The non-prescription drugs which new study links to dementia risk. Dr Jeremy Dean is a psychologist and author of PsyBlog. His latest book is "Making Habits, Breaking Habits: How to Make Changes That Stick" Advertisement 6 Foods That Fight Belly Fat Brought On By Yo-Yo Dieting. Related articles: The Vitamin Which May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s and Dementia Lack of Sleep During Critical Period of Night Linked to Dementia Risk How Cynical Personality Traits Affect Dementia Risk 5 Habits Proven to Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s and Dementia Revealed: Long-Suspected Danger of Anti-Anxiety and Sleeping Drugs

Why psychopathic violent criminals are more likely than other violent criminals to offend again. Dr Jeremy Dean is a psychologist and author of PsyBlog. His latest book is "Making Habits, Breaking Habits: How to Make Changes That Stick" Advertisement 6 Foods That Fight Belly Fat Brought On By Yo-Yo Dieting. Related articles: Which Professions Have The Most Psychopaths? This Social Media Behaviour Points To Personality Issues How So Many Psychopaths Manage to Reach Positions of Power Why It’s Dangerous to Give a Hurricane a Female Name The Type of Daydreaming That Makes The Mind More Efficient

People can forget things they were paying attention to just one second later, unless... Dr Jeremy Dean is a psychologist and author of PsyBlog. His latest book is "Making Habits, Breaking Habits: How to Make Changes That Stick" Advertisement 6 Foods That Fight Belly Fat Brought On By Yo-Yo Dieting. Related articles: A Foolproof Way To Use Forgetting To Help You Remember, Study Reveals Here’s The Curious Secret To Perfect Learning While You Are Distracted How to Take Notes You Will Remember The Basic Emotion That Makes Infants Remember What They’ve Seen Men and Women Process Emotions in Different Ways: This Affects What They Remember

Study finds compound in this alcoholic drink may have protective effect against neurodegenerative diseases. Dr Jeremy Dean is a psychologist and author of PsyBlog. His latest book is "Making Habits, Breaking Habits: How to Make Changes That Stick" Advertisement 6 Foods That Fight Belly Fat Brought On By Yo-Yo Dieting. Related articles: Discovered: How The Brain Repairs Itself After a Stroke Genetic Trigger Discovered For Most Common Form of Mental Disability and Autism How Long-Term Stress Causes Serious Mental Disorders Dementia Treated Successfully With Anti-Aging Diet Copper Pinpointed as Main Environmental Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease

Reduce your appetite with this counter-intuitive mental trick. Dr Jeremy Dean is a psychologist and author of PsyBlog. His latest book is "Making Habits, Breaking Habits: How to Make Changes That Stick" Advertisement 6 Foods That Fight Belly Fat Brought On By Yo-Yo Dieting. Related articles: Eating This For Breakfast Reduces Food Cravings Later in The Day Most Unlikely Weight Loss Trick Revealed by Psych Experiment 3 Minutes of Tetris Reduces Cravings for Drink, Cigarettes and Food These Everyday Foods Have a Powerful Connection With Mental Wellbeing Diet Tip: The Unexpected Effect of Comfort Food on Bad Moods

The age at which sleep has the greatest influence on cognitive function. Dr Jeremy Dean is a psychologist and author of PsyBlog. His latest book is "Making Habits, Breaking Habits: How to Make Changes That Stick" Advertisement 6 Foods That Fight Belly Fat Brought On By Yo-Yo Dieting. Related articles: You Can Learn a New Language While You Sleep, Study Finds A Strange Cure for Lack of Sleep Study Finds Memory Has a Fascinating Effect On Sleep Why Some People Only Need Five Hours’ Sleep a Night Poor Sleep Can Lead to False Memories

Survey asked workers about hiding mental health issues. Dr Jeremy Dean is a psychologist and author of PsyBlog. His latest book is "Making Habits, Breaking Habits: How to Make Changes That Stick" Advertisement 6 Foods That Fight Belly Fat Brought On By Yo-Yo Dieting. Related articles: Mental Health Problems Can Shorten Life More Than Heavy Smoking Psychedelic Drug Use Not Associated With Mental Health Problems You Might Be Surprised How Much 3 Hours of Therapy Can Help Prevent Teen Mental Health Issues Urban Living: Green Spaces Improve Your Mental Health Family Problems In Childhood Affect Brain Development

This type of training boosts the brain's language centres in young and old. Dr Jeremy Dean is a psychologist and author of PsyBlog. His latest book is "Making Habits, Breaking Habits: How to Make Changes That Stick" Advertisement 6 Foods That Fight Belly Fat Brought On By Yo-Yo Dieting. Related articles: Musical Training Increases Executive Brain Function in Children and Adults New Study of Improvising Jazz Pianists Shows Similar Brain Circuits Used for Music and Language Connectivity: The Difference Between Men’s and Women’s Brains Human Children Grow Up So Slowly Due to Large Brains, Study Finds Music’s Amazing Effect on Long-Term Memory and Mental Abilities In General

Share on Facebook Retweet this Submit this to How this feeling could protect you against depression and even Alzheimer’s disease. Positive emotions, especially the feeling of awe, have been linked to lower levels of inflammatory cytokines by a new study. The research suggests that the positive feeling from enjoying the beauty of nature or getting lost in a painting or symphony can actually help protect the body against heart disease, arthritis, depression, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Dacher Keltner, one of the study’s authors, said: "That awe, wonder and beauty promote healthier levels of cytokines suggests that the things we do to experience these emotions — a walk in nature, losing oneself in music, beholding art — have a direct influence upon health and life expectancy." Across two different experiments, 200 people reported their emotions during the day, including the extent to which they felt: amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, joy, love and pride. Their cheeks were also swabbed to get a measure of the cytokine, Interleukin 6, which is a marker of inflammation. The results, published in the journal Emotion, showed that experiencing positive emotions was linked to lower levels of the inflammation marker (Stellar et al., 2015). Awe, in particular, had a strong association with lower cytokine levels. Dr Jennifer Stellar, the study’s lead author, said: "Awe is associated with curiosity and a desire to explore, suggesting antithetical behavioral responses to those found during inflammation, where individuals typically withdraw from others in their environment." In depression, for example, the pro-inflammatory cytokines are thought to be important as they tend to block key hormones and neurotransmitters, like dopamine and serotonin, which affect memory, sleep, appetite and mood. People who are depressed have been found to have higher levels of certain inflammatory cytokines. The study can’t yet tell us what causes what, though, as Dr Stellar explained: "It is possible that having lower cytokines makes people feel more positive emotions, or that the relationship is bidirectional." Nevertheless, this is one of the first studies to link positive emotions to a boost in the body’s defences against both mental and physical illness. Woman and sunset image from Shutterstock Dr Jeremy Dean is a psychologist and author of PsyBlog. His latest book is "Making Habits, Breaking Habits: How to Make Changes That Stick" Advertisement 6 Foods That Fight Belly Fat Brought On By Yo-Yo Dieting. Share on Facebook Retweet this Submit this to Related articles: Meditation Can Reduce Loneliness in the Elderly 20 Wonderful Effects Exercise Has on the Mind The Body Map of Emotions: Happiness Activates the Whole Body The Emotion Which Lasts 240 Times Longer Than Others Magic Mushrooms: How They Affect the Brain’s Emotion Centres

Nine nutrients that play a vital role in mental health. Dr Jeremy Dean is a psychologist and author of PsyBlog. His latest book is "Making Habits, Breaking Habits: How to Make Changes That Stick" Advertisement 6 Foods That Fight Belly Fat Brought On By Yo-Yo Dieting. Related articles: Here’s How Many Workers Hide Mental Health Problems From Their Managers Mental Health Problems Can Shorten Life More Than Heavy Smoking You Might Be Surprised How Much 3 Hours of Therapy Can Help Prevent Teen Mental Health Issues Urban Living: Green Spaces Improve Your Mental Health This Vitamin Stops People Feeling SAD and Promotes Good Mental Health