Striving for precision may seem like a desirable trait, but research suggests extreme perfectionism is a risk factor for depression, anxiety and eating disorders.

We live in a world dominated by the pursuit of perfection. From how we perform at school and in the workplace, to whether we win a social game of tennis and even how we choose romantic partners and raise our kids, achieving top marks or the best possible outcome has come to define our understanding of success.
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There’s no doubt that setting goals and having high expectations is a healthy pattern of behaviour, but when these habits are taken to an extreme level it can increase the risk of some of our most common mental health problems.

What are our screens and devices doing to us?
Psychologist Adam Alter studies how much time screens steal from us and how they’re getting away with it.
He shares why all those hours you spend staring at your smartphone, tablet or computer might be making you miserable – and what you can do about it.

In our modern world, the internet has become an integral part of our daily lives, enabling us to be more connected and efficient than ever before.

But our move online has also resulted in the serious and growing global phenomenon of internet addiction.

What is internet addiction?
Internet addiction manifests when excessive internet use starts to affect someone’s life, causing impairment or distress. There are various types of internet addiction, from social networking and gambling to pornography and gaming.

Internet gaming addiction, also known as Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), is now recognised as a mental health condition that can have major consequences for an individual’s wellbeing.
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Dr Vasileios Stavropoulos, a senior lecturer in clinical psychology and coordinator of the Gaming Research Group at Federation University Australia, says six criteria must be met in order for excessive internet gaming to be classed as an addiction.

In 2003 a landmark study revealed what psychologists had long suspected: that people who experience positive emotions are at a reduced risk of disease.
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Researchers assessed a group of 334 people aged 18 to 54 for their tendency to experience positive emotions like happiness, pleasure and relaxation along with negative emotions like anxiety, hostility and depression. Participants were then injected with nasal drops containing the common cold.
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People who expressed more positive emotions were less likely to develop the common cold, and the relationship was so strong that it held across age, gender, education, race, body mass and even season.
Since then, psychologists have continued to probe the link between feeling good and being well in a new field of research called ‘positive psychology’. Importantly, this new discipline extends beyond disease models of health such as whether we have a cold and seeks to define what it means to be healthy in positive terms.

“22 of the Cutest Baby Animals,” the headline said. “You won’t believe number 11!”

Despite an impending deadline – not to mention my skepticism (how cute could they possibly be?) – I clicked on the story. I’m only human, after all. Yet this failure in self-regulation cost me at least half an hour of good work time – as have other clickbait headlines, bizarre images on my Twitter feed or arguments on Facebook.

The insidious, distracting suck of the Internet has become seemingly inescapable. Calling us from our pockets, lurking behind work documents, it’s merely a click away. Studies have shown that each day we spend, on average, five and a half hours on digital media, and glance at our phones 221 times.
Meanwhile, the developers of websites and phone apps all exploit human behavioral tendencies, designing their products and sites in ways that attract our gaze – and retain it. Writing for Aeon, Michael Schulson points out, developers have staked their futures on methods to cultivate habits in users, in order to win as much of that attention as possible.
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Given the Internet’s omnipresence and its various trappings, is it even possible to rein in our growing Internet consumption, which often comes at the expense of work, family or relationships?
Psychological research on persuasion and self-control suggests some possible strategies.

We all like to help others. But, when it comes to mental health, what steps can we take to support ourselves?
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Psychological research has revealed a range of approaches that can help you stay mentally healthy and make the most out of your life.

1. Connect with others
   Having deep, meaningful relationships helps mental health. Build a rich social network by flexing your communication skills. Really listen to others and be genuine, sharing your thoughts and feelings. Your relationships need not be just about sharing difficulties.
   Celebrate everyday positive experiences with friends. Research shows doing this boosts wellbeing by helping you savour good things and make great feelings last longer.

Jocelyn Brewer MAPS introduces us to the concept of Digital Nutrition, an award-winning framework for teaching the principles of a healthy, balanced relationship with technology.

Digital nutrition borrows from the healthy eating pyramid and food nutrition principles to communicate key concepts around screen-time limits, digital citizenship and impulse control, and evaluates the cognitive benefits of apps and games.
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It is not about a digital ‘diet’ or ‘detox’, but about a positive, long term relationship with cyberspace that allows us to get the best out of technology, while avoiding the pitfalls of ‘internet addiction’. Are there healthy life choices for digital consumption? Are there digital superfoods?
​#psychweek

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - or ADHD - affects one in 20 children worldwide. Many children and adolescents struggle at school or home but psychologists have developed a 'toolkit' of skills and approaches that can help parents, carers and teachers bring the best out in those with the disorder.

 Clynical psychologist EMMA SCIBERRAS (MAPS) explains what these approaches are.

Original video posted by Psychlopaedia.org on their YouTube channel.

Incidences of bullying are occurring in preschools.  With bullying linked to a range of poor outcomes in adulthood, psychologists are urging schools to adopt best practice to protect students.
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Addressing bullying in schools is an important preventative health measure but many schools are failing to adopt the most promising psychological processes.

​Helen McGrath MAPS, a psychologist and educator who is a member of the National Centre Against Bullying, said that schools are struggling to identify and contend with the concerning behaviour. While most schools are addressing the challenge head-on, some are failing to adopt nationally recognised anti-bullying principles.

Insights from positive psychology reveal the factors that can help people be happier and more satisfied.

Wellbeing has many facets. One theory of wellbeing – set out by Martin Seligman, one of the pioneers of positive psychology, in his 2012 book Flourish – identified five key elements which underpin people’s happiness and life satisfaction. These are positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment, or PERMA for short. Psychologists have since built on this, adding a plus – healthy behaviours – which also contribute to wellbeing.
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Though we live in a complex and demanding world, people may experience higher levels of wellbeing if they focus on these important factors in life.