Mindfully Healing

Survey of 1,000 coffee drinkers reveals which type are “people-pleasers” and which are the most laid-back. Black coffee drinkers are old-school purists who are patient and efficient but can be a little quiet and moody, finds a survey. While latte drinkers were generous with their time but didn’t always take the best care of their health. These are amongst the findings from a recent survey of 1,000 coffee drinkers conducted by clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula. The survey looked at different facets of personality along with the types of coffee

Small study sees improvements in those with ‘untreatable’ depression with no side-effects. Learning to control your own brain waves could be an effective treatment for severe depression, new research finds. The small pilot study found that a technique called neurofeedback helped severely depressed people whose depression had proved very hard to treat. Neurofeedback involves patients concentrating on a readout of their own brain waves. Over time, people can learn to control and change them. Professor Eun-Jin Cheon, the study’s first author, said: “Neurofeedback has been trialed with psychological conditions in

“Over time, your face comes to permanently reflect and reveal your experiences.” Just by looking at your face, people can reliably tell whether you are rich or poor, a new study finds. And on that basis, they also make other judgements: for example, that rich people are more likely to be hired for a job. PhD candidate Thora Bjornsdottir, who led the study, said: “It indicates that something as subtle as the signals in your face about your social class can actually then perpetuate it. Those first impressions can become

The risk of mental illness is up to 4 times higher in those with a high IQ. Why? Highly intelligent people are at increased risk of mental illness, according to new research. This is because the brains of intelligent people are hyperexcitable, the researchers think. A higher IQ leads to a greater awareness of their surroundings and what is going on. This causes the central nervous system to be more reactive, making intelligent people more ‘jumpy’. Dr Nicole Tetreault, study co-author, said: “A minor insult such as a clothing tag

64% of depression and anxiety patients saw reductions in their symptoms. Probiotics relieve the symptoms of depression, as well as helping with digestion problems, a new study finds. The research was carried out on people with irritable bowel syndrome who were also depressed. Twice as many reported improvements in depression symptoms if they took a specific probiotic. Dr Premysl Bercik, senior study author, said: “This study shows that consumption of a specific probiotic can improve both gut symptoms and psychological issues in IBS. This opens new avenues not only for

The surprising effect of these drugs on your heart, kidneys, lungs and liver. Taking antidepressants is linked to a 33% higher risk of death, new research finds. The risk of a cardiovascular ‘event’ (strokes and heart attacks) was also 14% higher for those taking antidepressants. This research used data from hundreds of thousands of people collected from many different studies. Dr Paul Andrews, who led the study, said: “We are very concerned by these results. They suggest that we shouldn’t be taking antidepressant drugs without understanding precisely how they interact

Study of 1.2 million people finds links between fitness and verbal comprehension and logical thinking skills. Young adults who are fitter have a higher IQ and are more likely to go on to higher education, research finds. Higher IQ is linked to a higher heart and lung capacity, not to muscular strength. Heart and lung capacity was most strongly linked to verbal comprehension and logical thinking skills. Professor Michael Nilsson, one of the study’s authors, said: “Being fit means that you also have good heart and lung capacity and that

Two surveys hint at links between sleep position, personality and the strength of your relationship. People who are more creative tend to sleep on their left-hand-side, a survey finds. The survey also found that people who are more extraverted tend to sleep closer to their partners. In fact, being in closer contact with your partner during sleep was related to having a better relationship. 12% of couples spend the night less than 1 inch apart. Among these couples, 86% were happy with their relationship. On the other hand, 2% slept

The teenagers described a wide variety of sources of stress. Few young people use the word ‘depressed’ to describe what often looks like depression, new research reveals. Instead they refer to being ‘stressed’ or ‘down’. Dr Daniela DeFrino, study co-author, said: “Much of what a teen is feeling and experiencing is easy to attribute to the ups and downs of teen angst. But, sometimes, there is so much more under the surface that can lead to depression,” Three common depression symptoms the teenagers in the study reported were: Trouble falling

A simple technique to help narcissists develop more fellow-feeling. Narcissists aren’t much interested in other people’s suffering, or, for that matter, any of other people’s feelings. Erica Hepper, the author of a new study on the subject, explains that narcissists are: “A bit full of themselves, self-centered, and don’t seem too concerned about the effects they have on other people.” New research by Hepper and colleagues shows, though, that narcissists can be made to feel empathy, if given a nudge in the right direction (Hepper et al., 2014). In the