Sleep Is Important for Motivation. Adequate sleep is a key component to achieving goals, such as healthier eating, more exercise, quitting smoking, improving relationships, or getting ahead at work. According to Dr. Cathy Goldstein, a sleep specialist at the University of Michigan, individuals who don’t get enough sleep are less likely to feel motivated to…

Toxic Bosses Bad for Employee Health. Twelve hundred participants completed questionnaires related to their own psychological wellbeing, prevalence of bullying at their workplace, and their manager’s personality. Their responses revealed that those who work for leaders with psychopathic and narcissistic traits had lower job satisfaction and were also more likely to experience depressive symptoms. Furthermore,…

Living Near Major Roads May Boost Dementia Risk. Living near a major roadway may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Researchers followed 6.6 million Canadians for a decade and found those living within 160 feet of a major highway had a 7% greater risk for developing dementia. Study author Dr.…

Is Vitamin D Deficiency a Risk Factor for Dementia? Vitamin D is created in the body by way of exposure to sunlight, though it can also be acquired by diet or supplementation. A review of data from six cohort studies indicates that men and women with serious vitamin D deficiency have a 54% greater risk…

Concussions May Accelerate Alzheimer’s. A new study suggests concussions may speed up mental decline among individuals already at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, researchers examined 160 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and found that concussions seemed to accelerate Alzheimer’s disease-related brain deterioration and mental decline in the veterans at genetic risk…

Over-Planning Can Spoil Leisure Time. Too much planning makes leisure time seem like work. A review of thirteen studies found that people enjoyed their leisure activities less when they over-scheduled. Study co-author Dr. Selin Malkoc adds, “People associate schedules with work. We want our leisure time to be free-flowing… Anything that limits and constrains our…

Depression and Facebook. Experts say that comparing yourself with others on Facebook can lead to feelings of depression. Researchers examined studies from 14 countries that included 35,000 participants and found that Facebook users were more at risk for depression when they felt envy, accepted former romantic partners as Facebook friends, made negative social comparisons, and…

Sleep Problems May Increase Dementia Risk. Past research has demonstrated a link between sleep disruption and the cognitive decline that may lead to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Because roughly half of older adults suffer from some form of insomnia or sleep-related disorder, researchers suspect that treatment aimed at improving sleep in adults…

Can Optimism Lead to a Longer Life? Women who generally believe that good things will happen appear to live longer. Investigators reviewed records concerning 70,000 women who participated in a long-running health study and found that the risk of dying from cancer was 16% lower; the risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, or respiratory…

Healthy Ambition Beneficial for Kids in the Long Run. Promoting ambition can help children become successful adults. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises the following: love and accept your child unconditionally, and keep your expectations high; don’t expect perfection, but do look for empathy, integrity, and generosity; support your child’s passions; don’t compare your child…