Using digital devices, such as smartphones, could help improve memory skills rather than causing people to become lazy or forgetful, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

Workers are fed up. More than two years into the pandemic, many have burned out, quit their jobs or are struggling to make ends meet as record inflation takes a huge bite out of their paychecks.

As psychedelic therapies for mental health go mainstream, companies are recruiting chemists to create patentable versions of hallucinogens. Critics say it’s all a bad trip.

AS TWIN MENTAL HEALTH and drug misuse crises kill thousands of people per week, the potential of psychedelic-assisted therapies “must be explored,” urges a federal letter on behalf of the U.S. health secretary and shared with The Intercept.

Most clinical trials of antidepressants were done decades ago in people with severe depression recruited from specialist mental health services. Yet most people who take these drugs have mild to moderate depression. We wanted to know whether a common antidepressant called sertraline works for this group. We found that, indeed, it does work, but differently from how we expected.

There may be no link between serotonin levels and depression, according to an analysis of 17 studies. This raises questions about antidepressants that focus on this brain-signalling molecule, say the authors of the analysis. Not everyone is convinced by the findings, though.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Individuals exposed to adverse childhood experiences tend to be biologically older than their counterparts, according to new research published in the scientific journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.

Quick help for suicidal thoughts and other mental health emergencies will soon be as easy as 9-8-8. The United States’ first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline goes live on Saturday.

Suicide attempts are not always preceded by worsening suicidal ideation.

Loneliness has been a hot topic of late, attracting much media and scholarly attention (including this post). Research suggests that loneliness constitutes a substantial health risk factor for both young and older adults. Moreover, loneliness appears to be on the rise of late, to the point where talk of a “loneliness epidemic” has become common. The problem has quite likely been exacerbated by forced social distancing during the COVID pandemic.

New research provides evidence that shyness is associated with reduced behavioral mimicry through increased self-focused attention during new social interactions. The findings have been published in the Journal of Research in Personality. “Behavioral mimicry – the automatic copying of another’s actions – is thought to be adaptive as it signals social interest, increases interpersonal liking...

Smoking increases the risk of developing schizophrenia by between 53% and 127% and of developing depression by 54% to 132%, a report by academics from the University of Bristol published today has shown.

The state of New York will distribute robot companions to the homes of more than 800 older adults. The robots are not able to help with physical tasks, but function as more proactive versions of digital assistants like Siri or Alexa — engaging users in small talk, helping contact love ones, and keeping track of health goals like exercise and medication.

A world-first study from UniSA could make this a reality as new genetic research shows a direct link between dementia and a lack of vitamin D.

This post is part two of a two-part series on how we may be unintentionally sabotaging our joy. You can read Part 1 here, where I discuss stifling joy to fit cultural norms. We may find ourselves withholding positive emotions when we feel like our enthusiasm would be judged harshly. For example, I recently got more enjoyment out of attending a local political debate than I did watching the Super Bowl. At first, I was embarrassed to be fascinated by something many people see as boring. Then, I realized I’m worthy of joy at every opportunity, and I embraced it.

A new study is the first to investigate brain connectivity patterns at rest in veterans with both chronic pain and trauma, finding three unique brain subtypes potentially indicating high, medium, and low susceptibility to pain and trauma symptoms. The findings provide an objective measurement of pain and trauma susceptibility and could pave the way for personalized treatments and new therapies based on neural connectivity patterns.

Each time a high-profile mass shooting happens in America, a grieving and incredulous nation scrambles for answers. Who was this criminal and how could he (usually) have committed such a horrendous and inhumane act? A few details emerge about the individual’s troubled life and then everyone moves on.

In 1990 President George Bush announced that “a new era of discovery” was “dawning in brain research.” Over the next several decades the U.S. government poured billions of dollars into science that promised to revolutionize our understanding of psychiatric disorders, from depression and bipolar disorder to schizophrenia.

A man has paid tribute to the woman he lived with up unto her death in what was an unusual and unique partnership. When Chris Salvatore, who is 31, moved into the local area, he didn't know anyone. However, he soon became friendly with the 85-year-old woman who lived next door, Norma Cook, who lived alone with her cat Hermes. Throughout the years that followed, the two would come closer and closer, speaking daily and learning more and more about each other's lives