Behavioral Health | Penn Today

Teen vapers smoke just as much as youth who don't use e-cigarettes

New research suggests that vaping may not actually help with smoking cessation. “This important study tells us that youth who use e-cigarettes are more likely to continue to use combustible cigarettes after initiating,” said the Perelman School of Medicine’s Janet Audrain-McGovern.

woman with cell phone clicking on an image of a heartbeat

Two apps target cancer risk in marginalized populations

The tech-based mobile health interventions from Nursing’s Anne Teitelman focus on preventive health actions, including the HPV vaccine.

closeup of frozen hand holding lit cigarette

Gruesome photos on cigarette boxes can propel anti-smoking campaigns

Warning messages on cigarette packs are most effective when diseased body parts and testimonials are pictured.

Being well and doing well

Benoit Dubé, the chief wellness officer at Penn, Giang T. Nguyen, executive director of Student Health Service, and Meeta Kumar, deputy executive director of CAPS, discuss Penn’s efforts to strengthen and support the health and wellness of students.

Planning for your retirement? Many Americans aren’t financially prepared for how long they may live

Lyle Ungar of the School of Arts and Sciences and Lisa Walke of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed the effects of healthy behavior on the human lifespan. The best way to extend one’s life, apart from quitting smoking, is exercise. “I know no one wants to hear that,” said Walke.

Is blackout drinking the same as passing out from alcohol? A Penn psychologist explains

The Perelman School of Medicine’s Reagan Wetherill discussed common misconceptions about alcohol-related blackouts. People in a blackout are “conscious and interacting with their environment,” she said. But their brains are “not creating memories” due to alcohol’s impact on the hippocampus.

The psychology of binge-watching

Though binge-watching—and even the way we crave television at all—is a relatively recent phenomenon, the psychology behind why we become consumed in stories is actually a tale as old as time.

New research reveals two simple mindset hacks for making smarter, healthier choices

Emily Falk of the Annenberg School for Communication spoke about self-transcendence and behavior modification. “If you let people first ‘zoom out’ and think about the things and people that matter most to them,” said Falk, “then they see that their self-concept and self-worth aren't tied to this particular behavior–in this case, their lack of physical activity.”

Leading the subconscious to accept healthy encouragement

A study from the Annenberg School for Communication shows that individual's are more receptive to making healthy life choices when motivation stems from others, not the self.

Stigmatizing views and myths about psoriasis are pervasive

New multidisciplinary research involving both psychologists and dermatologists from the Perelman School of Medicine is the first to examine how common this stigma may be among the general population of the United States.

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