In this tough economic climate, arts programs in schools, including language and music classes, are viewed as extracurricular and often the first to be cut, while core programs of math and science are protected. The potential economic benefit of trained mathematicians and scientists may be obvious to policy makers, and...

Can interacting with nature be therapeutic for individuals with major depressive disorder? In a recent study published in The Journal of Affective Disorders, my collaborators and I found that individuals who were diagnosed with major depressive disorder gained some therapeutic benefits after taking a 50-minute walk in nature...

We like to think that we are in complete conscious control of our behaviour, but as it turns out we may be kidding ourselves. Case in point: many of us think that advertising has no bearing on our behaviour until we find ourselves woofing down a fast-food chain hamburger that...

In our modern lives, we are constantly bombarded with information and demands on our attention. Between cell phones, email, the Internet and social networking, there is hardly a moment left for self-reflection and uninterrupted relaxation.

While all of these technologies bring many new and exciting possibilities, they also bring...