Mental Health

Find your center, master stress, and conquer burnout with the latest science.

Latest in Mental Health

Two white children play on a roundabout in a vintage photograph.

The first playgrounds were for adults, not kids

By Andrew Coletti

Close up of magic mushrooms in the palm of someone's hand

Magic mushrooms make mean fish lazier and more chill

An atmospheric photograph shows a silhouette of a person interacting with a dramatic play of light and shadow. The person’s face and hands are partially illuminated by a bright, warm light source that cuts through a hazy, purple-tinted atmosphere filled with smoke or mist. The composition is abstract and moody, emphasizing the sensory and ethereal nature of light and color.

Color doesn’t exist—at least not how you think

By Jennifer Byrne

Screenshot of cat sitting in front of YouTube home page next to timer countdown

A chunky digital cat is here to help you stop doomscrolling

Black and white photo of person standing in sheet ghost costume in backyard

That ghostly presence may just be bad plumbing

Text message chat speech bubbles covering the face of woman with eyeglasses

Stop asking AI for life advice

A conceptual graphic featuring a young child with an afro standing alone against a textured purple and orange gradient background. A large, empty white thought bubble floats significantly above their head.

Not everyone has an internal monologue

By Jennifer Byrne

A close-up photograph of a young child with blonde hair smiling broadly, revealing several missing front baby teeth. The child is playfully covering their eyes with both hands, with a plain grey wall in the background.

Why do we even have baby teeth?

By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Female young behind book with face covered for a red book while smiling

How to rebuild your reading habits

African striped mouse and pups

Biologists discover gene that may determine ‘good’ and ‘bad’ dads

A stylized digital collage featuring chess pieces, including a red king, set against a target-like background of concentric circles and a red-and-white checkered pattern.

Chess or video games—which actually makes you smarter? The answer may surprise you.

By Clarissa Brincat

Hand holding TV remote in front of out of focus TV screen

A little TV after a long day is good for your brain

Swearing and smiling emojis side by side on blue background

Go ahead and swear—it’s good for your health

Young sad girl sitting alone at home on sofa listening to sad music on wireless headphones crying and wiping her nose with a paper tissue.

Pop music has gotten sadder over the last 50 years

close up of white lab rat inside cage

If offered, rats will use cannabis to deal with stress

A dramatic, low-light photo of a person with dark skin against a blue background, experiencing intense distress or pain. They are clenching their jaw and holding their hands to the sides of their head, with blurred motion around their head suggesting movement, panic, or disorientation.

What happens to your body during a panic attack?

A white woman with brown hair wearing a grey sweater and yellow coat holds of a pine branch to her nose and smells. She seems to be walking down a sidewalk. There's an out of focus wire fence behind her and what looks like a street to her left. She looks happy and content as she smells the pine branch. There are more out of focus pine trees and branches behind her.

Why smelling a pine tree can instantly lift your mood

By Jennifer Byrne

Man with his head down on his desk in front of laptop from stress

The 100 life decisions people dread most, according to psychologists

Playful young woman hiding face under blanket while lying in cozy bed, pretty curious girl feeling shy peeking from duvet, covering with white sheet, head shot close up. Top view

4 research-backed ways to beat the winter blues in the colder months

By Gio Dolcecore / The Conversation

A vintage photo collage featuring an oval cut-out image of seven people—three men and four women, who appear to be young college students—dressed in 1920s-era clothing. They are standing close together and looking at the camera. The background is a texture of yellowed, old newsprint with blurred text about a sleep experiment.

In 1925, seven students went 60 hours without sleep—for science

By Bill Gourgey