Digital Mindfulness and Compassion Therapies Show Modest but Real Mental Health Gains
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 147 randomized controlled trials with 26,391 participants, published in PLOS Digital Health, found that digital "third-wave" therapies — acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based programs, and compassion-focused interventions delivered via smartphone apps and online platforms — produced small-to-moderate improvements in depression, anxiety, stress, and wellbeing. The benefits were smaller when compared with active control conditions than with waitlists, and some effects faded at medium-term follow-up, so the evidence supports these tools as a complement to, not a replacement for, traditional care.
Source: ScienMag
Most Long-Term Singles Stay Satisfied With Their Lives Over 11 Years, Study Finds
Researchers analyzed data from the German Family Panel, tracking 2,930 adults who remained never-married and unpartnered across 11 yearly surveys from 2009 to 2021; the study was published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. About 90 percent of participants in each age group reported high and relatively stable life satisfaction across the full 11 years, even though their sexual satisfaction and desire for a partner varied widely. The study is observational and cannot show that personality, income, or education caused the happier paths.
Source: PsyPost
People Who Worry More Tend to Have More Negative Dreams, Study Finds
A cross-sectional online survey of 389 Italian adults, published in BMC Psychology, found that people who reported more worry and depressive symptoms also tended to report more negative dreams, with stress emerging as the central element linking worry, anxiety, and depression. The findings fit the continuity idea that waking concerns carry over into sleep, though the study design cannot prove cause and effect.
Source: PsyPost