
Norway's Princess Ingrid Alexandra Pauses Royal Duties For Higher Education
Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, second in line to the Norwegian throne, is set to begin her higher education journey in Australia. The 21-year-old royal will pursue a bachelor's degree in social sciences at the University of Sydney, starting in August.
In a significant personal decision, the Princess will temporarily step back from her royal duties to focus on full-time studies. She is expected to reside in on-campus student housing during her time at the university.
The Royal House of Norway shared that "Her Royal Highness looks forward to dedicating herself to her studies in the years to come."
The University of Sydney expressed excitement over her decision. "We are delighted that the Princess has chosen the University of Sydney to further her education, and we're sure she'll love Sydney as much as we do," said Kirsten Andrews, the university's Vice-President. She added that the Princess will have access to a vibrant campus community and the best that the city has to offer.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra is the daughter of Crown Prince Haakon and the granddaughter of King Harald of Norway. She was born and raised in Oslo and recently completed 15 months of military service as an engineer soldier and rifleman.
During her school days, the Princess's mother spent a year with her at Wangaratta High School in Victoria.
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NDTV
4 days ago
- NDTV
Norway's Princess Ingrid Alexandra Pauses Royal Duties For Higher Education
Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, second in line to the Norwegian throne, is set to begin her higher education journey in Australia. The 21-year-old royal will pursue a bachelor's degree in social sciences at the University of Sydney, starting in August. In a significant personal decision, the Princess will temporarily step back from her royal duties to focus on full-time studies. She is expected to reside in on-campus student housing during her time at the university. The Royal House of Norway shared that "Her Royal Highness looks forward to dedicating herself to her studies in the years to come." The University of Sydney expressed excitement over her decision. "We are delighted that the Princess has chosen the University of Sydney to further her education, and we're sure she'll love Sydney as much as we do," said Kirsten Andrews, the university's Vice-President. She added that the Princess will have access to a vibrant campus community and the best that the city has to offer. Princess Ingrid Alexandra is the daughter of Crown Prince Haakon and the granddaughter of King Harald of Norway. She was born and raised in Oslo and recently completed 15 months of military service as an engineer soldier and rifleman. During her school days, the Princess's mother spent a year with her at Wangaratta High School in Victoria.


Mint
22-05-2025
- Mint
Rumours on social media could cause sick people to feel worse
THE PLACEBO effect is a well-known example of the brain's power over the body, allowing people who are poorly or in pain to improve if they are led to believe they are being treated. The opposite, however, is also possible: patients who believe that procedures will cause them to suffer ill effects can make themselves worse. The roots of this anti-placebo, or nocebo, effect are difficult to untangle. But in a paper in Health Psychology Review, researchers in Australia have pooled the available evidence and ranked the contributing factors. Misinformation on social media seems to come near the top. In fact, what psychologists call social learning—the drawing of inferences from the views of others—was found to be as powerful as lived experience, and more influential than information given by a doctor. This is a problem, says Cosette Saunders, a psychologist at the University of Sydney and lead author of the study. Social learning may not be able to spread infection or cause new disease, but it can drive harmful side-effects. And managing these side-effects costs health systems around the world billions of dollars. Take cancer treatment. In recent years, new drugs have emerged to control the side-effects experienced by people receiving chemotherapy. But Dr Saunders says that vomiting and nausea have not come down in cancer patients by as much as expected. Social learning may be responsible. 'They'll say, their mother-in-law had chemo twenty years ago and she was vomiting every single day," Dr Saunders says. 'Those kinds of long-held beliefs are influencing them now, even though the medical landscape has changed." Something similar appeared to be happening during the covid-19 pandemic: studies in America and Australia found people who were most exposed to the idea that vaccination provoked side-effects were also most likely to report them. Though the impact of the placebo effect has been recognised for centuries, work on the nocebo effect is much newer. Only in the past two decades have many scientists been convinced of its real-world impact, helped by studies that demonstrate how a negative attitude can lead to physical symptoms such as increased heart rate and physiological arousal. The conclusions of the Australian analysis are stark about the power of social learning. But, says Dr Saunders, it is hard to know how much of these effects are down to social-media use as opposed to, say, chatting with friends at the pub. Dr Saunders' lab is one of many now trying to find ways to minimise the damage. One possibility is to balance warnings of nasty side-effects with positive testimony from patients who had no problems. If she finds something that works, she'll pass it on. Curious about the world? To enjoy our mind-expanding science coverage, sign up to Simply Science, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter.


Time of India
13-05-2025
- Time of India
Dementia risk depends on more than lifestyle factors. Overstating this can cause stigma, blame
New Delhi: Sydney University and Gilbert Knaggs, University of Sydney Sydney, May 13 (The Conversation) As public awareness of dementia grows, so too does the appetite for prevention. Global headlines tout the benefits of exercise, diet, brain training and social activity in reducing dementia risk. In recent years, medical journals have amplified this message to encourage people to take control of their cognitive futures through lifestyle change. Last year, The Lancet estimated up to 45 per cent of dementia cases worldwide could theoretically be delayed or prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors. These messages are undeniably hopeful. They suggest personal effort, combined with emerging scientific evidence, can help to overcome a disease long seen as inevitable. But public health messaging that focuses too narrowly on behaviour may be misleading and potentially harmful, as we argue in The Lancet. This can lead to a two-tiered system, where affluent people are praised for their proactive brain health, while marginalised groups face barriers to participation and are blamed for their perceived inaction. What is dementia and what causes it? Dementia is a neurocognitive disorder and describes conditions that affect memory, thinking and the ability to do everyday tasks. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type, but there are others such as vascular and Lewy body dementia. It happens when brain cells become damaged and stop communicating properly. This can cause confusion, forgetfulness and changes in behaviour or mood. Dementia is linked to some of our deepest cultural fears: the limits of autonomy, dependency on others, the stigma of being diagnosed and the unknown. So, what increases your risk of dementia? Some risk factors can't be changed. Age is the biggest one. Family history and certain genes, such as APOE-e4, also raise risk. But many risk factors are modifiable, which means we can do something about them. Obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure raise your risk. Low levels of exercise or education can also increase the chances of developing dementia. The science behind prevention The science of dementia prevention has evolved significantly over the past decade. Lifestyle trials, from Finland, France, Australia and the United States are exploring whether combinations of diet, physical activity, cognitive training and managing cardiovascular risk (high blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity and smoking) can reduce dementia risk. The Finnish study, the most widely cited of these, demonstrated modest but meaningful cognitive benefits in older adults at risk for dementia after a two-year lifestyle intervention. Its success has spurred a wave of similar studies globally (to date, more than 40 trials). Collectively, these trials provide a scientific foundation for an increasingly popular public health message: brain health tomorrow is linked to healthy behaviours today. New possibilities for preventing dementia are certainly promising. However, the translation of these findings into broad public campaigns is where complexity, and ethical tension, emerges. Dementia risk is related to socioeconomic disadvantage Dementia risk is also determined by a complex array of extrinsic factors - conditions outside our control - that are unevenly distributed across society: air quality, ethnicity, gender, occupation, the built environment. These factors influence not just if, but when, dementia might develop. Dementia prevalence is disproportionately higher in communities facing social disadvantage partly because modifiable risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and low education are also more common in these areas. But there's another layer: access. The same communities at greater risk often lack access to the very interventions meant to reduce that risk. Low-income neighbourhoods may have fewer green spaces, safe walking paths, or affordable, healthy food. They also face higher levels of pollution, noise and chronic stress. All of which can damage brain health. Not everyone can access the kinds of healthy lifestyles to counteract dementia risks. Telling people to eat a Mediterranean diet or join a gym may be a cold comfort for those without the money, time, services or mobility to do so. Positioning dementia as something people can avoid also risks implying dementia is something individuals can fail to prevent. This could reinforce existing narratives which equate disease in later life to poor lifestyle choices rather than social inequity. So how do we do better? First, prevention messaging must be framed within a social and cultural context. This means acknowledging and addressing barriers such as food insecurity, lack of green space, caregiver stress and health system distrust. Messages must be co-created with communities, not imposed on them, and have a visual, motivating appeal. Second, we must shift from individualistic narratives to collective responsibility. Brain health should be supported through public infrastructure, equitable access to care, and culturally sensitive health promotion. Prevention doesn't just happen in the home. It also happens in preschools, schools, shopping centres, clinics, parks and policy rooms. Finally, we need to reframe success. Preventing dementia is a worthy goal, but so is ensuring dignity, inclusion and care for people who live with it. A just approach to brain health must do both. The next generation of dementia messaging must be not only evidence-based, but also equity-focused. It should strive to educate without shaming, to empower without excluding, and to promote brain health in ways that honour the realities of ageing. (The Conversation)>