The 5 minute 'Health' read - Lifestyle: recent research (December)
3rd December 2023
I read a fair amount of research and thought some people might be interested in recent studies that I've found helpful. I plan to write a blog post pretty much every week, highlighting helpful material that has emerged in the previous couple of months. I'll rotate through six topic areas …
A wide-angle assessment of emotional states
3rd June 2023
My all-time favorite topic in positive psychology is the study of positive emotions. I'm fascinated by how pleasant experiences, which can be so subtle and fleeting, can add up over time to change who we become. I'm especially excited these days about investigating how positive emotions change the very ways …
Vitality project - measurement issues
22nd May 2023
What gets measured, gets managed. Peter Drucker If one's going to put a good deal of effort into measuring and so better managing something, then it's important that what one is measuring is significant. The earlier (and first) blog post in this series - Background & importance of a three …
Background & importance of a three month vitality project
1st May 2023
Energy is an eternal delight. William Blake About every three months, I have a day's check-in with a dear friend. We've been doing this for two or three decades. It combines the joy of hanging out with a best friend while also helping us lead fuller, truer lives. As the …
Awe: how it's good for us, a self-assessment quiz and a series of 'awe-inspiring' exercises we can try.
25th February 2023
"“It’s a question of seeing so much clearer. Of doing to things what light does to them.” Eugene Guillevic I've been interested by 'Awe' recently ... partly inspired by the recent publication of Dacher Keltner's book Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder. There is so much emerging material highlighting …
The association between vitamin D serum levels, supplementation, and suicide attempts and intentional self-harm
2nd February 2023
Another interesting recent study - The association between vitamin D serum levels, supplementation, and suicide attempts and intentional self-harm - with its abstract reading: "Objectives The purpose of this study is to determine the associations between Vitamin D supplementation, 25(OH) blood serum levels, suicide attempts, and intentional self-harm in a …
Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations
2nd February 2023
Sobering recent article - Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations. Its abstract reads: "Long COVID is an often debilitating illness that occurs in at least 10% of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. More than 200 symptoms have been identified with impacts on multiple organ systems. At …
Best diets in 2023: Mediterranean diet wins again
5th January 2023
Medscape has just commented: "It's officially 2023, and if history repeats, millions of Americans are likely vowing that this year will be one when they drop those unwanted pounds for good. After all, weight loss usually lands one of the top spots on New Year's resolution surveys. And just in …
Adiposity, body fat distribution, and risk of major stroke types among adults in the United Kingdom
1st January 2023
This recent article from JAMA - Adiposity, body fat distribution, and risk of major stroke types among adults in the United Kingdom - comments: "In 2019, stroke was the second leading cause of death globally, estimated to be responsible for approximately 10% of all deaths. Of the 12.2 million incident …
Anxiety treatment associated with decreased risk of developing dementia!
31st December 2022
I read a good deal of research and thought it might be helpful to share studies that seem particularly interesting and useful ... especially in the areas of healthy lifestyle and how to 'flourish' more fully. Here's an interesting recent study - Associations between psychological intervention for anxiety disorders and …