Surprisingly, it’s true: positive things can come out of challenging times. Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is the benefit and personal growth that comes from experiencing a crisis. It’s hard to imagine that a serious medical diagnosis, a divorce, job loss, or the death of a loved one can lead to positive outcomes. But according to studies […]
Celebrate International Joke Day: July 1st The good news is that it’s true: laughter brings about all sorts of positive things. It relieves stress, depression, and anxiety. It strengthens the immune system, boosts mood, and reduces pain. Laughing elicits a cocktail of hormones, releasing endorphins, which are chemicals that block the perception of pain and […]
Humans are deeply affected by certain melodies. They can evoke strong emotional responses, such as chills and thrills in listeners. And numerous studies have demonstrated that “music can decrease pain levels. Pain relief may occur by the release of endorphins or changes in catecholamine levels or as patients are distracted by memories away from their […]
Did you know? Capsule-sized circuits that can be swallowed are being developed to monitor the level of fat in obese people and to make them feel satiated. Also being developed is a chip that, like tattoo ink, can be injected under the skin in a finger, for example, to unlock something just by pointing. Progress […]
Placebos are getting a fair amount of press lately. Yes, those “fake” remedies called “inert medications” that seem to be real treatments but aren’t are being talked about quite a bit. Recently, among others, health economist Austin Frakt wrote about them in “The Upshot” (“a New York Times website with analysis and data visualizations about politics, policy […]
