We all know the emotional drain keeping a secret can cause you, but what about the physical consequences? According to research done by experts in the field, your body physically responds to the stress of keeping a secret.

What They Learned

The research is listed in the Journal of Experimental Psychology and demonstrates the effects of keeping a secret. Participants were asked to write down a secret they were keeping; it could either be a serious secret, or one that was more trivial. Then, they were asked to rate the level of steepness of a hill that was in front of them. Those that had listed a serious secret rated the steepness as higher.

Another study found that people would rate distances as greater if they carried a burdensome secret. It was as if they were carrying a physical load, instead of an emotional one. These people judged tasks to be more difficult than they really were. They would also be less likely to help others since they would regard the effort as more extreme.

of a housing market on the road to recovery. Figures released by the Census Bureau show that homeownership fell during the first quarter as more Americans lost homes to foreclosure and chose to rent homes. During the first three months of this year, the homeownership rate was 65.4 percent, down from previous year’s first quarter rate of 66.4 percent. 

Released in March of this year, the homeownership rate is the lowest it’s been since the first quarter of 1997, down nearly 4 points from high-flying days of the housing boom in 2004. Sales of previously-owned homes in January and February marked the best winter in five years. Despite disappointing sales in March, a recently released report tracked the number of signed contracts to purchase homes, which is the highest it’s been in two years. If the past 100 years of real estate tell us anything, it's that the housing market is one that continually adapts to economic, political, and social changes. History shows us that opportunity awaits on the other side of this 15-year-low. Now that the market has found the "bottom," prices will soon bounce back, houses will be sold at market value, and the construction industry will experience renewed demand for new homes and commercial development.

Businesses today have to remain competitive to be successful, but it can be expensive to pay for advertising. Small companies cannot afford to pay thousands of dollars to find marketing methods that work. There are some ways that you can promote your business or product without spending much money.

Create a Social Presence

Most people know how to establish their business with a Facebook page and a Twitter account. However, there are other ways to promote your business through social media. Visit industry association websites and post on forums. Making your presence known is the first step towards free advertising. Offer to write a blog or article that mentions your product along with other valuable information. Contact websites that are compatible with the product you offer, and ask to write an article or blog post in return for being able to mention your business.  

Use Email

Create a targeted email list to send brochures or other advertisement material that introduces your product or service. You can also send regular emails to keep in constant contact with current customers and notify them of a promotion or special offer. However, don’t overdo it. Most experts advise limiting email notifications to once a month. Any more than that and you risk alienating your customer base.

Is it time for your child to go off to college? Are you thinking about ways to save money? There is a way that might not have occurred to you, to help your child through college and make money, too.

Many parents are opting to buy a house rather than pay for a dorm room or apartment rental while their kids are in college. This may seem like a major decision for a few years of savings, but there are many benefits...

Invest for Your Retirement

Once your child graduates and moves out, you can rent the house and put away the money for your retirement. Once the house is paid for, you can get a good return on your investment. When you retire, you can either continue to get rental income to supplement other retirement funds, or you can sell the property. Since property usually increases in value, you could end up making a good profit.

Save Money on College Expenses

Besides saving on the cost of a dorm or an apartment, you will save money on food, too. Your student can skip the cafeteria plan and eat at home. 

In some families, there are some subjects that you just don’t bring up at the dinner table. If you’ve been afraid to mention your budding libertarian sentiments to your socially-minded family or friends, arm yourself with the following tips and you’ll soon be engaged in a rational, lively political discussion.

Know what you know and what you don’t. 

Being a political junkie is a full-time job, and you’re not likely to be thoroughly versed on certain topics unless you’ve spent hours researching. Fortunately, unless you’re on a competitive debate team, there’s no rule that mandates all parties in a conversation must know every nuance and facet of a subject. This means you should be open-minded about possible interpretations of a political situation or candidate; it also means you should recognize where your own knowledge falls short.

Know the opposition.

Just as you should know yourself, you should know the opposition’s views. It’s too easy to consume news with a confirmation bias because those pundits tell you what you want to hear.