Mental Health Topics

Spiritual Purposes in Relationships: Life Blessings and Life Lessons What is a spiritual love? As with many questions about our spirituality, there isn’t one definition or example of a spiritual love. That said, spiritual love can refer to a love that is rooted in or supported by a deep spiritual…

Our mental wellbeing is affected by many different factors, but what role does spirituality play in mental health? Spirituality can serve as a guiding force: it provides us with a purpose, whether our spiritual practices are rooted in religion, nature, art, or something else. This guiding light benefits our mental…

Jealousy changes with time—we envy what is to come more than we envy what has already happened. This, according to researchers at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In the first phase of their study, researchers asked 620 participants to imagine a close friend living out the participant’s…

New research shows that we can reduce vaccine hesitancy by introducing the hesitant individual to someone with a vaccine-preventable disease. Researchers sought to understand how we can change anti-vaccine attitudes due to a recent rise in vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccine hesitancy. The experimented with 574 college students, 83 of which…

Anger can increase the risk for chronic disease in older individuals. Many worry about their older relatives feeling unhappy. But a new study from Concordia University says that anger is more harmful to older individuals than sadness. Researchers analyzed data from 226 older adults aged 59 to 93. These participants…

Research supports that spirituality can help improve symptoms of depression and other mental health conditions. Engaging in spiritual practices changes the prefrontal region of the brain; additionally, it serves as a shield against stress. When we turn to our spiritual nature, or focus on a higher power, we become more…

While religion and spirituality are often viewed as synonymous, they involve different beliefs and practices. Religion involves subscribing oneself to a specific set of beliefs and often praising a higher power, while spirituality is connecting to something bigger than oneself. You can find greater meaning and fulfillment in religion by…

Spirituality often varies in definition and in practice—however, it’s ultimately about connecting to something greater than ourselves to live a happier life. Doing so can help us cope during difficult times, which means spirituality can prove important to addiction recovery. Those in addiction recovery (and others) can practice spirituality and…

Overindulging in high-calorie foods when you’re stressed can lead to faster weight gain. When stressed, some of us cope by eating fatty, sugary foods. This might satisfy us in the moment, but a new study from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research says doing so can quickly lead to obesity….

Alcohol use disorder or AUD diminishes men’s ability to process their emotions. This effect isn’t as significant in women. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine used MRIs to analyze brain activity in individuals with AUD. They found that the experiences and mechanisms of AUD are different for the two…

Listening to music increases productivity and happiness at work. This, from researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University. The research team analyzed emotional and physiological responses to music, as well as how these responses affect work performance. They found that all music helps productivity and increases happy feelings at work, but certain…

Listening to music and practicing mindfulness can aid stroke recovery. Researchers from the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, and East Anglia recruited 72 participants who had suffered from a stroke and divided them into three groups. One group listened to music, another to audiobooks, and the final group to music as…