https://www.scmp.com/rss/508933/feed John Mac Ghlionn is an essayist and psychosocial researcher. Follow him on Twitter @ghlionn en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Singaporean fashion photographer Chuando Tan has garnered acclaim for his captivating images of his subjects, and of himself. With chiselled abs and a youthful visage, Tan looks far younger than his 58 years. The youngest son of painter Tan Tee Chie, his journey into the world of imagery began as a model in the 1980s. He was briefly a pop vocalist during the 90s, before pivoting to photography. About a decade ago, Tan opened an Instagram account for the studio he established with photographer... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3266400/how-age-well-we-ask-singaporean-fashion-photographer-58-who-looks-half-his-age?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3266400/how-age-well-we-ask-singaporean-fashion-photographer-58-who-looks-half-his-age?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2024 03:15:11 +0000 Amid the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert, Harry Hunter celebrated his 76th birthday in late April in a manner that defied convention. Far from the comforts of his UK home, Hunter swapped the companionship of friends and family for the company of the occasional camel, and birthday cake for freeze-dried meals. Why? So he could compete in the toughest foot race on Earth – the Marathon des Sables, a 250km (155-mile), six-day endurance event demanding inordinate amounts of grit. Runners endure... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3262234/how-fear-getting-old-motivates-76-year-old-runner-who-set-record-250km-sahara-desert-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3262234/how-fear-getting-old-motivates-76-year-old-runner-who-set-record-250km-sahara-desert-race?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 May 2024 20:15:11 +0000 What kind of sleeper are you? According to a recent study, published in the medical journal Psychosomatic Medicine, there are four types. 1. Good sleepers These individuals maintain a healthy sleep routine, falling asleep and waking up at about the same times each day. They fall asleep easily, have uninterrupted sleep, wake up feeling satisfied and are alert during the day. These types of sleepers are the envy of hundreds of millions of people around the globe who struggle with chronic,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3259902/do-you-sleep-well-are-you-insomniac-do-you-take-naps-benefits-good-sleep-and-how-get-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3259902/do-you-sleep-well-are-you-insomniac-do-you-take-naps-benefits-good-sleep-and-how-get-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2024 11:15:13 +0000 Organ transplants save lives – but, a recent study suggests, they may also come with an unexpected side effect: profound personality changes. The paper, “Personality Changes Associated with Organ Transplants”, published in the medical journal Transplantology in January, discusses how a number of transplant recipients have experienced major, long-lasting changes in their thoughts, actions and behaviour. Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in the United States set out to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3258300/organ-transplants-may-have-unexpected-consequences-recipients-tastes-such-food-sex-and-their?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3258300/organ-transplants-may-have-unexpected-consequences-recipients-tastes-such-food-sex-and-their?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Apr 2024 20:15:17 +0000 While out riding her horse, Betty was thrown violently, hitting the ground and losing consciousness. She recalls: “My body was ‘asleep’ but my consciousness was alert. I went into my body and could feel pain and seemed to enter a dream state.” According to Betty, while her body lay on the ground, she saw her horse “make the additional two miles (3.2 kilometres) around the road back to the barn lot”. She also witnessed her “friend and employer look the horse over, look out over the fields for me,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3255036/what-happens-after-we-die-near-death-experiences-suggest-soul-and-afterlife-exist-says-doctor-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3255036/what-happens-after-we-die-near-death-experiences-suggest-soul-and-afterlife-exist-says-doctor-who?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2024 09:15:16 +0000 Menopause is considered a normal part of ageing, but that does not mean the end of the menstrual cycle comes without a great deal of mental turmoil. For some women, both depression and anxiety are common during menopause and post menopause, along with hot flushes and night sweats. A prior history of major depression elevates the risk of menopause-associated depression. But imagine if women never had to experience menopause – and the physical and mental challenges that accompany this biological... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3254222/end-menopause-it-might-happen-soon-how-fertility-experts-tissue-preservation-procedure-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3254222/end-menopause-it-might-happen-soon-how-fertility-experts-tissue-preservation-procedure-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Mar 2024 20:15:11 +0000 American multimillionaire entrepreneur and biohacker Bryan Johnson – the man reportedly spending US$2 million a year to reverse the ageing process – and his doctor Oliver Zolman, based in Cambridge in the UK, have come up with a unique competition: the Rejuvenation Olympics. According to its website, the competition was created to have a public forum to share rules and validated results for age rejuvenation. Participants aim to grow younger. Site visitors are told: “You win by never crossing the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3252056/celeb-biohacker-bryan-johnsons-rejuvenation-olympics-you-win-never-crossing-finish-line-draws-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3252056/celeb-biohacker-bryan-johnsons-rejuvenation-olympics-you-win-never-crossing-finish-line-draws-people?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Feb 2024 11:15:08 +0000 St John’s Bay, on the Honduran island of Roatán, is a start-up city that is attracting tech innovators, crypto mavericks and longevity gurus hoping to push the limits of human advancement. The city was created by Próspera, a US-registered firm backed by investment heavyweights such as PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel that aims to operate a network of such cities with minimal regulatory barriers to innovation. Próspera is Spanish for “prosperous”. Many of the 100 residents currently living in St... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3247034/biohacker-bryan-johnsons-visited-treatment-how-20-version-dubai-seeded-us-based-prospera-honduras?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3247034/biohacker-bryan-johnsons-visited-treatment-how-20-version-dubai-seeded-us-based-prospera-honduras?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jan 2024 23:45:18 +0000 How does one find happiness? Who better to ask than Shige Oishi, a Japanese psychologist who has been studying happiness in the United States for over a quarter of a century. “Happiness could be attained in a variety of ways, but in general it is associated with financial stability and interpersonal stability. A happy life is typically safe, comfortable and pleasant,” says the associate professor of psychology at the University of Virginia. But, he adds, there is an extra dimension to life,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3245191/how-be-more-happy-good-rich-life-beyond-happiness-possible-psychologist-explains-its-not-always-safe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3245191/how-be-more-happy-good-rich-life-beyond-happiness-possible-psychologist-explains-its-not-always-safe?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Dec 2023 00:15:08 +0000 Empathy is understanding, acknowledging, and being sensitive to others’ feelings, thoughts, and experiences. It makes us human – enabling us to form healthy, social connections – and is the basis for meaningful, long-lasting relationships. According to a recent study by Chinese academics, the Covid-19 pandemic had a severe impact on adolescents’ abilities to empathise with others. Lockdowns affected young people’s abilities to develop their social skills and engage in more emotional... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3243033/how-empathy-helps-us-build-long-lasting-relationships-and-even-save-lives-and-how-it-can-also-harm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3243033/how-empathy-helps-us-build-long-lasting-relationships-and-even-save-lives-and-how-it-can-also-harm?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:15:08 +0000 Biohacking – making incremental changes to your body, diet, and lifestyle to improve health and well-being – is all the rage. Ben Greenfield, a 42-year-old biohacking sensation who claims to have the biological age of a teenage boy, is a recent poster boy for the trend. He counts ex-Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey and legendary music producer Rick Rubin among his fans. Greenfield is also a nutritionist, physiologist, competitive athlete, New York Times bestselling author – and husband and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3241874/how-live-long-happy-life-celebrity-biohacker-ben-greenfield-shares-his-top-tips-have-meaning-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3241874/how-live-long-happy-life-celebrity-biohacker-ben-greenfield-shares-his-top-tips-have-meaning-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Nov 2023 20:15:11 +0000 It’s November, the month in which the Movember movement raises awareness of men’s physical and mental health issues. We are reminded that, across the world, about 77 per cent of suicides are by men. With fewer coping mechanisms than women and weak support networks, men are more vulnerable and easily overwhelmed by feelings of desperation and hopelessness. Many men live lives devoid of meaning. Meaning is powerful and a perceived lack of it can have serious negative effects on a person’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3240899/how-live-meaningful-life-4-expert-tips-purpose-mattering-and-how-finding-meaning-life-can-enhance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3240899/how-live-meaningful-life-4-expert-tips-purpose-mattering-and-how-finding-meaning-life-can-enhance?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Nov 2023 11:15:08 +0000 A goal shared by most sentient beings is to live a long – and healthy – life. But there is no silver bullet for good health. It requires consistency, discipline and good habits. A recent study identified eight such habits that can help delay or prevent the onset of chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and extend a person’s lifespan by decades. The study by health science specialists at the US Department of Veterans Affairs involved more than 700,000 veterans. It found... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3238104/how-live-longer-more-20-years-8-expert-tips-men-and-women-adopt-age-40?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3238104/how-live-longer-more-20-years-8-expert-tips-men-and-women-adopt-age-40?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Oct 2023 11:15:07 +0000 World champion triathlete Lesley Paterson, who is also a bestselling author and screenwriter and producer of the Netflix film All Quiet on the Western Front, exemplifies willpower. While Paterson, 42, estimates she has taken part in more than 400 gruelling triathlons, she says her screenplay that has been the greatest test of endurance: it took 16 years and jumping over many hurdles to see it reach the screen. Paterson was extra motivated to win the triathlons she took part in as she funnelled... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3237008/oscar-winning-netflix-film-writer-also-world-champion-triathlete-all-quiet-western-fronts-lesley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3237008/oscar-winning-netflix-film-writer-also-world-champion-triathlete-all-quiet-western-fronts-lesley?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Oct 2023 11:15:17 +0000 Lizards, birds and humans have a little-known commonality: they all dream. The average person has 1,460 dreams a year, about four dreams a night. Their content ranges from the sexual to the downright scary. Some of the more popular scenarios revolve around infidelity, being chased, appearing naked in public and the loss of teeth. The vast majority of dreaming occurs during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. REM sleep was first discovered 70 years ago, when researchers studying newborns... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3234949/why-do-we-dream-neuroscientists-new-theory-suggests-its-make-our-understanding-world-more-expansive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3234949/why-do-we-dream-neuroscientists-new-theory-suggests-its-make-our-understanding-world-more-expansive?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Sep 2023 11:15:19 +0000 Death is inevitable. But what if it wasn’t? What if we could live forever? Or, if not forever, many hundreds of years longer than we currently live? Over the past two decades, global life expectancy has increased by more than six years, according to the World Health Organization. In Hong Kong, life expectancies at birth have increased from 67.8 years for males and 75.3 years for females in 1971, to 81.3 years and 87.2 years, respectively, in 2022, the Centre for Health Protection says. That’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3233729/live-100-how-about-1000-why-scientist-believes-we-will-one-day-have-lifespans-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3233729/live-100-how-about-1000-why-scientist-believes-we-will-one-day-have-lifespans-long?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2023 23:45:20 +0000 The world of combat sports gets increasingly brutal as the years go by, from the bloody bouts in MMA, to the slap battles that have turned the head of UFC boss Dana White, broken bones and rattled brains are the order of the day. But what if you want a workout in the ring without the threat of serious injury? How about a spot of pillow fighting? No longer the preserve of young children, or advertisers and entertainers for purposes of titillation, the Pillow Fighting Championship (PFC) is here... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3233193/boxing-mma-and-ufc-can-take-sideline-new-pillow-fighting-competition-most-gruelling-sport-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3233193/boxing-mma-and-ufc-can-take-sideline-new-pillow-fighting-competition-most-gruelling-sport-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Sep 2023 06:30:16 +0000 Toxic people exist. Literally. Some people emit toxic odours that can make those in their vicinity feel ill. On the popular Reddit website, “toxic” individuals speak openly about their everyday struggles. Many of these people believe that other people are allergic to them. When they come into close contact with friends, family members or work colleagues, it isn’t long before people start sneezing and coughing, and their noses start running. The disorder is called “people allergic to me”... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3232918/people-allergic-me-rare-skin-condition-patm-causes-sufferers-emit-toxic-odours-can-make-those-around?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3232918/people-allergic-me-rare-skin-condition-patm-causes-sufferers-emit-toxic-odours-can-make-those-around?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Sep 2023 10:15:15 +0000 Rodents get a bad rap, but without them scientific progress would be impossible: since mice and rats have largely the same genetic make-up as humans, they make up about 99 per cent of all laboratory animals. What’s good for the mouse is not always good for the human, though. To fully understand the ways in which we can improve our lives, we require studies on actual human beings. Enter American scientist Joseph Dituri, also known as Dr Deep Sea. He’s less mouse, more human guinea pig. On the day... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3217725/100-days-living-underwater-dr-deep-seas-record-breaking-mission-push-human-bodys-limits-and-get-kids?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3217725/100-days-living-underwater-dr-deep-seas-record-breaking-mission-push-human-bodys-limits-and-get-kids?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Apr 2023 20:15:15 +0000 Finland is the happiest nation to live in, according to the World Happiness Index 2023. This has been the case for years – but why? The Finnish diet is mediocre, the weather is not great, and for many months of the year, daylight is at a premium – from October to February, the south of the country gets barely six hours and the polar north is shrouded in darkness night and day. Experts point to the country’s beautiful nature, its abundance of forests and lakes, good governance, impressive public... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3212658/how-sauna-can-make-you-happier-and-healthier-having-one-regularly-lowers-depression-heart-attack-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3212658/how-sauna-can-make-you-happier-and-healthier-having-one-regularly-lowers-depression-heart-attack-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Mar 2023 23:15:13 +0000 Last month, The Atlantic magazine’s Megan Garber argued that we were already living in the metaverse. She’s wrong. More recently, The New York Times published a piece forecasting that the next housing boom will take place in the metaverse. It won’t. Nothing will take place there, because it does not exist. It is a concept, a hype-filled hypothesis detached from reality. In October of 2021, Facebook made a big announcement to the world: the multinational technology conglomerate was changing its... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3211121/metaverse-has-failed-it-never-even-took?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3211121/metaverse-has-failed-it-never-even-took?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Feb 2023 07:45:09 +0000 In America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction, John Steinbeck wrote, “New York is an ugly city, a dirty city. Its climate is a scandal, its politics are used to frighten children, its traffic is madness, its competition is murderous. But there is one thing about it – once you have lived in New York and it has become your home, no place else is good enough.” Sharing similarities with Stockholm syndrome, New Yorker syndrome involves captives bonding with their captor and castigating anyone bold... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3122304/can-andrew-yang-turn-new-york-worlds-cryptocurrency-capital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3122304/can-andrew-yang-turn-new-york-worlds-cryptocurrency-capital?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Feb 2021 21:30:05 +0000