In today's episode of The Health & Happiness Podcast, Travis & Lauryn talk about placebos & nocebos. What the heck is a placebo or a nocebo, you ask? Basically, it's a positive or negative effect (respectively) from a treatment that has no therapeutic benefit. So, how can a treatment with no therapeutic benefit have a positive or negative effect? It's all in the power of the mind or the power of our expectations/conditioning! The research on this topic is fascinating and we explore a variety of studies and talk about some of our sillier experiences with placebos & nocebos. How do placebos work? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/306437#how-does-it-work Female Room Attendant Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17425538/ Low back pain open Placebo Study: https://journals.lww.com/pain/fulltext/2016/12000/open_label_placebo_treatment_in_chronic_low_back.17.aspx Systematic Review placebos in Medications https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3655171/ Ethical Argument: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoodman/2014/10/21/are-placebos-ethical/?sh=16e5d2ed25914 Nocebo: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-is-the-nocebo-effect-5451823/ Medstudent itis: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/when-med-students-get-medical-students-disease/

In today's episode of The Health & Happiness Podcast, Travis & Lauryn discuss the power of words -- both those you say to yourself, those you say to others, and surprisingly, even those you read. We delve into the research on positive affirmations to see if words can really have an effect on your life. Spoiler alert: they do! If you're participating in this week's challenge, don't forget to tag us @healthandhappinessinstitute on our socials! Student Self Confidence: https://www.scitepress.org/Papers/2018/88969/88969.pdf Elderly Words on College Students: https://psych.unl.edu/mdodd/Psy498/BarghPrime.pdf FMRI Study on Brain activity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4814782/#:~:text=A%20large%20body%20of%20literature,review%2C%20see%20Cohen%20and%20Sherman%20( Self affirmations- greater happiness, improved life satisfaction, pleasant affect, decreeased depression and anxiety https://pfp.ukw.edu.pl/page/pl/archive/article-full/452/lakuta-czy-autoafirmacje-moga-zmniejszyc-nasilenie-depresji/

In today's episode of The Health & Happiness Podcast we have our first ever guest! Chad McEwan joins us to share his incredible journey toward health from his wake up call at nearly 350lbs, to what simple strategies he used to help him not only lose weight, but feel better and more confident in his own body and mind. Thank you so much for joining us, Chad!

WRONG 😉 On this week's episode of The Health & Happiness Podcast, we discuss naps & breaks and how beneficial they can be for your productivity and overall wellbeing. If you're participating in this week's challenge, make sure to tag us @healthandhappinessinstitute on our socials! Resources: Improved Productivity with naps in the workplace: https://economics.mit.edu/files/16994 Improved memory in students with morning naps: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-018-0031-z How Long should you nap? https://journals.lww.com/co-pulmonarymedicine/Abstract/2006/11000/Good_sleep,_bad_sleep__The_role_of_daytime_naps_in.2.aspx Benefits of Breaks: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/201704/how-do-work-breaks-help-your-brain-5-surprising-answers

In this episode of The Health and Happiness Podcast, Travis and Lauryn discuss all things meditation. For those of you who don't know anything about meditation, don't you worry! Lauryn didn't really know anything about it either before this episode. We delve into the research to discuss the benefits and Travis shares his personal experience. If you're joining Lauryn for this week's challenge, make sure to tag us @healthandhappinessinstitute on our socials! Benefits of Meditation https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation#4.-Enhances-self-awareness https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/02/09/7-ways-meditation-can-actually-change-the-brain/?sh=6b079ed71465 Blood Pressure Research https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/2/617 https://academic.oup.com/ajh/article/21/3/310/102286?login=true Depression Research: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1078817415000942 Effects of Meditation on Pain: https://meridian.allenpress.com/ijmsc/article/13/4/163/173128/Effects-of-Meditation-on-Pain-and-Quality-of-Life https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4479890/ Athletic Performance: https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1049&context=pes_synthesis Mortality: https://tmhome.com/benefits/meditation-cuts-mortality-rate-by-48/ Link to Headspace: https://www.headspace.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwzYGGBhCTARIsAHdMTQzbe2Xp43wiVF_BpqlVA5f6rM4-hd3imaBbzpiQ8DHUzUavbHs07L4aAqJ_EALw_wcB

Have you ever heard the saying "Comparison is the thief of joy?" Well, as a podcast on health and happiness, of course we had to investigate! In this week's episode we talk about comparison -- the positives, the negatives, and of course our own personal challenges when dealing with comparing ourselves to others as well as to past versions of ourselves. For those participating in this week's challenge, make sure to tag us @healthandhappinessinstitute on our socials! Psychology Today Article Mentioned: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/multiple-choice/201903/is-comparison-really-the-thief-joy Study on relative income preferential: https://www.albany.edu/~gs149266/Solnick%20&%20Hemenway%20(1998)%20-%20Positional%20concerns.pdf Facebook study: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340628200_A_Study_on_the_Effect_of_Comparison_with_Others_and_Social_Support_on_Life_Satisfaction_of_Facebook

In this episode of The Health & Happiness Podcast, Travis and Lauryn take a closer look at how having a pet can enhance your life. We discover what the research has to say regarding benefits these furry friends have on our health, personal relationships, mood, and chat about own own experiences as pet owners. If you are participating in this week's (or previous weeks') challenge, make sure to tag us at @healthandhappinessinstitute on socials. Prison dog Research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7697666/ https://www.ebpsociety.org/blog/education/283-prison-dog-training#:~:text=Effectiveness%20of%20DTPs,that%20they%20do%20reduce%20recidivism Spending money on your dog promotes happiness: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2021.1897871 Pets improve people's relationships: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/089279308X274056 Pets improve overall well being of their owners: https://academic.oup.com/sw/article-abstract/40/3/334/1864245 https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-13783-001

Do you ever feel more connected when you're disconnected and out in nature? We do too. In this episode of The Health & Happiness Podcast, we discuss the importance of trees, sunlight, and walking in nature on wellbeing, cognitive function, and mood. If you are participating in this week's health and happiness challenge, make sure to tag us on our socials @healthandhappinessinstitute! Nature improves affect and Cognition https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169204615000286 Living Near Trees Has Health Benefits: https://www.lifehack.org/323241/study-finds-living-near-trees-comes-with-6-surprising-health-benefits Decreased Rumination and Mental Illness: https://www.pnas.org/content/112/28/8567.full Meta Analysis on Nature and Well Being: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-019-00118-6 Time Article Summarizing the positive effects of Sunlight on Happiness: https://time.com/collection/guide-to-happiness/4888327/why-sunlight-is-so-good-for-you/ Problems with Vitamin D Deficiency: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15050-vitamin-d--vitamin-d-deficiency

In this episode of The Health & Happiness Podcast, Travis & Lauryn discuss times when they made choices that were "against the grain" and how this affected their lives. We discuss strategies for making change when feeling stuck, and share some of our personal journeys as well. Stay tuned for the challenge for our listeners at the end of this episode and make sure to tag us @healthandhappinessinstitute on socials to let us know you're participating!

In this episode of The Health & Happiness Podcast, we try to tackle the infamous question -- is laughter really the best medicine? We dive into the research on benefits of laughter and how you can add more laughter into your life. Hint: one good way is to listen to this episode for Travis' awesome dad jokes.