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Fish Oils for depression, Pain pleasure and a good life, Kindness, Comedy memory

Could fish oils help treat depression? Claudia Hammond hears of a promising early trial to treat patients for whom current anti-depressants don't make a difference.

Fish oil supplements are often touted as good for your heart health, but a new study finds they may also help fight depression. Alessandra Borsini of King鈥檚 College London has been examining the impact of these omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the lab and has followed up with a promising trial on severely depressed patients. She discusses how and why this might prove useful for those for whom current antidepressants don鈥檛 make a difference.

Does a good life involve more than just pleasure? Could suffering be essential too? The psychologist and author Paul Bloom argues in a new book called The Sweet Spot that the activities that provide the most satisfaction are often the ones that involve the greatest sacrifice or suffering and how embracing a balance between the two is the key to a life well lived.

Claudia鈥檚 guest is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Catherine Loveday of University of Westminster, who launches a new study on our memory for comedy - investigating whether various types of comedy could be applied in a way that music is increasingly being used in therapy.

Producer Adrian Washbourne
Produced in association with the Open University

Available now

28 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Tue 21 Dec 2021 21:00
  • Wed 22 Dec 2021 15:30

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