Mindfully Healing

Every week almost one-quarter of Americans use this drug. Acetaminophen — commonly known as Tylenol in the US and paracetamol elsewhere — reduces people’s empathy for the pain of others, new research finds. Acetaminophen is an ingredient in over 600 different medications, including being the main constituent of Tylenol. The ubiquitous painkiller does not just kill pain, it also kills our fellow-feeling. Dr Dominik Mischkowski, the study’s first author, said: “These findings suggest other people’s pain doesn’t seem as big of a deal to you when you’ve taken acetaminophen. Acetaminophen

The video game that improves brain efficiency. Tetris — the retro block-puzzle-game — can increase the thickness of the cortex and brain efficiency, research finds. The study involved 26 adolescent girls playing Tetris for 30 minutes a day over a three-month period. They were compared to a control group. At the end, brain scans showed a thicker cerebral cortex in those who had been playing Tetris. The cortex is the area of the brain linked to higher functions such as memory, attention and planning. Dr Rex Jung, a neuropsychologist who

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

What to wear for success at work, in romance and to improve cognition. People judge clothes to be maximally fashionable when they do not match too much and when they do not clash too much. Moderately matched clothes seem to be the key to pulling off a stylish look. And being stylishly dressed is important in all sorts of areas of life. Stylishly dressed people do better at work, have more romantic success and even enjoy enhanced cognition. The conclusions come from a study that tested two ends of the

How to tell the difference between a narcissist and someone who just has high self-esteem. 1. Brittle self-esteem One thing everyone notices about the narcissist is that they appear very full of themselves and self-centred. But, some people are full of themselves because they simply have high self-esteem, and possibly for good reason. The narcissist, though, feels they are superior to others, but at the same time not very satisfied with themselves. Their self-esteem is brittle, ready to crack and reveal the uncertainties underneath. At their core, they can feel

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,

How to use clothes to appear more competent. Wearing more clothing makes you look more competent, a study finds. Something as simple as taking off a sweater is enough to make you look less competent, the researchers found. The finding applies to both men and women, said Dr Kurt Gray, the study’s first author: “An important thing about our study is that, unlike much previous research, ours applies to both sexes. It also calls into question the nature of objectification because people without clothes are not seen as mindless objects,