This Drink Reduces New Brain Cells 40%

New brain cells in the hippocampus — an area critical for memory — were reduced by 40%. Even moderate alcohol intake could reduce the brain’s ability to produce new cells by 40%, research suggests. Regularly having as little as 3 to 4 alcoholic drinks could reduce the structural integrity of the adult brain. Ms Megan Anderson, the study’s first author, said: “Moderate drinking can become binge drinking without the person realizing it. In the short term there may not be any noticeable motor skills or overall functioning problems, but in

Letting Go of Anger, Finding the Other Emotions

Expression of anger can be healthy when...

Toddlers’ Mental Health: The Drawbacks of a Diagnosis

Recently a pediatrician phoned me with a concern about a three-year-old patient I see in my psychology practice. During a routine visit, the doctor said, “Karson” had bitten him. In fact, the young child had a history of behavior problems. “Do you think there’s a diagnosis?” the doctor asked me. I told her I wasn’t a fan of diagnosing toddlers. “What I can tell you,” I said, “is that he has strong reactions when people approach him too suddenly, loudly, or unexpectedly.” I was describing a phenomenon that I place

How to Navigate Challenging Life Transitions

When we’re young, life transitions are fun and...
Single Or Married: Which Is The Happiest Life?

Single Or Married: Which Is The Happiest Life?

The two surveys involved around 370,000 people in the UK. Being married brings people more lifelong happiness than being single, new research finds. The boost to happiness in being married also persists into old age. The positive effect of marriage is even stronger for those people who described their partner as their best friend. The findings were just the same for those people who lived together but were not actually married. Professor John Helliwell, study co-author, said: “Even after years the married are still more satisfied. This suggests a causal

This Work Habit Is Killing Your Wellbeing

This Work Habit Is Killing Your Wellbeing

Organisations should adjust their policies if they care about their employee’s wellbeing. People who do not separate their work-life from their private life are killing their well-being, according to new research. Habits like checking and responding to work emails at home or taking the laptop on holiday were linked to lower wellbeing in the study. Those who mixed work and free time were less likely to engage in activities that would help them recover, like hobbies or sports. So they returned to work more exhausted and with a lower sense

29% Lower Dementia Risk After This Training

29% Lower Dementia Risk After This Training

Dementia risk reduced in 10 1-hour sessions — benefits seen 10 years later. A type of mental exercise has been linked for the first time to a reduced risk of dementia. The training is called ‘speed processing’ and involves identifying objects and their location on a screen. As people improve at this cognitive task, the software speeds up. The speed training was effective where more traditional memory and reasoning training had little effect on dementia. Professor Frederick W. Unverzagt, who led the study, said it was comparatively easy training: “We

Coffee Has Surprising Effect On Mental Health

Coffee Has Surprising Effect On Mental Health

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,

The Herbal Antidepressant With Serious Side-Effects

The Herbal Antidepressant With Serious Side-Effects

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

Asking One Simple Question Improves Your Relationship

Asking One Simple Question Improves Your Relationship

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

The Linguistic Trick That Helps You Cope With Strong Emotions

The Linguistic Trick That Helps You Cope With Strong Emotions

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

This Sleep Pattern Leads To Faster Learning That Lasts Longer

This Sleep Pattern Leads To Faster Learning That Lasts Longer

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

The Most Severe Personality Disorder Weakens Empathic Brain Activity

The Most Severe Personality Disorder Weakens Empathic Brain Activity

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

How To Have An Extraordinary Memory At 80

How To Have An Extraordinary Memory At 80

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