Mindfully Healing

Depressed and suicidal people use these unexpected words more often. People who are depressed use language that focuses more on themselves, research finds Depressed people tend to use the words “I”, “myself” and “me” more than those who are not depressed. This reflects the fact that depressed people often feel disconnected and alone. A second linguistic signal of depression is the use of more ‘absolutist’ words, such as “totally”, “completely” or “always”. Depressed people tend to have a more black-and-white view of the world — there is little room for

The every day coping mechanism that is naturally used by resilient people. Nostalgia can help fight loneliness and may also protect mental health, a study finds. Thinking back to better times, even if they are tinged with some sadness, helps people cope with challenging times. People who are more resilient naturally use nostalgia to help themselves feel better, the researchers also found. The study’s authors write: “Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, is a self-relevant and social emotion: The self almost invariably figures as the protagonist in nostalgic narratives

The cause of Alzheimer’s is not just in the brain. Alzheimer’s disease could be a problem that involves the whole body, according to new research. Alzheimer’s — the most common form of dementia — has usually been thought of as only a brain disease. However, research now suggests the disease could be triggered elsewhere in the body. Chinese research has shown that amyloid-beta — the protein thought central to Alzheimer’s — can contribute to the disease even when it comes from outside the brain. The findings suggest drugs that might

This strange sign could help you spot a psychopath. Psychopaths find it hard to tell the difference between simple odours like fish and oranges, research finds. The finding comes from 79 non-criminal psychopaths whose smelling capabilities were tested. Each was checked out for psychopathic traits: how much they manipulated people, whether they had erratic lifestyles, how callous they were and their criminal tendencies. They were then given various common smells to identify, such as coffee, fish, orange, apple, peppermint, banana and liquorice. The stronger their psychopathic traits, the more difficulty

Eating carrots, wearing red, how to walk sexy and more… Click the links for more on each study. 1. Eat carrots Yellow and red skin pigments are perceived as 50% more attractive in Caucasian people, new research finds. Although these pigments in the skin are supposed to be signals of good health, they can be faked. Taking beta-carotene supplement, for example, will have the same effect. Beta-carotene is the pigment that gives carrots — and other fruits and vegetables — a strong red/yellow colour. 2. Wear the colour red Wearing

Depression frequently recurs but therapy and drugs are not the only answers. Seeking out social relationships may help people to recover from depression. Building a social support system helps people stay depression-free. In addition, people who find activities they enjoy recover better from depression. By contrast, people who are aggressive loners are at a heightened risk of depression recurrence, research finds. Those who do not seek out social relationships find it harder to recover from depression. Aggression can also make it difficult to for these type of people to heal.

Study finds beneficial effect of these two personality traits together on depression. Being extraverted and conscientious helps to reduce the risk of depression in neurotic people, new research finds. People who are highly neurotic typically look at the world in a negative way. They also find it hard to deal with stress and can experience a lot of negative emotions. However, it seems being social and organised helps to ameliorate the effect. Dr Kristin Naragon-Gainey, the study’s first author, explained: “If someone has high levels of extraversion they might be

New brain cells in the hippocampus — an area critical for memory — were reduced by 40%. Even moderate alcohol intake could reduce the brain’s ability to produce new cells by 40%, research suggests. Regularly having as little as 3 to 4 alcoholic drinks could reduce the structural integrity of the adult brain. Ms Megan Anderson, the study’s first author, said: “Moderate drinking can become binge drinking without the person realizing it. In the short term there may not be any noticeable motor skills or overall functioning problems, but in

Psychopaths use these words twice as often as non-psychopaths. Psychopaths use words related to food, sex and money twice as often as non-psychopaths, a study finds. Psychopaths are also less likely to use words related to family, religion and social needs. The trends in word use reflect how psychopaths display excessive selfishness, detachment and emotional flatness. The results come from an analysis of stories told by 14 psychopathic murderers in Canadian prisons. They were compared with 38 convicted murderers who were not psychopaths. Each criminal talked about their crime in

30 years worth of research reveals that 50% of people benefit from this simple treatment. Sleep deprivation can rapidly reduce the symptoms of depression, 30 years of research suggests. Around half of people with depression who are sleep deprived under controlled, inpatient conditions feel better quickly. Many see improvements in just 24 hours, in comparison to the weeks it can take for antidepressants to start working. ‘Wake therapy’, as it is sometimes called, involves staying awake all night and the next day. Around 50% of people find their depression improves