Mindfully Healing

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

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

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

Two things which make you look more intelligent that you can do right now. Getting more sleep makes people look more intelligent because of how it affects their resting or neutral facial expression. People who are better rested open their eyes wider and do not have a slight frown on their face. Dr Sean Talamas, the study’s lead author, said: “People over generalise in judging those with droopy eyelids and a frown as being tired and having a low mood, both of which have a well-documented detrimental effect on cognitive

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

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

Drinking this could reduce your brain age twenty years in just three months. Cocoa flavanoids — like those contained in a cup of cocoa — can reverse age-related memory loss in older adults, a new study finds. This is the first direct evidence that an important component of memory decline that comes with age can be improved with a simple dietary change. Typically, normal age-related memory declines are noticeable to people in their fifties and sixties: things like forgetting where the keys are or having trouble recalling a name or

Inhaling the essential oil could help reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Orange essential oil is a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, new research suggests. The oil — derived from the skin of an orange — could provide a better option than drugs, which generally have unwanted side effects. Ms Cassandra Moshfegh, the study’s first author, said: “Relative to pharmaceuticals, essential oils are much more economical and do not have adverse side effects. The orange essential plant oil showed a significant effect on the behavioral response in our

“At 10 months, the differences between these two groups were striking.” – Dr Pamela Maher A natural compound found in strawberries can reduce the mental effects of ageing. The antioxidant fisetin, when given to mice, was found to reduce their mental decline with age and inflammation in their body. Fisetin is also found in many other plants, such as apples, onions, cucumbers and persimmons. Dr Pamela Maher, who led the research said: “Companies have put fisetin into various health products but there hasn’t been enough serious testing of the compound.

…and what your profile picture says about your personality. Social media profile pictures can reveal clues about personality, according to new research. Thousands of Twitter user’s pictures were included in the study, along with an analysis of their personality. Here is how to spot each of the five aspects of personality: 1. Conscientiousness More conscientious people used pictures that were more natural, colourful and bright. They expressed the most emotions of all the different personality types. This probably reflects the fact that conscientious people like to do what is expected