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A new study published in PLOS Genetics looked at how light affects behavioral despair involving the clock gene Period 1 using mice. “The study is about how light may affect our brain,” study author, Dr. Urs Albrecht told us. “In particular, how light can influence our wellbeing and mood. We were wondering whether light really can affect the brain, because from personal experience life appears to be easier in summer when there is more light than in winter.” [More]

You sit down in front of your computer screen and dial in to yet another video conference. The content of the meeting isn’t all that different from if you had gathered with your colleagues in person, but after back to back video calls, you’re exhausted. You’re not alone. Research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that more than 90 percent of employees reported feeling tired after a videoconference. [More]

Emotional support animals can have proven mental health benefits for those experiencing mental illness. Researchers from The University of Toledo published the first empirical evidence that shows emotional support animals (ESAs) are beneficial for those experiencing anxiety, depression and loneliness. [More]

Lab based studies of emotional and wellbeing may be missing real world anxiety. A study from Duke published in PLOS One found that the background level of anxiety a person may normally experience could change how they behave in a lab setting. This could have important implications for research into wellbeing and emotional health. [More]

What it means to be happy varies depending on where you live. Researchers from the University of California Riverside found that different questions need to be asked to gauge happiness in Asian and Western countries. [More]

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]