Do you wonder why time passes faster sometimes and slower at other times.

When we're waiting in line or sitting in a boring meeting, time seems to slow down. And when we get caught up in something completely engrossing a gripping thriller, for example we may lose sense of time altogether.

New study has indicated this feeling that time is somehow shorter seems to be the specific result of our desire to approach or pursue something, not a more general effect of heightened attention or physiological arousal.

The research suggests that the familiar adage may really be true, with a caveat: time flies when we're have goal-motivated fun.

Existing research demonstrates that experiencing positive feelings or states makes us feel like time is passing faster than negative feelings and states do.

But, as some researchers observe, not all positive states are created equal. Sometimes we experience feelings of contentment or serenity. These feelings are certainly positive ones, but they aren't very high in what researchers call 'approach motivation' they don't make us want to go out and pursue or achieve something.

Feelings of desire or excitement, on the other hand, are very high in approach motivation desire and excitement motivate us to go forth and conquer.

Psychological scientists Philip Gable and Bryan Pool of the University of Alabama hypothesised that it's specifically those states that are high in approach motivation that make us feel like time is passing quickly.

They decided to test this hypothesis in a series of three experiments.

In one of the experiments, participants were trained to tell the difference between pictures shown for a 'short' (400 ms) or a 'long' (1600 ms) period of time. The participants then viewed pictures that were neutral (geometric shapes), that were positive but low in approach motivation (e.g., flowers), or that were positive and high in approach motivation (delicious desserts). For each picture, they had to indicate whether the picture had been displayed for a short or long period of time.

Just as the researchers hypothesised, the participants perceived the enticing pictures of desserts as having been displayed for a shorter amount of time than either the neutral geometric shapes or the pleasing pictures of flowers.

The researchers also found that the perceived amount of time for the enticing pictures was related to when participants had eaten that day. Those participants who had eaten recently (lowering their approach motivation for food) judged the dessert pictures as having been displayed for longer periods of time than their hungrier peers.

These findings were confirmed in a second study, in which participants reported time as passing faster when they looked at the dessert pictures with the expectation that they would be able to eat those desserts later, suggesting that our desire to approach something really does make time fly by.

Gable and Pool propose that states high in approach motivation make us feel like time is passing quickly because they narrow our memory and attention processes, helping us to shut out irrelevant thoughts and feelings.

"Although we tend to believe that time flies when we're having a good time, these studies indicate what it is about the enjoyable time that causes it to go by more quickly," said Gable.

"It seems to be the goal pursuit or achievement-directed action we're engaged in that matters. Just being content or satisfied may not make time fly, but being excited or actively pursuing a desired object can," he added.

Their results are published in the August 2012 issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

America is in the midst of its biggest ever outbreak of West Nile virus, with four times the usual number of cases reported for this time of year.

Nearly 1,120 people have already contracted the mosquito-borne illness, up from fewer than 300 by mid-August in an ordinary year, and 41 people have died.

Medical experts believe the mild winter and very hot summer boosted the number of mosquitoes around, helping to spread the virus.

But it's still too early to say how bad epidemic will end up because most West Nile infections are reported in August and September.

'We're in the midst of one of the largest West Nile outbreaks ever seen in the United States,' said Dr Lyle Petersen, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Never before have so many cases been called in this early in the year and the number of patients are accelerating, with about 400 of them being struck down in just the last week.

Almost half of the cases so far reported have come from Texas, mainly around the Dallas area.

Twenty-one people have died in the state this year, which is more than all other years combined. Four of the Texas deaths were reported on Tuesday.

Officials don't know why Texas is seeing so many cases, but it's alarming.

Last week, they started aerial spraying for mosquitoes in Dallas County.

But it's too soon to measure the effect - it takes between three and 14 days for people to develop symptoms after being infected by a mosquito.

But infections were not restricted to Texas, with residents in 37 other states have also been struck down.

Mosquitoes pick up West Nile from birds they bite and then pass it on to people.

As well as weather conditions spurring on mosquito breeding, CDC officials are also looking into the possibility that the virus mutated, Petersen said. But so far they have no evidence of this.

The latest person to succomb to the disease was 76-year-old William Mueller from Illinois who died on Saturday, two weeks after being hospitalised.

Serving as president of Lombard Village, Mueller was described by his family as 'an amazing dad, husband and grandpa'.

'It is not clear why we are seeing more activity than in recent years,' Marc Fischer of the CDC told CNN.

'Regardless of the reasons for the increase, people should be aware of the West Nile virus activity in their area and take action to protect themselves and their family.'

One of Britain's most common cancers could be fuelled by the E coli stomach bug, scientists believe.

The breakthrough raises the prospect of a vaccine against bowel cancer, which claims 16,000 lives a year and is the second most common form of the disease in women after breast cancer and the third most diagnosed in men.

The elderly, who are most at risk of the bowel cancer, could also be screened for the 'sticky' strain of E coli that makes a DNA-damaging poison.

Although the idea that a bug is involved in cancer might seem strange, it is not unheard of, with a virus being to blame for most cases of cervical cancer and a bacterium strongly linked to stomach cancer.

Now, tests on mice and people, carried out in the UK and US, have pointed to E coli being a strong suspect in bowel cancer.

The concern surrounds a version that sticks well to the inside of the lower bowel, or colon. It also contains genes that make a poison which causes the type of damage to DNA usually seen in cancer.

Although we usually think of E coli as causing food poisoning, these strains had been thought to live in the bowel without causing any problems.

However, tests show them to be much more common in bowel cancer patients than in healthy people.

Two-thirds of the 21 samples taken from bowel cancer patients contained the bug, compared to just one in five of those taken from healthy people, the journal Science reports.

Experiments also showed that mice inoculated with the bug are at very high odds of developing bowel cancer as long as the E coli carries the poison-making 'pks' genes.

Liverpool University's Dr Barry Campbell, a co-author of the study, said: 'The research suggests that Ecoli has a much wider involvement in the development of colon cancer than previously thought.

'It is important to build on these findings to understand why this type of bacteria, containing the pks genes, is present in some people and not in others.'

Professor Jonathan Rhodes said: 'The bottom line message is that there seems to be a strong association between a type of E coli and the development of colon cancer.

'And given that this type of E coli is specifically able to damage DNA and inflict the sort of damage you get in a cancer, it is very likely it has a causative role, at least in some patients.'

The scientists, who collaborated with scientists from the University of North Carolina, aren't sure why some people who have the bug go onto develop cancer and others don't.

But factors such as genes and diet are probably important.

Professor Rhodes said: 'The literature on colon cancer taken as a whole suggests that having the right genes, taking exercise, possibly taking an aspirin a day, limiting red meat and eating plenty of leafy green vegetables all have a protective effect.'

If the link is confirmed, it could lead to tests for the rogue form of E coli being included in bowel cancer screening for the elderly.

In the long-term, a vaccine that stops the bug from taking root is also possible, added the professor.

There is a precedent for this the HPV vaccine which is given to teenage girls wards off infection by the human papilloma virus - the bug behind the majority of cases of cervical cancer.

Henry Scowcroft, of Cancer Research UK, said: 'This is an intriguing study in mice suggesting that the bacteria in our gut may play a role in the development of bowel cancer.

'This would make sense, as we know that being infected with bacteria called H pylori can increase the chances of developing stomach cancer.

'But since this study only involved mice and is still at an early stage, it's not yet clear whether E coli is actually linked to bowel cancer in humans at all, let alone whether this knowledge could be used to help improve things for patients or people at risk.'

Working moms striving to "have it all" now can add another perk to their list of benefits health. New research from University of Akron Assistant Sociology Professor Adrianne Frech finds that moms who work full time are healthier at age 40 than stay-at-home moms, moms who work part time, or moms who have some work history, but are repeatedly unemployed. Frech and co-author Sarah Damaske of Pennsylvania State University examined longitudinal data from 2,540 women who became mothers between 1978 and 1995. Accounting for pre-pregnancy employment, race/ethnicity, cognitive ability, single motherhood, prior health conditions and age at first birth, the research reveals that the choices women make early in their professional careers can affect their health later in life. Women who return full time to the workforce shortly after having children report better mental and physical health, i.e. greater mobility, more energy, less depression, etc. at age 40. "Work is good for your health, both mentally and physically," says Frech. "It gives women a sense of purpose, self-efficacy, control and autonomy. They have a place where they are an expert on something, and they're paid a wage." Rather than fueling the "Mommy Wars" debate, which pits stay-at-home moms against working moms, Frech believes that a recently identified group - she calls this group "persistently unemployed" - deserves further attention, as they appear to be the least healthy at age 40. These women are in and out of the workforce, often not by choice, and experience the highs and lows of finding rewarding work only to lose it and start the cycle again. "Struggling to hold onto a job or being in constant job search mode wears on their health, especially mentally, but also physically," says Frech. According to Frech, working full time has myriad benefits, while part-time work offers lower pay, poor chances of promotion, less job security and fewer benefits. Mothers who stay at home may face financial dependence and greater social isolation. Persistent unemployment is a health risk for women, as stress from work instability can cause physical health problems. "Women with interrupted employment face more job-related barriers than other women, or cumulative disadvantages over time," says Frech. "If women can make good choices before their first pregnancy, they likely will be better off health-wise later. Examples of good choices could be delaying your first birth until you're married and done with your education, or not waiting a long time before returning to the workforce." Frech says there is hope for young women. She advises young women to get an education and build a work history before having a first child. "Don't let critical life transitions like marriage and parenthood mean that you invest any less in your education and work aspirations, because women are the ones who end up making more trade-offs for family" Frech says. "Work makes you healthier. You will have the opportunity to save a nest egg. Also, should a divorce happen, it is harder to enter the workforce if you don't have a solid work history. Don't give up on work and education." From a societal perspective, Frech says that offering childcare and transportation resources to single mothers could result in better employment options for that population.

A new Lancet study reveals that there are more smokers worldwide than previously thought and that the global tobacco burden may have been underestimated. In the light of these revelations, does India need tighten its anti-tobacco campaign?

The new study says that over half the world's population consumes tobacco. That's around 852 million people worldwide according to the new estimates.

661 million worldwide smoke and 247 million are smokeless tobacco users, 206 million in India alone. China has maximum consumers at an estimated 301 million. India comes next, with 275 million tobacco users.

President, PHFI, Dr Srinath Reddy said, "The new study shows that given the fact that tobacco is going to be centuries number one killer and is still biggest publicly threats, not only do we need strong laws, they need to be effectively implemented and India is an important area in which tobacco control needs to be strict even more."

Dr Nevin Wilson, The Union sad, "One in 10 deaths globally is because of tobacco use and the imperative policy makers to invest in tobacco control."

In a major boost to the fight against tobacco use, Australia will be the first country to implement plain packaging for cigarettes.

But come December, all cigarettes in Australia will be sold in drab looking olive brown packets with big graphic health warnings on them. All brand names will be written in the same generic font. The colours and packaging have been tried and tested, to discourage smokers.

New Zealand, UK, Turkey and even India are thinking on the same lines. And if India follows suite, cigarette packets might be sold in plain grey colours.

Seema Gupta VHAI said, "India definitely needs to adopt plain packaging. And like the market research showed that 80 per cent of respondents said that they will not really initiate if they can't associate with a particular brand they will not even think of smoking and a dull grey colour will have a lot of difference as compared to a bright red, blue or any other colour which normally companies use. A new Lancet study reveals that there are more smokers worldwide than previously thought and that the global tobacco burden may have been underestimated. In the light of these revelations, does India need tighten its anti-tobacco campaign?

The new study says that over half the world's population consumes tobacco. That's around 852 million people worldwide according to the new estimates.

661 million worldwide smoke and 247 million are smokeless tobacco users, 206 million in India alone. China has maximum consumers at an estimated 301 million. India comes next, with 275 million tobacco users.

President, PHFI, Dr Srinath Reddy said, "The new study shows that given the fact that tobacco is going to be centuries number one killer and is still biggest publicly threats, not only do we need strong laws, they need to be effectively implemented and India is an important area in which tobacco control needs to be strict even more."

Dr Nevin Wilson, The Union sad, "One in 10 deaths globally is because of tobacco use and the imperative policy makers to invest in tobacco control."

In a major boost to the fight against tobacco use, Australia will be the first country to implement plain packaging for cigarettes.

But come December, all cigarettes in Australia will be sold in drab looking olive brown packets with big graphic health warnings on them. All brand names will be written in the same generic font. The colours and packaging have been tried and tested, to discourage smokers.

New Zealand, UK, Turkey and even India are thinking on the same lines. And if India follows suite, cigarette packets might be sold in plain grey colours.

Seema Gupta VHAI said, "India definitely needs to adopt plain packaging. And like the market research showed that 80 per cent of respondents said that they will not really initiate if they can't associate with a particular brand they will not even think of smoking and a dull grey colour will have a lot of difference as compared to a bright red, blue or any other colour which normally companies use.