Psychology news

• Your Brain Is Wired to Sees Faces in Everything, Which Ads Can Exploit

  24-07-2025 13:47 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthYou may see faces in clouds, toast, or cars because the human brain is wired to notice them. A fascinating new study shows how our attention is hijacked not only by real faces, but by face-like illusions, through entirely different mental mechanisms. These imaginary expressions actually spark a stronger response, and the research even hints at clever ways advertisers could use this effect to grab your attention.
  
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• The perfect way to do nothing: how to embrace the art of idling

  05-01-2026 12:00
  We are often so busy and yet when the opportunity arises to do nothing, we can find it uncomfortable. Here’s how to lean into boredom – and unlock the imagination• Sign up here to get the whole series straight to your inboxOn a rainy afternoon last weekend, plans got cancelled and I found myself at a loose end. Given that I’m someone who likes to have backup plans for my backup plans, my initial response was panic. Now what? I wandered aimlessly from room to room, grumpily
  
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• Glum? Stressed? Obsessed? How to know when it’s time to let go of a goal

  04-01-2026 15:00
  Sticking with the wrong goal can lead to stress, some scientists say. Could abandoning or modifying a goal be healthier?Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJanuary is often a time to take stock. New year’s resolutions roll into back-to-work blues and a determination that this year will be different, somehow. A reset might be just the tonic, according to some scientists, with a recent study showing that giving up on a goal, or even just modifying it, could lead to a h
  
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• As a student, he was involved in a drunk-driving incident that killed a cyclist. Years later he would become expert in the healing powers of guilt

  04-01-2026 13:00
  Psychologist Chris Moore saw first-hand how powerful and complex an emotion it isFuelled by the relief of having finished end-of-year exams, the pleasure of a warm late spring evening and quite a lot of alcohol, the house party was one of those that should have been remembered for all the right reasons. At some point, later in the night, Chris Moore and three friends were ready to leave. The party was some way out of town – Cambridge – and too far to walk, and, anyway, there was
  
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• Chatbots and Digital Companions Are Reshaping Emotional Connection

  04-01-2026 10:20 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: APA MonitorOnce the realm of science fiction, human-AI relationships are becoming normal aspects of daily life. While generative AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have become common tools for many users, a new wave of AI apps—such as Replika, Character.AI, and dozens more—are specifically designed to simulate human companionship, in some cases even initiating and maintaining romantic relationships.
  
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• Many Psychologists Agree: The Time to Take Action Is Now

  04-01-2026 10:19 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: APA MonitorIn 2025 many new laws and executive orders posed major challenges to the field's core priorities, including health equity, access to care, and research funding. Amid those changes, record numbers of psychologists began joining APA's advocacy initiatives, meeting with policymakers, and responding to action alerts. By late September 2025, psychologists had sent over 110,000 messages to Congress and regulatory agencies—nearly triple the total for...
  
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• Trump, Atoms, AI, and a Texas Data Center Gusher

  04-01-2026 10:09 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Politico Energy and ClimateOn a 5,800-acre swath of dusty plains outside the Pantex nuclear weapons plant, crews are piling up mounds of dirt for a colossal monument to Donald Trump's presidency: the world's largest private energy grid and AI campus, run partly on nuclear power and named the Donald J. Trump Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus. "A real superpower has nuclear submarines, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered AI," said the CEO. "This is a...
  
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• AI, Neuroscience, and Data Fuel Personalized Mental Health Care

  04-01-2026 10:09 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: APA MonitorHistorically, psychologists have relied on patients' self-reported symptoms and history to diagnose mental health conditions, often followed by a potentially lengthy period to determine which treatment—if any—improves the symptoms. Now, psychologists are using a patient's brain scans plus data from phones and wearables to determine the best intervention before beginning treatment, coupled with AI, to bypass trial-and-error efforts and...
  
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• Scientists Discover Reason Why Mental Disorders So Often Overlap

  04-01-2026 08:09 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA massive global genetics study is reshaping how we understand mental illness—and why diagnoses so often pile up. By analyzing genetic data from more than six million people, researchers uncovered genetic connections across 14 psychiatric conditions, showing that many disorders share common biological roots. These findings, published in Nature, help explain why depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, and other disorders so frequently occur...
  
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• Rise of Deepfake Cyberbullying Poses Growing Problem for Schools

  04-01-2026 08:06 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: PBS News HourSchools are facing a growing problem of students using artificial intelligence to transform innocent images of classmates into sexually explicit video and photo "deepfakes." This problem was highlighted recently when AI-generated nude images swept through a Louisiana middle school. Two boys ultimately were charged, but not before one of the victims was expelled for starting a fight with a boy she accused of creating the images of her and her...
  
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• Hidden Brain Problem May Be Early Warning for Alzheimer's

  04-01-2026 08:05 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthResearchers have discovered that clogged brain "drains" show up early in people at risk of Alzheimer's disease. These blockages, easily seen on standard MRI scans, are tied to toxic protein buildup linked to memory loss and cognitive decline. In some cases, they may signal Alzheimer's earlier than other commonly used brain markers, which could help physicians detect the disease before irreversible damage sets in. The findings appear in the...
  
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• Elon Musk's Grok AI Is Stripping Women and Minors, Review Finds

  04-01-2026 08:02 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - World NewsElon Musk's xAI is under international scrutiny over allegations that it is filling its platform with sexualized, AI-generated images of women and minors. A review of content on X, xAI's social media platform, found more than 20 cases in which women—and some men—had images digitally stripped of clothing using the AI company's chatbot, Grok. Ministers in France said in a statement Friday that the "sexual and sexist" content was "manife
  
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• Masculine Personality Traits Predict Drinking After Romantic Fights

  04-01-2026 07:54 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: PsyPostA new study has found that personality traits associated with masculinity may influence alcohol use following romantic conflicts. The findings suggest that individuals with higher levels of masculine orientation—regardless of their biological sex—are more likely to drink alcohol after a disagreement, largely due to the intense negative emotions they experience. The findings appear in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
  
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• Psychologists’ Expanding Role in Prescribing Medication

  04-01-2026 07:37 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: APA MonitorThe number of psychologists who can prescribe medication is growing rapidly. Since New Mexico became the first state to allow licensed psychologists to prescribe in 2002, the field has grown from a few dozen to more than 300 today, with another 1,500 psychologists also holding master's degrees in clinical psychopharmacology. This growth has prompted the American Psychological Association to update its guidelines related to the prescription of...
  
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• A Weak Body Clock May Be an Early Warning for Dementia

  04-01-2026 07:37 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA new study suggests that disruptions in the body's internal clock may be tied to a higher risk of dementia. Research published on December 29, 2025, in the journal Neurology found that people with weaker and more irregular circadian rhythms were far more likely to develop dementia than other people. The study also showed that individuals whose daily activity levels peaked later in the day faced a higher risk than those who peaked earlier.
  
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• The secret to being happy in 2026? It’s far, far simpler than you think …

  03-01-2026 07:00
  Stop stressing about self‑improvement or waiting until you’re on top of everything. This year give yourself permission to prioritise pleasureI have a proposal to make: 2026 should be the year that you spend more time doing what you want. The new year should be the moment we commit to dedicating more of our finite hours on the planet to things we genuinely, deeply enjoy doing – to the activities that seize our interest, and that make us feel vibrantly alive. This should be
  
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• I taste words. ‘Bob’ is like a milk chocolate Easter egg on my tongue

  02-01-2026 15:00
  Monique Todorovski, a clinical administrator, shares her experience of lexical-gustatory synaesthesiaRead more in the way I feel seriesWhen I met my husband and found out his name was Philip, I felt conflicted. I liked him as a person but his name tasted like crunchy green pears and I don’t like green pears at all. My compromise was to call him Phil, which tastes more like stewed pear – sweeter and not as crunchy. It’s just a nicer-tasting name in my mind.Fortunately I was 30 b
  
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• The best way to get round a difficult problem? Do nothing about it | Gaby Hinsliff

  01-01-2026 16:51
  From Agatha Christie doing the dishes to the cancer surgeon inspired at the theatre, an idling brain suddenly seems able to join the dotsIf you really want to solve a problem, try doing nothing about it. Fold some laundry. Stir a risotto. Go for a run, watch a film, try to entertain someone else’s baby: anything that involves pottering about in an undemanding yet still vaguely engaged way, which absolutely couldn’t be classed as work but isn’t totally vegetative either. It may
  
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• New 2026 State Laws Are Among the First of Their Kind

  31-12-2025 12:37 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: PBS News HourTourists celebrating the new year in Hawaii could become the first to be taxed to address the consequences of climate change. In Utah, people who get caught driving drunk could be among the first to have their driver's licenses striped red with the label: "No Alcohol Sale." And motorists in Georgia could become the first to display the stylings of President Donald Trump with a special "America First" vehicle license plate.
  
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• Healthy-Sounding Buzzwords Could Be Hiding Added Sugar in Plain Sight

  31-12-2025 12:37 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: PBS News HourMany consumers feel pride in avoiding the glazed pastries in the supermarket and instead opting for "all natural" granola packed with extra protein. Same goes for low-fat yogurts and bottled "superfood" smoothies. But buyer beware: food buzzwords often cover up a high amount of sugar, which is linked to heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. People should get no more than 10% of their calories from added sugar—a bit more than what's in a single...
  
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• Shocking Headlines Spark Initial Doubt But Eventually Build Belief

  31-12-2025 12:36 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: PsyPostWhen headlines begin with attention-grabbing words like "Shocking," readers initially tend to doubt the accuracy of the information presented. However, new research finds that this skepticism fades over time, leading people to eventually believe the claims made in those headlines. These findings, published in the journal Communication Research, suggest that clickbait-style language might be effective at planting information that people later...
  
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• The perfect evening routine: how to prepare for bed – from blue light to baths

  31-12-2025 12:00
  Whether you go for an easy jog or actively limit your screen time, studies show there are tried and tested ways to wind down and be sure of a good night’s sleep• Sign up here to get the whole series straight to your inboxAfter a hard day at work, the last thing you want to do is fritter away your precious downtime slumped on the sofa in a dazed doomscroll. Yet, in the absence of a better plan, it happens with depressing ease. How we spend the hours between shutting down the laptop and
  
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• Computational Brain Model Matches Animal Experiments in Learning Task

  30-12-2025 15:40 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google News - HealthA new computational model of the brain has not only learned a visual category learning task as well as lab animals, but even enabled the discovery of counterintuitive activity by a group of neurons that researchers working with animals to perform the same task had not noticed before, reports a team of scientists in the journal Nature Communications. Notably, the model produced these achievements without ever being trained on data from animal...
  
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• In 2025, Earth Pushed Past the Key Climate Change Mark of 1.5C Degrees

  30-12-2025 15:39 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: CBS News - ScienceA heavy reliance on fossil fuels has now pushed earth beyond the three-year temperature average set in the 2015 Paris Agreement of limiting warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius since preindustrial times. Experts have said for more than a decade that limiting warming to 1.5 degrees could prevent catastrophic environmental destruction around the globe. Extreme weather events already kill thousands of people annually and are projected to...
  
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• Mini-Brains Reveal Neural Signals in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

  29-12-2025 09:01 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthResearchers have grown pea-sized "mini-brains" in the lab that are offering an unprecedented look at how neurons behave in cases of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Such studies reveal distinct electrical firing patterns that could identify these conditions with high accuracy, opening the door to more precise diagnoses and personalized drug testing. Instead of guessing medications, doctors may one day see what works before treating the...
  
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• How to Lower the Risk of Unhealthy Teen-Chatbot Interactions

  29-12-2025 09:01 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: NPRTeen use of AI chatbots is growing, and experts are now warning that extended chatbot interactions may affect kids' social development and mental health. These concerns have also been fueled by recent U.S. Senate testimony about two teenagers who killed themselves after chatbots encouraged them to carry out suicide plans. Here's what parents should know to help kids use the technology safely.
  
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• OpenAI Hiring for Head Safety Executive to Mitigate AI Risks

  29-12-2025 09:00 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsOpenAI is seeking a new "head of preparedness" to guide the company's safety strategy amid mounting concerns over how artificial intelligence tools could be misused. According to the job posting, the new hire will be paid $555,000. "This will be a stressful job," CEO Sam Altman wrote in an X post over the weekend. He added, "models are improving quickly and are now capable of many great things, but they are also starting to present some real...
  
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• Law Requires Social Media Platforms to Display Mental Health Labels

  27-12-2025 15:29 via socialpsychology.org
  Source:Al JazeeraNew York state will require social media platforms with infinite scrolling, autoplay, and algorithmic feeds to display warning labels about their potential harm to young users' mental health, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Friday after signing the bill into law. "Research shows that social media exposure overstimulates reward centers, creating pathways comparable to those of an individual experiencing substance use or gambling addictions," the...
  
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• U.S. Strikes What It Calls "Terrorist Targets" in Nigeria

  27-12-2025 15:28 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: DW- top storiesPresident Donald Trump said he had ordered the U.S. military to launch "powerful and deadly" strikes against targets of the so-called Islamic State group in northwestern Nigeria. The strike comes after months of Trump threatening military action against what he labeled an "existential threat" to Christianity in Nigeria, a claim that the country's government rejects. The U.S. said the strike had been conducted at the request of the Nigerian...
  
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• Why we get hooked on rubbish TV series | Letter

  26-12-2025 17:58
  Prof Craig Jackson explains Imogen West-Knights’ compulsion to view 177 episodes of a TV show she doesn’t even likeImogen West-Knights’ TV viewing habits are more common than many realise (I hate this TV series I’m binge-watching, yet I’m on track to complete all 177 episodes. Why am I doing it?, 15 December). Media is consumed like any other product, and streaming platforms make this process easier than ever. Progress is meticulously logged on screen, offering a se
  
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