Friendly AI models become sycophantic and wrong, study warns

 

Training warm and friendly AI systems could also mean they become sycophantic and promote conspiracy theories, a new study has warned.

Large language models such as ChatGPT are being actively encouraged to be friendly to their users – in part because users have expressed a desire for such warm responses. When OpenAI tweaked its systems so that they would be less flattering, for instance, users rebelled and the company had to roll back its updates.

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That has led the companies that develop the systems to specifically focus on making their tools more warm. OpenAI says it explicitly makes its tools “helpful, honest and harmless”, while Anthropic aims to make its systems “empathetic” and “engaging”.

Other AI companies are specifically making their tools to behave like friends to their users. Sites such as Replika and Character.ai sell their chatbots as friendly or even potential romantic partners.

But those changes could also mean that the systems are more willing to promote inaccuracies, be overly sycophantic and even indulge in conspiracy theories, according to a new study from Oxford University.

In the test, researchers trained a series of large language models to be used in chatbots, similar to the way they are implemented in ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.

They found that those who had been trained to be warmed in their responses were 30 per cent less accurate, and 40 per cent more likely to agree with users in their false beliefs.

The researchers also found that the chatbots were particularly keen to validate users’ false beliefs when they expressed feelings of sadness. An increasing number of people are turning to such systems to fill the role of counsellors and therapists, leading to increased concern.

”As these systems are deployed at an unprecedented scale and take on intimate roles in people’s lives, this trade-off warrants attention from developers, policymakers and users alike,” the researchers warn in the new paper, published in the journal Nature.

One daily fruit could reduce risk of osteoporosis, study finds

 

When it comes to bolstering bone health, most of us would instinctively reach for calcium-rich dairy products. However, research has uncovered an unlikely fruit that could be even more effective in safeguarding our bones and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

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Osteoporosis is a condition characterised by a decrease in bone density, leading to increased fragility and a higher likelihood of fractures over time. It's a condition that affects more than three million people in the UK, predominantly women, but men can also be affected. Given the crucial role estrogen plays in maintaining bone health, post-menopausal women typically face a heightened risk of osteoporosis as their hormone levels decline.

While there are medications available to manage and potentially prevent the condition, dietary and lifestyle modifications can be equally significant, with prunes emerging as a potential natural alternative. A 2022 study discovered that consuming just one serving of prunes daily could boost your bone density and ward off fractures, according to The Mirror.

The study found that a daily intake of around five or six prunes, equivalent to a 50 gram serving, can help prevent the loss of bone mineral density in the hip area among post-menopausal women. The study also proposed that prunes could offer a natural, diet-based method to lower the risk of osteoporosis, although further research is required to substantiate these findings.

Occupational and environmental medicine physician, Dr Ashley Ennedy from San Diego, took to TikTok explaining these findings. She said: "This is especially significant for those women who are unable to take prescription medication.

"More studies need to be done but it could also reduce hip fracture risk. This is based on a 12-month randomised controlled trial that was recently published in the American Journal of Nutrition."

Prunes contain a range of essential nutrients like Vitamin K and potassium, which can support the bone-building process. They also help to reduce inflammation which plays a crucial role in bone loss.

Declining bone density is a natural part of getting older that nearly everyone will go through. This happens because bones are living tissue that constantly regenerate, but this process becomes slower as we age.

When it slows down to the point where existing bone breaks down faster than new bone can form, this leads to osteoporosis. The condition develops gradually over many years and is typically only identified after a fracture occurs.

The NHS points out that with osteoporosis, sometimes even a simple cough or sneeze can break a rib or cause a bone in the spine to partially collapse. Regular exercise, avoiding smoking, and getting sufficient sunshine can also help lower your chances of developing the condition.

Why do the children of elderly patients stay away? Loneliness makes them get sicker and stay sicker for longer

 

Of the many patients over age 75 on my medical unit, half are what providers describe as “young old” and the remainder as “old old”. Admittedly, this delineation is somewhat arbitrary and the subsequent assessment provides more nuance, but it helps us triage patient needs.

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Before the actual round, my team does a paper round. We run through the bread-and-butter issues of any internal medicine ward: heart failure, bad emphysema, rampant diabetes, cognitive decline, frequent falls, frailty.

Besides the medical details, we scrutinise the social circumstances. Does the patient live alone? (about 35% of people over 85 do).

Is there any home help? (the waitlist for services is painfully long).

Who takes them out and how often? From the time patients enter the hospital, we need to know what it will take to get them safely out of hospital.

The first of five nonagenarians is sitting expressionless in his room. He is cognitively impaired and has had a fall. To help him, I need more history.

“Sir, do you have any family?”

“My children.”

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know.”

It will be three full days before we manage to contact someone.

An 87-year-old lady complains bitterly about “rattling” from all the pills but can’t name even one. For safe prescribing, we ask if someone might bring in her medications. She starts crying that her children are too busy to care for her, and we hastily say we will call her pharmacy.

We weave our way through patients, all elderly and almost all alone, even though it is the weekend. Some are too sick to talk or sound asleep from exhaustion. Most of those awake look forlorn and trapped. A patient asks if we can rub her feet like her husband used to. Another asks who can trim his toenails. The best we can do is nudge their food closer or stick a straw into an array of unopened drinks.

One patient looks especially dire on paper. Age 90, lungs decimated by years of smoking. A respiratory episode that may just spell the end of his life.

But we are astonished to see the man sitting up brightly, no oxygen in sight. Three amicable men flank him, dressed in attire ranging from a suit to paint-stained overalls, laughing and joking with him.

One son provides a history, the other furnishes his medications, the third serves up mouth-watering Turkish fare to put the hospital food to shame.

They all confirm that their dad feels fine and jump at the thought of taking him home. One son will spend the night with his parents, and the others will take turns. Their confidence is infectious. When he understands what’s happening, the patient attacks his food with gusto and gives us a high five – the sickest patient has the best outcome!

This happy scene on an otherwise sombre round feels like a gift. We see how the most useful “intervention” was the physical presence and moral support of the patient’s children.

In the empty stairwell, out of earshot, a young doctor sighs, “It’s so sad to see all these lonely people with no visitors.” Another observes that this treatment of elderly people seems a particular feature of western culture, recounting that our elderly Vietnamese patient has been attended day and night by his two children and the Greek lady had so many concerned nephews and nieces that we had to beg for space.

Then, as if discomfited by our observations and not wanting to “be judgy”, we reach for reasons why the children of our patients might stay away. They are working, raising children and grandchildren and grappling with competing demands of their own. Some children can’t face a parent’s vulnerability. Others are tired of caring, and the hospitalisation is their break. Conflict and estrangement also fray family ties.

But what we also know for sure is that loneliness makes elderly patients get sicker and stay sicker for longer: doctors can’t medicate the way out of this societal malady.

I treat this issue with added interest, the product of an Indian tradition that has observed filial piety without necessarily stating such a notion.

When my grandparents were ill, the men did the earning and the women (all) the caring.

By the time illness visited my parents’ generation, the responsibility was spread across their sons and daughters, although not always evenly.

My extended family is like any other modern family, pressed with the usual obligations, but we will crisscross continents to be at the side of parents without being asked or told. In this, we are not unique.

But there is a sense that, in this age, only the economically privileged, flexibly employed or uncommonly devoted can afford to take time off to help their ageing parents. I question this when I see some of the most personally tested and socially disadvantaged adults being the most selfless providers to their parents.

No one I know finds attending to the needs of ageing parents convenient or necessarily desirable. After all, it is surely a rite of passage to drive your parents nuts and then be driven nuts by your parents. But it seems to me that those who show up don’t frame it as a matter of choice but, rather, priority. And if you consider something or someone your priority, you are more likely to make the time.

I don’t know the answer but I see the dilemma. Hospitals packed with elderly people whose every problem is magnified by loneliness and a dearth of love and attention. Our costliest medicines don’t touch them and the fleeting kindness of strangers is unfortunately just that.

I have begun to think that one of the greatest acts of love is simply bearing witness to the vicissitudes of ageing.

Experts link widely taken medicine to faster decline in old age

 

A new study suggests that frequent consumption of anticholinergic drugs, prescribed for conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and Parkinson’s, may lead to faster ageing in older adults.

Published in JAMA Open Network, the research indicates that high exposure to these medications is linked to an “accelerated decline” in physical performance.

The study, which monitored over 4,000 older adults, found a significant association between higher anticholinergic exposure and a greater reduction in walking speed.

Anticholinergic drugs block the action of acetylcholine, a key nerve-to-nerve signalling molecule, affecting various bodily functions.

Researchers are calling for the minimisation of anticholinergic drug prescriptions to promote healthy ageing, advising clinicians to avoid their use when possible and to re-evaluate patients regularly.

Frequent consumption of a common drug that acts on the nervous system and treats a range of ailments may lead to faster ageing in older adults, a new study says.

The study, published in JAMA Open Network, concludes that high exposure to anticholinergic drugs used for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bladder illnesses and Parkinson’s is associated with a faster decline in physical performance in older age.

Anticholinergic drugs block the action of the nerve-to-nerve signalling molecule acetylcholine, which plays a key role in the functioning of the nervous system. By inhibiting acetylcholine, these drugs affect several key bodily functions controlled by the nervous system. Theirsedative and cognitive adverse effects, though, can be reversed with discontinuation.

It is not completely clear if their prolonged use is linked to sustained reduced physical function, researchers say.

Previous studies indicate that regular consumption of anticholinergics may have a constant effect over time, meaning all past exposure may show the same effect on the current risk of physical decline.

The latest study assesses the effects of cumulative exposure to the drugs over a decade, accounting for varying intensity, duration and timing of past intake.

Researchers monitored changes in walking speed and grip strength of over 4,000 older adults over time and compared this with their exposure to anticholinergic medications based on data collected from February 1994 to March 2020. While grip strength appeared unaffected, a higher exposure to anticholinergics was linked to a greater decline in walking speed.

“Higher anticholinergic exposure was associated with accelerated decline in physical performance,” scientists wrote.

“The accumulation of loss over time can become clinically meaningful.”

These findings are significant as frailty and changes in balance and gait are increasingly linked to multiple measures of poor health outcomes, including disability and mortality.

Researchers call for minimising the prescription of anticholinergic medication to promote healthy ageing.

“We provide novel findings by considering time-varying anticholinergic exposure and examining the annual change rate of physical performance,” they wrote in the study. “Anticholinergics are associated with numerous adverse outcomes in older adults. Therefore, it is essential for clinicians to avoid their use whenever possible, prescribe the lowest effective dose and periodically reevaluate patients to identify de-prescribing opportunities to minimise potential harms.”

What Really Helps With Insomnia During Menopause?

 “Insomnia around menopause is a very distressing symptom that also occurs very frequently,” says Dr. Judith Bildau, gynecologist and author of “Out of the Hormone Carousel.” A great many women from premenopause onward suffer from difficulties falling and staying asleep. But what helps against sleep disturbances during menopause?

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Sleep Disturbances During Menopause? The Consequences of Sleep Deprivation

As with all symptoms in and around menopause, hormones play a central role, including in sleep problems. Dr. Judith Bildau explains: “The reason for restless nights is the hormonal changes, especially the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen improves deep and REM sleep, while the breakdown products of progesterone have a calming and sleep-promoting effect. When the levels of these hormones drop, it can naturally have a direct impact on sleep.”

Problems falling or staying asleep can have far-reaching consequences beyond restless nights, which can also be noticeable during the day. Laureen Erichson-Kirst (a doctor in training in gynecology) explains that “sleep deprivation can lead to other symptoms such as concentration difficulties, irritability, and even depressive moods.” Sleep deprivation or sleep problems have a significant impact on women’s daily well-being and work ability.

Treatment of Sleep Problems

“Even though sleep problems in pre-/peri- and postmenopause are one of the most common symptoms of an imbalanced hormone system, this deficiency cannot always be detected in lab values,” explains expert Erichson-Kirst. Before treating hormonally induced sleep problems, other possible causes must be ruled out, such as emotional issues or any pre-existing conditions of the patient that may be robbing her of sleep.

For sleep disturbances, especially in premenopause, Erichson-Kirst recommends “high doses of chaste tree. The plant-based active ingredient helps stabilize hormones. If necessary, melatonin is also a good option to help you fall asleep again. In postmenopause, however, a progesterone preparation can help alleviate sleep problems.” Erichson-Kirst also notes that hormone replacement therapy, which today primarily uses bioidentical hormones, is intended not only to alleviate menopause symptoms but also to reduce secondary diseases caused by hormone deficiency, such as osteoporosis and vascular diseases.

Healthy Sleep Hygiene

It is not only women in menopause who benefit from sleep hygiene. Adequate and healthy sleep is essential for health and quality of life. Above all, a sustainable evening routine, stress-reducing behavior patterns, and herbal remedies help.

Turn off electronic devices with artificial light in the evening, such as tablets, smartphones, computers, TVs, e-readers, or video game consoles. The screens of these devices produce blue light, which in turn disrupts the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and can delay the natural sleep time by up to three hours.

Avoid evening workouts and instead ensure sufficient physical activity during the day, preferably outdoors, gynecologist Judith Bildau also recommends. Strenuous training should take place at least four hours before bedtime—not later. Intense exercise stimulates the cardiovascular system, releases stress hormones like adrenaline, and makes it harder to fall asleep. If time doesn’t allow otherwise, opt for relaxing, gentle workouts like yoga, Pilates, or Tai Chi in the evening, which also reduce stress and thus even promote sleep.

Effectively Combat Sleep Disturbances During Menopause

Try meditation or muscle relaxation exercises to help you fall asleep as part of an evening routine. By sticking to the routine, you send signals to your body to “wind down.” Your body automatically knows that the nightly rest phase is beginning. Help your body by starting the routine at about the same time every evening and getting roughly the same amount of sleep each night (seven to nine hours). Also, avoid heavy meals in the evening, skip high-fat meals, and opt for Mediterranean cuisine instead.

If you suffer from sleep problems, you should avoid consuming caffeine from the afternoon onward. Caffeine can also inhibit melatonin production. According to Dr. Bildau, in addition to herbal preparations from valerian, lemon balm, hops, or passionflower, strategies from cognitive behavioral therapy can also help against chronic sleep problems. This involves analyzing individual sleep disturbances, creating sleep-wake logs, and regulating sleep behavior with timed sleep restrictions.

Wang, Y., Mei, H., Jiang, Y.R. (2015). Relationship between Duration of Sleep and Hypertension in Adults: A Meta-Analysis. J Clin Sleep Med. ↩︎

Amin, K.D., Thakkar, A., Budampati, T. et al. (2025). A good night’s rest: A contemporary review of sleep and cardiovascular health. American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. ↩︎

Grandner, M.A., Seixas, A., Shetty, S., Shenoy, S. (2016). Sleep Duration and Diabetes Risk: Population Trends and Potential Mechanisms. Curr Diab Rep. ↩︎

Qiaoli Xu, Zhijin Lin, Yani chen & Meixue huang (2025). Association between sleep duration and patterns and obesity: a cross-sectional study of the 2007–2018 national health and nutrition examination survey. BMC. ↩︎

Al-Rashed, F., Alsaeed, H., Akhter, N. (2025). Impact of sleep deprivation on monocyte subclasses and function. The Journal of Immunology. ↩︎

Lu Dong, Yongwei Xie, Xiaohua Zou (2022). Association between sleep duration and depression in US adults: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Affective Disorders. ↩︎

Tompa, R. How sleep affects mental health (and vice versa): What the science says. Stanford Medicine (accessed on September 23, 2025). ↩︎

I’m paying my children’s rent and parents’ care bills – I worry about my own future

 Question: I’m in my early 50s and feel like I’m constantly being pulled in two directions financially. I’m still helping my adult children with things like rent and bills and I’d like to be able to support them towards buying a home one day, but at the same time, I’m also helping my elderly parents with rising care costs. Lately, I’ve found myself dipping into savings more often than I would like and I’m starting to worry about what this means for my own future. I’ve always tried to keep things steady for everyone else and I’ve generally been good at sticking to my own financial plan, but I’m beginning to notice that some of my own goals are starting to slip. How do you balance supporting your family now without putting your own long-term financial security and retirement at risk?

Answer: First up, you are far from alone in feeling this way. It is something we are hearing more and more from the people we coach on their finances. We have started thinking of it as the “midlife pinch point”, that stage where people are being pulled in several directions at once, still helping adult children, beginning to support ageing parents, and trying not to lose sight of their own future in the process. It also doesn’t help that we humans are often hard-wired to care more about our loved ones’ finances than our own.

And the numbers really back that up. We found that 92 per cent of parents with adult children are still supporting them financially in some way. So, the pressure you describe is not a niche problem; it is increasingly part of the financial reality of midlife.

What stands out most in your question is not just the money, but the emotional weight underneath it. You sound like the person who has quietly become the financial shock absorber for everyone else. That is a very difficult position to be in, especially because the spending rarely arrives as one big dramatic bill. More often, it is a drip feed of rent support here, extra bills there, and rising care costs in the background.

That is why this can creep up on people. We found that 39 per cent of those supporting both children and parents had already dipped into savings as a direct result. That is often the first sign that what feels manageable month to month may be starting to shift your longer-term trajectory.

The first thing I would suggest is revisiting your financial plan and updating it for the realities of this stage of life. A financial plan should never be static. The assumptions that made sense in your forties may no longer reflect what is happening now. Your plans and goals need to evolve to reflect that.

In practical terms, I would start by separating your finances into three buckets.

The first is your non-negotiables. This is the money that protects your own long-term security, your pension contributions, your emergency fund, your essential bills and anything that keeps your own household stable.

The second is your flexible family support. This is the money you can afford to use to help others without undermining those foundations.

The third is your aspirational support. This includes the things you would love to do, helping children onto the property ladder, covering more of your parents’ costs, stepping in for bigger one-off needs, but which may not all be realistic at the same time.

That distinction matters because one of the hardest truths in family finance is that just because something feels important does not automatically mean it is affordable.

This is where boundaries, timelines and clear conversations become really important. Financial support can very easily become open-ended if there is no shared understanding of how long it will last or what it is meant to cover. That does not mean being cold. It means being clear about what is sustainable.

With adult children, that might mean being upfront about what support is temporary, what support is conditional, and what independence needs to look like over time. With elderly parents, it may mean discussing what resources they already have, what level of support may be needed in future, and whether other family members should be involved. These conversations are rarely easy, but being clear about the amounts and timeframes involved means that when your support reduces or ends, people are not blindsided and can begin working towards needing less from you.

Another important point is not to confuse helping with fixing. Sometimes, the most effective support is not always financial. For adult children, it may help with budgeting, career planning, or setting realistic housing goals. For parents, it might be helping them review benefits, local authority support, or care options rather than automatically stepping in with cash every time costs rise. Money is often the fastest way to solve a problem in the moment, but not always the best way to solve it overall.

Most importantly, do not let your retirement become the catch-all sacrifice. It is very easy to tell yourself you will focus on it later, especially when the needs in front of you feel more urgent. But later comes around more quickly than most people expect. Protecting your own long-term financial security is not selfish. In many ways, it is what stops today’s support from turning into tomorrow’s dependence.

So, my advice would be this: keep supporting your family, but do it from a structured plan, with clear amounts and timelines, and keep your own long-term goals firmly in view. The aim is not to stop caring for the people around you. It is to make sure that caring for them does not quietly derail your own future.

While Americans struggle to make ends meet Trump spends millions on golf trips

 Lot's of money down the hole

A recent report has drawn attention to the high cost of Donald Trump’s second-term golf trips, revealing millions in taxpayer funds spent since his return to the White House.

The figure is now over $100 million dollars

HuffPost has been tracking Trump’s golf trips since he retook office, and the outlet says the President’s time on the links has cost the American taxpayers $101.2 million dollars since Trump kicked off his second term at the end of January 2025. 

An absolutely astonishing amount of money

The absolutely astonishing amount of money that Trump’s golf trips have cost Americans in security and expenses is already roughly two-thirds of the amount Washington spent on Trump’s golf excursions during his first term, and things are set to get worse. 

Trump is on track to hit $300 million by 2029

HuffPost reported that the country was on track to spend roughly $300 million dollars on Trump’s golf trips by the end of his second term. However, that isn’t the only astonishing fact about the President’s penchant for spending time golfing. 

Over fifty visits to his club in West Palm Beach

On March 28th, Trump reportedly visited his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The visit marked the 56th time the President has played golf at his West Palm Beach course since his second inauguration. However, again, the situation gets worse. 

Trump has spent a quarter of his term golfing

According to Huffpost, the President’s March 28th golf trip was the 110th day that Trump has spent on a golf course that he owns since his return to office, which the outlet noted means Trump has spent over a quarter of his time back in office golfing.

Trump has no regard for struggling Americans

“At a time when gas prices are spiking, and Americans across the country find themselves in an ever-worsening affordability crisis, the president has burned through over $100 million in taxpayer money in order to make promotional appearances at his golf courses and hobnob with millionaires and billionaires,” explained Jordan Libowitz. 

The President should stop spending taxpayer money

Libowitz is Vice President of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group that monitors the government to hold it accountable to the American people. He added that if Trump’s “goal were to help struggling Americans out, one thing he could try is stop spending their money going to his golf courses.”

Trump’s golf statistics are truly horrendous

The statistics concerning Trump’s golf trips during his second presidency are worrying when laid out. It took the President a full two years to hit the $100 million dollars spent mark during his first four years in office. 

How much time he spent golfing in his first term

Trump racked up an unimaginable 293 days spent at his own golf courses during his first term in office, which cost taxpayers $151.5 million dollars at the time. 

Trump’s visits to Mar-a-Lago in his second term

As previously noted, the President has already spent 110 days golfing during his second term, many of which likely took place during his 17 visits to Mar-a-Lago, which is near two Trump-owned golf courses in West Palm Beach and Jupiter. 

Other costly golfing excursions to Trump courses

HuffPost noted that Trump made roughly seven trips to Mar-a-Lago that also included at least one additional stop. The President also made eight trips to his Bedminster course in New Jersey at a cost of roughly $1.1 million dollars each. 

A more expensive course to visit

Trump visited his Doral resort five times at a cost of $2.7 million dollars each. However, while that may sound expensive, HuffPost pointed out that the President’s visits to his Mar-a-Lago resort were the most expensive at a cost of $3.4 million a trip. 

Mar-a-Lago is still the most expensive location

Visiting Mar-a-Lago is more expensive because of the cost associated with patrolling the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Palm Beach and the Intracoastal Waterway, which separates Trump’s resort from mainland Florida.

Why is Mar-a-Lago so costly?

“When Trump is present, a Coast Guard ship is stationed offshore, and smaller law enforcement vessels with guns mounted on their bows are in the Intracoastal,” S.V. Date of Huffpost explained. 

Trump’s most expensive trip so far

The most expensive trip Trump has taken to date reportedly cost $9.7 million, which was his 2025 summer visit to Scotland that included the opening of his new course in Aberdeen.

How the golfing figure has been calculated

HuffPost noted it calculated Trump’s golf spending based on a report made to Congress during his first term. The report was issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 2019 and calculated the cost of Trump’s early golf trips as President. 

What the GAO report revealed in 2019

“That report found that four trips to Mar-a-Lago in early 2017 cost taxpayers $13.6 million, and then broke down that total into components like additional security expenses, the costs to fly Air Force One, and the need to transport motorcade vehicles using expensive C-17 cargo planes,” Date explained. 

The biggest costs of Trump’s golf trips

The biggest expenses of Trump’s trips are the high costs of Air Force One and the C-17 Air Force transports needed for the excursions, as well as the salaries of those protecting the President. These salaries have likely increased since the 2019 report. HuffPost noted it did not inflate the salaries of military personnel and law enforcement to 2026 figures.