Mindfully Healing

Dementia breaks down the brain’s ability to perform complex tasks, like this one. Being unable to understand sarcasm is an early warning sign of dementia, research finds. Deterioration in key parts of the brain in neuro-degenerative diseases causes people to have problems spotting insincere communication. Detecting lies and sarcasm is a relatively complex cognitive task. It requires being able to simulate the other person’s mind and inferring what they must mean. Those with dementia also find it hard to spot lies. Dr Katherine Rankin, who led the study, said: “These

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

Around one million people around the world take their own lives each year. Hopelessness and emotional pain are the two main reasons why people commit suicide, research finds. Common beliefs about suicide were not strongly supported by the study. People were less likely to mention the following reasons: Financial problems, as a cry for help, or to solve some kind of practical problem. Instead, it was more because the emotional pain they were in was unbearable and they felt that it would never go away. Professor David Klonsky, study co-author,

The right amount of worrying can be beneficial to mind and body. Worry can be good for both mind and body, new research concludes. Worry can help to motivate us and work to protect the emotions. Psychologists find that people who worry more tend to: recover better from traumatic events, prepare and adapt to stressful events better, and do things to improve their health. For example, worriers are more likely to get mammograms, self-check their breasts and seek help for any problems. Professor Kate Sweeny, the study’s first author, said:

Around one million people around the world take their own lives each year. Hopelessness and emotional pain are the two main reasons why people attempt suicide, research finds. Common beliefs about suicide were not strongly supported by the study. People were less likely to mention the following reasons: Financial problems, as a cry for help, or to solve some kind of practical problem. Instead, it was more because the emotional pain they were in was unbearable and they felt that it would never go away. Professor David Klonsky, study co-author,

For the research 166 people carried out cognitive tasks while the blood flow in their brains was measured. Higher omega-3 fatty acids levels are linked to greater blood flow in memory and learning areas of the brain, new research finds. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to fight changes in the brain linked to dementia. Dr Daniel G. Amen, the study’s first author, said: “This is very important research because it shows a correlation between lower omega-3 fatty acid levels and reduced brain blood flow to regions important for learning,

Afterwards people reported greater motivation to work and more energy. Walking up the stairs for 10 minutes beats a cup of coffee for increasing energy and motivation, new research finds. Researchers compared the effects of 10 minutes low-to-moderate intensity exercise with a 50mg of caffeine (around a cup of coffee or can of cola) and a placebo condition. Professor Patrick J. O’Connor, study co-author, said: “We found, in both the caffeine and the placebo conditions, that there was not much change in how they felt. But with exercise they did