news 2024

The short-term boost our brains get after we do exercise persists throughout the following day, suggests a new study led by UCL researchers. Previous research in a laboratory setting has shown that people's cognitive performance improves in the hours after exercise, but how long this benefit lasts is unknown.

Adults who frequently post on social media are at more risk of developing mental health problems than those who passively view social media content, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, investigated how different types of social media use might affect the mental health of adults over time.

Labelling lone bananas as 'sad singles' tugs at shoppers' heartstrings and increases sales by 58 percent. Faced with a pile of loose, unsold single bananas, retailers can motivate customers to buy overlooked fruit by giving it emotional appeal, according to new research from the University of Bath's School of Management.

Infants whose mothers regularly use language to describe what their child is thinking or feeling, have higher levels of the hormone oxytocin, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Oxytocin, a hormone that is involved in a range of psychological processes, plays an important role in social relationships, such as the development of the bond between a parent and child, and the formation of trust, and social understanding, across the lifespan.

Researchers from our top-rated Psychology department have discovered that social bonding behaviours in chimpanzees, like grooming and play, can spread through groups much like contagious yawns or laughter in humans. Observing chimpanzees at Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia, scientists found that individuals were more likely to start grooming or playing after seeing others engage in the same behaviour.

People with poorer mental health are more prone to browsing negative content online, which further exacerbates their symptoms, finds a study led by UCL researchers. The relationship between mental health and web-browsing is causal and bi-directional, according to the study published in Nature Human Behaviour .

Scientists say the findings might shed light on the link between loneliness and mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, which are on the rise in young people. People in their late teens experience an increased sensitivity to threats after just a few hours left in a room on their own - an effect that endures even if they are interacting online with friends and family.

People over the age of 50 who have severe mental illness are more likely than the general population to experience fragility fractures but may be less likely to get a diagnosis for osteoporosis, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. Fragility fractures are broken bones that occur after a minor fall or impact that wouldn't usually cause a fracture.

Fussy eating is mainly influenced by genes and is a stable trait lasting from toddlerhood to early adolescence, finds a new study led by researchers from UCL, King's College London and the University of Leeds. The study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry and funded by the UK mental health charity MQ Mental Health Research, compared survey results of parents with identical or non-identical twins in England and Wales from the ages of 16 months to 13 years.

People with dementia are more likely to have suicidal thoughts but are not necessarily more likely to attempt or die by suicide than the general population, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in Ageing Research Reviews , analysed 54 studies that investigated various aspects of mental health - including the prevalence and risk of suicide - in people with dementia, between 1991 and 2023.

Most people who exercise using VR drop out when things gets too tough or dull - could programs that use sensors to tune into a person's emotional state help? Virtual reality (VR) video games that combine screen time with exercise are a great way to get fit, but game designers face a major challenge - like with regular exercise, adherence to 'exergames' is low, with most users dropping out once they start to feel uncomfortable or bored.

New research reveals how short bursts of daily mindfulness can boost wellbeing, combat depression and anxiety, and inspire healthier lifestyle choices. In a new study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, researchers from the Universities of Bath and Southampton have unveiled how just 10 minutes of daily mindfulness practice can improve wellbeing, ease depression and anxiety, and help people to be more motivated to improve their lifestyle - including healthier exercise, eating and sleeping habits.

Children who experienced inflammation at a young age at higher risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases. Children who have persistently raised inflammation are at a higher risk of experiencing serious mental health disorders including psychosis and depression in early adulthood, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

A higher incidence of mental illnesses persists for up to a year following severe Covid-19 in unvaccinated people, according to a new study involving UCL researchers. The study, looking at health data from 18 million people and published in JAMA Psychiatry , investigated associations of Covid-19 with mental illnesses according to time since diagnosis and vaccination status.

Perimenopausal women are more likely to experience bipolar and major depressive disorders, according to new research by Cardiff University. In a study of 128,294 female participants from the UK, a team from the University's School of Medicine and Bipolar UK investigated whether perimenopause - the years surrounding the final menstrual period - is associated with an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders for the first time.

Increasing serotonin can change how people learn from negative information, as well as improving how they respond to it, according to a new study published in the leading journal Nature Communications .

Many people who were hospitalised with COVID-19 continue to have cognitive and psychiatric problems even two to three years post-infection, according to a new study published in Lancet Psychiatry . Conducted by a group of researchers across the UK led by the University of Oxford and the University of Leicester, and published in Lancet Psychiatry , the research highlights the persistent and significant nature of these symptoms as well as the emergence of new symptoms years after COVID-19 was first present.

The processes in the brain and body through which physical exercise reduces depressive symptoms have been explored by UCL researchers. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is associated with disruptions to several brain and psychological processes, including impaired learning and memory.

Mindfulness training may lead participants to experience disembodiment and unity - so-called altered states of consciousness - according to a new study from researchers at the University of Cambridge. I've benefited a lot personally from meditation and mindfulness and I've also had many of these experiences.

Children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are at significantly higher risk of a number of mental health issues, including mood and anxiety disorders, a study from a team in the UK and the Czech Republic has found. We know that people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes can experience 'diabetes distress'. It's little wonder, then, that they are at risk of compounding mental health problems, spanning into their adult lives Benjamin Perry The findings highlight the urgent need for monitoring and support for the mental health of young people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.