wellbeing
Children and Nature: Psychological, Sociocultural, and Evolutionary Investigations
Residential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood
This research article has been co-authored by Kristine Engemann, Carsten Bøcker Pedersen, Lars Arge, Constantinos Tsirogiannis, Preben Bo Mortensen and Jens-Christian Svenning. As published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States (PNAS), the abstract says: “Urban…
Read more
The Science of Well-Being
Food and Mood: Improving Mental Health Through Diet and Nutrition
This free, online course is offered by FutureLearn (owned by the Open University) and explores the relationship between nutrition and brain health, why it matters, and how to work towards positive food changes. “Poor diet and poor mental health are leading causes of…
Read more
Darkness therapy: could seven days in pitch blackness open your eyes to the world?
“Patients report seismic psychological changes after spending a week in darkness – but science sounds a note of caution” Writing in The Telegraph newspaper, David Hillier reports: “Darkness gets a terrible rap, doesn’t it? Imagine yourself surrounded by interminable blackness and you’ll…
Read more
Iceland puts well-being ahead of GDP in budget
The BBC reports : “Iceland’s prime minister has urged governments to adopt green and family-friendly priorities, instead of just focusing on economic growth figures. Katrin Jakobsdottir has teamed up with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and New Zealand’s PM Jacinda Ardern to…
Read more
What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness
What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it’s fame and money, you’re not alone – but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you’re mistaken. The Harvard Study of Adult Development may be the longest…
Read more
Why being kind could help you live longer
Reporting for the BBC , Lauren Turner writes: “The staff at UCLA’s Bedari Kindness institute are ready for the jokes. ‘We look at the scientific point of view. We aren’t sitting around in circles, holding hands. We’re talking about the psychology, the biology, of positive…
Read more