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Levels of anxiety among young people in Britain doubled during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and first lockdown. Researchers say the findings could have implications for young people around the world grappling with the same challenges during COVID-19. [More]

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have experienced feelings of social isolation. For some, interaction with others has been confined to a zoom call, for others there hasn’t been any interaction at all. Now, researchers at MIT have found that the longing for social interaction felt whilst isolated is neurologically similar to that for food cravings when hungry. [More]

When it comes to overall wellbeing, how a person uses social media could have a significant impact. In a study from The University of British Columbia, Derrick Wirtz, an associate professor of teaching in psychology examined the use of three popular social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to see how the use of the platforms impacted the overall wellbeing of a person. [More]

The “love hormone” oxytocin can occasionally have anti-social effects depending on where in the brain it is created. Oxytocin, a hormone that can regulate prosocial behaviors like trust, bonding and empathy has also been demonstrated to play a role in anti-social behaviors like envy, anxiety and reduction in cooperation. How the hormone could have such opposing roles has long remained a mystery, but researchers from UC Davis have uncovered how this might happen. [More]

Doing good deeds and being kind to others can be good for health and wellbeing. Research published by the American Psychological Association found pro-social behavior like acts of kindness and helping others could be beneficial, but not all good deeds could provide equal benefits. [More]

A study from researchers at the University of Toronto found that those with suboptimal mental health died earlier than their counterparts with excellent mental health. Those who were in excellent mental health when the study started in the mid-1990s lived almost five months longer than their peers who were in poorer mental health. [More]

The large majority of young people who experience suicidal thoughts or self-harm experience only mild or moderate mental distress. Researchers from Cambridge University found that young people who thought about suicide or engaged in self harm were at medium risk for mental distress, rather than having obvious symptoms from a diagnosable disorder. [More]

Cultivating a locus of control has benefits to our mental health, but it can be difficult to do, especially in today’s culture where people are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, racial tensions, and an economic decline. But even in times like this with so much out of control, research suggests the ability to find some sense of control better equips people to accept situations that cannot be changed. [More]

Sensitivity is a basic trait. It’s defined as the ability to perceive and process information about the environment. All people are sensitive but some considerably more than others. A new study published in the Journal of Molecular Psychiatry examined the genetic architecture of environmental sensitivity using a sample of 2868 adolescent twins. Twins are usually used in psychological or biological studies. Studies with twins are useful to researchers because twins share 100 per cent of their genes. That means, any differences between the twins are due to outside influences. [More]

There is no shortage of need in our communities, especially around COVID-19 And previous research has shown that volunteering improved depression, life satisfaction, and wellbeing. A more recent study found that volunteering increases people’s sense of ‘mattering’ and boosts well-being in a time of crisis. I invited people to share their perspectives on the benefits of volunteering and how it improves mental health. [More]