Research
Short summaries of recent research studying mental health to keep you informed and updated.
Does practicing mindfulness help manage stressful situations?
- Vvidhi Agrawwal
Practicing mindfulness is commonly referred to as a wholesome solution to stress reduction. A study by Saltsman et al. in 2020 investigated its effectiveness during active stressors. The researchers measured cardiovascular responses of 1001 participants as they performed stressful tasks such as giving speeches on various topics and completing tests of reasoning abilities. They were also asked to complete a Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire which measured the extent to which participants practice mindfulness in their lifestyle, along with a retrospective self-evaluating questionnaire pertaining to the stressful task and their performance on it. The findings suggest that higher mindfulness did not have an impact on the amount of blood pumped (cardiac output) or net arterial constriction versus dilations (total peripheral resistance), during the stressful task. However, participants reporting higher mindfulness also reported a greater positive experience of the task. This suggests that mindfulness might play a role in altering the perception of past stressors rather than reducing stress during the situation.
Saltsman, T. L., Seery, M. D., Ward, D. E., Radsvick, T. M., Panlilio, Z. A., Lamarche, V. M., & Kondrak, C. L. (2020). Facing the Facets: No Association Between Dispositional Mindfulness Facets and Positive Momentary Stress Responses During Active Stressors. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 0146167220956898.
Do Green Spaces have an effect on Mental health?
- Girija Dempo
This study by Vanaken and Danckaerts (2018) investigates the impact of green space exposure on children and adolescents' mental health. Several observational field experiments were conducted to positively measure green spaces' probability, offering beneficial correlations between behavioural and emotional manifestations among these age groups. This study also reveals limited evidence on how such areas can help reduce depressive symptoms in adolescents and young adults, in addition to problems associated with inattention and hyperactivity in children.
A need for adjustments in independent links between socio-economic and demographic factors have also been highlighted in this research.
Vanaken, G. J., & Danckaerts, M. (2018). Impact of Green Space Exposure on Children’s and Adolescent’s Mental Health: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(12), 2668. doi:10.3390/ijerph15122668
Can your brain unconsciously predict a breakup ?
- Annika Dhawan
A study conducted at the university of Texas at Austin, analysed over a million posts on Reddit posted by over 6000 users one year before and one year after they shared news about their breakups in the r/BreakUps subreddit. The researchers found that their vocabulary started to change three months before the breakup and did not return to normal until around six months after that. This was attributed to the change in their use of prepositions, articles or pronouns that was directly related to their cognitive processing. For instance these individuals used words like “I” and “we” a lot more often, which showed that they were carrying a heavy cognitive load. This study revealed that everyday conversations can be holding evidence of an impending breakup, even before ether partners are aware of their feelings towards the relationship.
Sarah Seraj, Kate G. Blackburn, James W. Pennebaker. Language left behind on social media exposes the emotional and cognitive costs of a romantic breakup. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2021; 118 (7): e2017154118 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2017154118