Mindfully Healing

A well managed natural environment is particularly important to people. Being in the natural environment is linked to higher satisfaction with life, new research finds. People were particularly satisfied if they felt their natural environment was being well managed. Dr Kelly Biedenweg, the study’s first author, said: “Whether people feel like things are fair and they have a voice in process of making decisions and whether governance is transparent — those are the foundations of why people even can interact with nature.” The results come from a survey of 4,000

Sleep pattern linked to better ideas, focus and planning. For a boost to your attention and creativity, keep your sleep regular, new research suggests. Regular sleep patterns are linked to higher focus, better ideas and stronger forward planning. People who skimp on sleep, then ‘catch-up’ with more sleep later suffer cognitive problems. The study was carried out on students studying interior design. Dr Michael Scullin, a study author, explained: “When completing term projects, students restrict sleep, then rebound on sleep, then repeat. Major projects which call for numerous tasks and

The posture that makes both sexes look more attractive. Both men and women look more attractive when they adopt an expansive posture, a new study finds. Expansive postures include having the arms outward rather than folded, generally leaning backwards or with the legs apart rather than crossed. Expansive gestures tend to signify openness and dominance, which is why they are seen as more attractive. Dr Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk, the study’s first author, said: “We have seen it within the animal world, that taking on extra space and maximizing presence inside a

An easy self-affirmation exercise helps reduce social insecurities for at least two months. Sometimes in life we get exactly what we expect. Nowhere is this more true than in social relations. When we meet someone new, if we expect to like them—for whatever reason—then they tend to like us. If we experience apprehension or nascent dislike then things can quickly go wrong. Psychologists have called it the ‘acceptance prophecy’ and there’s more about it in this previous article: The Acceptance Prophecy: How You Control Who Likes You. The problem is

Certain dairy products are associated with lower rates of depression. People who consume low-fat dairy products are less likely to be depressed than those who prefer whole-fat. The conclusions come from researchers in Japan and China. They studied 1,159 Japanese adults aged between 19 and 83. All were asked about their dairy consumption and levels of depression. People who ate low-fat dairy between one and four times a week were less depressed, the results showed. The benefits of dairy products could be down to trytophan, the study’s authors write: “Dairy

The real reason some people enjoy listening to sad music. Music that makes you cry gives pleasure, new research finds. This might help to explain the enduring popularity of sad music. The results come from a study that tested the cathartic effect of sad music. Participants in the study were divided into two groups based on their responses to four questions: “While listening to music, how frequently do you (1) get goose bumps, (2) feel shivers down your spine, (3) feel like weeping, and (4) get a lump in your

How less attractive men can make themselves stand out from the crowd. Plain-looking men can boost their attractiveness to women by being creative, new research finds. The same boost in attractiveness, strangely, does not apply to plain-looking women. In fact, for less attractive women, creativity could actually be a dating handicap. Dr Christopher Watkins, the study’s author, said: “Creative women with less attractive faces seem to be perhaps penalised in some way.” The boost for average-looking men, though, was substantial, said Dr Watkins: “Creative guys with less attractive faces were

8.2% of people have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, double the previously reported rate. Many people say their attention is gotten poorer in the digital age. But, is it just a regular inability to focus, or is it a ‘disorder’? Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD or ADD, can cause people to have problems with simple day-to-day tasks, like paying bills. It may even cause someone to lose their job, through persistent lateness or failing to perform routine tasks. The World Health Organisation has released the latest version of