Advice on how to cultivate happiness is hard to avoid. Magazines, online news outlets, and television news tout the best ways to improve your mood and boost contentment. Often making the list: exercise, smiling (even when you don’t feel happy), and meditation. [Read more…]
The Problem With How-to-Be-Happy Strategies
Loneliness Harms Your Health
A broad new analysis published in the journal Nature Human Behavior demonstrates that social isolation and loneliness can lead to premature death. [Read more…]
The Mental-Health Benefits of Singing in a Choir
Singing is nearly ubiquitous in American society. From church choirs to America’s Got Talent, people love hearing voices singing in unison. Nearly 54 million Americans – including one in six adults – participate in choral groups, according to research funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. [Read more…]
New Evidence on Adolescent Mental Health and Social Media
A sweeping new advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General outlines the best available evidence on how social media is affecting the mental health of youth in the United States. [Read more…]
Acquaintances Are Good for You
Throughout a normal week, you may chat with a delivery driver who stops at your home, strike up a conversation with the person you always see at the gym, or trade recipes with an acquaintance from the dog park. [Read more…]
New Research: Moderate Drinking Provides No Health Benefits
Alcohol consumption is an often-celebrated part of our culture. Millions of Americans enjoy beers at the ball game, wine with dinner, or a cocktail with friends after work on Friday. [Read more…]
COVID Learning Loss Is Real
The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on our well-being that linger years after the virus first spread among humans. We already know that mental health declined significantly during the pandemic, especially among young people. The pandemic also led to the increased prevalence of sleep problems and eating disorders. [Read more…]
Connecting With Older Adults Is Good For You and Them
In modern society, most of us live in silos surrounded by people similar to us; this applies across many factors including race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and age. In fact, young people and even middle-aged adults today have less contact with older adults than ever before in human history. [Read more…]
Youth and Anxiety: Screening Is Essential
Young people ages 8 to 18 should all receive an annual screening for anxiety, according to a new recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a volunteer panel of experts who make public health recommendations. [Read more…]
How the “Polypill” Can Help Avoid Cardiovascular Disease and Save Lives
A significant portion of people in the U.S. rely on prescription medications. More than 131 million Americans take, on average, four prescriptions daily. Among adults ages 40 to 79, nearly a quarter use five or more medications a day.
The term for taking multiple prescriptions is “polypharmacy,” and it can lead to all sorts of problems including drug interactions and amplified side effects.
High-Potency Marijuana More Likely to Result in Addiction, Psychosis
Approximately 147 million people worldwide consume cannabis, or marijuana each year; a number that continues to grow, especially in North America and Europe, according to the World Health Organization. [Read more…]
How Modern Society Creates a Perfect Storm of Sleep Disturbances for Teens
It’s the dog days of summer. With schools on summer break, you’ll find some teens awake late at night and sleeping until noon. [Read more…]