Relationships & Connections Archive

Following celebrities on social media or being a fan of fictional characters can be enjoyable –– though one-sided, these relationships offer a sense of connection. But parasocial relationships also have downsides, especially when people rely on them too much.

When you are a caregiver for an aging parent, the joy of gathering for holiday meals can be overshadowed by stress. Planning in advance for things like the day's schedule, timing of the meal, what food your parent can or will eat, and making sure medications are taken will help children and parents enjoy the meal with as little stress as possible.

Most people know that as they age, they need to put effort into staying healthy by eating carefully, exercising, and getting enough sleep. But there is another element to healthy aging: keeping your mind engaged helps protect brain health, and one way to do that is by maintaining an active social life.

In a 2024 study by Harvard researchers, people who reported feeling persistently lonely had a 56% higher risk of experiencing a stroke compared with people who did not report feelings of loneliness.

As people face their mortality, they often focus on how to live their best life in their remaining time. Two Harvard experts—Dr. Howard LeWine and Dr. Anthony Komaroff—share advice on how they are achieving this during their golden years. Some of their suggestions include embracing the natural changes of aging, doing inspiring activities, learning to live in the moment, and finding one's sense of purpose.

Vacation activities are often healthier than everyday habits. Since heart disease and cancer are linked to lifestyle choices people can change, such as poor diet and inactivity, maintaining habits fostered on vacation can improve overall health. These habits include spending more time outdoors, moving more, spending less time online, eating a more varied diet, dining more with others, getting more sleep, and engaging their brain in novel ways.

The spouses of people who have heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure may face an elevated risk of depression, according to a 2024 study.

Wondering how to save money, stay cooler, and be kinder to our planet during a long, hot summer? These five tips help ensure maximum fun and suggest ways to stay comfortable and safe this summer while making sustainable choices to benefit the environment.

Resilience is a psychological response that helps you adapt to life's difficulties and seek a path forward through challenges. While everyone has the ability to be resilient, life stresses can take a toll on you. It's possible to cultivate resilience — but how?

Super-agers are individuals known to maintain peak mental prowess well into their 90s and avoid dementia and Alzheimer's disease. While genetics play a big part in super-agers' cognitive health, adopting healthy lifestyle habits also contributes, and other people might be able to improve their brain health in the same way. These habits include exercising regularly, following a plant-based diet, being social, adopting mentally challenging activities, and getting adequate sleep.