Amidst the media’s constant quest for ratings and attention, using tactics such as highlighting terrorist attacks and exploiting fear-mongering strategies by politicians, there is a pervasive atmosphere of fear and apprehension that poses potential risks to our mental well-being. When confronted with threats, our cognitive processing is influenced by factors such as proximity, intensity, immediacy … Read more
I’m not interested because I don’t have anything exciting going on in my life. I’ll stutter and I won’t have the perfect response. There will be an awkward pause. I won’t make the perfect joke. It won’t be perfectly smooth. My mind will go blank. I’ll forget or won’t know what to say. I’ll blush. … Read more
Many barriers prevent individuals suffering from anxiety disorders from receiving the treatment they need. Besides the obvious monetary cost of attending traditional psychotherapy or psychiatry sessions, there still exists a stigma associated with seeking mental health care, despite the many measures taken to preserve clients’ confidentiality. Finding a nearby therapist with expertise in administering the appropriate evidence-based … Read more
It’s been hard to find love. Maybe you’ve even tried Match.com or even Ashley Madison or Craigslist. But you believe you finally found it. He’s charming, fun, and intelligent. He’s really pursuing you! Telling you that you are the only one who gets him … it’s just that he is married! Likely, you did not … Read more
Mice fed a regular diet of probiotics showed signs of decreased anxiety and depression, along with changes in brain chemistry associated with those mental disorders, according to new research. Just published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the pioneering study investigated possible connections between anxiety disorders and lactic acid bacteria naturally found … Read more
Yoga, a practice that involves breath control, meditation, and adopting a series of specific body postures, is widely practiced to improve psychological and physical health as well as for relaxation. For some, this practice is also part of a spiritual tradition, and for others the practice is completely secular. While there are different ways to … Read more
Anxiety is no stranger to students, especially before and during an important test. This kind of pressure to do well on an exam can manifest into physical and cognitive effects, such as increased heart rate, blood pressure, and an increased working memory load. Generally, academic stress involves intrusive worries of failure, a sense of inefficacy, a fear … Read more
For most people when they hear the word “inflammation,” they probably imagine the typical symptoms associated with the condition: redness and swelling accompanied by a warm sensation and pain. Though perhaps irritating to those individuals experiencing it, inflammation plays a critical role in the human immune response to injury. Specifically, inflammation increases blood flow to … Read more
Poverty arises when individuals are unable to fulfill their necessities. Those living in poverty often endure living conditions. Young children rely on the adults in their lives for protection and stability. Parents facing poverty often struggle to provide these essentials for their children. Consequently many impoverished children encounter hurdles that can impact their long term … Read more
Many Americans will notice that their jeans seem a bit tighter the day after Thanksgiving. Or when we step on the scale January 1st to jumpstart our New Year’s resolutions, the number may have gone up from the last time we weighed ourselves. Noticing changes in how clothes fit and checking weight are common behaviors, but … Read more