It’s stressful at the top, at least for male baboons, according to a new study that finds that alpha males — those at the pinnacle of the social hierarchy — are significantly more stressed out than a group’s No. 2, or beta male.
Stress
Stressed in the City: How Urban Life May Change Your Brain
I live in New York City, and for me, there’s nothing that compares to its culture, energy and convenience. I’m not alone in feeling this way — more than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas.
Should Prenatal Care Be Extended to Dads?
Perhaps it’s because mom has the burgeoning belly, but dads have largely been left out of prenatal care. That could be damaging to the family’s health, contends research in a recent issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.
Q&A: Why Commuting Sucks the Life Out of You
Last month, a Swedish study made a splash when it found that couples in which one partner commutes a long way to work (more than 45 mins.) are 40% more likely to divorce than couples who don’t have to travel so far for their jobs.
What a Chore: Housework Is Bad for Both Sexes
Ever use that excuse about how doing housework after you get home from your paying job is so stressful it’s bad for your health? Turns out, you weren’t wrong.
Insecure Toddlers are More Likely to Become Obese
By any measure, mother-child bonding is an ideal worth striving for, but new research underscores its importance, finding that toddlers who aren’t securely attached may have a greater risk of being obese before they even start …
In Defense of Motherhood: Why We Keep Having Kids When They’re So Clearly Bad for Us
Here at Healthland, we devote a considerable amount of virtual ink to reporting on research that disses parenthood. I’ve written several stories in this vein, and I find them both wryly amusing and often uncomfortably accurate. But at least in my experience parenting three young kids, they’re not the whole truth.
Dogs: A (Neurotic) Man’s Best Friend
Dogs may really be man‘s best friend — at least if that can be measured by how often dogs approach their male owners, compared with their female owners. The closest relationships appear to be between neurotic men and their …
Why French Fries Are Such Good Comfort Food
Ever wonder why French fries, potato chips and Cheetos are so appealing when you’re feeling stressed? A new study suggests that elevated levels of salt in the body lower stress hormones and raise levels of oxytocin, a hormone …
How Stress and Sleep Conspire to Make You Fat
The trouble with stress is that it seeps into every area of your life — affecting your sleep, mood and the size of your waistline. The interactions between these factors were the subject of a recent study in the International …
What Depresses Moms-to-Be the Most? Their Unsupportive Partners
In yet more troubling news for expecting mothers — especially those who got pregnant unintentionally, or conceived to try to save a relationship — a study finds that a mother’s concerns about an ambivalent father-to-be can be …
Study: Do Early Drinkers Become Heavy Drinkers?
Boasting about how young you were when you had your first full drink (sips at the dinner table from Mom or Dad’s wine glass don’t count) may be fun when you’re in college, but researchers say the age at which you have your first …
Why Are Women More Vulnerable to PTSD than Men?
Why are some people able to recover from the trauma of a violent attack or combat zone, while others suffer from recurrent flashbacks, episodes of depression and other debilitating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?