Psychology Applied to Health and Lifestyle
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Measure Your Cognitive Performance to Optimize Brain Health—CBS Health is Now Available The population is living longer than ever, but cognitive health is often lost in the discussion around physical health. Conditions such as dementia are on the increase [insert additional statistics regarding your specialty], but many healthcare practitioners do not attempt to measure brain …
Hello, hopefully this year will lead to a resolution of the current Covid-19 epidemic. 2020 has taught us the importance of personal hygiene (wash hands), and social distancing. at the same time there is increased awareness of psychological health and the importance for many of social connections. Perhaps the words for 2020 should be adaption …
Recently I was reflecting on decisions I have made in my life and of course it is often only in hindsight that the ramifications of many decisions become apparent. I am now able to realise that even with the decisions that were less than optimal, they were important for what I eventually learnt from going …
Comment: I found this interesting news article about differences when we pay for products using credit cards or cash - It appears that using credit cards activates the reward system in ways that cash does not! Link to article and original study below: Using credit cards stimulates the brain’s reward system and an urge for …
Continue reading "Brain response – Credit cards versus Cash"
Comment: I read this article on "the doorway effect" which refers to a finding that at times entering a doorway may impact what we remember. However, it is not just doorways, the phenomena describe is what is termed context-dependent memory. That is we often code memory to a specific context. If I return to visit …
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Comment: I usually get excited when I read about how technology can improve our health unfortunately, I often get disappointed about either the slowness of bringing a device to the market or that it does not live up to the hype. However, I continue to be optimistic, this new wearable device (still in development so …
Decades of research show that depression, stress, loneliness, and poor health behaviors can weaken the body’s immune system and lower the effectiveness of certain vaccines.
Comment: Recently someone asked me about weighted blankets and whether they were worthwhile. Not knowing much about them, being a person who likes the air-condition on cold while I sleep with minimal covering I looked around for any information and came across this article in Popular Science, which is based on a systematic review published …
Continue reading "Weighted Blankets – Do they help with anxiety?"
Comment: Interesting study on the impact of a full moon on sleep. It appears from this research discussed at neurosciencenews.com that in the days leading up to a full moon you are more likely to go to bed later and sleep less. For centuries, humans have blamed the moon for our moods, accidents and even …
Comment: In the past few years there has been renewed interest and research in the role that psychedelics may have in the treatment of a number of mental health conditions. This article from Scientific American looks at the future role of psychedelics as a treatment for depression. For those interested in this topic there are …
Comment: For many people, spiritual health is important to mental health. In my role as a psychologist clients will sometimes indicate they have had contact with aliens/ghosts/spirits and or other outer worldly experiences. In these situations, it is important to differentiate between those who may be having a psychotic episode, and those having an experience …
Continue reading "How culture may influence spiritual aspects of our life –"