Psychology News and Research

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

That gut feeling may actually reflect a reliable memory

You know the feeling. You make a decision you're certain is merely a "lucky guess."

8 Feb 2009

Can money make us happy if we spend it on the right purchases?

A new psychology study suggests that buying life experiences rather than material possessions leads to greater happiness for both the consumer and those around them. The findings were presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual meeting on Feb. 7.

8 Feb 2009

Xenophobia, for men only

Very few people fear dandelions. Or even dangerous things - like Hummers. We may object to outsized automobiles on principle, but the mere sight of them doesn't make us tremble and sweat and run away. On the other hand, even toddlers show an automatic and powerful fear of snakes, including harmless ones.

5 Feb 2009

Decoding funny faces to detect disease

Like Russell Crowe's character in A Beautiful Mind, life is often difficult for the 2.4 million Americans with schizophrenia.

5 Feb 2009

Boys have greater psychological well-being than girls

Self-concept may be defined as the totality of perceptions that each person has of themselves, and this self identity plays an important role in the psychological functioning of everyone.

3 Feb 2009

Physical self-concept and psychological well-being/unwellness during adolescence

Self-concept may be defined as the totality of perceptions that each person has of themselves, and this self identity plays an important role in the psychological functioning of everyone. To date, however, there has been no investigation into the relationship that physical self-concept has with psychological well-being or psychological unwellness.

3 Feb 2009

Fasudil could reduce risk of Alzheimer's

A drug used to improve blood flow to the brain also could help improve learning and memory and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study released today by investigators at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Arizona State University.

2 Feb 2009

Researchers investigate prenatal smoking link with bad behavior in kids

A Cardiff University research project has for the first time studied whether smoking during pregnancy can directly make children more likely to behave anti-socially.

2 Feb 2009

Study looks at effects of 9/11 attacks on drink driving

The September 11 terrorist attacks had a profound impact on this country's psyche.

2 Feb 2009

Differences in recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse

When a child experiences a traumatic event, such as sexual abuse, it may not be until well into adulthood that they remember the incident.

2 Feb 2009

Researchers study Iraq veterans' traumatic brain injuries

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been identified as the "signature injury" of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

2 Feb 2009

Study finds genetic link between sleep disorders and depression in young children

A study in the Feb. 1 issue of the journal SLEEP was the first to use twin data to examine the longitudinal link between sleep problems and depression.

2 Feb 2009

Personal intervention reduces drinking among risky college drinkers

Brief but personal intervention reduces drinking among risky college drinkers, according to a research study at The University of Texas School of Public Health.

2 Feb 2009

Childhood obesity - another form of abuse?

With health experts in Australia and in many other developed countries warning that childhood obesity is becoming an increasingly alarming problem, the suggestion has been made that in some cases, child protection authorities should be alerted.

2 Feb 2009

Diabetics have a significantly greater risk of dementia

Diabetics have a significantly greater risk of dementia, both Alzheimer's disease - the most common form of dementia - and other dementia, reveals important new data from an ongoing study of twins.

29 Jan 2009

Preferential treatment: How what we like defines what we know

It is no secret that you know more (that is, have expertise) about things you are interested in.

27 Jan 2009

Early childhood stress has long-term implications

Stressful experiences in early childhood can have long-lasting impacts on kids' health that persist well beyond the resolution of the situation.

27 Jan 2009

Cell phones dangerous for child pedestrians

Children who talk on cell phones while crossing streets are at a higher risk for injuries or death in a pedestrian accident, said psychologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in a new study that will appear in the February issue of Pediatrics.

27 Jan 2009

Musical babies - just days after they're born

Scientists have discovered that newborn babies are able to pick up a beat days after birth.

27 Jan 2009

Vitamin D linked to cognitive problems in seniors

Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan, have for the first time identified a relationship between Vitamin D, the "sunshine vitamin", and cognitive impairment in a large-scale study of older people.

23 Jan 2009