Women in our culture generally have richer social networks than men, and this observation has been used as part of the explanation for women coping better with stress and living longer. Now a meta-analysis has shown that a low number of friends, family, colleagues etc. in a person’s social network has similar negative effects on […]
Read moreAuthor: Evie Bentley
University students in north-east England have been taking part in a study to see the effects of binge drinking on memory. So what counted as binge drinking? Imbibing 6 units of alcohol in a drinking session twice a week or more was the criterion, and those students with other habits such as smoking and drug taking […]
Read moreThe research team (Damisch et al. (2010) had the idea that having a lucky mascot might actually improve confidence, and therefore performance. So they ran some experiments including one where participants could bring their lucky mascot or charm with them do do a test. Before the test the items* were taken away to be photographed. One group then […]
Read moreIt seems our expectation about what we eat directly affects how hungry or satisfied we feel afterwards. In one study , when participants ate soup, not knowing that there was a hidden pump connected to their soup bowl which could surreptitiously alter the amount of soup available once eating started, their reported satiety related to how […]
Read moreSo many people love eating chocolate, and believe it is a mood-influencing food giving pleasure plus a lift in mood – a happyfood! Now research suggests that many depressed people really do eat more chocolate. These findings came from both men and women who scored high on a psychometric depression scale but who were not […]
Read moreWhilst it’s been known for years that lithium drugs help many bipolar patients to manage their disorder, it hasn’t been known how lithium acts. But now there is a clue! Laboratory studies show a link between lithium and an enzyme known as PO*. This enzyme controls a group of genes which affect brain cells’ sensitivity […]
Read moreWe’ve known for ages that far more females than males suffer from depression and anxiety disorders, but it is frequently hypothesised that this is not the true state of things. This is because, in Western industrialised cultures, it is more acceptable to admit vulnerability especially psychological vulnerability if one is female, not male. The macho […]
Read moreExergames are new video games based on using the Wii. They use physical activity not sight as input and have been developed for use in the fight against obesity. Now they have been adapted so that children with visual impairments can play them, important because these children as a result of sight problems do not […]
Read moreThree recent small studies (see here or here ) looked at the effects of various 12-16 week exercise programmes on sufferers from schizophrenia. The types of exercise varied from more physically strenuous ones, such as strength training and jogging, to less energetic yoga. There were small improvements in physical health but greater improvements were found in mental states. […]
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Research in the USA is showing up a link between obese pregnant women and their babies’ body fat composition. This might not seem surprising, but the concern is that being born with a higher proportion of fat could lead to future adult health disorders for these newborn babies. And the proportion of obese adults, whether […]
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