition. Typically, the closer a consumer gets to a sale, the less likely they are to pull out or even fully notice any additional fees. They may then end up paying more than they intended and also have lost the opportunity to deal with other suppliers of the same product at a better price. In the relevant section of Australian Consumer Law, there’s no requirement of an intention to mislead. It’s also not necessarily relevant that the true pricing situation is eventually revealed to the consumer or that it’s in the “fine print”. Thus, in the eyes of the law, it can be enough that consumers were enticed by an attractive headline price. <h2>Price surprises</h2> This legal position is well illustrated by a <a href="https://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA/2013/54.html">case</a> settled by the High Court in 2013, after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) took on telecom provider TPG Internet in <a href="https://www.mondaq.com/australia/advertising-marketing-branding/282802/advertising-and-the-acl-fine-print-couldnt-save-tpg-internet-in-the-high-court">2010</a>, alleging misleading conduct. In this case, TPG had been advertising broadband internet services for $29.99 per month. But on reading the fine print, you’d have discovered this deal was only available with a landline service costing an additional $30 per month. The case moved up through Australia’s court system, but ultimately, the High Court majority held that the telco had engaged in misleading conduct. The High Court recognised that the very point of advertising is to draw consumers into “the marketing web”. It is therefore not enough to disclose the true (higher) price only at the point the transaction is concluded. TPG was fined $2 million in this case. Since then, the maximum penalties have increased, now the higher of: <ul> <li>$50 million</li> <li>three times the value obtained from the contravention, or (if the benefit can not be determined)</li> <li>30% of the business’s adjusted turnover during the breach period.</li> </ul> <h2>Dynamic pricing</h2> Other pricing complaints have been in the news recently, including concerns about point-of-sale dynamic pricing. Basically, this means using an algorithm that adjusts ticket prices in response to demand, as consumers wait in a virtual purchasing queue. Recent media reporting has centred on <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-14/ticketmaster-live-nation-dynamic-pricing-tickets-class-action/104469646">concerns</a> about the use of point-of-sale dynamic pricing in the events ticketing industry. A form of dynamic pricing is used by hotels and airlines. They increase prices seasonally and according to demand. But these “dynamic” prices are clearly visible to consumers as they start looking for a deal. Some bodies even publish helpful tables of likely prices at different times. The kind of dynamic pricing that happens at the very point consumers are waiting to buy is very different and arguably creates an “unfair surprise”. Whether these kinds of practices also fall within the category of misleading conduct remains to be seen. But it is arguable that consumers could reasonably expect the real-time movement of prices to be disclosed upfront. Earlier this year, the government announced <a href="https://theconversation.com/albanese-government-promises-to-ban-dodgy-trading-practices-234142">plans</a> to address both drip pricing and dynamic pricing as part of a broader ban on unfair trading practices. <h2>What can consumers do?</h2> While all this law reform and litigation is playing out, here are some things you can do to avoid pricing shock. 1. Slow down. One of the strategies that online markets often rely on is “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/oct/12/accc-suing-coles-woolworths-pricing-strategies-allegations">scarcity signalling</a>” – those clocks or numbers you see counting down as you move through a website. The very purpose of these is to make a consumer rush – which can mean failing to notice those additional fees that may make the buy not a good deal. 2. Take screen shots as you progress. Remember what it is you thought you were getting. Doing this also provides a basis for lodging a complaint if the headline and actual price don’t match up. 3. Check. Take a close look at the final bill before pressing pay. 4. Report. Tell your local Fair Trading Office or the ACCC if the advertised deal and the final price don’t meet up. A recent action taken by the ACCC against <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/sep/23/accc-suing-coles-woolworths-discounts-misleading">Woolworths and Coles</a> alleging “illusory” discounts was launched because of consumer tip-offs.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/244825/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jeannie-marie-paterson-6367">Jeannie Marie Paterson</a>, Professor of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/booking-a-summer-holiday-deal-beware-drip-pricing-and-other-tactics-to-make-you-pay-more-than-you-planned-244825">original article</a>. </div>

Travel Trouble

Australia Post wants to charge more for stamps next year. Here’s why it has to keep letters alive

<div class="theconversation-article-body">By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-alexander-1126222">Paul Alexander</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> Remember back at the turn of the millennium, when sending a small letter only cost 45 cents? If you haven’t used the postal service recently, you might be in for a rude shock. Late last week, it was announced Australia Post had notified the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of a proposal to increase the price of stamps. If ultimately approved by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, the current basic postage rate for a small letter, $1.50, would <a href="https://auspost.com.au/disruptions-and-updates/pricing-updates/bpr-letter-pricing-update">rise</a> to $1.70 by mid-2025. Stamps for regular large and priority small letters would go from $2.20 up to $2.70. There would still be a discounted option for seasonal greetings cards, which would remain at 65 cents. If you’re feeling a sense of déjà vu, that’s because the last basic postage rate <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/decision-basic-postage-rate">increase</a> to $1.50 only just came into effect earlier this year. Like physical cash, letters have arguably been in terminal decline. According to Australia Post, <a href="https://newsroom.auspost.com.au/proposed-stamp-price-increase-as-letters-losses-mount">fewer than 3%</a> of letters are now sent by individuals. The rest are overwhelmingly business and government communications. But for some key groups, the “snail mail” remains a vital service. So why do we need to keep letters alive, and will increasing the price of stamps be enough to do so? <h2>A duty to serve all Australians</h2> As a publicly owned organisation, Australia Post has a range of formal community service obligations (CSOs). These are <a href="https://www.transparency.gov.au/publications/communications-and-the-arts/australian-postal-corporation/australia-post-annual-report-2022-23/other-important-information/community-service-obligations">enshrined in legislation</a> – the Australian Postal Corporation Act 1989. These CSOs were set up to ensure essential postal services are accessible and affordable to all Australians, including those in regional, rural and remote areas. They include providing a universal access to a standard letter service at a uniform price across the country, as well as specific obligations on the frequency, range and speed of mail delivery. Since 2015, Australia Post has been lobbying to reform its community service obligations to <a href="https://www.afr.com/markets/equity-markets/australia-post-posts-222m-loss-letter-posting-in-terminal-decline-20150925-gjup78">better align</a> with changed consumer behaviour and needs. That has led to some changes in what’s expected, including a range of <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/postal-services-modernisation-discussion-paper.pdf">reforms</a> implemented by the Australian government over the past year. These have included <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-12/auspost-to-halve-letter-delivery-frequency-from-monday/103699458">reducing delivery frequency</a> for letters and reallocating resources to parcel delivery, while still maintaining essential services in regional and remote areas and for special interest groups. We are clearly in a broader transition to new CSOs – and a new role for Australia Post. Much of that comes down to the difficulty of delivering letters. <h2>The long decline of letters</h2> In the last financial year, Australia Post’s letter volumes <a href="https://newsroom.auspost.com.au/proposed-stamp-price-increase-as-letters-losses-mount">fell</a> by almost 13%, which the company said led to a loss of $361.8 million. But this is nothing new. From a peak in 2008, letter delivery volumes have been <a href="https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/ensuring-australia-post-can-deliver-more-australians">plummeting</a> for more than a decade. <figure class="align-right "><figcaption></figcaption></figure> Australia Post <a href="https://newsroom.auspost.com.au/proposed-stamp-price-increase-as-letters-losses-mount">says</a> they’re now at levels not seen since the 1950s. Remember, in 1955, the Australian population was only 9.2 million people. Parallels with declining cash usage highlight our aversion to doing things with paper. Cash use in Australia has also fallen to historic lows, forcing the government to step in with a plan to <a href="https://theconversation.com/businesses-will-have-to-accept-cash-for-essentials-under-government-plan-243899">keep it alive for essentials</a>. <h2>All or nothing</h2> A key conundrum is that we can’t keep letters half-alive. For all Australians to be able post letters on a scheduled basis with fast delivery requires Australia Post to maintain a complete letter network across the entire nation. The overall costs of operating this – while not specifically itemised publicly – include maintaining delivery routes and retail outlets, paying employee wages and investing in infrastructure. Naturally, increasing the cost of sending letters will discourage businesses from doing so, shrinking the market ever more. But because the size of the mail delivery network does not shrink proportionately, this can cause outsize problems for Australia Post. Australia is not unique. Postal services around the world have felt <a href="https://www.upu.int/en/publications/physical-postal-services/strategies-and-ways-for-developing-the-traditional-letterpost-documents-market">similar pressures</a>, many of which have diversified into parcel logistics and offering other digital services. <h2>Could we just lose letters?</h2> There are three core demographics in Australian society that still need to send and receive physical mail. These are: <ul> <li> older Australians, particularly those who are less familiar with or have limited access to digital platforms </li> <li> residents of regional and remote areas with limited internet connectivity </li> <li> concessional users for whom discounted mail is the most affordable form of important communications. </li> </ul> At the very least, these groups all need to have a guaranteed ability to send and receive official information. That includes bank statements, legal notices, utility bills and government correspondence, such as electoral information. Less critical, but still socially important and likely not to be terminated, is delivery of cards and letters for personal milestones, holidays or other events. That puts Australia Post in a tricky position. It likely cannot maintain such large mail delivery infrastructure unless it does so at increasing losses. That also reduces its ability to provide other, more relevant services and can blunt its competitiveness in the parcel delivery market. <h2>Letters as small parcels</h2> For Australia Post, one solution may lie in leveraging its <a href="https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/2024-australia-post-annual-report.pdf">thriving</a> parcels delivery network. Given the essential user base for mail delivery is now so small, it makes sense for letters to be “special” delivery services, much as courier document services are now. Parcel home delivery resources could take this mail the last mile. This would be much more expensive per item for Australia Post. But if the market continued to decrease in volume, it would minimise total costs. It would also allow the government to provide a targeted subsidy if required.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/244503/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-alexander-1126222">Paul Alexander</a>, Adjunct Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-post-wants-to-charge-more-for-stamps-next-year-heres-why-it-has-to-keep-letters-alive-244503">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

What’s the difference between gelato and ice cream? One contains more air

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/evangeline-mantzioris-153250">Evangeline Mantzioris</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> As the weather gets warmer, it’s the perfect time for ice cream or a gelato. Who am I kidding? It’s the perfect time year round. But what’s the difference between gelato and ice cream? Not everyone agrees. Some people say they’re made with <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/gelato-vs-ice-cream-8609179">different amounts of fat</a>. Others say it’s all about the <a href="https://www.thespruceeats.com/whats-the-difference-between-gelato-and-ice-cream-909197#:%7E:text=Gelato%20is%20churned%20at%20a,much%20as%2050%20percent%20air.">air content</a>. To add to the confusion, gelato is the Italian word for any type of ice cream. But in Australia, gelato refers to the frozen dessert of Italian origin. <h2>How are they similar?</h2> Ice cream and gelato are both sweet desserts served cold. They both contain varying amounts of cream, milk, sugar, flavours, and sometimes eggs. The fat component from the cream provides the richness, smoothness and body. Eggs are normally associated with gelato but can also be added to ice cream to enhance the richness. Most commercial ice creams and gelato also contain <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-emulsifiers-bad-not-enough-evidence-to-say-we-should-stop-eating-them-121325">emulsifiers</a>. These are food additives that act as a stabiliser by preventing liquids that normally don’t mix from separating. Emulsifiers <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41575-024-00893-5#Sec11">have been linked</a> to <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11345991/">numerous gut symptoms</a>. However most of the evidence comes from laboratory and animal studies, and there is <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41575-024-00893-5/tables/2">limited robust evidence of this in humans</a>. Ice cream and gelato are both made by churning (whipping) the ingredients, leading to air bubbles forming. In fact, it’s the air bubbles that allow us to eat these desserts frozen. It gives them a palatable texture and mouthfeel by making the mixture softer and lighter. Imagine how hard it would be to eat a hard lump of frozen dessert. Many people assume both ice cream and gelato are good sources of calcium, presumably because they’re made from dairy products. But due to the low proportions of milk (it’s mostly cream, which contains less calcium), they both only provide about 65 milligrams of calcium per half cup. That’s <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/nutrients/calcium">about 7%</a> of the daily calcium requirements for adults aged 19-50. They also both contain small amounts of protein – about 2-3 grams per half cup. That’s only about 5% of your <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/nutrients/protein">daily protein requirements</a>. So ice cream and gelato are not a valuable source of calcium and protein, making them of low nutritional value. That’s why they’re regarded as “<a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/australian-guide-healthy-eating">sometimes</a>” foods. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/633714/original/file-20241121-15-36t0ln.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/633714/original/file-20241121-15-36t0ln.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/633714/original/file-20241121-15-36t0ln.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/633714/original/file-20241121-15-36t0ln.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/633714/original/file-20241121-15-36t0ln.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/633714/original/file-20241121-15-36t0ln.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/633714/original/file-20241121-15-36t0ln.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Gelato vs ice cream" /><figcaption>The Conversation, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></figcaption></figure> <h2>How are they different?</h2> It’s about the air The <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/On_Food_and_Cooking/bKVCtH4AjwgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA8&printsec=frontcover">speed</a> at which the mixture is churned can determine the amount of air it contains. This impacts the product’s thickness and smoothness. Ice cream is traditionally <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/On_Food_and_Cooking/bKVCtH4AjwgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA8&printsec=frontcover">churned faster</a> <a href="https://eu.venchi.com/blog/italian-gelato-vs-icecream">than gelato</a>. This means more air is incorporated, making it feel fluffy and creamy compared to gelato, which tends to feels thicker and richer. It’s about the ice Churning at a slower speed, as you would typically for gelato, also <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/On_Food_and_Cooking/bKVCtH4AjwgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA8&printsec=frontcover">increases the size of ice crystals</a>. Large ice crystals give a coarse icy texture, compared to a creamier texture from smaller ice crystals in ice cream. How about the fat? Although many websites say ice cream <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/gelato-vs-ice-cream-8609179">contains more fat</a> than gelato, this is a tricky one to tease out. In Australia, <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2015L00424/latest/text">food standards</a> say ice cream should contain at least 100g milk fat per kilogram (or 10% milk fat). So products with less fat need to be called something else – frozen dessert, iced confection, even gelato. So, in theory, a lower-fat product made the same way as ice cream could be called gelato. Non-dairy products made the same way as ice cream could also be called gelato. So how much milk fat does gelato need to contain? I can’t find any legal requirements in Australia or elsewhere. <a href="https://www.masterclass.com/articles/ice-cream-vs-gelato-vs-sherbet-vs-sorbet">Cooking websites</a> often refer to it having 4-9% milk fat. But depending on the recipe, it could be higher. Fat content also differs from flavour to flavour. For example, if you compare the nutritional content of half a cup of vanilla ice cream with half a cup of vanilla gelato, the ice cream has 2g more fat. Other flavours will give different results. How about the sugar or kilojules? If we just compare half a cup of vanilla ice cream with half a cup of vanilla gelato, the gelato has about 3g more sugar. Again, different flavours will give different results. The difference in kilojoules is very small – 15kJ per half cup. <h2>Overall, which one’s healthier?</h2> Effectively there is little difference nutritionally between ice cream and gelato. But brands and flavours vary considerably. They each use different amounts of cream, eggs and other ingredients. So kilojoule, fat and sugar content can vary considerably too. Should you still eat them? Yes, absolutely if you enjoy them. However, both are classified as sometimes foods due to their added sugar and low level of nutrients. And perhaps limit your serve size.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/238988/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/evangeline-mantzioris-153250">Evangeline Mantzioris</a>, Program Director of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Accredited Practising Dietitian, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-gelato-and-ice-cream-one-contains-more-air-238988">original article</a>. </div>

Food & Wine

Is thunderstorm asthma becoming more common?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kira-morgan-hughes-1520392">Kira Morgan Hughes</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> When spring arrives, so do warnings about thunderstorm asthma. But a decade ago, most of us hadn’t heard of it. So where did thunderstorm asthma come from? Is it a new phenomenon? In 2016, the world’s most <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(18)30120-7/fulltext">catastrophic thunderstorm asthma</a> event took Melbourne by surprise. An increase in warnings and monitoring is partly a response to this. But there are also signs climate change may be exacerbating the likelihood of thunderstorm asthma, with more extreme weather, extended pollen seasons and a rise in Australians reporting hay fever. <h2>A landmark catastrophe</h2> The first time many Australians heard of thunderstorm asthma was in November 2016, when a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(18)30120-7/fulltext">major event</a> rocked Melbourne. During a late night storm, an estimated <a href="https://www.jaci-inpractice.org/action/showFullTableHTML?isHtml=true&tableId=tbl1&pii=S2213-2198%2820%2931133-8">10,000 people</a> were rushed to hospitals with severe asthma attacks. With thousands of calls on emergency lines, ambulances and emergency departments were unprepared to handle the rapid increase in people needing urgent medical care. Tragically, ten of those people died. This was the most catastrophic thunderstorm asthma event in recorded history and the first time deaths have ever occurred anywhere in the world. In response, the Victorian Department of Health <a href="https://www.health.vic.gov.au/environmental-health/epidemic-thunderstorm-asthma-program">implemented initiatives</a>, including public awareness campaigns and improvements to health and emergency services, to be ready for future thunderstorm asthma events. A network of <a href="https://www.melbournepollen.com.au/faqs/how-has-epidemic-thunderstorm-asthma-forecasting-system-been-developed/">pollen monitoring stations</a> was also set up across the state to gather data that helps to predict future events. <h2>A problem for decades</h2> While this event was unexpected, it wasn’t the first time we’d had thunderstorm asthma in Australia – we’ve actually known about it for decades. Melbourne reported its first instance of thunderstorm asthma back in 1984, only a year after this phenomenon was <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(85)91510-7/fulltext">first discovered</a> in Birmingham in the United Kingdom. Thunderstorm asthma has since been reported in other parts of Australia, including Canberra and New South Wales. But it is still most common in Melbourne. Compared to any other city (or country) the gap is significant: over a quarter of all known events worldwide have <a href="https://www.jaci-inpractice.org/article/S2213-2198(20)31133-8/fulltext">occurred in Melbourne</a>. <h2>Why Melbourne?</h2> Melbourne’s location makes it a hotspot for these kinds of events. Winds coming from the north of Melbourne tend to be dry and hot as they come from deserts in the centre of Australia, while winds from the south are cooler as they come from the ocean. When hot and cool air mix above Melbourne, it creates the perfect conditions for <a href="https://dro.deakin.edu.au/articles/thesis/Enemies_of_the_air_beware_impact_of_weather_parameters_on_airborne_allergens_and_asthma_presentations/21118435">thunderstorms</a> to form. Northern winds also blow a lot of pollen from farmlands into the city, in particular grass pollen. This is not only the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/bf02136145">most common cause</a> of seasonal hay fever in Melbourne but also a <a href="https://karger.com/iaa/article-abstract/116/4/253/163752/Thunderstorm-Asthma-Due-to-Grass-Pollen?redirectedFrom=fulltext">major trigger of thunderstorm asthma</a>. <h2>Why grass pollen?</h2> There’s a particular reason grass pollen is the main culprit behind thunderstorm asthma in Australia. During storms there is a lot of moisture in the air. Grass pollen will absorb this moisture, making it swell up like a water balloon. If pollen absorbs too much water whilst airborne, it can burst or “<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PII0140-6736(92)90864-Y/fulltext">rupture</a>,” releasing hundreds of microscopic particles into the air that can be swept by powerful winds. Normally, when you breathe in pollen it gets stuck in your upper airway – for example, your nose and throat. This is what causes typical hay fever symptoms such as sneezing or runny nose. But the microscopic particles released from ruptured grass pollen are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22794674/">much smaller</a> and don’t get stuck as easily in the upper airway. Instead, they can travel deep into your airways until they reach your lungs. This may trigger more severe symptoms, such as wheezing or difficulty breathing, even in people with <a href="https://publications.ersnet.org/content/erj/16/1/3">no prior history of asthma</a>. <h2>So who is at risk?</h2> You might think asthma is the biggest risk factor for thunderstorm asthma. In fact, the biggest risk factor is hay fever. Up to <a href="https://www.resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(17)30351-7/fulltext">99% of patients</a> who went to the emergency department during the Melbourne 2016 event had hay fever, while a majority (60%) had no prior diagnosis of asthma. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24745332.2020.1727301">Every single person</a> hospitalised was allergic to at least one type of grass pollen. All had a sensitivity to <a href="https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/grains-research-development/annual-ryegrass">ryegrass</a>. <h2>Is thunderstorm asthma becoming more common?</h2> Thunderstorm asthma events are rare, with just <a href="https://www.jaci-inpractice.org/article/S2213-2198(20)31133-8/fulltext">26 events</a> officially recorded worldwide. However there is evidence these events could become more frequent and severe in coming years, due to climate change. Higher temperatures and pollution could be making <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30015-4/fulltext">plants produce more pollen</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/imj.13699">pollen seasons last much longer</a>. Extreme weather events, including thunderstorms, are also expected to become <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/all.14177">more common and severe</a>. In addition, there are signs rates that hay fever may be increasing. The number of Australians reporting allergy symptoms have risen from <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-respiratory-conditions/allergic-rhinitis-hay-fever-in-australia/summary">15%</a> in 2008 to <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/health-conditions-prevalence/latest-release">24%</a> in 2022. <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4356643/">Similar trends in other countries</a> has been linked to climate change. <h2>How can I prepare?</h2> Here are three ways you can reduce your risk of thunderstorm asthma: <ul> <li> stock up on allergy medication and set up an <a href="https://asthma.org.au/manage-asthma/asthma-action-plan/">asthma action plan</a> with your GP </li> <li> check daily <a href="https://www.pollenforecast.com.au/">pollen forecasts</a> for the estimated pollen level and risk of a thunderstorm asthma event in your local area </li> <li> on days with high pollen or a high risk of thunderstorm asthma, spend less time outside or wear a <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8431835/">surgical face mask</a> to reduce your symptoms.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/243929/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> </li> </ul> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kira-morgan-hughes-1520392">Kira Morgan Hughes</a>, PhD Candidate in Allergy and Asthma, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-thunderstorm-asthma-becoming-more-common-243929">original article</a>. </div>

Body

No more Mr Nice Guy: Tom Hanks blows up at movie critics

Tom Hanks has taken aim at movie critics in a heated on Conan O'Brien's podcast, calling out the entire review section of the entertainment industry. The Hollywood actor launched into his tirade on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast as he looked at how movie reviews and the general audience reception to films has changed over the years. “Now what happened is that time has become one of the metrics for how these things matter, right?” he said. “In the day it was just a fist fight. It was every movie you came out, are you going to make the playoffs or not? Guess what? No, kid, you’re 2 and 12 and you ain’t going nowhere. Or, you got a shot.” “It used to be you had these Rubicons that you crossed,” he continued. “First of all, do you love it or not? That’s the first thing. Yes, okay, you have crossed the Rubicon, right? The next Rubicon you cross is when the movie is completely done a year and a half later, and you see it for the first time, and you might like it. It doesn’t matter if it works or not, you look at it and say, ‘Hey, I think we acquitted ourselves pretty good.’ That’s Rubicon No. 2.” Hanks went on, “Then the critics weigh in, that’s Rubicon No. 3, and that’s always up down. ‘We hate it, we like it. This is the worst thing … Oh hey, oh hi Tom, I saw you in a movie. It was cute.’” “That’s when you ask the wife, ‘Hey, honey, could you take the revolver out of the glove box and hide it somewhere, because I think…,” Hanks joked. Podcast host O'Brien then brought up that Hanks was initially “disappointed” with his 1996 film That Thing You Do!, which marked his directorial debut, but the movie has since become a cult classic in pop culture. “Let me tell you something about these c***suckers who write about movies,” Hanks responded, before asking O’Brien and his co-hosts, “Can I say that?” “Somebody who wrote about it is, ‘Tom Hanks has to stop hanging around with veterans of TV, because this is just like the shot on TV and it’s not much of anything,’” Hanks recalled. “That same person then wrote about the cult classic That Thing You Do! Same exact person. They said, ‘All you need is 20 years between now and then, and it ends up speaking some words.’” Image credits: Shutterstock

Movies

"Happy wives, happy social lives?" Men are more emotionally disconnected than women – what can be done about it?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/roger-patulny-94836">Roger Patulny</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/hong-kong-baptist-university-2801">Hong Kong Baptist University</a> Many of us are worried about loneliness and isolation, and both <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-be-fooled-loneliness-affects-men-too-15545">decade-old</a> and <a href="https://www.relationshipsnsw.org.au/blog/how-many-australians-are-lonely/">recent data</a> suggest they impact men more than women. Loneliness predicts health outcomes including <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1745691614568352">early mortality</a>, greater <a href="https://hqlo.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12955-022-01946-6">psychological distress</a>, and more <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41572-022-00355-9">cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological problems</a>. New research also links loneliness to <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-18770-w">more intolerant attitudes towards women</a>. These findings raise concerns over the causes and impacts of men’s loneliness and isolation. <h2>A deep dive into loneliness</h2> I recently analysed more than 50 indicators from a decade of data collected by the <a href="https://www.acspri.org.au/aussa">Australian Social Attitudes Survey</a>, from 2011–12, 2015–16, 2017–18, and 2022–23. My statistical models produced results for (self-identified) men and women, after controlling for the impacts of age, employment and partner status. I confirmed that Australian men are more likely to be socially and emotionally disconnected than women. I also found some reasons why this might be the case. I found men appear to focus their emotional energies primarily on their nuclear families and partners. Consequently, they over-rely on their female partners for intimate support and develop more distant, limited and transactional relationships with other people – and other men. <h2>Men are more emotionally disconnected</h2> The data show men continue to lack emotional support on a range of indicators. This puts them at greater risk of health impacts and potentially encourages more toxic attitudes towards women. A significantly greater proportion of men than women reported: <ul> <li>receiving no support from their closest friend</li> <li>receiving fun/practical advice over emotional support from close friends</li> <li>having less contact with a close friend</li> <li>not having anyone for emotional support</li> <li>not feeling “very close” to their closest friend</li> <li>not feeling “love” as their most commonly experienced emotion in the last week.</li> </ul> <h2>Men have more distant, transactional relationships</h2> Why are men in this situation? Masculinity roles are clearly influential. Traditional masculinity encourages men to appear capable, controlled and independent, avoid displays of “vulnerable” emotions or male-to-male affection (like hugging, touch or crying), and embrace the hetero-normative ideal of male provision and leadership. Such norms have been found to constrain male intimacy <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37531906/">by disallowing vulnerability</a>. My data show men tend to develop looser, transactional ties with more distant people. This may reduce the quality of the connection and its potential to reduce loneliness. I have found men are more likely than women to: <ul> <li>think it is OK to befriend someone just because they’ll make a “useful” contact</li> <li>feel obligated to repay favours immediately (foregoing longer-term connections)</li> <li>be kind to others because they “value doing the right thing”, rather than because they empathically connect with or care about the person</li> <li>give and receive kindness from strangers (rather than more familiar people)</li> <li>seek help with household jobs from more distant family or friends</li> <li>seek practical support (money, advice) from private and commercial sources (rather than friends or family)</li> <li>not seek help from family or friends for emotional, sickness or care issues.</li> </ul> This means many men retain an individualist masculine desire to remain emotionally aloof. <hr /> <iframe id="TBJfz" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/TBJfz/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>Appearing in control but becoming dependent?</h2> So where do men turn for intimate, emotional connection? Most often, their families. Prior studies show partnered men are <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-024-18770-w">less lonely than single men</a>. My data show men revere the nuclear family institution and the core supportive role of women and female partners. Men are more likely than women to: <ul> <li>believe having children increases their social standing</li> <li>believe family is more important than friends</li> <li>rely on family over friends for support</li> <li>have mixed-gender friendships (in contrast to womens’ predominately female friendships)</li> <li>see their (predominantly female) partner as their closest friend</li> <li>emotionally support their (predominantly female) partner ahead of supporting others.</li> </ul> However, the masculine desire to be a “good nuclear family man” <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37531906/">can both support and impede</a> men’s social connection. Partnered men might feel less lonely but that doesn’t mean they give or gain sufficient emotional support from their nuclear families. My data show men are less likely than women to: <ul> <li>plan or organise social and family activities</li> <li>have at least weekly contact with non-nuclear family or friends</li> <li>emotionally support their friends, family or children ahead of their partners</li> <li>have their partner support them ahead of others (women were more likely to support their children first).</li> </ul> This raises several issues. If men cling to the notion that their primary role is to provide for and support their (female) partner – while she in turn emotionally supports everyone else – they risk becoming personally isolated through diminished networks and outmoded expectations. In this context, men who believe they should earn more than their partners <a href="https://theconversation.com/loneliness-in-the-workplace-is-greatest-among-men-with-traditional-views-about-being-the-breadwinner-230535">are lonelier</a> than other men. It also risks pushing the burden of maintaining social and emotional connections onto <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a27259689/toxic-masculinity-male-friendships-emotional-labor-men-rely-on-women/">women and partners</a>, and men becoming socially and emotionally dependent on them. And it can “bake in” hetero-normative family-to-family interactions (organised by female partners) as the most “legitimate” form of socialising for men. This can be highly exclusionary for LGBTQIA+ people, along with single men and single fathers, who register among <a href="https://www.relationships.org.au/relationship-indicators/">the highest rates of loneliness in Australia</a>. <hr /> <iframe id="qCmHw" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/qCmHw/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>How can men become more emotionally connected?</h2> Feelings shouldn’t be seen as just a <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a27259689/toxic-masculinity-male-friendships-emotional-labor-men-rely-on-women/">“female thing”</a>. Younger men’s more inclusive masculine attitudes can allow them to <a href="https://theconversation.com/he-is-always-there-to-listen-friendships-between-young-men-are-more-than-just-beers-and-banter-200301">subvert the “rules” of masculinity</a>, express emotion and embrace <a href="https://theconversation.com/he-is-always-there-to-listen-friendships-between-young-men-are-more-than-just-beers-and-banter-200301">“bromances”</a>. Men can also connect emotionally with other men through <a href="https://theconversation.com/he-is-always-there-to-listen-friendships-between-young-men-are-more-than-just-beers-and-banter-200301">jokes and humour</a> and participating in shared activities <a href="https://theconversation.com/lost-touch-with-friends-during-lockdown-heres-how-to-reconnect-and-let-go-of-toxic-ones-172853">that allow incidental communication</a>, like Men’s Sheds. The following initiatives may well help men broaden their intimate networks beyond the nuclear family. We could:<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/239194/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <ul> <li>help men into caring roles through more <a href="https://theconversation.com/loneliness-in-the-workplace-is-greatest-among-men-with-traditional-views-about-being-the-breadwinner-230535">family friendly employment and care-leave policies</a></li> <li>support initiatives such as <a href="https://meninmind.movember.com/">Movember Men in Mind</a> that encourage men to seek help, and improve their emotional expression and support skills</li> <li>encourage partnered, heterosexual men to broaden and diversify their intimate networks beyond the nuclear family bubble, and be more inclusive of single men, single fathers, and LGBTQIA+ people. <a href="https://thephn.com.au/news/the-mens-table-successful-mental-health-initiative-expanding-across-seven-new-regions">Men’s Table initiatives</a> could be of great value here</li> <li>encourage the development of more online <a href="https://theconversation.com/he-is-always-there-to-listen-friendships-between-young-men-are-more-than-just-beers-and-banter-200301">safe spaces</a> to form intimate bonds while avoiding toxic online masculine spaces.</li> </ul> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/roger-patulny-94836">Roger Patulny</a>, Professor, Academy of Geography, Sociology and International Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/hong-kong-baptist-university-2801">Hong Kong Baptist University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/happy-wives-happy-social-lives-men-are-more-emotionally-disconnected-than-women-what-can-be-done-about-it-239194">original article</a>. </div>

Mind

Are older adults more vulnerable to scams? What psychologists have learned about who’s most susceptible, and when

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/natalie-c-ebner-1527554">Natalie C. Ebner</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-florida-1392">University of Florida</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/didem-pehlivanoglu-1527551">Didem Pehlivanoglu</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-florida-1392">University of Florida</a> About 1 in 6 Americans <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/2020-census-united-states-older-population-grew.html">are age 65 or older</a>, and that percentage <a href="https://www.ncoa.org/article/get-the-facts-on-older-americans">is projected to grow</a>. Older adults often hold positions of power, have retirement savings accumulated over the course of their lifetimes, and make important financial and health-related decisions – all of which makes them attractive targets for financial exploitation. In 2021, there were more than 90,000 older victims of fraud, according to the FBI. These cases resulted in <a href="https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2021_IC3ElderFraudReport.pdf">US$1.7 billion in losses</a>, a 74% increase compared with 2020. Even so, that may be a significant undercount, since embarrassment or lack of awareness <a href="https://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/econ/fraud-victims-11.pdf">keeps some victims from reporting</a>. <a href="https://ncea.acl.gov/elder-abuse#gsc.tab=0">Financial exploitation</a> represents one of the most common forms of elder abuse. Perpetrators are often individuals in the victims’ inner social circles – family members, caregivers or friends – but can also be strangers. When older adults experience financial fraud, they typically <a href="https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/federal.trade.commission/viz/AgeandFraud/Infographic">lose more money</a> than younger victims. Those losses can have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/sj.2012.11">devastating consequences</a>, especially since older adults have limited time to recoup – dramatically reducing their independence, health and well-being. But older adults have been largely neglected in research on this burgeoning type of crime. We are <a href="https://ebnerlab.psych.ufl.edu/natalie-c-ebner-phd/">psychologists who study social cognition</a> and <a href="https://ebnerlab.psych.ufl.edu/didem-pehlivanoglu/">decision-making</a>, and <a href="https://ebnerlab.psych.ufl.edu/">our research lab</a> at the University of Florida is aimed at understanding the factors that shape vulnerability to deception in adulthood and aging. <h2>Defining vulnerability</h2> Financial exploitation involves a variety of exploitative tactics, such as coercion, manipulation, undue influence and, frequently, some sort of deception. The majority of current research focuses on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3052">people’s ability to distinguish between truth and lies</a> during interpersonal communication. However, deception occurs in many contexts – increasingly, over the internet. Our lab conducts laboratory experiments and real-world studies to measure susceptibility under various conditions: investment games, lie/truth scenarios, phishing emails, text messages, fake news and deepfakes – fabricated videos or images that are created by artificial intelligence technology. To study how people respond to deception, we use measures like surveys, brain imaging, behavior, eye movement and heart rate. We also collect health-related biomarkers, such as being a carrier of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8346443/">gene variants</a> that increase risk for Alzheimer’s disease, to identify individuals with particular vulnerability. And <a href="https://doi.org/10.20900/agmr20230007">our work</a> shows that an older adult’s ability to detect deception is not just about their individual characteristics. It also depends on how they are being targeted. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/593784/original/file-20240513-16-j9zy1i.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/593784/original/file-20240513-16-j9zy1i.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/593784/original/file-20240513-16-j9zy1i.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=339&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593784/original/file-20240513-16-j9zy1i.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=339&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593784/original/file-20240513-16-j9zy1i.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=339&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593784/original/file-20240513-16-j9zy1i.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593784/original/file-20240513-16-j9zy1i.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/593784/original/file-20240513-16-j9zy1i.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A figure with two circles and an arrow between them. One circle shows icons that symbolize individual susceptibility to deception -- like a brain, and a walking cane -- while the other has icons of types of deception, like mail or a text message." /></a><figcaption>Vulnerability depends not only on the person, but also the type of fraud being used. Natalie Ebner and Didem Pehlivanoglu</figcaption></figure> <h2>Individual risk factors</h2> Better cognition, social and emotional capacities, and brain health are all associated with less susceptibility to deception. Cognitive functions, such as how quickly our brain processes information and how well we remember it, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619827511">decline with age</a> and impact decision-making. For example, among people around 70 years of age or older, declines in analytical thinking are associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000426">reduced ability to detect false news stories</a>. Additionally, low memory function in aging is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gby036">greater susceptibility to email phishing</a>. Further, according to recent <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/osf/6f2y9">research</a>, this correlation is specifically pronounced among older adults who carry a gene variant that is a genetic risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life. Indeed, some research suggests that greater financial exploitability may serve as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104773">an early marker</a> of disease-related cognitive decline. Social and emotional influences are also crucial. Negative mood can enhance somebody’s ability to detect lies, while <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000426">positive mood in very old</a> age can impair a person’s ability to detect fake news. Lack of support and loneliness exacerbate susceptibility to deception. Social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glaa077">increased reliance on online platforms</a>, and older adults with lower digital literacy are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnac188">more vulnerable to fraudulent emails and robocalls</a>. Finally, an individual’s brain and body responses play a critical role in susceptibility to deception. One important factor is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2020.10.007">interoceptive awareness</a>: the ability to accurately read our own body’s signals, like a “gut feeling.” This awareness is correlated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igad104.3714">better lie detection</a> in older adults. According to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glx051">a first study</a>, financially exploited older adults had a significantly smaller size of insula – a brain region key to integrating bodily signals with environmental cues – than older adults who had been exposed to the same threat but avoided it. Reduced insula activity is also related to greater difficulty <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1218518109">picking up on cues</a> that make someone appear less trustworthy. <h2>Types of effective fraud</h2> Not all deception is equally effective on everyone. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3336141">Our findings</a> show that email phishing that relies on reciprocation – people’s tendency to repay what another person has provided them – was more effective on older adults. Younger adults, on the other hand, were more likely to fall for phishing emails that employed scarcity: people’s tendency to perceive an opportunity as more valuable if they are told its availability is limited. For example, an email might alert you that a coin collection from the 1950s has become available for a special reduced price if purchased within the next 24 hours. There is also evidence that as we age, we have greater difficulty detecting the “wolf in sheep’s clothing”: someone who appears trustworthy, but is not acting in a trustworthy way. In <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50500-x">a card-based gambling game</a>, we found that compared with their younger counterparts, older adults are more likely to select decks presented with trustworthy-looking faces, even though those decks consistently resulted in negative payouts. Even after learning about untrustworthy behavior, older adults showed greater difficulty overcoming their initial impressions. <h2>Reducing vulnerability</h2> Identifying who is especially at risk for financial exploitation in aging is crucial for preventing victimization. We believe interventions should be tailored, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. For example, perhaps machine learning algorithms could someday determine the most dangerous types of deceptive messages that certain groups encounter – such as in text messages, emails or social media platforms – and provide on-the-spot warnings. Black and Hispanic consumers are <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/combating-fraud-african-american-latino-communities-ftcs-comprehensive-strategic-plan-federal-trade/160615fraudreport.pdf">more likely to be victimized</a>, so there is also a dire need for interventions that resonate with their communities. Prevention efforts would benefit from taking a holistic approach to help older adults reduce their vulnerability to scams. Training in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-019-01259-7">financial, health</a> and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-08437-0.pdf">digital literacy</a> are important, but so are programs to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10363-1">address loneliness</a>. People of all ages need to keep these lessons in mind when interacting with online content or strangers – but not only then. Unfortunately, financial exploitation often comes from individuals close to the victim.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/227991/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/natalie-c-ebner-1527554">Natalie C. Ebner</a>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-florida-1392">University of Florida</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/didem-pehlivanoglu-1527551">Didem Pehlivanoglu</a>, Postdoctoral Researcher, Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-florida-1392">University of Florida</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-older-adults-more-vulnerable-to-scams-what-psychologists-have-learned-about-whos-most-susceptible-and-when-227991">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

"One more shot": Nick Kyrgios makes major career announcement

After two years of dealing with an injury, Nick Kyrgios has made a major announcement about his career future. The 29-year-old Aussie tennis champion has confirmed he will be returning to the court for Australian Open in 2025, after not playing any professional tennis for 492 days. His last match dates all the way back to June 13th in 2023, which he lost against China’s Yibing Wu before he took a step back from the court to deal with serious knee and wrist injuries. While many fans have speculated whether he would ever return to the sport, Kyrgios made the announcement himself while speaking at South by South West (SXSW) in Sydney on Thursday. “The injury I had was brutal,” he said as a keynote speaker on stage. “The surgeon said I probably wouldn’t be able to play again. But I said whatever, just try and get me another 2-3 years of my career." “Everything has gone semi-well and I will be playing the Australia Open this summer.” While on his hiatus from playing, Kyrios has dabbled in the world of commentating, but he admitted it has been tough to sit on the sidelines for so long. “It’s been a brutal last couple of years ... but just being out there to play in front of a home crowd ... I just want to be out there, lighting up the crowd and playing in front of my own country,” Kyrios added. “Whether it is good or bad, it will certainly be a lot of fun, for sure. I am looking forward to it. “My only motivation to come back and play is to try and win a grand slam, and I’ll give it one more shot.” Image credits: Getty Images

News

Why hurricanes like Milton in the US and cyclones in Australia are becoming more intense and harder to predict

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-dowdy-119002">Andrew Dowdy</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/liz-ritchie-tyo-1509061">Liz Ritchie-Tyo</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/savin-chand-1351050">Savin Chand</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/federation-university-australia-780">Federation University Australia</a> Tropical cyclones, known as hurricanes and typhoons in other parts of the world, have caused huge damage in many places recently. The United States has just been hit by <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?start">Hurricane Milton</a>, within two weeks of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-hurricane-helene-became-a-deadly-disaster-across-six-states-240522">Hurricane Helene</a>. Climate change <a href="https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-change-key-driver-of-catastrophic-impacts-of-hurricane-helene-that-devastated-both-coastal-and-inland-communities/">likely made their impacts worse</a>. In Australia, the tropical cyclone season (November to April) is approaching. The Bureau of Meteorology this week released its <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/cyclones/australia/">long-range forecast</a> for this season. It predicts an average number of tropical cyclones, 11, are likely to form in the region. Four are expected to cross the Australian coast. However, the risk of severe cyclones is higher than average. So what does an average number actually mean in our rapidly changing climate? And why is there a higher risk of intense cyclones? The bureau’s forecast is consistent with scientific evidence suggesting climate change is likely to result in fewer but more severe tropical cyclones. They are now more likely to bring stronger winds and <a href="https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/28/1251/2024/hess-28-1251-2024.pdf">more intense rain and flooding</a>. <h2>Climate change is making prediction harder</h2> Our knowledge of tropical cyclones and climate change is based on multiple lines of evidence <a href="https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0189.1">globally</a> and for the Australian region. This work includes our studies based on <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01388-4">observations</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00382-018-4497-4">modelling</a>. The bureau’s seasonal outlook in recent years has assumed an average of 11 tropical cyclones occurring in our region (covering an area of the southern tropics between longitudes 90°E and 160°E). It’s based on the average value for all years back to 1969. However, for the past couple of decades the annual average is below nine tropical cyclones. In earlier decades, it was over 12. This long-term downward trend adds to the challenge of seasonal predictions. The most recent above-average season (assuming an average of 11) was almost 20 years ago, in the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/tropical-cyclone-knowledge-centre/history/climatology/">2005–06 summer with 12 tropical cyclones</a>. Since then, any prediction of above-average tropical cyclone seasons has not eventuated. <h2>El Niño and La Niña influences may be changing too</h2> Historical observations suggest more tropical cyclones tend to occur near Australia during La Niña events. This is a result of warm, moist water and air near Australia, compared with El Niño events. The shifting between El Niño and La Niña states in the Pacific region is known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Such events can be predicted with a useful degree of accuracy several months ahead in some cases. For example, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has <a href="https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evolution-status-fcsts-web.pdf">forecast</a>: <blockquote> La Niña is favored to emerge in September–November (71% chance) and is expected to persist through January–March 2025. </blockquote> Based on that, one might expect a higher-than-average number of tropical cyclones for the Australian region. However, the <a href="https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/asl2.502">ENSO influence on tropical cyclones has weakened</a> in our region. It’s another factor that’s making long-range predictions harder. The <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/outlook/">bureau’s ENSO outlook</a> is somewhat closer to neutral ENSO conditions, based on its modelling, compared to NOAA’s leaning more toward La Niña. The bureau says: <blockquote> Should La Niña form in the coming months, it is forecast to be relatively weak and short-lived. </blockquote> The bureau’s prediction of an average number of tropical cyclones this season is broadly consistent with its prediction of close-to-average ENSO conditions. <h2>So what does this all mean for this cyclone season?</h2> If we end up getting an average Australian season for the current climate, this might actually mean fewer tropical cyclones than the historical average. The number might be closer to eight or nine rather than 11 or 12. (Higher or lower values than this range are still possible.) However, those that do occur could have an increased chance of being <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/tropical-cyclone-knowledge-centre/understanding/categories/">category 4 or 5 tropical cyclones</a>. These have stronger winds, with gusts typically exceeding 225km per hour, and are more likely to cause severe floods and coastal damage. If we end up getting more than the recent average of eight to nine tropical cyclones, which could happen if NOAA predictions of La Niña conditions eventuate, that increases the risk of impacts. However, there is one partially good news story from climate change relating to this, if the influence of La Niña is less than it used to be on increasing tropical cyclone activity. Another factor is that the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/ocean/sst/#/anom/global/weekly/20241006">world’s oceans are much warmer than usual</a>. Warm ocean water is one of several factors that provide the energy needed for a tropical cyclone to form. Many ocean heat <a href="https://climatereanalyzer.org/clim/sst_daily/?dm_id=world2">records have been set</a> recently. This means we have been in “uncharted waters” from a temperature perspective. It adds further uncertainty if relying on what occurred in the past when making predictions for the current climate. <h2>Up-to-date evidence is vital as climate changes</h2> The science makes it clear we need to plan for tropical cyclone impacts in a different way from what might have worked in the past. This includes being prepared for potentially fewer tropical cyclones overall, but with those that do occur being more likely to cause more damage. This means there are higher risks of damaging winds, flooding and coastal erosion. Seasonal prediction guidance can be part of improved planning. There’s also a need for enhanced design standards and other climate change adaptation activities. All can be updated regularly to stay consistent with the best available scientific knowledge. Increased preparedness is more important than ever to help reduce the potential for disasters caused by tropical cyclones in the current and future climate. <hr /> The authors acknowledge the contribution of CSIRO researcher <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hamish-ramsay-19549">Hamish Ramsay</a> during the writing of this article.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/241000/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-dowdy-119002">Andrew Dowdy</a>, Principal Research Scientist in Extreme Weather, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/liz-ritchie-tyo-1509061">Liz Ritchie-Tyo</a>, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/savin-chand-1351050">Savin Chand</a>, Associate Professor, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/federation-university-australia-780">Federation University Australia</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-hurricanes-like-milton-in-the-us-and-cyclones-in-australia-are-becoming-more-intense-and-harder-to-predict-241000">original article</a>. </div>

Travel Trouble

Lost touch with someone? Reach out – your friend will likely appreciate it more than you think

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peggy-liu-818769">Peggy Liu</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-pittsburgh-854">University of Pittsburgh</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-min-1354136">Lauren Min</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-kansas-1588">University of Kansas</a> <h2>The big idea</h2> The next time you wonder whether to reach out to a friend, family member, classmate or other person who’s been out of touch for a long time, go ahead and do it. According to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000402">our just-published research</a>, it’s likely they’ll appreciate it more than you think. In a series of 13 experiments involving over 5,900 participants, we – along with colleagues <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0Stzf1cAAAAJ&hl=en">SoYon Rim</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TZQefJAAAAAJ&hl=en">Kate Min</a> – wanted to investigate whether people accurately predict <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000402">how much their social contacts appreciate being reached out to</a>. In one experiment we conducted, college students wrote a note “to check in and say hello” to a classmate they hadn’t interacted with in a while. Then we asked them how much they thought their classmate would appreciate receiving this note. Next, we delivered these notes to their classmates and asked the recipients how much they appreciated receiving them. We found that the students who received the notes were much more appreciative of the gesture than the students who wrote them had anticipated. Other experiments varied the scenario by involving older adults as participants rather than college students, switching the written message to a small gift – such as cookies or coffee – and comparing how much the sender underestimated the appreciation that an emotionally distant contact would feel compared with a close contact. Overall they yielded the same basic finding: People tended to underestimate how much others appreciated hearing from them. What drives this underestimation? Our results suggest that it’s related to how little the people reaching out factor in the surprise felt by those being contacted. When we asked recipients what they focused on when indicating how appreciative they felt, they reported paying a lot of attention to their positive feelings of surprise, which were linked to how appreciative they felt. Comparatively, potential senders did not report focusing much on recipients’ positive feelings of surprise. It also mattered whether the two parties were already in a close relationship. People’s underestimations were even greater when their contact was a distant acquaintance because these recipients were especially surprised at being contacted. <h2>Why it matters</h2> Many people can name at least one person with whom they would like to reconnect. Taking a new job, moving to a different city, becoming a parent, or the busyness of everyday life – these are just some of the life events and circumstances that can cause people to lose touch. Then, if the desire to reconnect arises on one side, doubts may arise about whether the other person may appreciate being contacted out of the blue. When people consider taking the initiative to reach out, especially after a prolonged period of no contact, they may worry about being rejected. This worry might keep them from reaching out in the first place. Our research lessens this challenge by showing that often, these gestures will be much more appreciated than one might expect. <h2>What other research is being done</h2> Our findings fit within a growing stream of research examining the tendency to underestimate others’ appreciation of various social exchanges. For example, other researchers have found that people underestimate how much <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000277">others appreciate receiving compliments</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618772506">expressions of gratitude</a>. Our work adds to this area by broadening the scope of the contexts in which people underestimate how much social exchanges are appreciated. Reaching out could but need not require giving compliments or expressing gratitude – the gesture can be as simple as checking in with someone to show that one is thinking about them.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185001/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peggy-liu-818769">Peggy Liu</a>, Ben L. Fryrear Chair in Marketing and Associate Professor of Business Administration, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-pittsburgh-854">University of Pittsburgh</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-min-1354136">Lauren Min</a>, Assistant Professor of Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-kansas-1588">University of Kansas</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/lost-touch-with-someone-reach-out-your-friend-will-likely-appreciate-it-more-than-you-think-185001">original article</a>. </div>

Relationships

Why are we seeing more pandemics? Our impact on the planet has a lot to do with it

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/olga-anikeeva-1522907">Olga Anikeeva</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-stanhope-1129888">Jessica Stanhope</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peng-bi-1522908">Peng Bi</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/philip-weinstein-882901">Philip Weinstein</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a> Pandemics – the global spread of infectious diseases – seem to be making a comeback. In the Middle Ages we had the Black Death (plague), and after the first world war we had the Spanish flu. Tens of millions of people <a href="https://assets.cureus.com/uploads/review_article/pdf/69273/20211019-25919-an4y6h.pdf">died from these diseases</a>. Then science began to <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2011.00053/full">get the upper hand</a>, with vaccination eradicating smallpox, and polio nearly so. Antibiotics became available to treat bacterial infections, and more recently antivirals as well. But in recent years and decades pandemics <a href="https://assets.cureus.com/uploads/review_article/pdf/69273/20211019-25919-an4y6h.pdf">seem to be returning</a>. In the 1980s we had HIV/AIDS, then several flu pandemics, SARS, and now COVID (no, COVID isn’t over). So why is this happening, and is there anything we can do to avert future pandemics? <h2>Unbalanced ecosystems</h2> Healthy, stable ecosystems provide services that keep us healthy, such as supplying food and clean water, producing oxygen, and making green spaces available for our <a href="https://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.356.aspx.pdf">recreation and wellbeing</a>. Another key service ecosystems provide is disease regulation. When nature is in balance – with predators controlling herbivore populations, and herbivores controlling plant growth – it’s more difficult for pathogens to emerge in a way that causes pandemics. But when human activities <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=rWozz12K1aUC&oi=fnd&pg=PP15&dq=planetary+overload&ots=c9mWuESUXN&sig=-1iP3uSOWazvC2OFLk4vginWbQQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=planetary%20overload&f=false">disrupt and unbalance ecosystems</a> – such as by way of climate change and biodiversity loss – <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/58/8/756/381265">things go wrong</a>. For example, climate change affects the number and distribution of plants and animals. Mosquitoes that carry diseases can move from the tropics into what used to be temperate climates as the planet warms, and may infect more people in the months that are normally disease free. We’ve studied the relationship between weather and dengue fever transmission in China, and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27883970/">our findings</a> support the same conclusion reached by <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0008118">many other studies</a>: climate change is likely to put more people at risk of dengue. Biodiversity loss can have similar effects by disrupting food chains. When ranchers cleared forests in <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/6/5/1911">South America</a> for their cattle to graze in the first half of the 20th century, tiny forest-dwelling, blood-feeding vampire bats suddenly had a smörgåsbord of large sedentary animals to feed on. While vampire bats had previously been kept in check by the limited availability of food and the presence of predators in the balanced <a href="https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1130000797648461952">forest ecosystem</a>, numbers of this species exploded in South America. These bats carry the rabies virus, which causes <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rabies">lethal brain infections</a> in people who are bitten. Although the number of deaths from bat-borne rabies has now fallen dramatically due to vaccination programs in South America, rabies caused by bites from other animals still <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3168224/">poses a global threat</a>. As urban and agricultural development impinges on natural ecosystems, there are increasing opportunities for humans and domestic animals to become infected with pathogens that would normally only be seen in wildlife – particularly when people hunt and eat animals from the wild. The HIV virus, for example, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1076/jmep.27.2.163.2992">first entered human populations</a> from apes that were slaughtered for food in Africa, and then spread globally through travel and trade. Meanwhile, bats are thought to be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006291X20319434">the original reservoir</a> for the virus that caused the COVID pandemic, which has killed more than <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/">7 million people</a> to date. Ultimately, until we effectively address the unsustainable impact we are having on our planet, pandemics will continue to occur. <h2>Targeting the ultimate causes</h2> Factors such as climate change, biodiversity loss and other global challenges are the ultimate (high level) cause of pandemics. Meanwhile, increased contact between humans, domestic animals and wildlife is the proximate (immediate) cause. In the case of HIV, while direct contact with the infected blood of apes was the proximate cause, the apes were only being slaughtered because large numbers of very poor people were hungry – an ultimate cause. The distinction between <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02207379">ultimate causes and proximate causes</a> is important, because we often deal only with proximate causes. For example, people may smoke because of stress or social pressure (ultimate causes of getting lung cancer), but it’s the toxins in the smoke that cause cancer (proximate cause). Generally, health services are only concerned with stopping people from smoking – and with treating the illness that results – not with removing the drivers that lead them to smoke in the first place. Similarly, we address pandemics with lockdowns, mask wearing, social distancing and vaccinations – all measures which seek to stop the spread of the virus. But we pay less attention to addressing the ultimate causes of pandemics – until perhaps very recently. <h2>A planetary health approach</h2> There’s a growing awareness of the importance of adopting a “planetary health” approach to improve human health. This <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60901-1/fulltext?nr_email_referer=1">concept</a> is based on the understanding that human health and human civilisation depend on flourishing natural systems, and the wise stewardship of those natural systems. With this approach, ultimate drivers like climate change and biodiversity loss would be prioritised in preventing future pandemics, at the same time as working with experts from many different disciplines to deal with the proximate causes, thereby reducing the risk overall. The planetary health approach has the benefit of improving both the health of the environment and human health concurrently. We are heartened by the increased uptake of teaching planetary health concepts across the environmental sciences, humanities and health sciences in many universities. As climate change, biodiversity loss, population displacements, travel and trade continue to increase the risk of disease outbreaks, it’s vital that the planetary stewards of the future have a better understanding of how to tackle the ultimate causes that drive pandemics. This article is the first in a series on the next pandemic.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226827/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/olga-anikeeva-1522907">Olga Anikeeva</a>, Research Fellow, School of Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-stanhope-1129888">Jessica Stanhope</a>, Lecturer, School of Allied Health Science and Practice, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peng-bi-1522908">Peng Bi</a>, Professor, School of Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/philip-weinstein-882901">Philip Weinstein</a>, Professorial Research Fellow, School of Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-we-seeing-more-pandemics-our-impact-on-the-planet-has-a-lot-to-do-with-it-226827">original article</a>. </div>

Body

Readers response: What do you regret not appreciating more when you were younger?

When it comes to ageing, we often learn to appreciate things that we often dismissed when we were younger. We asked our readers what they have only truly started to appreciate with age, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said. Ross Forbes - Being brought up on a farm in a family environment where I was taught excellent work ethics and the value of community. Alice McMurdo - The beauty of the scenery in Scotland and not taking the opportunity to see more of the beautiful countryside when I had the chance. Pat Isaacs - My health and energy. Esther Miller - Not having to pay bills. I now understand why my daddy was always telling us cut off the light, shut the door, stop wasting food, do not pour more milk than you are going to drink. I remember him saying "wait till you have to pay for it yourselves". Lesson learned. Marie Chong - My parents. Rosalie Jones - Movement without pain. Michelle Nightingale - My family. Sally O'Neill - Being happy and free, not having any responsibilities to worry about. Chris Gray - My mum. If only I had known what I now know. Margie Buckingham - My ability to always be employed and buy my first house at 21. Also, my upbringing and great start my parents gave me by ensuring I went to a good school and studied hard. Kerri Anderson - Being younger. Linda Kauffman - My mother. Image credits: Shutterstock

Family & Pets

More Australians are using their superannuation for medical procedures. But that might put their financial health at risk

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/neera-bhatia-15189">Neera Bhatia</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> A record number of Australians are accessing their superannuation early on compassionate grounds, mainly to fund their own medical procedures – or those of a family member. Some 150,000 Australians have used the scheme in the last five years. Nearly 40,000 people <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/research-and-statistics/in-detail/super-statistics/early-release/compassionate-release-of-super">had applications approved</a> in 2022-23, compared to just under 30,000 in 2018-19 – an increase of 47%. Some people think this flexible use of funds is a good way to ensure people can fund their own medical needs. But more transparency and better oversight is needed. <h2>What are compassionate grounds?</h2> Since July 2018, the Australian Tax Office has administered the early release of superannuation – meaning before <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/withdrawing-and-using-your-super/super-withdrawal-options#Preservationage">retirement</a> – under certain circumstances, including compassionate grounds. <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/withdrawing-and-using-your-super/early-access-to-super/access-on-compassionate-grounds/expenses-eligible-for-release-on-compassionate-grounds">Compassionate grounds</a> for you or your dependant (such as child or spouse) are: <ul> <li>medical treatment or transport</li> <li>modifying your home or vehicle to accommodate special needs for a severe disability</li> <li>palliative care for a terminal illness</li> <li>death, funeral or burial expenses</li> <li>preventing foreclosure or forced sale of your home.</li> </ul> The medical treatment must be for a life-threatening illness or injury, or to alleviate acute or chronic pain, or acute or chronic mental illness. The treatment cannot be “readily available” through the public system. Cosmetic procedures are excluded. You also have to prove you cannot afford to pay part or all of the expenses without accessing your super, for example, by spending your savings, selling assets or getting a loan. People who can access other funding for the expense, such as via the <a href="https://theconversation.com/lists-of-eligible-supports-could-be-a-backwards-step-for-the-ndis-and-people-with-disability-236578">National Disability Insurance Scheme</a>, are ineligible. <h2>Why are people using this scheme more?</h2> The ATO has not explained what is driving the surge. General cost-of-living pressures may play a role. People may have fewer savings to draw on for medical procedures. But the treatments most commonly being accessed using superannuation – fertility treatments, weight loss surgeries and dental care – point to other systemic issues. There have long been issues with IVF and <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-isnt-dental-included-in-medicare-its-time-to-change-this-heres-how-239086#:%7E:text=The%20real%20reason%20dental%20hasn,has%20a%20structural%20budget%20problem.">dental care</a> not being readily available or funded in the public health system. Weight loss surgeries (including <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bariatric-surgery/about/pac-20394258">bariatric surgery</a>) can help combat potentially life-threatening conditions such as heart disease. Recent <a href="https://www.monash.edu/news/articles/fewer-australians-having-bariatric-surgery-monash-university-led-report">research</a> suggests there has been an overall drop in the number of Australians having bariatric surgeries since 2016. But of those, 95% are performed through the private system. While early access to super can provide individuals access to critical treatment, there are issues with how compassionate grounds are defined and regulated. <h2>Lack of clarity</h2> As my co-author and I <a href="https://www.unswlawjournal.unsw.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Issue-442-PDF-3-Bhatia-and-Porceddu.pdf">have shown</a>, the vague wording of the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/F1996B00580/2022-09-28/text">Superannuation Industry regulations</a> leaves them worryingly open to interpretation. For example, the meaning of “mental disturbance” is not defined. You may not meet the criteria of having an acute or life-threatening illness, or acute or chronic pain. But if you can show a certain condition causes you acute mental disturbance, you may qualify to release your superannuation early. People accessing their superannuation for IVF use this criterion, for example, by arguing they need to access funds to continue treatment and alleviate the acute mental distress caused by ongoing infertility issues. Two registered medical practitioners are each required to submit a report demonstrating the treatment is needed, and one must be a specialist in the field in which the treatment is required. However, the regulations do not specify clearly that the specialist should have relevant qualifications. In the IVF example, this means the specialist opinion can be provided by a fertility doctor rather than a mental health expert – and that person may stand to profit if they later also provide treatment. <h2>A closed-loop system</h2> Conflict of interest is another major issue. There is nothing in the regulations to stop a medical practitioner – such as a dentist – being involved in all steps and then financially benefiting. They could encourage a patient to access superannuation for a treatment, write the specialist report and then also receive payment for the treatment. Some clinics <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/06/online-ads-promote-simple-access-to-super-to-pay-for-healthcare-despite-strict-rules">promote</a> accessing superannuation as an option to pay for expensive treatments. This raises important questions about the independence of the process, as well as professional ethics. Medical practitioners making recommendations for early release of superannuation should be doing so on genuinely compassionate grounds. But the potential for exploitation remains an ethical concern, when a practitioner can financially benefit from recommending early access to nest egg funds. Transparency around potential <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-are-using-their-super-to-pay-for-ivf-with-their-fertility-clinics-blessing-thats-a-conflict-of-interest-161278">conflicts of interest</a> are impossible to ensure without proper oversight. <h2>What is needed?</h2> 1. Mandatory financial counselling The ATO <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/healthcare/worrying-trend-record-number-of-australians-raid-super-to-fund-medical-treatments-20240920-p5kc44.html">has warned</a> accessing super early is not “free money”, with a spokesperson urging people to get financial advice. But the law should go a step further and make this compulsory. That way people making decisions during an emotionally charged moment can understand any future implications. 2. Tightening of the criteria Greater clarity in the legislation – such as defining “mental disturbance” – would help prevent loopholes being exploited. 3. Better oversight Less health-care industry involvement would promote greater transparency and independence. An independent body of medical practitioners could assess applications rather than practitioners who could financially benefit if applications are approved. This would help alleviate perceived and actual conflicts of interest. Accessing superannuation early may be the only option for some people to start a family or access other life-changing medical care. But they should be able to make this decision in a fully informed way, safeguarded from exploitation and aware of the implications for their future.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/239588/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/neera-bhatia-15189">Neera Bhatia</a>, Associate Professor in Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-australians-are-using-their-superannuation-for-medical-procedures-but-that-might-put-their-financial-health-at-risk-239588">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

Climate change threatens Australian tourism more than is widely believed. Here’s why

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/freya-higgins-desbiolles-181651">Freya Higgins-Desbiolles</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Right now, Australia is one of the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/publications/travel-tourism-development-index-2024/">top five</a> tourist destinations in the world, a distinction the World Economic Forum says it shares with only the United States, France, Spain and Japan. So important is tourism to Australia’s economy that the best estimates are it employs <a href="https://www.tra.gov.au/en/economic-analysis/state-of-the-industry">655,000</a> people, 12 times as many as <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/jul-2024">Australia’s coal industry</a>. And most of them are employed in <a href="https://www.zurich.com.au/content/dam/au-documents/files/zurich-mandala-climate-risk-index-the-impact-of-climate-change-on-the-australian-tourism-industry.pdf">regional locations</a>, where jobs are scarce. This month a report by the Zurich insurance group and the economic consultancy Mandala found <a href="https://www.zurich.com.au/content/dam/au-documents/files/zurich-mandala-climate-risk-index-the-impact-of-climate-change-on-the-australian-tourism-industry.pdf">half</a> of Australia’s top 178 tourism assets were at risk from foreseeable climate change. There are reasons to believe its findings underplay what we are facing. <h2>All major airports, all national parks at risk</h2> The Zurich-Mandala report examines the impact of a 2⁰C increase in global temperatures on only eight so-called “climate perils”: wind, flood, heat, storm, drought, bushfire, hail and rain. It found that more than half of Australia’s top tourism assets faced a “significant risk from multiple perils” over the next 25 years, including all of Australia’s major airports. Scheduling disruptions and the closure of airports in extreme weather conditions were set to have major impacts on the transport of goods, the transport of tourists and accessibility for emergency services. All of Australia’s vineyards, national parks, scenic roads and railways were at risk. Queensland had the highest number of sites facing significant risk (79%) followed by Western Australia (69%) and the Northern Territory (63%). The report uses the impact of the 2019-20 <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1920/Quick_Guides/AustralianBushfires">black summer bushfires</a> to estimate that 176,000 jobs might be at risk nationwide from predictable climate change, most of them outside of Australia’s capital cities. <h2>Multiple and interacting threats</h2> Here is why I am fearful that the report underplays the threat Australia’s tourism industry is facing. There are many more threats to tourism from climate change than wind, flood, heat, storm, drought, bushfire, hail and rain. One is the threat to biodiversity. Iconic animals and habitats are an important part of Australia’s brand. <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-28/3-billion-animals-killed-displaced-in-fires-wwf-study/12497976">Three billion</a> animals were killed or displaced in the black summer bushfires. The deaths caused <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/01/alexis-wright-black-summer-bushfires-vigil-sydney-speech-3-billion-animals-killed-are-our-relatives-they-deserve-to-be-mourned">loss and grief</a> that risk indexes are incapable of capturing, but that nonetheless might make tourism less attractive. And biodiversity helps in another way by <a href="https://www.australianwildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Hayward-Et-Al.-2016-Could-biodiversity-loss-have-increased-Australias-bushfire-threat.pdf">protecting against bushfires</a>, meaning that as species vanish, other risks to tourism climb in ways that aren’t captured in the assumptions used to evaluate risk. <h2>Threats unexamined</h2> What makes holiday locations unattractive is hard to measure, but is fed by extreme weather events. Although temporary, the smoke and heat from the 2019-20 bushfires made parts of Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra almost unlivable for a while, damaging the reputations of Australian capital cities in a way that is <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/not-a-good-look-bushfire-smoke-threatens-to-pollute-sydney-s-tourist-image-20191206-p53hpl.html">probably ongoing</a>. Another curious omission, especially curious given that the report was prepared by an insurance company, is the damage extreme weather events do to the insurability of tourism assets. The report is also silent on the effort to reduce carbon emissions on Australia’s desirability as an international destination. For many tourists, air travel is the only way to get to Australia and it is likely to become more expensive and also less attractive as tourists try to reduce their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652614011810">carbon footprints</a>. Australia might increasingly become an Australian rather than an international destination. Our biggest upcoming international promotion, the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, might lose a good deal of its shine, with Queensland tourism assets at the greatest risk from climate change, and those risks set to climb over time. <h2>The higher the temperature the bigger the threats</h2> Zurich and the Mandala consultancy are to be commended for identifying 178 top tourism assets and examining eight types of risk they face. Their finding that just over half of them face serious threats from those risks is likely to be an underestimate because it excludes other risks and fails to examine the way in which some risks can intensify others. And they will be an underestimate if global temperatures climb by more than 2⁰C. The report says if global temperatures climb to 3⁰C above pre-industrial levels, 80% of the Australian sites it examined will face serious threats. Australia could attempt to limit the increase in global temperatures by taking up the opportunity to co-host the <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-a-big-deal-if-australia-and-the-pacific-are-chosen-to-host-un-climate-talks-heres-why-238320">2026 UN climate talks</a> with Pacific nations. It would give us a shot at making a difference and drawing attention to our present status as one of the world’s top tourism destinations.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/238768/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/freya-higgins-desbiolles-181651">Freya Higgins-Desbiolles</a>, Adjunct professor and adjunct senior lecturer in tourism management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-threatens-australian-tourism-more-than-is-widely-believed-heres-why-238768">original article</a>. </div>

Domestic Travel

Young homeowners are more likely to use their home as an ‘ATM’ than their Boomer parents. Here’s why

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachel-ong-viforj-113482">Rachel Ong ViforJ</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-phelps-378137">Christopher Phelps</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> For many Australians, the family home is their largest financial asset. With an increasing variety of ways to tap into home equity, the temptation to access this wealth is ever growing. Homeowners increase the debt owed on their home when they borrow against their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2013.783202">equity</a>. Standard mortgage home loans now provide facilities for relatively cheap or free withdrawals of equity from the home. This turns the <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-home-as-an-atm-home-equity-a-risky-welfare-tool-22000">home into an ATM</a>, which borrowers can access when they choose. Our new <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2024.2400158">study</a> asks what motivates Australians to tap into their home equity, and how does this behaviour change with age? Surprisingly, despite having much lower housing equity levels, younger homeowners borrow often, and borrow more, than their Boomer parents. <h2>How common is equity borrowing?</h2> Using 15 years of data from the government-funded <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/hilda">Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia </a>(HILDA) survey, we tracked the mortgage debt and repayments of homeowners aged 35 and over. The chart below shows younger owners are far more likely to engage in equity borrowing. In 2006, nearly 39% of the youngest homeowners, aged 35–44, borrowed against their home equity. By 2021, this number had dropped to 29%. Despite the decline, it’s still 24 percentage points more common than those aged 65 and over. The older group has remained steady at about 5% over the years. <hr /> <iframe id="Ll9Cw" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Ll9Cw/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>How much do equity borrowers withdraw from their home?</h2> Among those who use their home like an ATM, younger borrowers now withdraw larger amounts than older borrowers. In 2006–07, equity borrowers aged 35–44 and 45–54 withdrew on average $43,000 and $57,000, respectively (expressed in real values set at 2022 price levels). By 2021, the amount withdrawn by these two age groups had climbed to $70,000 and $100,000. On the other hand, the amount withdrawn by borrowers aged 55 or older fell from more than $50,000 to less than $40,000. <hr /> <iframe id="ujq3S" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ujq3S/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <hr /> <h2>What motivates equity borrowing?</h2> Young homeowners’ equity borrowing behaviours are sensitive to changes in house prices and debt values, and their financial risk preferences. Among those aged 35–44, a $10,000 increase in the primary home value raises the likelihood of equity borrowing by ten percentage points. Every $10,000 in debt against the primary home reduces the likelihood by 2.8% percentage points. Those willing to take substantial financial risk are eight percentage points more likely to borrow against their home than those who are risk-averse. Those aged 65+ are not inclined to borrow, and exhibit little change in equity borrowing behaviour with variations in asset, debt, income or financial risk preferences. <h2>Why borrowing practices differ between age groups</h2> As well as being more likely than older homeowners to borrow against equity, the younger group also withdraws higher amounts than their Boomer parents. This is despite younger borrowers already carrying much higher debt against their primary home. Among those in our study who engaged in equity borrowing in 2021, the median debt before borrowing was $401,000 for 35-44 year-olds compared to $0 for those aged 65+. As real house prices have risen over decades, the current generation of young homeowners has had to invest more money into purchasing their first home than previous generations. It’s therefore not surprising the primary home is now widely viewed as a financial resource to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-home-as-an-atm-home-equity-a-risky-welfare-tool-22000">tapped into to meet spending needs</a>. On the other hand, most Baby Boomers bought their first home at more affordable prices than their children, and at lower levels of debt. Now they don’t appear to be spending their kids’ inheritance by drawing down housing wealth. In fact, older parents may shy away from equity borrowing to <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/wealth-transfers/wealth-transfers.pdf">bequeath wealth to children</a>. Some also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279417000058">dislike passing debt</a> on to their children. Older people may also avoid equity borrowing due to concerns about <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-08/p2023-435150.pdf">aged care costs</a>. Some may be hampered by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2013.08.003">poor financial literacy</a>. <h2>More debt ahead without policy changes</h2> Present trends suggest young homeowners will remain indebted for longer periods, and more and more will <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-of-us-are-retiring-with-mortgage-debts-the-implications-are-huge-115134">retire with mortgage debt</a>. For indebted retirees, there are real prospects of <a href="https://theconversation.com/fall-in-ageing-australians-home-ownership-rates-looms-as-seismic-shock-for-housing-policy-120651">drawing down of superannuation</a> to pay off mortgages in retirement. This may impose extra burdens on the age pension system. Another unwelcome consequence, which may add to health costs, is the prospect of <a href="https://www.ahuri.edu.au/sites/default/files/migration/documents/AHURI-Final-Report-319-Mortgage-stress-and-precarious-home-ownership-implications-for-older-Australians.pdf">debt-related psychological distress</a> among those who can’t pay off their mortgage in old age. If the current trends continue, the <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/what-happens-when-australia-s-boomers-hand-5-trillion-to-their-heirs-20240515-p5jdvf">great wealth transfer</a> that has already begun looks set to <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-everyone-wins-from-the-bank-of-mum-and-dad-73842">further entrench inequality</a> between those who have access to the bank of mum and dad and those who do not. Encouraging older people to use their housing equity to fund their needs in old age may lighten fiscal burdens on younger generations. But policy reforms will be needed to relieve concerns about the risks of equity borrowing in old age.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/238924/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachel-ong-viforj-113482">Rachel Ong ViforJ</a>, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-phelps-378137">Christopher Phelps</a>, Research Fellow, School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-homeowners-are-more-likely-to-use-their-home-as-an-atm-than-their-boomer-parents-heres-why-238924">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

Readers response: Do you find technology has made travel easier or more complicated?

When it comes to travelling, advancements in technology over the years have made the world much more accessible. However, sometimes tech can backfire and leave you lost or stranded. We asked our readers if they find technology has made travel easier or more complicated, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said. Dawn Douglas - Easier by far. You can find hotels, cafes, restaurants, tours and so on. Christine James - Easier, but we would still rather book through a travel agent. It can be good for research to where you are going though. Brian Adams - Travel without a smartphone is nearly impossible! There’s no other option to get around sometimes! June Maynard - More complicated. I'm glad I'm married to an IT tech guy! I leave it all up to him. Pat Isaacs - Everything seems more complicated with technology for me!! Karen Salvietti - Much easier to get around with technology overseas. Val Goodwin - Far more complicated for me, I'm technically challenged lol. Rosemary Miles - I’m 81 and technology has made everything easier for me. I travel overseas twice a year and hope to be able to keep doing it for a few years longer. I’m spending the grandkids’ inheritance! Image credits: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

I’m feeling run down. Why am I more likely to get sick? And how can I boost my immune system?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sathana-dushyanthen-1169328">Sathana Dushyanthen</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> It has been a long winter, filled with many viruses and cost-of-living pressures, on top of the usual mix of work, study, life admin and caring responsibilities. Stress is an inevitable part of life. In short bursts, our stress response has evolved as a survival mechanism to help us be more alert in <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-you-cant-blame-all-your-health-issues-on-high-cortisol-heres-how-the-hormone-works-203162">fight or flight situations</a>. But when stress is chronic, it weakens the immune system and makes us more vulnerable to illnesses such as the <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/can-stress-make-you-sick#:%7E:text=The%20common%20cold&text=Inflammation%20has%20been%20linked%20to,to%20the%20cold%2Dcausing%20germs.">common cold</a>, <a href="https://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/abstract/1999/03000/psychological_stress,_cytokine_production,_and.9.aspx">flu</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smi.3017">COVID</a>. <h2>Stress makes it harder to fight off viruses</h2> When the immune system starts to break down, a virus that would normally have been under control starts to flourish. Once you begin to feel sick, the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4465119/">stress response</a> rises, making it harder for the immune system to fight off the disease. You may be sick more often and for longer periods of time, without enough immune cells primed and ready to <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-16996-1_6">fight</a>. In the 1990s, American psychology professor Sheldon Cohen and his colleagues conducted a number of <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/common-cold-project/">studies</a> where healthy people were exposed to an upper respiratory infection, through drops of virus placed directly into their <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199108293250903">nose</a>. These participants were then quarantined in a hotel and monitored closely to determine who became <a href="https://theconversation.com/stress-less-it-might-protect-you-from-covid-153361">ill</a>. One of the most important factors predicting who got sick was prolonged psychological <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1745691620942516">stress</a>. <h2>Cortisol suppresses immunity</h2> “Short-term stress” is stress that lasts for a period of minutes to hours, while “chronic stress” persists for several hours per day for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5964013/#:%7E:text=Therefore%2C%20a%20major%20distinguishing%20characteristic,weeks%20or%20months%20%5B9%5D.">weeks or months</a>. When faced with a perceived threat, psychological or physical, the hypothalamus region of the brain sets off an alarm system. This signals the release of a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and <a href="https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/msb.20209510">cortisol</a>. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/616892/original/file-20240903-18-blrqoz.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/616892/original/file-20240903-18-blrqoz.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/616892/original/file-20240903-18-blrqoz.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/616892/original/file-20240903-18-blrqoz.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=472&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/616892/original/file-20240903-18-blrqoz.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/616892/original/file-20240903-18-blrqoz.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/616892/original/file-20240903-18-blrqoz.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Human brain illustration" /><figcaption>The hypothalamus sets off an alarm system in response to a real or perceived threat. <a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/hypothalamus-causes-vasoconstriction-illustration-medical-brain-435142264">stefan3andrei/Shutterstock</a></figcaption></figure> In a typical stress response, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S147149060300173X">cortisol levels</a> quickly increase when stress occurs, and then rapidly drop back to normal once the stress has subsided. In the short term, cortisol suppresses inflammation, to ensure the body has enough energy available to respond to an <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2019.00245/full">immediate threat</a>. But in the longer term, chronic stress can be harmful. A Harvard University study <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2796097">from 2022</a> showed that people suffering from psychological distress in the lead up to their COVID infection had a greater chance of experiencing long COVID. They <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2796097">classified</a> this distress as depression, probable anxiety, perceived stress, worry about COVID and loneliness. Those suffering distress had close to a <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2796097">50% greater risk</a> of long COVID compared to other <a href="https://theconversation.com/being-stressed-out-before-you-get-covid-increases-your-chances-of-long-covid-heres-why-190649">participants</a>. Cortisol has been shown to be high in the most severe cases of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7102614/">COVID</a>. <h2>Stress causes inflammation</h2> <a href="https://stories.uq.edu.au/imb/the-edge/inflammation/what-is-inflammation/index.html">Inflammation</a> is a short-term reaction to an injury or infection. It is responsible for trafficking immune cells in your body so the right cells are present in the right locations at the right times and at the right <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12026-014-8517-0">levels</a>. The immune cells also store a memory of that threat to respond faster and more effectively the next <a href="https://theconversation.com/being-stressed-out-before-you-get-covid-increases-your-chances-of-long-covid-heres-why-190649">time</a>. Initially, circulating immune cells detect and flock to the site of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ni1275">infection</a>. Messenger proteins, known as pro-inflammatory cytokines, are released by immune cells, to signal the danger and recruit help, and our immune system responds to neutralise the <a href="https://stories.uq.edu.au/imb/the-edge/inflammation/what-is-inflammation/index.html">threat</a>. During this response to the infection, if the immune system produces too much of these inflammatory chemicals, it can trigger symptoms such as nasal congestion and runny <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1745691620942516">nose</a>. <h2>What about chronic stress?</h2> Chronic stress causes persistently high cortisol secretion, which remains high even in the absence of an immediate <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-you-cant-blame-all-your-health-issues-on-high-cortisol-heres-how-the-hormone-works-203162">stressor</a>. The immune system becomes desensitised and unresponsive to this <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1043661816307435">cortisol suppression</a>, increasing low-grade “silent” inflammation and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (the messenger proteins). Immune cells become exhausted and start to <a href="https://www.fxmedicine.com.au/blog-post/adrenal-immune-connection">malfunction</a>. The body loses the ability to turn down the inflammatory <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1745691620942516">response</a>. Over time, the immune system changes the way it responds by reprogramming to a “<a href="https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2021/april/how-stress-can-stop-immune-cells-in-their-tracks">low surveillance mode</a>”. The immune system misses early opportunities to destroy threats, and the process of recovery can take <a href="https://theconversation.com/being-stressed-out-before-you-get-covid-increases-your-chances-of-long-covid-heres-why-190649">longer</a>. <h2>So how can you manage your stress?</h2> We can actively strengthen our immunity and natural defences by managing our <a href="https://theconversation.com/stuck-in-fight-or-flight-mode-5-ways-to-complete-the-stress-cycle-and-avoid-burnout-or-depression-218599">stress levels</a>. Rather than letting stress build up, try to address it early and frequently by: 1) Getting enough sleep Getting enough sleep reduces <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3132857/">cortisol levels</a> and inflammation. During sleep, the immune system <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4939-6578-6_12">releases</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/sleep-wont-cure-the-coronavirus-but-it-can-help-our-bodies-fight-it-134674">cytokines</a>, which help fight infections and inflammation. 2) Taking regular exercise Exercising helps the lymphatic system (which balances bodily fluids as part of the immune system) circulate and allows immune cells to monitor for threats, while sweating flushes <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/does-exercise-boost-immune-system">toxins</a>. Physical activity also lowers stress hormone levels through the release of positive brain <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7387807/">signals</a>. 3) Eating a healthy diet Ensuring your diet contains enough nutrients – such as the B vitamins, and the full breadth of minerals like magnesium, iron and zinc – during times of stress has a positive impact on overall stress <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22782571">levels</a>. Staying hydrated helps the body to flush out <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-strong-immune-system-helps-ward-off-colds-and-flus-but-its-not-the-only-factor-99512">toxins</a>. 4) Socialising and practising meditation or mindfulness These activities increase endorphins and serotonin, which improve mood and have <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949834123000351">anti-inflammatory effects</a>. Breathing exercises and meditation stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms down our stress responses so we can “reset” and reduce <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4940234/">cortisol levels</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/237456/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sathana-dushyanthen-1169328">Sathana Dushyanthen</a>, Academic Specialist & Lecturer in Cancer Sciences & Digital Health| Superstar of STEM| Science Communicator, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/im-feeling-run-down-why-am-i-more-likely-to-get-sick-and-how-can-i-boost-my-immune-system-237456">original article</a>. </div>

Body

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at 30: more important, enjoyable and vital than ever

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-gaunson-265553">Stephen Gaunson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> The lavender painted bus named “Priscilla” continues to pick up new fans while never going out of favour with its legion of original devotees, 30 years after its release. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was shot on location in and around Sydney, Broken Hill, Coober Pedy, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs over six weeks in 1993. Directed by Stephan Elliott, the film screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the May 1994 Cannes Film Festival, winning <a href="https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-885750952/view?sectionId=nla.obj-888737519&searchTerm=priscilla+queen+of+the+desert&partId=nla.obj-885806856#page/n13/mode/1up">critical and popular acclaim</a> for its positive portrayal of LGBTQI+ characters. Awards came, most notably for costume designers Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner who won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for their sparkly, sequin-filled costumes. The film’s cultural brilliance lies in juxtaposing the extreme flamboyance of the costumes and props against the equally extreme rural natural desert landscape. The unexpected revelation for audiences was how perfectly these contrasting elements harmonised. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wGWWeourHUg?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>A smash hit</h2> Less than 12 months since its release, the Film Finance Corporation (FFC) of Australia had the rare success of <a href="https://if.com.au/why-the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-turned-the-government-a-profit-in-just-12-months/">fully recouping</a> its A$1.67 million investment. Initially hesitant due to Elliott’s disappointing box office return on his debut feature, Frauds (1993), the FFC was convinced after the screenplay gained attention at Cannes. The film exceeded predictions, grossing more than $16 million in Australia. The film was socially and critically embraced as an instant classic. Ask cinema employees from this time and they will all share similar memories of lines of people outside the cinema doors eager to watch and rewatch (and rewatch again) the musical road movie about a pair of drag queens (Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce) and a transgender woman (Terence Stamp) as they set out from Sydney on a bus journey across the Australian outback. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tex3dw3RjGk?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> The casting today seems like more of a sure bet than it did in 1994. Stamp was a British actor of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/12/terence-stamp-i-was-in-my-prime-but-when-the-60s-ended-i-ended-with-it">legendary status</a>, having gained critical accolades in the 1960s in films such as Billy Budd, The Collector and Far from the Madding Crowd. However Stamp was equally a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-4869258/Terence-Stamp-79-bids-farewell-active-sex-life.html">regular tabloid subject</a> for his high-profile romances with film star Julie Christie and supermodel Jean Shrimpton. Would audiences be willing to go with the idea of this playboy as the trandsgender woman, Bernadette? It is now impossible to consider any actor better able to deliver Terrance Stamps’s deadpan sardonic lines so perfectly: “Don’t ‘Darling’, me, Darling. Look at you. You’ve got a face like a cat’s arse.” Pearce and Weaving also were a risk. Neither were box office marquee stars at the time. Pearce was known as a lovable Mike from the popular television soap opera, Neighbours. Weaving was a critically respected actor known more for his quirky small parts than as a star in his own right. Both were perfect casting, launching them onto Hollywood careers. Pearce as Adam was a remarkable revelation. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p2QiCFAQ-qQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> The chemistry and connection between the three lead actors makes the film truly succeed. Never do their performances seem showboating or forced. Each has their own arc, personality and journey. And when they climb Kings Canyon in full drag regalia at the film’s end there is something moving about what they have been able to accomplish together. A film that begins to be a slight and joyful comedy about drag performers becomes a deeper essay on the importance of lived experience and friendship (or, dare I say, mateship). <h2>More vital than ever</h2> Drag has a <a href="https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/3894/drag-through-decades-film-tv/">long history</a> in mainstream cinema with its own codes and references. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is crucially different by it not being about “straight” men masquerading as women to mask their actual identity. Instead, Elliot’s film rather positively celebrates these characters in drag as their true and authentic selves. This film stood with others as a wave of Australian cinema in the 1990s unashamedly wanting to celebrate an Australia juxtaposing the blokey masculine stereotype. Ocker characters (men and women) appear in this film, but ultimately they are publicly humiliated for their homophobia. Bernadette kneeing in the groin the vicious and vulgar Frank (Kenneth Radley) often receives a big cheer from cinema audiences: “Stop flexing your muscles, you big pile of budgie turd,” Bernadette scorns. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9nc12yOA4jM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Perhaps the true star of the film were not the actors as much as the iconic 1976 Japanese model Hino Freighter Priscilla bus that became the set for several scenes in the film. Because the bus interior was such a small set, there was no room for the crew with many actually in shot, hiding under clothes and other props. The bus, long thought to be lost, was <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-12/bid-to-restore-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-bus/103699136">rediscovered</a> on a farm in New South Wales in 2019. The bus is currently being restored, with an aim to have it on display at the National Motor Museum in Birdwood, Adelaide Hills, in 2026. Perhaps it will be good timing for shooting the recently announced <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/04/priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-movie-sequel-original-cast-1235890358/">potential sequel</a>. 30 years after its original release The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert seems more important, enjoyable and vital than ever. All aboard, Priscilla. Long may she run. <hr /> RMIT Capitol will be hosting a <a href="https://www.rmit.edu.au/thecapitol/events/2024/september/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert">screening and introductory panel discussion</a> on September 11 with the film’s costume designer Tim Chappel, executive producer Rebel Penfold-Russell, Melbourne Queer Film Festival program director Cerise Howard, historian Kristy Kokegei and Stephen Gaunson.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/235424/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-gaunson-265553">Stephen Gaunson</a>, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Image credits: Metro Goldwyn Mayer This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-at-30-more-important-enjoyable-and-vital-than-ever-235424">original article</a>. </div>

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The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at 30: more important, enjoyable and vital than ever

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