In recent years the rate of young women committing suicide has climbed and reached a 40 year high as of 2015. And as of 2008 psychology today stated that the average teenager has as much anxiety today as a mental patient…
Cannabis has now been proven to treat a rare and severe form of epilepsy
Marijuana remains one of the most controversial plants on Earth. Is it a miracle cure-all for society’s ills or the gateway drug to the root of all evil? Proponents of both sides have debated just how quantifiable marijuana’s effects can…
Generosity is the key to happiness
BY BROOKLYN PINHEIRO You don’t have to quit your job and volunteer indefinitely to benefit from the power of being generous. A new study concluded that, in accordance to the popular notion, being a giving person does in fact make…
Scientists used a snail to prove they can successfully erase memories from the brain
Humans are fallible. We’ve all goofed up over the years in ways large and small. Who could forget, for instance, accidentally calling your teacher “Mom?” Or maybe you accidentally let slip that you know a little too much about the…
America’s dirty history of lunatic asylums and their forgotten patients
BY: SYDNEY KEEFE Featured Illustration by Xulin Wang The history of mental institutions in the world is a relatively short one. The modern institution began in the 18th century. They began as lunatic asylums and eventually morphed into psychiatry hospitals.…
My training as a sexological bodyworker brought me home to my body
BY: CAITLIN ROBERTS Featured photo by Adrianne Pennings “How would you like to be touched?” I take a fulfilling breath and exhale loudly. “Mmmmmm. I’d like you to lightly trace your finger tips all over my entire body. Very slowly. You…
Study finds that fathers treat daughters and sons very differently – even as toddlers
BY: NADIA ZAIDI It’s true that parental sensitivities must be tailored to each child – and apparently each gender, too. According to a new study published in the American Psychological Association’s journal Behavioral Neuroscience, fathers are more likely to cater to…
How music alters your body chemistry
It’s a scene that’s played out at a thousand elementary school science fairs: the experiment of exposing plants to different music. Somehow, the plant that receives a steady stream of Beethoven flourishes, while the plant exposed to the melodious strains…
Wine may prevent Alzheimer’s disease
It comes in many forms – red, white, sweet, sour, aged, fresh. Who doesn’t like to recline with a glass of wine after a hard day? Humans have been brewing and drinking alcohol for thousands of years, and you don’t…
Study indicates that hungry grocery shoppers could make better choices if they knew where to look
BY: NADIA ZAIDI We’re all guilty of grocery shopping while we’re hungry. And what usually happens? Well, let’s just say we end up spending more than we wanted, and eating more, too. Somehow when you’re hungry, everything at the grocery…
Mental health and children: why we need to teach kids about mental health
Talking to children can be challenging especially if it involves serious matters of an adult nature. Mental health is one of those matters, but like sex education, it is a subject matter that needs to be properly communicated to young…
Mental illness: 5 ways it also affects your loved ones
One in every four people will suffer from mental illness at some point in their lives. Mental illness doesn’t just involve those affected but also those close to them: their family and friends. Let’s take a look at how mental…
What is a personality disorder? The 10 types
You may have heard of the term “personality disorder” before, as it’s been prevalent in pop culture, whether it’s our favourite fictional characters or influential people in the media. According to a survey by the National Institute of Mental Health,…
If you’re a liar you probably have higher self-esteem and more friends
BY: PHILIPPE DE JOCAS In Carlo Collodi’s classic children’s book Pinocchio, the eponymous puppet finds himself caught in an awkward predicament: trying to explain to the Blue Fairy how he got captured while simultaneously trying to absolve himself of guilt.…
Selfie pictures: this is what your selfies say about you
BY: PHILIPPE DE JOCAS In the spring of 2012, a strange new trend slowly began to creep into the fabric of our society. Like some sort of infectious virus, gradually gaining more and more steam, this odd behavioural pattern soon…
Anti bullying program uses psychology and science as bullying prevention method
BY: PHILIPPE DE JOCAS Who hasn’t had an experience with a bully in their lives? No matter where you come from, you’ve probably been teased, taunted, sometimes even terrorized by someone who’s taken a dislike to you. Maybe you have…
This is what your music taste says about your personality, according to research
BY: QUENTIN STUCKEY If there is one thing the population of the Earth can agree on (because at this moment in time, we can’t seem to agree on anything) it’s the love and appreciation for music. If we stop and…
Six scientifically proven ways to increase your happiness
BY: QUENTIN STUCKEY We can all understand what happiness is, or at least what it is supposed to feel like. It’s that joyful feeling when you land your dream job, when you take that first photo of a place you’ve…
This Scientific Discovery Will Change The Way You See the World
I lied. It won’t. But it will make you think about how easily you can be taken in by a title. 2016 brought a lot of media reporting practices to the table for evaluation. Most alarming was the sudden and jarring…
This is what life looks like through the eyes of an optimist vs. a pessimist
BY: ROBERT AMOROSO “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” Harry S. Truman The life of an average person is unique and different; it is full of…