Negativity Online. Simply reading angry rants online can cause a negative mood shift within five minutes of doing so, even if you find them entertaining, interesting, or funny. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, March 2013

Cognitive Function and Exercise. Regular exercise as a child can result in improved cognitive function at age 50. Exercise represents a key component of lifestyle interventions to prevent cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Even low levels of exercise can have a positive effect on cognitive function. Psychological Medicine, March 2013

When Stress Levels Get Too High. Too much stress can negatively affect the immune system, cardiovascular system, neuroendocrine system, and central nervous system. Untreated chronic (long-term) stress can lead to muscle pain, insomnia, hypertension (high blood pressure), a weaker immune system and anxiety, which can lead to dozens of illnesses, including heart disease, depression, and…

Video Games and Happiness? Older adults who play video games are more likely to be happier and have better emotional health. Those who played video games (even those who said they just played occasionally) reported a greater sense of well-being. The seniors who did not play video games reported more negative emotions and a likelihood…

Cash and Weight Loss? Researchers found money is an effective incentive when motivating people to lose weight. 62% of participants who received financial incentives ($20 if they met their monthly goal vs. paying $20 if they fell short of their goal) met their goal, compared with 26% of the non-incentive group. In the incentive group,…

Decreasing Depression Symptoms in Adolescents. Teenage students who received mindfulness training (a form of meditation therapy focused on exercising ‘attentiveness’) in school were almost half as likely to report depression related symptoms than their peers who received no such training. At a six month follow-up, these results held up. Mindfullness, March 2013

Happiness and Age? Psychological well-being is linked to important life outcomes such as career success, relationship satisfaction, and health. Well-being tends to increase with age; however, when you were born can have a lasting impact on your overall sense of well-being. For example, people who grew up during the Great Depression started off with lower…