Sometimes scientific studies reaffirm things we already knew based on good ol’ common sense. You can look at those studies and be all, “Ugh, lol, duh, #wasteofmoney,” or you can say, “Wow, huh, I guess maybe now we can try to get to the root of all these human experiences we take for granted.” This is one of those studies. …
Research: TV Is Intellectually And Socially Dumbing Down Young Children
It is common for parents to feel that their children are spending too much time in front of the television set. According to a Canadian study, children who watch an excessive amount of television exhibit a multitude of negative side effects including poor language and social skills, and increased bullying. The 2013 study was set out to determine whether or …
Kira M. Newman – Why Does Happiness Inequality Matter?
According to the World Happiness Report 2016 Update, happiness inequality is on the rise. What is happiness inequality? It’s the psychological parallel to income inequality: how much individuals in a society differ in their self-reported happiness levels—or subjective well-being, as happiness is sometimes called by researchers. Since 2012, the World Happiness Report has championed the idea that happiness is a better …
Sayer Ji – Biophotons: The Human Body Emits, Communicates with, and is Made from Light
Increasingly science agrees with the poetry of direct human experience: we are more than the atoms and molecules that make up our bodies, but beings of light as well. Biophotons are emitted by the human body, can be released through mental intention, and may modulate fundamental processes within cell-to-cell communication and DNA. Nothing is more amazing than the highly improbable …
Study shows people are capable of multiple, simultaneous life changes
Let’s say you’ve decided to make some changes in your life. You’re out of shape, your mind wanders, your self-esteem is wavering, and you have no idea what you just read. So you decide to focus on one thing—losing weight, maybe—and tackle the other issues later. You don’t want to take on too much at once, right? A new paper …
5 Ways Happiness Affects Your Cellular Structure
There is an irrefutable argument in favor of happiness: Happiness and good health go hand-in-hand and scientific studies have been finding that happiness can make our hearts healthier, our immune systems stronger, and our lives longer through enhancements of our cellular structure. Dr Derek Cox, Director of Public Health at Dumfries and Galloway NHS, suspects that for decades health professionals …
Richard Davidson – The Four Keys to Well-Being
Well-being is a skill. All of the work that my colleagues and I have been doing leads inevitably to this central conclusion. Well-being is fundamentally no different than learning to play the cello. If one practices the skills of well-being, one will get better at it. Based on our research, well-being has four constituents that have each received serious scientific …
Amy Morin – Why You Should Stop Believing That Time Heals Everything
Whether you’ve been through a bad break up or you’re reading a sympathy card, the old saying, “Time heals everything,” gets passed around whenever someone is suffering. But as a therapist, I see first-hand how damaging that belief can be. The false notion that time equals medicine is a common misconception I tackle in my therapy office. Individuals seeking help often say, “I …
Sayer Ji – Group Drumming Better Than Prozac, Study Suggests
A new study published in PLoS scientifically validates what so many drum circle participants have already experienced first hand: group drumming produces significant changes in well-being, including improvements in depression, anxiety and social resilience. With the World Health Organization identifying depression as the #1 leading cause of disability, globally, and psychiatric medications causing severe side effects, including permanently disabling the body’s …
Andy Tix – The New Psychology of Atheism
“Do I believe in God?” This is a question many people will ask themselves this week – even if only to themselves – as they go to church to commemorate Easter. Religious beliefs and behaviors are changing. According to the most recent Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study(link is external), the number of Americans who aren’t affiliated with any religion has grown substantially …