Happiness

For American households experiencing COVID-related income disruption, unemployment insurance improved health care access and reduced risk of depression and anxiety symptoms.

JAMA Internal Medicine

People with generalized anxiety disorder who practiced mindfulness meditation for eight weeks had less of a marker of inflammation and stress-related adrenocorticotropic hormone (but not the stress-related hormone cortisol).

Psychiatry Research

Adding unmalted cereals like wheat, barley, rice, and maize to beer changes the flavor when compared to malted beers, but is more sustainable and cost-efficient.

Beverages

Viewing cat videos or photos boosts feelings of energy and positive emotions (hope, happiness, contentment) and decreases negative emotions (anxiety, annoyance, sadness, guilt). However, viewing more cat videos was also associated with less emotional stability.

Computers in Human Behavior

People that avoid attachment in relationships benefit from touch when experiencing it, despite their negative attitudes toward it.

Having a competent supervisor was more predictive of job satisfaction among workers than worker education, tenure, industry, or earnings.

Higher numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths and increased exposure to COVID-related media were associated with higher self-reported acute stress and more depressive symptoms in the United States.

Science Advances

In Austria and Germany, calls to mental health hotlines increased during severe COVID-19 governmental restrictions.

Social Science & Medicine

People who received more Instagram “likes” than expected reported less loneliness but more negative feelings such as being upset, hostile, ashamed, nervous, and afraid. These feelings may trigger more like-seeking to reduce dissatisfaction.

Personality and Individual Differences

Using a transgender youth's chosen name rather than their birth name can help affirm their gender identity and reduce the risk of depression and suicidal behaviors.

Journal of Adolescent Health