A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
The impact of music on the brain has been a hot topic in science in the past decade. Now Northwestern researchers for the first time have directly examined what happens after children stop playing a musical instrument after only a few years -- a common childhood experience. Compared to peers with no musical training, adults [...]
Just one alcoholic drink a day may increase the risk of cancer, according to a new study, which estimates that light drinking is responsible for 34,000 deaths a year worldwide. New research based on more than 150,000 men and women shows that light drinking increases the likelihood of cancer of the mouth, pharynx, oesophagus and [...]
Neuroscientists have shown that we are lied to by our own brains. Take wine. Taste tests are commonly undertaken ''blind'', that is, the tasters are either blindfolded or the bottle is wrapped in a brown paper bag. This practice recognises our propensity to judge a drop by its cover. But why do we do it?Are [...]
Is a gun like a virus, a car, tobacco or alcohol? Yes, say public health experts, who in the wake of recent mass shootings are calling for a fresh look at gun violence as a social disease. What we need, they say, is a public health approach to the problem, like the highway safety measures, [...]
While Australian doctors, who last year wrote 13 million prescriptions* for antidepressants, appear unconvinced, there's increasing evidence that eating the right food can elevate your mood. Scientific research suggests that some vegetables, fruits and spices can affect the chemistry of the brain and act as mood enhancers, promoting calmness and a sense of well-being, while [...]
Deakin University health researchers have found that eating less than the recommended amount of red meat is related to depression and anxiety in women. Associate Professor Felice Jacka and colleagues from Deakin’s Barwon Psychiatric Research Unit based at Barwon Health investigated the relationship between the consumption of beef and lamb and the presence of depressive [...]
Can you pick an eating disorder by a persons dietary preference? At first glance it seems that you can. A cross-sectional study has found that individuals with a history of eating disorders are considerably more likely to have been vegetarian in the past, vegetarian now and primarily motivated by weight. Furthermore, 68 per cent of [...]
Oxytocin and vasopressin, two hormones that inspire feelings of love and generosity when they flood our brains, bind to neurons by attaching to molecules called receptors, which can come in different forms. The new research, led by psychologist Michel Poulin of the University of Buffalo, suggests that if you have the genes that give [...]
Graphic images that depict violence or eroticism blind us for a split second, according to new research on how the brain processes visual information. The finding could explain why people have a hard time concentrating after seeing a particularly sexy photo, or after witnessing a car crash while driving. Such images emotionally jolt us to [...]
People's physical and mental health is significantly greater in those who have links with their neighbours than those without. "In a typical Australian suburb, people who have links with their neighbours have better health than those who do not," said Professor Bush. "The links are often fairly simple - not only knowing your neighbours but [...]
