In a previous episode of Family Anatomy we discussed the life factors that led to happiness and a sense of well-being. Decades of research indicate that once income registers above the poverty line increased income has no relationship to happiness or well-being. However, new research from Ryan Howell, an assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University indicates that this is not entirely true. According to Howell, it all depends on what you spend your money on. Howell makes a distinction between material purchases and experiential purchases. Experiential purchases, for example, could include things like going out for dinner, or buying tickets to the theatre or a concert.

Participants in the study were asked to complete questionnaires that asked about their recent purchases and then rate whether they felt that it was money well spent and also what effect they feel it had on their level of happiness. The results showed that people reported being happier when they spent money on experiential activities rather than on material things. In addition, Howell found that the participants tended to have longer term pleasant memories regarding their experiential purchases as opposed to their material purchases.

This was true regardless of how much money was being spent or the income of the people in the study. Howell speculates that a higher order need for connectedness is satisfied through experiential purchases as they they typically involve social interactions with others.

You can read more about this study here.

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Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

Daniel Eisenberg, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health recently tabled research which indicates that college students with depression are two times more likely to drop out of school.

The two main symptoms of depression are sad mood and loss of interest in activities once found enjoyable. Eisenberg’s research indicates that it is the latter symptom, (ie., loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities) that accounts for the drop in grade point averages. Sad mood alone is not related to decreased academic performance. This is important to recognize as it points to the fact that not all people that experience depression will have declining grades. Those who lose interest in activities they used to enjoy are more likely to lose interest in school as well, and this accounts for their academic decline.

The research also showed that depression in combination with anxiety further exacerbated the decline in academic achievement.

Given the long term impact on career success, Eisenburg is advocating for early screening procedures in order to ensure that students with depression are given proper treatment before academic declines are seen.

University students, particularly in their first year, can find themselves feeling overwhelmed. Differentiating between the difficulties and stress typical of University life, and depression, can prevent academic failure at the least and serious mental health problems at worse.

You can read more about this study here.

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Note: Posts on Family Anatomy are for education only. If you need to talk to someone about family or mental health issues, you can get a referral from your family doctor.

Researchers at the University of South Florida recently published a study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease indicating that caffeine may be effective in reversing the memory impairments that are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. While these research results are exciting, further study is necessary given that the results were observed in mice and not people (hence the*in the title above).

The researchers experimented with 55 mice who were genetically altered to develop memory problems similar to Alzheimer’s disease as the aged. Behavioral and learning tasks then confirmed that the aging mice were indeed exhibiting memory difficulties. At this point, the researchers gave half the mice water and the other half the equivalent of five 8 ounce cups of regular coffee a day.

Two months later, behavioral and learning tasks showed that the mice who were given caffeine returned to their normal memory functioning. The mice that had consumed water, on the other hand, had continued to deteriorate.

Interestingly, mice who were not genetically pre-destined to develop Alzheimer’s type memory difficulties, did not experience beneficial memory effects from consuming caffeine.

The researchers concluded that coffee may help reverse the memory difficulties associated with Alzheimer’s, although coffee does not help improve the memory of people without it. (more…)

Doctors Brian and Giuseppe talk about parenting styles and their impact on kids’ development, self-esteem, and behaviour.

What works best for kids?

How should parents discipline?

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