Justin Thomas

Contributor

Justin Thomas is a professor of psychology at Zayed University and a columnist for The National

History or heresy: is it right to make an exhibition of the remains of the dead?

Funereal archaeology has a scientific purpose but boundaries must be respected

January 25, 2021

Children eat fish and chips before a football match at a park in Liverpool, England, October 19, 2013. Getty

Eating disorders worsened during the pandemic

January is as good a time as any to watch out for anorexia and/ or weight-gain

January 11, 2021

Building resilience is the New Year's resolution we should be going for this January. AFP

It's not a 'happy' New Year we need - it's a 'resilient' one

If it seems hard to be happy this New Year, we should consider the mental health benefits of being stoical in the first months of 2021

December 28, 2020

Count the masks. Shoppers at Oxford Street during the first weekend after lockdown in London was lifted, December 5. EPA

Relationships are being wrecked by the debate over vaccines

In the name of personal freedom, people are being tested to the breaking point

December 13, 2020

Children play video games in a shop in Dansha, Ethiopia, on November 25. AFP

Games – and the joy they bring – date back to the Neolithic era

The caveat: playing to escape pain works differently from playing for pleasure

November 30, 2020

Data compiled by the Harvard School of Public Health, which reviewed suicidology research spanning the past 40 years, suggest that among the survivors of suicide attempts, around nine out of 10 will make no further attempts on their own lives.Getty

Decriminalising suicide tells the vulnerable they are not alone

New UAE law will make prevention of suicides and overcoming suicidality much easier

November 16, 2020

A seal pup called "Snowflake" amongst the rocks, in Deer Park, Wales, Britain on October 15. Reuters

How butterflies, eels and losses in the natural world affect us

Solastalgia: the pain we feel when our ecosystems are hurt

November 2, 2020

Mental health has become a priority during Covid-19, with thousands seeking help online, health officials said. Antonie Robertson / The National

Mental health: 'awareness' is only the starting point

We can't address the crisis if we don't also focus on related social issues

October 19, 2020

Poetry has been a staple form of entertainment in the Arab and Islamic worlds for centuries. Subhash Sharma for The National

What if your boss started Zoom meetings with a poetry reading?

Poems are becoming more popular among young people, and given their role in preserving our mental health, it’s no wonder

October 5, 2020

Seha, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, has evaluated the psychological impact of the pandemic on health workers and the worst affected patients. Getty Images

In times of Covid-19, embrace your anxiety

Treating your mental health problems as teachers, rather than enemies, might be key to longer-lasting recoveries

September 20, 2020

Online therapy counters the needless stigma around mental health

The frequency of people worldwide Googling the term 'online therapy' shows a massive surge for March 2020

September 7, 2020

A Russian researcher holds a vial with the "Sputnik V" vaccine against Covid-19, in Zelenograd near Moscow, Russia August 7, 2020. The Russian Direct Investment Fund via Reuters

We're en route to a vaccine. Now we just need people to take it

To boost vaccination rates and fight the Covid-19 pandemic, health officials may need to enlist the help of psychologists

August 24, 2020

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa/The National

How religion can help people cope with life's greatest trials

Given the flurry of bad news this year, it's not surprising that finding solace in religion seems to be on the rise

August 10, 2020

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, reviews results of the Dubai Government Employee Happiness Index on Sunday. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office

You'll spend 90,000 hours of your life at work - make them count

Satisfaction at work is a big part of our happiness, so we need to get it right

July 27, 2020

The departure terminal of the Rafic Hariri international airport during its re-opening in Beirut, Lebanon, 01 July. EPA

For ‘third culture kids’, it’s not easy to say goodbye to their friends

Many of the losses these kids face are existential and not always clear cut

July 13, 2020

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