The Story of You
The human lifespan is thought to max out around 130 years, but becoming happier and healthier is a limitless opportunity. Inverse presents an all-new series, The Story of You, in which we explore one of humanity’s most enduring questions: How do you make the most of your days?
The story of you
How to start exercising: 3 psychology-backed strategies to hit fitness goals
Exercise is good for everybody, but not everyone likes to exercise.
This overlooked biometric on fitness trackers could reveal how healthy your heart is
Heart rate variability can tell you a lot about your cardiovascular health.
Study suggests how many minutes of exercise per day could help increase longevity
Data from our latest study has shown that you don’t need a long workout to get health benefits from exercise.
How much salt is too much? Heart health study has a new answer
Looking at how frequently you add salt to meals could help tell your future.
This is how much you need to move to offset a day of sitting
Stand up twice an hour. That’s it.
This simple habit could significantly boost your heart health
A checklist used to predict cardiovascular health now includes sleep as its eighth measure.
For children with heart conditions, video gaming may pose a health hazard
Manipulating a game controller or keyboard can elicit a strong physiological response.
A new rating system could help you decipher conflicting scientific research
Researchers developed a rating system to help the public separate the signal from the noise.
Air pollution can damage teens' hearts within two hours, study finds
Fine particulate air pollution increased incidents of cardiac arrhythmias in teens.
Research reveals the best way to exercise — and it’s surprisingly simple
Even a minute of lifting is beneficial.
People with endometriosis might be at a higher risk for stroke
A new study reveals more evidence linking endometriosis to cardiovascular health.
A shockingly low percentage of American adults have optimal heart health
An analysis of 20 years of health data illuminates a steep decline.
This everyday behavior is essential to preventing heart disease
Don’t feel guilty about sleeping in, because it’s good for your health.
Stop wasting money on this ineffective daily regimen
Just get gummy worms if that’s what you really want.
These exercise hacks help improve heart health in people with desk jobs
From taking the stairs and standing during calls, it all adds up.
Scientists reveal 2 perilous side effects of poor mental health on one vital organ
There is a bidirectional relationship between mental health and heart health.
Exercise lowers dementia risk — scientists want to know how
A new study linked higher cerebral glucose metabolism to physical activity.
A NEW CHAPTER
Scientists recommend 5 minutes of walking to combat your worst habit
Exercise snackies anyone?
Bionic pig penises offer a "promising" new erectile dysfunction treatment
Can we get some morning hydrogel?
Scientists found previously unknown genes that show humans are still evolving
Some of these genes are connected to diseases like muscular dystrophy and may explain how new genes crop up during human evolution.
Your nose has a microbiome — does it hold the key to ridding respiratory infections forever?
Booger transplants, anyone?
How Your Diet Could Help (or Hurt) Your Aging Brain
Ultra-processed foods impact the mind differently than plant-based meals with low amounts of sugar.
One daily social practice could help stave off dementia
Isolation is a risk factor for dementia, like depression or smoking.
Covid-19-related stress caused some young people’s brains to age too fast — study
It’s unclear how long the changes might last.
Practicing one whimsical activity may stave off brain aging — study
Opinion: Interventions like social ballroom dancing are a promising, noninvasive, and cost-effective path toward staving off dementia.
Stiff-person syndrome: Two brain scientists explain Celine Dion’s rare diagnosis
To date, there is no cure for stiff-person syndrome.
This neuroscientist taught brain cells to play Pong — and shifted how we view human intelligence forever
Brett Kagan and his colleagues at Cortical Labs want to understand what motivates brain cells.
The first study to measure vitamin D in the brain could help reveal how to maintain cognitive health
The sunshine vitamin may be associated with slower cognitive decline.
Neurologist debunks misconceptions about John Fetterman's stroke recovery
The controversy around Fetterman’s recovery from a stroke is medically inaccurate and generally gross.
Does mindfulness change the brain? Research fractures structural hypothesis
“Structural brain changes are not the be-all-end-all to demonstrate that mindfulness training is useful or that it ‘does something.’”
Petting a dog has a curiously therapeutic effect on the brain, study finds
The research could pave the way for clinical therapy involving animals.
Having this many nightmares a week may be tied to extreme brain aging
We still know so little about why we dream.
Brushing your teeth can protect brain health, new research reveals
Brush your teeth for your brain’s sake.
Why is my dog lazy? New research explains the frustrating answer
Heal thyself and you will help your pup.
Alzheimer's disease has no cure — but unproven treatments claim otherwise
“If you don’t want to believe it until there is a clinical trial, fine.”
Neuroscientists finally figured out why thinking can be so exhausting
Your brain is begging you to go touch grass.
The brain’s memory hub may explain why some people get PTSD and others don’t — study
In trauma’s early aftermath, changes in the hippocampus could help identify and potentially prevent PTSD from developing.
Gene Jeanie
Scientists unravel an intriguing link between meditation and immunity
After an eight-day retreat, researchers saw molecular changes related to immunity.
Do detox diets work? A dietician breaks down the murky science
What you should know to avoid a slew of negative side effects of detox diets.
Is your favorite food genetic? Study identifies 325 genes that influence taste
325 different genes, mostly in the brain, implicated in determining what we like to eat.
These simple hacks could boost your flu and Covid-19 vaccines’ effectiveness
Eat, sleep, move: It’s all about doing the things that promote a healthy immune system.
USDA approves GMO purple tomato with brain-boosting and cancer-fighting properties
Genetic modification can offer many benefits.
Can I feed my pet only dry food? Why the answer is different for cats and dogs
An all-dry food diet may be good for the planet, but is it safe for pets?
To eat your recommended fruit and veg every day, try this one simple hack
Keep it on!
This diet helps your mental health by boosting your gut health
Here’s why miso might put you in a great mood.
A nutrition scientist reveals the missing piece of the Mediterranean diet
Is the popular diet just about food? A nutrition scientist digs into the details.
Science debunks a misleading myth about the paleo diet
Our ancestors enjoyed carbs as part of varied diets.
Should you store coffee in the freezer? A chemist explains the storage hack
Are the best beans freezing beans?
Marathon training: What to eat before, during, and post-race for peak performance
Glycogen is key.
Three everyday beverages that may taste worse because of climate change
Climate change may be coming for your favorite drink, scientists say.
Is green coffee good for you? A food scientist debunks the hype
As with many purported superfoods, green coffee is heralded as a rich antioxidant source.
Is decaf coffee caffeine-free? ‘Dr. Coffee’ shares the answer
Decaf and regular differ in other ways than caffeine levels.
Brain signatures tied to appetite could reveal new treatments for depression
The direction of appetite changes matches specific neural alterations.
Coffee Talk Episode 2 is the sequel sim that fantasy gamers crave
More talking and coffee-ing.
Longevity Hacks
How does air quality affect longevity? Brain study reveals a beneficial link
Wearing a mask could have hidden benefits.
Cyclic breathing: Why experts say just 5 minutes a day can reduce stress
Inhale, exhale.
The power of “non-negative” thinking
A negative self-schema can be changed through evidence.
The future of sleep
This week, Inverse brings you five stories that reveal what science currently knows about sleep, why we need it, and if we can hack our own slumber.
To eat your recommended fruit and veg every day, try this one simple hack
Keep it on!
Happiness study reveals a critical difference between two types of people
If we want to understand life satisfaction, we need to understand past happiness.
Marijuana for pain: A scientist reveals how weed engages our natural opioid system
A neuropharmacology expert explains how marijuana can treat pain.
Over-the-counter birth control is coming — and it could revolutionize reproductive health
With more than 60,000 pharmacies nationwide, pharmacists are the most accessible members of the healthcare workforce.
Meditation literally changes how your brain's neurons move
This is your brain on mindfulness.
Swearing study reveals cursing’s powerful cognitive effects
Swearing isn’t just cathartic.
An antidote to heartbreak? Science reveals how to hack loneliness
“Heartbreak is an opportunity.”
New study disputes a common belief about treating trauma-linked depression
Researchers suggest certain claims of unhelpfulness have been overstated.
Brain signatures tied to appetite could reveal new treatments for depression
The direction of appetite changes matches specific neural alterations.
Feeling stressed? Here are 7 simple actions to boost your mental health
Build a coping toolbox.
This popular anti-aging goo can help regrow muscle — study
How muscle stem cells activate themselves to repair damaged tissue has boggled scientists. Now we know hyaluronic acid might be the key.
Hormones in hair may reveal how chronically stressed you are — study
Long-term stress isn’t good for you, and your hair knows it.
What’s the best way to wash your face? Dermatologists explain the science of clean skin
Rinsing with water is likely not enough.
Overthinking? This New Kind of Therapy May Finally Provide An Antidote
This type of therapy takes aim at persistent rumination.
Swapping Cigarettes for Vaping May Help You Quit — but There’s a Catch
A study shows that changes occur at the RNA level in the lungs.
Cutting back on deli meats may lower your risk of this chronic illness
Why is everything delicious trying to kill us?
One daily social practice could help stave off dementia
Isolation is a risk factor for dementia, like depression or smoking.
Asking yourself one fun question could help boost your well-being and longevity
It’s a pleasant part of the future you can control.
Feel tired after eating? Try this one easy activity to boost energy and health
Ultimately, any movement is good movement.
The first study to measure vitamin D in the brain could help reveal how to maintain cognitive health
The sunshine vitamin may be associated with slower cognitive decline.
How much salt is too much? Heart health study has a new answer
Looking at how frequently you add salt to meals could help tell your future.
This is how much you need to move to offset a day of sitting
Stand up twice an hour. That’s it.
This diet helps your mental health by boosting your gut health
Here’s why miso might put you in a great mood.
Meditation literally changes how your brain's neurons move
This is your brain on mindfulness.
One powerful breathing technique could boost a key factor for longevity
Do you even IMST, bro?
Going to bed before this time could boost your metabolic health
Sorry, night owls.
Eating at this hour is associated with lower depression and anxiety, study shows
If you work the graveyard shift, read this.
Brushing your teeth can protect brain health, new research reveals
Brush your teeth for your brain’s sake.
Microbreaks may be a ‘panacea’ for workday wellness
Anywhere between 8 seconds and 10 minutes does you some good.
