Increase in calls to US poison control for natural psychoactive substances

A new study found there were more than 67,300 calls to US Poison Control Centers regarding exposures to natural psychoactive substances. The study looked at calls from January 2000 through December 2017, which totaled an average of 3,743 exposures each year, or approximately 10 calls every day.

Prayers can crowd out donations for disaster victims

A new study finds that people who prayed for hurricane victims before donating gave less than they would have otherwise: Because those who prayed believed that prayers improved the victims' well-being, they donated less.

Ayahuasca compound changes brainwaves to vivid 'waking-dream' state

Scientists have peered inside the brain to show how taking DMT affects human consciousness by significantly altering the brain's electrical activity.

How meditation can help you make fewer mistakes

New research tested how open monitoring meditation altered brain activity in a way that suggests increased error recognition.

Mind-body therapies alleviate pain in people prescribed opioids

A new study details the first comprehensive look across the scientific literature at the role of mind-body therapies in addressing opioid-treated pain. The researchers found that certain mind-body therapies can reduce pain, as well as reduce opioid use, among patients treated with prescription opioids.

Mindfulness meditation enhances positive effects of psilocybin

Recent years have seen a renewed interest in the clinical application of classic psychedelics in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. Researchers have now shown that mindfulness meditation can enhance the positive long-term effects of a single dose of psilocybin, which is found in certain mushrooms.

The propensity to hear 'voices' in Schizophrenia may be established by infancy

Findings reveal how auditory hallucinations may arise in patients with schizophrenia and provide potential new targets for early detection and treatment.

Is this brain cell your 'mind's eye'?

No-one knows what connects awareness -- the state of consciousness -- with its contents, i.e. thoughts and experiences. Now researchers propose an elegant solution: a literal, structural connection via 'L5p neurons'. The group offers evidence - and caveats. Their challenge to experimentalists: if consciousness requires L5p neurons, all brain activity without them must be unconscious.

Psychology of attraction to religious deities and super-heroes

A new psychological study has addressed centuries-old questions about how and why supernatural beings are worshipped.

Supportive relationships in childhood leads to longer lives

Individuals raised in families with higher socioeconomic status were more optimistic in midlife, and in turn, lived longer. Those who experienced more psychosocial stressors, such as parental death, frequent moves and harsh discipline, tended to encounter more stressful life events in midlife, and had greater risk of dying early.

For kids who face trauma, good neighbors or teachers can save their longterm health

New research shows just how important positive childhood experiences are for long-term health, especially for those who experience significant adversity as a child. Studies over the past 20 years have found a correlation between adverse childhood events (such as death or divorce) and worse health outcomes later in life. A new study discovers that positive childhood experiences, like having good neighbors, or a teacher you trust, have the potential to negate harmful health effects caused by adverse childhood experiences.

Adults with mild cognitive impairment can learn and benefit from mindfulness meditation

A pilot study shows promising evidence that adults with MCI can learn to practice mindfulness meditation, and by doing so may boost their cognitive reserve.

How to consider nature's impact on mental health in city plans

An international team has created a framework for how city planners and municipalities around the world can start to measure the mental health benefits of nature and incorporate those into plans and policies for cities and their residents.

'Mystical' psychedelic compound found in normal brains of rats

A study in rats has revealed the presence of naturally occurring dimethyltryptamine, a hallucinogen.

Initially threatened by change, people adapt to societal diversity over time

With time, people can adapt to societal diversity and actually benefit from it, according to a new study. Those in power especially set the tone for integrating people into a new society.

Meditation needs more research: Study finds 25 percent suffer unpleasant experiences

More than a quarter of people who regularly meditate have had a 'particularly unpleasant' psychological experience related to the practice, including feelings of fear and distorted emotions, a new study has found.

Experiences of 'ultimate reality' or 'God' confer lasting benefits to mental health

In a survey of thousands of people who reported having experienced personal encounters with God, researchers report that more than two-thirds of self-identified atheists shed that label after their encounter, regardless of whether it was spontaneous or while taking a psychedelic.

For busy medical students, two-hour meditation study may be as beneficial as longer course

For time-crunched medical students, taking a two-hour introductory class on mindfulness may be just as beneficial for reducing stress and depression as taking an eight-week meditation course, a study finds.

Power to the people: How everyday acts of defiance can shape and change markets

Subtle, hidden and everyday acts of resistance and defiance by people with limited resources could have an impact on markets in societies where state and religion is all-powerful. These are the key findings of a new study which shows consumers and individuals can help markets to evolve in societies where they cannot freely and openly participate in them.

People with a sense of oneness experience greater life satisfaction

People who believe in oneness -- the idea that everything in the world is connected and interdependent -- appear to have greater life satisfaction than those who don't, regardless of whether they belong to a religion or don't, according to new research.

Complex societies gave birth to big gods, not the other way around

Big data analyses by an international research team suggest that moralizing gods are rather the product than the drivers of social complexity.

Fast-acting psychedelic associated with improvements in depression/anxiety

Researchers have discovered that use of the synthetic psychedelic 5-methocy-N,-N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) appears to be associated with unintended improvements in self-reported depression and anxiety when given in a ceremonial group setting. 5-MeO-DMT is a psychedelic that is found in the venom of Bufo Alvarius toads, in a variety of plants species, and can be produced synthetically.

Messages of stewardship affect Christians' attitudes about climate change

Christians' attitudes toward the environment and climate change are shaped by whether they hold a view of humans as having stewardship of the Earth or dominion over the planet, and reading material from religious sources advocating a stewardship interpretation can increase their concern for environmental issues, a new study found.

Mindfulness found to improve mental health of students

Mental health among university students could be improved by introducing mindfulness training. These are the findings from the first UK study to measure the efficacy of mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on students.

Mindfulness could promote positive body image

Making people more aware of their own internal body signals, such as heartbeat or breathing rate, could promote positive body image, according to new research.

Sociologists study the impact religion has on child development

Do children raised by religious parents have better social and psychological development than those raised in non-religious homes? In a new study, researchers found that religion can be a mixed blessing for children as they get older.

The interplay between relationships, stress, and sleep

A new study documents how the quality of a person's romantic relationship and the life stress he or she experiences at two key points in early adulthood (at age 23 and 32) are related to sleep quality and quantity in middle adulthood (at age 37).

Mindfulness and sleep can reduce exhaustion in entrepreneurs

When entrepreneurs are feeling exhausted but can't afford the time for adequate sleep, they may be able to replenish their energy with mindfulness exercises such as meditation.

Negative experiences on social media tied to higher odds of feeling lonely

Positive interactions on social media are not making young adults feel more connected, whereas negative experiences increase the likelihood of them reporting loneliness.