• ‘If you slip, it hurts your soul’: the stressed ballerina who asked a sports psychologist for help

    ‘If you slip, it hurts your soul’: the stressed ballerina who asked a sports psychologist for help
    Huge audiences and even larger livestreams are putting a whole new type of pressure on dancers. Yasmine Haghdi, principal of the Royal Ballet, tell us how Britt Tajet-Foxell fixed more than just her fouettésEarlier this year, Yasmine Naghdi was struggling in the rehearsal studio. Naghdi is one of the Royal Ballet’s leading dancers and her performance of Swan Lake would be livestreamed into cinemas around the world. But although known for her crystalline technique, she became almost
  • The Traitors shows how herd mentality tramples on our basic instincts | Martha Gill

    The Traitors shows how herd mentality tramples on our basic instincts | Martha Gill
    In the hit TV reality show, as in life, we like to think we are autonomous. In fact, we follow the herdWhat explains the stupendous success of The Traitors? More than 9 million people tuned in to the first episode of this, its third season, and last week it overtook Strictly Come Dancing to become the BBC’s most watched reality show. With this sort of trajectory, I’m afraid we must prepare for thousands of imitators to follow in its wake. So what should they be trying to do?Part of t
  • ‘The two of us book a karaoke room for an hour. It’s like tiramisu for the soul’ What’s on your dopamine menu?

    ‘The two of us book a karaoke room for an hour. It’s like tiramisu for the soul’ What’s on your dopamine menu?
    From a ‘starter’ of dishing out compliments to a ‘dessert’ of smashing laptops in rage rooms, scientists and authors share 15 ‘portion-sized’ ideas for a positivity boostDopamine has a reputation as the body’s “feelgood” hormone, but it’s “really more about motivation than about positive affect”, says happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky. This is the chemical that nudges you towards things you enjoy, helping you muster the
  • Visiting Auschwitz, British Leader Vows to Fight "Poison" of Antisemitism

    Source: BBC News - UK PoliticsDuring a visit to Auschwitz, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was determined to fight the "poison" of antisemitism. Sir Keir explained that nothing could have prepared him for the horror of what he saw. "The mounds of hair, the shoes, the suitcases, the names and details, everything that was so meticulously kept, except for human life," Sir Keir said. Six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis and their accomplices during World...
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  • New Research Program Aims to Indigenize Artificial Intelligence

    Source: Science Daily - Top SocietyA new research program, Abundant Intelligences, is challenging the direction of artificial intelligence (AI). The premise is that AI has thus far been biased against non-Western modes of thinking about intelligence—especially those originating from Indigenous cultures. As a way of decolonizing AI, the program incorporates indigenous knowledge to create an inclusive, robust concept of intelligence that can be embedded into existing and future...
  • Equal Rights Amendment Should Be Considered Ratified, Biden Says

    Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - World NewsPresident Joe Biden announced Friday that the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered a ratified addition to the U.S. Constitution, backing an effort to enshrine the change more than a century after the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. "It is long past time to recognize the will of the American people," Biden said. It was unclear what impact the outgoing president's comments might have, coming days before Donald Trump takes...
  • 66 days to rediscover boredom: ‘The way I’d been thinking about time was wrong’

    66 days to rediscover boredom: ‘The way I’d been thinking about time was wrong’
    How long does it take to change a habit? It varies, but one paper suggests the average is 66 days. We asked writers to change one thing in their lives within that timeframe … and tell us if it worksRead more in the 66 days to change seriesMore summer essentialsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastI knew that I wanted to make a change when I couldn’t go longer than five minutes without needing some sort of stimulus. Music, podcasts, movies, reels, a combination
  • Sibling rivalry: parents favour older children and daughters, study finds

    Sibling rivalry: parents favour older children and daughters, study finds
    International research also reveals conscientious or agreeable children are likely to receive preferential treatmentAs Philip Larkin once noted, your mum and dad have a lasting effect on you. Now, researchers have revealed which siblings in a family are more likely to be favoured: it is bad news for sons.Researchers have found daughters, older children and those who are more conscientious or agreeable are likely to receive preferential treatment. Continue reading...
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  • ‘Everything we were taught about success is wrong’: how to find true fulfilment in your life and career

    ‘Everything we were taught about success is wrong’: how to find true fulfilment in your life and career
    Made good life choices yet still feel dissatisfied? A life coach suggests an alternative way to look at our goals and aspirations to find more positive outcomesAuthor Annie Dillard wrote that “how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives”. So, how was it that I spent a large portion of my 20s​­ terrified of the big, long life I had before me? After Stanford University, I’d moved to New York to work at Google but I was depressed, anxious.When I realised
  • Red Meat Tied to Cognitive Decline, Neurology Study Finds

    Source: United Press International - Health NewsEating red meat—especially processed meat such as bacon and sausage—increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, a new study suggests. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published Wednesday in Neurology, journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study adds to earlier results linking red meat to a higher risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Processed meats also increase the ris
  • FDA Releases Proposal to Make Cigarettes Less Addictive

    Source: PBS HealthU.S. officials released a far-reaching proposal Wednesday to make cigarettes far less addictive by capping their nicotine content, a goal long sought by antismoking advocates. The FDA said Wednesday that cutting nicotine would help nearly 13 million current smokers quit cigarettes within one year. Roughly 48 million more young people would never take up the habit because cigarettes would essentially become nonaddictive, according to agency...
  • As an agony aunt, I know the biggest cause of unhappiness: other people. Here’s the secret to better relationships

    As an agony aunt, I know the biggest cause of unhappiness: other people. Here’s the secret to better relationships
    Looking back through her post bag, Observer Magazine’s Philippa Perry answers her readers most commonly asked question: why are other people so awful?From my many years as a therapist and advice columnist, I’ve started to see clear patterns in the problems that bother my readers the most. And I can confirm that Sartre was right: hell is other people. It’s difficult relationships with those around us that cause the most anguish. It’s such a common theme that I’ve giv
  • Middle children: are they just straightforwardly better than everyone else?

    Psychologists have found that people who occupy this place in the birth order are more honest and humble than their older and younger siblings. But there are, of course, exceptions ...Name: Middle children.Age: Well, it varies, obviously. But younger than at least one sibling, and older than at least another. Continue reading...
  • Stand up and be counted: six ways to protest that will make your voice heard

    Stand up and be counted: six ways to protest that will make your voice heard
    The current wave of marches and activism around the world is the largest in documented history, giving scientists the chance to study what makes for a successful campaignOn 27 September last year, three climate activists were arrested for throwing soup over Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh at the National Gallery. The Just Stop Oil protest landed on the national front pages. But will the action help further the activists’ cause to end fossil fuels?Scientists are beginning to find answers to
  • The Science of Racism by Keon West review – evidence that speaks for itself

    Think prejudice is overblown? A social psychologist provides the receipts in this densely informative but highly readable accountIt was over schnitzel and mash that my friend’s Bavarian grandparents decided to call me a “black devil”, chuckling all the while. Breaded chicken has since been my madeleine, taking me back to racially charged moments I’ve not known quite how to interpret. Is it really racist if they didn’t mean to be rude? What if they have dementia? And
  • I’m a hopeless people pleaser. I tried saying ‘no’ for a week

    I’m a hopeless people pleaser. I tried saying ‘no’ for a week
    ‘Defiance isn’t a one-size-fits-all prescription,’ says psychologist Sunita Sah – here’s what happened when I gave it a whirlGiving in to a pushy salesperson. Keeping quiet when you witness a workplace interaction that strikes you as unjust. Biting your tongue when a hairstylist declares that life is not worth living without micro-bangs. We’ve all been there. We’ve all caved in.Thank goodness for Sunita Sah’s spirited book, Defy: The Power of No in
  • Global Study Pinpoints Genes for Depression Across Ethnicities

    Source: Science Daily - Top HealthThe world's largest and most diverse genetic study ever conducted on major depression has revealed nearly 300 previously unknown genetic links to the condition, experts say. One hundred of the newly discovered genetic variations—small differences in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene—were identified due to the inclusion of people of African, East Asian, Hispanic, and South Asian descent, the study found. The results appear in the research...
  • Almost Half of Americans Over 55 Face Dementia Risk

    Source: Google News - HealthNew research finds that the lifetime risk of dementia after age 55 in Americans is 42%—significantly higher than previous estimates. Dementia involves progressive declines in memory, concentration, and judgment. Women face a higher risk than men (48% vs. 35%), a difference attributable in part to their longer life expectancy. The risk factors for dementia include genetic predisposition, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and limited physical...
  • U.S. House Passes Ban on Transgender Students in Girls Sports

    Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsThe U.S. House passed a Republican measure on Tuesday banning transgender girls and women from competing on school sports teams that match their gender identity. The bill, called the "Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act," would amend Title IX, the federal law banning sex discrimination in schools, to define a person's sex as "based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth." Schools defying the ban risk losing...
  • Biden Signs Executive Order Seeking to Grow AI Infrastructure

    Source: PBS SciencePresident Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to ensure the infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations, such as large-scale data centers and clean power facilities, can be built quickly and at scale in the U.S. The order directs federal agencies to accelerate large-scale AI infrastructure development at government sites, while imposing requirements and safeguards at the same time.
  • Music As Medicine by Daniel Levitin review – musician, heal thyself

    Music As Medicine by Daniel Levitin review – musician, heal thyself
    In this fascinating book, the neuroscientist makes a strong case for the therapeutic force of music, describing ways in which it can be a beneficial part of recovery for patientsThat great music can up be uplifting, transportive, transcendent – and conversely sorrowful or deeply unsettling – is a given, but its power to heal in the medicinal sense strikes me as a much more difficult proposition to prove. In Music As Medicine, Daniel Levitin makes a valiant attempt to do just that, ci
  • Supreme Court Allows Hawaii Climate Lawsuits Against Oil and Gas Industry

    Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsThe U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it will not consider whether to block lawsuits brought by Honolulu seeking billions of dollars from oil and gas companies for the damage caused by the effects of climate change, clearing the way for the cases to move forward. The lawsuits claim that the oil and gas industry engaged in a deceptive campaign and misled the public about the dangers of their fossil fuel products and the environmental impacts.
  • The big idea: why it’s great to be an only child

    The big idea: why it’s great to be an only child
    The notion that it’s bad to be brought up without siblings should be banished for goodWhen I was growing up, only children were generally regarded as unfortunate souls; lonely, socially clumsy and often bullied. Partly, this was because they were unusual back then, and as those who’ve observed just about any species know, unusual individuals tend to be singled out by the pack. Today we live in a different world. From the late 1960s and 70s, the contraceptive pill, women’s incre
  • How Wildfire Smoke Exposure Affects Physical and Mental Health

    Source: Huff Post Environment The wildfires blazing in California aren't just dangerous for the people and wildlife at risk of being burned, but also for those nearby who are exposed to heavy smoke. And because smoke can travel long distances, even people thousands of miles away from the fires can feel their effects, some of which may be long-lasting. For example, wildfire smoke can affect pregnancies and is thought to be a risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
  • How to optimise the cognitive benefits of dreams and sleep

    How to optimise the cognitive benefits of dreams and sleep
    Dreaming is vital to our mental health – and it is possible to use them for our own goodDreams are pure emotional and cognitive gold. Those often surreal, fragmented images and plot lines that can instantly evaporate when we open our eyes, allow us not only to explore the themes and challenges of our day, but to step into the what-ifs of tomorrow.Whether we remember our dreams or not, our brain and dreams are multi-tasking to the nth degree while we sleep. Together, they are shunting keepe
  • Music sounds better with you? How your listening habits affect your love life

    Music sounds better with you? How your listening habits affect your love life
    Psychologists say that singing, dancing and song preferences play a key role in the viability of romantic relationships“What’s the one thing your readers should do to help them use music to find and catch the partner of their dreams?” asks Patrick Savage, a senior research fellow in psychology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. “Go to karaoke and sing a duet. Go and sing A Whole New World with Brad Kane and Lea Salonga. That’s the number one recommendatio
  • The 10 rules of friendship: show up, go beyond banter, learn the boring details

    The 10 rules of friendship: show up, go beyond banter, learn the boring details
    Writers, therapists and academics give advice on how to make, and strengthen, meaningful bonds with mates and friendsEmma Reed Turrell, psychotherapist, author and host of the podcast Friendship TherapyYou can keep balance in friendship by showing your working out, rather than making assumptions and mind-reading. This might sound like: “I’d like to invite you to a party but I’m wondering if it might not be your thing and I want you to know that you can absolutely say no, or jus
  • Blackrock Quits Climate Change Group in Latest Green Climbdown

    Source: Google News - HealthBlackRock has become the latest financial firm to quit a big climate change industry group in the wake of Donald Trump's election as U.S. president. The world's largest money manager told clients in a letter on Thursday that it had quit Net Zero Asset Managers. All six of the largest U.S. banks—JPMorgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs—have recently quit Net-Zero Banking Alliance, a similar group...
  • Artificial Intelligence Could Make IVF More Successful, Study Suggests

    Source: United Press International - Health NewsArtificial intelligence might be able to boost the success rates of in vitro fertilization among hopeful families. An AI program can help doctors analyze ultrasound scans to determine the best timing for a hormone injection associated with egg collection, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications. Getting the timing right can optimize the number of eggs retrieved and improve the odds of having a successful pregnancy.
  • Robotic Puppy "Jennie" Designed to Boost Mental Health

    Source: United Press International - Health NewsEmotional support dogs can serve people with various mental health needs, but many of them can't care for an animal at home. That's where Tombot comes in. The company has designed a robotic puppy to aid individuals, families, and communities in dealing with health adversities. This week, Tombot unveiled Jennie, its battery-operated Labrador retriever puppy intended to help people with dementia, autism, anxiety, PTSD, and other health conditions.

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