Mental Health & Wellbeing

5 Steps for Supporting Strengths in Students

flickr One of the most exciting research findings from positive psychology is the amazing wellbeing boosts that can be achieved when we harness our own strengths, and the strengths of our children or students. It seems that when we know what our strengths are - or  when our children and students can identify [...]

Bright Lights, Big Losses: How Poker Machines Create Addicts and Rob Them Blind

stokpic, Photo: Ed Gregory Australians lose A$20 billion on gambling every year, $11 billion of which goes on poker machines in pubs and clubs. Why, then, are pokies so attractive? And why do we spend so much on them? Ubiquity is one reason. The high intensity – the rapid speed of operation and [...]

By |2015-10-25T22:24:29+11:00October 25th, 2015|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments

Seven Myths about Dyslexia Put to Rest

flickr As researchers who study dyslexia, we often read articles or overhear conversations that completely misunderstand what dyslexia is – or how it can be treated. Dyslexia is the term used to describe someone with reading difficulties – and it affects up to 10% of Australians. A reader with dyslexia may have difficulty in [...]

Why We Need to Learn How to Relax

iStockphoto Are you feeling tired and stressed but don’t have enough time to relax? Are you a stress athlete? Are your students or clients exhibiting characteristics of being anxious and/or tired? When we are stressed or anxious our autonomic nervous system is activated into fight, flight or freeze, triggering the sympathetic nervous system and a cascade [...]

Mum’s the Word When It Comes to Children’s Happiness

istockphoto Young people's satisfaction with their family situation is clearly related to the quality of relationships with parents and especially their mother's happiness. The research findings come from the first findings from Understanding Society, the world's largest household panel study managed by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of [...]

Cats Don’t Love You, Scientists Conclude

Your cat is just fine on its own. Photo: Getty Images Rudyard Kipling was right. Cats really do walk by themselves, and do not need their owners to feel secure and safe, a study has shown. Although absent owners might worry that their pet is pining, in fact, cats show no sign of separation [...]

17 Mind-Blowing Psychology Findings that Explain the Baffling Choices You Make Every Day

Credit: Bruce Conner If you assume that you understand why you think and act the way you do, you’re probably wrong. Decades of psychological research suggest that people behave in ways that are mysterious and perplexing — even to themselves. We sifted through the Quora thread, “What are some mind-blowing facts about social [...]

Gifted Girls Suffer the Most Stress, Study Finds

Students feel too much is expected of them in year 12. Photo: Lyn Osborn Female year 12 students put the most pressure on themselves in the lead-up to exams and gifted girls who strive for top marks suffer the highest levels of stress and anxiety, new research into how Sydney teenagers cope with the HSC shows. [...]

By |2015-10-15T09:52:27+11:00October 15th, 2015|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments

Throat Cancers Linked to the “Common Cold of Sexually Transmitted Viruses”, HPV, Are on the Rise

Dr Matthew Magarey, a surgeon who uses robotic technology to remove cancer from people's throats. Photo: Simon O'Dwyer The sexual revolution is producing a new wave of throat and tongue cancers among middle-aged people, who are falling victim to a rare side effect of the "common cold of sexually transmitted infections". A growing [...]

Australian Children Exposed to Toxic Mining Metals Do Worse at School

Children living closest to the mines had the lowest literacy and numeracy scores. Katherine Clark/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND Children in mining and smelting towns who are exposed high levels of lead, arsenic and cadmium are more than twice as likely to have developmental disorders than the national average. They also perform lower than neighbouring [...]

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