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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
Blair Perkins, a 23-year-old based in Fostoria, Ohio, who works as a housekeeper, loves rewatching Friends. Sometimes they binge watch the show during a stressful period of time, or play a few episodes after work – and sometimes they rewatch it just because. Why?
I remember encountering a psychologist while hiking in Iceland and we talked about some of the differences in our conceptions of what leads to people’s suffering. And she said that one of her primary approaches is to send people with mental health challenges into nature. This hot-off-the-press research supports that she was right, especially in terms of decreasing low mood by taking nature walks.
Walking in nature decreases negative feelings among those diagnosed with major depressive disorder
A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders investigated the relationship between walking in nature and emotional affect in those with major depressive disorder (MDD). Compared to urban settings, walking in nature successfully lowered levels of negative affect in those diagnosed with MDD.
The holidays can been notoriously stressful for people. Here’s a video of a clinical psychologist giving tips for the holidays.
Ask an Expert: Dealing with holiday stress | Watch News Videos Online
The holidays are a joyous time of the year, but it can also bring anxiety in people’s lives. Dr. Jaleh Shahin, a clinical psychologist, joined Jennifer Palma on Global News Morning with some ways on how you can best deal with the stress of this time of the year.
So many people struggle with sleep. Here is an interesting article that answers some interesting questions.
Your questions about how to sleep well, answered
Recently, we asked our readers what was keeping them up. Turns out, it is a whole bunch of things, from insomnia, to late-night bathroom visits, to racing minds that won’t shut off. We collected your most pressing questions and put them to sleep experts, who recommend we all start making sleep a bigger priority in our busy lives.
Most of us have uncomfortable or unwanted thoughts sometimes. We know from research that trying to control or suppress them typically makes them worse. Think of the “don’t think of the pink elephant” phenomenon. Here’s an interesting article of a recent study that sheds more light on this and what to do.
Can we control unwanted thoughts? New research says, yes
Most people experience unwanted thoughts from time to time. Some, known as intrusive thoughts, can be linked to psychiatric disorders. A new study has found that most people use reactive thought control to deal with unwanted thoughts once they have occurred.
The issue about who reaches out to who among one’s friends and relatives is of course a bit of a “thing.” Here is an interesting article about the importance of reaching out to others and how we tend to underestimate the positive impact this can have on others.
Friends enjoy being reached out to more than we think
Washington – People consistently underestimate how much others in their social circle might appreciate an unexpected phone call, text or email just to say hello, and the more surprising the connection, the greater the appreciation, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.