Psychology news

• Gov. Ron Desantis Signs Law Erasing Climate Change From Florida Policy

  16-05-2024 09:36 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsWith summer's extreme heat and this year's hurricane season rolling into Florida next month, Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation Wednesday that will erase the words "climate change" from state statutes effective July 1. The new law aims to ensure the availability of "energy for the state in a manner that promotes the health and welfare of the public and economic growth," according to the Florida House of Representatives legislative analysis.
  
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• Top Olympic tips for mental resilience to enhance success

  26-07-2024 15:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Team GB’s lead psychologist Jess Thom reveals her advice to athletes to boost focus and performanceTeam GB’s psychologist on nerves, negativity and self-doubtParis 2024 Olympics – live updatesAthletes are encouraged to recognise that they do not have control over their feelings but also that their feelings need not dictate their actions. The approach applies as much to enhancing training as to event-day performance. An athlete might plan, say, how they want to respond when thei
  
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• ‘They get anxious but still win gold’: Team GB’s psychologist on nerves, negativity and self-doubt

  26-07-2024 15:15 via theguardian.com
  Jess Thom hopes a handful of mental strategies will give British athletes an edge at the Paris OlympicsTop Olympic tips for mental resilience to enhance successParis 2024 Olympics – live updatesAs they pace to the start line, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, even the world’s best athletes can be struck by the niggling voice of self-doubt. But while in the past competitors were urged to silence negative thoughts, in this Olympics Team GB athletes have instead been encouraged to giv
  
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• Video Test for Parkinson's Uses AI to Track Disease Progression

  26-07-2024 14:57 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA video-processing technique that uses artificial intelligence may help neurologists better track the progression of Parkinson's disease in patients, ultimately enhancing their care and quality of life. The system, developed at the University of Florida, applies machine learning to analyze video recordings of patients performing the finger-tapping test, a standard test for Parkinson's disease that involves quickly tapping the thumb and index...
  
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• Managing Political Stress in the United States

  26-07-2024 14:57 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: APA MonitorAmericans are feeling increasingly stressed about politics amid an assassination attempt, a late-breaking candidate change, debate drama, and legal battles. In a "deeply negative" snapshot of American politics, a February 2024 Pew poll found that 65% of U.S. adults always or often felt exhausted by politics, and 55% always or often felt angry. Research suggests, however, that the positive aspects of political engagement may lead to greater...
  
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• OpenResearch Completes Largest U.S. Study on Basic Income

  26-07-2024 14:16 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google NewsOver the past few years, the idea of direct cash transfers to low-income Americans has gained fast traction, with more than 150 studies in 35 U.S. states testing the idea of "basic income." The largest of those studies came from OpenResearch, a project backed by OpenAI Chief Executive Officer and Founder Sam Altman. After three years of providing $1,000 monthly to beneficiaries, the group has released a trio of research papers on its findings.
  
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• Video Shows Uncontacted Indigenous People Emerging From Amazon Forest

  24-07-2024 18:14 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google News - HealthNew photos and rare video footage of an uncontacted indigenous tribe in the Peruvian Amazon show people emerging from a rain forest—perhaps due to encroaching logging operations. The Mashco Piro people, which human rights group Survival International says is the largest uncontacted tribe in the world, were given a territorial reserve in 2002. But the Peruvian government also gave concessions to several logging companies within the tribe's...
  
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• Mental Health: Has Anything Changed for the Paris Olympics?

  23-07-2024 09:26 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportAs the Paris Games open on Friday, followed by the Paralympics starting August 28, athletes have more access than ever to mental health resources and seem more likely to use them. That's noteworthy because according to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee's director of psychological services, roughly half of U.S. athletes at the past two Olympiads were flagged for anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, eating disorders, substance use, or...
  
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• American Psychological Association Journal Addresses Racism in the Field

  23-07-2024 09:26 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: APA Press ReleasesAs a discipline, psychology prides itself on helping people improve their lives. However, psychology has had a long history of harming people of color, and psychologists must work to dismantle racism within the field, according to a special issue of the American Psychologist—flagship journal of the American Psychological Association. The journal examines how psychology has perpetuated racial hierarchy and looks at ways to redress racial...
  
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• Scientist Takes Psychedelic Drug and Watches His Brain "Fall Apart"

  23-07-2024 08:52 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google News - HealthNico Dosenbach, an associate professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine, had been given a high dose of psilocybin, the active substance in magic mushrooms, as part of an experiment. "Time stopped, and I was everyone," he recalls. The results, which appear in the journal Nature, suggest that psychedelic drugs work by disrupting certain brain networks—especially one that helps people form a sense of space, time, and self.
  
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• JD Vance's Wife, Usha Chilukuri, Faces Far-Right Racist Hate

  23-07-2024 08:52 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google News - HealthThe wife of Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, Usha Chilukuri Vance, and the couple's children have become the targets of hate for their Indian ancestry. Chilukuri Vance, the daughter of Indian immigrants who grew up in San Diego, as well as RNC speaker Harmeet Dhillon—who is Sikh and Indian—are facing anti-Asian hate from far-right figures online. The posts spiked after his nomination, criticizing him for marrying someone who...
  
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• ‘How many aura points did I lose?’ The new coolness currency has hints of Aristotle

  22-07-2024 18:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Young people are evaluating good and bad life decisions on a scale and seeking input from others. To philosophy experts, it sounds familiarYou can count calories, steps, streams of your favorite song – and now, you can assign a number to how cool you are. See: aura points, a way to calculate your rizz. (That’s what the kids call charisma, and if you didn’t know that, you just lost 100 aura points.)Ask someone out and get a yes? That’s 100 aura points for you. Still on Sna
  
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• Stress in humans can affect how optimistic dogs feel, research suggests

  22-07-2024 17:40 via theguardian.com
  Study got dog owners to either take a maths test or do something relaxing and observed effect on pets’ emotionsThe ability of dogs to sniff out stress levels in humans has been known for some time.But the relationship between woman and man’s four-legged best friend is two-way, and scientists now believe they have discovered that when a dog senses a person in distress, it has a knock-on effect in the behaviour of the animal – most notably, it makes them pessimistic. Continue rea
  
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• Loneliness is killing men – and without proper support and intervention nothing will change | Xavier Mulenga

  21-07-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Many men are socialised to prioritise independence and stoicism, making it difficult for them to open up and form emotional connectionsThe modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their workLast year, I read Of Boys and Men by Richard Reeves. In his research, Reeves outlines various factors leading to boys and men feeling excluded from society and failed by various systems, whether it be education or the workforce. One section states how men struggle
  
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• Miss Kansas Calls Out Her Abuser in Viral Video

  21-07-2024 16:11 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportA newly posted video of Miss Kansas calling out her domestic violence abuser from the stage the night she was crowned is whipping up a maelstrom of support on social media. Alexis Smith was crowned Miss Kansas on June 8 but posted the video of her on-stage comments just this past week. Her comments are resonating with thousands in part because she called out her own abuser from the stage while she said the perpetrator was sitting in the audience.
  
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• Report Compares LGBTQ+ Protections Under Presidents Biden and Trump

  21-07-2024 16:10 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsThe Human Rights Campaign released a report Friday detailing a "stark contrast" in federal LGBTQ+ protections under Presidents Biden and Trump. The report describes the effects both leaders had on federal agencies during their presidencies. For example, agencies under Trump stopped accepting civil rights complaints based on sexual orientation and gender identity, whereas many agencies under Biden treated LGBTQ+ people as protected from...
  
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• Text of President Joe Biden's Letter Announcing the End of His Campaign

  21-07-2024 16:02 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportU.S. President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on Sunday after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump. He announced his decision in a letter posted on social media. Then, in a subsequent message he posted soon after, Mr. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be their party's candidate. Here is the letter's full text.
  
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• I never realised how much freedom and comfort softness could bring

  21-07-2024 15:00 via theguardian.com
  It’s easy enough to get lured into adopting a brittle persona, but there are other ways to live your lifeMy work used to land in the form of harsh clacking on a titanium-reinforced MacBook, but these days I prefer to write in a pale blue suedette notebook that was given to me by a relative a few Christmases ago. It is an object that until recently I had kept at the back of a drawer, fearing it would seem too sappy a thing for a serious writer to own.It forms part of a new tendency in my li
  
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• Practice doesn’t always make perfect – that’s why you’re not in the Olympics | Martha Gill

  21-07-2024 09:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Don’t put your faith in the 10,000-hour rule – some athletes are born with talents the rest of us will never haveStefan Holm was told he was too short to be a high jumper. But by the time he won Sweden a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics, he had honed himself into the perfect projectile. It was the result of a 15-year obsession: his whole life had been pulled into alignment with this goal. If he wanted to stop on page 225 of a book, he would push himself to page 240, in order to train
  
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• The flow state: the science of the elusive creative mindset that can improve your life

  20-07-2024 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Scientists have long known the mental and creative benefits of the flow state, in which total absorption in an activity banishes anxiety. But what causes it, and how can we achieve it?As a professional ballet dancer, Julia Christensen knew the flow state well: a total absorption in her body’s movements, without the constant chatter that typically accompanies our waking lives. The hours could fly by without her even registering the time that had passed.A back injury put an end to her career
  
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• Ukraine Rushes to Create AI-Enabled War Drones

  19-07-2024 18:30 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportIn Ukraine, a handful of startups are developing artificial intelligence systems to help fly a vast fleet of drones, taking warfare into uncharted territory as combatants race to gain a technological edge in battle. One such company is Swarmer, which is developing software that links drones in a network. Decisions can be implemented instantly across the group, with a human only stepping in to green-light automated strikes.
  
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• Magazine Defends Use of AI "Fashion and Lifestyle Editor"

  19-07-2024 18:30 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: BBC News - Top HeadlinesA popular British fashion magazine has been criticized after it described an artificial intelligence "fashion and lifestyle editor" on its social media page as a "new member" of the team. The editor, known as "Reem,' was introduced through social media earlier this week. But there has been backlash from fans, with one saying the company is depriving "human journalists of a job" and creating unachievable "beauty standards."
  
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• South Korea's Top Court Upholds Same-Sex Ruling in Landmark Case

  19-07-2024 08:08 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: ABC News - InternationalSouth Korea's top court ruled Thursday that same-sex couples are eligible to receive the same health insurance benefits as heterosexual couples, a landmark verdict hailed by human rights groups. The Supreme Court said it ruled that the state health insurance agency's refusal to provide spousal insurance coverage for gay couples was an act of discrimination that violates the constitutional principle of equality.
  
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• Musk to Move SpaceX and X HQ Over Gender Identity Law

  17-07-2024 17:58 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: BBCNews - BusinessBillionaire Elon Musk has said he will move the headquarters of two of his most high-profile companies, rocket firm SpaceX and social media platform X, from California to Texas. He said the move was due to recent laws passed by the state—in particular, a new law that prevents schools from making rules requiring staff tell parents information about a child's gender identity. A spokesperson for the governor said the law keeps students safe.
  
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• Brain Differences Found in Kids with Conduct Disorder

  17-07-2024 17:58 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportDefiance, tantrums, aggression: All signs of a condition called conduct disorder, which Mental Health America says affects up to 16% of boys and 9% of girls. Now, researchers have found differences in the brain structure of youths with the disorder, compared to those without. Specifically, a Lancet Psychiatry study of people aged 7-21 found that individuals with conduct disorder have less cerebral cortex surface area than is typical for others...
  
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• Auramaxxing: will this make you more sexually attractive — or just a bit tired?

  17-07-2024 15:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Do you feel uncharismatic and awkward in social situations? Aura upgrades are thankfully now available, according to a group of intrepid influencersName: Auramaxxing.Age: The word “aura” comes from Latin and ancient Greek and originally meant a gentle breeze. These days it’s more commonly used about a subtle pervasive quality emanating from someone. That’s what we’re talking about here. Continue reading...
  
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• Scientists inflict karaoke on young volunteers to find out what makes us blush

  17-07-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Subjects’ performances of songs by Adele, Mariah Carey or from Frozenshown to peers to assessresponsesWere scientists to concoct an experiment that was all but guaranteed to unleash full-on, cheek-reddening embarrassment, then filming adolescents singing Let It Go from Frozen and playing back their performance might well do the job.And so to researchers at the University of Amsterdam who invited dozens of young volunteers into the lab before breaking the news as to what was required. In fr
  
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• Survey Suggests Teens Need More Support Than Their Parents Think

  16-07-2024 17:38 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportAs millions of American teens continue to struggle with their mental health, a new survey reveals a sizable gap between how much support teens say they get and how much support their parents think they get. In the report, published Tuesday by the National Center for Health Statistics, just over a quarter of teens said they always get the social and emotional support they need, whereas parents were nearly three times more likely to think they did.
  
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• California Bars Schools From Outing LGBTQ Students to Parents

  16-07-2024 17:38 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google News - HealthCalifornia became the first U.S. state to bar school districts from requiring staff to notify parents of their child's gender identification change under a law signed Monday by Governor Gavin Newsom. The law bans school rules requiring teachers and other staff to disclose a student's gender identity or sexual orientation to anyone without the child's permission. Advocates say the law will help protect LGBTQ+ students who live in unwelcoming...
  
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• ‘A diagnosis can sweep away guilt’: the delicate art of treating ADHD

  16-07-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  For children with ADHD, getting the help they need depends on being correctly diagnosed. As a doctor, I have seen how tricky and frustrating a process that can beLate last summer, in the waiting room of a children’s mental health clinic, I found Daniel, a softly spoken 16-year-old boy, flanked by his parents. He had been referred to the clinic for an assessment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As we took our seats on the plastic sofas in the consulting room, I asked him
  
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