Being A Loner Has This Mental Advantage

Being a loner for the right reason can have surprising advantages. Spending time alone is linked to increased creativity among some people, research finds. Not all forms of social withdrawal are unhealthy, it seems. However, it depends on the reason for the withdrawal. Social withdrawal related to anxiety and fear is linked to negative outcomes, but social withdrawal without this feature is linked to creativity. Dr Julie Bowker, the study’s first author, said: “Motivation matters. We have to understand why someone is withdrawing to understand the associated risks and benefits.

How Loneliness Affects Your Brain

Lonely people quickly move to the edges of social networks — here’s why. Loneliness makes the areas of the brain that are vigilant for threat more active, a new study finds. This can make people who are socially isolated more abrasive and defensive — it’s a form of self-preservation. This may be why lonely people can get marginalised. Professor John Cacioppo, an expert on loneliness, speaking about an earlier study on the marginalisation of the lonely, said: “We detected an extraordinary pattern of contagion that leads people to be moved

Supporting Children on the Autism Spectrum

Thomas was proud of his young son “Roger’s” remarkable knowledge of birds. Roger’s grandmother, an avid bird watcher, had shared birding books and toy bird replicas with the boy when he was young, and he had shown such great enthusiasm for the topic that at age 3, Roger could identify more than 50 types of birds. But when the boy was diagnosed with autism, a therapist took a more guarded view of Roger’s intense interest. The therapist described the boy’s constant chatter about birds as “stimming”—short for self-stimulating behavior. Suddenly,

Marital Communication

Marriages succeed when couples embrace open and...
7 Weird Signs You Are A Really Creative Person

7 Weird Signs You Are A Really Creative Person

Being sarcastic, ignoring deadlines and these five other unusual things are all linked to higher creativity. 1. You are sarcastic Sarcasm can actually promote creative thinking, a study finds. Researchers have discovered that sarcasm can actually cause creativity, rather than just being its byproduct. Sarcasm may not even be detrimental to relationships, if used between people who know each other. Despite being considered one of the lowest forms of wit, sarcasm actually requires considerable mental powers to produce. 2. Your mind wanders People tend to think of daydreaming and letting

How To Deal With Negative Thoughts And Anxiety

How To Deal With Negative Thoughts And Anxiety

People in the study were asked to journal about their most stressful experiences. Accepting negative emotions is the best way to deal with them in the long-run, new research finds. People who are more accepting of their darker moods have better psychological health. Dr Iris Mauss, one author of the study, said: “We found that people who habitually accept their negative emotions experience fewer negative emotions, which adds up to better psychological health.” Psychologists are still not sure exactly why acceptance is so powerful, said Dr Mauss: “Maybe if you

2 Easy Ways To Make Memories That Last A Lifetime

2 Easy Ways To Make Memories That Last A Lifetime

Why some memories last a lifetime and others are quickly forgotten. Memories that last a lifetime need to be linked to lots of other memories, plus they need to be a bit weird. Professor Per Sederberg, an expert on memory, thinks the idea of peculiarity is vital to understanding memory: “You have to build a memory on the scaffolding of what you already know, but then you have to violate the expectations somewhat. It has to be a little bit weird.” This ‘scaffolding’ means connections to other memories. For example,

This Clothing Makes Getting Job Interview 5 Times More Likely

This Clothing Makes Getting Job Interview 5 Times More Likely

Women applied for 400 real jobs to test the effect of clothing in their profile picture. Women whose resumes include a picture of themselves in low-cut or revealing tops are five times more likely to be interviewed, new research finds. The five-year study had two women send out resumes for real accountancy and sales positions. Each applied for 200 roles using almost identical resumes. The only difference was that half the resumes included a picture of themselves conservatively dressed. For the other half they were wearing more revealing clothing. Here

This Sleep Pattern Linked To Dementia

This Sleep Pattern Linked To Dementia

Sleep disturbance is common in dementia, but the reason is unclear. Getting less REM sleep — the phase in which we dream — is linked to dementia, a study finds. During sleep the brain cycles between periods of deep sleep and then up towards shallower periods of sleep in which we tend to dream, whether we remember those dreams or not. During REM sleep the eyes move rapidly from side-to-side (hence Rapid Eye Movement Sleep). Brain activity also increases and our pulses quicken. Dr Matthew P. Pase, the study’s first

The Personality Trait That Makes People Happier

The Personality Trait That Makes People Happier

Brain scans reveal that just a little of this personality trait boosts happiness. Even a small amount of generosity towards others makes people happier, psychological research finds. In fact, merely promising to be more generous is enough to trigger changes in our brain that lead to greater happiness. People in the study did not need to be extremely generous to see the benefits to happiness levels. Dr Philippe Tobler, one of the study’s authors, said: “You don’t need to become a self-sacrificing martyr to feel happier. Just being a little

Memory: The Freakiest Ever Fact is Actually True

Memory: The Freakiest Ever Fact is Actually True

Simply remembering everything that happens to us is not the point of memory. Forgetting is the key to having a useful memory, a new psychology paper argues. Simply remembering everything that happens to us is not the point of memory. Our memories should help to guide us in making intelligent decisions in the situations we find ourselves. Dr Blake Richards, one of the study’s authors, said: “It’s important that the brain forgets irrelevant details and instead focuses on the stuff that’s going to help make decisions in the real world.”

The Best Age Gap For Relationship Satisfaction

The Best Age Gap For Relationship Satisfaction

Many people are attracted to a younger partner, but is it worth it in the long run? The best age gap for marital satisfaction is…none at all, research finds. In the long run couples who are mismatched in age tend to be less satisfied, even if they are better off at first. Both men and women are initially particularly satisfied when they get a younger husband or wife. Professor Terra McKinnish, who co-authored the study, said: “We find that men who are married to younger wives are the most satisfied,

Insomnia Linked To What You Are Probably Doing Right Now

Insomnia Linked To What You Are Probably Doing Right Now

It almost doubled the amount of times that people awoke during the night. The blue light emitted by screens damages the length and quality of sleep, new research finds. Screens that emit redder light, though, do not damage sleep in the same way. Professor Abraham Haim, one of the study’s authors, said: “The light emitted by most screens — computers, smartphones, and tablets — is blue light that damages the body’s cycles and our sleep. The solution must be the use of the existing filters that prevent the emission of

This Cure For Social Anxiety Works For 85% of People

This Cure For Social Anxiety Works For 85% of People

The most common anxiety disorder is social anxiety disorder. Cognitive therapy on its own is the best treatment for social anxiety disorder, new research finds. It is better than just taking drugs and better than taking drugs as well as having therapy. Cognitive therapy resulted in either a cure or significant improvement in 85% of patients. Professor Hans M. Nordahl, who led the study, said: “We’ve set a new world record in effectively treating social anxiety disorders. This is one of the best studies on social anxiety disorders ever. It’s