Mind & Mood Archive

Happiness helps to lower blood pressure and stress, improve the immune system, and motivate people to be more active. Research suggests that, on average, genetics determines 50% of a person's general happiness level. However, a person's happiness is at least somewhat under their control, which suggests that even people who are not naturally happy have the power to increase their happiness. They can do this by practicing regular acts of happiness—activities linked with better mood and increasing optimism.

Toxic productivity is an obsessive preoccupation with being productive at all costs. It's not a diagnosable health condition, but can take a toll on people's mental well-being, leading to insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Toxic productivity is marked by a false sense of urgency, an inability to relax, and guilt or shame over not accomplishing "enough." People coping with toxic productivity can combat the impulse by doing deep breathing, journaling, and examining their relationship to downtime.

A study of more than 121,000 people without dementia (ages 40 to 70) found that those who ate the most flavonoid-rich foods—six servings per day—had a 28% lower risk of developing dementia over the following nine years, compared to those who ate the least.

Men can encounter episodes of depression and anxiety as they age. Such feelings often stem from life experiences like grief, financial anxiety, health issues, and the loss of independence. While confiding in friends and family can sometimes help, men may benefit more from therapy. A professional therapist can help identify the causes of their emotional problems and create a strategy to resolve them.

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) involves 12 months or longer of debilitating grief. An estimated 7% to 10% of bereaved people experience PGD. Signs include feeling as though part of you has died, marked sense of disbelief about the death, denial or immense difficulty accepting the loss, extreme loneliness, and feeling that life is meaningless. People who are more vulnerable to PGD include women in general as well as people who lost a loved one in a traumatic or unexpected way, lost a child, or have coped with anxiety or depression. Treating PGD may involve a blend of therapies.

In a 2024 study of 900 dementia-free older adults, those who developed mild cognitive impairment had lower levels of life purpose and personal growth years before a diagnosis, compared with those whose thinking skills remained sharp.