Posts by Greater Good Science Center
8‑week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course found to be as effective as Lexapro (escitalopram) to treat adults with anxiety disorders, and with far fewer side effects
Anxiety is the most common psychiatric disorder, with over 301 million ?people affected around the world. Whether extreme anxiety arises in social situations, is triggered by a particular phobia, or manifests as a general unease in the world, it can severely affect people’s everyday functioning and lead to high levels of distress. Luckily, there are…
Read MoreThe 7 Habits of Highly Stress-Resilient Minds
Are you suffering from chronic stress? Many of us are—whether we’re stressed out by our jobs, complicated relationships, caregiving responsibilities, or the general state of the world. That’s where Elissa Epel’s new book, The Stress Prescription, comes in. A health psychologist and director of the Aging, Metabolism, and Emotions Center at the University of California, San…
Read MoreThanksgiving works: Gratitude journaling seen to lower stress and negative cognitive processes
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people suffered extreme stress. People couldn’t work and faced financial anxiety, they felt lonely and isolated, they worried about catching a deadly disease or giving it to someone they loved, and their mental health suffered. For researcher Erin Fekete, of the University of Indianapolis, the unfolding…
Read MoreStudy: Practicing gratitude helps lower physiological stress levels of the “expresser” AND the “receiver”
Expressing gratitude nurtures our relationships, helping us to feel closer to our friends and romantic partners. Some research suggests that grateful people seem to cope better with stress and enjoy superior physical health, perhaps because of those stronger social relationships. What about experiencing gratitude with people we don’t know so well—like those we work with?…
Read MoreQ&A with researcher Robb Rutledge on mental health, expectations, decision-making and, yes, holiday planning!
Have you ever looked forward to a concert, beach vacation, or party only to find yourself not enjoying it as much as you thought you would? You may be suffering from overly high expectations, says psychologist Robb Rutledge of Yale University. Rutledge and his colleagues have been using smartphone-based data collection (via a free app called…
Read MoreFive ways to clear foggy brains and improve cognitive well-being
The other day, my friend Kristina told me that one evening she unintentionally locked her husband in a downstairs part of their house. She had known he was down there, but while distractedly locking the door for the night, forgot completely. She didn’t realize what she’d done until she saw a text from her husband…
Read More