There are always images of beauty beyond our reach. Twiggy, Farrah, and Christie...these were the icons of beauty as I was growing up. I was pretty lucky. As a blond, I was part way there. But at age 13, when I compared my body to Twiggy, I was in for problems. I was short and overweight, and so I began a ‘flirtation’ with dieting. »more»

A growing number of psychologists have become interested in studying nostalgia, the human emotion that is unique to humans. Some researchers believe that nostalgia may be a powerful psychological coping strategy to protect ourselves against loneliness and social isolation. »more»

Scientists and statisticians have long known that happier people tend to be in better health than the unhappy--as defined as those persistently stressed, hostile or pessimistic. But the specific reasons for improved health have been harder to nail down. »more»

I had to do a double-take to make sure I wasn't falling for a Saturday Night Live spoof. However upon closer inspection it is clear that founder Kerry Beard and her Laugh Away team are quite serious about the health benefits of laughing. They have created a series of exercise DVDs based on the benefits of laughter. »more»

Happiness for some may mean a bike ride at dawn, or spending time kicking a soccer ball with the kids. But for a part of humanity -- maybe even you -- happiness is checking items off a to-do list or contemplating an empty email inbox.

Odd? Certainly to some. But what they would consider borderline obsessive-compulsive behavior may also make the productivity-obsessed happier and healthier. »more»

Feeling lonely is never fun. However when it happens in middle age it can take a very bad toll on one's health. In the August issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, two University of Chicago psychologists report their findings that loneliness leads to very negative physiological affects on middle age bodies. »more»

So what makes a healthy personality? Psychologists have been studying this important question, and at least two of these five traits appear to be directly related to physical well-being and longevity: Emotional stability and conscientiousness. More to the point, wellness is linked to changes in these traits over time. »more»

Author Laura Zigman writes "Everyone has a moment in time that divides his or her life into 'before' and 'after.'" For her it was ten years ago when she realized she could not outrun her clinical depression. She was 34 years old and had left a job she didn't like, moved to a different state and found an apartment she loved. »more»

In a finding that explains why talking to a therapist -- or even a sympathetic bartender -- often makes people feel better, researchers at University of California Los Angeles believe that talking about negative feelings activates a part of the brain responsible for impulse control, reports Reuters Healt »more»

We've all heard about the near-magical benefits of yoga on mood and well being. But does it really work? »more»