Latest
A new study is challenging the idea that sitting itself is the problem for your brain. A study covered by HealthDay found that heavy TV watching was associated with shrinkage in areas of the brain connected to memory and thinking, with most of the observed brain changes concentrated in men. But other forms of sedentary behavior were not linked to smaller brain volume. In fact, people who spent the day seated in mentally demanding jobs showed larger frontal and occipital volumes and less white matter damage than heavy TV viewers. Because the study relied on self-reported viewing habits and did not include baseline brain scans, it shows correlation rather than proof that television causes brain shrinkage. Here’s what people are reacting to: the distinction that may matter most is not sitting versus moving, but passive viewing versus mentally engaged downtime.
TIME published a cortisol myth-busting piece on April 23 as searches for the term "cortisol" have nearly doubled since January and hit record highs for three consecutive months. The piece makes a clinically important point that most wellness content gets backwards: burnout is not associated with chronically high cortisol, it is associated with a flattened cortisol rhythm and sometimes low cortisol, a state the body reaches after prolonged stress has worn the system down. The hormone that everyone is trying to lower may already be too low by the time they notice something is wrong. Here's what people are reacting to: everything they've been told about cortisol and stress is probably backwards.