Psychology news

• What have I learned from 20 years of parenting? Never to underestimate how wrong I can be | Emma Beddington

  28-04-2024 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  We often have as much in common with strangers as our relatives, according to studies – so why do we still love to say our children are like us? How alike are parents and kids? Quite, right? Surely we all play that game. I, for example, am competitive like my dad (but without a shred of his energy); my sister got my mother’s compassion and I got her lust for crispy potato products and staying in bed. My husband and his mum, meanwhile, share a lively debating style (I’m choosing
  
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• The big idea: the simple trick that can sabotage your critical thinking

  20-05-2024 13:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Influencers and politicians use snappy cliches to get you on side – but you can fight fire with fireSince the moment I learned about the concept of the “thought-terminating cliche” I’ve been seeing them everywhere I look: in televised political debates, in flouncily stencilled motivational posters, in the hashtag wisdom that clogs my social media feeds. Coined in 1961 by psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, the phrase describes a catchy platitude aimed at shutting down or bypa
  
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• ‘I was 49 when I had my last drink’: Harriet Tyce

  19-05-2024 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  After drinking and making a fool of herself for 35 years, the writer realised that’s not how she wanted to be rememberedHow do you know someone has stopped drinking? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you. The old vegan joke comes into my mind a lot as yet again I start talking about how my life has transformed since I gave up booze. But people mostly humour me, sometimes even seek me out. It’s amazing the number of conversations I’ve had at parties where friends with whom I
  
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• Decision Making Linked to Composition of Gut Microbiota

  19-05-2024 15:21 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google News - HealthThe way we make decisions in a social context can be explained by psychological, social, and political factors. But what if other forces are at work? Hilke Plassmann and her colleagues from the Paris Brain Institute and the University of Bonn show that changes in gut microbiota are associated with our sensitivity to fairness and how we treat others. Their findings are published in the May 14 issues of the journal PNAS Nexus.
  
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• Why are bodies of water so calming?

  19-05-2024 15:01 via theguardian.com
  
  The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhy are bodies of water so calming? In my experience, this is true whether they are placid or tempestuous. Mary Vogel, VancouverPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to [email protected]. A selection will be published next Sunday. Continue reading...
  
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• Prof Andrea Mechelli: ‘People who live near green space are less likely to struggle with mental health issues’

  19-05-2024 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The scientist leading a study into how the urban environment affects our wellbeing on the surprising and lasting psychological benefits of even just a small dose of natureAndrea Mechelli, a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist, is professor of early intervention in mental health at King’s College London. He is the project lead on Urban Mind, a research study co-developed with arts foundation Nomad Projects and landscape architects J&L Gibbons which since 2018 has been looking at ho
  
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• I have taken babies from their mothers. After my son was born I feared it was my turn to be punished | Ariane Beeston

  18-05-2024 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Four days after my child was born, I began experiencing postpartum psychosis. What I learned changed my lifeThe first time I start hallucinating I am home, alone, with my baby. Drunk from lack of sleep I watch as his features morph in and out of shape. I take photo after photo, trying to capture what I see.A few days later, while I am pushing the pram outside, it happens again. I pull the hood down to hide my baby from prying eyes. I no longer know who I can trust.I am dead, I am dead. And becau
  
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• U.S. Issues Worldwide Alert Warning of Anti-LGBTQ Violence

  17-05-2024 18:50 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: CBS News - World NewsThe United States issued a worldwide alert Friday warning of "the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests." The warning is a result of intelligence citing threats by ISIS against Pride events in parts of Europe, sources told CBS News. June is PRIDE month with events and celebrations in much of the Western world, including the U.S. The last major ISIS attack was in March in Moscow,...
  
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• Former OpenAI Leader Says Safety Taking Backseat to "Shiny Products"

  17-05-2024 18:50 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportA former OpenAI leader who resigned from the company earlier this week said Friday that safety has "taken a backseat to shiny products" at the artificial intelligence company. Jan Leike, who worked alongside a company co-founder who also resigned this week, wrote that building "smarter-than-human machines is an inherently dangerous endeavor" and that the company "is shouldering an enormous responsibility on behalf of all of humanity."
  
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• Government Tells Schools in England Not to Teach About Gender Identity

  16-05-2024 09:37 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: BBC News - UK PoliticsSchools in England should not teach about gender identity, according to new draft guidance from government officials. Government sources told BBC News on Wednesday about plans to ban sex education for under-nines, as well as teaching about gender identity. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the new guidance would ensure children were not "exposed to disturbing content," but teachers have said there is no evidence of a widespread problem.
  
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• Climate Change May Worsen Stroke, Migraine, Alzheimer's

  16-05-2024 09:37 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsClimate change is likely to make brain conditions like stroke, migraine, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis even worse, a new review warns. The potential effects of a changing climate is likely to be substantial on a range of neurological conditions, researchers report Wednesday in The Lancet Neurology journal. For the review, researchers analyzed data from 332 studies published between 1968 and 2023.
  
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• 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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• Cognitive Decline Rates Higher Among Older Native Americans

  16-05-2024 09:36 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsHigh rates of blood vessel-damaging conditions like hypertension or diabetes may be driving up rates of cognitive decline and dementia among older American Indians, new research suggests. The study, based on data from nearly 400 participants followed more than 30 years, found that 54% of American Indians ages 72 to 95 had some form of impairment in their thinking and/or memory skills. The report appeared Wednesday in the journal Alzheimer's &..
  
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• 90% of Floridians Believe Climate Change Is Happening

  16-05-2024 09:36 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top SocietyThe latest "Florida Climate Resilience Survey" found that 90% of Floridians believe that climate change is happening. Belief in human-caused climate change has surged among Florida Independents while slipping to 40% among Republicans, down from 45% last fall. The survey also found that 68% of respondents want state government to do more about climate change, and 69% want the federal government to do more.
  
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• AI, algorithms and apps: can dating be boiled down to a science? – podcast

  16-05-2024 06:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Last week the founder of the dating app Bumble forecasted a near future dating landscape where AI ‘dating concierges’ filter out prospective partners for us. But does AI, or even science, really understand what makes two people compatible? Madeleine Finlay speaks to Amie Gordon, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, to find out what we know about why two people go the distance, and why she’s designing her own dating app to learn more.Clips: BloombergR
  
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• One bad rumour can affect how children view each other, study finds

  15-05-2024 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Seven-year-olds trusted good gossip if it came from multiple sources but the bad only had to be heard onceIn the ruthless world of the primary school playground, one bad rumour is enough to make children wary of another, new research suggests.Psychologists who studied gossip in seven-year-olds found that the children trusted good rumours when they came from several sources, but could be swayed by bad rumours they heard only once. Continue reading...
  
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• Celebrate, remember and reframe: the therapy sessions healing South Africa’s women

  14-05-2024 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  As the trauma of apartheid, crime and violence continue to ripple through society, a counselling initiative by Tree of Life creator Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilois helping ease the painRed curtains and ceiling drapes create a pink-tinged glow inside the run-down community centre, an hour south of Johannesburg, where Palesa Hlohlolo tells her neighbours about her experiences of domestic violence.“I’m not a punching bag and I’ll never be one. For anyone,” she says, grabbing a tissue
  
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• OpenAI Launches GPT-o, With New Humanlike Capabilities

  13-05-2024 17:53 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportOpenAI's latest update to its artificial intelligence model can mimic emotional human speech and even detect people's moods. The effect conjures up images of the 2013 Spike Jonze movie "Her," in which a man falls in love with an artificially intelligent operating system, leading to some complications. The new system, dubbed GPT-4o (the o is short for "omni"), works faster than previous GPTs and can reason across text, audio, and video in real...
  
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• Illness Took Away Her Voice. AI Cloned a Replica She Carries in Her Phone

  13-05-2024 17:52 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportThe voice Alexis "Lexi" Bogan had before last summer was exuberant. The 21-year-old loved to belt out Taylor Swift ballads in the car and debate politics with friends over a backyard fire pit. In high school, she was a soprano in the chorus. Then, in August, doctors removed a life-threatening brain tumor, and her voice was gone. But last month, she got it back—not her original voice, but a clone generated by artificial intelligence.
  
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• Internet use is associated with greater wellbeing, global study finds

  13-05-2024 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Researcher cautions against ‘one-size-fits-all solutions’ amid growing debate over impact, particularly on young peopleSpending time online is often portrayed as something to avoid, but research suggests internet use is associated with greater wellbeing in people around the world.The potential impact on wellbeing of the internet, and social media in particular, has become a matter of intense debate. “Our analysis is the first to test whether or not internet access, mobile inter
  
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• If a chronic health condition is making you feel guilty for not being ‘perfect’, try some self-compassion | Gaynor Parkin and Amanda Wallis

  12-05-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Ask yourself how you would respond if your best friend were in the same situation. You wouldn’t think any worse of her, would you?The modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their work“I was so looking forward to the night out and celebrating with my friends. The restaurant reassured me over and over the food was gluten free, and then came back to say the noodles weren’t after I’d already eaten some! I was really freaked out;
  
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• If a chronic health condition is making you feel guilty for not being ‘perfect’, try some self-compassion | Gaynor Parkin

  12-05-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Ask yourself how you would respond if your best friend were in the same situation. You wouldn’t think any worse of her, would you?The modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their work“I was so looking forward to the night out and celebrating with my friends. The restaurant reassured me over and over the food was gluten free, and then came back to say the noodles weren’t after I’d already eaten some! I was really freaked out;
  
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• ‘Money pervades everything’: the psychotherapist delving into our deep anxiety about finances

  12-05-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Do you find it hard to budget or, conversely, difficult to spend? Vicky Reynal reveals what our financial choices reveal about our psyches – and what can be done to ease our money worriesI am a generous tipper. I’ve always thought, to the extent that I have thought about it at all, that this is a positive trait. Recently, however, I’ve begun to wonder. Is it normal to feel a deep sense of anxiety after ordering a takeaway pizza, then realising there is no change in the house? D
  
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• The rage epidemic: is our modern world fuelling aggression?

  12-05-2024 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  After the video of Peter Abbott screaming road-rage abuse through a car window went viral, we ask what’s behind the fury so many feel – and expressLast week a video showing 60-year-old Peter Abbott screaming abuse at TV producer Samantha Isaacs gained a viral audience, after Abbott was found guilty at Poole magistrates court of “using threatening words or behaviour to cause alarm, distress or fear of violence”.In the phone-filmed video, Abbott is seen snarling and shoutin
  
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• I’m worried my new partner won’t love who I really am | Ask Philippa

  12-05-2024 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Try to steer your focus to what you want rather than what you think you should beThe question At 36, I find myself in a stable phase of life, contrasting my earlier years of nomadic renting and dead-end jobs as an artist, a passion I’ve abandoned. My dog is my sole source of joy, yet even that pleasure feels dulled lately. I struggle to feel real or connected, lacking focus and interest. Despite overcoming anorexia and surviving a long, violent relationship, I still battle the emotional bl
  
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• I’m worried my new partner won’t love who I really am

  12-05-2024 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Try to steer your focus to what you want rather than what you think you should beThe question At 36, I find myself in a stable phase of life, contrasting my earlier years of nomadic renting and dead-end jobs as an artist, a passion I’ve abandoned. My dog is my sole source of joy, yet even that pleasure feels dulled lately. I struggle to feel real or connected, lacking focus and interest. Despite overcoming anorexia and surviving a long, violent relationship, I still battle the emotional bl
  
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• Scientists Unveil Most Detailed Map of the Human Brain Ever Created

  11-05-2024 19:04 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google News - HealthOver the past decade, Harvard researchers have been feeding a 1-cubic-millimeter piece of human brain into a $6 million device that slices it into impossibly thin slivers. Then, using images of those slivers taken by electron microscopy, they have painstakingly created the most-detailed digital map, or "connectome," of the human brain ever created. On Thursday, the results were published in the prestigious journal Science.
  
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• How a 1973 Missouri Law Makes It Hard for Pregnant Women to Divorce

  11-05-2024 19:04 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - Top Stories NewsIf a pregnant woman in Missouri tries to file for divorce today, she will probably be told by her attorney to "come back when she's not pregnant," says Democratic lawmaker Ashley Aune, who is fighting to remove a 1973 law that forces women to disclose their pregnancy status while filing for divorce—something advocates say is harming women experiencing domestic violence. "If you can keep a woman pregnant, you can keep her married," exp
  
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• AI Knowledge Gets Your Foot in the Door, Study Finds

  11-05-2024 19:04 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top SocietyEmployers are more likely to offer job interviews and higher salaries to graduates with knowledge of artificial intelligence, according to a study in the journal Oxford Economic Papers. Researchers sent thousands of job applications—some reporting completion of an "AI in Business" module and others not—to hundreds of UK companies. More than 50% of those with AI knowledge were invited for an interview, compared with approximately 30% of those...
  
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• AI Deadbots Spur Call for Safeguards to Prevent Unwanted "Hauntings"

  11-05-2024 19:04 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top Society"Deadbots" or "Griefbots" are AI chatbots that simulate the language patterns and personality traits of the dead using the digital footprints they leave behind. Some companies are already offering these services. Yet experts warn that without design safety standards, artificial intelligence that allows users to hold text and voice conversations with lost loved ones runs the risk of causing psychological harm and even digitally "haunting" those...
  
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