https://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Primary care providers are well positioned to address emotional eating because of their long-term relationships with patients, note Jana DeSimone Wozniak, Ph.D. and Hsiang Huang, MD, MPH, of Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge, Massachusetts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-primary-urged-patients-engage-emotional.html Wed, 28 Aug 2024 15:03:03 EDT news644076181 Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) undergo rapid transitions between neutral and negative emotional states, which are intensified by emotional numbing symptom severity, according to a study published online April 16 in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-04-rapid-transitions-neutral-negative-emotional.html Wed, 17 Apr 2024 15:09:03 EDT news632585342 A new study by the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology—BIPS has investigated how emotional states influence the eating habits of children and adolescents and which interventions help to change unhealthy eating habits. The research focuses on the role of stress and impulsivity in food choices, particularly in relation to sweet and fatty foods. It has now been published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-emotions-adolescents.html Wed, 17 Jan 2024 15:24:03 EST news624727441 An evaluation of over 400 samples shows how subjective well-being develops over the course of a lifespan. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-09-age-happiest.html Tue, 19 Sep 2023 16:49:02 EDT news614360941 Fatigue, which can be defined as lacking energy and the motivation to do things during the day, is a very common symptom that most humans will experience at least once in their life. While it is sometimes linked to medical conditions, in most cases it is caused by poor lifestyle choices, stress, environmental circumstances, and/or psychological factors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-07-mindfulness-meditation-mitigate-adverse-effects.html Fri, 07 Jul 2023 09:10:01 EDT news607938450 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a group of nerve cells in the mouse brain that are involved in creating negative emotional states and chronic stress. The neurons, which have been mapped with a combination of advanced techniques, also have receptors for estrogen, which could explain why women as a group are more sensitive to stress than men. The study is published in Nature Neuroscience. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-06-chronic-stress-related-neurons.html Thu, 22 Jun 2023 12:15:26 EDT news606654922 There's a "loneliness epidemic" in the United States, and feelings of isolation have been linked to heart disease, stroke and other health conditions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-06-loneliness-survival-cancer-diagnosis.html Mon, 05 Jun 2023 14:40:01 EDT news605192784 People who reported feeling more affective empathy on a given day than was typical for them were likely to drink more than usual, according to a study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. Notably, these daily shifts in affective empathy levels were associated with the number of drinks consumed even after controlling for daily shifts in positive and negative emotions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-06-empathy-linked-greater-alcohol-consumption.html Thu, 01 Jun 2023 16:00:03 EDT news604854001 Even in the best of times, loneliness can contribute to psychological issues—depression, anxiety—and physical health problems whose effects on mortality rank with smoking 10-plus cigarettes a day. In the worst, like the onset of the isolating COVID-19 pandemic, that loneliness and its downstream effects can extract an even greater toll. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-04-positive-ease-loneliness-based-negativity.html Fri, 28 Apr 2023 13:26:33 EDT news601907191 The ongoing opioid epidemic continues to take a heavy toll on American communities, with more than 80,000 opioid-related deaths reported in 2021, according to the National Institutes of Health. Despite the severity of this issue, the neurological mechanisms underlying opioid addiction, withdrawal and relapse are not fully understood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-02-brain-circuit-involved-fentanyl-abuse.html Tue, 21 Feb 2023 09:11:03 EST news596193061 The COVID-19 pandemic has increased people's reliance on digital platforms, such as social media, to obtain information and communicate their thoughts and emotions with their peers. The sudden shift from offline to online interactions due to the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled the popularity of chatbots in many fields, including the medical domain. The World Health Organization (WHO) has even used a chatbot to fight against false information, and they are still looking into how this new technology can help them prepare for future pandemics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-people-interacted-chatbots-covid-pandemic.html Wed, 18 Jan 2023 12:31:06 EST news593267462 Negative emotions, anxiety and depression are thought to promote the onset of neurodegenerative diseases and dementia. But what is their impact on the brain and can their deleterious effects be limited? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-emotions-pathological-aging.html Fri, 13 Jan 2023 10:20:04 EST news592827601 The holidays can be a time for joy and connecting with friends and loved ones, but they can also bring stress and sadness. Angela Drake is a clinical neuropsychologist at UC Davis Health. She has practical advice for navigating the season's emotional challenges and specific tips for taking care of your mental health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-12-mental-health-holidays.html Mon, 19 Dec 2022 19:30:01 EST news590691181 Mask-wearing has become the norm for many since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite their effectiveness in preventing the spread of viruses, opaque masks impair our ability to understand and convey emotions, a group of McGill University researchers has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-10-qa-transparent-masks-emotional-empathy.html Tue, 18 Oct 2022 15:57:23 EDT news585327441 The bacterial toxin botulinum toxin (BTX)—colloquially known as Botox—is probably known to most people as a remedy for wrinkles. But botulinum toxin can do even more: if it is injected into the forehead, for example, it can alleviate depression. It also dampens negative emotions in people with borderline personality disorder, who suffer from extreme mood swings. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-09-botox-emotions-brain.html Thu, 22 Sep 2022 10:38:46 EDT news583061917 Predictions of catastrophic climate change seem endless—and already, its effects are hard to ignore. Events such as bushfires, floods and species loss generate feelings of sadness, anxiety and grief in many people. But this toll on the human psyche is often overlooked. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-08-laid-wept-destruction-nature-toll.html Mon, 01 Aug 2022 09:40:04 EDT news578563866 It's an age-old question: do we—in older age—get better at regulating our emotions? Even responding more positively? The answer, according to a study conducted by UNSW psychologist Susanne Schweizer and colleagues from the University of Cambridge, seems to be "yes." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-03-aging-gratefully-older-people-summon.html Mon, 28 Mar 2022 11:09:20 EDT news567684557 Recent research of parents in Russia and the United States, as well as children's literature in both countries, highlights how cultural differences in socializing emotions begin before children even start attending school. Specifically, the research found that Russian parents are more likely than U.S. parents to read stories to their children that feature negative emotions, such as fear, anger and sadness. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-children-stories-differences-russian-approaches.html Thu, 02 Dec 2021 09:32:16 EST news557659934 Interlinked changes in drinking behavior, mood, and the brain among women and men during recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD) have been clarified in a new study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. AUD recovery was already known to be multidimensional, with behavioral changes—ranging from stopping heavy drinking to complete abstinence—accompanied by partial reversal of alcohol-induced brain damage. While the relationship between early abstinence (the "withdrawal phase"), negative mood, and sex-specific effects of alcohol on the brain's "reward system" have been well-established, a growing body of evidence is revealing that AUD individuals in long-term abstinence (greater than five years) report higher levels of subjective happiness and emotional well-being, as well as a significantly lower risk of relapse. Yet, the way these long-term behavioral and emotional improvements relate to underlying brain changes, and potentially differ between men and women, remains unknown. To better understand and characterize these aspects of the recovery process, the study's researchers examined the associations between the duration of abstinence, emotional states, and structural measures of brain regions involved in emotional processing, among abstinent men and women with AUD. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-08-recovery-alcohol-disorder-long-term-abstinence.html Wed, 25 Aug 2021 11:55:52 EDT news549111349 It's entirely reasonable during a pandemic to feel more stressed, anxious, lonely and depressed than usual. Yet, despite the circumstances, some people are doing OK. Some people continue to feel love for others, gratitude for what they have and joy in the small things. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-day-pandemic.html Fri, 26 Jun 2020 13:09:30 EDT news512395767 Turning to a tub of ice cream after a break-up may be a cliché, but there's some truth to eating in response to negative emotions. Eating serves many functions—survival, pleasure, comfort, as well as a response to stress. However, emotional overeating—eating past the point of feeling full in response to negative emotions, is a risk factor for binge eating and developing eating disorders such as bulimia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-negative-emotions-stronger-appetite-responses.html Wed, 03 Jun 2020 00:00:01 EDT news510327305 The stereotype of grumpy old people apparently doesn't hold up under closer inspection. A new study from Duke and Vanderbilt University psychologists finds that older people are generally more emotionally stable and better able to resist temptations in their daily lives. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-03-older-people-emotionally-healthy-resist.html Tue, 24 Mar 2020 16:57:38 EDT news504287853 New findings by a University of Houston psychology professor indicate that among firefighters, distress tolerance amplifies associations between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and alcohol use severity. In the world of psychology, distress tolerance is your actual or perceived ability to withstand emotional distress. It is surviving—and knowing you can survive—an emotional incident. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-12-distress-tolerance-role-alcohol-abuse.html Tue, 03 Dec 2019 13:07:52 EST news494600869 It's not uncommon for new moms to feel an emotional letdown shortly after baby is born. Though symptoms of these so-called "baby blues" can be wide-ranging, they last no more than two weeks and go away on their own. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-09-screened-postpartum-depression.html Wed, 25 Sep 2019 11:07:58 EDT news488628470 Mayo Clinic researchers have found an association between increased symptoms of burnout and heightened racial bias in medical residents. The study appears in JAMA Network Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-07-burnout-symptoms-racial-bias-medical.html Fri, 26 Jul 2019 11:10:01 EDT news483355876 While emotions such as anger or sadness are often thought of as being a result of stress or pain, findings recently published by Penn State researchers suggest that negative or mixed emotions could function as stressors themselves. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-09-emotions-anger-sadness-pain-result.html Mon, 10 Sep 2018 11:00:15 EDT news455796010 It is difficult to open up a magazine or newspaper today without seeing a headline trumpeting the presence of a "mental health crisis" —particularly on our college and university campuses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-03-child-depressed-moody-isnt-mental.html Tue, 27 Mar 2018 08:50:01 EDT news441359132 A team of researchers at Cambridge has identified how areas of the brain govern both our emotions and our heart activity, helping explain why people with depression or anxiety have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-05-marmoset-clues-link-mental-health.html Mon, 08 May 2017 08:48:36 EDT news413452109 New research conducted by the University of Liverpool shows that mothers can experience negative emotions such as guilt, stigma and the need to defend their feeding choices regardless of how they feed their baby. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-11-breast-message.html Tue, 15 Nov 2016 08:34:02 EST news398421232 Victory was sweet for the U.S. Women's World Cup team 5-2 victory this weekend – but it's a safe bet that the vanquished team from Japan was reaching for actual sweets after the stunning upset. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-07-defeat-sweeter-victory-reveal-science.html Fri, 10 Jul 2015 06:06:10 EDT news355727157