Better You, Backed by Science - Archives

Here are all my Better You, Backed by Science weekly emails.

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Woman writing colourful post it notes (she is left handed) and sticking them into a page in her diary. She's seated at a wooden table that also has her laptop, glasses, and a white vase containing orange roses. She is wearing a grey short-sleeved top and the photo cuts off at her chin - we only shows her chin and some brown hair hanging down.

Wednesday 13 May 2026: Why Unfinished Tasks Drain Your Energy

The Zeigarnik Effect is how unfinished tasks tend to stick around and take up space in our minds. Knowing this, we can free up mental space by making notes and plans.

Read the article here.

Young woman with long dark brown hair tied back, wearing large circular rimmed glasses, a white blue, and light brown trousers holding an open book with the other hand open, as if explaining something. The background is light blue.

Thursday 7 May 2026: Why Explaining Things Makes You Understand them Better

Studies show that explaining something to others deepens our knowledge and understanding. It's known as the Protégé Effect.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

Close up of a dandelion starting to shed some seeds. The background is blurred out, but contains bright yellow and greens suggesting morning sunshine.

Wednesday 29 April 2026: Change What You Do by Changing Who You Are

Science is beginning to show that lasting change is less about what you do and more about who you believe you are.

Read the article here.

Photo of a young woman's hands and arms as she holds a pen while writing in a journal. The journal is lined, open, and has a dark, soft cover. She is holding a black pen in her right hand and is writing on the page. There's a coffee cup on the table and the background is blurred out. The image feels warm and soft. The girl also has silver jewellery on her right index finger and middle finger, and one on the middle finger of her left hand.

Wednesday 22 April 2026: Why Writing Helps You Learn

Science shows us that when you're writing by hand, you’re not just copying – you’re processing. And that speeds up learning and understanding.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

Close up of woman wearing a white blouse typing on her smartphone. There's cartoon images of 'Love', 'Like', 'Laugh', 'notification', and 'person' icons appearing to pop out of her phone.

Wednesday 15 April 2026: What Your Feed is Feeding You

Does whether a person consumes positive or negative content affect whether they will help someone in need? That question was explored in a fascinating experiment.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

Photo of cooking ingredients on a worktop with a person stirring a glass salad bowl of salad. On the worktop there's garlic, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach leafs, olive oil, sweetcorn, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, yellow and red peppers, as well as herbs in plant pots. The image is brightly lit and colourful.

Wednesday 8 April 2026: Cooking Once a Week Could Protect Your Brain

Wellness advice often focuses on what we put on our plates – the ingredients – but new research suggests we’ve been overlooking the role of how those ingredients came to land on our plates in the first place.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

partially snow-capped mountain ranger, looking over the top of a canopy of clouds. The sky is light blue in the background.

Wednesday 1 April 2026: The Emotion that Silences Overthinking

Research suggests that experiences of awe – moments when we encounter something vast or beautiful – can calm the brain systems associated with rumination and self-focused thinking.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

Girl in her 30s with dark wavy hair making a curious face and looking up with her eyes and closed mouth to the top right. She has her lips pursed and pointing them up in the same direction as her eyes. She is wearing a while blouse and the background is a bright mustard-yellow.

Wednesday 25 March 2026: Turn Anxiety into Curiosity - A Small Mental Shift that Changes How Your Brain Handles Uncertainty

Curiosity reframes the unknown as an opportunity instead of a threat - both neurologically and psychologically.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

Young woman relaxing at home drinking tea from a large pale blue cup. She sits at the window and the sun is shining. Her eyes are closed as she savours the quiet. She has long, dark brown hair, and is wearing a peach coloured top. She is sitting on a comfy sofa.

Wednesday 18 March 2026: Why Your Brain Needs Silence

Just as muscles need rest time after a workout - to recover and strengthen - the brain needs rest after mental stimulus. And one of the ways to rest it is with silence.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

Cartoon depiction of a large head and brain with medical staff on ladders adding hearts and cogs into the brain. The head and brain are indigo coloured and the medics are dressed in light blue.

Wednesday 11 March 2026: A Surprising Way Daily Moisturiser May Slow Brain Ageing

Research suggests that daily moisturising may help slow cognitive decline as we age. Ageing skin releases inflammatory substances into the body, which can accelerate ageing, but moisturising can slow this process.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

Sketch of hands holding a yellow heart, with smaller yellow hearts above it, kind of emanating from it.

Wednesday 4 March 2026: How Kindness is Contagious

Research shows that kindness is contagious. It spreads through social networks, creating ripple effects that can travel outwards to three degrees of separation.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

Superman depiction. Cartoon image of a tall, skinny man wearing black trousers and a blue suit jacket over a white shirt. He's carrying a brown brief case and has a Superman cape flowing from him. He's holding a barbell with heavy weights on it above his head with one hand. It's so heavy the bar is bending.

Wednesday 25 February 2026: Why Harder Can Feel Better

Have you ever noticed that the things you work hardest for often mean the most? Psychologists call this the IKEA Effect.

It’s the tendency to value things more when we’ve put effort into building, creating, or attaining them.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

Brightly coloured pastel painting of a heart with lots of arms and hands of people from diverse cultures reaching up to it. The colours are red, blue, yellows, and other bright colours.

Wednesday 18 February 2026: The Science of Positive Empathy

A happiness shared is a happiness doubled. That's what the science of positive empathy tells us.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

Middle aged woman in a kneeling-meditation pose in a brightly lit studio. She is wearing red leggings and a white t-shirt. There are two windows behind her with bright sunshine shining through them, with white wispy curtains open, illuminating the room. She is kneeling on an olive green mat, which sits on a wooden floor.

Wednesday 11 February 2026: An Unexpected Way to Slow Ageing

Research shows that compassion-kindness based meditation can slow the rate of telomere attrition (a reliable indicator of ageing).

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version.

4 people in their 20s and 30s running, coming towards the camera. There's a man slightly in front and three women just behind - one to the left of the man and two to the right of him, from camera perspective. They're all wearing sports gear and looking happy.

Wednesday 4 February 2026: The Surprising Science of Exercise (and why it's good news)

Moving around the house, cooking, cleaning, doing chores, walking your dog, walking for the bus — as well as more traditional exercise like the gym, classes, or sport — it all adds up. They key message is this: whatever you do, move.

Read the article here.

Cartoon image of a young man with dark hair and glassed looking like he's figuring something out. Above his head is a tangle of string with an arrow leading towards a bright lightbulb. He is wearing a blue jacket, white t-shirt and brown trousers.

Wednesday 28 January 2026: Solve Your Problems Like a Stranger: A Simple, Science-Backed Way to Think More Clearly When Things Feel Messy

Science shows there’s a small mental shift you can make that often helps problems feel clearer, lighter, and easier to work with.

It’s called creating psychological distance.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

A woman in her 40s with her eyes closed, breathing, with her hands over her heart. She has wavy, shoulder-length brown hair, and is wearing a red and white horizontally striped t-shirt. She is standing in a well-lit room. An office with a desk and boxes is blurred out in the background, as well as an arched door with a red brick wall.

Wednesday 21 January 2026: The Heart-Breath Connection: A Simple Way to Calm Your Nervous System

Heart Rhythm Meditation is a simple science-backed way to calm your nervous system, support your heart, and lift your emotional well-being.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Row of five tablets in a horizontal row on a bright yellow background. Four of the tablets are pale yellow. The second from the right is bright pink, has a smiley face, and sunshine emanations coming out of it.

Wednesday 14 January 2026: How to Harness the Power of the Placebo

The placebo effect was once dismissed as the ‘natural course of the condition’. It meant that if a person’s condition improved when they took a placebo, it was just coincidence. We now understand things much better.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Photo of middle-aged woman meditating. She had one hand on her chest and another on her tummy. She has long light brown hair, is wearing an open white blouse over a white top, and light blue jeans. It's a bright room with a white background behind her.

Wednesday 7 January 2026: Stress Can Help You Grow - If you Give Your Brain and Body Time to Recover

When you place stress on your body – lifting weights, running, stretching your limits – you don’t get fitter during the effort. You get fitter after, during recovery. As with exercise, same with life in general.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Illustration of a young woman looking out through a giant keyhole, which is as big as a giant door. Outside - through the keyhole - the sun is shining and we see a giant colourful flower. The image around the outside of the keyhole depicts nighttime.

Wednesday 31 December 2025: The Science of Self-Affirmations (and why they actually work)

The key difference with self-affirmations (compared with regular ones affirmations) is that we focus on something we believe to be positive already about ourselves. The focus on it causes it to expand, and with it our sense of self expands too.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Closeup shot of two people holding hands in comfort. One is comforting the other. The hands are on the lap of the person being comforted and, from the angle, it appears that the comforter is on their knees.

Wednesday 24 December 2025: The Helper's High: How Helping Others Heals Your Heart and Immune System

We’re genetically wired to care. When we show kindness or compassion, the body doesn’t stay neutral. We receive a genuine biological boost — mentally and physically.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Young woman practicing breathing. She is sitting in a meditation position and has one hand on her heart and the other just in front of her tummy, with the palm up. She has dark shoulder length hair and is wearing a cream hooded top and blue jeans. She is on a white sofa with a white well behind her. The room is brightly lit.

Wednesday 17 December 2025: The Science of Breathing: How Your Breath Controls Your Nervous System

We all breathe. But according to science, what really matters is how you breathe. Some practices can tone the vagus nerve and even increase oxygen in the brain.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

A man and woman in a well lit room, by the window, shaking hands as if meeting for the first time. The picture shows others meeting in the background so may be a meet-and-greet event or something similar. The woman is black and is wearing a grey-blue open jacket with white blouse. She is smiling. The man is wearing a cream jumper with white shirt collar showing, and is looking towards the woman.

Wednesday 10 December 2025: Connection in Micro-Moments: How tiny interactions quietly upgrade your nervous system

Science now shows that even tiny moments of connection (human and / or animal) can measurably impact your nervous system, your chemistry, and your sense of wellbeing.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Partially opened pink lotus flower floating on gentle running water, like a narrow stream. The stream is running through what looks like a forest. The background is blurred out so all the image definition focuses on the lotus. Its petals are pink, and lightly white at the top, with a yellow centre.

Wednesday 3 December 2025: How to Improve Your Focus and Concentration

Not so long ago, meditation was dismissed as “woo-woo,” but now we know it offers powerful, science-backed health benefits — from supporting mental health and lowering blood pressure, to boosting immune function, slowing biological ageing, and more.

And yes… it can also significantly improve your focus and concentration.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

A hand outstretched holding three gerbera flowers - one yellow, one light pink and one a darker shade of pink. It's against a pastel blue background.

Wednesday 26 November 2025: The Science of Being Thankful

One theory goes that we’re wired for connection – and gratitude connects us. And since connection boosts brain health, heart health, and overall physical health and longevity, gratitude is a doorway to all those benefits.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Young woman with light brown wavy hair looking joyful. She is wearing a white suit jacket with a pink top and the background is cyan. She is dancing - she has one arm straight up and the other is half way up, as if in the middle of a dance move. She is very happy.

Wednesday 19 November 2025: A Surprising Way to Lift Your Mood and Boost Your Energy

If I was to think of some techniques that deliver the most gains from the least amount of effort, the power of using your body to shape your state would most definitely be in my top 3.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Cartoon image of young woman with a bubble around her of mental images showing confusion about which foods are healthy. There's images of an avocado, slice of orange, blueberries, salads, but also snack bars, hotdogs, doughnuts, and other similar items of both health and unhealthy types.

Wednesday 12 November 2025: A Surprising Way to Optimise Your Immune System

Being kind to others changed the genetic activity of circulating immune cells (white blood cells), reducing inflammation and increasing antiviral defences.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Two girls, happy, hugging facing the camera, wearing bright clothing and sunglasses. They're both wearing open blue denim jackets and striped tops. One has dark blue and white stripes and the other has read and white strips - both horizontal stripes. The girls on the left is smiling broadly and the girl on the right has a wide open mouth smile and is making a fun two finger peace gesture. They seem very happy and fun. The background is single tone mustard-yellow.

Wednesday 5 November 2025: Live Your Best Possible Self

Imagine a time, say a year from now, where things have gone really well, as well as they possibly could. You've worked hard, overcome challenges, and you've achieved what you set out to do.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Cartoon image. Multiethnic group of people cooperating for environmental protection and sustainability in a park: they are supporting earth together - one is recycling waste, one is growing plants, one is choosing renewable energy resources. Four of them in the middle are holding a giant planet Earth in their hands. They're in a park and the sky is blue behind them.

Wednesday 29 October 2025: The Stress-Reducing Power of Social Buffering

What really carries us through disruption and challenging times isn’t bandwidth or servers; it’s patience, compassion, kindness, and shared humanity. It’s each other.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

3 women around 40 years old laughing hysterically. They're sitting on the floor at the foot of a bed on a rug. They're all wearing jeans, have no shoes on, and are holding cups of tea or coffee. They're wearing light coloured tops - one is blue, one is white, and one is light green.

Wednesday 22 October 2025: Why Laughter Really is the Best Medicine

There's more to laughter than a good feeling. Studies now show it impacts the heart and immune system, it produces endorphins and reduces inflammation, and it's like gym time for the soul.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Autumn view over rusty-coloured fir trees from a high vantage point. In the background we see mountains and the clouds are beneath us almost looking like a lake.

Wednesday 15 October 2025: How Awe Rewires the Brain

Awe reduces activity in the brain's default mode network - the part that's linked with self-focus and overthinking. It also reduces inflammation, makes us feel more humble, and even inspires a sense of 'enlarged connectedness'.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Cartoon image of a pink brain with rosy cheeks, smiling, while doing a yoga pose standing on one leg with finger and thumb of each hand held in a mudra. It's wearing a blue headband and a heart bubble is emerging from it's mind.

Wednesday 8 October 2025: When You Visualise Illness to Wellness

Studies show that imagination activates many of the same brain circuits as reality. The reason is that, in our distant past, the brain learned to react to imagined danger as if it was real because it might have saved our lives.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Young african american woman, wearing an orange jumper, over blurred background smiling with hands on her chest with closed eyes and grateful gesture on face.

Wednesday 1 October 2025: "I like your hair" - The Surprising Science of Compliments

Studies show that most people underestimate the positive impact compliments have while also overestimating how uncomfortable a compliment will make a person feel.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Image of a red heart wearing white bulky earphones. It's on an aqua-coloured background.

Wednesday 24 September 2025: The Healing Power of Music: Why Music Reaches Deeper Than Words

Music doesn't just touch one part of the brain - it lights up billions of neurons across many connected regions. This allows a few notes to access memory circuits that contain an entire package: tune, words, and the experiences tied to them.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Young smiling African American woman smiling with arms in the air, rejoicing in a victory. She's sitting cross-legged on a salmon-coloured sofa and has a laptop on her lap. The room behind is blurred out, but is brightly lit. We can see a tall green plant and a back door with a 6 pane window at the top.

Wednesday 17 September 2025: Why Small Wins Matter More Than You Think

When you achieve even the smallest of goals, your brain releases dopamine - the "motivation molecule." The small achievement not only feels good, but it primes your brain to want to do more.

Read the article here. Watch the YouTube version

Stack of zen stones in balance at seashore. There's a large flat one on the bottom that represents the long part of a see saw, with smaller piles of zen stones at either end. The 'see saw' is balanced on the tip of a triangular stone. It's on a rock with sea and blue sky in the background.

Wednesday 10 September 2025: The Opposite of Stress? It's Not What You Think

When you think about the opposite of stress, what comes to mind? Peace? Calm? Relaxation?

Those are really just the absence of stress, not its opposite.

Read the article here.

Cartoon style image of woman running on a giant blue ribbon in the sky, with milestones marked up to the end, where there's a flag. It's a depiction of the path to a goal that's not a straight line, but an undulating one.

Wednesday 3 September 2025: The Science of Goal Setting

Studies show that following a few specific steps can greatly improve our success in achieving our goals. So here are some science-backed tips and a walk through the WOOP method. Read the article here.

Edinburgh at night scene with Lights streak from high-sided vehicles on Princess street and Balmoral hotel on background. The sky is dark blue.

Wednesday 27 August 2025: How to Slow Time and Make Life Feel Richer

The brain roughly gauges the passage of time by the number of new memories we form, which are encoded in rich, complex detail. Familiar routines, on the other hand, leave only faint traces. The result is that time seems to skip between meaningful events. Read the article here.

Young woman in a large well-lit bedroom doing squats. She's wearing pink leggings and a pink sports top. She has hark hair in a pony-tail. She is facing the camera and smiling. Lots of light is coming in through the curtain to her left. In the background is a bed that is low to the ground (no legs). There's some green leafy plants in the room.

Wednesday 20 August 2025: The Science of Mental Reps - Build Strength With Your Brain

Imagining exercise can actually make you stronger – AND it doesn’t matter how old you are. I say this because most previous studies have focused on younger people. But the youngest person in this study was 68. Read the article here.

Cartoon image of 2 males and two females having fun holding up a large yellow smiley face, as if it was a giant balloon. The background is a blue sky. The men are wearing dark blue trousers and light blue tops, one woman is wearing a light blue skirt and white blouse, while the other is wearing a dark blue skirt, white blouse and light blue open jacket.

Wednesday 13 August 2025: The Pain-Relief Technique You Can Do With Your Eyes Closed

New research found that visualising receiving physio treatment - ultrasound, TENS, hot pack, and exercise - reduced pain as much as the treatment itself. They key was how they visualised. Read the article here.

Cartoon illustration of a young woman with dark hair wearing a pink-purple jumper. Her hands are in the prayer position and there's illustrations of hearts and stars emanating from her. She is being thankful.

Wednesday 6 August 2025: The Gratitude Trick that Boosts Mood and Sleep

In some research, just 15 minutes of gratitude journaling before bed reduced worrying, helped people get to sleep faster, and improved sleep quality. Read the article here.

Child playing with wooden wings strapped to his back. He's wearing an aviator mask and has one fist pointed into the air. He is wearing dark trousers with stars all over them and a mustard top. He is in a field and the sky is pure light blue.

Wednesday 30 July 2025: Feel Better in Minutes (Without Thinking Positive Thoughts)

Just as your feelings shape your posture and movement, your posture and movement can shape your feelings. And this is something you can tap into. Read the article here.

Young woman with hand on chest breathing in fresh air in a beautiful garden during sunset. She is Latino, has dark brown long hair, is wearing a brown vest with a great open blouse on top.

Wednesday 23 July 2025: Why "Toning" Your Vagus Nerve Can Boost Your Health

There’s a lot of buzz around the vagus nerve these days, but many people still don’t fully understand what it is, how it works, or why it matters so much for health. Read the article here.

Young woman with dark hair and black cap, wearing a yellow top, khaki green cargo pants and white sneakers, against a purple background. She's a hip hop dancer and is in the air with arms outstretched and leaping.

Wednesday 16 July 2025: Stop "Catching" Stress - A Mirror Neuron Trick That Works

Your Mirror Neuron System doesn't just mirror actions. It mirror emotions. In fact, 15-25% of the average person's emotional state is emotions they've caught from other people. Read the article here.

Laughing mother with daughter piggyback on her back, having fun at the beach. The sea is in background.

Wednesday 9 July 2025: Want to Feel Happier? Be Happy for Other People

Sounds counterintuitive, but it's probably one of the simplest ways to boost your mood and improve your relationships. Read the article here.

Young beautiful African American afro businesswoman with curly hair wearing pink jacket success sign doing positive gesture with hand, thumbs up smiling and happy. Cheerful expression and winner gesture. The wall behind her is baby-pink.

Wednesday 2 July 2025: The Power of SELF Affirmations

We've all heard of regular affirmations. What about Self-Affirmations? They're different. The word "Self" makes all the difference. Read the article here.

3D image of neurons and synapses with some neurons lit up. The background is blue, like the neurons are in the sky. Some neurons are dark blue and those lit up are lit in white.

Wednesday 25 June 2025: The Science of Action Observation

Now, this is going to sound a bit "out there," but research shows that you can get stronger by watching someone work out. Read the article here.

Three woman around 50-60 years old hugging each other in a park. They're all laughing. The one on the left is wearing a mustard-colour t-shirt, the one in the middle is wearing a pink t-shirt, and the one on the right is wearing an orange sweatshirt.

Wednesday 18 June 2025: How to Slow Ageing

Did you know that your biological age can be younger – or older – than your real age, depending on your mindset? Read the article here.

Tow women smiling and giving each other a High Five. The woman on the left is wearing a white blouse and the woman on the right is wearing a multi coloured jumper of coloured squares - blue, pink, olive green, while, and black. They're in a well-lit, spacious office.

Wednesday 11 June 2025: Want to Feel Happier and Live Longer? Science Says Connect!

Did you know that positive interactions with others can boost happiness, support mental health, and even help us live longer? Read the article here.

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