Change Your Mind with New Scientist

Exercise is often framed as a way to get fit, but what if its biggest benefits are happening in your brain? In this episode of Change Your Mind, Health Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson explore why movement matters for our mood and long-term brain health, and why making exercise part of everyday life can feel like such a challenge. Joining them is Brendon Stubbs, a leading researcher in physical activity and mental health. Together, they look at what science is beginning to reveal about exercise and the brain, whether some kinds of movement might be better than others, and how much you need to do to make a difference.  Produced by Emily Bird  Got a topic you'd like us to cover? Email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠ Find out more about the brain benefits of exercise at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2589563-short-bursts-of-exercise-can-boost-your-cognition/ Sources: Astrocytes - ttps://www.newscientist.com/article/2586505-exercise-may-create-new-neurons-by-making-other-brain-cells-contract/ Depression as good as antidepressants  ttps://www.newscientist.com/article/2510492-exercise-may-relieve-depression-as-effectively-as-antidepressants/ Endorphins: ttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306453021000470?via%3Dihub

Is now really the worst time in history to be a teenager? This week, health Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson take on a topic that worries many parents: teenage mental health. Helping them wade through the misinformation is Lucy Foulkes, a psychologist at the University of Oxford who specialises in teenage mental health and social development.  She explains why adolescence is such a vulnerable time for the brain, and why it lasts much longer than you might expect. She also shares a surprising idea about whether all our talk about mental health might have unexpected downsides. Are smartphones really villain they're made out to be, or is something bigger going on? Cat and Helen come away with practical ideas for supporting the teenagers in their lives, and a few habits they need to change themselves. Got a topic you'd like us to cover? Email us at [email protected] If you're struggling with any of the issues discussed in this episode, support is available from the UK Samaritans and the US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Produced by Emily Bird. Find out more about Adolescent Mental Health at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2443636-is-youth-mental-health-really-worse-today-than-it-was-decades-ago/  https://www.newscientist.com/article/2495265-matt-richtel-grapples-with-how-modern-life-is-warping-adolescence/  Lucy’s reading list:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Its-Their-World-Adolescence-ParentingTM/dp/B0DJHQJXVH/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Screensaver-Judgement-Free-Guide-Childs-Smartphone/dp/1805226479 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smartphone-Solution-bestselling-clinical-psychologist/dp/0008773920 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlocked-Pete-Etchells/dp/0349432937/ Lucy’s podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kWA0hyOrlRAKpAC27Dk2e  Lucy’s books: https://www.lucyfoulkes.co.uk/books  Lucy’s research:  https://www.lucyfoulkes.co.uk/research  

Feeling tempted by social media tips to “reset” your vagus nerve, fix your anxiety and banish inflammation? In this episode, Health Journalists Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson dig into the science behind vagus nerve stimulation.  With neurosurgeon and researcher Kevin Tracey, they explore how this a modern wellness obsession came about, what FDA‑approved implants can really do for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and why most DIY hacks may be running ahead of the evidence. Produced by Emily Bird We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Find out more about The Vagus Nerve at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2388223-unravelling-the-secrets-of-the-vagus-nerve-will-revolutionise-medicine/  Sources:  The Great Nerve book by Kevin Tracey https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/470370/the-great-nerve-by-tracey-dr-kevin/978140597850 Linda Watkins paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7746479/ Kevin’s original paper triggering the discovery of inflammation and vagus nerve: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9361344/ Testing the inflammation-vagus nerve theory: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10839541/ Earlobe experiment: https://jasontsukahara.com/publications/2021-ijp-vagus-pupil/2021-ijp-vagus-pupil.pdf Small human study recording non invasive vagus stimulation and brain response https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28648089/ POTS: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37999672/ 

Why do so many of us feel calmer, clearer and more creative by the sea, a river or a lake? In this episode, Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson dive into the science of blue spaces. Picking apart the theories behind why water captures our attention and how time spent near water can change how we feel pain, our stress levels and even long-term physical health.  They’re joined by psychologist Dr Mathew White, whose large-scale studies are revealing why time near water might give our brains an extra boost over green spaces alone, and how much you really need each week to feel the effects.  Produced by Emily Bird We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Find out more about Blue Spaces at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2328003-why-spending-time-near-water-gives-us-a-powerful-mental-health-boost/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2272260-green-spaces-arent-just-for-nature-they-boost-our-mental-health-too/ Sources: https://bluehealth2020.eu/people/mathew-white/ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/oct/06/best-walk-hike-for-mental-health-uk Attention Restoration theory  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10937404.2016.1196155 Wales study: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196%2823%2900212-7/fulltext Large England study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024002538?via%3Dihub Moving urban to rural http://pubs.acs.org/esthag/article/48/2/1247/1481535/Longitudinal-Effects-on-Mental-Health-of-Moving-to Lake and electric shocks  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56870-2 Lake and dentist https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0013916517710077  19 country study of blue spaces: https://natureandhealth.uw.edu/publications/the-restorative-power-of-blue-spaces-a-19-country-study/ 

If after a record-breaking summer of heatwaves our warming planet is weighing heavily on your mind, you are not alone. Climate anxiety is on the rise, especially among young people, but what makes it different from “ordinary” anxiety, and how should we respond?  In this episode of Change Your Mind with New Scientist Cat de Lange and Helen Thomson talk to psychotherapist and climate-aware therapy expert Caroline Hickman about why eco anxiety is a rational response to a warming world, how it is reshaping young people’s lives and decisions, and what her global research reveals about sadness, fear and a sense of betrayal. They explore practical ways to live with climate distress without being overwhelmed from reframing anxiety as care, to building resilience, to using imagination to create hopeful visions of the future.  Produced by Emily Bird We want to hear your thoughts, leave a comment or send in your ideas for future episodes to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ Find out more about Climate Anxiety at New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2424806-what-is-eco-anxiety-and-how-can-we-overcome-it/ Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/14/four-in-10-young-people-fear-having-children-due-to-climate-crisis https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2290232-younger-generations-are-the-most-fatalistic-about-climate-change/ https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(24)00100-3 https://imagine5.com/interview/rob-hopkins-the-future-is-beautiful-but-to-get-there-we-have-to-believe-in-it/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23774240607&gbraid=0AAAAA9TOeEgsQNAaHACtVCr7BZGz_jAoM&gclid=Cj0KCQjwm8bTBhDWARIsAC9Hi8lmbg6K7Ou7MYIHqmk2QBhqm52Ggr8V_ffnWSc-RLjqf_flePH7_o8aAhLBEALw_wcB