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Pack Your Bags: Traveling Enhances Creativity

by Shannon Chen on July 29, 2010
Venice

A recent research study, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, found that living and adapting to a foreign culture can enhance your creativity. If you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a far away country, start packing. Turns out listening to people around you talk in a language you’ve never heard of while you try a dessert with an exotic flavor you’ve never tasted before, is really great for your brain health. The study ran three experiments. The first experiment on forty-three participants (18 male, …

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Youth Struggle With Anxiety And Depression

by Lisa Watson on July 26, 2010
sadness

Do you know a child or teen who is coping with anxiety and depression?  A recent study published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development explored specific characteristics of youth having both disorders. Not surprisingly, kids with both anxiety and depression are more likely to have dysfunctional families, according to research. As part of the research, 200 children and adolescents aged 7-17 and their parents participated in the study, through Temple University’s anxiety disorder clinic. All of the young people were seeking treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, or social …

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Sleep Deprivation Linked To Depression

by Kevin Mathews on July 20, 2010
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In addition to numerous physical consequences, just one night without sleep can affect your mental health.  According to recent research from the University of Arkansas, just one sleepless night is shown to increase a person’s anxiety and depression.  Although previous research has confirmed that stable sleep habits are important in battling depression, this study demonstrates that mentally healthy adults are susceptible to the effects, as well. Researchers selected 102 healthy Arkansan adults as their test subjects, most of whom were affluent white people in their early twenties. Of the original …

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The Struggle To Be The Ideal You

by Paul Chavez on July 16, 2010
Business Employee Climbs Up Evaluation Improvement Form

A new study examining the Self-Discrepancy Theory, which predicts emotional outcomes based on the differences between self-concept and the actual self, may provide another reason why some people suffer from depression. Self-Discrepancy Theory  was developed in 1987 by Edward Tory Higgins, a psychology professor at Columbia University. The theory states that people have the following three concepts of themselves: Ideal self: This is the person who you would like to become, including reaching your highest goals. Ought self: This is the person who you should be, or ought to become, …

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Don’t Worry, Be Happy

by Kevin Mathews on July 15, 2010
Enjoying the sun

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” may be some sage advice.  While plenty of research has connected worry to anxiety, its relation to depression has only recently been explored.  A team of Korean psychologists found that people who worry are prone to show signs of depression, particularly when they ruminate extensively. A more clinical way to describe worry is Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU).  People who suffer from IU “regard ambiguity as stressful, frustrating, and anxiety provoking, and believe that uncertain situations should be avoided.”  Additionally, they overreact to the possibility of something …

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Mutant Gene May Cause Compulsive Hair Pulling

by Paul Chavez on July 13, 2010
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Humans with the trichotillomania disorder have been known to pull their hair until it creates bald spots, while others pluck off their eyebrows and eyelashes or yank their hair until abrasions erupt. Now, researchers studying mutant genes in mice have found a link that someday could help people suffering from compulsive disorders such as trichotillomania, an obsessive disorder that leads to compulsive hair pulling. A team from the University of Utah School of Medicine discovered that mice with mutations in the Hoxb8 gene groomed themselves twice as much as other …

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Why Women Are More Stressed Out Than Men

by Judee Shipman on July 9, 2010
Conflict

Why is depression twice as common in women compared to men? Despite many years of academic study, the answer remains uncertain. But a team of eight researchers at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia have now identified the chemical that causes the apparently greater stress sensitivity in women. The study, which involved male and female lab rats, revealed that this chemical behaves differently in females than in males. The researchers are confident that the results of this study can lead to more effective treatments for all types of stress-related illnesses. This …

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Insomnia Drugs May Help Anxiety

by Paul Chavez on July 7, 2010
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People who suffer from insomnia and other sleeping disorders also report higher rates of anxiety. A team of researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine conducted a study on rats in which they administered different doses of eszopiclone (Lunesta) and zolpidem (Ambien) — the most commonly prescribed drugs for treating insomnia — to monitor their effects on sleep and anxiety. The researchers performed their experiment on 56 adult male rats.  Head surgery was performed on the animals to implant electrodes designed to monitor the rodents’ brain waves and muscle movement. …

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Avoiding Stress Increases Cravings for Addicts

by Lisa Watson on July 4, 2010
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When someone is trying to kick an addictive habit, cravings are the biggest barrier to recovery. According to a recent study out of Penn State, those cravings can actually multiply and cause a relapse if an addict ignores stress, say behavioral scientists. Fifty-five college students in active recovery from substance abuse participated in the study. The students used Palm Pilots to describe their daily cravings in a digital journal. They also recorded negative social experiences, such as hostility, insensitivity, and ridicule, along with the coping strategies they used. A statistical …

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