How Forgiveness Changes You and Your Brain
What does forgiveness look like in the brain? As a neuroscientist, I am always looking for the biological underpinnings of mental processes—not as an effort to distill mystery into molecules, but to understand rich and complex psychological experiences as combinations of simpler building blocks. Breaking things down in this way can shed light on how […]
How Research Cuts Are Hurting the Science of a…
Recently, Toni Antonucci, a senior researcher at the University of Michigan, received a $13 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). For decades, she and her colleagues had been running the National Study of American Life, studying the social determinants of health in preventing and treating Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in Black […]
7 Reasons Adult Children Stay Connected to Toxic Parents
Parent-child relationships are often portrayed as inherently loving, but this isn’t true for many adult children. Instead, they endure ongoing emotional harm or mistreatment from their parents that undermines their self-worth. If you find yourself in this situation, you might question why you remain in contact with parents who consistently belittle you, manipulate you, ignore […]
Four Ways Making Art Can Help New Moms
Maternal well-being is an important public health issue. A 2022 report by the World Health Organization explains that one in five women experience Mental health challenges during pregnancy and one year after the birth of a baby. There are many government policies, workplace benefits, and other supports that could help mothers during this transition—but a […]
“Profound Autism” Consensus Definition Debuts at INSAR
It’s been more than three years since the Lancet Commission proposed the new term “profound autism” to describe the subset of the autism spectrum most disabled by the disorder. This label has been widely embraced by a range of stakeholders, including researchers, clinicians, policy makers, autistic people, and parents. A quick search for “profound autism” […]
Coming Soon: 14+ Life-Changing Tools for the Price of One
Every January for the past few years, I’ve run a big bundle sale offering a collection of online tools to help you heal, grow, and reconnect with peace, joy, and meaning. But this year, it didn’t happen when I planned. Life happened instead. Between health issues, tests and treatments, and a loved one’s diagnosis, I […]
The Mental Health Benefits of Free Speech
Sarah Ross / CC BY-NC 2.0 What is free speech? The First Amendment of the United States Constitution says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, […]
Discovering I Lived in Fear, Thinking It Was Love
“Fear is the opposite of love. Love is the absence of fear. Whatever you do out of fear will create more fear. Whatever you do out of love will create more love.” ~Osho I did not realize I was driven by fear for most of my life. I thought I was making choices from love […]
Beyond Genetics: A New Equation for Understanding Psychiatry
When it comes to Mental health, we’ve all heard the phrase: “It runs in the family.” And it’s true—psychiatric conditions like autism and schizophrenia have a clear genetic component. But if genes were the whole story, identical twins (who share 100% of their DNA) would always share the same fate. In reality, if one identical […]
Who Are Boys’ Role Models Today?
Andrew Tate—online content creator, podcaster, former kickboxer, and subject of ongoing human trafficking investigations—has gained widespread influence with millions of men and boys. Tate promotes financial independence, being “mentally and physically strong,” and being successful with women, interspersed with (sometimes violent) misogyny. For my Ph.D. research, I worked with 30 boys and young men aged […]