120 volunteers, timed math under pressure, then music or water sounds. Music restored mood, heart rate and sweating faster, and brain scans showed how.

Here is something most people never think about: the way you handle stress — and how good you are at keeping promises to yourself — may actually affect your chances of getting Alzheimer's disease. A new research review published in Frontiers in Neurology looked at decades of studies on personality and brain health. The findings are eye-opening. And the good news? They point to things you can actually change.