Why Are Recurring Dreams Usually Bad Ones?
Recurring dreams may feature taking a test the dreamer didn’t study for, having to make a speech or being attacked. Here’s why our sleeping brain comes back to these unpleasant dreams again and again
Science-Backed Sleep Tips from 2024 to Help You Snooze Better
From the “sleepy girl mocktail” to power naps, researchers explained which sleep trends this year really help with quality shut-eye
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Hypochondria Is a Real and Dangerous Illness, New Research Shows
Intense health anxiety is a true mental illness and threatens lives. The good news is that it’s treatable
How to Calm Your Election Anxiety
People are really stressed about the U.S. presidential election. A psychiatrist offers several self-help methods to reduce feelings of despair
If Political Stress Is Giving You ‘Electsomnia,’ Experts Have Sleep Tips
Scientific American staff and sleep experts share advice on how to get better sleep in the stressful days leading up to the U.S. presidential election—and those that come after
The ‘Fight or Flight’ Idea Misses the Beauty of What the Brain Really Does
The brain’s primary job is to reduce uncertainty in an ever changing world
Parasocial Relationships Can Tell Us a Lot about the Social Brain
People can form surprisingly strong bonds with others—even when that tie is one-sided
A Citrus-Scented Cannabis Compound Reduces Anxiety for Weed Users
New research into weed reveals how a lemon-scented terpene can ease anxiety without reducing the high.
Lemon-Scented Marijuana Compound Reduces Weed’s ‘Paranoia’ Effect
The molecule that gives cannabis its citrusy smell can make THC less anxiety-inducing
Could Magnesium and TikTok’s ‘Sleepy Girl Mocktail’ Actually Help You Sleep?
TikTok’s “sleepy girl mocktails” remind us how important magnesium is for sleep and health
Farmers in Crisis, Long Overlooked, Are Finally Getting Mental Health Support
Amid a mounting mental health crisis among farmers, experts are working to make help more accessible
Slipping on Your New Year’s Resolutions? Science Tips to Get on Track
Studies of goal setting reveal why it’s so hard to keep resolutions—and how to make ones that actually stick