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A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour looked at wellbeing-focused interventions. “This study looks at a wide range of interventions designed to improve wellbeing,” study author Dr. Lowri Sian Wilkie told us. “Instead of focusing only on psychological approaches, we took a broader, interdisciplinary view that also includes physical activity, mind body practices, and nature based interventions.” [More]

A new study published in the American Journal of Pathology looked at how inflammation in the brain plays a role in alcohol use disorder. “We were hoping to find out if microglia, immune cells in the brain, contribute to negative feelings found in people with an alcohol use disorder,” study author Leon G. Coleman told us. “We had a theory that microglia would contribute to anxiety and fear memories after heavy alcohol use.” [More]

A new study recently published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development looked at risk factors for bullying in adolescents in the United States. “The goal of our study was to examine which factors were most influential in increasing risk of being exposed to or involved in bullying among adolescents aged 12-17 years old,” study author Lea Sacca told us. "Specifically, we wanted to see whether social determinants including housing instability, food insecurity, access to healthcare services and whether parental determinants, most importantly caregiver mental health, increased the risk of having an adolescent child being bullied or bullying others.” [More]

A new study published in Nature Mental Health looked at the association between mental health conditions and an increased risk of self-harm, assault and unintentional injuries. “Our study focuses on the link between mental heath conditions and physical injuries,” study author Leah S. Richmond-Rakerd told us. "We aimed to determine if individuals with mental-health conditions experience increased risk for a broad range of injuries, including unintentional injuries as well as injuries from self-harm and victimization.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Health Economic looked at the minimum legal drinking age and educational outcomes. “Our study examines whether raising the minimum legal drinking age from 16 to 18 affects teenagers' drinking behaviour, academic performance, and mental health,” study author Carmen Villa told us. “We are the first to explore a link between alcohol and educational performance in a European context where nearly all countries have increased the minimum legal drinking age in the last two to three decades." [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Cities looked at how shopping centres function as social spaces in everyday life. “I wanted to understand what draws people to spend time there beyond shopping, how they use these places for social reasons, and how everyday social life unfolds in such settings,” study author Gry Rustad Pettersen told us. "At its core, the study explores whether shopping centres can function as informal meeting places that help people feel connected.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Psychological Medicine looked at how a single session of online training can reduce intolerance of uncertainty and improve mental health in emerging adults. “The study investigated whether we can train older adolescents and emerging adults to have the ability to cope with uncertainty,” study author Susanne Schweizer told us. “To make them more tolerant of uncertainty.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Child Development looked at implications for Chinese youth academic and social adjustment. “Our study examined how Chinese middle schoolers’ general beliefs about the teen years might influence their academic performance and their relationships with their parents,” study author Dr. Beiming Yang told us. “In many Western cultures, there’s a negative stereotype that teens are moody and rebellious. But in other cultures, like in China, the teen years are often seen more positively, for example, as a time for learning to be responsible and contribute to the family.” [More]

A recently published study looked at a biosensor able to non-invasively detect the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in human saliva. “The ultralow levels of BDNF in saliva is directly associated with major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as depression,” study author Paulo A. Raymundo-Pereira told us. “I didn't expect to discover anything. I simply used my expertise in chemistry and biotechnology and we worked hard to optimize the disposable device to selectively detect ultra-low concentrations of BDNF in saliva without interference.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology looked at coexperienced positive emotions and cortisol secretion in the daily lives of older couples. Previous research has shown that positive emotions, such as happiness, joy, love, and excitement, are good for health. They’ve even been linked to longer lives. However, most of this research considers people’s emotions as if they happen in isolation. “In real life, though,” study author Tomiko Yoneda explained to us, “our most powerful positive emotions often happen when we’re connecting with someone else." [More]