Breast reduction surgery has been linked to measurable improvements in several important areas of both physical health and quality of life, according to a new paper.

The study used the BREAST-Q© questionnaire, a well-validated survey instrument, to document the physical and psychosocial health benefits of breast reduction surgery. "The improvement in physical well-being is important for justification of insurance coverage," according to Dr. Michelle Coriddi and colleagues of Wexner Medical Center at the Ohio State University.

Taxes reduce consumption and usage of the products being targeted, it is just often the case that it isn't reducing consumption among the people being targeted.

As a way to spur consumption of 'healthier' eating, societal food advocates have sought to tax sugary drinks. A paper by RTI International, Duke University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture instead finds that heavier taxes on sodas and juices is simply creating a government subsidy for other unhealthy foods - the reduction in sugary beverages due to a soda tax would likely lead consumers to substitute those calories by increasing their calorie, salt and fat intake from untaxed foods and beverages. 

A Toronto patient has become the second known person to have acquired synesthesia as a result of a brain injury, in this case a stroke. 

Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which people experience more than one sense at the same time. They may "see" words or numbers as colors, hear sounds in response to smells or feel something in response to sight. Most synesthetes are born with the condition. Famous authors and artists include composer Franz Liszt, painter Vasily Kandinsky, singer-songwriter Billy Joel and author Vladimir Nabakov.

Psychotherapy done over the Internet work is just as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy according to a new paper.

The authors from the University of Zurich assumed that the two forms of therapy were on a par but found that the results for online therapy even exceeded their expectations.

A study of mortality and fertility patterns using seven species of wild primates (apes, monkeys etc.) compared with similar data from hunter-gatherer humans found that menopause sets humans apart from other primates.

Positive psychology is so powerful it can change gene expression, according to a paper in PNAS.

A good state of mind, your happiness levels, affect your genes, say academics in psychoneuroimmunology, psychology and psychiatry at UCLA and the University of North Carolina. Different types of happiness have different effects on the human genome, they have determined.  

People who have high levels of what is known as eudaimonic well-being - the kind of happiness that comes from having a deep sense of purpose and meaning in life, like Mother Teresa -  showed very favorable gene-expression profiles in their immune cells. They had low levels of inflammatory gene expression and strong expression of antiviral and antibody genes.