Psychology News and Research

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

Quality sleep can help bolster resilience to mental health disorders

Research has shown quality sleep can help bolster resilience to depression and anxiety.

13 Jul 2023

New talking therapy shows promise in treating depression

A new talking therapy for depression has shown encouraging early signs of being more effective and cheaper to deliver than the current best practice of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

12 Jul 2023

The truth about hypnosis: Debunking common myths

A strange mystic swings a pocket watch back and forth, repeating the phrase "You're getting sleepy, very sleepy," giving them absolute command over their subject.

11 Jul 2023

£1.5 million funding boost awarded for revolutionary test to improve early detection of Alzheimer's

A significant NIHR grant will enable researchers at the universities of Bath and Bristol, in collaboration with Cumulus Neuroscience, to develop revolutionary technology to help expand early dementia diagnosis.

11 Jul 2023

In-person mindfulness courses may help prevent mental health problems

Adults who voluntarily take part in mindfulness courses are less likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression for at least six months after completing the programs, compared to adults who do not take part, a new analysis pooling data from 13 studies has confirmed.

10 Jul 2023

Research uncovers mechanism linking deep sleep to blood sugar control

Researchers have known that a lack of quality sleep can increase a person's risk of diabetes. What has remained a mystery, however, is why.

7 Jul 2023

Pennington Biomedical Research Center works to combat childhood obesity

One in five children have obesity in the U.S., and even more are considered overweight. Dr. Amanda Staiano, associate professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and director of the Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior Laboratory, believes childhood obesity is at the top of the list for public health issues of this century because children with obesity are much more likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, asthma, sleep problems and other issues.

6 Jul 2023

Dietary restraint can reduce effects of obesity risk genes, study finds

Obesity risk genes make people feel hungrier and lose control over their eating, but practicing dietary restraint could counteract this.

6 Jul 2023

Study reveals how a person remembers experiences of childhood abuse or neglect can impact future emotional disorders

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London and City University New York, published today (Wednesday 5 July) in JAMA Psychiatry, has found that the way childhood abuse and/or neglect is remembered and processed has a greater impact on later mental health than the experience itself.

5 Jul 2023

Serious monkey business: Chimpanzee heart check via digital camera

A world-first experiment to measure chimpanzee heart rates via a digital camera could help curb cardiovascular disease in great apes in captivity and provide valuable insights into how their brain develops from an early age.

5 Jul 2023

Black individuals who experience racial discrimination more likely to crave alcohol

Alcohol craving is associated with relapse following alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment. A new study is the first to examine how distinct experiences of interpersonal racial discrimination contribute to elevated alcohol craving.

4 Jul 2023

Pain and anxiety linked to heavy episodic drinking in emerging adults

Emerging adults – those aged 18 to 24 years –who experience pain are more likely to engage in high-risk patterns of alcohol use such as binge drinking.

4 Jul 2023

Emotional constructs of anger, impulsivity, and irritability and their impact on life satisfaction

Researchers examined the relationships between irritability, impulsivity, and anger.

30 Jun 2023

A lack of body-positive videos on TikTok

The research paper examines body positivity videos on TikTok, analyzing their content, themes, and messaging. The findings reveal a prevalence of unrealistic beauty standards and a lack of explicit positive body image messages, highlighting the need for further investigation into the effects of such content on social media platforms.

29 Jun 2023

Lonely people process the world differently, study finds

The Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy may have been onto something when he wrote the opening line of Anna Karenina: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

28 Jun 2023

Vaping may be the first step on a pathway to smoking for non-smokers

While vaping provides a pathway to help smokers wanting to quit, for non-smokers it may be the first step on a pathway to taking up smoking, a new study has shown.

27 Jun 2023

Study: Chronic knee pain caused by osteoarthritis does not cause cognitive impairment in isolation

New research suggests that chronic knee pain caused by osteoarthritis does not cause cognitive impairment in isolation, indicating that other factors like age, pain medication and socio-economic factors are likely to play a part.

27 Jun 2023

Insights into infant brain development: study shows how sound duration shapes auditory perception

Researchers investigated the early maturation of sound duration processing, a crucial auditory temporal feature.

27 Jun 2023

Sense of purpose in life can offer protection against loneliness

A new study co-authored by Patrick Hill, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences, offers an important message for our times: A sense of purpose in life - whether it's a high-minded quest to make a difference or a simple hobby with personal meaning - can offer potent protection against loneliness.

26 Jun 2023

Patients affected by depression more likely to stop taking their heart medications

Patients who feel low when having a cardiac device implanted are more likely to stop taking their heart medications than those without depression, according to research presented today at ACNAP 2023, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

25 Jun 2023