Parasocial relationships: The good, the bad, and the boy bands by Wistar Murray | Mar 25, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Relationships My five-year-old daughter has a self-professed “crush” on Tae Young, who is a cartoon member of the early 2000s fictional boy band 4*Town, which is featured in the 2022 Disney Pixar movie “Turning Red.” (I know, my head is spinning too.) I can’t tell if my daughter thinks Tae is…
New Thriveworks research shows abundance of parasocial relationships in the US by Wistar Murray | Mar 22, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Relationships A new research study from Thriveworks shows that more Americans are engaged in parasocial relationships than they care to admit. Humans naturally form one-sided connections to media personas and public figures, even genuinely mourning their deaths. These parasocial relationships are usually harmless, though 9% of people report lasting mental health…
Music therapy: How the “Encanto” soundtrack and other forms of music can help us to process our emotions by Jason Crosby | Jan 27, 2022 | Beginning Therapy, Feelings & Emotions, Mental Health Topics Nothing else has the ability to power us through our workouts and make awkward elevator rides a little bit more bearable. That’s right; it’s hard to imagine a world without music. It’s probably an understatement to say that music is taken for granted; we don’t always recognize the mental sway…
Can we blame filters and “Instagram face” for body dysmorphic disorder? by Wistar Murray | Sep 27, 2021 | Disorders, Media Use, Mental Health Topics The other day I was watching an Instagram video of a woman’s nose job. (On Instagram, I’m always watching either cosmetic surgery before-and-afters or slow pans around dollhouse interiors.) The woman was adorable. Then she did this time-lapse thing with bandages on her nose and dark circles under her eyes….
Friendship therapy: A professional can help friends improve and maintain their bond by Wistar Murray | Sep 2, 2021 | Beginning Therapy, Mental Health Topics, Relationships Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King are in their 60s now, but they first became friends in their 20s, when they were both single women in TV broadcasting. This means that for over 40 years they have stuck together through marriages, children, divorce, and career ups and downs. Their BFF status…
Mental health is trending: We are crushing the negative stigma surrounding mental illness and opening up about our problems by Alannah Miller | Jul 16, 2019 | Mental Health Topics, Research People are starting to feel more comfortable opening up about their mental health problems, and in turn, crushing the negative stigma that surrounds mental illness. No one is immune to mental health disorders: for example, big name celebrities and athletes struggle too and are sharing their experiences. Mental health is…
8 Celebrities Talk About Their Experiences with Therapy by Taylor Bennett | Nov 8, 2017 | Mental Health Topics, Self-Care Celebrities develop mental illnesses and crack under the pressures of life just like the rest of us—which means sometimes they need a little help. The following eight celebrities, who have suffered from a wide variety of conditions and stresses, decided that it was time to talk to someone. And every…
10 Celebrities Shed Light on Mental Health by Taylor Bennett | Oct 12, 2017 | Mental Health Awareness, Mental Health Topics We often look to celebrities—whether they be actors, singers, comedians, or TV personalities—for guidance. We hope that they don’t let us down, but use their platform for good, to demonstrate respectable actions and ideations. And while sometimes we’re left disappointed, at others we are proud, uplifted, and ultimately pieced back…
The Mental Health Effects of Being a Celebrity by Taylor Bennett | Sep 5, 2017 | Mental Health Awareness, Mental Health Topics Celebrities are always in the spotlight. For the movie they just starred in or the album they just released. And regardless of what they’re doing, the cameras are flashing—as they take their dog for a walk, grab a cup of coffee, trip on the red carpet at the Met Gala,…