Robert Roy Britt
@robertroybritt.bsky.social
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.
There's no solid evidence for effectiveness #marijuana on chronic pain, anxiety or insomnia, according to a large new analysis. Upshot: More and more rigorous study on #cannabis is needed to get beyond anecdotal reports that it actually helps with these and many other medical conditions.
Marijuana’s Medical Effectiveness Questioned
For help with chronic pain, sleep problems and anxiety, encouraging anecdotes abound, but actual evidence is lacking
medium.com
December 4, 2025 at 5:28 PM
There's no solid evidence for effectiveness #marijuana on chronic pain, anxiety or insomnia, according to a large new analysis. Upshot: More and more rigorous study on #cannabis is needed to get beyond anecdotal reports that it actually helps with these and many other medical conditions.
They say work isn't work if you love it, right? There's some truth to that way of thinking, what psychologists call "intrinsic motivation." But there's a perilous flip-side, too. Because, um, what if you don't love what you do?
Treating Love for Work as a Virtue Can Backfire
The problem with counting on “intrinsic motivation“
medium.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:18 PM
They say work isn't work if you love it, right? There's some truth to that way of thinking, what psychologists call "intrinsic motivation." But there's a perilous flip-side, too. Because, um, what if you don't love what you do?
Much to my surprise, tapping your foot, squirming in your seat or otherwise fidgeting may have benefits, as a study indicates the calories burned in fidgeting add up to your overall calorie use during the day. (Of course, there are other productive ways to burn calories!)
Fidgeting Might Be Good For You, New Research Suggests
Even minor movements add to your total calorie burn, and they add up quickly
medium.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Much to my surprise, tapping your foot, squirming in your seat or otherwise fidgeting may have benefits, as a study indicates the calories burned in fidgeting add up to your overall calorie use during the day. (Of course, there are other productive ways to burn calories!)
When I see someone step on a rake, slip on the ice or otherwise fall or get whacked—in a video or IRL—I feel an actual stab of pain. A new study helps explain why some of us "feel what we see," and what mental traits contribute to this physical phenomenon.
I Feel the Pain of Others. Science Finally Explains Why.
When someone gets smacked in the privates or falls on their butt, I get a real sensation in my own body. I’ve long wondered if it’s just…
medium.com
December 1, 2025 at 5:42 PM
When I see someone step on a rake, slip on the ice or otherwise fall or get whacked—in a video or IRL—I feel an actual stab of pain. A new study helps explain why some of us "feel what we see," and what mental traits contribute to this physical phenomenon.
What gets too little attention among all the #health quick-fix advice, this octogenarian doctor notes, is overall #wellness, which involves having the physical strength to handle basic life tasks. Here's how he does it, with a prescription for you.
Good Health is No Good Without Wellness
You can be perfectly healthy, but not at all well, if you’re not strong enough to handle routine life tasks
medium.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Technological #evolution is far outpacing your biological progress, a pair of scientists argue. So: Today's stressors are wildly different than our ancestors faced, and our modern minds and bodies are woefully unprepared, in terms of #psychology, to handle them. That's really bad for your #health.
Modern Life Has Outpaced Human Evolution
Today’s stressors are wildly different than our ancestors faced, and our modern minds and bodies are woefully unprepared to handle them…
medium.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Technological #evolution is far outpacing your biological progress, a pair of scientists argue. So: Today's stressors are wildly different than our ancestors faced, and our modern minds and bodies are woefully unprepared, in terms of #psychology, to handle them. That's really bad for your #health.
Even faint night lights can negatively affect #sleep. Light passes through our translucent eyelids, sending wakey wakey signals to the brain. New research links light at night to poorer heart health, suggesting a link between the light, poor sleep, and the ultimate #health effects.
Your Bedroom Light Could Raise Your Heart Attack Risk
Even faint nighttime light can quietly damage the heart, new research shows
medium.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Holiday meals bring together loved ones and wonderful dishes and… lots of leftovers. After #cooking our #Thanksgiving dinners, it's common to leave the #food out for hours so everyone can come back for more through the evening. Big mistake.
How Long Can Cooked Food Sit Out?
Whether you cook for a large gathering or just yourself, you’ll want to know what happens after just two hours, and especially after four…
medium.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Holiday meals bring together loved ones and wonderful dishes and… lots of leftovers. After #cooking our #Thanksgiving dinners, it's common to leave the #food out for hours so everyone can come back for more through the evening. Big mistake.
Some seek hedonic happiness. Others find meaning in selflessness. Philosophers and psychologists get stuck these two ways. But there's a better path to fulfillment, this story posits: curiosity and the pursuit of constant challenge and change.
The Little-Known 3rd Path to the Good Life
Conventional wisdom says a good life is built on either joy or purpose. But now, science maps an intriguing third way — one that leverages…
medium.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Some seek hedonic happiness. Others find meaning in selflessness. Philosophers and psychologists get stuck these two ways. But there's a better path to fulfillment, this story posits: curiosity and the pursuit of constant challenge and change.
People with "executive dysfunction," which is unlike dementias you normally hear about, appear to be doing great, even as aspects of their life -- like dealing with routine tasks like paying the bills -- go undone.
The Dementia You Have Never Heard Of (Until Now)
A superager doctor faces his own mental decline and tells how to cope
medium.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:08 PM
People with "executive dysfunction," which is unlike dementias you normally hear about, appear to be doing great, even as aspects of their life -- like dealing with routine tasks like paying the bills -- go undone.
Three is arguably the most important number in the universe. The power of three is evident in art, writing, speeches, ads, mantras, psychology, nature, and the entire universe. Ready for a bunch of examples? One, two, three… medium.com/wise-well/3-... #art #science #nature
3 is the Awesomest Number
The power of three is evident in art, writing, speeches, ads, mantras, psychology, nature, and the entire universe. Ready for a bunch of…
medium.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Three is arguably the most important number in the universe. The power of three is evident in art, writing, speeches, ads, mantras, psychology, nature, and the entire universe. Ready for a bunch of examples? One, two, three… medium.com/wise-well/3-... #art #science #nature
The FDA said it's considering a form of vitamin B9 as a potential treatment for #autism. Odd. The FDA is usually mum on potential treatments until test testing is done. And B9 hasn't even been proposed as an autism treatment.
The FDA Jumps Too Quickly Onto the Vitamin B9-for-Autism Bandwagon
A form of B9 can help with mental health conditions, but the government is promoting it for autism without adequate evidence
medium.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:11 PM
The FDA said it's considering a form of vitamin B9 as a potential treatment for #autism. Odd. The FDA is usually mum on potential treatments until test testing is done. And B9 hasn't even been proposed as an autism treatment.
There are a lot of stories about how to be productive and successful. They don't all get at the roots of the challenge, though: Finding the motivation to actually do the thing. This psychologists sees it all the time in her practice, so here she explores the science, which echoes her experience.
The Real Keys to Stronger Motivation, Productivity, and Success
What works and what holds people back, according to scientific research, expert advice, and my own observations as a psychologist
medium.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:20 PM
There are a lot of stories about how to be productive and successful. They don't all get at the roots of the challenge, though: Finding the motivation to actually do the thing. This psychologists sees it all the time in her practice, so here she explores the science, which echoes her experience.
In a series of new analyses, a global group of nutritionists, health and policy experts call on governments to treat ultra-processed foods (UPFs) like cigarettes and, finally do something.
medium.com/wise-well/ur... #food #health #nutrition
medium.com/wise-well/ur... #food #health #nutrition
Urgent Action Needed to Curb Ultra-Processed Food, Experts Say
Corporations engineer addictive UPFs, market them heavily (including to kids) and face little regulation in what one analyst called “one of…
medium.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:35 PM
In a series of new analyses, a global group of nutritionists, health and policy experts call on governments to treat ultra-processed foods (UPFs) like cigarettes and, finally do something.
medium.com/wise-well/ur... #food #health #nutrition
medium.com/wise-well/ur... #food #health #nutrition
An analysis comparing finds almost no differences on cognitive tasks between people who had breakfast and those who did not.
You Can Skip Breakfast and Keep Your Mental Edge, New Study Suggests
Negligible differences found between fed and fasted adults on standard cognitive tasks
medium.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:30 PM
An analysis comparing finds almost no differences on cognitive tasks between people who had breakfast and those who did not.
Microplastics are everywhere in nature. And they've invaded our bodies, from blood to brain to newborn's poop. Kids ingest them from plastic bits sloughed off toys, including the cutest, cuddliest stuffed animals. What to know, and preventive steps for parents, from a neuroscientist.
What Happens When Plastics Sneak into Your Child’s Brain and Body?
Learn how to mitigate the life-long risks
medium.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Microplastics are everywhere in nature. And they've invaded our bodies, from blood to brain to newborn's poop. Kids ingest them from plastic bits sloughed off toys, including the cutest, cuddliest stuffed animals. What to know, and preventive steps for parents, from a neuroscientist.
Off-label prescribing of meds for conditions other than what the FDA has approved is possible because while the FDA does not restrict how doctors actually prescribe those drugs.
medium.com/wise-well/so...
medium.com/wise-well/so...
Something’s Off With Off-Label Prescribing
Our current regulation of medications may be too lax to protect the public.
medium.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Off-label prescribing of meds for conditions other than what the FDA has approved is possible because while the FDA does not restrict how doctors actually prescribe those drugs.
medium.com/wise-well/so...
medium.com/wise-well/so...
For people with prediabetes, physicians (like this doctor/writer) have long cajoled patients to lose weight as main prevention means. Often, people can't lose the weight, which makes this new finding exciting: Normalizing blood glucose levels, without weight loss, appears to offer strong prevention.
Does Reversing Prediabetes Require Weight Loss? Not Always.
Normalizing blood glucose is more essential than losing pounds, a new study indicates
medium.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:48 PM
For people with prediabetes, physicians (like this doctor/writer) have long cajoled patients to lose weight as main prevention means. Often, people can't lose the weight, which makes this new finding exciting: Normalizing blood glucose levels, without weight loss, appears to offer strong prevention.
Causes of headaches, mild to severe, range from changes in the weather to, ironically, pain medications. Remedies are numerous (and some might work) but the actual mechanisms remain largely unknown. New research reveals just how common headaches and migraines are, and who suffers most.
The Frustrating Mysteries of Headaches and Migraines
Causes range from the weather to, ironically, pain medications. Remedies are numerous (and some might work) but the actual mechanisms…
medium.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Causes of headaches, mild to severe, range from changes in the weather to, ironically, pain medications. Remedies are numerous (and some might work) but the actual mechanisms remain largely unknown. New research reveals just how common headaches and migraines are, and who suffers most.
Since 1799, people have been inhaling nitrous oxide for laughs. Two centuries later, it became easier to get, and thus far more popular. Now an entire industry has arisen to make sure anyone can partake. Funny thing though: There are serious downsides (if you consider brain damage a downside).
Rising Nitrous Oxide Abuse is No Laughing Matter
Health agencies warn frequent use of “laughing gas” leads to permanent nerve damage and other serious health risks
medium.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Since 1799, people have been inhaling nitrous oxide for laughs. Two centuries later, it became easier to get, and thus far more popular. Now an entire industry has arisen to make sure anyone can partake. Funny thing though: There are serious downsides (if you consider brain damage a downside).
Nobody has a greater spirit of resilience than Randall H. Duckett, a journalist who has suffered chronic pain for decades. In this story, he shares 10 of his most insightful learnings from his new book: Chronic Pain Chronicles: Insightful and inspiring stories of resolve, resilience, and relief.
The 10 Biggest Secrets of Chronic Pain
I’ve suffered with and studied pain for years — and turned what I learned into a new book
medium.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Nobody has a greater spirit of resilience than Randall H. Duckett, a journalist who has suffered chronic pain for decades. In this story, he shares 10 of his most insightful learnings from his new book: Chronic Pain Chronicles: Insightful and inspiring stories of resolve, resilience, and relief.
In mid-life, you might not worry much about getting #dementia. But that's exactly when you should work at preventing it. New research finds heart health and brain size and shape predict risk of developing dementia much later. #health #mentalhealth #aging
Early Warning Signs of Dementia
Poor heart health, shrinking, smushing brains and numerous lifestyle choices predict dementia risk, new research reveals
medium.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:54 PM
In mid-life, you might not worry much about getting #dementia. But that's exactly when you should work at preventing it. New research finds heart health and brain size and shape predict risk of developing dementia much later. #health #mentalhealth #aging
What's the point in quitting smoking after a certain age? Well, the point is even quitting later can dramatically lower the risk for dementia and also lessen the odds of contracting other debilitating and deadly diseases, new research finds. This scientist spells out the specifics.
New Research Shows It’s Never Too Late to Quit Smoking
Learn how long it takes to see benefits to brain — and body — when extinguishing the habit later in life
medium.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
What's the point in quitting smoking after a certain age? Well, the point is even quitting later can dramatically lower the risk for dementia and also lessen the odds of contracting other debilitating and deadly diseases, new research finds. This scientist spells out the specifics.
This scientist has noticed an emerging trend on how medical research is done that makes the distinction between connections and causation even more nuanced, and so he explains, in great detail, how analyses are often done now. Yes, it has to do with peas.
Sorting Medical Causation from Connection
Genetics provides a surprising way to help detect the causes of human physical and mental health conditions
medium.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:18 PM
This scientist has noticed an emerging trend on how medical research is done that makes the distinction between connections and causation even more nuanced, and so he explains, in great detail, how analyses are often done now. Yes, it has to do with peas.
Dietary #supplements are heavily marketed and wildly popular, even when they don't work or are dangerous. I dug deep into the research and interviewed four dietitians to find out what's useful, worthless and harmful, and who actually might need supplements to support good #health.
Who Really Needs Dietary Supplements and Why
A comprehensive guide to what’s helpful, worthless or dangerous, based on the latest science and interviews with nutritionists
medium.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Dietary #supplements are heavily marketed and wildly popular, even when they don't work or are dangerous. I dug deep into the research and interviewed four dietitians to find out what's useful, worthless and harmful, and who actually might need supplements to support good #health.