News Briefs: Thinking Good Thoughts; Higher Eduction & Alzheimer’s Disease
Thinking Good Thoughts About Yourself Provides Mental, Physical Benefits
People who took the time to think kind and encouraging thoughts about themselves and others developed greater self-compassion and connection to others and experienced improved heart function, according to a small study published recently in Clinical Psychological Science. Researchers divided study participants into five groups, each with special instructions. Two groups were told to take a little time each day to think kind thoughts about themselves. As a result, they felt more self-compassion and a greater connectedness to those around them. Their heart rates slowed and the time in between heartbeats varied moreÑa sign of a healthy heart that can adapt to changing circumstances. They also experienced a reduced sweat response. All of these responses are consistent with feelings of safety and security. Participants in the other three groups heard various audio messages meant to induce a critical inner voice. These participants become more competitive and showed cardiac and sweat responses more consistent with feelings of stress and threats. People who are able to reduce or shut off that stress and threatened response tend to heal better, have a greater sense of well-being, and enjoy better mental health. Though the volunteers in this study were relatively healthy people, the researchers want to see if incorporating more self-compassion into the daily lives of people with depression may help with their treatment.
Higher Education Level May Not Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease
A long-held theory about Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other types of dementia is that people with higher levels of education, such as a college degree or advanced degrees, were less likely to develop AD or could expect disease onset later in life compared with their peers with less formal education. The idea is that education tends to fortify a person’s cognitive reserve, which may help protect against dementia down the road. However, a recent study published in the journal Neurology refutes some of those beliefs. Researchers gathered information from nearly 3,000 older adults and monitored their health for an average of eight years. Findings at the end of the study suggest that while people with greater educational attainment tend to have higher cognitive functioning later in life, all that time in the classroom did not protect against or slow down cognitive decline. Education levels appeared to make no difference in dementia risk. In addition, the age of dementia onset was unaffected by educational achievement. There also appeared to be no difference in the speed at which cognitive decline occurs in people with high or low levels of education. Researchers suggest that because formal education tends to end decades before the age cognitive usually begins, learning later in life may be of greater benefit. Activities such as learning a new language or studying a new subject, such as history or the arts, may offer protection for older adults regardless of the diplomas they have earned.
Yoga May Help Ease Psychological, Physical Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
New research suggests that yoga may provide relief for people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the healthy tissue in the joints. This leads to inflammation, which is followed by swelling and pain. Permanent damage can occur to the cartilage and even the bones in affected joints. Migraines and mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety, can also result. But in a study published in the journal Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, researchers found that eight weeks of yoga instruction and practice led to reduced levels of inflammation and a reduction in depression and other RA complications. Yoga is well known as an exercise that improves balance and muscle tone, while also promoting calm and helping to reduce blood pressure. This study suggests that yoga could play an important role in helping to reduce inflammation and painful symptoms, while improving the outlook and quality of life of people with RA. The researchers were especially encouraged by the reduction in depressive symptoms among study participants, because the depression that often accompanies RA can make individuals less compliant with medication use and other forms of treatment. The researchers also hope that with further study, yoga could become a viable treatment component for many chronic diseases.
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