Psychology Around the Net: October 1, 2016

Ah, October, my absolute favorite month. How I’ve missed thee.

This year, I get to start off my favorite month at a wedding later today, watching two sweet friends marry and begin their lives together.

Speaking of marriage, let’s take a look at some of this week’s latest in mental health topics such as surviving a marriage with a special needs child as well as how the “selfie culture” is affecting young women’s mental health, today’s most common personality type, how your body reacts to food when you’re stressed, and more.

Young Women ‘Highest Mental Health Risk’ As ‘Selfie’ Culture Heaps Pressure: New research reported by the National Health Service (NHS) suggests the numbers of young women (for this research, between the ages of 16 and 24) who are suffering from mental health problems (such as depression and anxiety) and self-harm are “soaring” due in part to the pressure this “selfie culture” has placed on them.

‘Envious’ Reigns As Most Common Personality Type: Do you think of yourself as someone who is optimistic, pessimistic, trusting, or envious? A recent study from Spain says most people fall into one of these four personality categories — with “envious” claiming the most inhabitants. Researchers defined those people who fall into the envious category as people who feel threatened by others who seem more successful.

Let’s Call Mental Health Stigma What It Really Is: Discrimination: “The negative stereotypes that shame those with mental illness and prevent them from seeking help don’t just constitute stigma — they’re discrimination. It’s a blatant, prejudicial outlook on a certain population.” Which is why Principal Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Kana Enomoto, says SAMHSA doesn’t use the word “stigma.”

How to Survive a Special Needs Marriage: One woman’s true-life account of how she and her husband learned exactly what it means when it’s time to put all those marriage vows you made to work…and how to make them work.

Changes in Memory Tied to Menopausal Status: Investigators at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) studied women ages 45 to 55 and found that it’s not just chronological age that contributes to memory changes — it’s also reproductive age. Says Harvard Medical School Professor of Medicine Jill Goldstein, “Our findings underscore the incredible variability of the brain as we age and the critical importance and complexity of the impact of sex on aging, including the unique role of sex steroid hormones in memory function.”

Chill Out: Stress Can Override Benefits Of Healthful Eating: Probably most people aren’t surprised that there’s a link between diet and stress. It’s common knowledge, right? Many of us tend to overeat when we’re stressed (or demand certain types of foods during stressful times); some of us can’t bring ourselves to eat much, if anything, at all when we’re stressed. Now, however, there’s a more scientific look at how eating when you’re stressed affects your body; or, rather, how your body processes food when you’re stressed.

from World of Psychology http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/10/01/psychology-around-the-net-october-1-2016/