No arf-ing kidding. Any canine owner can tell you that dogs relieve stress — now, a new study backs them up. Researchers from Konkuk University in South Korea discovered that spending time with dogs helps people relax and concentrate. Dogs really do make people feel less stressed. Shutterstock For the study, published in Plos One, … Read more
Don’t snooze through this health warning. A lack of sleep can have detrimental effects on your physical and mental health — new research has identified four major sleep patterns and determined how they affect a person’s long-term health. A study published last month in Psychosomatic Medicine found that insomnia sleepers have a significantly higher likelihood of developing … Read more
Repeat this line: You feel happy, calm and fulfilled. It may not be as easy as that — but daily affirmations have been linked to improved mental health, according to a study from the University of California Berkeley. The study included 135 college students. One group was prompted to practice daily self-compassion by saying affirming things … Read more
A familiar scent could help individuals with depression recall memories more easily than verbal cues, a recent study published in JAMA Network Open noted. For people with major depressive disorder (MDD), a familiar smell might help them recall autobiographical memories and potentially help with mental health treatment, according to a group of researchers and social workers from the University … Read more
They’re merely chips off the old block. Eldest daughters with one or more younger siblings tend to bear the brunt of the household, babysitting and parental care responsibilities — whether they like it or not. In fact, fed-up first-born girls have long commiserated over the thrones of being second-in-command to mom using the buzzy term “eldest daughter … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I am writing this in the hope that the man of my dreams reads it. I don’t know how to approach him. He’s getting ready to retire, and I have fallen deeply in love with him as the years have gone by. He’s a little on the chubby side (as am I), but … Read more
This fitness routine is geared toward people with Parkinson’s disease — and their caretakers. Those who suffer from the degenerative brain disorder and those who help them may benefit from pedaling on a stationary bicycle for two, a new, small study has found. “Our study found that a unique cycling program that pairs people with … Read more
Nora, 16, is a fairly typical teenager. A high-school student from Southern California, she lives on Snapchat, has a mouth full of braces, sings in the school choir and a “large majority” of her friends are clinically depressed. “I always have a friend who’s going through something super serious,” she told Abigail Shrier, author of … Read more
Divorce was the kick in the butt she needed. A California mom of a toddler says she has shed 35 pounds in six months by practicing taekwondo following the breakdown of her marriage. “I feel healthier and happier,” Sarah Albassri, 30, gushed to SWNS. “I feel like I’m glowing up.” The PhD biomedical engineering student, … Read more
Taking antidepressants such as Prozac during pregnancy can affect the child’s brain development and potentially lead to them having mental health disorders later in life, a new study warns. The research, published Friday in the journal Nature Communications, is said to be the first study to provide evidence of the direct impact of serotonin, a … Read more
The secret to curing depression is right under your nose, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh learned that smells are more effective than words in evoking positive memories, which could help people with depression get out of negative thought patterns. Researchers exposed 32 people between the ages of 18 and … Read more
Loneliness has been declared a public health emergency in Silicon Valley. San Mateo County, located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, passed a resolution on Jan. 30 that officially declared loneliness a public health crisis. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on the decision, according to a local report. “San Mateo County was the first … Read more
People with depression have higher body temperatures, a new study found, giving insight into potential new ways to manage the disorder. The study, published in Scientific Reports, doesn’t clarify whether depression causes a higher temperature or if a higher temperature can cause depression — but it does suggest that there could be mental health benefits … Read more
DEAR ABBY: I’m a widow. I have a friend I’ll call “Greta,” whom I have known since high school. I was very shy back then. She was more outgoing, but our group of friends was small. Over the years, I have become more outgoing, while Greta seems to be withdrawing socially. She often tells me … Read more
Dogs can be going through a ruff time, too. Studies have shown a dog’s brain is similar to that of a human’s, and in the 1980s, Dr. Nicholas Dodman of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University discovered that dogs can experience the chemical and hormonal changes that bring about depression and anxiety in humans. Unfortunately, … Read more
First month, worst month. If it feels like January has been dragging on forever, there’s a reason for that, experts say. Host to “Blue Monday,” typically considered one of the most depressing days of the year, January’s tendency to move slowly — and bum us out — stems from the sore reminder that the cheery … Read more
For those with severe depression, relief could soon be just an MRI away. In a major clinical trial, researchers from the University of Nottingham in the U.K. applied transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the brains of 255 patients with treatment-resistant depression over a total of 20 sessions. The patients reported “substantial improvements” in their symptoms and quality of … Read more
When Brittany Edwards discovered a distressing post on her 12-year-old daughter’s TikTok account indicating thoughts of self-harm, she was beside herself. “At first, I was pissed off, I was angry, I was upset,” Edwards, 34, told The Post. “I didn’t understand where this was coming from or why she said that or why she posted … Read more
If you’re moody and you know it, eat these foods. The third Monday in January — Blue Monday — has been named the most depressing day of the year. The day corresponds with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression spurred by shorter days and less daylight. Studies have shown that what you eat can … Read more
Cue the New Order, you sad sacks — the gloomiest day of the year is upon us. According to some, a combination of post-holiday come-down, resolution failure, financial reckoning and the long nights of winter conspire to make the third Monday in January the most depressing day of the year. What is Blue Monday? The concept … Read more