This Is The Number 1 Cause of Ill Health Worldwide

Depression is the leading cause of disability and ill health worldwide. There are over 300 million living with depression around the world. This represents an increase of 18% between 2005 and 2015, according to figures put out by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Almost 50% of people who are depressed do not get any treatment, even in high-income countries. Two important reasons are: Lack of support for people with mental health problems, and stigma. The WHO is currently running a year-long campaign called “Depression: let’s talk”. Dr Shekhar Saxena, Director

The Best Exercise Combination To Boost Brain Power

Resistance and aerobic exercise were tested alongside tai chi and yoga. Aerobic and resistance exercise together is the best combination for boosting brain power, new research finds. The results come from a review of 39 studies of people over 50-years-old doing all different types of exercise and activities, including: aerobic and resistance training, tai chi, and yoga. The results showed that all types of exercise improved the brain power of those over 50. Aerobic exercise boosts cognitive abilities, while resistance training was particularly good at boosting memory and executive function.

Is Telehealth the Future of Therapy?

As a result of the COVID pandemic, many...

How To Read Someone’s Emotions From Their Eyes

Whether people widen or narrow their eyes gives you a huge amount of information about their emotions. When the eyes narrow it signals that someone is discriminating, research finds. This could mean they are angry, suspicious, aggressive or contemptuous. When the eyes widen, though, it means they are highly sensitive to the information they are receiving. This could mean their are interested, awe-struck or even feeling cowardly. The way the eyes move to communicate emotions is linked to how we actually use our eyes for vision. For example, narrowing our

The Top 10 Regrets People Have About Their Lives

The Top 10 Regrets People Have About Their Lives

The smouldering regret that is most widespread won’t surprise you. Romantic regrets are the most common type, research finds. Among women, regrets about romance were twice as common as among men. For men, work regrets were most widespread. Other common areas of regret included financial decisions, parenting mistakes, missed educational opportunities and family arguments. Professor Neal Roese, an author of this study, said: “We found that one’s life circumstances, such as accomplishments or shortcomings, inject considerable fuel into the fires of regret. Although regret is painful, it is an essential

The Real Reason Antidepressants Don’t Work For 50% Of People

The Real Reason Antidepressants Don’t Work For 50% Of People

Antidepressants may give the brain a chance to recover from depression, but more is needed. It is well-known that common antidepressants have little to no effect for up to 50% of people. Ms Silvia Poggini, author of a new study on the subject, said: “There is no doubt that antidepressants work for many people, but for between 30 percent and 50 percent of depressed people, antidepressants don’t work. No one knows why. This work may explain part of the reason. The new research suggests it is at least partly down

How Playing A Musical Instrument Boosts Brain Health

How Playing A Musical Instrument Boosts Brain Health

People in the study listened to and then played a Tibetan singing bowl. Playing a musical instrument can help protect against cognitive decline. The reason is that learning to play changes the brain’s ‘wiring’, new research finds. The neuroscientists found that the brain can compensate for disease or injuries. Dr Bernhard Ross, study’s first author, said: “Music has been known to have beneficial effects on the brain, but there has been limited understanding into what about music makes a difference. This is the first study demonstrating that learning the fine

The Oil That Protects Memory And Reduces Alzheimer’s Risk

The Oil That Protects Memory And Reduces Alzheimer’s Risk

This component of the Mediterranean diet protects memory. Extra-virgin olive oil helps to protect the brain from cognitive decline, new research finds. The oil reduces the formation of protein in the brain that is linked to Alzheimer’s. The conclusions come from a study of mice, some of whom were fed a diet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil. Professor Domenico Praticò, who led the study, said: “We found that olive oil reduces brain inflammation but most importantly activates a process known as autophagy. Brain cells from mice fed diets enriched with

Depression Can Be Treated With Magnets, Research Finds

Depression Can Be Treated With Magnets, Research Finds

The procedure doesn’t require anaesthesia or sedation, taking around 40 minutes per session. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an effective long-term treatment for depression, research finds. TMS involves stimulating the brain using magnetic fields. Magnetic pulses are directed towards the left prefrontal cortex, to stimulate areas of the brain linked to depression. The pulses help to excite neurons at the site of stimulation and in other connected areas of the brain. The magnetic pulses are similar to those used for MRI brain scans. TMS has been cleared by the US

How Loneliness Affects Your Brain

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

How To Use Voice Pitch To Influence Others In Seconds

How To Use Voice Pitch To Influence Others In Seconds

There is something about the voice which is effective in communicating status. Lowering the pitch of your voice in the first few seconds of an interaction can help you influence others, new research finds. Those who lowered their voice were also seen as more prestigious and admirable by their peers in the study. Dr Joey Cheng, the study’s first author, said: “What excites me about this research is that we now know a little bit more about how humans use their voices to signal status. In the past, we focused

How Puppies Could Save Your Relationship

How Puppies Could Save Your Relationship

Boosting marital quality with some of the oldest (and cheesiest) techniques known to psychology. It can be hard to keep positive feelings towards your partner in a long-term relationship. But help is at hand in the shape of new research funded by, of all people, the US Department of Defense. Dr Jim McNulty, the study’s first author, explained: “The research was actually prompted by a grant from the Department of Defense — I was asked to conceptualize and test a brief way to help married couples cope with the stress

The Personality Trait That Decreases Suicide Risk

The Personality Trait That Decreases Suicide Risk

It is also a generally protective factor against health problems. More intelligent people are at a lower risk of suicide, research finds. In fact, intelligence emerges as a generally protective factor against health problems. People with higher intelligence are also less likely to suffer heart attacks and have accidents. Dr David Batty, the study’s first author, said: “People with higher IQ test scores tend to be less likely to smoke or drink alcohol heavily, they eat better diets, and they are more physically active. So they have a range of

Eating This For Breakfast Reduces Food Cravings Later in The Day

Eating This For Breakfast Reduces Food Cravings Later in The Day

What you should eat for the ‘most important meal of the day’. New research shows that eating a good breakfast — particularly one rich in protein — boosts a critical neurotransmitter, which may lower food cravings later in the day. The research comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that many teens skip breakfast and adolescent obesity has quadrupled in the last 30 years. Dr. Heather Leidy, an assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology who led the study, said: “Our research showed that people experience