EmmaClaire

The Science of Weighted Blankets

Weighted blankets are becoming increasingly popular, but do they actually work? I was asked to comment on the science and research behind weighted blankets for The English Home. This was an interesting one for me as I hadn’t considered the evidence base, but I know a lot of people who swear by them for a good nights sleep, so I got stuck in! Fortunately, there are a few published reviews that have already summarised the research evidence for me.

How do weighted blankets work?

In 2024, Yu et al., explained that “deep pressure touch” may explain the calming effects and improvement to wellbeing people experience when under their weighted blanket. They suggest that these blankets provide an even distribution of light pressure on the body, which slows our heart rate and breathing, and we settle into a state of calm and relaxation. This is known as activating the parasympathetic nervous system, or entering a “rest and digest” state. It’s similar to the soothing effects of a really good hug.

How do weighted blankets help?

As well as encouraging relaxation, a review by Wong et al (2024) highlighted that, for people experiencing insomnia and mental health problems, weighted blankets can increase the amount of time they were asleep, and reduce symptoms of insomnia. In addition to this, a review by Eron et al (2020) found that people using a weighted blanket also experienced reductions in anxiety. Yu et al.,(2024) added to this by highlight people experienced fewer negative emotions and improved overall daytime wellbeing when using a weighted blanket.

Do weighted blankets work for everyone?

Dawson et al., (2024) looked at how weighted blankets helped across the entire lifespan. They found a number of positive improvements were reported for adults, much like the reviews above, they included better sleep and improved wellbeing and mood. They also reported reductions in pain for various conditions. Interestingly, people also reported reduced medication use after sleeping under a weighted blanket. This covered a range of different medications, including reduction in prescribed sleep medication. Interestingly, weighted blankets used in senior care settings led improvements in residents’ emotional and psychological expressions during the day, which meant practitioners did not need to prescribe as much medication – I think this finding is really, really cool.

This paper also looked at the effects of weighted blankest for children and adolescents. Whilst they didn’t find as much evidence for improved sleep in younger people, studies about Autistic children and those with ADHD found that after sleeping under a weighted blanket children were more relaxed, and showed fewer signs of anxiety, anger and irritability. This also led to more stable mood and better functioning in schools.

So, to answer the original question: Do weighted blankets actually work? Scientific research seems to think so. They appear to improve sleep duration and quality, and this has a positive impact on mood and other aspects of wellbeing during the day time. It’s important to remember most of the research so far has been carried out by and for people with specific diagnosis or needs, but none of the reviews I looked at highlighted any concerns related to using these blankets. So, if you’re looking to improve your sleep quality, energy levels and wellbeing, trying a weighted blanket might be the answer!

Get started with this one, which comes highly recommended!

References

Dawson, S., Charlton, K., Ng, L., Cleland, J., Bulto, L., Page, M., & Attrill, S. (2024). Weighted Blankets as a Sleep Intervention: A Scoping Review. The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 78(5), 7805205160. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2024.050676 (this paper is behind a paywall so I had to read the authors accepted manuscript to understand the findings in more detail)
Eron, K., Kohnert, L., Watters, A., Logan, C., Weisner-Rose, M., & Mehler, P. S. (2020). Weighted Blanket Use: A Systematic Review. The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 74(2), 7402205010p1–7402205010p14. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.037358
Wong, S., Fabiano, N., Luu, B., Seo, C., Gupta, A., Kim, H. K., … & Husain, M. I. (2024). The effect of weighted blankets on sleep quality and mental health symptoms in people with psychiatric disorders in inpatient and outpatient settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 179, 286-294.
Yu, J., Yang, Z., Sun, S., Sun, K., Chen, W., Zhang, L., … & Zhu, Y. (2024). The effect of weighted blankets on sleep and related disorders: a brief review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1333015.

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emotional-wellbeing, happy habits box, positive postcards, stress

Making Happy Habits

As Featured in Psychologies, September 2025

Making intentional happy habits can be a great way to prioritise our wellbeing. This can be anything from making regular space for a favourite activity, to changing how we perceive the world around us.

At their core, habits are routine or automatic behaviours that have been learned. We can train ourselves to pick up happy habits to build resilience for when we need it, or to replace habits that are unhelpful.

Be clear

First you need to understand what you want to achieve, so start with a clear goal and habit in mind.

Be positive

Frame your goals in a positive light, like doing more of something, rather than stopping something. This will keep you motivated and more likely to succeed.

Be specific

Have a specific behaviour or goal in mind that you can measure. This will make it easier to see your progress and provide continuous motivation.

Be Practical

Set a specific time or space to build your habit, and make sure it is manageable. If you are committing to more ‘me’ time, or doing more of something you love, start small and build up over time.

Reward yourself

Congratulate yourself every time you practice your habit. Whether its a gold star, a pat on the back, or write it down, pause to notice the positives that come intentional positive habits.

How to achieve this?

If you are not sure where to start, the Happy Habits Box is a positive psychology toolbox using science-backed techniques to outline small but intentional habits that can improve positive outlook, discover new habits, build resilience and improve wellbeing.

mental wellbeing, mental-health, science communication, Social connection

Good Gossip, Bad Gossip: The Science of Social Storytelling

As featured in PopSugar 9/09/2025

I was asked to comment on the role of gossip, and how this might be a positive tool and exchange of information after a wedding, so here’s what I found:

What is gossip really?

Gossip is often dismissed as trivial or overtly negative, but it has actually served a longstanding social purpose. Gossip is how we exchange information, reinforce social norms, and strengthen interpersonal bonds.

It does this by fostering connection between individuals and also wider social groups. Gossip acts as a form of social currency. The exchange of social information supports social cooperation in large groups (when done in a positive way) can build trust. As people share positive gossip they bond and strengthen ties within a group.

Is wedding gossip good?

In the context of a wedding, positive gossip serves to strengthen group identity as attendees, and as important people in the lives of the newly married couple. Gossip also spreads social information, meaning people who weren’t able to attend, or missed particular parts of the wedding, are able to catch up through sharing stories. It might even help the newlyweds, who can’t be everywhere all at once, enjoy more aspects of their wedding.

Why do we gossip?

Research has shown that people who are more central to a social groups with are more likely to share positive gossip, and also more likely to be the subject of positive gossiper. Negative gossip tends to be about people who are less central to a group, and can lead to them being shut out further.

Overall, positive gossip builds connection whereas negative gossip can negatively impact a group and its individual members.

When can gossip go bad?

While gossip can foster connection, it’s important to acknowledge that it can also cross boundaries, especially when the consequence is to undermine others. Research shows that negative gossip tends to focus on people with lower social status or fewer connections within a group, which can lead to exclusion. In these cases, gossip becomes less about bonding and more about reinforcing hierarchies or putting someone in a negative light.

How to stay positive with gossip

To keep gossip positive and constructive, it is context and intent that matter. Gossip that celebrates others, shares joyful updates, or reinforces shared values is good for a group. But when gossip veers into criticism or speculation, especially without a person’s presence or consent, it risks becoming a form of social undermining.

In private scenarios, expressing concerns or frustrations can be valid and even necessary. In these situations it’s best to speak with empathy, and focus on behaviours rather than a person’s character. You can also think about the purpose of such a conversations, is it looking for advice? And ideally it should be done with someone trusted who won’t let the conversation lead to any unintended harm.

Encouraging positive storytelling and sharing helps ensure gossip remains a force for connection, not exclusion.

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Book Recommendations

I love reading so here are a few recommendations for Mental Health, Wellbeing and Psychology:

The Man Who mistook his wife for a hat by Dr Oliver Sacks

The Frog Who Croaked Blue: Synesthesia and the Mixing of the Senses by Dr Jamie Ward

Presence: The Strange Science of the Unseen Other by Ben Alderson-Day

Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges by Steven M. Southwick, Dennis S. Charney, and Jonathan M DePierro.

Brain Boost: Healthy Habits for a Happier Life by Dr Barbara J. Sahakian, and Dr Christelle Langley

Braintenance: A scientific guide to creating healthy habits and reaching your goals by Dr Julia Ravey (read my review here)

It’s all in your head: Stories from the Frontline of Psychosomatic Illness by Suzanne O’Sullivan

The Balanced Life: Using Strategies from Behavioral Science to Enhance Wellbeing by M. Joseph Sirgy

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digital boundaries, emotional-wellbeing

Are you Ego scrolling

As featured in Stylist, July 2025

Dating apps can be fun and even a way to improve our wellbeing, but only if we stay in control of how we use them.

Dating apps can be validating

One of our core psychological needs as humans is a sense of belonging and acceptance. Dating apps can offer this through validation of a person’s attractiveness and social worth, as well as finding connection.

When used in a balanced way, this social validation can enhance wellbeing, boost self-esteem, and foster a sense of fulfilment, while also reducing feelings of loneliness.

Dating apps can lead to bad habits

Positive experiences of validation or wellbeing boosts can reinforce scrolling on dating apps, turning it into a habit. If left unchecked, this can lead to excessive use, which may have the opposite effect on wellbeing. Research has shown that compulsive Tinder use is linked to low mood, poor self-esteem, and reduced life satisfaction.

If you notice that scrolling leaves you feeling worse rather than better, it might be time to pause or set limits on how often you use these apps.

How to reset your ego scrolling

The best way to address this is by asking yourself why you’re scrolling, and how you feel in the moment. It’s a process that takes practice and conscious effort, but it pays off when you learn to recognise and change unhelpful habits.

If you notice yourself scrolling on dating apps without a clear purpose, try deliberately switching to something else. Research suggests that positive emotions help us recover more quickly from negative experiences, so choosing something fulfilling can be very effective.

Setting clear boundaries around when and how long you scroll can also help prevent negative patterns. For example, you could pick a specific time of day to open a dating app, allowing yourself a finite window before moving on to something else. Setting an app time limit using your phone’s settings can be an effective way to manage this.

You might also choose to do something enjoyable straight after using the app, giving you more motivation to stick to your boundaries. Alternatively, you could positively reinforce your limits by rewarding yourself when you keep to your set time.

If you need tips for building happy habits, I’ve provided some here!

mental wellbeing, mental-health, self-reflection

How to build a better relationship with social media

As featured in Woman and Home, 19.08.2025

If you’ve ever promised yourself you’d “just have a quick scroll” and found yourself still glued to your phone an hour later, you’re not alone. Social media is designed to keep us engaged,but with some thoughtful steps, you can create a healthier, more intentional relationship with it. Change isn’t about willpower alone; it’s about knowing why you want to change, using your strengths, and aligning new habits with your values.

1. Know Your Why
Before making changes, pause and ask yourself: Why do I want a different relationship with social media? Is it because it’s eating into time with loved ones, affecting my mood, or replacing activities I value? The clearer you are, the easier it will be to build meaningful habits you can maintain.

Try pairing a long-term aim, such as “I want to spend less time scrolling”, with a practical short-term step, like limiting social media use to a 10-minute window in the morning and evening. Tools like app timers can help you stick to these boundaries and remind you when it’s time to move on to something more fulfilling.

2. Chase the Joy of Missing Out
Goals are easier to stick to when they’re framed around what you’re moving towards rather than what you’re avoiding. If you’re cutting down on social media, think about what you’re gaining, like peace of mind, more time for hobbies, deeper face-to-face conversations. This is sometimes called the “Joy of Missing Out” (JOMO): the satisfaction of saying “no” to the scroll and “yes” to something more rewarding.

If that feels unfamiliar, think back to a time you put your phone aside. What did you do instead? How did you feel afterwards? Remembering those wins can reinforce your motivation when temptation strikes.

3. Make Your Goals Crystal Clear
Vague intentions like “spend less time on Instagram” are harder to follow than concrete ones. Instead, try: “Check notifications once in the afternoon, then log off.” This way, you can track your progress and feel a genuine sense of achievement. Over time, you can extend your phone-free periods or reduce the number of apps you check.

4. Celebrate Your Success
When you stick to your new habit, reward yourself. This doesn’t have to mean spending money,it could be making a favourite cup of tea, enjoying a walk, or spending time on a creative project you love. The key is to pause and notice the satisfaction that comes from following through. That positive reinforcement strengthens the habit and makes it more likely to last.

Remember: Forming a new habit takes patience and self-compassion. If you slip up, treat it as an opportunity to learn rather than a failure. With a clear purpose, realistic steps, and a focus on what you gain, social media can shift from a drain on your attention to a tool you use on your own terms.

British Psychological Society, Psychology students, science communication

What does creativity mean to me

The 2025 Voices in Psychology prompt for The Psychologist was ‘what does creativity mean to me?’Here are my thoughts:

Creativity is most traditionally associated with artistic expression, especially when it results in something that is striking in a tangible or obvious way. But from a scientific perspective, creativity is this and more, and it is this broader understanding that I find truly exciting.

To me, creativity represents a mental and emotional space where we are free to explore, to experiment, to fail, and to grow. Creativity is strongly linked to wellbeing, but this is not because artistic individuals are inherently happier. An ability to think creatively helps us to navigate difficult situations more adaptively. It supports emotional regulation, tolerance of ambiguity, and intrinsic motivation. It helps us remain open and flexible when facing uncertainty, and offers outlets for processing negative emotions, which in itself is a form of problem-solving. It reflects resilience, our capacity to try, to persevere, and to approach challenges in novel ways. While outwardly creativity may appear as a perceptible output or innovation, inwardly, it is more about how we think, how we process complexity, and how we respond to uncertainty.

In our own research on creativity, we used questionnaires asking participants to rate themselves on traditional forms such as painting, music, and the culinary arts. However, what proved most interesting to me was a final open-ended question that invited people to describe any other ways in which they saw themselves as creative. Every response was different. Participants shared examples from fields as varied as carpentry, sports, farming, accountancy, and broadcasting. In other studies, asking students to engage with simple creative activities led to significant reductions in stress and how they perceived stressful situations. What has emerged is a strong sense that creativity is, at its core, our unique ability to approach and solve problems in a positive way.

This is why I encourage students to reflect on their own personal expressions of creativity. Recognising and engaging with it can reveal a lot more about your strengths and abilities than you may see on the surface.

In my own work, writing and creating content about my teaching and research has helped me think about what I do in different ways. I’ve since found that it’s become a very useful tool, finding new angles for my teaching, new research ideas, and new ways of doing work. This freedom to engage with my work in different and creative ways helps me overcome problems and enjoy the process.

My personal creative practice of yarn craft has also led to new and exciting opportunities. From developing research ideas, innovating my teaching methods, and delivering science communication events, creativity in one area of my life has influenced my ability to deliver ideas in the other.

As Psychologists, creativity is not limited to what we produce in research, education or practice. Creativity is a dynamic, internal process that shapes how we experience and respond to the world, and how we approach our diverse and vibrant field.

Uncategorized

Trinket culture and the psychology of collecting

As featured in Tyla 11/07/2025

In recent years, there’s been a noticeable rise in what some call ‘trinket’ culture, small, often cute collectible items such as Sonny Angels, Jellycats, and other niche figurines or plush toys.

Psychological Needs and the Role of Collecting

Collecting can meet several core psychological needs that support wellbeing. According to positive psychology, our wellbeing is maintained and improved by positive emotions, engaging activities, meaningful relationships, a sense of purpose, and feelings of achievement.

At its most basic level, interacting with items we enjoy or find meaningful, like a favourite plush or figurine, can elicit feelings of pleasure, comfort and satisfaction. These positive emotional experiences are then positive reinforcement; when an activity makes us feel good, we’re more likely to repeat it. So, if owning or searching for a particular trinket brings joy, the desire to continue collecting grows.

Collecting also serves a social function. Research shows that shared interests and hobbies promote social connection and can lead to communities that offer emotional support, which is a key factor in coping with life’s challenges. Online platforms, in particular, have made it easier to connect with others who share the same niche interests, contributing to a sense of belonging.

Nostalgia, Identity and Emotion Regulation

Nostalgia likely plays an important role, too. Engaging with nostalgic objects or activities can help maintain a stable sense of identity and support emotional regulation, especially during periods of stress or uncertainty. For Gen Z, who’ve grown up during a time of global instability twinned with increasingly online lives, these small tokens of joy may offer comfort, grounding, and even a link to a simpler or idealised version of the past.

Potential Downsides of Collecting

While collecting can be beneficial, it’s not without its risks. When a hobby begins to dominate someone’s life, either taking up significant space, becoming financially burdensome, or fostering unhealthy competition, it may negatively affect wellbeing. Social dynamics around collecting can become toxic if they shift from shared joy to comparison, competition, or status. In some cases, collecting may also serve as a form of avoidance, distracting from deeper emotional or psychological challenges, rather than helping to resolve them.

A Timeless Human Habit

The rise of online communities, social media, and digital marketplaces has made collecting more visible, more social, and more accessible. Trends may shift, and the specific items collected will evolve, but collecting, whether for joy, comfort, meaning, or connection, is likely here to stay. Trinket culture may just be the latest expression of a long-standing human habit.

Book Review, mental wellbeing, Psychology students, science communication, self-reflection

Braintenance – Review

Braintenance: How to Create Healthy Habits and Reach Your Goals – Dr Julia Ravey

If you’re looking for a practical and engaging guide to beating procrastination and building happier habits, I highly recommend Braintenance by Dr Julia Ravey.

One of the things I really like about this book is its clear structure of Why, Sci, Try. For each topic, Dr Ravey first explains why something happens, then shares the science behind it, and finally gives simple, practical steps so you can try new techniques for yourself. It’s a great way to connect research with everyday life, and is written very clearly.

The advice focuses on topics like how to direct your focus, prioritise processes over outcomes, and beat procrastination. Dr Ravey also uses personal insights to make examples more tangible and accessible.

I recommend Braintenance for anyone looking for science-backed advice on how to improve their habits. I think it’s particularly interesting for students to see how scientists can write about their area of expertise for wider audiences.

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emotional-wellbeing, mental wellbeing, mental-health

Getting over your to do list burnout

Make a list, tick off the chores, feel ready to relax, then suddenly the weekend is gone?!

To enjoy a relaxing and restorative weekend, rather than one full of admin and chores, healthy boundaries and self-reflection around your downtime are key. Self-care isn’t just for when things go wrong; it’s most effective when practised consistently, especially when you feel well and have the energy to form happy habits. These habits build resilience and support your ability to cope when life gets challenging.

Making Intentional Time for Yourself

Making time for meaningful activities you enjoy, whether that is being outdoors, going to gym, or more relaxing hobbies like crafting or reading, helps establish the habit of time and permission for rest and enjoyment. If you find your weekends filled with tasks that aren’t urgent or are simply part of your usual routine, consider whether they truly need to be done now. Intentionally choosing uplifting activities helps us recover more quickly from negative experiences like a long week at work, and research shows that positive emotions play an important role in recovering from stress.

Set Boundaries Around Chores

Creating boundaries between work, life admin, and personal time, helps protect your wellbeing. If there are tasks you need to do, like laundry or shopping, allocate a specific and realistic time to complete them. You can reinforce these boundaries using positive reinforcement. Try listing some simple positive rewards for maintaining your chore boundaries, which can be as simple as time doing something more enjoyable and relaxing.

Spend Meaningful Time with Others

Social connection is essential for psychological wellbeing. Making time for meaningful friendships or connecting through shared interests improves our sense of purpose, and overall improves our life satisfaction. Whether it’s a walk with a friend or making time for a hobby group, it all helps to lift your mood and create a weekend that feels more fulfilling .

The Power of ‘Slow and No’

If your goal is to slow down at the weekend, consider the joy of doing less. The Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) is the positive feeling you get when you choose to say ‘No’. This might be even easier if you are saying no to usual routine activities like chores.

If this doesn’t come easily, you can try thinking about opportunities in the past that you said no to, and what you gained when you did this. Whether it was a day to yourself, or more time for a specific activity, focusing on what you gained helps reinforce slowing down as a positive habit. Remind yourself about these wins when you find new opportunities to say ‘No’ or slow down at the weekend.

Practicing Self-awareness

Making weekends more restorative starts with understanding what you need. Ask yourself why you’re taking a break and what you hope to get from it. This kind of reflection takes practice, but it can help you make choices that genuinely support your wellbeing. Developing awareness of your habits and needs is key to a sustainable work-life balance.

Try my Positive Postcards to get you started making healthy boundaries and happy habits.