Many Americans experience a “winter funk” as the days grow shorter and temperatures turn colder, a new American Psychiatric Association poll reports. Two-fifths of Americans (41%) said their mood declines during the winter months, according to the APA’s Healthy Minds Poll. Midwesterners and Northeasterners are most affected, where 52% and 46%, respectively, said they tend… read on > read on >
All Lifestyle:
How a Move Away From Beef Could Help the Planet
Eating fewer burgers and steaks could pay big dividends for Mother Earth, and human health, by combatting climate change, a new study suggests. Small cutbacks in beef production among wealthy nations could remove 125 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, researchers report — an amount that exceeds the total number of global fossil… read on > read on >
COVID Vaccine Mistrust Levels Aren’t Budging, Study Finds
More than a third of Americans continue to express mistrust in the science behind COVID vaccines, a new study finds. This level of mistrust has remained relatively consistent, expressed by 36% of people in 2021, 33% in 2022 and 36% in 2023. People who lost a family member or close friend to COVID were significantly… read on > read on >
Banning Menthol Cigarettes Might Drive Smokers to Quit-Smoking Therapies
Banning menthol cigarettes could help convince smokers quit the habit, a new study finds. People who prefer menthol cigarettes would rather buy nicotine gum or other nicotine replacement therapies than switch to traditional tobacco cigarettes, researchers reported recently in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. In addition, menthol cigarette smokers were less likely to use… read on > read on >
History of Concussion Could Raise a New Mom’s Odds for Mental Health Issues
Women who’ve had concussions are more likely to suffer severe mental health problems following childbirth, a new study shows. A history of concussion increased a new mother’s risk of severe mental illness by 25%, after adjusting for other factors, Canadian researchers reported. “We found that individuals with a history of concussion were significantly more likely… read on > read on >
Quitting Smoking After Cancer Diagnosis Boosts Survival by Up to 26%
Smokers diagnosed with cancer often shrug and keep lighting up, figuring a few more butts won’t make much difference. They’re very mistaken, a new study finds. Smokers are 22% to 26% less likely to die if they quit following a cancer diagnosis, researchers found. The best outcomes occurred in patients who quit within six months… read on > read on >
No Evidence Adults With Autism Are More Vulnerable to Criminals, Study Finds
Are people with autism less able to “read” the nefarious intent of criminals, leaving them more vulnerable to scams or coercion into criminal activity? It’s been a common notion among trial lawyers, the Australian researchers behind a new report say, but it’s not grounded in any real evidence. “This perspective may not hold up under… read on > read on >
Election Fears Are Keeping Americans Awake at Night, Survey Shows
If anxiety over this year’s presidential election is keeping you up at night, you’re not alone. About 17% of all U.S. adults — a striking 45 million Americans — say the election has negatively impacted their sleep, according to a survey by the National Sleep Foundation. These folks are sleeping less on the weekend and… read on > read on >
When This Black Cat Crossed His Path, It Was a Lucky Day for Medicine
When a black cat named Pepper dropped a dead mouse on the carpet at his owner’s feet on a day back in May 2021, neither of them knew then that it would alert scientists to the arrival of an exotic virus to the United States. Pepper is a skilled hunter who regularly leaves “gifts” for… read on > read on >
Staying In: Did Pandemic Shift Americans’ Leisure-Time Habits Permanently?
The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have created a nation of homebodies in the United States, a new study finds. People are spending nearly an hour less each day doing activities outside the home, researchers reported Oct. 31 in the Journal of the American Planning Association. In essence, not going out has become the “new normal”… read on > read on >