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Mindfulness, laughter and even robotic dogs may be some of the methods to help people cope with isolation and loneliness due to social distancing during COVID-19. Researchers from Cambridge’s School of Medicine undertook a review examining existing evidence on the different approach to curbing loneliness and isolation, and found there are options to suit everyone. [More]

Life in a pandemic for married couples can lead to feelings of sadness and anger. Many couples across the country are co-existing at home for extended periods due to COVID-19. Now, researchers have found the more a person feels their spouse disrupts their daily lives, the more they view their relationship as turbulent. [More]

A new study published the Journal of Preventative Medicine looked at psychological distress in the United States before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the first longitudinal study of psychological distress during the pandemic in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, serious psychological distress includes mental health problems severe enough to require treatment and cause moderate to serious impairment in one’s daily life in the areas of schooling, social relationships, and work environments. [More]

Those who are religious use the same coping strategies when facing a crisis as those recommended by psychologists. A study in The Journal of Religion and Health found that religious people use emotion-regulation strategies (like looking at hardships in a positive way). Psychologists refer to this as cognitive reappraisal. [More]

Anxiety is an emotion that is central to human experience which can also cause immense suffering for millions of children and adults when it goes awry. A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience looked at the biological roots of anxiety. “Anxiety disorders are the most common family of mental illnesses, and they impose a staggered burden on global public health and the economy,” study author Alexander J. Shackman told us. [More]

Having access to nature during COVID-19 lockdowns is important for mental health. Researchers in Europe found that those living in European countries with strict COVID-19 lockdown policies were more likely to have symptoms of anxiety and depression. [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]

A new study published in the BMJ Open looked at the need for recovery amongst emergency physicians in the UK and Ireland. “Our study is about using a tool called the Need for Recovery scale (NFR) to understand the physical and psychological impact of shift work in emergency departments in the UK and Ireland,” study author Laura Cottey told us. [More]

Americans living in a state that favours the losing candidate of the US Presidential election might experience a decline in their mental health. A study from researchers at UC San Francisco and Duke University used data from 500 thousand people during the 2016 Presidential election to examine mental health indicators. Americans who lived in states that favoured Hillary Clinton experienced an extra half-day of poor mental health on average during the month after the election. [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]