A common belief among college students is that they need to drink and be social to have fun, but a new study finds that less outgoing people can be just as happy.

Indiana University researchers found that introverted students rely less on partying and drinking to be happy and more on connections with family and friends or cognitive strategies, such as positive thinking.

“You don’t have to go out and party to be happy [even though] that’s the thing students feel they need to do, particularly when they’re new to campus,” said Bernardo J. Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast.

“But, it’s critical to maintain contacts with family, with friends and like-minded individuals with whom you feel some sort of meaningful connection,” Carducci continued. “That could be other people in clubs that you belong to, like the accounting club, astronomy club . . . people you play intramural sports with.”

Carducci also found that college students who are goal-oriented tend to be happier than their less focused peers.

“When you look at what these people do differently, people who strive to reach personal goals, they engage in more purposeful leisure, rather than sitting around and watching television,” Carducci said. “They don’t go clubbing as much as the others. They spend more time on what we call spiritual reflection. They write in journals. These are the kinds of people who tend to be more happy. These also are the people who mostly graduate from college.”

What subject should your child study harder in school this year?

According to the federal government, more than two thirds of U.S. fourth graders did not show proficiency in science in the 2010-11 school year.

Six out of 10 eighth and twelfth graders also failed to meet proficiency on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which is used as a key measure of performance in science.

Francis Eberle, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, said that the reason for this may be, in part, because science classes are often cut short in favor of math and reading.

The problem was so serious, President Obama included it in his last State of the Union address. Obama said science is crucial for American competitiveness.

When faced with any sort of unstructured time, children are likely to get bored. They are also likely to let you know about it often! Summer is meant to be a time for rest and relaxation but also for exploring and education outside of the classroom. Here are some ideas for keeping your kids happily engaged this summer.

*Have a scavenger hunt in the house on a rainy day. Vary the clues depending on your children’s age. For younger children, use clues such as “Go to the room where you take a bath,” or “Go to the room with the blue walls.” For older children, use clues such as “This is the room where Dad watched the baseball game last night,” or “Find the room where Mom likes to read quietly.” The prize can be a gift certificate to a local bookstore or a new game the family can play together. Make sure everyone gets a prize or that it’s a team effort and everyone works together to find the prize. If not, you’ll be hearing “Not fair!” instead of “I’m bored!”

*Have a backyard camp out! Bring sleeping bags, tents, and build a fire. If you don’t have camping equipment, lay out an old sheet or blanket to sit on. Instead of telling ghost stories, have each family member tell a story about their favorite thing about your family. Don’t pressure your children to sleep outside, as they may be nervous or uncomfortable. Staying up late and having some special snacks is plenty fun! Just remember to use bug repellent so you don’t wake up with itchy campers in the morning!

*Use an old shoebox and create a special art box. Store all sorts of “extras” inside: buttons, scraps of paper, ribbon, washable markers and glue. Allow your children to create their own masterpiece on a piece of construction paper using all the materials inside the box. Make sure the items in the box are things your child can use independently. This way, your children can sit at the table and work while you make dinner or throw in a load of laundry. You can also use old magazines and cut out pictures to tell a story or re-create a family event.

These are just a few fun things you can do with your family this summer. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try something new. You can always have a family meeting afterward to discuss the pros and cons of your new, adventurous outing. The important thing to remember is relax and enjoy time together as a family, regardless of what you are doing.

A new study indicates that about 1 in every 44,000 NCAA athletes dies of a cardiac problem every year, with the highest rates occurring among basketball players, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Experts say the results are higher than they had expected and recommend increased screening of players to reduce the death rate.

About 400,000 students in the United States, ages 17 to 23, participate in NCAA-sanctioned sports.

Dr. Kimberly Harmon, a sports medicine specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle, and her colleagues used newspaper reports, insurance claims and data from the National Collegiate Athletic Assn., the governing body for college athletics, to track deaths among those athletes from 2004 to 2008.

In the study, the researchers found that 273 deaths occurred from all causes, and 29 percent of those were from medical causes.  Forty-five of the deaths were cardiovascular-related sudden deaths.

However, they found that cardiovascular death varied by sport.  The highest rate, by far, was in Division 1 basketball, with 1 death per 3,146 players per year, followed by lacrosse with 1 death in 23,357 players.  Cross-country was the lowest, with 2 death in 41,695 players.

Males (1 in 33,134) were more than twice as likely to die as females (1 in 76,696), while blacks (1 in 17,696) were much more likely to die than whites (1 in 58,653).

Some experts, as well as the International Olympic Committee, advocate for EKG screening of all athletes before they are allowed to play sports, but schools argue that the tests are too costly and unwieldy.  On average, 1 in every 6 EKGs yields a false positive.

On the basis of her results, Harmon said it would be beneficial, at least, to conduct more tests among athletes in the highest risk sports, such as basketball.

The study was published in the journal Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Assn.

Click here to read more from the LA Times.