Mindfully Healing

People felt their pets could tell when they were in trouble. Pets can help people manage mental health conditions, particularly in times of crisis, new research finds. People’s emotional relationship with their animals can be intense and they can provide welcome support.…

The mental slowdown is even bigger when a person is hungry. Sugar causes people to perform worse on tests of memory and thinking skills, new research finds. Participants consuming either table sugar (glucose) or fruit sugars (fructose) were worse at math, had slower reactions and showed poorer attention than a control group who had a sweetener.…

The best balance of fatty acids for brain health. The right balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may help promote healthy cognitive aging, new research finds. While we are used to hearing about the benefits of the fatty acids in fish and fish oils, that is only half the story.…

They did not feel guilty about cheating, either. Narcissists are more likely to cheat and do not feel as guilty about it, research finds. The study on academic cheating found that fiddling the test allowed narcissists to show off their academic ability to their peers.…

Depression and anxiety risk much higher in some people using social media. Using over seven different social media platforms is linked to a tripling in depression risk, psychological research finds. The study asked about the 11 most popular social media platforms: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Vine and LinkedIn.…

Surveys of over half a million teens in the US hint at worrying trend. More time in front of screens may be to blame for the increase in depression and suicidal behaviours among young people, study finds.…

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is involved in planning, reasoning and decision-making. Improving general cognitive functioning could help to reduce anxiety, new research suggests. This area is highly involved in planning, reasoning and decision-making.…

Positive emotions are given the biggest boost by different foods as we age. The diets linked to mental health change over the lifetime, new research finds. The mood of young people — aged between 18 and 30 — benefits from neurotransmitter precursors provided by foods like meat.…

Certain types of anxiety can cause massive ups and downs in relationships. Partners who have attachment issues cause considerable instability in their relationship, research finds. One type, known as ‘attachment anxiety’ by psychologists, involves see-sawing feelings.…

Why depressed people cannot hold on to positive memories and emotions. Depressed people have 30% worse memory on certain tasks, research finds. Depressed mood stops people from holding information in their memory. This may be why depressed people can find it hard to hold on to positive memories and emotions.…