Bridging the gap between research and real life
Researchers estimate that there are upwards of 1 million Americans who were conceived using donor egg or sperm. Anonymous donation, in which the donor’s identity is not available to the donor-conceived person, is common in the U.S. and Canada, while many European countries require the donor’s identity be disclosed when the donor-conceived person turns 18.
As heat waves roll across the U.S. in the summer, heat-related illnesses are a serious threat to Americans. Although we often hear about the dangers of overheating and dehydration, heat waves lead to even broader consequences for the people coping with them. A “heat dome” covered the East Coast and southern U.S. last month, and has now shifted to California. [Read more…]
According to a worldwide Gallup poll of more than 147,000 people living in 142countries, nearly one-quarter of people feel angry on a regular basis, and that number has remained flat for the past three years.
Anger is one of the basic human emotions. Like other emotions, it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes in the body including increased heart rate and blood pressure, and higher levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline.
Over the past several decades, marijuana legalization has accelerated across the United States. Cannabis is now legal for recreational use in 24 states and Washington, D.C., as well as for medical use in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Now that it’s more widely available, researchers are asking how legalization is affecting cannabis use. [Read more…]
The evidence clearly shows that having a sense of purpose—no matter what that is—is good for us. Research shows that having a sense of purpose leads to better health outcomes for older adults, improves our daily mood and physical well-being, and is even associated with increased financial earnings.
Now researchers are delving more into how having a sense of purpose plays out in the lives of individual people. [Read more…]
Chances are that someone you love has experienced depression. Approximately 8 percent of U.S. adults – some 21 million people – have a major depressive disorder each year. For people under age 18, depression is the most common cause of hospitalization. [Read more…]
If you pay attention to diet trends, you’ve likely heard of—or maybe even tried—the keto diet.
The ketogenic diet involves eating a high percentage of fat and few carbohydrates. This forces the body into a metabolic state called ketosis, which involves burning fat for energy instead of glucose. The diet also leads to lower blood sugar and insulin levels. [Read more…]
The term trigger warning was coined in the late 1990s on feminist Internet message boards, where it cautioned readers about graphic depictions of crimes, typically rape. The idea was to help emotionally prepare readers for difficult content and allow them to opt out and avoid the content altogether. [Read more…]
More than four years after the first humans became infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, scientists understand more than ever before about how COVID-19 affects people. Beyond respiratory symptoms, COVID can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, and even eye infections. We’ve also learned that people can experience long COVID, which involves continued symptoms for months or even years after they initially get sick. [Read more…]
Experiencing depression during pregnancy or the first year after a child is born significantly increases a woman’s risk of attempting suicide or dying by suicide, according to two new large studies. [Read more…]
An estimated one in 11 U.S. adults will experience post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, in their lifetimes.
PTSD occurs when people have intense and disturbing thoughts and feelings related to a previous traumatic experience. These can arrive in the form of nightmares or flashbacks and often make them feel like they are reliving a terrifying event. PTSD affects a person’s ability to function in everyday life, and it can persist for years. [Read more…]
When out and about, you may have heard parents shouting at their children. In fact, few people make it all the way through parenthood without ever yelling. But a new systematic review finds that regular verbal abuse—including shouting, threatening, belittling, humiliating, and name-calling—has negative consequences for children that can last a lifetime. [Read more…]
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