Mindfully Healing

The behavior is linked to more white matter, the brain’s ‘superhighway’. People who take calculated risks are likely to be smarter than average, research finds. People making quick decisions and taking chances have more white matter in their brains. White matter is sometimes called the ‘superhighway’ of the brain: it transmits signals and regulates communication. The researchers were surprised by the result as they expected the exact opposite: that smarter people would spend more time evaluating the situation before making a decision. Dr Dagfinn Moe, study co-author, explained: “We expected

How to spot someone who is passive-aggressive and how to handle them. Some people find it very hard to express their concerns directly. Here are some of the ways that passive-aggressive people attempt to communicate their irritation: Procrastination. Deliberately being inefficient. Trying to blame others. Doing something just too late to be useful. Doing something badly so it is not useful. Saying ‘I forgot’, when they didn’t. Acting sullen. Of course all of these could just as easily not have a passive-aggressive intent — that is the advantage of this

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 review of 17 different studies found that people living with mental illness reported a variety of different benefits to having pets: People reported finding pets calming and supportive. People felt their pets could tell when they were in trouble. Pets provided a distraction from upsetting symptoms of

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. Those who used between 7 and 11 of these, had 3.1 times the depression risk. They also had 3.3 times the risk of having high levels of anxiety symptoms. Professor Brian A. Primack, who led the

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. Girls may be particularly prone to the possible negative effects of too much time spent on smartphones tablets and computers. The conclusions come from surveys of over half a million teens in the US. These have found that suicide rates for girls aged 13-18 have increased 65% between 2010 and 2015. The number

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. Increasing brain activity in areas related to thinking and problem solving is linked to reduced anxiety, the study found. People at risk for anxiety were less likely to develop the disorder when they had more activity in brain areas related to complex mental operations. Memory and brain training, along with psychological therapies could all help to boost

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. It is the same reason that babies cry when they are taken from their mothers. Around one in five people have an anxious attachment style. A classic sign is wildly have varying feelings about the relationship from one day to the next. People experiencing attachment anxiety spend a lot of time thinking about what

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. It can also help to explain how depression develops and persists over time. In depressed people, memory is easily ‘hijacked’ by depressing thoughts, to the exclusion of all else. Professor Bart Rypma, who led the study, said: “People with depression