Nature is Healing Why nature is good for you and how plants may be as effective as medicine.
Sleep Well Tonight Who doesn’t need more sleep? Learn the science behind getting a good night’s rest.
issue 01
ISSUE ONE
Forty percent of your happiness is made up of intentional actions & thoughts. Positive psychology has revealed that while 50% of our happiness is due to genetics and 10% to life circumstances—such as our age, occupation, and marital status—a total of 40% of it is comprised of intentional behavior, thoughts, and actions. In other words, a large percentage of our happiness is ours to take, if we know how to. The magazine 0.4 is about the 40%: the stuff that you can control and implement into your life. Happiness is a conceptual constr uct we have too long believed is out of our reach: an emotional state of bliss for the lucky while the rest of us str uggle to cope rather than thrive in life . Despite this depressing perception, positive psychology as well as other science fields have released evidence-based findings about what makes us happy. Now, it’s time to put that research to use. In order to be happier, you have to cover all your bases: your body, mind, and hear t. Though the three par ts are divided in 0.4 for sake of organization, they are inevitably connected. Prescriptions of color, based on color psychology, add another layer of information to help guide you through each section. This magazine is for you. You deser ve happiness and you will be happier if you put in the wor k. As social psychologist Dan Gilber t says, “We synthesize happiness, but we think it is a thing to be found.”
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08 Reframe Working Out Change the way you think about exercise.
12 A Gallery of Bed Sheets A galler y of bed sheets designed to be calming.
22 Plants Over Pills? Nature rivals medication when it comes to health.
10 Apple Pie Oatmeal Breakfast that makes you scientifically smile.
18 Sleep Well Tonight Learn strategies for falling asleep faster.
28 On Creativity A designer’s perspective on practicing mindfulness.
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32 Decrease Your Stress Change the way you plan events to reduce stress.
50 Don’t Say Thanks How to practice gratitude effectively,
58 Science x Dating How to step up your dating game.
34 Dissecting a Wave Water has the capability to psychologically heal.
52 Hot in Here Find out what color makes you scientifically attractive.
60 Get This A lavender candle will help you chill out.
body M OV E
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green prescribes
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balance / rest / restoration
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USEFUL SCIENCE
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reframe working out The psychological concept of ‘reframing’ and how it can work to your advantage by changing the way you think about exercise.
Key Concepts Reframing, Mindfulness
Instead, it’s an act you might consider a pr ivilege being able to do, given the functional state of your body. At its most basic definition, exercise is simply ‘bodily exer tion.’ When you think about it using this broad terminology, you realize the full extent of how much the word actually encapsulates. Getting out of the bed in the morning takes a lot of bodily exer tion on my par t so is it exercise? Yeah, why not. Most of us who have a car don’t think twice about using it to drive shor t distances. The problem is we are also the same people who tend to feel like we don’t have enough time to work out. However, by simply electing to walk instead of drive ever ywhere you can save a trip to the gym (as well as a few dollars on your gas bill.) By reframing acts like walking to school or taking the stair s rather than the elevator as forms of exercise, you can feel better about the small steps you’re getting in and consider yourself someone who works out. Consider taking a walk during your break instead of going on social media.
reframe working out
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Reframing is a powerful concept that psychologist Ellen Langer outlined in her book, Mindfulness. Langer discussed a study she conducted with chambermaids who were dissatisfied with their jobs and often grew wear y fast. When Langer pointed out to the chambermaids that what they were actually doing all day was exercising, this simple change of mindset completely revitalized them, physically and mentally. The par ticipants repor ted higher ratings of energy and mood after they changed the way they thought about their job. This kind of ‘framing’ problem is evident when many people think about exercise as ‘wor k’ or something they feel they ‘should do’. For many, the word br ings to mind visions of treadmills and weights accompanied by a sense of dread. If that’s the case for you, this is a framing issue and has less to do with the act itself and more to do with how you think about it. Exercise is not something that you should feel you have to do.
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Key Concepts Nutrition, Health
MOOD FOOD
apple pie oatmeal Forget quick oats—we are making a masterpiece that will scientifically make you smile.
How to Make It Put the oats and chia seeds in a cooking pot. Then, dice a Granny Smith apple and add it to the pot so that the apple will cook along with the oatmeal. Fill the pot with just enough water to cover the mixture. Cook ever ything on a low heat setting for about ten minutes. After the mixture is done cooking, scoop the contents out of the pot into a bowl and top off your masterpiece with blueberries, coconut flakes, and cinnamon.
Scientifically Good For You Blueberries are filled with loads of antioxidants—this means they slow down the aging process and help make skin beautiful! Walnuts and chia seeds provide omega-3, a fatty acid that has been shown in research studies to be more effective than placebos for depression. The oats are full of fiber, which is nutritionally impor tant for a multitude of reasons including optimal digestion and hear t health. Finally, cinnamon helps offset the spike of your sugar levels as you consume the fruit.
Optional Toppings handful of blueberries coconut flakes dash of cinnamon
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Ingredients half a cup of oats one Granny Smith apple handful of walnuts one tablespoon of chia seeds
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V I S U A L A N A LY S I S
a gallery of bed sheets a curated gallery of bed sheets intended to calm and encourage peace of mind
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visual analysis
source
a gallery of bed sheets
A M E R I C A N P S Y C H O L O G I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N
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“Research shows that most Americans would be happier, healthier and safer if they were to sleep an extra 60 to 90 minutes per night.�
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B O DY
Key Concepts Sleep Hygiene, REM sleep
TIPS & TRICKS
sleep well tonight Follow these scientifically supported strategies for a better night’s rest.
Getting enough sleep is one of the most impor tant ways to take care of your self, both physically and mentally. Impaired brain activity, cognitive dysfunction, weakened immune response, and even depression are just a few of the scar y effects of sleep deprivation. Studies have shown that taking a bath before bed increases sleepiness at bed-time and ‘stage four’ sleep (the crucial restoration phase where neural connections are made and thoughts are processed.) For those who wor k until bedtime , stop it now! You can’t expect to shut the computer and turn off your brain simultaneously—you need buffer time to wind down so you’re not tossing and turning during the night, thinking about ever ything on your ‘to-do’ list. What’s a good way to wind down? Many of us turn to Netflix when we want to ‘chill’, but reading an actual paperback book before bed is a far superior option when it comes to getting a restful night’s sleep.
Computer s and smar tphones emit blue light which disr upts the production of melatonin, the hor mone that makes us sleepy. While there are programs you can download for your computer to minimize the effect of blue light (download f.lux, it’s free), they aren’t fully effective. So tonight, light a lavender candle, take a bath and then hit the bunk earlier than you normally do equipped with your favorite book—I recommend Harr y Potter.
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In an experiment where par ticipants either read books on a light-emitting device ver sus a paperback book, those who read on the former had more difficulty falling asleep, experienced less REM sleep (the last stage of sleep that is vital for optimal concentration, motor skills, and memor y) and were gener ally more aler t before bedtime. In the morning, even after both study groups had slept for a total of eight hours, those who read on the light-emitting device were still sleepier and had more difficulty waking up.
mind HEAL
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blue prescribes
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efficiency / logic / reflection / serenity
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USEFUL SCIENCE
plants over pills?
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why we should consider going outside before popping pills
MIND
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plants over pills? Nature isn’t just pretty to look at. It’s healing. Looking at visuals of the natural world are enough for people to reap significant health benefits, as psychologist Rober t Ulrich showed in multiple studies. In one of his most famous research experiments, Ulrich studied the effect a window view of nature in a hospital setting had on patients recovering from gallbladder surger y. The first group had a view of trees outside while the latter were subject to looking at a brick wall. Overwhelmingly, those who had the nature-view experienced tremendous health gains: they endured shor ter postoperative hospital stays, had fewer side effects from the surger y, and required less potent painkillers compared to the patients who looked at the brick wall. In another study conducted by Ulrich, he found that patients who had undergone hear t surger y were able to reduce their anxiety and require less medication after looking at photos of trees and water. Ulrich posited that views of vegetation, especially water, seem to decrease levels of anxiety. Both of these studies show the powerful effects of simply viewing nature even in a reproduced form. Buy a plant for your desk to improve your health and keep anxiety at bay.
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M I N D F U L A P P L I C AT I O N S
on creativity
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being mindful transforms mundane sidewalks into designed compositions
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on creativity Ellen Langer is a psychologist who has written extensively about the benefits of practicing mindfulness. To live mindfully is to pay attention to the present and find novelty in the mundane. In her book titled, Mindfulness, Langer reveals that living mindfully improves immune health, focus, and even creativity. As a designer, after learning about these effects I was interested especially in the latter and curious to see how being more mindful might reinvigorate my inventiveness. In actuality, mindfulness and creativity go hand in hand: to be mindful is to re-examine and re-conceptualize one’s surroundings with a beginner’s mind. To do so requires effor t on our par t as it is in our nature to zone out and be mindless when we engage in activities that are routine in our ever yday lives, such as commuting home. In an attempt to live more in the moment, I tried practicing mindfulness one afternoon on my trek from school to my apar tment. As I dissected my surroundings, I became newly aware of the designs playing out beneath my feet. Being mindful allowed me to see line and composition in the most mundane of subjects: the concrete ground. This shift in increased attention to my environment allowed me to be more creative and sidestep the cliche nature shots of trees and instead focus on the angular, geometric compositions below me. In this exercise, I realized design is ever ywhere when you’re mindful. Take note of five new details in your surroundings—well done, you just practiced mindfulness.
mindful applications
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on creativity
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USEFUL SCIENCE
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decrease your stress Variety and certainty have powerful effects on the way you conceptualize (and stress about) future events.
Key Concepts Variety, Planning
routine but how can we derive more happiness out of other activities? Kick variety and change up a notch. Researchers have found that when we engage in activities that give us pleasure too routinely, we become immune to the positive effects. Over time, positive anticipation (an impor tant way we derive happiness) is eliminated since we already know what to expect and when. However, there are many activities that are inherently different ever y time we wor k at them. These are ones that allow us to continue to set new goals since this promotes variety and change. Any activity that requires learning and improving has these characteristics. For example, exercise, learning a new instr ument, and joining a club all require fresh interactions and allow for social or physical improvement. These are activities that are therefore intrinsically sustainable when it comes to promoting our happiness.
Design a workout plan that progressively becomes more difficult over time.
decrease your stress
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Psychology reveals two characteristics that affect how we conceptualize future events: var iety and change . When it comes to experiencing a positive event, we w a n t t o i m p l e m e n t va r i e t y a n d change. However, the same characteristics are also what make negative events seem more stressful. With knowledge of how to manipulate variety and control, happiness is yours to take. Variety increases stress in regards to negative events because we are upset by the unexpected. However, we have the ability to take control and minimize the stress of negative events by planning them far in advance. This decreases the level of variety these events have since the timing won’t be a surprise. For example, studying the same time ever y day for a par ticular class makes it just par t of a routine . Knowing what to expect and when to expect it is crucial when it comes to maintaining a state of calmness. Okay so now we know how to make stressful events simply par t of a
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V I S U A L A N A LY S I S
dissecting a wave the wave is more powerful than we think: water scientifically reduces stress
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Water and Stress Visuals of water have powerful effects on health. In an experiment where cancer patients suffering from chronic pain viewed a nature video of moving water, the stress hormones epinephrine and cor tisol reduced by nearly 30 percent.
visual analysis
psychologist R O B E R T U L R I C H
dissecting a wave
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“Views of vegetation, especially water, seem to decrease levels of anxiety.�
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USEFUL SCIENCE
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rewire your brain Your brain is a lot more malleable than you think; a state of happiness can be achieved if you rewire your thoughts.
Key Concepts Neuroplasticity, Mindfulness
If someone can rewire their brain to devote more of it to memor y, it can be suggested that someone can devote more of their brain to the pur suit and maintenance of happiness. The more you think a cer tain way, positively or negatively, the stronger these thought channels become. As psychologist Tim Bono pointed out: it is possible for discontent to be a habit, just as much as it is possible for happiness to become a habit. However, strong connections which lead to habits only form when thought patterns are repeated. Therefore, the more you practice positive thinking, the stronger the connections between neurons become and the more likely this action will develop into a habit. The less you think negatively, the weaker these connections become and the easier it will be to kick this vice. However, the fact is that some people are more likely to think one way or another because of their genetic endowment but being mindful of one’s thoughts is the fir st step towards change. To summarize, while we cannot change our genetic luck of the draw, we can change how our genes are expressed and therefore our state of happiness depending on the thoughts we practice.
On your way home, think of a mental inventory of positive aspects of your life.
rewire your brain
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Ever feel like you’re a victim of your emotions? You don’t have to be with a bit of practice. In the book titled, The Science of Happiness, author Stefan Klein points out that people are keen to expend energy in effor ts to promote their status or career but when it comes to their happiness—an internal gain— they can be ‘oddly stingy’. A famous study on London taxi driver s provided an overwhelming amount of evidence for the theor y that says we can actually rewire our brains since they are malleable—this concept is referred to as ‘neuroplasticity’. Brain scans conducted in the study showed that taxi drivers in London were found to have way larger par ts of the brain committed to memory (the hippocampus) than the average human being since their job depends on this skill. The drivers had to practice using this par t of the brain on a regular basis, so the brain figured out that the region specific to this action had to be bigger and stronger. Connections in the brain are the result of thoughts: when we learn something, new connections form. In fact, once you’re done reading this ar ticle, you brain will have made new connections. The concept that we can rewire our brains based on what we use our brain for has huge implications.
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V I S U A L A N A LY S I S
a walk in the park take your afternoon break outside to be smarter and happier
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MIND
Break Outside In an experiment where researchers were interested in the effect of nature on cognition and mood, they assigned a set of par ticipants to take a walk in an urban setting or through a park. Prior to both walks, all par ticipants took tests measuring mood and cognition: they performed similar ly on average. After they returned from their walks, the par ticipants retook the same baseline tests. Researchers repor ted that those who took walks in the nature setting performed better on both cognition and mood tests compared to those who had spent their time surrounded by buildings. So next time you have an assignment you need to finish, take a break outside to perform better and feel happier while doing so.
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heart G R AT I T U D E
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yellow prescribes
RO M A N C E
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optimism / confidence / emotional strength
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USEFUL SCIENCE
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don’t say thanks Practicing gratitude is a lot more complex than just saying thanks: channel your inner George Bailey.
Key Concepts Mental Subtraction, Visualization
of gratitude (and positive emotion) than those who had been asked to simply count their blessings. This kind of thinking is referred to as ‘Mental Subtraction’ since you are mentally subtracting what you actually have. In response to this psychological finding regarding the effects of gratitude on happiness, there has been an influx of ‘gratitude journals’ that have emerged in the market. However, as we just pointed out, sometimes simply counting what you have does not actually make you more grateful. As illustrated before with the study, what has been found to be even more effective is visualizing what your life would be like if cer tain positive par ts of it didn’t exist. As shown in a research study, comparing one’s actual self to a hypothetical self who is wor se off can make us feel better. This is called the ‘George Bailey’ effect, in reference to the movie ‘It’s A Wonderful Life.” Like the saying goes, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Avoid losing anything and practice gratitude. Practice mental subtraction by visualizing what your life would be like without the most important people in it.
don’t say thanks
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What is the easiest step you can take to feel happier? Be more grateful. You can have a thousand positive things going on in your life but if you are concentrated on one negative aspect, you can’t and won’t be happy. Gratitude is the simple, yet powerful, act of shifting your attention and focusing on the positive aspects of your life. In a study conducted with college students, all were asked to describe an event for which they felt grateful. Half of the students were assigned to the ‘presence condition’ in which they were asked to describe the ways in which a thing or event has had a positive impact on their lives. The latter was assigned to the ‘absence condition’ and asked to describe what their lives would be like if all the good things, people, and events didn’t exist. The results were astounding; the group that had been assigned the ‘absence effect’ condition and visualized how their lives would be worse off with the absence of the good things, people, and events responded with higher levels
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V I S U A L A N A LY S I S
it’s gettin’ hot in here how ‘hot’ colors affect our perception of a person’s attractiveness
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visual analysis
hot in here
it’s gettin’ hot in here
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‘Hot’ colors, por trayed in this visual study of sunsets, have been found to have powerful psychological effects. A multitude of studies have revealed that ‘hot’ colors have the ability to manipulate how attractive we find the opposite sex. In an experiment, scientists had women rate men for attractiveness standing against a range of colored walls. Highest ratings were when men stood against a red backdrop, showing a correlation between red and another per son’s perceived level of attractiveness. In the same vein, other studies showed that men repor ted higher levels of sexual attraction to women dressed in red compared to other color s and were also willing to spend more money on dates with women dressed in red. What does this mean for you? Maybe it’s time to test the science and opt for red on your next date to turn up the temperature.
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H E A RT
Key Concepts Psychology, Dating
TIPS & TRICKS
science x dating Forget the flowers and take note of what psychologists call the ‘Misattribution of Arousal’ effect as you plan your next date.
Buying flower s only goes so far when it comes to wooing your date. Psychology has revealed a concept called the ‘Misattribution of Arousal’ which you can use to your advantage if you understand how it works. The ‘Misattribution of Arousal’ states that when a stimulus increases one’s level of physiological arousal, based on the environment, the cognitive label of that stimuli may be misattributed. Huh? Okay so let’s explain this with a study. Researchers Donald Dutton and Ar thur Aron traveled to Vancouver, Canada to the Capilano Suspension Bridge bridge where they had a female researcher approach men who were on the bridge as well as though who had already crossed over. The bridge is known for being famously high, in fact 230 feet high, and not surprisingly causes most people who walk across it to experience an increase in physiological arousal (i.e. fear, anxiety, or even a sense of thrill.)
Overwhelmingly, the majority of men who called the woman later were the ones that had been standing on the br idge when she gave them her number. Scientists gathered that this was most likely due to the ‘Misattribution of Arousal’. The height of the bridge had aroused them for one reason (most likely fear, anxiety, or thrill) but because they met the woman at the same time of this increased arousal, many of them misattributed it to her—thinking that it must be because of the strong feelings they felt when they met her. How can you take advantage of this concept in your romantic life? Well, take your person of interest on a physiologically arousing date—like going on a rollercoaster —which may prompt them to think that the increased arousal is due to the strong feelings they have for you.
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The female researcher who approached the men both on and off the bridge exchanged her number with all of them on the premise that she was conducting another scientific experiment and could answer any questions should they want more information about the study.
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61 Lavender-Scented Candle Research has shown that the smell of lavender has the ability to calm you down. In medical settings, it has even been used to treat insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Consider buying a lavender-scented candle to reap the benefits. Aroma therapy is an underappreciated form of treatment, and yet it is highly effective. Moreover, unlike pharmaceutical medicine, it hasn’t been found to have negative side effects.
REFERENCES Chang, Anne-Marie, Daniel Aeschbach, Jeanne F. Duffy, and Charles A. Czeisler. “Evening Use of Light-emitting EReaders Negatively Affects Sleep, Circadian Timing, and Next-morning Alertness.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. National Academy of Sciences, 27 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.
Langer, Ellen J. Mindfulness. Philadelphia: Da Capo, a Member of the Perseus Group, 2014. Print.
Dutton, D. G.; Aron, A. P. (1974). “Some evidence for heightened sexual attraction under conditions of high anxiety”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 30: 510–517. doi: 10.1037/h0037031. PMID 4455773.
Maguire, Woollett, and Spiers. “London Taxi Drivers and Bus Drivers: A Structural MRI and Neuropsychological Analysis.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2006. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Elliot, A. J., and D. Niesta. “Romantic Red: Red Enhances Men’s Attraction to Women.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2008. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Horne, J. A., and A. J. Reid. “Night-time Sleep EEG Changes following Body Heating in a Warm Bath.” Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 1985. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Kalish, Nancy. “Red Aler t: Science Discovers The Color of Sexual Attraction.” Psychology Today. N.p.., 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Klein, Stefan, and Stephen Lehmann. The Science of Happiness: How Our Brains Make Us Happy and What We Can Do to Get Happier. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 2006. Print. Koo, Minkyung et al. “It’s a Wonderful Life: Mentally Subtracting Positive Events Improves People’s Affective States, Contrary to Their Affective Forecasts.” Journal of personality and social psychology 95.5 (2008): 1217–1224. PMC. Web. 26 Mar. 2017. Koulivand, Peir Hossein, Maryam Khaleghi Ghadiri, and Ali Gorji. “Lavender and the Nervous System.” Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM 2013 (2013): 681304. PMC. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.
Lyubomirsky, Sonja, Kennon M. Sheldon, and David Schkade. “Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change.” Review of general psychology 9.2 (2005): 111.
“More Sleep Would Make Most Americans Happier, Healthier and Safer.” American Psychological Association. Feb. 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Osher, Y., and R. H. Belmaker. “Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Depression: A Review of Three Studies.” CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Pietrangelo, Ann and Krucik, George. “Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Body.” Healthline. Healthline, 19 Aug. 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Schmerler, Jessica. “Q&A: Why Is Blue Light before Bedtime Bad for Sleep?” Scientific American. Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Slobig, Zachary. “Mind Your Body: The Brain Aquatic.” Psychology Today. Psychology Today, June 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Ulrich, R. S. “View through a Window May Influence Recovery from Surgery.” Science (New York, N.Y.). U.S. National Librar y of Medicine, 27 Apr. 1984. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. Wright, Angela. “Psychological Proper ties Of Colours.” Colour Affects. Colour Affects, 2017. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.
W O R D S , P H OTO S , D E S I G N CLIODHNA DILL C A P S TO N E 2 0 1 7 / WA S H I N G TO N U N I V E R S I T Y I N S T. L O U I S T Y P E FA C E S / G I L L S A N S & LY O N PRODUCTION / MARVEL PRINTING CO. WRAP UPS, INC.
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