Latest news with #FrontiersinPsychology
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
13 Reasons Midlife Isn't A Crisis—It's A Vibe
Midlife has long been branded as a dreaded phase—an existential meltdown cloaked in cliché. But that narrative? It's officially outdated. Today, midlife is less about crisis and more about cultivating confidence, creativity, and a vibe all its own. Here's why this era is finally getting its much-deserved glow-up. One of the biggest reasons midlife is an underrated vibe? You finally stop letting other people's opinions dictate your self-worth. The exhausting need to impress, please, or explain yourself slowly fades away—and it's liberating. You start choosing what feels aligned, instead of what looks good on paper. That confidence to move through the world without apologizing? It hits differently when you're not trying to win a popularity contest anymore. In your 20s and 30s, you're often performing, trying to keep up with someone else's timeline or expectations. But midlife gives you a clearer sense of what actually matters. You start dressing for yourself, setting boundaries like a pro, and only showing up to things that don't make you feel energetically bankrupt. It's not jadedness—it's clarity. And it makes you magnetic in a way that youth just can't. Midlife often brings a shift in how people define achievement, encouraging a rewrite of the traditional rules to align with evolving personal values. Instead of following a rigid, predetermined career ladder, many pursue passion projects, make career pivots, or launch ventures that genuinely reflect their true selves. The societal pressure to hit conventional milestones diminishes, replaced by a deeper drive for authenticity and fulfillment. Success becomes a personal journey rather than a public scoreboard. This newfound freedom lifts the burden of early adulthood's expectations and opens the door to joyful experimentation. The outdated 'midlife crisis' stereotype gives way to a powerful narrative of intentional living. People learn to embrace their unique timelines, realizing that success is less about possessions or status and more about who they are becoming. It's about thriving on your terms. Research published in Frontiers in Psychology highlights midlife as a pivotal period of growth and resilience, emphasizing how individuals balance gains and losses while redefining meaning and success in ways that promote well-being and fulfillment. Midlife style is a celebration, not camouflage. People are embracing wrinkles, gray hair, and curves with confidence and flair. Fashion becomes a form of self-expression that demands attention, turning aging into an act of rebellion. It's a refusal to disappear and an invitation to stand out on your terms. Wellness philosophies evolve, too, focusing on vitality, strength, and joy instead of chasing youth. Midlifers prioritize self-care that honors their changing bodies with kindness and curiosity. This shift from shame to self-love is reshaping how aging is experienced and perceived. The body becomes a canvas for empowerment. Midlife often brings a shift toward valuing quality over quantity in social connections. People tend to let go of toxic relationships and instead nurture friendships that inspire personal growth and provide meaningful support. This selective closeness fosters emotional richness and a renewed sense of community, where authenticity replaces obligation, making relationships more vibrant and fulfilling. Romantic partnerships also evolve during this stage, emphasizing clarity, mutual respect, and honoring each partner's individuality and growth. Communication deepens, intimacy flourishes, and companionship becomes a choice rooted in joy rather than necessity. Research comparing relationship quality among midlife adults across different partnership types highlights that married individuals generally report higher relationship satisfaction, but cohabiting and dating relationships can also offer meaningful connections when built on mutual respect and support. According to a study on Psychological Medicine, midlife relationships thrive when partners prioritize emotional connection and navigate evolving roles with authenticity. Midlife opens the door to curiosity unfettered by perfectionism or societal demands. People explore new hobbies, travel solo, and embark on creative projects simply for the thrill of it. Freed from early adulthood's pressures, this phase ignites playfulness and bold risk-taking. It's a playground of self-discovery and joy. Creativity becomes a lifeline, a way to reconnect with parts of yourself left dormant. It's messy, unpredictable, and deeply satisfying—infusing life with vibrant energy. Far from fading, midlife is a dynamic canvas where self-expression runs wild. The vibe is liberation and colorful reinvention. Experience sharpens midlife leadership into something rare and compelling. People use their depth of knowledge to mentor, advocate, and innovate with intention and heart. Ego takes a backseat to clarity about what truly matters. Leadership transforms from hustle to meaningful impact. This wave of midlife power is changing industries and communities. Influence stems from empathy and insight, not just accomplishments. Midlife is a launchpad for bold, visionary leadership that shapes the future. The vibe: wise, purposeful, and unstoppable. Research from the Global Leadership Forecast 2025 highlights that effective leaders increasingly rely on emotional intelligence, adaptability, and purposeful influence to navigate complex challenges and inspire their teams. Midlife brings heightened awareness around mental wellbeing. People are investing time and resources into understanding themselves deeply and addressing long-neglected emotional needs. Therapy, mindfulness, and self-reflection become common tools for growth. This commitment to mental health rewires how midlife is experienced. Emotional intelligence flourishes, helping midlifers navigate life's complexities with grace and resilience. They develop stronger boundaries and communicate more authentically. This shift from surviving to thriving emotionally underpins the new midlife vibe. It's about owning your inner world as fiercely as your outer life. For many, midlife marks a turning point where financial empowerment truly takes hold. After years of work and careful planning, this stage often brings greater economic stability and a wider range of choices. This newfound freedom enables midlifers to invest in meaningful experiences, pursue passions, or launch new ventures without guilt or fear. Money transforms from a means of mere survival into a powerful tool for living a rich, fulfilling life. Financial independence also fosters self-determination, reducing dependence on external validation and societal pressures. It opens doors to philanthropy, entrepreneurship, or simply the opportunity to slow down and savor life's moments. The overall vibe is one of confident abundance, where money aligns with your values and vision. As financial experts at Savvy Ladies explain, midlife financial planning prepares you to adjust your budget, savings, and investments strategically for the next decades, enabling you to live with greater freedom and security. Today's midlifers actively reject the invisibility culture that sidelines older adults. They push back against stereotypes that suggest their best days are behind them. They challenge the narrative that youth equals value by being vocal, stylish, and engaged. Ageism loses ground as midlife becomes a celebrated stage of life. This cultural shift also means midlifers create new spaces that honor their energy and contributions. From social media to art to entrepreneurship, they claim visibility and respect. Midlife is no longer something to hide or fear—it's a vital, thriving force. The vibe is an unapologetic presence. Midlife often coincides with evolving family dynamics—from empty nests to caregiving for aging parents. People rethink their roles, setting boundaries that prioritize their wellbeing alongside family needs. This recalibration brings new freedom and clarity about what kind of family life truly sustains them. Parenting styles shift too, with many midlifers embracing coaching and partnership over control. The focus moves to fostering independence and authentic connection. Midlife is a time for balancing legacy with self-care. It's a nuanced dance that reflects growth on all sides. Many midlifers deepen spiritual practices or explore new philosophies that ground them in presence and purpose. Meditation, nature connection, and ritual become anchors amid life's changes. This inward turn fosters peace and perspective, redefining midlife as a sacred passage rather than a crisis. Mindfulness isn't just a buzzword—it's a daily practice that transforms how midlifers engage with themselves and the world. The result is a calm confidence and resilience that radiates outward. The vibe here is thoughtful, serene, and deeply alive. Material accumulation loses its luster as midlifers chase adventure, learning, and connection through travel and experiences. Whether it's solo trips, cultural immersions, or outdoor explorations, this phase embraces life's richness beyond things. Travel becomes a metaphor for personal growth and freedom. This shift reflects broader values of presence and curiosity over consumption. Midlife journeys expand horizons and invite new stories, friendships, and self-understanding. It's a vibe that values memories over merchandise and depth over decoration. The world becomes your playground. With a lifetime of knowledge, midlifers often turn toward creating an impact that outlasts them. This might look like mentoring younger generations, philanthropy, or community activism. The focus shifts from individual success to collective well-being and contribution. Building a legacy isn't about grand gestures but intentional actions that ripple forward. It's a powerful way midlife moves beyond self to service, adding layers of meaning and connection. The vibe is generative, purposeful, and deeply fulfilling. Midlife is about lighting the path ahead.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Your workout should match your personality, says new study — here's why it matters
Not everyone is a gym-lover, and that is completely okay. And if forcing yourself onto a treadmill feels more like punishment than self-care, you're not alone. But according to new research out of the UK, the trick to actually enjoying exercise might be as simple as playing to your personality. Your personality might be the key to a consistent workout A new research published in Frontiers in Psychology, postulates that personality traits can influence which physical activities people enjoy, as well as how often and how much benefit they get from exercise. Scientists at University College London explained that about 31% of adults are unable to even complete 150 minutes of their recommended physical activity per week. In an official press release, senior author Paul Burgess, a professor at the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said, 'Understanding personality factors in designing and recommending physical activity programs is likely to be very important in determining how successful a program is, and whether people will stick with it and become fitter.' Inside the study: how it worked For this research, the scientists recruited 132 adults and split them into two groups. For the duration of the research, 8 weeks, one group asked to follow a home fitness routine that included strength training and cycling workouts at varying intensities. Meanwhile, those in the control group stuck to stretching exercises and continued with their usual daily routines. It's easy to assume that introverts would prefer solo workouts while extroverts thrive in group fitness settings—but the study revealed a few surprises. To start, all volunteers completed questionnaires measuring the Big Five personality traits: agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness. As expected, participants who scored high in extraversion showed to enjoy high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and aerobic fitness tests conducted in a lab. However, despite their enthusiasm, extroverted individuals were less likely to follow through with the study's final assessments. In fact, only 86 participants completed the entire study. Interestingly, extroverts didn't show greater improvements in fitness compared to others—challenging the assumption that their energy would translate into better physical results. How different traits respond to fitness routines People who scored higher in neuroticism—meaning people more prone to mood swings or anxiety—tended to prefer low-intensity workouts at home rather than being supervised in a lab setting. They were also less likely to self-monitor their heart rates. One important takeaway for those with anxiety: participants high in neuroticism within the exercise group were the only ones who showed a reduction in stress, the researchers noted. At the start of the study, those who were more conscientious already had better physical fitness and reported exercising more hours per week. However, being conscientious didn't necessarily predict how much someone would enjoy working out. Participants who scored high in openness were less likely to enjoy high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or threshold cycling sessions, which involve pushing aerobic limits with varied intensities. Still, they were more likely to complete follow-up testing. People high in openness may be more willing to experiment with new or varied workout styles, said study author Dr. Aguirre in an email. 'For instance, if they typically go to the gym and like to jog, they may be open to trying dance, hiking or some new fitness trends.' And even with that adventurous streak, the trait of agreeableness predicted greater enjoyment of an 'easy, long' bike ride, the study found.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Matching your workouts to your personality could make exercise more enjoyable and give better results
Making exercise fun is the holy grail for many people who can't quite find the motivation to work out. But rather than forcing yourself to enjoy running or that gym class you once attended, the solution may lie in something more straightforward — simply matching a workout to your personality type, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. That's because people with different personality traits enjoy different types of exercise, the study found. More extroverted people, for example, prefer high-intensity training sessions with others, such as team sports, while people who scored highly on 'neuroticism,' a metric that measures someone's emotional instability, preferred private workouts without people watching them and punctuated by short breaks. As for those who scored highly on conscientiousness, they 'were more likely to have a well-rounded fitness … and we think that's because conscientious individuals are more likely to be driven by the fact that exercise is good for them,' said the study's co-lead author, Flaminia Ronca, an associate professor in exercise science at University College London. 'Personality determines which intensities and forms of exercises we're attracted to. … If we can understand that, then we can make that first step in engagement and exercise in sedentary individuals,' she told CNN. These findings have important implications for encouraging more people to exercise, especially since just 22.5% of adults and 19% of adolescents worldwide manage the World Health Organization-recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week, according to the study. By focusing on personality types, health care providers may be able to offer a 'more personalized approach to exercise,' said Angelina Sutin, a professor at Florida State University who specializes in investigating links between personality and health, and who wasn't involved in the study. 'Typically … we tell people to exercise and just say: 'We know high-intensity interval training is good for you, so you should do it,'' she said. 'But for people high in neuroticism, they're not going to do it, and we also know that low-intensity exercise can be beneficial too. Knowing that somebody is high in neuroticism, recommending that kind of exercise, maybe people will be more likely to engage in it.' It is also important to note that personality traits interact with each other, Ronca added. Some people score highly on both neuroticism and conscientiousness, meaning that although they may find exercise anxiety-inducing, they are much more likely to do it since they know it is good for them, she said. To reach their findings, Ronca and her colleagues in London first directed the 132 study participants, aged between 25 and 51 years old, to complete a questionnaire revealing their personality traits. The study employed a commonly used model that conceptualizes someone's personality through five traits — extroversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, openness and conscientiousness. 'Personality traits … they're just descriptions of the way people behave in certain situations,' Paul Burgess, a professor of neuroscience at UCL who co-led the study, told CNN. 'And the way that people behave in certain situations is determined to a large degree by their brain capabilities, what they notice, what they pay attention to, what they can remember, how fast they can react.' The researchers then ran fitness tests on the participants and randomly sorted them into two groups. One group was given an eight-week cycling and strength plan, while the control group did 10 minutes a week of stretching exercises. Of the original 132 participants, 86 completed both pre- and post-testing either side of these eight weeks. The study team found that, although fitness improved across all personality types for those who completed the cycling and strength program, there was a marked difference in enjoyment of the exercises. More extroverted people enjoyed the higher-intensity lab fitness tests, while more 'neurotic' people enjoyed the home-based light-intensity sessions. Personality traits also informed how exercise influenced someone's stress levels. People who scored highly in neuroticism had a significant reduction in self-reported stress, much more than in any other group, the study found. 'Those who would benefit the most from a stress reduction are the ones who actually showed a decrease in stress following those eight weeks of exercise,' Ronca said. 'And I think that's quite a powerful message to give.' Given the many benefits of exercise, including stress reduction, both Ronca and Burgess hope their findings encourage people to find alternative ways of exercise outside the more traditional workouts they might dislike. 'There's a danger, perhaps, that the focus becomes … competitive sports and serious engagement at a time when young people are starting to have lots more demands on them,' Burgess said. 'There are a lot of personalities that don't respond well to that kind of situation, that find it quite stressful.' Sign up for CNN's Fitness, But Better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide will help you ease into a healthy routine, backed by experts.
IOL News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Beyond the spotlight: Ntobeko Sishi's candid confession on rejection's silent struggles
He recounted losing his mother at the age of six in a TikTok snippet. Image: Instagram We don't always know what battles the person next to us is fighting. There's a quiet kind of pain that often goes unnoticed. It doesn't scream, it doesn't ask for help it simply sits beneath the surface. And too often, we carry it with us, pretending it doesn't hurt. A viral interview featuring South African actor and musician Ntobeko Sishi recently cracked open this silence. Known for his breakout role as Ntokozo in the hit drama "Gomora", Sishi shared a raw, deeply personal story of loss, rejection, and ultimately, forgiveness. His words not only moved thousands online but also unearthed a universal truth: sometimes, we are grieving people who are still alive. 'Rejection has been a huge part of my life … and trying to make it have less of a negative impact on me has been the biggest challenge,' Sishi confessed on "The Inside Show" podcast with George Avakian. In a TikTok snippet, he relays how he lost his mother at just six years old. What followed was a painful twist: just four years later, his father, his only remaining parent disowned him. At 10, he found himself alone at Durban airport, unsure of where he belonged. That kind of abandonment, he said, never really leaves you. This experience is far from uncommon. The pain of emotional abandonment. While we often discuss the grief that follows physical death, the emotional toll of being rejected especially by family is less understood but equally devastating. A 2019 study published in Frontiers in Psychology highlights that social support is a critical buffer against the negative impacts of grief and rejection. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading But what happens when that support is missing? Or when family the people we're told to rely on are the very source of our wounds? Rejection by a caregiver can result in long-term impacts on a person's self-esteem, attachment style, and ability to trust others. And yet, this form of grief is rarely named or acknowledged. We don't talk enough about when your own blood wants nothing to do with you. The truth is that many people silently endure this type of emotional exile. And they carry it with grace as if it never happened. He recalled: 'My mother always told me, 'it's okay to cry at night. But when the sun rises, put on a smile and walk with grace'. Your pain doesn't need to be worn on your face.' But sometimes, silence is heavy. Sometimes, it needs a voice. Grieving the livingThere's a name for this: ambiguous loss. Coined by family therapist Dr Pauline Boss, it refers to a type of grief that lacks closure. It's what you feel when a loved one is physically present but emotionally absent, or, in Sishi's case, when they've walked away entirely. 'You wrestle with these things for the rest of your life, there was me constantly trying to fit in, …oh you not wanted here, okay, let me go here, no you're not wanted here but now I'm at a place like I'm actually not wanted anywhere I'm gonna go where I want to be.' Unlike death, where society offers rituals like funerals and mourning periods, ambiguous loss is often invalidated. People may say, 'But they're still alive,' as if that erases the pain. But studies show that unresolved grief from emotional estrangement can be just as intense if not more than traditional mourning. Why forgiveness is not about forgetting In 2020, Sishi received a message from a stranger claiming their father was in the hospital. Against all odds, he went. And there, standing at his father's hospital bed, Sishi did something remarkable: he chose forgiveness. 'As angry as I was, I couldn't say anything. He was on life support … So I just forgave him,' he said. Netizens praised Sishi for dealing with a difficult situation in a mature and mature manner @Oratile, wrote, "Every day, it becomes apparent that everyone has a story." @Kay Mpete added, "And he played a role where he had loving parents, I can only imagine what that was like emotionally and mentally 💔." @Thickleeyonce wrote: "Ugh man this made me cry 🥺🥺🥺." @Lebogang added: "Oh sishii 💔😭😭😭I literally cried when you said 'rejection has been a huge part of my life'." @Omphimetse Senokwane added: "Parents don't know how much they destroyed us. My parents made me a mess of a human; they are not here, and I have so many questions." Forgiveness is for you, not the other person. It doesn't mean reconciliation. It means choosing peace over pain. And peace is a powerful healer.
Fox News
7 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Eating these common foods before bed could trigger sweet dreams or night terrors
Can your diet influence whether you experience sweet dreams or nightmares? Researchers say yes – and their findings could give late-night snackers something to think about. Tore Nielsen, director of the University of Montreal's Dreams and Nightmares Laboratory, recently published his new findings in the journal Frontiers in Psychology on June 30. The study suggests that not only does eating certain foods before bed influence how well you sleep, it also influences the nature of your dreams and whether they're pleasant, bizarre or unsettling. Nielsen told Fox News Digital there were clear patterns in how certain food groups correlated with the quality and emotional tone of participants' dreams. The culprits that worsened sleep included desserts, spicy foods and dairy foods. Nearly 23% of the participants experienced negative dreams after consuming sweet foods, while 19.5% had nightmares after eating spicy fare. Dairy choices, meanwhile, accounted for 15.7% of the bad dreams. In terms of improving sleep, analysts found that those who ate "clean" before bedtime experienced better sleep at night. Nearly 18% reported improved sleep after consuming fruit, while 13.4% reported better sleep after drinking herbal tea. Some 12% of study participants also saw positive effects after consuming vegetables. Nielsen's research also differentiated between disturbing dreams and bizarre dreams. "People who develop nightmares might also take a look at the effects of medications, recreational drugs or alcohol that they're consuming." "Of the participants who stated that they thought food affected their dreams, the top culprits blamed for disturbing dreams were desserts/sweets (31%), dairy (22%) and meat (16%)," Neilsen said. "The top culprits blamed for bizarre dreams were again desserts/sweets (38%) and dairy (27%) — meat was a distant third (8%)." The research also found that three significant habits contribute to poor sleep: eating dairy products despite being lactose intolerant, eating close to bedtime, and not following internal cues about when to stop eating. "These results and the results from our previous study both also suggest that eating a healthier diet in general might reduce nightmares and the overall negativity of dreams," Nielsen observed. While there's more research to be done, the Canadian psychologist said that the findings suggest that people with both severe nightmares and food allergies should be tested and change their diet accordingly. "[If people test] positive for lactose intolerance or other food allergies, [they could] carefully dose the ingestion of the culprit foods to minimize their symptoms – especially at night," he said. Nielsen also cautioned that food sensitivities and diet are "only two possible sources of nightmares." "People who develop nightmares might also take a look at the effects of medications, recreational drugs or alcohol that they're consuming," the expert advised. "Or sometimes withdrawal from substances such as cannabis can induce nightmares for some weeks afterward," he said.
