Mindfully Healing

How coffee consumption is linked to both mental and physical health. Moderate coffee consumption is linked to reduced depression risk and lower levels of Parkinson’s and dementia, new research finds. Not only that, but the review of more than 200 studies found that drinking 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day is linked to many other benefits. These include lower levels of heart disease, reduced risk of some cancers, diabetes and liver disease. The study’s authors write: “Coffee consumption was consistently associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease,

Despite being perceived as safe by the general public, herbal medicines actually carry considerable risks. St John’s Wort — a popular herbal treatment for depression — can have serious side-effects, research finds. These include dangerous changes in body temperature and blood pressure. The research compared the side-effects of St John’s Wort with those of fluoxetine — an antidepressant also known as Prozac, Animex-On, Sarafem, Adofen and Deprex. The side-effects of St John’s Wort were just as serious as for the antidepressant. These included: anxiety, panic attacks, dizziness, vomiting, amnesia and

People in the study were encouraged to think about conflicts in their relationships in a new way. “How will I feel in one year about this current conflict in my relationship?” Asking a question with a future-orientation helps people feel more positive about their relationship, a study finds. People feel more forgiving and interpret their relationship in a more positive light when they think about it from a future perspective. Mr Alex Huynh, the study’s first author, said: “When romantic partners argue over things like finances, jealousy, or other interpersonal

It is a way of expressing universal, shared experience and creating some emotional distance. People use the word ‘you’ when they really mean ‘I’. It helps to distance them from negative emotional experiences, new research finds. For example, the expression “you win some, you lose some” probably means the person has failed, but that it could happen to anyone. The pronoun, therefore, helps you to feel better about the experience. Ariana Orvell, the study’s first author, explained: “When people use “you” to make meaning from negative experiences, it allows them

50% improvement in learning from this sleep technique. Sleeping in between study sessions could be the key to better recall, new research finds. The technique aids recall up to six months later, psychologists have found. Dr Stephanie Mazza, the study’s first author, said: “Our results suggest that interleaving sleep between practice sessions leads to a twofold advantage, reducing the time spent relearning and ensuring a much better long-term retention than practice alone. Previous research suggested that sleeping after learning is definitely a good strategy, but now we show that sleeping

Why people with the most severe personality disorder find it difficult to have romantic relationships and friendships. People with borderline personality disorder have deficits in brain regions related to empathy, new research finds. The finding helps explain why people with borderline personality disorder have unstable moods. They also often have trouble maintaining relationships with others. Dr Brian Haas, the study’s lead authors, said: “Our results showed that people with BPD traits had reduced activity in brain regions that support empathy. This reduced activation may suggest that people with more BPD

Superagers reveal how we can all age gracefully. Warm and trusting social relationships could be the key to having an extraordinary memory when you are 80. The conclusion comes from new research on so-called ‘superagers’ — people who have the cognitive abilities of those up to 30 years younger. The decline in superager’s memory and other cognitive skills is much slower than their peers. They also report having more high-quality and satisfying relationships with other people. Dr Emily Rogalski, a study author, said: “You don’t have the be the life

Posting this type of image online linked to depression. People who are depressed can be identified from their social media photos 70% of the time, new research finds. Depressed people have a tendency to post (literally) darker pictures. They are also more likely to use a filter to convert their images to black-and-white. Dr Christopher Danforth, who co-authored the study, explained the signs to look for: “Our analysis of user accounts from a popular social media app revealed that photos posted by people diagnosed with depression tended to be darker

“I sort of feel that my breathing is going with the song, my heart is beating slower and I’m feeling just more aware of the song…” Getting goosebumps or a lump in your throat while listening to music is relatively rare, research finds. It could be an indication that your brain is unique, according to recent research that examined how the feeling of chills is triggered. People who feel chills from music have an enhanced ability to feel emotions. This could be down to a structural difference in the brain.

Working on commitment may NOT be the key for couples having problems with their relationship. Genes are the main reason why divorce runs in families, new research finds. Psychologists used to think that the potential for divorce was transmitted from one generation to the next by psychological means. But the new research finds that it is really genetics that are at the root — although psychological factors are important. For example, neurotic people tend to see their partners in a more negative light. The personality trait of neuroticism is passed