Antidote to pain and negativity? Let it be

Merely a brief introduction to mindfulness helps people deal with physical pain and negative emotions, a new study shows. The effect of mindfulness was so pronounced, they found, that even when participants were subjected to high heat on their forearm, their brain responded as if it was experiencing normal temperature.

Some surprisingly good news about anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most common type of psychiatric illness, yet researchers know very little about factors associated with recovery. A new study investigated three levels of recovery in a large, representative sample of more than 2,000 Canadians with a history of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

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.