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Inflammation: What Is This Health Buzzword and Why Should You Care About It?
Chronic inflammation has been linked with many physical health issues, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. Interestingly, the impact of inflammation isn’t limited to physical health issues.
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The Truth about Domestic Violence: Literature Review
As more and more clients are entering therapy with concerns related to abuse, such as domestic violence incidents, it seems prudent to review how these issues might play a role in mental health and treatment. The facts on domestic violence are startling. Estimates by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Bureau of Justice, and Centers…
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Know When to Put on Rose-Colored Lenses: When Bias is Useful
The idea of “positive illusions” is one that has been popular in social psychology since Taylor and Brown published their 1988 paper, “Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health.” Simply put, positive illusions are biased perceptions of reality that are thought to be good for mental health. For instance, studies have shown…
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Can’t Get No (Body) Satisfaction: Media Effects on Body Image
A version of this article will appear in the next Psychology in Action Newsletter. Turn on the TV or open a magazine these days, and chances are your eyes will be filled with images of “beauty”: ultra-thin models, men with bulging biceps and washboard abs, celebrities with perfect complexions and flawless figures. In some cases, even…
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Childhood adversity and disease
Mounting evidence has demonstrated long-term negative physical and psychological health effects of stressors experienced in early childhood (Repetti, Taylor, & Seeman, 2002). But as health psychology researchers, what we’re interested in is why. How is it possible that something that happened in childhood could affect your health 50 or 60 years later? What are the…
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Abortion does not cause mental illness
From Science Sounds: A recent article in the New York Times reported results from an APA study that concluded that abortion does not cause mental illness. The full title of the article is “Abortion Does Not Cause Mental Illness, Panel Says.” Maybe I am being paranoid, but somehow that title calls the results into question…