Our modern culture’s attachment to excess is easy to see in the material realm: bigger homes, bigger cars, and bigger paychecks. The simplicity movement has done well pointing out the downsides of the “bigger is better” aesthetic. However, a predisposition to excess can also infest our minds. Sometimes the smartest thing to do is to think less.

For every problem, you can find a raft of generic solutions. But find the one that works spectacularly for you — and that’s your “secret formula.”

Everyone has habits, but while most of us struggle against habits acquired without much forethought, if we’re looking to make lasting changes in our lives, we’ll need to design and install new, healthier habits. What makes some habits “stick” while others fade? I believe seven factors make the difference between durable habits and last year’s forgotten resolutions.

How do we express outwardly to the world our inner sense of identity, and how do we feed the body, mind and spirit that makes us rounded and healthy human beings? The Roman poet Juvenal recommended “a healthy mind in a healthy body” as the only blessing worth praying for, but how easy is that to achieve in the wake of the festive season?

Even though we’re not always inclined toward empathy and generosity or to live out our best ideals, perhaps the biggest blessing we all share is that we live in a world where so many people really do care for one another.

With the psychiatric side effects of rimonabant (sold as Acomplia in Europe and as Zimulti elsewhere) turning out to be even worse than originally thought, and the effectiveness of this new weight loss drug turning out to be pretty minimal, Sanofi-Aventis has yanked it from the market following a decision by European regulators to suspend marketing approval.

The shocking mortality rate for anorexia — higher than for any other psychiatric disorder — is not due just to starvation or physical deterioration, says new research, but to sufferers committing suicide in the most violent and determined of ways.