By Kayleigh Chester, University of Hertfordshire; Ellen Klemera, University of Hertfordshire, and Fiona Brooks, University of Technology Sydney We have seen a dramatic change in health trends for young people in the last ten years. Across most wealthy countries, such as the UK, Australia and…
By Alanna Ketler The Facts: Millions of people suffer from addiction in various forms worldwide. Our current society doesn’t support looking at the root cause to reach a solution. Reflect On: We should not be asking “why the addiction?” but rather “why the pain?” Addiction…
People who had recently used psychedelics such as psilocybin report a sustained improvement in mood and feeling closer to others after the high has worn off, shows a new Yale study published the week of Jan. 20 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy…
By John Vibes According to a study published by the American Society for Horticultural Science in December of 2019, having plants around your home or office could reduce your stress levels. In the study, 63 office workers at an electric company in Japan were monitored…
By Joe Martino The Facts: Studies have shown that excessive environmental noise not only decreases one’s quality of life and cognitive function, but also reduces lifespan. The good news is that spending time in silence can reverse these effects. Reflect On: Are you living in…
By Sara Tipton As Americans, we have a lot of clutter. I know I used to! But decluttering has many benefits, including those that positively impact our mental health. As a society, we are busier and more stressed-out than ever. This makes it easy to…
Mindfulness has been shown to reduce negative emotions in both healthy individuals as well as patients with psychological problems. Studies have also shown that mindfulness is effective for treating clinical emotional problems like anxiety, depression, stress and trauma related disorders. The biological mechanisms that underlie…
By Mae Chan Having another senior moment? The cure may lie in a steaming mug of coffee. Daily consumption of drinks containing caffeine could help in the fight against dementia, a new study has claimed. The study published in The Journals of Gerontology found there…
By Carly Wood, University of Westminster As many as one in six adults experience mental health problems like depression or anxiety every week. And not only is mental ill-health one of the most common causes of disease worldwide – it’s also on the rise. Finding…
By Laura Healy, Nottingham Trent University Exercise is not only good for your physical health, it’s good for your mental health, too. Indeed, many people even take up exercise as a way of boosting their mental well-being. But is all exercise equally beneficial – and…
By Alanna Ketler The Facts: There have been many therapeutic benefits of psychedelic substances discovered over the past decade for using them potentially as a medicinal tool. Reflect On: Considering how promising a lot of this research is, should the laws be lifted in order…
By Andrea Mechelli, King’s College London Over half of the world’s population – 4.2 billion people – live in cities. This number is expected to rise, with 68% of the global population estimated to live in urban areas by 2050. Among the world’s megacities –…
By Alanna Ketler The Facts: Numerous studies show the scientific benefits of reading. These benefits tend to increase when reading from actual books rather than screens. Reflect On: Do screens consume the majority of your time? When was the last time you read a book?…
A new study, by researchers Drs. Boers, Afzali and Conrod who are affiliated with CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Montreal, reveals that social media use, television viewing and computer use, but not video gaming, are linked to…
By Elizabeth Coombes, University of South Wales It may seem like we are living in an age of anxiety, where feeling worried, upset and stressed has become the norm. But we should remember that anxiety is a natural human response to situations. It comes when…
By Sara Tipton We’ve all been there – that feeling of lethargy and laziness coupled with some sadness during the winter. If you’re like me and live where it gets cold enough that even outdoor winter fun isn’t actually fun, then don’t fret! There are…
Scientists have peered inside the brain to show how taking DMT affects human consciousness by significantly altering the brain’s electrical activity. DMT (or dimethyltryptamine) is one of the main psychoactive constituents in ayahuasca, the psychedelic brew traditionally made from vines and leaves of the Amazon…
The most important advice anyone can give you comes from a paraphrased quote by Mother Teresa. She said that tomorrow hasn’t come yet, and yesterday is gone, so you should live in today. While the advice may seem counter-intuitive to many, if you ponder on…
Cannabis may be helping Canadians cope with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), new research suggests. In an analysis of health survey data collected by Statistics Canada from more than 24,000 Canadians, researchers from the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) and University of…
By Amanda Froelich In most cases, when people feel sad or depressed there are obvious triggers. This could include the death of a loved one, relationship issues or work-related stress. However, there are other times when we can start to feel down with no obvious…
