Bridging the gap between research and real life
You probably know from personal experience that the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on sleep for many people. If your own sleep hasn’t been affected, chances are you know someone who has experienced sleep problems in the past year and a half. [Read more…]
Imagine that your cell phone battery died while you were out shopping and you needed to make a phone call urgently. Your only choice would be to approach strangers and ask if you could use their phone. The thought of asking for this kind of favor sends prickles up the spines of most people. [Read more…]
When a doctor prescribes medicine, he gives a precise dose calculated to maximize the health benefits while minimizing any side effects. Similar to medicine, we know that exercise is good for our health; it reduces the risk of developing chronic disease and prolongs our life. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 8 percent of people in the U.S. over age 40 die as a result of too little exercise. [Read more…]
Imagine that you’re sitting in a coffee shop enjoying your drink and reading the paper when someone taps you on the shoulder. “Your jacket is beautiful,” the stranger says. “The color really complements your eyes.” [Read more…]
Nearly 15 percent of people age 70 and older experience some form of dementia; that number jumps to nearly 35 percent for people over age 90. And yet other people live more than 100 years with sharp minds.
What helps some people protect their brain health well into the later years of life? That’s the question researchers from the Netherlands asked in a new, longitudinal study published in JAMA Network Open that examines mentally sharp 100-year-olds. [Read more…]
It’s well established that friendships are important influences on youth. Studies show that peers affect teens’ body image, physical activity levels, likelihood of smoking, and much more. A growing field of research demonstrates that the race and ethnicity of friends matter too.
For starters, there is a large body of evidence that shows that face-to-face interactions between members of different racial groups reduces prejudice. In other words, when you personally interact with someone from a different racial or ethnic group, you’re more likely to approach other people from that group with an open mind. [Read more…]
More than half of the world’s population is overweight or obese, a trend that is contributing to significant health problems in people across the globe. Obesity is a major risk factor for many chronic health problems including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Encouraging people to lose weight is one solution, but the evidence shows that weight loss is difficult and rarely sustained. [Read more…]
Work is a major component of most people’s lives. On average, Americans spend 41 hours working outside the home each week, according to the International Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. [Read more…]
As a parent, it can be useful to understand which parenting style comes naturally to you, as well as the pros and cons of each style. But there is one parenting style you may not have heard of, one that researchers have found supports psychological health, academic achievement, and positive attitudes toward school. [Read more…]
Most people associate spring with the cleaning and scouring of their house, garage, basement, or car. Some people extend the ritual to an internal cleansing of their bodies through detox diets.
There are dozens of available plans for detox diets. One of the earliest, the Master Cleanse, was first introduced in the 1940s and gained popularity in 1976. It involves consuming a concoction of lemon juice, purified water, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup—and nothing else—for 10 days. Today, one of the most popular is the 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse, in which participants drink green smoothies and eat raw fruit and vegetables, nuts, and hard-boiled eggs. Actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow, through her wellness company Goop, promotes detox diets that prohibit alcohol, caffeine, added sugar, gluten, dairy, soy, corn, and nightshade plants, including potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant. [Read more…]
If you don’t have a pet, you may think about what caring for an animal entails: feeding, training, cleaning up after and paying veterinary bills. But most pet owners understand that pets provide them with benefits as well.
[Read more…]
People around the world are living longer than ever before, which has led to an increase in the overall age of the global population. Over the past 50 years, the number of people over age 65 has tripled. If this trend continues, older adults will make up more than 25 percent of the global population by 2050. [Read more…]
This form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
