Psychology News and Research

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

Sadness impairs basic visual processes involved in color perception, shows study

The world might seem a little grayer than usual when we're down in the dumps and we often talk about "feeling blue" -- new research suggests that the associations we make between emotion and color go beyond mere metaphor.

4 Sep 2015

New model of cognitive flexibility may help understand behavioral, neurological disorders

Cognitive flexibility is the ability to shift our thoughts and adapt our behavior to the changing environment. In other words, it's one's ability to disengage from a previous task and respond effectively to a new one.

4 Sep 2015

Research reveals why humor is important in finding partners

Men might want to ditch the pickup lines and polish their punchlines in their quest to attract women, new research at the University of Kansas suggests.

4 Sep 2015

University of Basel scientists identify genes that play central role in development of Alzheimer's disease

Genes are not only important for regular memory performance, but also for the development of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the University of Basel now identified a specific group of genes that plays a central role in both processes. This group of molecules controls the concentration of calcium ions inside the cell.

3 Sep 2015

Preterm birth associated with lower academic abilities in childhood, less wealth in adulthood

People who are born premature tend to accumulate less wealth as adults, and a new study suggests that this may be due to lower mathematics abilities. The findings, published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, show that preterm birth is associated with lower academic abilities in childhood, and lower educational attainment and less wealth in adulthood.

2 Sep 2015

New report highlights need for accurate diagnosis and management of bipolar I disorder

A new report launched today, ‘Paying the ultimate price’, highlights the urgent need for accurate diagnosis and management of bipolar I disorder in order to address a significant burden on society, patients and carers.

1 Sep 2015

Close and supportive friendships in adolescence linked to better health in early adulthood

Teens are often warned to beware the undue influence of peer pressure, but new research suggests that following the pack in adolescence may have some unexpected benefits for physical health in early adulthood.

31 Aug 2015

People with BPD traits have lowered activity in brain regions that support empathy

Those with borderline personality disorder, or BPD, a mental illness marked by unstable moods, often experience trouble maintaining interpersonal relationships. New research from the University of Georgia indicates that this may have to do with lowered brain activity in regions important for empathy in individuals with borderline personality traits.

29 Aug 2015

Fetal microchimerism could be a subtle and dizzyingly complex puzzle

Parents go to great lengths to ensure the health and well-being of their developing offspring. The favor, however, may not always be returned.

29 Aug 2015

Gender harassment equally damaging to working women’s individual health

Frequent sexist wisecracks, comments and office cultures where women are ignored are just as damaging to women as single instances of sexual coercion and unwanted sexual attention, according to a new study out today in The Psychology of Women Quarterly (a SAGE Journal).

28 Aug 2015

New study may lead to effective treatment to prevent common chemotherapy side effects in cancer patients

Annually, hundreds of thousands of patients battling cancer undergo chemotherapy, which often results in poorly tolerated side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and loss of the desire to eat.

28 Aug 2015

Study: 10% of mothers reported chronic depressive symptoms 2 years after Hurricane Katrina

About 10 percent of mothers experienced chronic, persistent depressive symptoms two years after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, killing more than 1,800 people, displacing hundreds of thousands and causing widespread damage estimated at more than $100 billion, according to a Georgia State University study.

28 Aug 2015

Study shows licensed tobacco retailers sell illegal cigarettes throughout NYC

Licensed tobacco retailers throughout New York City are selling a substantial number of cigarette packs carrying either counterfeit or out-of-state tax stamps, finds an investigation by NYU public health researchers.

28 Aug 2015

NTNU researchers find link between aggression and gene variant in children

Some children react more strongly to negative experiences than others. Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have found a link between aggression and variants of a particular gene.

27 Aug 2015

Awareness of mortality can be injurious to health, new research reveals

People with low self-esteem use a variety of escape mechanisms to avoid thinking about their own mortality, new research reveals. Researchers led by Dr Arnaud Wisman, of the University of Kent's School of Psychology, found evidence in five studies that people with low self-esteem respond to reminders of their own mortality by directing their focus away from the 'self'.

27 Aug 2015

Study provides insight into how the ability to inhibit an action affects attention and memory

You're driving on a busy road and you intend to switch lanes when you suddenly realize that there's a car in your blind spot. You have to put a stop to your lane change -- and quickly. A new study by Duke University researchers suggests that this type of scenario makes a person less likely to remember what halted the action -- for example, the make and model of the car in the blind spot.

27 Aug 2015

Study looks at patterns of emotion regulation in the brains of abused children

Children who have been abused typically experience more intense emotions than their peers who have not been abused. This is often considered a byproduct of living in volatile, dangerous environments. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) set to find out what happens when these children are taught how to regulate their emotions.

25 Aug 2015

White sexual-minority men have higher positive racial attitudes, empathy than white heterosexual men

White sexual-minority men may be more empathic toward other minority groups compared to their heterosexual white peers. A new study from the University of Houston College of Education compared the attitudes of white heterosexual men to those of white sexual-minority men.

25 Aug 2015

UO survey on sexual victimization issues highlights need to increase awareness of available services

A new survey on sexual victimization issues at the University of Oregon reaffirms previous findings that there is a need to increase awareness about available services, while decreasing negative perceptions of institutional support.

25 Aug 2015

Older people drink unsafe amounts of alcohol, study finds

One in five older people who drink alcohol are consuming it at unsafe levels - over 21 units of alcohol for men and 14 units for women each week - according to a study by King's College London. The research in inner-city London, published in BMJ Open, found these unsafe older drinkers are more likely to be of higher socioeconomic status.

24 Aug 2015

Psychology News and Research

Further Reading

Sadness impairs basic visual processes involved in color perception, shows study

New model of cognitive flexibility may help understand behavioral, neurological disorders

Research reveals why humor is important in finding partners

University of Basel scientists identify genes that play central role in development of Alzheimer's disease

Preterm birth associated with lower academic abilities in childhood, less wealth in adulthood

New report highlights need for accurate diagnosis and management of bipolar I disorder

Close and supportive friendships in adolescence linked to better health in early adulthood

People with BPD traits have lowered activity in brain regions that support empathy

Fetal microchimerism could be a subtle and dizzyingly complex puzzle

Gender harassment equally damaging to working women’s individual health

New study may lead to effective treatment to prevent common chemotherapy side effects in cancer patients

Study: 10% of mothers reported chronic depressive symptoms 2 years after Hurricane Katrina

Study shows licensed tobacco retailers sell illegal cigarettes throughout NYC

NTNU researchers find link between aggression and gene variant in children

Awareness of mortality can be injurious to health, new research reveals

Study provides insight into how the ability to inhibit an action affects attention and memory

Study looks at patterns of emotion regulation in the brains of abused children

White sexual-minority men have higher positive racial attitudes, empathy than white heterosexual men

UO survey on sexual victimization issues highlights need to increase awareness of available services

Older people drink unsafe amounts of alcohol, study finds

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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