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Waiting for a Test Result Can Be Brutal. Here’s How to Deal.
... Simply trying to zone out is particularly ineffective when you’re waiting for significant news, said Kate Sweeny, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, who studies the difficulty of waiting. So as much as the TV might call out to you when you’re desperate to be distracted, it’s probably not going to help. “Spacing out, listening to music, just trying to relax — those sorts of things are tough,” Dr. Sweeny said. “If they work for you, great. But I would say that for many of us, our minds are perfectly capable of loudly worrying while watching television, while we’re listening to music, while we’re driving the car.”
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Heart Rates and Step Counts: A Novel Approach to Eating Disorder Care
What potential do everyday devices, like smartwatches, have in transforming the management and treatment of eating disorders? In this episode, Under the Cortex explores how commonly used technology, such as heart rate monitors and step
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Exposure Therapy Challenges Patient Expectations
Exposure therapy can help patients conquer their fears, but it isn’t effective for everyone. Researchers are exploring how this powerful intervention works and how it could benefit a wider range of patients.
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A Winning Mix: High Standards, High Support
When Emma Hayes, the U.S. women’s national soccer team coach, kept the starters in the lineup over a grueling stretch of successive 90-minute Olympic soccer games in France, murmurs rose that the team was on its way to an exit, ousted by exhaustion. ... How we perceive discomfort and negative emotions affects our experience of them. Emotions, whether pleasant or unpleasant, typically last seconds to minutes, says Emily Willroth, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.
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Facing the Holidays Without Family Ties or the Romantic Partner of Your Dreams?
While the holiday season is often a time rich with cheer, sentiment, love and family connections, it can also be a painful reminder of what once was or what many other people have but you don’t. ... In such a transition, there’s no requirement to have the holidays look or feel the same as they always have, said Dr. Adam Brown, clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at The New School for Social Research in New York.
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This 1 Tiny To-Do Can Boost Your Happiness Today
When a task isn’t urgent, it’s easy to keep procrastinating. Scheduling a doctor’s appointment or dusting your bookshelf can end up sitting on a to-do list for days, even weeks, despite taking only a few minutes to complete. ... Procrastinating on small responsibilities doesn’t mean you’re lazy, says Joseph Ferrari, a psychology professor at DePaul University in Chicago and the author of “Still Procrastinating: The No-Regrets Guide to Getting it Done.” People are wired to avoid unpleasant experiences. “We are good at putting off things that we think could be aversive,” Ferrari says.
