The nose knows

If you’ve wondered about all those Olympian athletes sporting adhesive strips across their noses, you’re not alone.

Researchers have wondered, too – and some say the strips do nothing to improve athletic performance.

In a recent issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Joseph O’Kroy conceded the strips do clear nasal passages.

But the Florida Atlantic University professor said the trick is getting air into and out of your lungs. He studied 15 college athletes and found performance was neither helped nor hindered by the strips.

O’Kroy’s conclusion? “You absolutely just don’t need your nose at all to breathe adequately during exercise.”

Stand up and think

If you need to decide something in a snap, it helps to stay on your toes. Literally.

Psychologists at the University of Missouri found that people who stood to solve a problem figured it out more quickly than those who tackled it sitting down.

Apparently, Queen Victoria was right nearly 150 years ago, when she ordered her ministers to stand during meetings, believing it sped things along.