Bridging the gap between research and real life
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…]
If you’ve been to a doctor’s office or fitness center in recent years, you’ve likely had your Body Mass Index calculated. The BMI formula uses a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters. The resulting number is classified into one of four categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. These labels are prolific in the U.S. medical system. At one point, BMI classification was even used to establish eligibility for COVID vaccines. [Read more…]
Daily life is full of low points for everyone. You may get frustrated after you step on the Legos that your kids carelessly left on the floor. You may get nervous about the speech you’re asked to give at your daughter’s wedding, or angry at the friend who ditched you for his new girlfriend. [Read more…]
Unfortunately, injustice and wrongdoing are part of everyday life. Whether you experience someone cutting to the front of the line at the grocery store or you are the victim of a serious crime, transgression is a part of the human experience. [Read more…]
More than 42,000 people died in traffic accidents in 2021, the most in 16 years, according to data released this month by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
One of the contributing factors to this rise in deaths was an increase in impaired or distracted driving, which contributed to at least 3,500 traffic-related deaths. This number is likely underreported because distracted driving is difficult to identify during crash investigations. [Read more…]
More than half of adults in the U.S. over age 80 experience frailty, an increased health vulnerability that hampers their ability to cope with everyday life.
Frailty is a complex condition that involves a variety of physical and mental factors including walking, balance, cognitive impairment, and other chronic health problems. Frailty can reduce endurance levels, make it more difficult to live independently, reduce quality of life, and increase the risk of dying sooner. [Read more…]
If you’ve ever cared for small children, worked a night shift, or stayed out late at a party, you know the feeling of going to bed much later than usual and sleeping in the next day. Sleep researchers call this phenomenon “social jet lag.” They have found it can lead to many negative consequences, including poor sleep quality, reduced cognitive performance, unhealthy eating patterns, depression, and anxiety.
More than 20 million adults in the U.S. experience depressive episodes each year. Among youth, the incidence of depression and anxiety has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
The most common forms of treatment for depression are medications and talk therapy. But a large body of evidence demonstrates that exercise is also effective in treating depression. In fact, some data show that regular exercise is just as effective as medications and therapy in reducing the symptoms of depression. [Read more…]
Valentine’s Day began as the Christian feast of St. Valentine in the eighth century and has been celebrated continuously in some way ever since. In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines were sold in the 1840s by Esther Howland of Worcester, Massachusetts, whose father ran a bookstore. [Read more…]
More than 20 million adults in the U.S. experience depressive episodes each year. Among youth, the incidence of depression and anxiety has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
The most common forms of treatment for depression are medications and talk therapy. But a large body of evidence demonstrates that exercise is also effective in treating depression. In fact, some data show that regular exercise is just as effective as medications and therapy in reducing the symptoms of depression. [Read more…]
You have heard by now that teens in the U.S. are struggling with mental health more than ever before. A survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted in 2021 found 44% of teens experienced feelings of sadness or hopelessness that prevented them from participating in normal activities. Almost 20% of teens said they had considered suicide, and 9% said they attempted suicide. Research finds these problems are more pronounced among lesbian, gay, and bisexual teens. [Read more…]
With the holiday season in full swing, most people think about reaching out to friends and family with a holiday card, a plate of cookies, or an invitation to visit.
This year, we may need these connections more than ever. Our social lives are in sharp decline, according to a nationally-representative survey conducted last year by the Survey Center for American Life. According to the survey, Americans say they have fewer close friendships, talk to their friends less often, and rely less on friendships for personal support. [Read more…]
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