An interesting new study from Brown University dispels any myth that positive outcomes from mindfulness-based meditation come exclusively from the practice because the more active ingredient seems to be the social factor of the instructor and the group. It’s one of the first studies to look at the role of relationships in meditation programs, and the person-to-person factors led to a more positive impact on…
A new study from the University of Graz (Austria) found a direct link between everyday physical activity (simple walking or moderate exercise) and greater creativity and inventiveness. The researchers found that active people came up with significantly more—and more innovative—ideas during tests (whether conceiving of new usages for an umbrella or finishing partial drawings) than sedentary people. ACCESS STUDY
Exercise is just as effective as mindfulness at reducing people’s stress and anxiety, a Cambridge study found. The scientists reviewed 136 randomized control trials with 11,000 adult participants from 29 countries. In most cases, mindfulness did positively impact anxiety, stress and depression, but there was no evidence it works better than exercise. ACCESS STUDY
An important new study from global researchers, relying on movement tracking data from tens of thousands of people worldwide, found that people that were the most sedentary were significantly more likely to die young. The good news: It doesn’t take a whole lot of movement to counteract that threat. Just 11 minutes of brisk walking or other mild exercise each day (even for the group…
A new study from the University of Limerick-Ireland found that a basic, twice-weekly program of lunges, lifts, squats and crunches (sometimes using equipment like dumbbells) led to 20% better scores on tests for anxiety. The researchers noted that the effect was larger than expected, and with so much anxiety in the world, resistance training looks to be a promising stress-management tool. ACCESS STUDY
A new study from Swedish researchers found that people with depression and other mental health issues slept much better through the night when using a weighted blanket. At the end of the experiment, 42% of those that slept with an 18-pound blanket scored so low on the Insomnia Severity Index to be considered in remission from their sleep troubles, compared with 3.6% of the control…
