Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Robert Roy Britt

@robertroybritt.bsky.social

220 followers 170 following 950 posts

Independent science and health journalist. Founder/editor of Wise & Well on Medium. Former editor-in-chief of Live Science and Space-dot-com. Author of Make Sleep Your Superpower.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 1d

In this week's Wise & Well newsletter:

> The Truth about Type A vs. B Personalities
> Why You Should Expect Your Partner to Hurt You Emotionally
> Good Nursing Homes vs. Lousy Ones: What to Look For
> Perfectionism Makes Chronic Pain Worse
> Poor Hydration Linked to Higher Stress

Plus:

America’s Other Serious Drug Problem

Do you take multiple prescription meds? Could you Just Say No?

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 2d

In romantic #relationships, feelings are easily hurt because we don't think our partner would ever hurt us. But of course they will! Healing depends on accepting that fact, plus understanding the difference between intellectual analysis of the situation and actual feelings.

Why You Should Expect Your Partner to Hurt You Emotionally

And how the most optimistic thing you can do is prepare for it

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 2d

Neurofeedback involves having people think different in order to change the readings of real-time brain scans, thereby rewiring underlying brain activity. Now, finally, the process is proving to be a real-world solution for numerous #mentalhealth conditions, rivaling talk therapy and medications.

Changing Your Brain Can Change Your Mind

An individualized approach to neurofeedback may finally make it a valued treatment for mental health conditions.

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 2d

Before you choose a long-term care facility for a loved one, you'll want to read this insider's take on what to look for and what questions to ask to help ensure the facility you choose is a quality one. This nurse has all the insights.

Good Nursing Homes vs. Lousy Ones: What to Look For

I’ve learned to spot warning signs the moment I walk into a facility. Here are the red flags I watch out for.

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 3d

Insufficient hydration—even if shy of actual dehydration—mucks with the brain. That's what new research finds. The point, of course, is obvious: Drink water before you stress out.

Poor Hydration Linked to Higher Stress

Dehydration can fuel cortisol surges linked to stress related illness, new research suggests.

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 3d

New research finds perfectionists suffer from more chronic pain than people who allow more self-compassion. The finding is particularly interesting to this writer, a life-long perfectionist and chronic pain sufferer.

Perfectionism Makes Chronic Pain Worse

New research finds the key to relief may be greater self-compassion

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 4d

Laughter is great medicine, but we don't all find the same things funny. Yet #comedy is a vital communication medium, and the price of #censorship is higher than you might realize.

When Comedians Are Silenced, Society Suffers

Science weighs in on the power of comedy

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 5d

New experiments investigated whether certain types of media can lower stress levels, and how effectively. Turns out one type, which engendered hope, beat out comedy at quashing stress, and even matched the positive effects of guided meditation. Can you guess which type?

Watching Certain Videos Can Lower Stress as Effectively as Meditation

Guess which type: Comedy, puppies, or something else?

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 5d

Do you think you're a Type A or a Type B personality? You're wrong! The whole notion, though it packs some grains of truth, went up in smoke long ago, from a scientific perspective. So why did the tobacco industry keep promoting the concept and funding research that supported it?

Type A vs. B Personalities Are Flawed. One Industry Pushed Them for Decades.

The science doesn’t pan out, and guess who profited from the ongoing false perception?

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 8d

Healthy habits (physical activity, good diet, good sleep) boost the immune system, much research has suggested. But why? A new study suggests a specific way physical activity — especially over long periods of time — works its magic.

medium.com/wise-well/ca...

#health #fitness

Can You Train Your Immune System to Work Better?

A way found to make natural killer cells more efficient and effective

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 8d

In this week's Wise & Well newsletter:

> Weight Stigma: The Alarming Story of Blame and Shame
> Dementia, Anxiety and ADHD Benefit from the Same Meds
> Can You Train Your Immune System to Work Better?
> Calling Deaths ‘Preventable’ Shifts Blame to Individuals
> When Fame Turns Fatal

Is it OK to Skip Out on Parties Without Saying Goodbye?

Turns out one of my favorite social strategies has a name

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 9d

Thanks to lack of insurance, time, money or desire, many of us don't get great healthcare. But famous people? Surely they get the best care and have the highest odds of living long and healthy lives. Not always, for a handful of surprising reasons, this doctor writes.

When Fame Turns Fatal

What you can learn from celebrities whose diagnoses were too late, or ignored

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 10d

The last thing an overweight person needs is to be shamed --especially by a doctor -- for their condition and supposed lack of willpower. This psychologist knows all about this blame game, from her own youth, and now she's got a learned perspective on how to eradicate the stigma.

Weight Stigma: The Alarming Story of Blame and Shame

Demoralizing weight bias is everywhere — even in your doctor’s office. Here’s what needs to change, and how.

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 10d

Many types of deaths, and their timing, could have been avoided or delayed, deaths the healthcare industry commonly refer to as "preventable." Problem is, it often implies the person failed and is to blame, perhaps for not eating right or exercising, when the real failure is more systemic.

Calling Deaths ‘Preventable’ Shifts Blame to Individuals

The term, used by many health professionals, mask how policy, access and geography shape who gets care — and who doesn’t

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 10d

I'm well known among friends and family for leaving social events early, often abruptly. Been that way all my life. I learned early on that if you announce your imminent departure, you get stuck in a series of long goodbyes and drunken pleas to stay. Now I just learned the tactic has a name.

Let’s Normalize the ‘Irish Goodbye’

Ghosting a party gracefully has social benefits even extroverts can appreciate

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 11d

Maintaining strength is vital, especially with #aging. Strength training - via weights, stretchy bands or even body-weight exercises - allows one to perform basic life tasks, and it helps prevent falls. It also makes the heart stronger and helps the brain stay healthy. This doc explains.

Surprising Benefits to Heart & Brain Health from Resistance Exercise

Working your muscles releases vital “exerkines” and boosts overall well-being. No matter how old you are.

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 12d

This psychiatrist/neuroscientist eats well and runs marathons, yet still had high blood pressure. He's found that meds that can help stave off bad heart #health outcomes can also benefit people struggling with #mentalhealth conditions. What an unexpected, informative story!

Dementia, Anxiety and ADHD Benefit from the Same Meds

Blood pressure medications can rescue brains from a range of conditions

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 16d

Chronic pain can be depressing. And I mean that in a clinical sense: People with chronic ailments, including ongoing pain, are at high risk for other chronic conditions, both physical and mental, including heart disease, arthritis, asthma and even cancer, new research finds.

#health #mentalhealth

When Chronic Ailments Pile On

One physical disease or mental health condition will frequently spawn or exacerbate others, new research reveals. Here’s how to buffer…

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 17d

For anyone who gets their nails done a lot, this story will prove enlightening. Facts like: As we age, fingernails produce less keratin and hold less moisture. And: The stuff that adds sheen to gel nail polishes just got banned in Europe for being harmful (but not in the US). Plus new research.

Why Fingernails Break and Split, and How to Fix Them

New research promises a possible remedy. Meantime, here are a dermatologist’s top tips for thicker and stronger nails.

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 19d

I had no idea there was a human vaccine for Lyme disease. That's because it was shelved decades ago. The dubious reasons, and the story behind a vaccine still used for dogs, is a cautionary tale in how good science can be negated by one bogus study and the ensuing hysteria of a misinformed public.

We Have a Lyme Disease Vaccine. Why Don’t We Use It?

The tragic tale of LYMErix — a chilling prequel to today’s antivax movement.

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 19d

Ultra-processed food is engineered by big food companies to be tasty, cheap and convenient, but also highly addictive. New research finds the first generation to grow up with UPFs shows the highest rates of addiction to them.

medium.com/wise-well/ge... #GENX #food #diet #health

Gen X Leads in Addiction to Unhealthy Food

Youngest Boomers hooked at high rates, too. New research suggest why.

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 21d

The debate over whether #acetaminophen causes #autism is rooted in studies that find an association, not causation. The link is not so clear. This writer, a scientist with an autistic child, parses what's known and what's speculated to offer a reasoned view.

The Truth About Tylenol and Autism

President Trump’s definitive statements that acetaminophen during pregnancy causes autism are not supported by evidence

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 24d

The writer, a retired physician and former US medical center CEO, reached out to several former colleagues, young and old, to glean whether becoming a doctor has the same noble lure of days gone by. Responses reflect problems in healthcare: inhumane workloads, substandard care and physician burnout.

Is Medicine Still a Calling, or Just a Job?

I asked multiple physicians what they think about their profession. Views varied significantly based on generational expectations

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · 28d

I hope you're doing OK. It's crazy out there. We all have ways of coping in times like these, but maybe some of yours aren't working so well. I'm certainly struggling. So I pulled together some of the most useful science-backed ways of getting by, of dealing with difficult times.

9 Things I’m Doing to Stay Sane These Days

Amid all the insanity, anger and sadness in politics and culture, I’m leaning into science to stay afloat

Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt.bsky.social · Sep 18

Why would Tyler Robinson, accused of killing Charlie Kirk, do such a thing? We don't have all the details, but science offers clues about retribution and revenge being incredibly powerful human emotions. Understanding the #psychology might help us all process, if not prevent, events like this.

Why People Seek Revenge: Clues from Neuroscience

The craving for vengeance is ancient and global. New studies suggest why — and shed light on how all of us can control our hostile urges…