Spending evenings in front of a glowing computer, TV, or cellphone screen can put you at risk of depression, Science News reports. Nighttime exposure to light from gadgets has already been shown to contribute to insomnia, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. Now, a new study shows that screen glow can cause mood-related changes in the brain. For weeks, researchers exposed hamsters […]
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A study in JAMA Psychiatry found that women using hormonal birth control had an increased risk of receiving treatment for depression. Those on progestin-only pills or IUD’s were 34% more likely, respectively, to begin using antidepressants than women not on birth control.
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Major depression is not only psychologically crippling but can also age a person’s body on a cellular level. That’s the conclusion of a new study that examined blood samples from more than 2,400 people with and without depression. Researchers at the Free University of Amsterdam measured the length of telomeres, the small caps at the ends of chromosomes that protect […]
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Too much alone time can kill you. A study conducted by Brigham Young University found that isolation and loneliness are as bad for a person’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or being an alcoholic. Researchers examined data from 35 years’ worth of studies on loneliness, and after accounting for participants’ socioeconomic status, age, gender, and pre-existing health conditions, […]
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“Fundamentally, we’re about eliminating lonliness and boredom… That’s what entertainment does. – Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO
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“When women are depressed, they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country.” – Elayne Boosler
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Researchers did a survey of about 170,000 teens and found out that 6% of the boys and 17% of the girls suffered some episodes of teen depression. The number has risen from 4% of boys and 13% of girls since the year of 2005. It’s not clear why it affects girls more than boys. Teens who spend a lot of […]
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