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The body and physical health

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View from inside a bakery window showing blurred people outside, cars, and pastries in the foreground.

Mental health

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The brain’s reading of the body’s state is key to mental health

The neural basis of ‘interoception’ – the interpretation of bodily signals – is affected in many mental health conditions

by Camilla Nord

Medical imaging scan showing the internal organs of a human torso, including intestines highlighted in blue and other organs in shades of red and orange.

Mind and brain

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To grasp how serotonin works on the brain, look to the gut

A new perspective uses an analogy between digestion and cognition to help explain the function of a key neurochemical

by James M Shine

Cyclist in a white polka dot jersey racing during a cycling event, with a crowd of spectators cheering in the background.

Sports and games

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Physical fatigue is in the brain as much as in the body

The idea of ‘mind over muscle’ is more than motivational rhetoric – exercise science shows how the brain manages fatigue

by David Robson

Various fresh foods, including vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, bread, cheese, nuts and spices, arranged on a wooden table.

Pain

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Solving chronic pain via the kitchen, not the medicine cabinet

While medicine still struggles with the mystery of chronic pain, simple dietary changes can bring much-needed relief

by Rowena Field

Three people wearing bathing suits and felt hats sit on a wooden bench in a sauna. The sauna is filled with steam, making the ambience hazy. The woman on the left is holding a bundle of twigs, likely for traditional sauna rituals. The mood appears relaxed and warm within the wooden interior.

The body and physical health

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You are your body: here’s how to feel more at home in it

Just because you live in a body, doesn’t mean you feel at one with it. Embodiment psychology can help you reconnect

by Elna Schütz

Person in a yellow jacket and blue hat jogging through a forest, with green foliage in the background.

The body and physical health

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Even a single exercise session can help shift depression

The long-term benefits of regular exercise for mood are well-known. What’s surprising is that just one session can help

by Matthew Bourke & Rhiannon Patten

A girl swinging with a cityscape in the background, under a cloudy sky. The Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House are visible.

Mental health

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Why does early puberty pose a risk to girls’ mental health?

Girls who start puberty earlier are at greater risk of depression and anxiety. To know why, we must look beyond biology

by Marjolein E A Barendse & Michelle L Byrne

A serene woman lying in bed with her newborn baby who is resting on her chest.

Parenting and families

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Philosophy can explain what kind of achievement it is to give birth

Pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding are physical achievements, like marathon running: give them the same respect, and no more

by Fiona Woollard

Close-up of two women in colourful gym wear, one wearing a blue watch, the other lifting a dumbbell, both with manicured nails.

The body and physical health

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Body positivity is fixated on beauty – here’s how to fix that

Body positivity is stuck in the shallow. We should move beyond beauty and towards health, pleasure and acceptance

by Céline Leboeuf

Ancient painting of a bearded man in a blue robe with a halo, guiding naked figures among skeletons and skulls on a pastel background.

The body and physical health

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Magic helped us in pandemics before, and it can again

Magic always booms during pandemics, whether past or present – but that response might not be as irrational as it seems

by Matthew Melvin-Koushki

Photo of a cityscape at sunset with silhouetted buildings and a person on a bridge in the foreground.

Pain

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Chronic pain forces a strange dance: performing wellness for others

Living with chronic pain has taught me that pain is boring for others and that our bodies are fragile containers for life

by Jude Cook

Close-up of colourful, glossy Skittles sweets - red, yellow, green, orange and purple

Emerging therapies

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Why placebo pills work even when you know they’re a placebo

New evidence of the power of the placebo effect – even without any deception – is raising important questions for medicine

by Darwin A Guevarra & Kari A Leibowitz