We live in the society of immediacy. If we have doubts, Google answers us; if we want to learn something, YouTube teaches us; and if we need something, Amazon sends it to us within hours. All this means that both the level of demand and personal abilities have had to adapt to very short times, increasing our level of […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Burnout Syndrome: The Next Pandemic?
Daydreaming’s dark side: the compulsive, complex fantasy disorder that dominates some people’s daily lives
Despite what we’re often taught to believe, daydreaming can be immensely useful. Not only can it be a source of pleasure and a way to relieve boredom, research shows that our ability to mentally escape the present can also boost creativity, problem-solving and planning, and provide an antidote to loneliness. Daydreaming, when defined as thoughts that aren’t […] … learn more→
Perfectionist teens reported more depression and stress during COVID-19
Perfectionists are sometimes thought of as superheroes: people who are high achievers and seem to always have it all together. Perfectionism is different from simply trying to do a good job or even seeking excellence. Rather, perfectionism refers to rigidly requiring nothing short of absolute perfection and being highly self-critical. Our recent study, published in the journal Child Development, […] … learn more→
Why it’s wrong to blame online learning for causing mental health issues during COVID-19
Post-secondary student mental health is in crisis: Research shows students’ mental health was adversely affected in the pandemic, and this falls on the heels of pre-existing concerns that campuses were struggling to keep up with demands for mental health services. Over the last two-and-a-half years, many people — including educators, academics, education administrators, politicians and […] … learn more→
Can hair loss have a negative impact on self-esteem in women and men?
We all have bad hair days, but they have a much more significant effect on us than we’d like to believe – they can affect our mood, behavior, decisions, and even our perception of beauty. So, what happens when bad hair days become more and more common until they become a daily occurrence? That is […] … learn more→
What children understand about death – and how to tell them about it
Mom, what happens after death? Few parents have never had to deal with this kind of question. However, it remains very difficult to assess what is the best response to it. Should you openly talk about your own convictions – whether you are a believer, agnostic, or atheist? And is there any harm in prettifying things? Recent research in developmental […] … learn more→
Socio-emotional education at school and the challenge of improving children’s mental health
13% of children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 have a diagnosed mental disorder, according to the UNICEF report on the state of the world’s children . This report also points out that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. In Spain, anxiety, depression , suicidal ideation, self-harm, eating […] … learn more→
The quality of sleep decreases with age: why, and how to improve it?
We humans are active during the day and rest at night. Our good physical and mental functioning is very dependent on this alternation of periods of daytime activity and nighttime recovery. However, although essential to our health, this sleep/wake rhythm is not immutable: as we age, sleep, like any other physiological function, changes . How ? How to ensure […] … learn more→
Is the pandemic over? We asked an economist, an education expert and a public health scholar their views
President Joe Biden’s declaration that “the pandemic is over” raised eyebrows and the hackles of some experts who think such messaging could be premature and counterproductive. But to many Americans who have long since returned to pre-COVID 19 activities and are now being forced back into the office, the remark may ring true. The problem is that what […] … learn more→
Memory problems during the pandemic? It’s just your brain trying to distinguish one day from the next
Without a doubt, we are living through a historically significant period. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the global economy, imposed extreme strain on health-care systems and precipitated a sudden and dramatic change in our daily lives. Intuitively, it seems logical that the magnitude of disruption caused by the pandemic should generate many memorable moments of […] … learn more→
