Explainer

Young woman using a virtual reality headset in a field

Two hundred thirty-six students with anxiety spent 30 minutes planting rowing and reflecting inside a virtual nature world and several benefits remained two weeks later

Can a computer-made lake, a planted virtual tree and a quiet boat ride calm an anxious mind? A trial involving university students in China found that a single session of Mind Nature, an interactive virtual landscape with mindfulness guidance, reduced anxiety more than a recreational VR game or no activity. The study, published in the…

Swimmer in the pool raises his hands up. Water Sports Victory Concept. Arena with flashes. Mixed media

Humans Explainer

Elite swimmers cut training distance by 57 percent before a major competition, while hormones, sleep and motivation barely changed during 12 weeks and stress fell only among women

Swimmer training on the open sea / ocean

Humans Explainer

Forty-eight adolescent swimmers completed 10 sessions pairing psyching-up with cognitive challenges and sharpened attention reaction time and mood without adding physical strain

Concept of human intelligence with human brain on black background

Oceans Explainer

Eighteen expert saturation divers descended to a simulated 440 meters and became slower plus less accurate when conflicting numbers tested their attention at 45 atmospheres

Concept of human intelligence with human brain on blue background

Health Explainer

Forty-eight divers worked underwater for 30 minutes, one hour or three hours and only the longest exposure raised anxiety while rat experiments linked cognitive decline to CCR3-driven brain inflammation

Teen girl pink hair wear vr headset goggles hold controllers play active shooter vr video game futuristic immersive simulator virtual reality 3D 360 cyber game stand at home in liv

Health Explainer

Fifty young patients used an underwater virtual world or guided imagery during two unsedated procedures and virtual reality helped most when fears about pain were already high

Isolated_astronaut_resting_inside_a_spacecraft

Space Explainer

Five analog astronauts spent seven days inside a Moon-like habitat and finished with higher cortisol plus rising oxidative stress as sleep and circadian rhythms came under strain

Tourists viewing snow covered landscape and high waterfall, Iceland, Europe. Iceland nature 2017 winter cold

Health Explainer

Thirty-two adults faced carbon dioxide panic challenges and 30 seconds of cold facial immersion slowed heart rates while reducing induced panic and anxiety

Cold water placed across the face may activate an ancient survival reflex that slows the heart and eases some symptoms of panic. In a small human experiment, people with panic disorder reported less anxiety after holding their breath and immersing their faces in cold water for 30 seconds. The study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry,…

A stunning digital rendering of Earth from space, featuring a satellite and the vast universe

Humans Explainer

Across 66 astronauts and cosmonauts, a study found longer missions drew more coping humor, while self-defeating jokes rose later in a space career

A study of 66 spacefarers found that humor in spaceflight memoirs, interviews, debriefs and oral histories followed clear social patterns rather than appearing as random comic relief. The most striking result was simple: longer missions brought more coping humor, the kind of joking people use when pressure rises and emotions need a safe release. The…

Astronaut crew cooperating in an isolated habitat

Humans Explainer

NASA data from 83 astronauts and analog crewmates found that tidy, considerate behavior explained roughly 40 percentage points more of whether a crew would work together again, giving mission planners a measure of the daily habits that help isolated teams stay workable

A survey linked daily habits with future crew trust A Frontiers in Psychology study followed 83 astronauts and analog crewmates across 24 teams and asked a simple question with large consequences for long missions: which small habits make people easier to live with when there is no easy escape? The teams lived and worked in…

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