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Robert Roy Britt

@robertroybritt

Independent science and health journalist. Founder/editor of Wise & Well on Medium. Former editor-in-chief of Live Science and Space-dot-com. Author of Make Sleep Your Superpower.

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Latest posts by Robert Roy Britt @robertroybritt

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Exercise Makes the Brain Younger Scientists found brains can appear almost a year younger after just 12 months of routine workouts

We've all heard that exercise is good for us. And now we learn that brains of people on exercise look younger than those of sedentary individuals.

26.02.2026 16:54 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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We’re Often Wrong In Assessing Intention Humans are too quick to judge and to think they know what others are up to, but there are ways to correct for this.

I sometimes don't know why I do the stupid things I do. So how could I possibly know someone else's intentions? And that's the thing: We assume the intentions of others based on their actions, and our perception of their actions, and the numerous expectations and biases we hold.

26.02.2026 16:52 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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A Nurse’s Guide to Dealing With Unreasonable People I’ve dealt with people’s emotional extremes for 25 years. Here’s what I’ve learned about staying calm and effective when others can’t.

When a belligerent person gets in your face, the heat of the moment makes a productive response challenging. We tend to fight back (anger for anger) or take flight (curl up in a mental ball). Whether you're dealing with angry customers, family members or total strangers, there's a better way...

24.02.2026 18:33 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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You Might Not Think You’re Prejudiced… But You Probably Are Understanding your own biases (even the small ones) takes courage. How to recognize the blind spots that keep you stuck.

It's in our nature to "other" people, creating a bubble around the "in" group, and none of us avoids falling into some prejudices. That's got me digging deep to evaluate what I really think about people who are not like me. Are you brave enough to try it?

23.02.2026 15:40 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Learning to be Humble Meant Taming My Need to Stand Out How a professional crisis made this writer look inward and rethink his concept of success.

What's it mean to be humble? Probably not what you think. Humble people don't boastβ€Šβ€”β€Šthat much you might've guessed. But at its core, humility requires having an accurate view of your own skills and accomplishments. But most of us don't hold accurate views of ourselves.

20.02.2026 16:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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How to Make a Difference: My Health Advocacy Do’s and Don’t’s What I’ve learned about lobbying lawmakers when it feels personal

The very notion of lobbying may sound like something only paid professionals do. But if you have real passion for a topic, you can put it to good use by lobby your local, state or national representatives directly. This writer, a lobbying advocate now, explains how to do it well.

19.02.2026 20:39 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Marijuana Munchies Are Real, and Here’s What People Like Most Scientists were surprised by the food people chose after getting stoned. Oh, and the rats on pot? They’d eat anything.

Researchers conducted a pair of clinical trials (one on humans, one on rats) to see whether they really ate more when stoned (yes) and what they preferred to munch on. On that latter question, humans and rats differed a bit.

19.02.2026 19:00 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Where Have My Baby’s Gut Bugs Gone? Breast and formula-fed babies have different gut microbiomes, which can affect immunity and colic differently

Breast milk, in addition to many other advantages, fosters vital gut bacteria in infants that supports immunity and has been linked to less of the constant crying common in many babies. However...

19.02.2026 15:24 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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What Drives Food Allergies? Rethinking Early Exposure. Why eczema, the microbiome, and timing matter more than the first bite

Doctor's advice on food allergies has long been to avoid exposing infants and young kids to potentially deadline allergens, like peanuts. The advice may have been wrongheaded all along.

18.02.2026 14:52 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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How to Prioritize Happiness, According to Psychology What working with a personal trainer taught me about building better habits to help us be happy, or accomplish any goal

In today's busy world, perhaps the more important factor in finding happiness is prioritizing it. This psychologist realized she wanted to do a thing that makes her happy, but for a simple lack of prioritization, it wasn't happening. She explains her fix, a model for all of us.

17.02.2026 15:45 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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We Choose Some Medications for What They Don’t Do A very popular anti-epileptic and mood stabilizer, Lamictal, is prescribed very often, mostly on account of its lack of side effects

Normally we take medications for what they do. But sometimes doctors don't know why a particular medication works (examples: metformin for diabetes, as well as lithium, even Tylenol. Some drugs are prescribed because they cause less harm than alternatives, even if they might be less effective.

16.02.2026 22:50 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Intermittent Fasting Not Effective for Weight Loss, Analysis Finds While not the final word, the latest science runs counter to the hype

Despite possible benefits for certain conditions, the various types of intermittent fasting don't live up to the hype for weight loss.

16.02.2026 15:55 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Wise & Well Weekly 02.13.26 Lifelong learning thwarts dementia. Plus: The benefits of coffee, tea and breastfeeding.

In this week's Wise & Well newsletter:

- Lifelong learning thwarts dementia
- Breastfeeding Lowers Mom’s Depression Risk Years Later
- How Ultra-Processed Food Strains the Body
- Attention! Stimulants Don’t Improve It!
- 6 Seconds That Changed My Life
- Why I Was Blind to My Husband’s Cheating

14.02.2026 17:22 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Hesitation is Costly in Sports, But Essential in Life Neuroscientists identify the brain circuitry of uncertainty

For Olympic athletes, the β€œparadox of hesitation” is crucial when making split-second decisions about starting at just the right instant vs. jumping the gun. Us non-Olympians live this paradox every day.

14.02.2026 15:43 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Banning Lead: One of America’s Greatest Health Achievements How one agency cleared the air of a toxin that killed humans for millennia β€” and where it still lingers in our lives

Lead was known to be dangerous as far back as ancient Rome. Why lead ended up being added to gasoline is a truly twisted tale of capitalism at its worst. And then: A Republican president created the EPA, which later banned leaded gasβ€”a healthy policy change to be greatly admired.

13.02.2026 16:52 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Why I Was Blind to My Husband’s Cheating When you’re the victim of infidelity, reality can be too much to face

This writer's story isn't just an engaging heart-on-sleeve tale. It offers practical, science-backed advice to help anyone deal with the reality of a cheating lover.

13.02.2026 00:45 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Late Nights Degrade Cardiovascular Health New research shows sleep timing has a hidden heart impact, with night owls suffering and morning larks benefiting

Plenty of science has shown that night owls suffer worse health than people who sleep on more conventional schedules. The problem isn't so much what their bedtime is, as the fact that society demands most people be awake during traditional daytime hours. Now this...

12.02.2026 20:15 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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How Ultra-Processing Reshapes Food β€” and Quietly Strains the Body The overlooked biological mechanics behind ultra-processed food and long-term risk

Ultra-processed food is really bad for health. But what actually happens in the body that makes UPFs so bad? This food expert explains how they eats away at your body's cells and organs, and how the hidden risks play out over many yearsβ€Š-β€Šwithout you realizing the damage until it's well underway.

12.02.2026 18:23 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Anxiety Over Aging Just Ages You Faster The message from science: Don’t worry, be happy.

When we worry about unknowns and maybes, that anxiety floods the body and brain with fight-or-flight hormones. New research, including blood analysis, finds that people who worry about whether and how their health might decline as they get older are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

12.02.2026 15:22 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Breastfeeding Lowers Mom’s Depression Risk, Even Years Later It’s widely accepted that breastfeeding is beneficial to infants and moms, yet women continue to struggle with stigma, lack of family…

The benefits of breastfeeding for babies is well known. But less attention is paid to how it affects new mothers, even as oodles of obstacles and unhelpful stigmas exist in the workplace and across society. Now we learn that the mental health benefits for mom can last a decade.

12.02.2026 15:06 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Wise & Well Science-backed insights into health, wellness and wisdom, to help you make tomorrow a little better than today.

Wow, I just took a look at Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia topic page, on Wise & Well, and it's loaded with really informative news and deep-dive feature stories by our team of psychologists, physicians, journalists, a neurologist and other informed, talented writers.

11.02.2026 22:40 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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People Fart a Lot More Than They Claim New smart underwear measures actual farting frequency, providing clues about gut health

A pilot study in which people wore fart-detecting smart underwear for a week reveals that people fart a lot more often than they say when surveyed. But now, any US adult can get some smart underwear to measure their own farting habits… for the sake of science, of course.

10.02.2026 18:00 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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6 Seconds That Changed My Life A lesson that could change your life, too, maybe even save it

This physician had a life-changing revelation, when he crashed his car thanks to ignoring a health issue he (of all people!β€Š) should've taken care of long ago.

10.02.2026 16:32 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Coffee and Tea Linked to Sharper Minds and Lower Dementia Risk Yet another excuse to enjoy a cup, beyond the obvious pick-me-up

Many studies have shown benefits of coffee and tea, with few side effects (for most people). This latest study adds further evidence they (and probably the caffeine in them) can not just improve focus and clarity in the short term but help keep the mind sharper longer.

09.02.2026 16:11 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Beer Bellies Portend Heart Problems Outsized waist-to-hip ratioβ€”not just being overweightβ€”is linked to clear signs of heart damage that bodes poorly for future health

Abdominal fat, sometimes characterized as a beer belly, is associated with more heart damage β€” a thicker heart muscle and smaller heart chambers β€” than is excess body weight alone. The changes reflect early stress on the heart that can lead to heart disease and heart failure.

08.02.2026 16:19 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Why Some People Can’t Admit When They’re Wrong And how fessing up has significant reputational advantages, according to multiple new studies

Why won't Trump apologize for posting that blatant racist video of the Obamas? Could be one of many reasons, but in a nutshell: People who can't or won't apologize when they're blatantly wrong are known to have fragile egos or an idealized self-image that engages in self-deceit for protection.

07.02.2026 16:25 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The Simple Difference Between HDL and LDL Cholesterol One kind is bad, and the other is good (except sometimes it isn’t good). It’s more complex than β€œeat more of this.”

One type of is good, and one is bad, right? Well… it's not that simple, as this scientist explains. Interesting facts: Cholesterol is made naturally by the body, and it's in every cell, but the waxy, fat-like stuff has to travel through blood in specialized bubbles, otherwise it wouldn't mix well.

04.02.2026 15:46 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Who Should Try Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation? Electrical stimulation of the trigeminal nerve helps with migraine and epilepsy, but the research on benefits for ADHD and depression is…

Using pulses of electricity to the brain, trigeminal nerve stimulation purports to help alleviate ADHD, depression, epilepsy, migraine headaches and head trauma. But as with many therapies so highly touted, TNS is not a cure-all. This neuroscientist/psychiatrist explains.

03.02.2026 15:07 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Can Ambient Noise (Pink, White or Brown) Really Help You Sleep? New research questions the value of acoustic stimulation for sleeping

Pink noiseβ€”think of pattering rain or a babbling brookβ€”has become a popular sleep aid. There is very little research on the effects of this an other forms of acoustic stimulation on #sleep. But a new study finds pink noise isn't the ideal solution to a noisy bedroom (or even a quiet one).

02.02.2026 17:52 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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After 8 Years of Ozempic, Is Our National Health Any Better? Despite being touted as a modern medical miracle, drugs like Ozempic fall short of their incredible potential. Here’s why.

GLP-1 drugs (Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound) came with high expectations, and they have been revolutionary in may ways. But now we're starting to get a long-term look at their effectiveness, and there's cause for concern.

02.02.2026 15:19 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0