Psychology News and Research

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

Study supports role of a dopamine related gene in the onset of depression

Depression is one of the most common forms of psychopathology. According to diathesis-stress theories of depression, genetic liability interacts with negative life experiences to cause depression.

16 Jan 2008

Study looks at effects of moral conviction on voting or intentions

Recent American presidential elections have led to discussion of the importance of moral values and whether these values have tipped an electoral advantage to the political right.

16 Jan 2008

Kids' worries not what some parents may think

Parents may assume that preteens are preoccupied with things like their looks, schoolwork, and fitting into the social scene, but a new KidsHealth KidsPoll reveals that these aren't the only things on their minds.

15 Jan 2008

Important new finding for people with anorexia

People given a biological and genetics-based explanation for the causes of anorexia nervosa were less likely to blame people with anorexia for their illness than those given a sociocultural explanation, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study found.

15 Jan 2008

Important finding for people with anorexia

10 Jan 2008

Help with getting off the couch

It's only been a few weeks since you made that New Year's resolution to exercise more, but already you're finding reasons to skip days - maybe even weeks.

10 Jan 2008

Sixty percent of psychotherapy clients felt therapy didn't end on time

Sixty percent of private practice dynamically oriented psychotherapy clients felt that their therapy either lasted too long or ended too soon, according to recent research conducted by Prof. David Roe, Head of the Department of Community Mental Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences at the University of Haifa.

10 Jan 2008

Anxiety can give older men a heart attack

Researchers in the United States say men who suffer from anxiety are more likely than the others to have a heart attack.

9 Jan 2008

Stress causes whole body deterioration

Stress, to put it bluntly, is bad for you. It can kill you, in fact. A study now reveals that stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to your heart and can make you more susceptible to everything from the common cold to cancer.

9 Jan 2008

Multiple behavioral risks for skin cancer among U.S. adults

Whether you're basking on the beach during vacation, coasting down glittering white snow on a weekend ski trip, or simply walking the dog or running errands, sunlight's ultraviolet rays can damage your skin year-round.

9 Jan 2008

9/11 stress increases risk of heart problems

Stress and fear in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks may be making Americans sicker, according to a groundbreaking new study by UC Irvine researchers.

8 Jan 2008

Anxiety raises heart attack risk

We all know that people with a Type A personality and an off-the-charts hostility level may be courting a heart attack.

8 Jan 2008

Daytime 'Nanna naps' improve memory

A ninety minute daytime nap helps speed up the process of long term memory consolidation, a recent study conducted by Prof. Avi Karni and Dr. Maria Korman of the Center for Brain and Behavior Research at the University of Haifa found.

8 Jan 2008

New method to study extrasensory perception

Psychologists at Harvard University have developed a new method to study extrasensory perception that, they argue, can resolve the century-old debate over its existence.

4 Jan 2008

Carnegie Mellon study identifies where thoughts of familiar objects occur inside the human brain

A team of Carnegie Mellon University computer scientists and cognitive neuroscientists, combining methods of machine learning and brain imaging, have found a way to identify where people's thoughts and perceptions of familiar objects originate in the brain by identifying the patterns of brain activity associated with the objects.

4 Jan 2008

Treating depression may help alcoholics recover

It's hard to stay on the wagon when you're depressed, according to a new study of problem drinkers.

4 Jan 2008

Obese people less likely to use seatbelts

Obese people are less likely to use their seatbelts than the rest of the population, adding to the public health risks associated with this rapidly growing problem.

3 Jan 2008

If you're going to experience a period of helplessness, it's best to be alone

New research at the University of Haifa found that laboratory rats that were on their own when exposed to uncontrollable conditions, which create a feeling of helplessness, learned to avoid situations which create such feelings better than rats that were exposed to uncontrollable conditions in pairs.

3 Jan 2008

A happy marriage bolsters a woman's physiological recovery from work

That's the suggestion from a new UCLA study that tracked levels of cortisol, a key stress hormone, among 30 Los Angeles married couples involved in one of our age's trickiest juggling acts - raising kids when both parents work full time.

2 Jan 2008

Drivers on cell phones congest traffic

Motorists who talk on cell phones drive slower on the freeway, pass sluggish vehicles less often and take longer to complete their trips, according to a University of Utah study that suggests drivers on cell phones congest traffic.

2 Jan 2008