Researchers from the UK have found that the work environment has a significant effect on a person’s perception of well-being and happiness. Queen Mary University of London investigators discovered positive aspects of working life — such as high levels of control at work, good support from supervisors and colleagues, and feeling cared for — were linked to higher levels of life happiness. Researchers discovered higher…
Work Environment Plays Key Role in Well-Being and Happiness
Making Up Sleep Deficits on Weekend May Not Really Work
Can weekend “recovery sleep” make up for too little sleep during the work week? According to new research, not so much. Researchers at Penn State University College of Medicine placed 30 study participants on a sleep schedule designed to mimic a sleep-restricted workweek followed by a weekend with extra recovery sleep. The result suggests that recovery sleep over just a single weekend may not reverse all the effects…
Visual Aids can Help People Better Understand Health Risks
In order to be able to make sound health decisions, patients need to understand the risks and the benefits that come with medical treatments, screenings, and lifestyle choices. But many people have difficulty understanding the numerical concepts that are essential for understanding risk-benefit information. Researchers Rocio Garcia-Retamero of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin and Edward Cokely of Michigan Technological University discuss…
Facebook Status Updates as Social Snacking
Just about everyone has an opinion about Facebook. A favorite theme is loneliness. There are those who believe that Americans (among others) are becoming lonelier and that our habits of connecting by Facebook instead of in person are hastening our slide into isolation. From that perspective, people constantly posting status updates are revealing their own loneliness. Others instead believe that Facebook allows people to stay…
Benefits of Reading – Getting Smart, Thin, Healthy, Happy
A love of reading can protect your brain from Alzheimer’s disease, slash stress levels, encourage positive thinking, and fortify friendships. Here’s how your brain and body benefit when you crack open a book. Reading gives muscle to your memory. Reading gives your brain a different kind of workout than watching TV or listening to the radio. Whether you’re absorbed in a page-turner or simply scanning…
Small Talk Can Improve Health
Social isolation, not loneliness, is linked with earlier death. Led by Andrew Steptoe of University College London, the study surveyed 6,500 people aged 52 or older about their social contacts and experiences of loneliness. After seven years, the researchers followed up to see who had died. Initially, people rated as highly lonely seemed to die at a higher rate than those with low or average…
Deal with Post Vacation Depression
According to psychological studies, the return from vacation is a major stress for the organism. Many people that need to go back to work after holidays can feel fatigue, lack of energy, depression, anger and insomnia. After a month of “fooling around” the body forget the need to get up early, to think quickly and deal with any work. So that is why, right after the…
5 Myths About Introverts and Extroverts
Common Myths About Extroverts and Introverts Originally coined by Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist and contemporary of Sigmund Freud, these words have become part of everyday language and, unfortunately, have become quite lost in translation. Most people think that all extroverts are outgoing and all introverts are shy. The truth is more complicated. Myth #1: You are either an extrovert or an introvert. Reality:…
How Many Days Does it Take to Create a Habit?
Ann Graybiel of MIT’s McGovern Institute has shown through research that neurons change their firing patterns when habits are learned, and then change them again when unlearned. However, as soon as something kicks back in the habit, they are fired back up. That is why it is so easy to pick back up negative addictions like smoking and drinking, but also why if you establish good habits…
Hidden Personality Traits Revealed Through Your Favourite Ice-cream Flavour
Studies conducted by neurologist Dr. Alan Hirsch, founder of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, tell you how personality traits are linked to your favorite ice cream flavor. Hirsch uses various standardized psychiatric test results to make statistical correlations, explaining that the same part of the brain (the limbic lobe) is responsible for both personality traits and food preference. Interestingly, Hirsch says the taste…