People you hate may increase your anxiety level at parties

Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University found that familiar and affordable foods can help create a society where people are healthier and less stressed. Japanese natto, which is made from softened soybeans that have been boiled or steam-fermented with a bacteria known as Bacillus subtilis var. natto, might be one example of such a food. The study was published in the journal, 'Journal of Applied Microbiology'.

Even the shortest ties can sometimes lead to the deepest bonds in life. Like when you attend a party and run into someone wearing the T-shirt of your favourite band, or who laughs at the same jokes as you, or who picks up the oddball food you alone (or so you thought) enjoy. My favourite is when a conversation is started by a tiny, common interest that develops into an enduring love.

Art can improve our mindsets. But does this also apply while seeing the artwork on a screen? An international research team led by the University of Vienna, the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, and the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) in Frankfurt am Main chose to study this topic. The findings have now been published as an open-access publication in the journal Computers in Human Behaviour.

Researchers from the University of South Australia recommend physical activity to be a mainstay strategy for controlling depression as a new study demonstrates that it is 1.5 times more beneficial than psychotherapy or the most popular medications.

Describe shyness. According to research, shyness is characterised by dread and anxiety in the face of social novelty and/or social judgement. Although behavioural, affective, and physiological manifestations of shyness might occur, little is known about how these elements interact.