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Psychology
Childhood adversities linked to increased adolescent suicide risk
Exposure to various common childhood adversities – such as parental psychiatric disorder, parental substance abuse or a death in the family – is associated...
How nature's sounds help us to relax
A Brighton and Sussex Medical School study found that playing 'natural sounds' affected the bodily systems that control the flight-or-fright and rest-digest autonomic...
Prudence, impatience, laziness not entrenched traits but contagious attitudes
'Prudence', 'impatience' and 'laziness' are typically thought of as entrenched personality traits that guide how people weigh the cost of risk, delay and effort...
Confidence, not maths ability, hinders path to science degrees
Girls rate their mathematics abilities markedly lower than boys, even when there is no observable difference between the two, a US study found. Confidence...
Lonely people prone to report more severe cold symptoms
Suffering through a cold is annoying enough, but if you’re lonely, you’re likely to feel even worse. US research indicated that people who feel...
Marmite may be good for the brain, scientists find
People like it or loathe it, but now Marmite is getting attention for other reasons. Researchers at the University of York have discovered a...
UK researchers confirm link between chronic stress and obesity
Using hair to measure long-term levels of the stress hormone cortisol, UK researchers have confirmed the link between chronic stress and packing on kilograms,...
Stress of sex abuse impacts on girls' physical growth and maturation
While it has long been known that maltreatment can affect a child's psychological development, new Penn State research indicates that the stress of abuse...
Higher status for overworked and busy people in the US, but not Italy
Long gone are the days when a life of material excess and endless leisure time signified prestige. According to a study by researchers at...
Positive changes in the brains of retreat participants
More Americans than ever are turning to spiritual, meditative and religious retreats as a way to reset their daily life and enhance wellbeing. Now...
At last we know: The Mona Lisa IS happy!
In perhaps the world's most recognised painting, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, her supposedly ambiguous expression - is she happy or sad? - was...
Critical thinking skills reduce student beliefs in 'pseudo-science'
A recent study by North Carolina State University researchers found that teaching critical thinking skills in a humanities course significantly reduces student beliefs in...
Less rumination is positive in depression patients
Learning how to ruminate less on thoughts and feelings has a positive effect for individuals with depression, Norwegian research found.
A thought is a thought....
Patients with mental disorders opt for psychotherapy over drugs only
People seeking help for mental disorders are considerably more likely to refuse or not complete the recommended treatment if it involves only psychotropic drugs,...
Yoga plus deep breathing to alleviate depression
During a 12-week intervention of yoga and deep breathing, depressive symptoms declined significantly in patients with major depressive disorder, found a small Boston University...
Institutional time in young adoptees a marker for later mental health problems
Despite living in strong and supportive families for over 20 years, many children exposed to severe early deprivation in Romanian institutions aged 0-3 experience...
Christian charity report: Church is driving gays to suicide
Every Christian denomination in Britain, bar one, actively discriminates against people with same-sex partners, fuelling suicide, concludes an Oasis Foundation report.
A report by Oasis...
Long-lasting mental health is 'not normal' – New Zealand study
A small, poorly understood segment of the population stays mentally healthy from age 11 to 38, a Duke University longitudinal study of New Zealanders concluded. Everyone...
Anxiety and depression: Link with site-specific cancer mortality
Higher levels of psychological distress may be associated with an increased risk of death from certain cancers, found a meta-analysis by the universities of...
Meditation training lowers stress response biomarkers
Anxiety disorder patients had sharply reduced stress-hormone and inflammatory responses to a stressful situation after taking a mindfulness meditation course, found a National Institutes...
Link between objectification of girls and aggression to them
There is a direct relation between the sexual objectification of girls and aggression towards them, a University of Kent has shown.
The study, which looked at...
Influence of pets on childhood development
Children get more satisfaction from relationships with their pets than with their brothers or sisters, according to a small study from the University of...
Lay health workers dramatically improve anxiety and depression in Zimbabwe
Brief psychological treatment delivered by Zimbabwean lay health workers dramatically improved the symptoms of patients with mental health problems, according to research by the University...
Cognitive therapy alone is best Tx for social anxiety disorders
Contradicting previous assumptions, a Norwegian-UK study shows that cognitive therapy on its own has a much better effect over the long term in effectively treating...
The money or the cigarette?
Financial incentive programmes help smokers quit more than providing free behavioural counselling and nicotine replacement therapy.
Canadian attention span now worse than a goldfish
In the digital age, where the news is limited to 140 characters and conversations take place in the form of emojis, attention span has shortened. Medical Daily reports that a recent study of Canadians by Microsoft found that the human attention span has shortened from 12 seconds to eight seconds in more than a decade. That’s a second shorter than the proverbial goldfish.
Depression doubles stroke risk
Persistent depression may double the risk of stroke in adults over 50 – and stroke risk remains higher even after symptoms of depression go away, according to Harvard research.
The dark side to perfectionists
The type of perfectionist who sets impossibly high standards for others has a bit of a dark side. They tend to be narcissistic, antisocial and to have an aggressive sense of humour.
Omega-3 reduces child antisocial behaviour
A Perelman study suggests that the omega-3 fatty acid may have long-term neuro-developmental effects that reduce antisocial and aggressive behaviour in children.
Debate around 'excited delirium' diagnosis
Police, medical examiners and some doctors say 'excited delirium' is real and frightening, reports the Washington Post.
Influenced by mental illness or the use of such stimulants, those in its grip often have extraordinary strength, are impervious to pain and act wildly or violently. Then, suddenly, some die. But others say it is merely a cover for the use of excessive force by law enforcement.
The long-lasting effects of bullying
Bullying adversely affects children in later life more than being maltreated, according to research from the University of Warwick.
Parent training to manage autism tantrums
Young children with autism spectrum disorder showed improved behaviour when their parents were trained with strategies to manage tantrums, aggression, self-injury, and non-compliance, a parent study by Yale and Emory universities found.
Joint custody the good choice
Parental separation or divorce is linked to a heightened risk of child psychosomatic problems, indicates Swedish research. But joint custody seems to be less problematic than sole custody.
Depression no predictor of violent behaviour
Most psychiatric disorders – including depression – do not predict future violent behaviour, according to a Northwestern Medicine longitudinal study of delinquent youth, which found the only exception to be substance abuse and dependence.
Orphaned kids face high risk of trauma
Orphaned children in low- and middle-income countries face a high risk of trauma, with physical and sexual abuse being by far the most prevalent traumatic events.
Extended breastfeeding delivers brain benefits
Longer duration of breastfeeding is linked with increased intelligence in adulthood, longer schooling, and higher adult earnings, a Brazilian study following a group of almost 3,500 newborns for 30 years has found.
Stress and depression increase heart risk
A Columbia University study of nearly 5,000 heart patients found the combination of stress and heavy depression can significantly increase risk of death or heart attack.
Loneliness is as dangerous as obesity
Brigham Young University research shows that loneliness and social isolation are just as much a threat to longevity as obesity.
Stress in adolescence key to later CVD
Researchers from Sweden and the UK found that the worse a person deals with stress when they are an adolescent, the more likely they will develop heart disease later in life and exercise might make little difference.
Heart health improved by sense of purpose
Having a strong sense of purpose in life may lower risk of heart disease and stroke by 19%, according to a US meta-analysis. It is associated also with a 23% reduction in death from all causes.