Health
In patients with depression, familiar scents could help trigger happy memories, study finds: ‘Break the cycle’
A familiar scent could help individuals with depression recall memories more easily than verbal cues, a recent study published in JAMA Network Open noted.
For people with major depressive disorder (MDD), a familiar smell might help them recall autobiographical memories and potentially help with mental health treatment, according to a group of researchers and social workers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Depression has been linked to issues with short-term memory, according to Healthline.
IMPROVING MEMORY MAY BE AS EASY AS POPPING A MULTIVITAMIN, STUDY FINDS: ‘PREVENTS VASCULAR DEMENTIA’
“The main takeaway from the study is that individuals with depression do have specific memories and positive memories, but they just have trouble accessing them,” study co-author Dr. Kymberly Young, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, told Fox News Digital.
“By using odors, we can help them access these memories.”
A familiar scent could help individuals with depression recall memories more easily than verbal cues, according to a recent study. (iStock)
The findings suggest that using familiar scents in clinical settings could help to stop negative thought patterns and expedite healing, according to the report.
“Being able to access specific memories is important for problem-solving and emotion regulation — if we can help individuals with depression to access specific memories, they should be able to use them when needed and improve their quality of life,” Young said.
COVID PANDEMIC TRIGGERED SPIKE IN ANTIDEPRESSANT USE AMONG YOUNG FEMALES, STUDY FINDS
In healthy individuals, scents could trigger memories that feel vivid and “real” — likely because they engage the part of the brain called the amygdala, which plays a role in processing memory and emotional responses, according to a press release from the university.
“Memories accessed by a familiar scent tend to be very vivid, with a more intense feeling of being ‘real,’ likely due at least in part to the engagement of emotions via the amygdala,” Dr. Krystine Batcho, PhD, a licensed psychologist ad professor at Le Moyne University in Syracuse, New York, explained to Fox News Digital.
Batcho was not involved with the study.
Memories cued by scents were more specific than the ones sparked by verbal cues, the investigators found in a new study. (iStock)
As Young told Fox News Digital, anyone could use scents as a means of recalling vivid and specific memories.
“Sit with an odor and really focus on the memory and try to relive it,” Young suggested.
“Practice recalling these types of memories so that when you need to recall one in daily life — for things like problem-solving and emotion regulation — you will easily be able to do so.”
GRANDPARENTS MAY HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON A MOM’S MENTAL HEALTH, STUDY FINDS: ‘WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE’
In the study, the team of researchers looked at 32 individuals between 18 and 55 years of age who had a diagnosis of MDD.
The participants were given 12 samples of scents in opaque glass jars. They were then asked to recall a specific memory for each of 12 different words.
Each person rated the memory as positive or negative, and also rated the level of arousal and vividness. The individuals also indicated whether they thought of the memory often or not until that particular moment, according to the study.
Recalling vivid and specific memories using odors could theoretically be used by anyone to improve their memory, a researcher told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Memories cued by odors were more specific than the ones sparked by verbal cues, the investigators found.
Participants also tended to recall more positive memories and fewer negative ones, and they rated these memories as more arousing and vivid when using odor cues compared to verbal cues.
“This study just shows that odors are effective at cuing memories when words are not,” Young said.
WAS WENDY WILLIAMS’ DEMENTIA CAUSED BY ALCOHOLISM? EXPERTS SHARE INSIGHTS
Although the investigators did not measure depressive symptoms nor expect them to change in this short study, Young noted that improving memory recall should boost problem-solving and emotion regulation and might help to alleviate depression.
“This is a future direction for this work, now that we know smells are such effective cues in these patients,” he told Fox News Digital.
Improving memory recall should improve problem-solving and emotion regulation and might improve depression, an expert said. (iStock)
Batcho, the psychologist from Le Moyne University, noted that fragrance is an especially powerful trigger for retrieving autobiographical memories.
“While verbal material is also able to retrieve memories, words function at a higher, more abstract level than sensory stimuli,” she told Fox News Digital. “Depression can trap a person in a counterproductive cycle of sadness by triggering sad memories.”
“Reliving the best times can help break the depression cycle and begin to restore more positive thoughts and feelings.”
Certain types of memories are likely to be more beneficial in alleviating depression, the expert said.
“Reliving the best times can help break the depression cycle and begin to restore more positive thoughts and feelings,” Batcho said.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Nostalgic memories have been shown to elevate mood, buffer anxiety, counteract loneliness and strengthen social connectedness,” she went on. “Fragrances associated with positive past experiences would be the most effective in retrieving nostalgic memories.”
Specific fragrances are often associated with people, places or special occasions that bring joy, according to the expert.
“Our mother’s favorite perfume, the fragrance of flowers in the garden where we fell in love, or the aroma of holiday foods can revive the positive feelings we once enjoyed,” she said.
“It can be hard for people who are suffering from depression to remember things other than sad memories,” a psychologist told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Dr. Nancy Frye, PhD, a professor of psychology at Long Island University in Brookville, New York, who was not involved with the study, commented on the significance of the findings.
“It can be hard for people who are suffering from depression to remember things other than sad memories,” she told Fox News Digital.
“We’re better able to remember things that match the mood we’re currently in, according to the mood-congruent memory effect,” Frye said. “So it’s easier to remember happy memories when we’re happy, and it’s easier to remember sad memories when we’re sad.”
“This research gives a promising direction to look in to help people with depression.”
Based on this initial study, the researchers aim to complete larger studies with healthy control groups to further investigate the link between scents and memories in those with depression.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Bryan Johnson, a biohacker and longevity guru who has claimed “we may be the first generation who won’t die,” revealed he has an autoimmune condition causing his stomach to “eat itself.”
The Los Angeles-based tech entrepreneur, 48, has previously shared publicly that he is hoping to live until the year 2140, when he would in theory be 160 years old.
Now, Johnson says he has been diagnosed with autoimmune gastritis (AIG), a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the stomach’s acid-producing parietal cells, reducing stomach acid and impairing vitamin B12 absorption, according to Nature Reviews Disease Primers.
HOW A 93-YEAR-OLD SOCCER REFEREE CREDITS WARTIME RATIONS AND DISCIPLINE FOR HIS LONGEVITY
“My stomach is eating itself,” he wrote in an Instagram post. Johnson also shared that anywhere from 2% to 5% of people likely have this disease.
“I’m going to try to solve it,” Johnson went on. “Will share all.”
Bryan Johnson, a biohacker and longevity guru who has claimed “we may be the first generation who won’t die,” revealed he has an autoimmune condition causing his stomach to “eat itself.” (Getty Images)
The biohacker shared that as a child, he ate sugary cereal, drank sugary soda and “gobbled down fast food.”
“I became a young father of three and began building a business,” Johnson went on. “Juggling that stress and grind, I let my health slip and gained 40 lbs. Within a few years I’d fallen into a deep, chronic depression.”
DOCTORS SAY 8 FORGOTTEN HABITS COULD HELP FIGHT STRESS, OBESITY AND CHRONIC DISEASE
“Somewhere in that timeline, my body began developing an autoimmune process affecting my thyroid and then my stomach lining,” he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson for comment.
AIG can remain hidden and can be challenging to diagnose, Johnson noted, often surfacing years after damage has already occurred to the stomach. It can cause iron deficiency, B12 deficiency and anemia, and can also increase the risk of stomach cancer, the expert warned.
“Low iron stores get normalized and rarely investigated at all when anemia hasn’t shown up yet,” Johnson wrote. “That blind spot is what hid mine for a decade.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
He also shared that for 11 years, he has had low levels of ferritin, a protein that stores iron inside the body’s cells. Ferritin releases iron when the body needs it, supports muscle function and carries out other essential processes.
“We continually tried to raise my iron levels with food and supplementation, but nothing would work,” he said.
The Los Angeles-based tech entrepreneur, 48, has previously shared publicly that he is hoping to live until the year 2140. (Getty Images)
Johnson acknowledged that some common biohacking techniques — including hard training, sauna and hyperbaric oxygen — all raise the body’s demand for iron.
“But none of them explained the core failure: Despite me taking iron orally, trailing every formulation and using every timing trick, none of the iron would stick.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Johnson underwent a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy, which examined his entire intestinal tract. Five biopsies were also taken from his stomach, which found “clear signs of early autoimmune gastritis: early atrophy confined to the acid-producing lining.”
In January 2026, the biohacker stated in a post on his website that “by 2039, my goal is immortality.”
“In the age of AI, multiomics, and custom-built DNA, proteins and cells, no condition should be presumed incurable simply because no one has yet tried to cure it with today’s stack,” Johnson said in his post. (Getty Images)
He detailed his strategy for defying aging, which includes embracing a strict regimen to slow or stop biological aging, using AI to accelerate longevity research, testing new treatments in lab-grown cells and organs, and reaching “longevity escape velocity” — in which medical advances would eventually extend lifespan faster than he ages.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“I may fail at this task, but my team and I will try our best,” he wrote at the time.
There is currently no cure for AIG, which Johnson said he wants to change.
Johnson acknowledged that some common biohacking techniques — including hard training, sauna and hyperbaric oxygen — all raise the body’s demand for iron. (iStock)
“In the age of AI, multiomics, and custom-built DNA, proteins and cells, no condition should be presumed incurable simply because no one has yet tried to cure it with today’s stack.”
Johnson ended his post by urging others to prioritize their health.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Care for yourself, care for others, care for the planet and care for our animal friends. Care for life, as it’s the most precious gift there is.”
The longevity guru also shared an image showing the detailed findings of his five stomach biopsies.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
At 93, sprightly referee Frank Foster is still brandishing red and yellow cards and running the field three times a week for his local soccer association.
Having taken charge of around 5,500 matches over a 46-year officiating career, the great-grandfather credits his longevity and match-day stamina to a lifetime of healthy habits and a foundational diet, news agency SWNS reported.
Foster puts his remarkable fitness down to the strict wartime rations he was fed as a teenager, noting that it ensured he grew up eating “healthy food” rather than “sweets and cakes.”
FITNESS EXPERT REVEALS 6 PILLARS OF STRENGTH TRAINING THAT OLDER ADULTS SHOULD MASTER
Decades later, his game-day preparation is still fueled by wholesome nutrition, always starting with a morning bowl of oatmeal, cereal or marmalade on toast to give him the energy to last the full 90 minutes.
The meal keeps him active enough to referee men’s, women’s and children’s games, a hobby he jokes he will never blow the final whistle on.
Frank Foster started refereeing in 1980. Today, he still officiates men’s, women’s and children’s games around three times a week. (SWNS)
His sharp mind and authoritative presence on the field are just as strong as his physical endurance.
A military veteran who aced his referee exam in 1980 with a 98% score, Foster relies on old-school discipline to keep matches under control, SWNS reported.
7 COMMON FITNESS MISTAKES OLDER ADULTS MAKE AND HOW TO AVOID THEM FOR BETTER WORKOUTS
He believes modern elite officials are too “soft” and allow player antics to ruin the sport. To maintain order and keep players from acting out, he lays down strict ground rules before kickoff. He has no patience for intimidation or theatrical diving. “Those who go down like they have been shot, well, I would just book them,” he said.
He is equally uncompromising when squads try to crowd him on the field.
Frank Foster is pictured before he became a referee. (Frank Foster/SWNS)
“I wouldn’t let them surround me at all,” Foster told SWNS.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“I would say to the players, ‘Stay where you are,’ and ‘If you move one more inch, I will give you a yellow card.’ You need to stamp your authority and let them know who is in control.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
He also avoids the modern stress of video-reviewing plays, which he believes creates unnecessary “aggression and disappointment” over microscopic offside calls, adding, “I think it spoils the game.”
Foster credits his longevity to wartime rations, adding that he avoided sweets. (SWNS)
“Sometimes it is only the player’s toe that is offside — it is ridiculous.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Foster says he “never thought” he’d still be doing this at age 93, but he makes the most of that gift.
He keeps his kit freshly washed, making sure it is “neat and tidy” for when he gets on that field.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Foster, of South Yorkshire, England, also scrubs his black Adidas boots after every game, making sure they are “nice and clean” for his next match.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Summer fun in the sun is being taken to a new extreme.
“Tanmaxxing” is a social media trend that involves maximizing sun exposure and tanning the skin more intensely.
Popular among Gen Z, the practice combines time spent in direct sunlight with a variety of tanning products like oils, bronzers and gels.
POPULAR FRUIT MAY HELP PROTECT YOUR SKIN FROM THE SUN, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS
Creators on social media are showing off their dramatic tan lines and outdoor set-ups — some even forgoing sun protection or adding tanning bed sessions.
“Tanmaxxing” is trending on social media as a way of maximizing sun exposure. (iStock)
While spending time outdoors can help boost mood, support the body’s production of vitamin D and reduce screen time, dermatologists warn that excessive sun exposure — especially as promoted by the tanmaxxing trend — can be dangerous.
New York-based board-certified dermatologist Dr. Michael Tassavor, MD, emphasized that there is “no such thing as a safe, natural tan.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“Tanning is damage,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Tanfluencers sell a deep tan as a ‘wellness upgrade,’ but a tan isn’t a glow-up — it’s your skin’s visible distress signal that DNA damage has already happened.”
“As a skin cancer specialist, I’ve taken care of thousands of skin cancers on patients who ‘tanmaxxed’ before it had a name. Most regret it.”
Using a tanning bed before 35 years old can raise melanoma risk by about 75%, an expert warned. (iStock)
The World Health Organization classifies UV radiation and tanning beds as Group 1 carcinogens, which is the same category as tobacco and asbestos.
Using a tanning bed before age 35 can raise melanoma risk by about 75%, Tassavor noted.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“The damage compounds silently and shows up years later, once the easy window to intervene has closed,” he said.
According to Tassavor, two common beliefs behind tanmaxxing are false: Skipping sunscreen does not produce a “better” tan, and a base tan does not protect the skin from future sunburns.
“Most of your vitamin D can come from diet and supplements, and your skin is efficient enough to top up what it needs from ordinary incidental exposure,” a dermatologist said. (iStock)
Sunlight “isn’t the enemy,” the dermatologist noted, but there’s no need to chase it.
“Most of your vitamin D can come from diet and supplements, and your skin is efficient enough to [get] what it needs from ordinary incidental exposure,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Vitamin D matters for bone density, and sun does give some people a genuine mood lift, but there’s no evidence that anyone has to go out of their way to sunbathe for it, and no evidence that diligent sunscreen use harms bone health.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
To safely expose yourself to the sun, Tassavor recommends using SPF 30 sunscreen and reapplying every two hours. Tanning beds should be avoided “entirely,” he cautioned, because there is “no safe dose” of UV exposure and using them accelerates skin aging.
-
Delaware53 seconds agoDelaware County commissioners criticize Marion County prosecutor
-
Florida8 minutes agoDeadly July 4th shooting arrest; South Florida man accused of Miami stabbing attack
-
Georgia11 minutes agoPoll shows Georgia Democrats ahead in senate, gubernatorial races
-
Hawaii16 minutes ago$5 deal for National Fried Chicken Day
-
Idaho23 minutes ago
An Idaho mother who said her toddler twins died after vaccinations has been charged with murder
-
Illinois26 minutes agoSevered arm in Illinois lake: Court records say body parts found in freezer, half-brother claimed self-defense
-
Indiana31 minutes agoIndiana Black Expo to present award to Mathew Knowles for health advocacy
-
Iowa38 minutes agoIowa Democrats and Republicans gain voters, independent voters decrease
