Prevention December 2021

THE HOLIDAY SEASON is gearing up as you read this, but for us at Prevention, it’s early fall, and a terribly sad time. Our incredibly smart and dedicated research director died just as we were finishing this issue; she was the head of fact-checking, so every single page you are about to read is trustworthy because of her tireless behind-the-scenes work. Diana Erney had been with Prevention longer than any of us, and she embodied what we stand for: an open-minded curiosity about wellness and a hard-nosed seriousness about science. Everyone on this staff relied on Diana to guide us calmly and carefully through the confusing waters of scientific research to bring you responsible advice. Diana was not unlike another brilliant woman I wish you could have known. Nell Lurain,…

Did you know that all the time you spend present-shopping and gift-giving is actually good for your health? It’s true—research shows that giving in various capacities, whether in the form of a physical gift or through volunteering, can increase feelings of happiness and decrease stress. And all these emotional benefits can help your physical health too, by positively affecting things like blood pressure, which could help you live longer overall. The healthy-body vibes extend to the recipient as well—they’re likely to feel gratitude for your thoughtful gesture, which has been linked to similar benefits. So next time you swipe your card for the perfect present, feel the wellness flow in.…

Those fun little icons peppering your text messages may offer a greater benefit than emphasizing your mood—they could one day help boost your health. That’s according to Mass Gen doctors who wrote about the potential for emojis to enhance patient-physician interaction, saying they’d be particularly useful in telemedicine and for treating children, non-English-speakers, and people with disabilities because they’re an easy visual way to relay symptoms, concerns, and other health-related messages.…

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and strengthen. “It’s probably the greatest gift humans have at their disposal,” says Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D., chief director of the Center for Brain-Health at the University of Texas at Dallas. Exercise regenerates brain cells, but some activities have a negative impact: Poor sleep and multitasking both lessen brain efficiency. So sweat it out, and do one thing at a time!…

The pandemic created a disinfection obsession, and science may be one step closer to making that task a lot easier with the possibility of a long-lasting disinfectant that would need to be applied only every seven days. A team of scientists from the University of Central Florida specializing in areas like engineering and virology has developed a nanoparticle-based disinfectant. Their findings show that it’s able to render viruses inactive and has destructive powers that can last up to a week. The next phase of the study will test the creation in real-world settings, likely at a network of local hospitals, to explore things like how it’s affected by light and temperature.…

For many people who have suffered a loss, the holidays can be particularly hard no matter how much time has passed. Here, experts share tips to help. REMEMBER: GRIEF IS PERSONAL “There’s no one way that people grieve,” says Judy Ho, Ph.D., clinical and forensic neuropsychologist and author of Stop Self-Sabotage. That means that how you process loss can differ greatly from how someone else does (even if you’ve lost the same person). You may also experience a grieving process from non-death-related incidents like divorce or the end of a job or a friendship. THERE’S NO TIMETABLE Feelings such as sadness, anger, depression, and anxiety can bubble up at any time—days, months, or even years after the event. “Grief isn’t linear; it’s more circular. Some people grieve for years,” Ho…