By Linda Searing, Photo Illustration: Washington Post Illustration/iStock, The Washington Post, May 28, 2023 Getting regular exercise may reduce a woman’s chances of developing Parkinson’s disease by as much as 25 percent, according to research published in the journal Neurology . It involved 95,354 women, who were an average of age 49 and did not have Parkinson’s when the study began. The researchers compared the women’s physical exercise levels over nearly three decades, including such...

Mental Health First Aid and Emotional CPR are the two most popular approaches to training laymen to support people in distress. Some say there are both pros and cons.(Patrick Hruby / Los Angeles Times) By Laura Newberry and Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, March 28, 2023 A fact of life is that at some point, at many points, we all suffer. Every single one of us knows what it’s like to be completely overwhelmed by a situation, a feeling, the state of our minds or the messiness of our...

By Jason Wu, Illustration: Celia Jacobs for The Washington Post, The Washington Post, March 23, 2023 Unresolved trauma from one generation affects the well-being of future generations. While there are many ways intergenerational trauma is passed down, it is often transmitted through the parent-child relationship . In an ideal relationship, the parent is consistently loving, attentive and responsive to the child’s needs, which helps the child feel safe and secure, knowing the parent is...

By Kira M. Newman, Greater Good Magazine, March 21, 2023 In today’s world, cruelty is hard to ignore. It sometimes feels like everywhere we turn, there are political shouting matches, shootings, and war. And those events are certainly taking place. But at the same time, according to the World Happiness Report 2023 , people around the world are experiencing more kindness, help, and support from others in their daily lives. The crises of the last few years, in other words, have not made us...

By Jason Pohl, Greater Good Magazine, March 10, 2023 When it comes to workplace woes, Christina Maslach has heard it all. The hard-working team that’s celebrated less than the office slackers. The professionals who wind up in a soul-sucking job. The employees required to attend office BBQs but left out of workplace decision making. It’s been 40-plus years since Maslach, a psychology professor emerita at UC Berkeley, first wrote about workplace trauma and burnout. She’s since pioneered a body...

By Kristen Rogers, Image: Screenshot from article, CNN Health, March 1, 2023 When you can’t fit your entire workout into a busy day, do you think there’s no point in doing anything at all? You should rethink that mindset. Just 11 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic activity per day could lower your risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease or premature death, a large new study has found. Aerobic activities include walking, dancing, running, jogging, cycling and swimming. You can...

By Kalpana Jain, Illustration: Anastasiia_New/iStock, Harvard Public Health, February 13, 2023 Doctors aren’t known for prescribing museum visits, dance classes, nature walks, or volunteering. But such social prescriptions are now becoming commonplace in more than two dozen countries. And in the spring of 2023 the first U.S. initiative of its kind will let some New Jersey health providers choose whether to instruct patients to attend free arts and culture events. Social determinants—the...

By Jill Suttie, Greater Good Magazine, February 6, 2023 What makes for a happy life? Philosophers have pondered this question for millennia, coming up with different theories and recommendations for people to follow, but not necessarily having any hard evidence to prove their ideas. That’s what inspired the long-running Harvard Study of Adult Development . Starting in the 1930s, researchers tracked men from different neighborhoods in the Boston area over several decades, asking them to...

By Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Photo: From article, University of California, San Francisco, February 2023 These are unprecedented times. We need to work extra hard to manage our emotions well. Expect to have a lot of mixed feelings. Naturally we feel anxiety, and maybe waves of panic, particularly when seeing new headlines. An article by stress scientist and Vice Chair of Adult Psychology Elissa Epel, PhD, outlines the psychology behind the COVID-19 panic response and how we can try...

By Cat Sandoval, Image: Screenshot from article, Scripps News, February 15, 2023 Some people shake when doing a difficult type of exercise , but at one studio in Madison Wisconsin, they're doing it intentionally. It's called TRE , which means tension and trauma releasing exercises, and looks like shaking yoga. Aubree Saia , a yoga instructor in Madison with over 20 years of experience, has been practicing TRE for three years. She's seen a difference in her life, particularly with her back...

By Catherine Ho, Photo: Justin Sullivan, Staff/Getty Images, San Francisco Chronicle, February 1, 2023 Last week brought a relentless wave of horrific news events: two California mass shootings two days apart, the release of video footage showing Memphis police officers’ violent beating of Tyre Nichols, and the release of a body-cam recording showing an intruder’s attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul in the couple’s San Francisco home. Each incident was disturbing, and in some...

By The Science of Happiness podcast, Greater Good Magazine, January 19, 2023 When did you last take a moment to really look up at the sky? Shifting your gaze upward can help us be more creative, it improves our capacity to focus - and it’s a gateway to awe. Episode summary: Natalie didn’t spend much time finding shapes in the clouds as a small kid. And when she got older, looking up was even worse for her. Natalie spent time in jail, where she spent most of her days indoors under harsh...

By Christina Sáez, Photo: Kirill Balobanov/ Unsplash, MedicalXpress, January 23, 2023 In 2021 alone, it is estimated that one billion children around the world experienced some kind of violence or neglect, ranging from sexual to physical or emotional abuse. Such experiences during childhood represent a significant risk to children's physical and mental health and shorten their life expectancy. In this regard, an international study in which the UOC has participated provides, for the first...

By Miriam Frankel and Matt Warren, Photo: Getty Images, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), January 22, 2023 Y our gut is a bustling and thriving alien colony. They number in their trillions and include thousands of different species. Many of these microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea and eukarya, were here long before humans, have evolved alongside us and now outnumber our own cells many times over. Indeed, as John Cryan, a professor of anatomy and neuroscience at University...

By Sophia A. Nelson, Photo: PeopleImages/iStockphoto/Getty Images, CNN Opinion, January 1, 2023 It’s the start of another year, and we are still working our way through a once-in-a-generation, life-changing pandemic almost three years after it began. We’ve all been affected by Covid-19’s scourge of sickness, hospitalization, death, loneliness, isolation, work dislocation and family disruption. Perhaps, like me, you even got sick with the coronavirus and are living with its long-term effects.

By Jill Filipovic, Photo: Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images, The Guardian, December 29, 2022 Here is a much-needed resolution for many of us in the new year: make new friendships and shore up old ones. Americans are an increasingly lonely bunch, spending more time solo and on our devices than with others. A decade ago, the average American spent about six and a half hours a week with friends. In 2014, time with friends declined, while time alone shot up. By 2019 – before the pandemic –...

By Asher Lehrer-Small, The74, November 28, 2022 It’s been two-and-a-half years since Reid Orlando lost his mother and he continues to feel the sting. His mom, a single parent and ER nurse of three decades, caught the virus while helping patients during the pandemic’s deadly first wave and did not recover. Now, every new milestone reminds Orlando of her absence: Landing his first job out of college, his younger brother graduating from high school, even smaller occasions like cooking homemade...

By Richard Sima, Illustration: George Wylesol/The Washington Post, The Washington Post, November 17, 2022 Here’s an antidote to an ever-stressful, busy and uncertain world. Try finding and savoring little bites of joy in your day. I call them “joy” snacks. By mindfully tuning into the pleasant, nice and sometimes routine experiences of every day, we can transform an otherwise mundane moment into something more meaningful and even joyful. Lunch with a co-worker. Walking the dog. Texting with...

On Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, the Highmark Caring Place will host the Third Annual VIRTUAL Children's Grief Awareness Day. The schedule of the day's presentations and activities is shown below. No registration is required for any of the Children's Grief Awareness Day presentations, either beforehand or on November 17. All the events will be live on the Children's Grief Awareness Day Facebook page and on the Highmark Caring Place YouTube page. New videos will be released throughout the day from...

By Cathy Free, Photo: Gentle Barn, The Washington Post, November 14, 2022 Turkeys have sharp claws, pointy beaks and red saggy bits on their necks. Snuggle might not be the first word that comes to mind when seeing a feathered turkey waddling across a farm. But Barbara Slaine was sitting on the ground at a California farm last year when a turkey named Sun shambled over and climbed into her lap. Slaine, 63, was visiting the Gentle Barn animal sanctuary from New York and had never had an...

By Tori DeAngelis, American Psychological Association, October 1, 2022 At least 204,000 U.S. children and teens have lost parents and other in-home caregivers to COVID -19—more than 1 in every 360 youth, according to COVID Collaborative , an interdisciplinary group of experts that is raising awareness and support for COVID -bereaved children. The growing number of children facing these tragedies highlights the pressing need for clinicians to become versed in helping them cope and ultimately...

By Fuschia Sirois, Greater Good Magazine, November 8, 2022 Procrastination is unfortunately something that most of us are familiar with. We’ve either experienced it firsthand or observed it in others: our students, children, employees, spouses, and more. It’s something they and we almost always want to stop. We would rather feel energized and productive when we make progress on a project or proud when a coworker or family member accomplishes what they set out to do. If procrastination is...

By Jill Suttie, Greater Good Magazine, November 7, 2022 Now and then, I give up my spot in the grocery line to a stranger. Or, if a friend is in the hospital, I’ll surprise them by sending flowers. These random acts of kindness—given without expectation of thanks or reciprocity—feel good in the moment and help connect me to my community. But, if random kindnesses spread so much positivity, why don’t we do them more often? Findings from a recent study conducted by Amit Kumar of the University...

By Jessica J. Lee, Illustration: Ana Yael, The Guardian, October 30, 2022 S ix weeks after my daughter was born, I found myself on the packed dirt path that runs along the River Cam in Grantchester Meadows . It was seven in the morning and cold. Frost lined every blade of grass, and my breath made clouds in front of me. But it was a bright, sunny day. After weeks of settling into motherhood indoors – unceasing night feeds, tears, and exhaustion – a walk in the sun seemed like the best...

Grief and healing are a universal experience that we will undoubtedly face as we journey through our lives. When we suffer a loss, we experience grief and healing in our own personal ways. However, we know that grief and healing are also experienced collectively as a community. In the spirit of collective healing, join PACEs Connection and our special guests for a Collective Trauma, Grief & Healing Conference . This unique and interactive conference will provide the opportunity to learn...

By Gretchen Reynolds, Image: iStock/The Washington Post, The Washington Post, September 28, 2022 Exercising now is good for you. But could it also be good for your future children and grandchildren? A provocative new study says it might be. The findings, based on research in mice, suggest that the exercise we do today etches itself into our cells in ways that can be passed to later generations. In the study, exercise by female mice before and during pregnancy influenced the health of their...

By Victoria Uwumarogie, Illustration: Klaus Vedfelt/Digitalvision, Essence, September 30, 2022 Never underestimate the impact of unaddressed trauma. If you’ve been in unhealthy, even violent relationships in the past, it can negatively impact your ability to be able to see the good in a romantic interest in the present. It can even send you into the arms of the same type of toxic partners. Financial trauma experienced growing up can lead to an intense scarcity mindset in the present and...

By Jennifer De Forest and Karen Vanausdal, Greater Good Magazine, Augsut 22, 2022 In the tumult of shifting to virtual school during the pandemic, one of our children came bouncing out of her room full of energy. This was a noticeable shift from her usual subdued mood after a full day of Zoom school. What was different? Her teacher had left the digital meeting room open for three extra minutes so that students could connect with one another after their lesson. “It was like being at our...

By Kira M Newman, Greater Good Magazine, August 8, 2022 In the space between strangers and friends, there are acquaintances. They represent the gray zone of relationships: Does she want to get to know me better? Would I even enjoy spending more time with them? Without any effort, they can easily slide back into “people we used to know.” Or with a little effort, they could become real friends. Can you know if an acquaintance is worth that effort? Two new studies suggest that when we think...

By Arthur C. Brooks, Illustration: Jan Buchczik, The Atlantic, August 4, 2022 n the midst of financial news that seems to get grimmer by the day, one story of a man trying to escape caught my eye. Andrew Formica, the 51-year-old CEO of a $68 billion investment firm, abruptly quit his job. He did not have another job waiting—or anything else, it seems. When pressed about his plans, he said, “I just want to go sit at the beach and do nothing.” Easy, right? Not for a lot of us, it isn’t.

By Kira M. Newman, Image: Greater Good Science Center, Greater Good Magazine, August 2022 Our monthly Happiness Calendar is a day-by-day guide to well-being. This month, we hope it helps you get creative and connect with your body. To open the clickable calendar, click on the image below. (Please note: If you are having trouble clicking on calendar links with the Chrome browser, try these tips to fix the issue or try a different browser.) [ Please click here to view the post .]

By Jill Suttie, Greater Good Magazine, July 27, 2022 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? Could showing appreciation towards them affect our stress levels...

By Donna St. George, Photo: Damian Dovarganes/AP, The Washington Post, July 6, 2022 The data, collected as the 2021-2022 school year was winding down, also showed that more than 70 percent of schools saw increases in chronic student absenteeism since the onset of the pandemic and about half of schools reported increased acts of disrespect toward teachers and staff. “The survey paints a remarkably coherent picture,” said Kevin Welner, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and...

By Elle Hunt, Image: Getty Images, The Guardian, June 29, 2022 Everyone knows the benefits of exercise: stronger muscles, more energy, weight management, better sleep. A mood boost is often tacked on as a bonus. But there is stronger evidence than ever before that movement not only improves your mental health, but also protects it. Depression is the fourth most serious disease worldwide , yet the psychological benefits of exercise have been overlooked, says Jack Raglin, a professor of...

By Kelly McGonigal, Image: Screenshot from article, The New York Times, May 24, 2022 It’s no secret that exercise, even in small doses, can improve your mood. Researchers even have a name for it: the feel-better effect . And while any physical activity — a walk, a swim, a bit of yoga — can give you an emotional boost, we wanted to create a short workout video specifically designed to make people happy. What would a “joy workout” look like? I’m a psychologist fascinated by the science of...

By Peter T. Coleman, Greater Good Magazine, February 8, 2022 In 2006, I joined a group of about 40 peace experts in a small remote village in Poland called Kazimierz, a historic haven for Jews in a predominantly Catholic region of the world. There Andrea Bartoli, an accomplished peacemaker and devout Catholic who works tirelessly around the world to reduce deadly conflict, made an hour-long presentation arguing that because highly contentious conflicts can become so constricting—in terms of...

FEBRUARY 8-10, 2022 Join us for some or all of this inclusive 3-day online event featuring conversations, meditations, and panel discussions with 40+ experts in healthcare and mindfulness. All summit content will be available to view through February 20. Welcome to the Healing Healthcare Global Mindfulness Summit Our healthcare industry has been delivered to the edges of its capacity by this global pandemic. The successive waves of grief, PTSD, and burnout caused by COVID have yet to be...

By Jill Suttie, Greater Good Magazine, January 18, 2022 Living through the COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on people’s mental health and well-being. Restricted movement, loss, and isolation have led to increases in depression, anxiety disorders, stress, sleep disorders, and more. The effects have been even harsher for teens. How can we help protect our well-being during this particularly difficult time? Though a public health response is definitely called for, one way we might try...

By Katherine Ellison, The Washington Post, August 14, 2021 From June of last year to late this past spring, an average of five children a week were being admitted to the medical school’s teaching hospital at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., after overdosing on medications such as acetaminophen, opiates, antidepressants and even Ritalin. John Diamond and his colleagues had never seen anything like it. “Normally,” he says, “we see five kids a month.” Diamond, director of the...

By Rebecca Ruiz, Mashable, July 11, 2021 The monarch butterfly, known for its distinctive orange color, is now on the verge of extinction. Numbering in the millions in the 1980s, the monarch population has been in steep decline thanks to habitat loss, pesticide use , and climate change . So, in fall 2020, when I spied several monarch caterpillars feasting on a neighbor's milkweed plant, I excitedly pointed them out to my young daughters. We soon noticed the caterpillars inching their way...

How can we create local housing solutions that advance racial and economic equity, mitigate displacement, and ensure affordable and quality housing for all residents? Join us on Monday, August 16, at 11am PT / 2pm ET for Policy Solutions to Advance Housing Justice , an in-depth discussion. In this 75-minute episode, our panelists will focus on the intersection of health and housing, offering equity-focused and people-centered housing solutions. ChangeLab Solutions senior attorney Gregory...

From Immigrant Legal Resource Center, July 30, 2021 This resource, written by Human Impact Partners in collaboration with the ILRC and others as part of the Dignity Not Detention Coalition, outlines recommendations for what healthy, just, and supportive immigration policy can look like for unaccompanied youth immigrating to the US, without relying on detention or detention-like facilities. Rooted in the stories, experiences, and recommendations of young people who arrived in the US as...

By Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, July 14, 2021 America’s largest child welfare system will soon test whether race, ethnicity or neighborhood can influence social workers’ decisions to remove children from their homes. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to support a pilot project that tests “blind removal,” first tried in Nassau County, N.Y. Social workers typically have access to an array of information, including a family’s race, when making the difficult...

Please make a commitment to personal use ONLY! NOW Playbook Transformative Community Capacity to Advance Equity We are excited to share the Vital Village Networks of Opportunity for Child Wellbeing (NOW) Playbook . The NOW Playbook is a resource guide designed to provide tools for local leaders, community coalitions and networks, educators, practitioners, and policymakers working to promote the wellbeing of children and families, advance equity, and align systems of care and education in...

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cordially invites you to join a national audience of mental health professionals, health advocates and educators, health care providers, public health professionals, and OMH partners and stakeholders for an upcoming webinar: Trauma and COVID-19: Addressing Mental Health Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Populations July 29, 2021 | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET As part of the OMH observance of National...

We would like to provide you ongoing support and materials following the Mindfulness for Healthcare Summit . This week, we would like to share Gratitude Practice for Nurses —a joint initiative of the American Nurses Foundation and the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. Decades of scientific research have shown that practicing gratitude is good for our minds, bodies, and relationships. Gratitude Practice for Nurses is a free initiative designed to provide...

By Michael Burke, EdSource, July 15, 2021 During a visit to Los Angeles on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona encouraged schools in California and elsewhere to help students heal after a school year that many spent in isolation. Cardona also stressed the importance of in-person learning this fall at both K-12 schools and community colleges so students don’t suffer any further academic or social losses . Almost all of California’s school districts are planning to reopen for...