Category Archives: research
Addictive Social Media Behavior
Plenty of research has demonstrated that the addictive quality of social media is very real. And according to a new study, heavy social media use may also contribute to a different type of addiction. Psychologists at the University of Albany … Continue reading
Meditation can change your brain in 8 weeks
Participants in the study spent close to a half-hour every day meditating or practicing some other mindfulness exercise (notable because most people associate meditation with sitting and thinking quietly, and that’s not the only type of exercise done in the … Continue reading
Strong placebo response thwarts painkiller trials
Interesting article, placebo’s as effective as meds. Drug companies have a problem: they are finding it ever harder to get painkillers through clinical trials. But this isn’t necessarily because the drugs are getting worse. An extensive analysis of trial data1 … Continue reading
MSU study finds surprises about drug use
Conducting an economic analysis of drug use is a particularly difficult endeavor, but for Michigan State University professor and economist Siddharth Chandra, it just meant taking a look at the history books. “You can’t simply go to Wal-Mart and look … Continue reading
Heavy marijuana use may harm the brain
New NIDA-funded research shows that heavy marijuana use (at least four times per week over the past six months) is linked to adverse changes in the function and structure of brain areas associated with reward, decision making, and motivation. Heavy … Continue reading
Research Identifies How Stress Triggers Drug Relapse
Recent research from Brown University could pave the way for new methods of treatment for those recovering from addiction. Researchers identified an exact brain region in rats where the neural steps leading to drug relapse take place, allowing them to block a … Continue reading
Meditation and Pain management
According to a new study, mindfulness meditation exhibited even stronger physical pain reductions than morphine, says the study’s lead investigator Open any magazine and you’ll find that mindfulness has gone mainstream. You’ll also notice there are studies that purport to … Continue reading
