Older adults who play video games are more likely to be happier and have better emotional health. Those who played video games (even those who said they just played occasionally) reported a greater sense of well-being. The seniors who did not play … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude
Mental Attitude: Cash and Weight Loss?
Researchers found money is an effective incentive when motivating people to lose weight. 62% of participants who received financial incentives ($20 if they met their monthly goal vs. paying $20 if they fell short of their goal) met their goal, … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: Decreasing Depression Symptoms in Adolescents
Teenage students who received mindfulness training (a form of meditation therapy focused on exercising 'attentiveness') in school were almost half as likely to report depression related symptoms than their peers who received no such training. At a … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: Standby Mode?
When the metabolic energy supply to brain cells is low (such as in comatose patients, in babies with serious neurodevelopmental disorders, and for a short period in some babies born prematurely) the brain enters a state called “burst suppression.” … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: Depression and Negative Peer Relationships At School
Often, the assumption is that problematic peer relationships drive depression; however, it was found that depression symptoms predicted negative peer relationships. No evidence was found to suggest that peer relationships forecasted depression among … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: Facebook
Social networking is the #1 online activity, used by 1.2 billion people worldwide. Nearly one in 5 minutes online is spent on social networking websites, and 75% of that is on Facebook. Facebook has 845 million active worldwide users. Researchers … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: Think About It… Smoking?
In 2010, the number of dementia diagnoses around the world was estimated at 36 million with numbers increasing and predicted to double every 20 years. In a study of 6000+ men (average age 56 years), those who smoked were linked to a more rapid … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: No Interruptions, Please
Short interruptions (such as the few seconds it takes to silence that buzzing smart phone) have a surprisingly large effect on one's ability to accurately complete a task. Interruptions of just three seconds can double your chances for making … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: Unaware?
Only 5% of Americans realize obesity raises cancer and respiratory disease risk! The majority of the public believes obesity to be the second most serious health issue in the country, after cancer. When asked whether their weight was normal, 50% … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: Depression Risk
People who drank more than 4 sodas (sugar-sweetened or diet) per day were 30% more likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who consumed none. Those who drank 4 cans of fruit punch per day (sugar-sweetened or diet) were 38% more likely to … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: Smoking and Anxiety
The belief that smoking relieves stress is pervasive, but likely wrong. Smoking is actually anxiogenic (causes anxiety) and successful quitters usually experience a drop in anxiety. British Journal of Psychiatry, January 2013 … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: Neuroticism and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Many people experience traumatic events (such as the death of a loved one, witnessing violence, or physical assault) but only a small amount develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A decade long study of 1,000 random residents in southeastern … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: Vitamin D and Alzheimer’s Disease
Higher vitamin D dietary intake is associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Women who developed Alzheimer's disease had lower baseline vitamin D intakes (an average of 50.3 micrograms per week) than those who developed no … [Read more...]
Mental Attitude: Multiple Media Use
Media use among United States youth has increased 20% in the past decade, and the amount of time spent multitasking with media has spiked 120%. Using multiple forms of media at the same time (ie. playing a computer game while watching TV) has been … [Read more...]