In 2025, a review in PMC analyzed data from multiple studies, including the 2022 ABCD Study with 2,217 kids aged 9-10, using brain scans and behavior tests. It found excessive screen time, especially with reward-heavy games on devices like iPads, triggers dopamine overload, making kids crave instant gratification and struggle with everyday tasks. Kids with over 2 hours daily showed higher attention problems and depression scores, with brain scans revealing lower caudate nucleus activity (a reward area), hinting at addiction risks, and reduced prefrontal cortex function, linked to poor impulse control and increased aggression.

In 2025, J. Zeng and a team from China reviewed 9 randomized trials with 514 adults battling depression. They compared high-intensity exercise (like intense running or weight lifting) to control groups, measuring depression with standard scales like the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). Workouts lasted from weeks to months.

In 2020, a scoping review by K. Ahern and team found that low protein intake and unstable blood sugar from high-carb diets worsened anxiety by 20-30%, as they disrupt serotonin production and spike stress hormones like cortisol. A 2016 study by K. M. Whitaker showed skipping breakfast raised cortisol levels in women by 15-25%, increasing morning stress and anxiety.

In 2023, Daniel P. Windred and a team studied sleep patterns in thousands of adults across multiple cohorts, finding that sleeping in on weekends, called social jetlag, disrupts your body’s internal clock. Each hour of jetlag raises heart disease risk by 11% and worsens mood, obesity, and unhealthy habits like smoking or poor diet. A 2019 study by C.M. Depner showed that catching up on sleep after five short nights still caused 10-15% worse insulin sensitivity and higher calorie intake, leading to weight gain risks.

In 2023, Ben Singh and a team reviewed 97 meta-analyses covering 1,039 trials with 128,119 adults to compare exercise against psychotherapy or medications for mental health issues like depression and anxiety. They looked at various workouts—brisk walking, weights, yoga—measuring effects on mood, stress, and brain chemicals.

In 2025, Melody Ding and a team from The University of Sydney reviewed 35 studies with over 16,000 adults from 2014-2025. They analyzed how daily step counts affect eight health outcomes, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia, cancer, depression, falls, physical function, and overall death risk, using data from PubMed and EBSCO CINAHL.

In 2025, M. Khanani and a team reviewed studies on how excessive screen time affects kids and teens. They found that spending too long on devices like phones, tablets, or TVs—especially since the COVID-19 pandemic—hurts physical, mental, and developmental health.

In 2025, J. Tan and a team reviewed 12 observational studies from databases like PubMed and Embase up to September 2024. They analyzed how skipping breakfast affects depression risk, using data from various groups and checking study quality with a standard tool.

In 2023, Hao Li and a team from China reviewed 22 randomized trials with 1,537 people battling substance use disorder. They explored how light, moderate, and high-intensity workouts like walking, jogging, or weight lifting reduce withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, depression, anxiety, and insomnia during detox.

In 2025, Lydia Woodyatt and her team from Flinders University studied why some people can't forgive themselves after mistakes. They talked to 80 individuals: some who stayed stuck in guilt and shame, and others who eventually forgave themselves. The researchers looked at real-life stories to understand what keeps people trapped in the past and what helps them move on.

In 2021, Yumeng Xie and a team from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University reviewed many studies on how exercise helps people with depression. They looked at different kinds of workouts like running, swimming, or yoga, and how they change brain chemicals, reduce swelling, and improve mood. Exercise works by boosting happy brain signals like serotonin and dopamine, growing new brain cells, and cutting down harmful stress.

In 2025, Xiangyan Zhou and a team from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China reviewed studies on how gut microbes affect depression. They explored the gut-brain axis, a two-way connection between your belly and brain, showing how gut bugs impact mood and mental health.

In 2025, Rachael Frost and team from Frontiers looked at 209 clinical trials testing 64 over-the-counter products like herbs and supplements for depression in adults. They checked if these helped symptoms more than placebos or matched antidepressants, grouping results by strong evidence (over 10 trials), emerging (2-9), or single studies.

In 2025, Yunxiang Sun and team from Johns Hopkins and Brazilian universities analyzed survey data from over 87,000 adults in Brazil. They used self-reports on diabetes, depression, and diet (via food frequency questionnaires) to check how ultra-processed food (UPF) intake affects the depression-diabetes connection, running stats adjusted for age, income, and more.

In 2025, Melody Ding and team from the University of Sydney analyzed 57 studies with over 160,000 people across multiple countries. They used data from wearable devices like pedometers to track daily steps, comparing health outcomes like death rates, heart disease, dementia, and depression against a baseline of 2,000 steps.

A 2025 cross-sectional observational study of nearly 350 women with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) revealed that almost 30% experienced depressive symptoms, far higher than the general population—highlighting a hidden mental health crisis linked to early menopause.

Globally, added sugar now makes up around 10% of total calories consumed, ranking just behind grains and produce. But while those provide some nourishment, sugar contributes little and harms much. A 2023 Annual Review study warns that sugar—not fat—is driving the chronic disease epidemic. And sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are the worst offenders.

UCLA researchers uncovered four distinct “roadmaps” leading to Alzheimer’s by analyzing longitudinal health records from nearly 25,000 patients and validating findings in the All of Us cohort. These sequential diagnostic patterns predicted dementia better than any single risk factor.

A growing body of research from 2020 to 2025 shows that religion and spirituality offer powerful protection against depression, anxiety, and even chronic illness.

A 2025 pooled cohort study of 1.56 million UK adults found that those diagnosed with autoimmune or chronic inflammatory conditions had a 86% higher likelihood of experiencing affective disorders (depression, anxiety, bipolar) compared to people without these conditions.