Mental Health & Wellbeing

5 Questions About Happiness Science Can’t Answer

There is a lot of information out there about what might or might not make us happy.  But it's important to remember that all of those insights and findings are really suggestions. They may be based on science, interviewing, or personal experience, but they can never be declared universally appropriate. via 5 Questions About Happiness [...]

You are not alone: Facebook use linked with unhappiness

Scientists found the more time people spent on Facebook over a two-week period, the worse they subsequently felt. In contrast, talking to friends on the phone or meeting them in person led to greater levels of happiness. via You are not alone: Facebook use linked with unhappiness.

Limited success for child abuse prevention programs

In a review conducted for the USPSTF, researchers from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland analyzed 10 studies of child abuse prevention programs involving home visitors in the U.S., UK and New Zealand and one intervention done in a Baltimore clinic. Those studies included families at higher risk of child abuse based on responses [...]

How to Do Kindness in school

Following last week’s column regarding Random Acts of Kindness, I received a lot of correspondence asking me how we implemented the activity.   So I thought I would share exactly how we did the RAK activity at our school.   We did the activity with fifty Year 10 students.   We secretly assigned each member [...]

Five lies the weight loss industry wants you to believe

1. Weight loss is a simple matter of willpower We’ve all heard that weight loss is easy. People just need some good old-fashioned will power. This myth is so ingrained in our culture that it’s assumed that a person with a fat body is lazy and undisciplined which can lead to discrimination in employment opportunities and by health care professionals. "Most people [...]

That gut feeling

The days of analyzing a patient's gut bacteria to treat her depression or anxiety are probably far away. Still, scientists following this line of research have become increasingly convinced that to fully understand our emotions and behaviors, we need to study the gut as much as the brain. via That gut feeling.

The Computer Game That Helps Therapists Chat to Adolescents With Mental Health Problems

Adolescents with mental health problems are particularly hard for therapists to engage. But a new computer game is providing a healthy conduit for effective communication between them. via The Computer Game That Helps Therapists Chat to Adolescents With Mental Health Problems | MIT Technology Review.

Random Acts of Kindness

“Why should I be nice to people? They aren’t nice to me...” This is a common response from adolescents when I try and engage them in the notion of being “kind.”   Researchers will tell us that because of the adolescent brain, the teaching of such concepts need to demonstrate: “What’s in it for me?” [...]

‘Retail Therapy’ Might Not Be So Bad After All

Those who love to shop are often painted as lonely souls, trying to fill a void by buying -- and becoming even more isolated in the process. Not always so, according to new Dutch research. The relationship of shopping and loneliness can go both ways -- and the direction seems to have a lot to [...]

Brain chemistry changes in children with autism offer clues to earlier detection and intervention

Between ages three and 10, children with autism spectrum disorder exhibit distinct brain chemical changes that differ from children with developmental delays and those with typical development, according to a new study led by University of Washington researchers. via Brain chemistry changes in children with autism offer clues to earlier detection and intervention.

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