News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
Many people have experienced chronic stress since the pandemic lockdowns. Added to this are the climate crisis, the increasing cost of living and most recently threats to European and global security due to the conflict in Ukraine. To some, it may seem that there is never any good news anymore. This is of course … Read more
After throwing 129 volunteers into the stressful situation of a sudden group math test, researchers found that people using a huggable ‘breathing’ cushion were more relaxed in the lead up to the questions than those without one. “We were excited to find that holding the breathing cushion, without any guidance, produced a similar effect … Read more
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. “Polina came to our bedroom awakened by the sound of explosions. I didn’t know and still don’t know what to tell her. Her eyes today are full of fear and terror; eyes of all of us.” Alina, a … Read more
Prototype pillow contains an inflatable chamber that connects to an external pump and motor, enabling it to expand and deflate like human lungs Health 9 March 2022 By Carissa Wong A huggable pillow that mimics breathing has reduced anxiety as effectively as guided meditation for people who were about to take a mathematics test. Interactive … Read more
By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu, Layal Liverpool, Carissa Wong, Alex Wilkins and Alexandra Thompson A woman waters plants in her house Samuel de Roman/Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 3 March Pandemic linked to increase in depression and … Read more
How our brains interpret signals from within the body has a surprisingly big influence on the mind, an insight that is leading to new ways to tackle conditions like depression, anxiety and eating disorders Health 2 February 2022 By Caroline Williams Brett Ryder LYING in the dark, my senses are straining for inputs and finding … Read more
People who get weird sensations in their head and neck when they watch soothing videos are more likely to be anxious – but the tingles may give some relief Health 2 February 2022 By Clare Wilson ASMR videos often involve whispering softly into a microphone Matthias Balk/dpa/Alamy Live News People who experience weird tingles in … Read more
As a record-breaking heat wave roasted the Pacific Northwest last summer, anxiety rose with the temperatures. Surveys of residents in British Columbia—where the heat in some places soared above 120 degrees Fahrenheit—suggest the disaster caused a spike in negative mental health related to climate change. The results of the surveys, recently published in The Journal of Climate Change … Read more
Credit: Scientific American Space & Physics, February/March 2022 Advertisement On this past Christmas Day, NASA scientists and engineers cheered and breathed a cautious sigh of relief for the first time in, likely, years. The James Webb Space Telescope launch had gone off successfully, after years of delay, budget overages and technical challenges. In the ensuing … Read more
Whether you’re new to the gym or returning after a long break, it can be an intimidating place. There’s even a term to describe the feeling of nervousness or anxiety that many people feel when they think about going: “gymtimidation”. One survey found as many as half of Americans experienced “gymtimidation”, while another UK … Read more