Some claim breathwork can improve mental health, help process trauma, and more

Yoga is believed to improve mental health, but studies are not definitive

Many think that yoga's combination of stretching, focused breathing, and contemplation help treat depression and anxiety, but the data has often relied on small, homogenous sample sizes.

Just a 10-minute mental health break can yield benefits

The US CDC offers recommendations for alleviating stress in daily life. Short 10-minute breaks can significantly improve mental health, especially when used for activities like deep breathing, dancing, or writing down things you are grateful for. Building meaningful relationships, termed "social connectedness," can also alleviate stress and promote resilience.

Exercise improves brain blood flow, stimulates neural growth, and more

Exercise has dramatic effects on human biology, including reducing some of the long-term harms associated with chronic stress. Its effects are also pronounced in the brain, including improved memory retention, sleep, cognitive functioning, and more.

Can brain scans help with processing trauma?

MRIs and brain monitoring therapies are becoming increasingly popular for those looking to process trauma and address mental health conditions, including PTSD and depression. This article details how these therapies quantify mental health, giving users another way to measure and manage their mental and emotional needs through brain mapping and other methods.

Yoga has become a popular tool for veterans dealing with PTSD

As the practice has become more popular in the West, it’s been incorporated into the Department of Veterans Affairs’ treatment plans for post-traumatic stress disorder. Veteran instructors say that although yoga and the military might seem like odd fits, they share many commonalities, including a rigorous approach. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Explore a series of bedtime exercises to improve sleep

Low-impact, mindful movements can potentially help the body and mind relax before sleeping. Such exercises could be a helpful complement to regular exercise during the day.

Self-care can't fix burnout on its own

Steps such as exercise, breathing, mindful eating, and spending time with friends, can help alleviate the fight-or-flight mode response of the body to alleviate stress, but they don't fix the stressors causing the burnout. To address those, workplaces may need to consider how to better manage workloads and duties.

Touch deprivation can heighten anxiety and depression

Pacinian Corpuscles are pressure receptors just under the skin that send signals to the vagus nerve in the brain—that's the cranial nerve which regulates involuntary actions like breathing, heart rate, and the general "fight or flight" response. Activating those receptors can slow the heart, decrease blood pressure, and lead to the release of oxytocin and cortisol. The absence of touch, conversely, can promote negative feelings.

The benefits of lucid dreaming

Lucid dreams happen when the dreamer knows they've stepped out of the bounds of waking life. Studies show it can help dreamers cultivate creativity, process grief, and work through trauma. A 2021 study found that 85% of participants with PTSD no longer qualified for the diagnosis after a week of trauma-informed lucid dreaming in which they intentionally witnessed (and therefore integrated) recurring nightmares or changed the outcome completely.

Stress can be contagious—and scientists want to learn more about it

Researchers have shown that being around someone who is stressed can trigger a stress response in your body, such as elevated cortisol levels and elevated heart rate. One way this was recently studied was by having people watch stressful activities, like a recorded job interview or solving challenging math problems, and then sampling hormones in observers' spit.

Journaling can improve mental wellbeing and promote positive interactions

Described as having therapy with someone who knows you well, documenting one's thoughts and feelings aids in information processing and can reveal personal issues. Methods include bullet journaling and gratitude, which a 2024 study linked to a longer lifespan.

Could this pseudo-psychedelic VR experience decrease symptoms of depression?

Researchers report that virtual reality and psychedelics may be leave users with similar insights and therapeutic benefits. Try out this free psychedelic virtual reality experience to see if this holds true for you. According to the program’s creators, a study into the efficacy of this 45-minute experience indicates it may help alleviate symptoms of mild to moderate depression.

Forcing a smile can actually make you feel slightly better

Activating your smile muscles—in this case, with electrical muscle stimulation that forces the corners of the mouth upward—makes people feel more positive, according to recent research. It won't cure depression, but it can have a small effect. Earlier faux smile research using different nonelectrical techniques had similar results, collectively suggesting that a smile may help brighten your day—even though the mechanisms for the happier result remain unclear.

Can the gut microbiome influence personality?

New research suggests the bacteria in our gut—through the hormones and molecules they produce—can contribute to conditions ranging from depression to anxiety, and much more. The findings suggest diets have a direct impact on mental health and may lead to new therapies.

Inhalers dilate airways and reduce inflammation

People with asthma suffer from constricted airways in their lungs, whether from muscle pressure, mucus buildup, or inflammation. Inhalers help people breathe medicine directly into their lungs to immediately relieve these symptoms.

Menopause can exacerbate anxiety

Some research shows that menopause can fuel anxiety and also that pre-existing anxiety can boost the chances of experiencing other menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, insomnia, and brain fog. But treatments including hormone replacement therapy, breathing exercises, and other forms of exercise can alleviate some of these symptoms.

On the benefits of 'fart walks'

Walking has proven benefits for flatulence by kickstarting the process of peristalsis in the bowels and facilitating easier farts and burps. The timely exercise is also correlated with weight loss (as well as potentially reduced opportunities for social embarrassment).

Unlike milder fears, phobias may get in the way of proceeding with your life

Clinicians may recommend exposure therapy—exposing oneself to the thing triggering fears in some doses—as one way to help overcome a fear.

How humans breathe without thinking about it

We breathe without thinking about it thanks to the body’s respiratory system and autonomic nervous system, which controls vital functions. Breathing transports oxygen to the body’s cells to keep them working and clears the body of carbon...

How art helps us process our feelings

The internet is chock full of hacks and apps that supposedly help you optimize yourself into a more productive person. But Aparna Chivukula argues that spending so much mental energy on "wellness" misses a larger philosophical issue, one that can only be explored through art.

Study shows singing to babies improves their well-being

In a study of 110 parents and their babies across a span of four months, singing boosted infant mood and reduced fussiness. Follow-up studies are aimed at exploring whether singing can alleviate caregiver stress and postpartum depression.

Sleep apnea explained

While sleep apnea is directly tied to an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic health problems, many affected people are unaware of their problem. Sleep apnea occurs when upper airway muscles relax during sleep and pinch off the airway, which can cause breathing to pause for 10 seconds or more at a time. Sleep partners (rather than those inflicted) are often the first to notice breathing pauses or loud snoring in their bedmates.

Ray Dalio credits much of his success to his transcendental meditation practice

Dalio took up transcendental meditation after learning that The Beatles practiced it on a trip to India in 1968. He says the practice allows him to clear his mind, be more creative, and unlock his subconscious.

Reduced inflammation from cold plunges lacks scientific support

The cold water triggers immediate cold shock, increasing heart rate and blood pressure, and prolonged exposure can lead to cold-water incapacitation and hypothermia. Plungers are encouraged to enter the water slowly and manage their breathing to reduce the risk of shock. Warm baths post-plunge are discouraged, and exercise is generally better for recovery.

Who provides therapy is more important than what method they practice

What makes therapy work well is the connection that patients feel with their therapist, and the trust in that relationship. Some research suggests that while the therapeutic model—say cognitive behavior therapy or psychodynamic therapy—accounts for roughly 15% of outcomes, the therapeutic relationship with the therapist accounts for more than 30%.

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

Doctors differentiate between a phobia and fear by asking patients whether their fear interferes with their day-to-day activities.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

Double world record holder Hunter Ewen helped conquer his fear of balloons, called globophobia, by training to win Guinness World Record titles for balloon inflation.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

'Silent' fireworks have gained more interest in recent years as a quieter celebratory option.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

Astronauts have repaired genetic damage in space using CRISPR—a molecular tool that can make precise changes to DNA and is used in single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

Explore what it's like inside a patient isolation unit, used in situations such as treating a patient or suspected patient with Ebola.

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

Explore the archaeological treasures of Pompeii, the city buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE.

In 1984, Operation Smash Hit intentionally crashed a 239-ton train into a nuclear waste canister at 100 miles per hour to prove the canister's safety, which remained completely intact and lost just 0.29 of its 100 pounds of pressure.

A small portion of The Winstons' 'Amen, Brother,' an obscure '60s gospel record, is the basis for thousands of hip-hop tracks, making it one of the most sampled records ever that's informally known as 'the Amen break.'

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

Take a 3D tour of the Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken by more than 1.5 million Muslims each year.

Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings are often assumed to be sexual, though the artist claimed she was simply interested in highlighting the beauty of flowers that most people neglect