A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Pixabay Images Cool is a target that’s constantly shifting. It’s an attitude, a term of approval, and today, as much as any of these things, it’s a game of superficially rebellious status-chasing, centered on consumerism. Cool turns out to be a strange kind of economic value that our brains see in products that [...]
Flikr Images We find that people imitate not only the particulars of positive actions, but also the spirit underlying them. This implies that kindness itself is contagious, and that it can cascade across people, taking on new forms along the way. We still don’t fully understand the psychological forces that power kindness contagion. [...]
Pixabay Images When it comes to mental health, the global health community has failed. Mental, neurological, and substance-use disorders are among the leading causes of the global burden of disease. By 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability. Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents. People with severe [...]
Pixabay Images Any dog owner will tell you that we can use a food reward as a motivation to change a dog’s behaviour. But humans are just as susceptible to rewards too. When we get a reward, special pathways in our brain become activated. Not only does this feel good, but the activation [...]
Pixabay Images Frilled Neck Fashion is an Australian dancewear company, but you would be forgiven for thinking that the pictures on their Instagram account belonged on the centrefold of an old school men's mag. The models pose seductively in skimpy outfits. The captions use words like 'this beauty' and 'this angel'. The comments [...]
“What’s the safe age to start drinking?” This is a very common question that students, teachers and parents ask when talking about the risks of drinking. Whilst the legal age for drinking in Australia is 18 years, there are many different opinions about when and how it is safest for a person to try alcohol [...]
Pixabay Images Pokémon GO is only days old, but already it’s a monster success. It’s all over the news and social feeds, crashed servers here in Australia and compelled millions of big and little kids world-wide to hit the streets to chase colourful creatures that don’t really exist. Yeah great, you say, but [...]
Flikr Images Public debate on Islam has been "on for young and old" since Attorney-General George Brandis' asserted that people have "a right to be a bigots", and "bigoted" views are expressed repeatedly. "My view is that we're going to see more of this. We're going to see this particular theme opening up again and again and again," Dr Jakubowicz said. "In a [...]
Pixabay Images Taking work to the extreme may be a sign of deeper psychological or emotional issues. Whether this reflects overlapping genetic vulnerabilities, disorders leading to workaholism or, conversely, workaholism causing such disorders, remain uncertain. In wait for more research, physicians should not take for granted that a seemingly successful workaholic does not [...]
Pixabay Images Meditation is just one strand of new “positive education” methods starting to build momentum and gravitas in schools. The key idea is to teach good practices such as mindfulness and gratitude that will promote resilience and, it is thought, help children lead healthier psychological lives. Until recently, these might have been [...]
