Psychology News and Research

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Psychology is the study of human mental functions, behavior and processes.

Loneliness breaks up a normal night's sleep

Loneliness is not only heartbreaking, it breaks up a normal night's sleep, a new study shows. Researchers say compromised sleep may be one pathway by which feelings of loneliness adversely affect our health.

1 Nov 2011

Seven billion humans and counting

According to the United Nations Population Fund, the seven-billionth child is most likely to be a boy born in India or China, this week. However the trend of fertility or growth of population in the longer term is in a different direction toward slower population growth, says Dudley Poston, a professor of sociology and demographics at Texas A&M University.

31 Oct 2011

Scientists pinpoint brain circuitry linked to decision-making

What drives addicts to repeatedly choose drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, overeating, gambling or kleptomania, despite the risks involved? Neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have pinpointed the exact locations in the brain where calculations are made that can result in addictive and compulsive behavior.

31 Oct 2011

Researchers identify FMRP protein as key player in RNA editing

The most common form of heritable cognitive impairment is Fragile X Syndrome, caused by mutation or malfunction of the FMR1 gene. Loss of FMR1 function is also the most common genetic cause of autism. Understanding how this gene works is vital to finding new treatments to help Fragile X patients and others.

31 Oct 2011

UCLA's TIES for Families program receives $5,000 Disneyland grant

For the ninth year, the Disneyland Resort Cast Community Fund has awarded a $5,000 grant to UCLA's TIES (Training, Intervention, Education and Services) for Families program for its services and achievement. The UCLA-based program is dedicated to preparing and supporting adoptive families of children from foster care.

28 Oct 2011

Microglia plays a key role in memory and learning

Immune system cells of the brain, which scavenge pathogens and damaged neurons, are also key players in memory and learning, according to new research by Duke neuroscientists.

27 Oct 2011

Religion/spirituality may help buffer negative consequences of chronic health conditions

Individuals who practice religion and spirituality report better physical and mental health than those who do not. To better understand this relationship and how spirituality/religion can be used for coping with significant health issues, University of Missouri researchers are examining what aspects of religion are most beneficial and for what populations.

27 Oct 2011

Mayo Clinic researchers share latest findings at child and adolescent psychiatry meeting

Mayo Clinic researchers are sharing their latest research findings this week at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Meeting in Toronto.

22 Oct 2011

Writer's description of facial vividness linked to mirror neuron system

Celebrated writers such as Charles Dickens and George Eliot described characters' faces vividly without going into detail about their features, according to a research group led at the University of Strathclyde.

22 Oct 2011

Energy Star- equivalent nutrition rating system for foods and beverages

Federal agencies should develop a new nutrition rating system with symbols to display on the front of food and beverage packaging that graphically convey calorie counts by serving size and a "point" value showing whether the saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars in the products are below threshold levels.

21 Oct 2011

Neuroscientists discover normal brain communication in people with AgCC

Like a bridge that spans a river to connect two major metropolises, the corpus callosum is the main conduit for information flowing between the left and right hemispheres of our brains. Now, neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology have found that people who are born without that link-a condition called agenesis of the corpus callosum, or AgCC-still show remarkably normal communication across the gap between the two halves of their brains.

20 Oct 2011

Future-Directed Therapy for patients with major depression

Patients with major depression do better by learning to create a more positive outlook about the future, rather than by focusing on negative thoughts about their past experiences, researchers at Cedars-Sinai say after developing a new treatment that helps patients do this.

20 Oct 2011

Scott & White to create internships for doctoral psychology students

Scott & White Healthcare in Temple is one of three sites chosen for a $1.6 million initiative to create internships for doctoral psychology students that will help alleviate mental health workforce shortages in Texas.

19 Oct 2011

Study examines effectiveness of counseling approach for substance abuse among African-Americans

A new study is the first to examine the effectiveness of a widely used counseling approach to treating substance abuse among African-Americans. The study found that African-American women were more likely than men to continue a counseling approach to treating substance abuse, but their substance-abuse issues continued.

18 Oct 2011

Gender differences in sexuality should not be taken at face value

In the racy television hit show, Sex and the City, Carrie, one of the main characters tells her best girlfriends that "Men who are too good looking are never good in bed because they never had to be."

18 Oct 2011

Women on birth control may be dating sexually boring but otherwise caring men: Study

There are some known side effects of birth control pills and these include nausea, vomiting, cramps, bloating and even hair growth. However a new study suggests another possible side effect women might experience while taking the pill: picking up men who are not so sexually satisfying. The study was published the Oct. 12 issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

16 Oct 2011