New research indicates that decreased cravings for pleasure may be at the root of a core symptom of major depressive disorder. The research is in contrast to the long-held notion that those suffering from depression lack the ability to enjoy rewards, rather than the desire to seek them. Click here to read the article.

PLoS One, August 2009

Human beings often will take on body postures, make gestures, and display the mannerisms of people they encounter, the study authors wrote. For the most part, this behavior is unconscious, with both the imitator and the person being imitated unaware that the behavior is taking place. The authors added that people who are not aware they are being imitated often feel affection and empathy for their imitators. In fact, studies have shown that people are more likely to help their imitators, and under appropriate circumstances, even leave them more generous tips. Such imitation is thought to provide the basis by which human beings ultimately form lasting social groups. Click here to read the article.

Your levels of the calming response are a measure of physical health.  New research has found that prosocial behaviour is associated with higher levels of the calming response, as is life satisfaction and optimism. Click here to read the research.

Short-term memory getting worse? Exercise getting harder? Examine your diet. New research showed that in less than 10 days of eating a high-fat diet, rats had a decreased ability to exercise and experienced significant short-term memory loss. These results show an important link between what we eat, how we think, and how our bodies perform. Click here to read the article.

New research has looked at the impact that loving kindness meditation had on levels of the calming response. The researchers found that mediation increased levels of the calming response.

They also found that higher levels of the calming response were associated with;
1. higher levels of positive emotions especially for meditators.
2. higher levels of progesterone (a proxy for oxytocin - the affiliation hormone).

Click here to read the research.

Elderly individuals who had a diet that included higher consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereal and fish and was low in red meat and poultry and who were physically active had an associated lower risk of Alzheimer disease. Click here to read the article.

JAMA August 12, 2009

An Army pilot project is teaching soldiers techniques drawn from sports psychology such as visualization and bio-feedback to help deal with stress and other mental consequences of combat. 

In bio-feedback training, soldiers are hooked up to medical equipment that shows them changes in pulse rate and blood pressure. Trainees are then taught techniques to get their stress under control by activating the relaxation response. Click here to read the article.

The biofeedback is very similar to Resilience Builder software which we use in our ACCEPTional resilience workshops and coaching. Like the military we also use the software to teach people to activate the relaxation response - also called the calming response.

New UCLA research suggests that for seniors age 70 and older, socioeconomic status does not play a major role in the brain’s continued ability to function. However, seniors who have never been married and widowers seem to perform more poorly as they age. Click here to read article.

Workers who reported working for a narcissistic boss had lower levels of job satisfaction, saw their stress levels increase over the previous year, were less appreciative of their work and organization, reported lower levels of effort and performance, and were more prone to sadness and frustration at work. Click here to read the article.

Louis Armstrong sang, “When you’re smilin’, the whole world smiles with you.” Romantics everywhere may be surprised to learn that psychological research has proven this sentiment to be true — merely seeing a smile (or a frown, for that matter) will activate the muscles in our face that make that expression, even if we are unaware of it. Click here to read the article.

Psychological Sciences, Sepetember 2009