Seven Simple Health Habits
Lester Breslow, popularly referred to as "Mr. Public Health", is the outspoken visionary whose research played a significant role in asserting that simple lifestyle changes could drastically improve overall health. His landmark studies in Alameda county following the health habits of 7,000 people for 35 years resulted in the 'Seven Secrets': a list of daily health habits that proved strong indicat... posted on Apr 26 2007, 7,185 reads

World's First PhD Program In Happiness
A leading expert on well-being is establishing what he calls the world's first Ph.D program (in Claremont, California) focusing on positive psychology and the analysis of happiness. "Even though the things that make people happy seem ephemeral and immaterial, they are the most important things in life, and they have not been studied very seriously," says Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, highly acclaimed a... posted on Apr 22 2007, 6,646 reads

The Healthy Art of Forgiving
Holding grudges may be part of human nature, but recent studies show that it works to the detriment not just of spiritual well-being but of our physical health as well. Bitterness, anger, hostility, and fear are emotions that have specific physiologic consequences—such as increased blood pressure and hormonal changes—linked to cardiovascular disease, immune suppression and impaired neurologica... posted on Apr 20 2007, 3,570 reads

Ethical Wills: Legacies of Wisdom
When he dies, Abraham Leibson wants to leave his heirs three things: a love of learning, the flexibility to change, and the courage to face their fears. And while such abstract concepts cannot be bequeathed as tangibly as a pocket watch or a stock portfolio, ideals and values are part of one's legacy, nonetheless -- and they can be passed from one generation to another. So Leibson, who is 69 and i... posted on Apr 09 2007, 3,785 reads

Are We Hard-Wired For Faith?
Most people would agree that the experience of faith is immeasurable. Dr. Andrew Newberg, neuroscientist and author of "Why We Believe What We Believe," begs to differ. He's working on ways to track how the human brain processes religion and spirituality, all part of new field called neurotheology. Newberg took brain-scanning technology and turned it toward the spiritual: Franciscan nuns, Tibetan... posted on Apr 08 2007, 2,180 reads

Mindfulness Practices For Patients
In 1979, a biologist at the University of Massachusetts named Jon Kabat-Zinn had an idea. He had a hunch that pared-down meditation techniques could help patients at the university's medical center deal with pain. The idea of mind-body health wasn't well explored at the time, so Kabat-Zinn approached physicians and pain specialists at the university, asking them to refer their patients to his new ... posted on Mar 31 2007, 2,753 reads

Habits For A Fit Brain
The best brain workout has two daily components: learning and aerobics. Scientists have long known about the first part. "The brain is like a computer, a learning machine that comes with hardware," says Dr. Gary Kennedy, director of the division of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. "Education and cognitive stimulation upgrades the software." Education seems to be the m... posted on Mar 28 2007, 3,708 reads

Why We Laugh
Laughter, a topic that has baffled philosophers for 2,000 years, is finally yielding to science. Researchers have now traced the evolution of laughter back to an unexpected discovery: laughter has little to do with humor. It’s an instinctual survival tool for social animals, not an intellectual response to wit. In other words, it’s not about getting the joke; it’s about getting along. Resear... posted on Mar 15 2007, 5,118 reads

21-Day No Complaints Challenge
How long can you go without complaining? A few months ago, the pastor of a Kansas City church told people in his congregation he wanted them to test their limits. "The one thing we can agree on," said Rev. Will Bowen, "is there's too much complaining." And so he asked the group to give up complaining, criticizing, gossiping or using sarcasm for 21 days. People who joined in were issued purple brac... posted on Mar 08 2007, 17,508 reads

The Science of Sleep and Learning
When practicing a musical piece, a gymnastics move, or any other activity that depends on effortless, virtually automatic execution, here's some memory-enhancing advice: If you snooze, you cruise. That, at least, is the implication of two studies in which people who practiced certain tasks performed them better on ensuing trials if they were first allowed to get some sleep. Moreover, one investiga... posted on Feb 28 2007, 2,773 reads