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It may come as no surprise that spending time in nature is good for mental health. But if you are interested in how and why exactly nature can help with people’s mental health, see the article below.
“Psychology Works” Fact Sheet: Benefits of Nature Exposure – Canadian Psychological Association
How Does Nature Benefit our Mental Health? Exposure to nature enhances mental health, which is defined as a state of well-being in which individuals can cope with the normal stressors of life while maintaining a positive outlook. Nature-based experiences can improve cognitive, psychological, and physical health (Jimenez et al., 2021).
The BC Psychological Association recently created its own YouTube channel, which already hosts videos by psychologists on a variety of topics including neurodiversity, social anxiety, the usefulness of mindfulness, etc.
BC Psychological Association (BCPA)
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February is psychology month and the BC Psychological Association offers free online presentations by experts on a variety of psychological topics. Check out the link below.
Psychology Month 2024 – BCPA
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So many of us make lofty New Year’s resolutions at the start of the year. But research shows that this is not an effective way of making changes. Check out this article to find out what the research suggests instead:
How to improve your life in 2024 according to science
The start of a new year is a time for making changes and resolutions to improve your health and wellbeing. We look at some of the best tips that science has to offer.
New research suggests that focusing on one’s life purpose and meaning is associated with reduced depression and anxiety. A quick way to increase a sense of meaning is to identify values and principles.
New psychology research reveals a strong link between life purpose and reduced depression
Recent research has demonstrated a significant connection between having a sense of purpose in life and lower levels of depression and anxiety. This finding suggests that having a sense that your life has meaning and direction can influence your mental well-being.
One of the instinctual reactions to a negative mood or a bad feeling is to try to get rid of it. But we now know that trying to get rid of feelings or moods may not only make us feel worse, there also is research that suggest negative moods can actually be useful.
Psychology research has shown that negative moods can actually be quite useful
Regret, for example, which can make us suffer by reflecting on the past, is an indispensable mental mechanism for learning from one’s own mistakes to avoid repeating them. Worries about the future are likewise essential to motivate us to do something that is somewhat unpleasant today but can create gain or spare us a greater loss in the future.
For many Canadians, smoke from forest or wildfires has become an annual nuisance and stressor. Read about the mental health impacts as well as coping strategies here:
Wildfires and Smoke Are Harming People’s Mental Health. Here’s How to Cope
Wildfires can have mental health impacts, both among those who are directly affected and those who find themselves under a blanket of smoke
With AI systems becoming increasingly accessible, not just professionally but also personally, we urgently need research about their psychological effects and impacts. Here is some illuminating research that begins to shed light on this.
Loneliness, insomnia linked to work with AI systems
Employees who frequently interact with artificial intelligence systems are more likely to experience loneliness that can lead to insomnia and increased after-work drinking.
One of the hot topics in psychology right now is the relationship between nutrition and mental health with a flurry of research suggesting that nutrition could be an effective first-line intervention. Several large-scale studies show a clear link between mental health and the Mediterranean Diet, for example.
U of C professor on the critical role nutrition plays in improving mental health – The Gauntlet
By Lauren Brough, January 18 2022- A research psychologist at the University of Calgary proves physical health isn’t the only reason to start paying more attention to diet. Dr. Bonnie Kaplan, a professor emerita in the Cumming School of Medicine spent the bulk of her career researching the role nutrition has on brain development and […]
Do you have a particular TV show or shows you keep rewatching? If so, 1) you are not a lone and 2) there is some science that may explain why.
3 Science-Backed Reasons You Like Rewatching TV Shows
You know what you’re signing up for and it can offer a sense of belonging. Here’s why.