Stories posted to news.byu.edu combined for 1.5 million page views in 2015. Here are the ten most-read stories.
10. Ambivalent marriages (think frenemies) take a toll on your health
Marriages aren't just one-dimensionally positive or negative. Some are a lot of both. Research by Professor Wendy Birmingham showed that the unpredictability of a marriage can take a quiet toll on your health.
"Feeling invalidated by a partner is more detrimental to you than validating is good for you," she told TIME magazine.
The good news, she said, is that it's not hard to figure out how to improve: Just ask your spouse what you are doing that drags them down.
9. Count your bites, count down the pounds
Want to lose weight but hate counting calories? There's a simpler way to do it, say BYU health science professors: Just count your bites.
Their study found people who dieted with the simple method of tracking their daily bites lost about 3.5 pounds a month. That's right in the sweet spot for healthy weight loss.
Of course this comes with an important caveat that Professor Josh West shared with The New York Times.
"Fewer bites won't help you lose weight," he said, "if every one of those bites is dessert."
8. Campus Drive redesign project continues
On May 2, 2015, the university closed the through street between Heritage Drive and North Campus Drive permanently as part of its efforts to create a safer, pedestrian-friendly environment and unify the campus. This phase of the project was completed just in time for August Commencement.
7. Student parking changes; free campus shuttles added
Fall 2015 saw two major changes with campus transportation. First, a campus shuttle service called The Ryde began operations with five routes to and from campus and Saturday grocery runs.
The semester also saw the re-introduction of parking fees. Y and G lots now cost $60 per semester for fall and winter. There is no charge for student parking during spring and summer terms.
6. Spend less time alone, live longer
Professors Julianne Holt-Lunstad and Tim Smith found that loneliness and social isolation can shorten your life, even for people who prefer being alone.
And young people aren't immune to this. In fact, the detrimental effects are more pronounced for loneliness and isolation experienced at younger agers. So get social and extend yours and others' lives in the process.
5. BYU reaches best mark in one U.S. News ranking, stays high in others
Nearly three-fourths of students graduate with no student loans, which helps put BYU at No. 3 nationally for least student debt.
BYU also checked in at No. 16 for best value. See the other rankings from U.S. News.
4. "Relative Finder" now certified with FamilySearch
Professor Tom Sederberg and his students developed a tool that compares your family tree with groups of friends, co-workers and ward members.
More than 300,000 new users registered with Relative Finder since this story ran in January, so you may discover more cousins if you haven't checked in a while!
3. Parents comparisons make siblings different
Whether you believe your child can succeed actually influences how they do in school. Professor Alex Jensen's intriguing research on siblings and parenting comes with the warning to not compare your children to each other.
"You can help each kid feel like they've got a lot of good going on for them without making them feel like they're better than their siblings," Jensen told The New York Times.
2. Most of America's poor have jobs, study finds
Sociology professor Scott Sanders worked with scholars from LSU and Cornell to standardize a definition of "working poor" - those with jobs who remain in poverty. Their research found that most adults in poverty are not sitting idly on street corners - the majority are actually employed.
"If we clump all those people together and treat them as the same people, then we don't solve the real problem that the majority of people in poverty are working, trying to improve their lives," Sanders said.
1. Recess should come before school lunch
Economics professor Joe Price found that when recess takes place before kids sit down to eat — instead of after — fruit and vegetable consumption increases by 54%.
The study made national news headlines and the front page of Reddit. Nearly 150,000 people read the story on news.byu.edu, making it the most-read article of the year.
