Reed, dubbed “Captain America” for his past Ryder Cup heroics, has already proven he has the grit to thrive in such a test. His 7-3-2 record across three Ryder Cups, including a perfect 3-0-0 in singles, are evidence that he’s built for match play. At Hazeltine in 2016, he outdueled Rory McIlroy in a Sunday showdown that still echoes in golf lore. Reed made birdie after birdie with fist pumps that ignited the crowd. New York golf fans, known for being loud and raucous, would embrace Reed’s fire and flare for the dramatic. They don’t want golf claps; they want a fighter who thrives under pressure.
Reed’s LIV Golf breakthrough in Dallas, which moved him into fourth in the league’s season-long individual race, should come as no surprise. Starting with his win last November at the Hong Kong Open, he’s made 19 worldwide starts, with nine top 10s and 15 top 25s. In those eight months, just two other Americans on the major tours have won multiple individual stroke-play tournaments – Scottie Scheffler and athis year’s U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley.
On golf’s biggest stages, he finished 3rd at the Masters and T23 at the U.S. Open. In major championships this season, he ranks 9th among all players who’ve played at least 8 major rounds in strokes gained total per round.
The 34-year-old is showcasing a resurgent all-around game in 2025, averaging 1.01 strokes gained total per round – the highest in four years. As one of the world’s top scramblers and putters, Reed’s skills are tailor-made for the Ryder Cup, with his short-game prowess evidenced by his strokes gained around the green (+0.24) this season, which is consistent with his elite numbers over multiple years.
Bethpage Black’s punishing rough and demanding greens require finesse, versatility, and the ability to get up-and-down from tricky lies. Statistically, Reed’s best putting surface throughout his career has been Poa annua, the same grass used on Bethpage Black’s greens. In his two starts at the course in his career, he’s gained an average of 0.38 strokes per round putting.
Over the past three months, Reed has quietly played his way into peak form. His iron play has been a standout, gaining nearly 0.92 strokes per round on approach. Last week in Dallas, he gained 1.90 strokes per round on approach. He also hit 72.2% of his greens in regulation, which ranked 3rd in the field.
But it’s Reed’s mentality that seals the case. Bethpage doesn’t reward saints. It rewards those who deliver, and Reed always does.
His recent form, highlighted by his playoff victory at LIV Golf Dallas last week, signals his readiness for the Ryder Cup, an event he admitted is important to him. “It’s always on your mind,” Reed said. “Anytime I get to represent our country, it means a lot to me. For me personally, I’m always thinking about trying to make every team. Obviously being a part of LIV where we don’t get points, it’s an uphill battle, but really for me it’s focused on playing great golf and having a chance. It’s really going to come down to the Open Championship, having a chance to win there.”
With Ruling No. 6 of 3 June 2025, the Italian Tax Authority provided important clarification on determining taxable revenues for digital services tax (Digital Services Tax, or DST) purposes for operators in the online betting and gambling sector. Among the most significant aspects, we note the exclusion of bonuses granted to players from the calculation of the DST tax base.
Before examining the clarifications introduced by the interpretative ruling, it should be noted that the digital services tax – governed by Article 1, paragraphs 35 to 50, of Law No. 145/2018, as subsequently amended – applies at a rate of 3% to revenues deriving from specific services provided in Italy, namely:
the provision of digital interfaces for the delivery of targeted advertising messages based on the analysis of data collected during users’ browsing (Article 1, paragraph 37, letter a), Law No. 145/2018);
the management of multilateral digital interfaces that enable interaction between users and the sale of goods and services between them (Article 1, paragraph 37, letter b), Law No. 145/2018);
the transmission to third parties of data generated by users’ activities on digital platforms (Art. 1, paragraph 37, letter c), Law No. 145/2018).
In its original wording, the DST applied only to entities which, individually or as a group, simultaneously achieved:
global revenues of at least EUR750 million;
revenues from digital services in Italy of at least EUR5.5 million.
However, as of 1 January 2025, pursuant to the provisions of Article 1, paragraph 21, of Law No. 207/2024 (2025 Budget Law), requirement (ii) has been repealed. Consequently, the DST now applies to all entities providing the above-mentioned digital services in Italy, provided that their global revenues – including at group level – exceed the threshold of EUR750 million.
With specific reference to the online betting and gambling sector, Circular No. 3/E of 2021 (which provides general guidelines for the application of the Italian digital tax) had already clarified that, although the sums represented by “bets” are excluded from the scope of the tax, for the purposes of applying the DST, it is important to draw a distinction based on the role of the gaming platform operator:
‘where the entity operates as a bookmaker (ie as an entity that accepts bets from players by setting odds, such as in the case of sports or other event betting) or a banker (ie as an entity against which players bet, such as in the case of online poker or roulette), the entity assumes risks on its own account and the proceeds are therefore excluded under Art. 37-bis, lett. b)’;
“where it operates as an entity that allows players (users) to bet or gamble against each other, the entity does not bear any risk associated with the betting or gaming, but acts as an intermediary Although the sums represented by ‘wagers’ are excluded under subparagraph 37(a) or (b), the interface operator ‘commission is instead digital revenue within the meaning of subparagraph 37(b), realised as an intermediary in transactions between users.”
Interpretative Ruling No. 6/2025 confirms this approach and provides useful operational guidance on determining the revenues from Italian digital services provided in Italy that constitute the taxable base for DST purposes for gambling operators. In particular, the tax shall apply exclusively to the portion actually retained by the operator, ie the amount remaining after deducting the prize money paid to players and any single tax on gambling from the payments made by users. This criterion also applies where, in a single tournament, the winnings distributed exceed the bets collected, confirming that the taxable base coincides with the actual margin retained by the platform, which varies according to the type of game and the specific contractual conditions. Incidentally, reference is made to “tournament” as the game mode that falls within the scope of the DST, as it is clear that the role played by the platform managed by the concessionaire is to allow users to play against each other in return for remuneration in the form of a commission.
Particular attention is paid to the treatment of bonuses granted to players (eg welcome bonuses, free plays). As these amounts are granted free of charge and without consideration, they do not generate actual revenue for the operator and must therefore be excluded from the calculation of the taxable base for DST purposes. It follows that, in determining the commission subject to tax, the gross gaming revenue must be adjusted by subtracting the value of any bonuses paid. The dual track system for bonuses under the DST and the single tax on gaming is clear: while the document in question clarifies that bonuses do not contribute to the taxable base for the DST, the same does not apply for gaming tax purposes. In fact, as clarified by the provision of 10 June 2011 (Prot. 2011/20659/Giochi/GAD), bonuses are generally included in the collection.
In light of these clarifications, gambling operators who, in previous tax periods, falling within the scope of application of the Italian digital tax, included the bonuses granted to users in the calculation of the taxable base, or adopted criteria that differed from the approach outlined by the Italian Tax Authority, may have made an excessive payment. In such cases, it will be necessary to assess, on a case-by-case basis, the most appropriate methods for recovering the excess amount paid.
You can have an outline on the Italian gambling law regime in DLA Piper’s Gambling Laws of the World Guide available here.
The long-rumored foldable iPhone is expected to launch next year, and a new report from Digitimes suggests that the device has entered its prototype testing phase last month. Based on info from supply chain sources, Apple already has a functioning prototype of its first foldable phone.
The prototype testing phase is expected to finish by the end of this year. From there, the device will enter its Engineering Verification Test (EVT) phase, and if everything goes as planned, we should see it announced alongside the iPhone 18 series in September 2026.
The new report also mentions that Apple has paused development of its foldable iPad due to a mix of manufacturing difficulties and weak consumer demand.
According to the latest rumors, the foldable iPhone is expected to feature a Samsung-made 7.8-inch main OLED display with an under-display camera and a side-mounted Touch ID scanner and no Face ID. It will reportedly feature an “almost invisible” crease, and the whole device will be extremely slim at around 9–9.5mm when folded.
Apple is expected to use a titanium alloy chassis and a liquid metal hinge that would offer unparalleled durability for a foldable. As you might expect, this device won’t come cheap with rumors pointing to a launch price in the $2,100 – $2,300> range.
Pakistan players celebrate after defeating Indonesia during the AFC Women’s Asia Cup match at the Stadium Sport Centre in Tangerang Agency on July 2, 2025. — Reporter
Pakistan’s women’s football team pulled off a stunning 2-0 victory against higher-ranked Indonesia in their Group D match of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers in Tangerang on Wednesday.
The win marks Pakistan’s first international triumph since September 2023.
Nadia Khan opened the scoring in the eighth minute, netting her fifth international goal and giving Pakistan an early lead. Suha Hirani doubled the advantage in the 18th minute by converting a penalty, securing a commanding position for her side.
Despite being ranked 157th by FIFA, 62 places below 95th-ranked Indonesia, Pakistan displayed resilience, particularly in defense. Goalkeeper Zeeyana Jivraj played a crucial role, denying multiple Indonesian attacks to preserve the clean sheet. Indonesia had at least 8 shots on target.
Statistically, Indonesia dominated possession (63%) and outshot Pakistan 20-5, but Pakistan’s disciplined defending and clinical finishing proved decisive. The hosts also had a shot hit the post, while Pakistan managed three shots on target from five attempts.
Pakistan’s final group stage match will be against Kyrgyzstan on July 5.
Their last international win before this came in September 2023, when they defeated Laos on penalties.
The victory provides a significant morale boost for Pakistan’s women’s football program as they aim to make further progress in continental competitions.
A decision by Elon Musk’s X social media platform to enlist artificial intelligence chatbots to draft factchecks risks increasing the promotion of “lies and conspiracy theories”, a former UK technology minister has warned.
Damian Collins accused Musk’s firm of “leaving it to bots to edit the news” after X announced on Tuesday that it would allow large language modelsto write community notes to clarify or correct contentious posts, before they are approved for publication by users. The notes have previously been written by humans.
X said using AI to write factchecking notes – which sit beneath some X posts – “advances the state of the art in improving information quality on the internet”.
Keith Coleman, the vice president of product at X, said humans would review AI-generated notes and the note would appear only if people with a variety of viewpoints found it useful.
“We designed this pilot to be AI helping humans, with humans deciding,” he said. “We believe this can deliver both high quality and high trust. Additionally we published a paper along with the launch of our pilot, co-authored with professors and researchers from MIT, University of Washington, Harvard and Stanford laying out why this combination of AI and humans is such a promising direction.”
But Collins said the system was already open to abuse and that AI agents working on community notes could allow “the industrial manipulation of what people see and decide to trust” on the platform, which has about 600 million users.
It is the latest pushback against human factcheckers by US tech firms. Last month Google said user-created fact checks, including by professional factchecking organisations, would be deprioritised in its search results. It said such checks were “no longer providing significant additional value for users”. In January, Meta announced it was scrapping human factcheckers in the US and would adopt its own community notes system on Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
X’s research paper outlining its new factchecking system criticised professional factchecking as often slow and limited in scale and said it “lacks trust by large sections of the public”.
AI-created community notes “have the potential to be faster to produce, less effort to generate, and of high quality”, it said. Human and AI-written notes would be submitted into the same pool and X users would vote for which were most useful and should appear on the platform.
AI would draft “a neutral well-evidenced summary”, the research paper said. Trust in community notes “stems not from who drafts the notes, but from the people that evaluate them,” it said.
But Andy Dudfield, the head of AI at the UK factchecking organisation Full Fact, said: “These plans risk increasing the already significant burden on human reviewers to check even more draft Notes, opening the door to a worrying and plausible situation in which Notes could be drafted, reviewed, and published entirely by AI without the careful consideration that human input provides.”
Samuel Stockwell, a research associate at the Centre for Emerging Technology and Security at the Alan Turing Institute, said: “AI can help factcheckers process the huge volumes of claims flowing daily through social media, but much will depend on the quality of safeguards X puts in place against the risk that these AI ‘note writers’ could hallucinate and amplify misinformation in their outputs. AI chatbots often struggle with nuance and context, but are good at confidently providing answers that sound persuasive even when untrue. That could be a dangerous combination if not effectively addressed by the platform.”
Researchers have found that people perceived human-authored community notes as significantly more trustworthy than simple misinformation flags.
An analysis of several hundred misleading posts on X in the run up to last year’s presidential election found that in three-quarters of cases, accurate community notes were not being displayed, indicating they were not being upvoted by users. These misleading posts, including claims that Democrats were importing illegal voters and the 2020 presidential election was stolen, amassed more than 2bn views, according to the Centre for Countering Digital Hate.
Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to expanding regional trade and connectivity through enhanced rail, road, and air links, as he addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Ministerial Summit in Tianjin, China.
In his remarks, the minister emphasized Pakistan’s strategic position in facilitating regional commerce and expressed strong interest in building trade corridors via China, Afghanistan, and Iran. According to an official statement released Wednesday, he also underscored Pakistan’s growing role in advancing connectivity across the SCO region.
Abdul Aleem Khan highlighted the progress made under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), especially in the development of road infrastructure. “Our focus now is to expand trade beyond the borders of Afghanistan and Iran with fully functional international-standard cargo ports in Gwadar and Karachi,” he said.
He further stressed the strategic importance of Khunjerab Pass in the north and Pakistan’s coastal gateways as integral to the country’s trade expansion strategy.
Turning to broader regional initiatives, the minister cited the proposed Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan Railway Project as a transformative development and confirmed Pakistan’s support for Silk Road Stations in cooperation with China. He also announced that the Khunjerab–Sust Route would now remain operational year-round from 2023 onward, further enhancing regional connectivity.
The summit brought together ministers from 10 SCO member countries, though India once again chose not to attend. Indian delegate Anand Prakash, who was officially listed, remained absent and his seat was left vacant.
Commenting on this, Abdul Aleem Khan described India’s no-show as “irresponsible behavior” and a missed opportunity for regional engagement. “Pakistan has always advocated for mutual respect and cooperation. As a nuclear power, India must behave responsibly and act like a good neighbour,” he stated.
Delegates from several other member states reportedly expressed surprise and disappointment over India’s absence during the session.
The federal minister also briefed participants on Pakistan’s transport modernization efforts, including the digitalization of its transport systems and the adoption of smart mobility solutions. He noted that Pakistan has launched a visa-on-arrival policy for 126 countries, issuing over 20,000 visas to date under the initiative.
Expressing satisfaction with the conference proceedings, Abdul Aleem Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s dedication to fully implementing SCO decisions, and stressed that the region’s development depends on mutual trust, coordinated action, and integrated transport networks. As a permanent SCO member since 2017, Pakistan remains committed to strengthening communication infrastructure and deepening collaboration with fellow member states.
The 2010s brought with it the absolute domination of IP and franchises over all else, but the studios still yearn for the days when one name could get millions of people to the cinema without a second thought.
The arrival of the last Mission: Impossible movie, Final Reckoning, brought with it yet another round of discourse over whether or not Tom Cruise was The Last Movie Star.
Who were the undisputed A-List icons who could follow in his footsteps and headline blockbusters that would delight audiences and accrue immense profits? Who could replace the genre’s most iconic face and performer of terrifying stunts?
Certainly, many have tried to replicate the magic over the past 15 or so years (most of them tall hunky white guys named Chris). Glen Powell is eager to claim the crown. Cruise himself put forward Sinners star Michael B. Jordan as a contender. The true heir, however, has been proving herself as such for most of her life and has the box office receipts to prove it.
Now headlining the latest Jurassic World movie, Rebirth, Scarlett Johansson is here to remind us that she is a true movie star.
The multi-award-winning actress has been in the business since she was a child, earning raves in films like The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World, before graduating to worldwide acclaim before she was even old enough to drink.
For close to two decades now, she’s modelled herself into both a critic’s favorite and a money-making powerhouse. She’s the second highest-grossing leading actor of all-time and the highest-grossing woman, well ahead of Cruise as well as Bradley Cooper and Chrises Evans, Pratt, and Hemsworth. Even accounting for all roles, she’s comfortably in the top ten with well over $15.4 billion to her name. Add to that two Oscar nominations, a Tony, an honorary César, seven stints hosting Saturday Night Live, and a Time Magazine honor as one of the most influential people in the world. Ethan Hunt who?
In terms of pure savviness, Johansson is second to none. She has a sharp eye for projects and a distinct lack of snobbery. Yes, she’s got those prestige indie titles, like her work with Wes Anderson, but she’s also happy to do kids movies like Sing or Transformers One. She does comedies (Rough Night), rom-coms (Fly Me To the Moon), biopics (Hitchcock), period pieces (Hail, Caesar!)… oh, and there’s also the highest-grossing film franchise of all time.
Giphy
Being Black Widow, one of the first generation Avengers, has certainly helped to keep her in the public eye over the years. She came to the franchise already a star and one could argue that she didn’t need the Marvel boost since she had a highly enviable filmography that included works with Sofia Coppola, Michael Bay, and SpongeBob SquarePants. But the MCU put her front and center as an action star and one of the few women in such a position at that time.
As Natasha Romanoff, she was the girl with a gun in the boys club that featured robot suits, genetic engineering, and literal gods. She outsmarted Loki, maced goons, and provided a much-needed emotional grounding amid the gymnastics and explosions. It’s a testament to Johansson’s commitment to the character that she was able to rise above some of the more sexist writing she was saddled with (hello, Avengers: Age of Ultron and that Hulk boob fall scene.)
A lot of MCU actors seemed to struggle to find ways to use their new star power, but Johansson, by that point a veteran of film, made fascinating choices.
2014’s Lucy, directed by Luc Besson, proved that she could headline an action movie without a superhero name in the title (a pointed move from her given that Marvel took way too long to greenlight a Black Widow due to CEO sexism.) Marriage Story gave her one of her greatest roles as a woman dealing with the traumatic fallout of a divorce. In Under the Skin, she disguised herself to drive around Glasgow in a white van and pick up strangers for this unnerving sci-fi that deliberately played around with Johansson’s image as a sex symbol.
A still from ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ / Universal Pictures and Amblin En / Universal Pictures
Not every movie was a major hit or even a wise decision, as the total red flag that was the Ghost in the Shell adaptation proves, but the strategy behind each choice is evident. It’s about building a sturdy foundation of stardom with four quadrant appeal: be a financial hit, win awards, be known to people of all ages, and have the power to do whatever the hell you want. She’s putting her range to good use, not being constricted by the narrow boundaries of the A-List. ScarJo could and would do Top Gun: Maverick, but Tom Cruise couldn’t do Under the Skin.
But box office and reviews only tell half the story when it comes to Hollywood power. What is a greater sign of your strength and nerve than suing the hell out of Disney?
Johansson took on the House of Mouse, alleging breach of contract over their decision to release Black Widow simultaneously in cinemas and on Disney+. The case was settled and Johansson reportedly walked away with $40 million. She could have risked killing her lucrative relationship with the corporate giant by doing this, but she came out of it stronger, with plans to keep working with Disney (including a Tower of Terror movie.)
She also called out Sam Altman of OpenAI when he launched a chat bot with a voice that was undeniably intended to invoke comparisons with Johansson’s. This came after she declined the company’s offer to formally work with them on the project, taking inspiration from her role in Spike Jonze’s AI romance Her. It was symbolic of a major problem Johansson’s faced throughout her career: leering sexism and objectification.
A still from ‘Marriage Story’ / Netflix
A still from ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ / Jay Maidment/Marvel
A still from ‘Lucy’ / Universal Pictures
In a 2022 interview with the Armchair Expert podcast, she talked about how she was “kind of pigeonholed into this weird hypersexualized thing” for much of her career. It’s not tough to find interviews or profiles where people talk about her as if she’s a piece of meat. In one infamous red carpet interview, she was groped. Even as she became one of the biggest stars on the planet, a tech bro felt entitled to steal her voice. But Johansson didn’t take that insult lying down. She worked too hard for that, and Altman paused the project.
Jurassic World Rebirth will surely make all of the money and keep Johansson’s star power sturdy. Up next, she will wield her clout in a whole new way by releasing her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great, which premiered at Cannes and has already been cued up for an Oscar campaign for its lead actress, June Squibb.
Johansson shared with The Hollywood Reporter that her dream co-star was Tom Cruise, and Cruise in return told Entertainment Tonight that he would love to work with her. What better way to truly pass the gauntlet than with a ScarJo-Cruise team-up?
In a recent observational study published in JAMA Network Open, investigators found that adolescents who had a nightly sleep duration of more than 9.9 hours over the first 2 weeks of concussion recovery were linked to higher symptom burden and persistent symptoms. As a result, the study authors concluded clinicians should monitor sleep patters following a concussion in youth patients.
As an estimated half of all youth with concussions report disturbances of sleep, in both short- and long-term durations within the first week of recovery, study authors sought information about the association between mean nightly sleep duration over 1 week and 2 weeks post-injury, along with subsequent symptom burden at 1, 2, and 4 weeks post-injury.
“We hypothesized that longer sleep duration during the first 2 weeks after concussion would be associated with reduced symptom burden at 1, 2, and 4 weeks post-concussion and lower odds of being reliably symptomatic at 2 and 4 weeks,” wrote the study investigators, led by Lauren Butterfield, MSc, of Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
The cohort study featured data from a randomized controlled trial conducted in 3 pediatric emergency departments in Ontario, Canada, from March 2017 to December 2019. Participants had to be between 10 and 18 years of age and had to have received treatment for a concussion within 48 hours. Post-injury sleep was measured via a waist-worn accelerometer for 24 hours per day for 2 weeks as well as daily sleep logs. Symptom burden was measured with the Health and Behavior Inventory at 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks post-concussion.
“A nonlinear mixed-effects model was applied that estimated symptom burden at 1, 2, and 4 weeks from mean sleep duration over days 1 to 7 and days 1 to 14,” wrote the authors, who stated logistic regressions were performed to gauge the odds of being reliably symptomatic at 2 and 4 weeks by mean sleep duration. Conservative (z ≥ 1.65) and liberal (z ≥ 1.28) definitions of reliable change in symptoms were evaluated.
In all, 291 participants with a median age of 13.2 years (11.6-14.9), of which 44% were female, were included in the primary analysis. According to study results, those who had a mean nightly sleep duration beyond 9.5 hours in the first week after injury had a higher symptom burden at 1 week (75th percentile [10.5 h] vs 25th percentile [9.5 h]: estimate, 1.3 [95% CI, 0.25-2.28]; 90th percentile [11.3 h] vs 50th percentile [10.0 h]: estimate, 2.9 [95% CI, 1.22-4.69]).
Mean sleep duration longer than 9.9 hours in the first 2 weeks post-concussion was associated with higher symptom burden at:
Additionally, those with the mean sleep duration over 9.9 hours had increased odds of persisting symptoms at 4 weeks (conservative: odds ratio [OR], 1.73 [95% CI, 0.91-3.26]; liberal: OR, 1.93 [95% CI, 1.07-3.47]).
“In this observational study of youths with acute concussion, long sleep durations during the first 2 weeks post-concussion (ie, over 9.9 hours) were associated with more symptoms at 1, 2, and 4 weeks,” the authors concluded. “Furthermore, long sleep duration may be associated with increased odds of being reliably symptomatic at 4 weeks, therefore a greater risk of PSAC. Clinicians should monitor youths’ sleep after concussion.”
Reference:
Butterfield L, Zemek R, Borghese MM, et al. Nightly Sleep Duration and Symptom Burden Over 1 Month Following Pediatric Concussion. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(6):e2516333. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.16333
A research team at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), working with the Hospital Sant Pau in Barcelona, has shown that theater can improve the emotional well-being of people with Parkinson’s disease. The study, “Efficacy of a theater-based intervention in patients with Parkinson’s disease” (2025), which has been published in open access in the journal Arts & Health, has provided the first evaluation of the combined effects of active and passive participation in theater activities on these patients’ emotional and cognitive health and quality of life. The researchers were also supported by the Teatre Lliure.
The project involved 34 people with Parkinson’s disease aged between 50 and 75 years old, who were divided into two groups: one attended a three-month theater programme at the Teatre Lliure in Barcelona which included performances, practical workshops and a guided tour; the other group did cognitive stimulation exercises at home. Both groups were assessed before and after the programme, using validated neuropsychological tests and questionnaires on their mood, quality of life and perception of change.
On the emotional level, the results are conclusive. The patients who participated in the theater project experienced an improvement in their emotional well-being, as measured using the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire for quality of life (PDQ-39). This improvement was not observed in the group that performed cognitive stimulation exercises at home. In addition, the members of both the theater group and the cognitive stimulation group had lower levels of depression and anxiety, which suggests both activities contribute to improved mood states, albeit in different ways.
The most immediate impact was evident in the participants who attended the group theater workshops: according to the scales administered before and after each session, the emotional burden fell significantly after each workshop, highlighting the value of theater as a tool for channelling emotions.
The research findings show that “group activities can help reduce feelings of isolation, foster emotional connections among participants, and increase empathy by recognizing that others share similar experiences in facing the challenges of the disease.” Likewise, “most reported that working as a group enhanced their sense of social support as patients”.
Workshops for working on emotional expression and body awareness
The theater programme consisted of five performances accompanied by preparatory sessions, and five workshops led by performing arts professionals. The workshops addressed physical and emotional issues by means of group dynamics, exploration of the body and space, improvisation, and collective storytelling. According to the researchers, the emotional impact is explained by two key factors: the explicit emotional expression that theater requires, and the group setting, which reinforces empathy and a feeling of belonging.
The workshops, which were all led by theater professionals, included specific activities such as physical warm-ups, exploration of space and stage presence, emotion-based exercises, group storytelling and improvisation. This combination of techniques aimed to enhance emotional expression and body awareness, which are factors that the study associates with the benefits observed in the patients’ well-being. The cognitive and emotional tools used to measure the programme’s impact were the Spanish versions of clinically validated questionnaires and tests with normative data for the local population, which guarantees the reliability of the results.
Although no significant improvements were observed in the objective cognitive tests, an improvement was recorded in the subjective perception of daily cognitive ability. This subjective improvement can lead to greater confidence when performing everyday tasks. The feedback from the participants was also overwhelmingly positive: the theater workshops obtained an average score of 4.5 out of 5; the theater performances scored 4.4, and the guided tour of the theater scored 4.8.
The article was authored by Marco Calabria and Francesco Ciongoli, members of the Faculty of Health Sciences and researchers in the Neuro ADaS Lab group, affiliated to the UOC’s Research Unit on Digital Health, Health and Well-being, and Salvador Macip, a researcher in the epi4health group, alongside Carmen García-Sánchez, Berta Pascual Sedano and Jaume Kulisevsky, from the Movement Disorders Unit at Barcelona’s Hospital de Sant Pau; Caterina del Mar Bonnin, from the Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute; and Teresa Fèrriz Roure, an independent consultant working in Barcelona. The projected was supported by the Teatre Lliure and received funding from “la Caixa” Foundation and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.
This clinical study provides new evidence on the health benefits of the arts for people with Parkinson’s. Only two prior studies had examined the use of theater in people with Parkinson’s, and showed promising but unreplicated results. This new study applies a rigorous methodology and sets out clear lines for future research: increasing the duration of the programme, including more ecological measures of cognition, which assess how people function in their daily lives, and studying the underlying mechanisms of these benefits in depth. In short, it proposes improving assessment methods to capture subtle changes in cognition.
According to the article, art-based activities, and theatrical ones in particular, are a promising tool alongside medication, which has limited effects with symptoms such as apathy, anhedonia and emotional isolation. The research follows the guideline established by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has recommended the arts as a “social prescription” to improve health and well-being since 2019.
Around 10,000 people in Spain are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease every year, making it the most common neurodegenerative motor disorder. According to the Spanish Neurology Society, this figure will increase in the coming years as the number of patients doubles from its current levels of between 120,000 and 150,000 in Spain alone. Understanding the keys to improving patients’ quality of life is, then, an important challenge for the scientific community.
Source:
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
Journal reference:
Calabria, M., et al. (2025). Efficacy of a theatre-based intervention in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Arts & Health. doi.org/10.1080/17533015.2025.2488361.
