Welcome to the Wellness Corner!

The Wellness Corner is where we share updates on mental health and wellness research and resources.

Introducing... Science and Strategies for Improved Well-Being!

Well Read: Looking for some book recommendations?

Carleton University's mental health resources

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

When and how are we more likely to help others?

Many individuals want to engage in prosocial behaviours, but have limited time and resources to be able to do so. Therefore, it can be difficult to decide what prosocial acts one has to capacity to engage in. To examine some factors that determine when people engage in daily prosocial acts, two seven-day diary studies were conducted... More

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Finding Hope for Patients with Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are difficult to treat and often have a protracted course with less than 50% of adults achieving recovery from anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. These conclusions are based on longitudinal research that examined outcomes over a decade.  Recent longitudinal research by Dr. Nassim Tabri (from the Department of Psychology) and... More

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Witnessing Workplace Aggression

Witnessing Workplace Aggression   Research findings indicate that employees who endure aggression at work often experience detrimental outcomes, but are the effects even more widespread than current evidence suggests? Dr. Kathryne Dupré and her colleagues explored this question and found that those who are not direct targets of aggression,... More

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Can pets be good for romantic relationships?

Can pets be good for romantic relationships? Carleton grad Anika Cloutier (now at Queen’s University) and Psychology faculty member Johanna Peetz conducted several studies showing that pet ownership was associated with relationship benefits (greater overall relationship quality, partner responsiveness, adjustment and relational investment) among... More

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Friendship, Dating and Cyberbullying in University Students

Friendship, Dating & Cyberbullying in University Students Tina Daniels & Alyssa Bonneville, Psychology Dept., Carleton University   Did you know that adolescents and young adults are most at risk of becoming a target of cyberbullying and/or excessive monitoring perpetrated by their friends and dating partners? The rates of such... More

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

The benefits of play in established romantic relationships

Play is not just for children. Research suggests the importance of play (i.e., fun, discovery, exploration) in shaping adults’ romantic relationships. Recent research by Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk (faculty member from the Department of Psychology) and her colleagues tracked established couples over time and found that engaging in exciting play... More

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

The Benefits of Sensory Environments

Today's Wellness Wednesday research and tip comes from Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon, President and Vice-Chancellor of Carleton University and MeWeRTH Hub Research Member: My field of research is sensory perception - how our brain processes signals from neurons in our eyes and ears to build our perception of what we call ‘reality’. What we see... More

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Seeking more solitude: Conceptualization, assessment, and implications of aloneliness

Solitude can be experienced as unpleasant and even painful – particularly when it is unwelcome. In this regard, spending too much time alone can lead to feelings of loneliness and depression, and is generally seen as damaging to our wellbeing. However, when solitude is chosen and even sought after, it can also be experienced... More

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Why You Should Talk to Strangers

You’re an adult now, so it is OK—good even—to talk to strangers. Humans are a social species, yet some people are dispositionally more social than others; think of the introversion-extraversion dimension. Dr. John Zelenski and colleagues have found that asking people—even introverted people—to act like extraverts for a few minutes... More

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

First year university student and stressed? Self-compassion might help!

First year university student and stressed? Self-compassion might help! Self-compassion is useful during difficult times such as transitions to university, setbacks in school, or failures. It involves being kind to yourself, understanding that failure and setbacks are common to everyone, and keeping thoughts in balance. A study by Hub Research... More

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Tracking Student Mental Health Across the Semester

Every year, campus communities become more aware that student mental health is a concern, particularly as we see national and international trends in self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety continuing to rise. In a recent (pre-COVID) study, Dr. Andrea Howard (from the Department of Psychology) with her colleagues, decided to take a closer... More

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Workplace Apologies

Regardless of the efforts of managers/supervisors to do the right thing and behave in ethical ways, they make mistakes, and their subsequent apologies may have implications for the well-being of their colleagues/employees and themselves. Dr. Kathryne Dupré and her colleagues explored this issue and found that following different types of... More

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Trajectories of social support in adults with type 2 diabetes: Associations with depressive symptoms and functional disability

Research suggests that having consistent social support is linked to good health outcomes. For example, Rachel Burns (Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology) and her colleagues studied links between patterns of social support and health outcomes in adults with diabetes. Those who had consistently high levels of support over three years had... More

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

What’s so great about self-control? Examining the importance of self-control and temptation in predicting real-life depletion and goal attainment.

Milyavskaya, M. &  Inzlicht, M. (2017). What’s so great about self-control? Examining the importance of self-control and temptation in predicting real-life depletion and goal attainment. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 8, 603-611.   When we think about attaining our goals, we frequently think about the need for... More

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