• Now we have proof: dealing with difficult people really does age you

    Researchers have found evidence of what many of us always suspected: ‘hasslers’ shorten your lifespan. And they know by exactly how longName: Hasslers.Age: More like ageing. Continue reading...
  • I spent a day trying the 90-second rule – and it didn’t make me less angry | Emma Beddington

    Our physiological response to emotions apparently lasts just a minute and a half. But there’s an embarrassing episode from 2009 that still makes me sweatI’ve just discovered the “90-second rule”, a concept neuroanatomist Dr Jill Bolte Taylor explored in her book, Whole Brain Living, back in 2021. That’s how long our physiological response to emotions such as anger lasts, from the time we formulate a thought to the point at which our blood is “completely clean&
  • My teenager is exploring her spirituality. I support her leap of faith, even as a non-religious parent | Jackie Bailey

    My daughter is dipping her toes into sacred waters, seeing what it feels like to surrender and finding a sense of meaning to life that is bigger than herselfMaking sense of it is a column about spirituality and how it can be used to navigate everyday lifeMy teenager has decided to believe in God. She bought herself a silver cross pendant and has begun wearing it every day.When I was a teenager, I also wore a cross around my neck, and I also believed in God. I had been raised as a churchgoing, ti
  • Golden Retriever Genes Linked to Anxiety and Intelligence in Humans

    Source: Science Daily - Social Psychology Scientists studying 1,300 golden retrievers have uncovered genetic clues explaining why some dogs are more anxious, energetic, or aggressive than others. Remarkably, several of the same genes linked to canine behavior are also tied to human traits like anxiety and intelligence. The discovery suggests dogs and humans share biological roots for emotions and behavior. Understanding these links could help improve dog training and veterinary care.
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  • Apocalyptic Views Are Surprisingly Common Among Americans

    Source: PsyPostMany people believe the world will soon end, and these apocalyptic views shape their response to global threats like climate change and artificial intelligence. A new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that these beliefs may affect whether individuals ignore or work to prevent looming global crises. By mapping features of these doomsday beliefs, researchers can predict public reactions to major hazards...
  • Nashville Scientologists Bring Stress Relief Message to Broadway Crowds

    Millions around the world started 2026 with resolutions for positive change. The most common relate to exercise, diet, finance and mental health. But now, two months into the year, many resolutions have already faded. According to a Forbes Health poll, many resolutions are lost by January, while the average resolution lasts only 3–4 months. The failure rate is so widespread that the second Friday of January has been [PR.com]
  • What the Science of Music Reveals About Cognition, Emotion, and Identity

    Source: APA MonitorMusic is an extraordinary feature of the human species. It unites us and conveys feeling when words fail. It speaks to our identity as individuals and as members of a group. It is universal—found in nearly every culture and society—yet wildly diverse. It is emotionally potent but cognitively complex. In all its intricacy, music is a mirror of the brain itself, and it has its own implications for cognition, emotion, and identity.
  • ‘Our consciousness is under siege’: Michael Pollan on chatbots, social media and mental freedom

    In his new book, the celebrated author explains why we need ‘consciousness hygiene’ to defend ourselves from AI and dopamine-driven algorithmsEach day when you wake up, you come back to yourself. You see the room around you, feel your body brush against your clothes and think about your plans, worries and hopes for the day. This daily internal experience is miraculous and mysterious, and the subject of Michael Pollan’s new book, A World Appears.It also may be under siege, Polla
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  • U.S. High Court Blocks California Ban on Schools Outing Trans Students

    Source: PBS News HourThe U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for California schools to tell religious parents if their children identify as transgender without getting the student's approval, granting an emergency appeal from a conservative legal group. The order blocks for now a state law that bans automatic parental notification requirements if students change their pronouns or gender expression at school, there by allowing schools to out students to their...
  • Transforming Cellblocks Into Psychology Classrooms

    Source: APA MonitorWhen the 1994 Crime Bill eliminated Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students, higher education programs in prisons across the U.S. plummeted from nearly 1,000 in the 1990s to just 12 by 2005. That changed in 2023 when Pell Grant eligibility was restored. As a result, there has been an upsurge in colleges and universities partnering with correctional facilities to offer credited courses and degree programs that duplicate what's available...
  • U.S. Military Using Anthropic's Artificial Intelligence in Iran War Despite Ban

    Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsTwo sources familiar with the U.S. military's use of artificial intelligence confirm that the U.S. used Anthropic's Claude AI model over weekend for the attack on Iran — and is still using it. The Pentagon has not said exactly how the AI tool is being deployed, but it's being used despite a government-wide ban on the technology announced after a dispute last week with the Pentagon.
  • OpenAI Reaches Deal with Pentagon After Trump Drops Anthropic

    Source: United Press International - Health NewsOpenAI announced it secured a deal to provide artificial intelligence tools to the Pentagon hours after the White House told all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's AI services. OpenAI—a tech company founded by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and others—developed applications such as ChatGPT and DALL-E. Contract negotiations between Anthropic soured after the company wanted limits on the government using AI to spy on Americans or create..
  • Is Bubble Tea Bad for You? New Research Raises Red Flags

    Source: Science Daily - Top HealthThat photogenic cup of bubble tea may come with hidden downsides. Tapioca pearls made from cassava can absorb heavy metals like lead, and in large amounts they may slow digestion or even cause blockages. The drink is often loaded with sugar—sometimes more than soda—raising risks for cavities, obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease. There are even reports linking frequent consumption to kidney stones and poorer mental health.
  • Boy's Birth Brings Hope for Amazon People Facing Extinction

    Source: CBS News - World NewsPugapia and her daughters Aiga and Babawru lived for years as the only surviving members of the Akuntsu, an Indigenous people decimated by a government-backed push to clear parts of the Amazon rainforest for meat and dairy production. As they advanced in age without a child to carry on the line, many expected the Akuntsu to vanish when the women died. That changed in December, when Babawru—the youngest of the three, in her 40s—gave birth to...
  • Understanding Nutrition to Optimize Mental Health

    Source: APA MonitorGrowing evidence suggests that what we eat influences not just our physical health but also our mood, emotions, and overall well-being. Dietary changes such as reducing ultra-processed food intake and eating more fruits and vegetables—as well as taking certain nutritional supplements—have been associated with improvements in depression and other mental health problems in adults and with a healthier start to life for children.
  • ChatGPT As a Therapist? New Study Reveals Serious Ethical Risks

    Source: Science Daily - Social Psychology As millions turn to ChatGPT and other AI chatbots for therapy-style advice, new research raises a serious red flag: even when instructed to act like trained therapists, these systems often violate ethical standards of mental health care. In side-by-side evaluations with peer counselors and licensed psychologists, researchers found 15 distinct ethical risks—from mishandling crises to biased responses to "deceptive empathy" that mimics caring.
  • As a psychologist, I’ve seen that polyamory doesn’t fix relationships – it reveals them | Carly Dober

    The success of any relationship hinges on the same pillars of trust, respect, honesty and shared values. Polyamory simply tests their integrity dailyThe modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their workEmilio* and Jessica* sat in front of me, disconnected and barely looking at each other. They had been together for seven years and had recently opened up their relationship and tried polyamory, upon Emilio’s suggestion. Jessica agreed to this, b
  • Should you overshare more?

    We may cringe at influencers and friends who let it all hang out, but research shows that keeping quiet might be worseDo you recoil at oversharers on social media, or joke among your friends about “TMI”? I know I do. But while mocking public confession comes easy, it’s harder to appreciate the risks of normalising silence: withheld anxieties, unspoken family histories, and the little omissions that make workplaces and relationships brittle. The instinct to pour scorn on “
  • President Trump Bans Government Use of Anthropic AI Products

    Source: NPRPresident Trump ordered the U.S. government on Friday to stop using the artificial intelligence company Anthropic's products, and the Pentagon moved to designate the company a national security risk. The twin decisions are a response to the company's refusal to allow its products and services from being used in mass surveillance of American citizens or to power autonomous weapon systems, as part of a military contract worth up to $200 million.
  • Living with hyperphantasia: ‘I remember the clothes people wore the day we met, the things they said word-for-word’

    It’s hard to know what people can see in their own mind’s eye. But for Maddie Thomas there was no doubt: she had especially vivid mental imageryGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailI close my eyes and picture a boat making its way towards the mainland. Lit only by moonlight, a silhouette walks towards a post box and mails three letters, one by one. Then, the familiar tune of ABBA’s Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) starts to play, and the musical begins.Sometime
  • Mahzarin Banaji Is Probing the Black Box of Large Language Modules

    Source: Association for Psychological ScienceIn 2023, Mahzarin Banaji was talking with her student Tessa Charlesworth about ChatGPT, and the two decided to ask the AI tool a brief question: "What are your implicit biases?" Banaji is the Harvard professor who co-coined the term "implicit bias" decades ago, and ChatGPT's answer steered her research in a whole new direction. The response was, "I am a white male." Since then, Banaji has been testing whether AI models like ChatGPT harbor...
  • Shingles Vaccine May Slow Biological Aging and Cognitive Decline

    Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA shingles shot might do more than prevent a painful rash—it could help slow down the aging process. In a national study of Americans age 70 and older, those who received the shingles vaccine showed slower biological aging, lower levels of chronic inflammation, and slower changes in gene activity linked to aging, suggesting the vaccine may calm the body's "inflammaging"—the low-grade inflammation tied to heart disease, frailty, and cognitive...
  • Polls Show Increasing Concerns About President Trump's Mental Acuity

    Source: Google News - HealthDonald Trump won the 2024 presidential race after his initial opponent, then-President Joe Biden, withdrew over worries about his age and mental sharpness. But now, polls suggest Americans aren't just increasingly unhappy with Mr. Trump's job performance; they're increasingly concerned about his mental capacity as well. The unease is not at the levels it was with Biden, who was 81 when he ended his campaign, but it is growing as Mr. Trump...
  • Kansas Invalidates Trans Residents' Driver's Licenses and Birth Certificates

    Source: United Press International - Health NewsA new Kansas law requiring transgender residents' state-issued identification to reflect their "sex at birth" went into effect Thursday, invalidating hundreds of driver's licenses and birth certificates. Other states ban trans people from changing the gender on their IDs, but the Kansas law also nullifies previous changes made legally. In addition, the new law allows citizens to sue transgender people for $1,000 if they encounter them breaking...
  • Kansas Invalidates Driver's Licenses, Birth Certificates of Trans Residents

    Source: United Press International - Health NewsA new Kansas law requiring transgender residents' state-issued identification to reflect their "sex at birth" went into effect Thursday, invalidating hundreds of driver's licenses and birth certificates. Other states ban trans people from changing the gender on their IDs, but the Kansas law also nullifies previous changes made legally. In addition, the new law allows citizens to sue transgender people for $1,000 if they encounter them breaking...
  • U.S. Justice Department Sues UCLA Over Anti-Semitism Allegations

    Source: PBS News HourThe U.S. Justice Department is suing the University of California Los Angeles over allegations that the school failed to protect Jewish employees from antisemitic harassment amid pro-Palestinian protests that roiled the campus in 2023 and 2024. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in California, is the latest effort by the Trump administration to punish top universities that it says have been soft on antisemitism.
  • Senegal Prime Minister Proposes Doubling Jail Terms for Same-Sex Acts

    Source: DW- top storiesSenegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko unveiled legislation Tuesday to double the maximum penalty for same-sex relations. People are regularly arrested on such charges in traditionalist, Muslim-majority Senegal, where they face a prison sentence of up to five years. The prime minister said the bill changed the penal code to stipulate that any act "of a sexual nature between two people of the same sex constitutes an act against nature."
  • Grandiose Narcissists Tend to Show Reduced Neural Sensitivity to Errors

    Source: PsyPostTwo studies of students in the U.K. revealed that individuals with pronounced grandiose narcissism—characterized by a strong need for admiration and a tendency toward self-centeredness—tended to show blunted neural activity in response to errors. This blunting appears to be a mechanism that helps narcissists protect and bolster their positive self-views. The research was published in the Journal of Personality.
  • No Time to Heal: the psychological rehabilitation of a Ukrainian soldier after Russian captivity

    Ukrainian soldiers suffering from PTSD, depression and anxiety are sent to the Forest Glade – Ukraine’s first centre for the treatment of psychological trauma – before returning to the frontline.  After three years in Russian captivity following the battle for Mariupol, 25-year-old Kyrylo Chuvak spends three weeks at the centre, a brief opportunity for rehabilitation. Hidden in the pines near Kyiv, this modest building offers soldiers psychological therapy as well as
  • I went to a place deep in the forest where Ukraine’s wounded soldiers go to heal. This is what they told me | Ksenia Savoskina

    A former Soviet military facility offers an unlikely respite – before its patients return, too quickly, to the frontlineKsenia Savoskina directed the Guardian documentary No Time to Heal, which follows the psychological rehabilitation of a Ukrainian soldier after three years in Russian captivityImagine a place hidden deep in a pine forest, with small lakes and ponies. Far from the noisy city. In the middle of it there is a modernist Soviet building with marble walls. Walls that have heard
  • MLA Psychology Embarks on a New Chapter in Providing Accessible, High-Quality Mental Health Care in Australia

    MLA Psychology is pleased to announce the launching of something new and exciting that reflects its ongoing commitment to accessible, high-quality mental health care. [PR.com]
  • How loose social ties can help heal political division | Eva M Meyersson Milgrom

    Weak connections known as ‘bridge ties’ cross the boundaries that normally structure our lives. We must restore this connective tissueThe first time a woman I’ll call Shoshana went toBrandi Carlile’s music festival, she arrived alone. She had just been through another unsuccessful round of IVF. During one of the songs, about motherhood, she began to cry in the middle of the crowd. Then two women she had never met stepped closer and wordlessly wrapped their arms around her
  • Teen Cannabis Use Doubles Psychosis and Bipolar Risk, Study Finds

    Source: Google News - HealthA massive study of over 460,000 adolescents suggests that even occasional cannabis use during teenage years is a major risk factor for severe mental illness. The research followed participants from age 13 through 26, revealing that those who used cannabis were twice as likely to develop psychotic or bipolar disorders, with the disorders typically emerging within two years of initial use, regardless of the teen's prior mental health history.
  • Common Pneumonia Bacterium May Fuel Alzheimer’s Disease

    Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA common bacterium best known for causing pneumonia and sinus infections may also play a surprising role in Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that Chlamydia pneumoniae can invade the retina and brain, where it sparks inflammation, nerve cell death, and the buildup of amyloid-beta—the hallmark protein linked to Alzheimer's. Higher levels of the bacterium were found in people with Alzheimer's and were tied to more severe cognitive decline.
  • Women and Men Both Show Biases in Rating Responses to Sexual Assault

    Source: PsyPostStudies on gender differences in perspective-taking suggest that accuracy may be domain-specific, especially in areas where men and women have divergent experiences. One such domain is sexual violence, where women have disproportionately experienced victimization. Accordingly, a new study finds that men tend to underestimate how upset women would feel after sexual assault by an intimate partner, whereas women tend to overestimate how upset men...
  • Remembering Reverend Jesse Jackson, an American Original

    Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsIn 1988, the Reverend Jesse Jackson ended his outsider campaign for president with a stirring speech for the history books: "We must never surrender. America will get better and better. Keep hope alive! Keep hope alive! Keep hope alive!" In a decade when America was turning against big government, Jackson ran on a message of economic support and faith-based compassion for the working class and poor of all backgrounds. He called it his "Rainbow...
  • New Research Highlights the Enduring Distinctiveness of Marriage

    Source: PsyPostNew research suggests that when given the option between marriage and domestic partnership, same-sex couples in the United States overwhelmingly choose marriage. The findings, based on governmental data as well as national survey results, indicate that marriage retains a distinct and powerful status due to its legal benefits, social clarity, and perceived level of commitment. The new study appears in the Journal of Marriage and Family.
  • Ghana Taking Transatlantic Slavery Case to United Nations

    Source: DW- top storiesGhana's President Mahama has received the African Union's backing to ask the United Nations to recognize transatlantic slavery as the "gravest crime against humanity." With the support of 40 African Union members, Mahama says the "truth about the story of the transatlantic slave trade must be told." It's estimated that over 400 years, 15 million men, women, and children were kidnapped, most of whom were enslaved. Between 1.5 and 2 million died...
  • Former Top General Calls Removal of Trans Troops a Costly Mistake

    Source: NPRAs 71-year-old retired four star Gen. Stanley McChrystal approaches the podium, the room applauds. "I can't believe he's here," someone whispers. Almost as if he heard them, McChrystal says this into the microphone. "First off, we shouldn't be here." The "here" he refers to is a retirement ceremony for five transgender service members who have been forcibly separated from the military under the Trump administration's second ban, which he calls a...
  • My cultural awakening: Operation Mincemeat taught me how to cry – now I sob at everything

    A musical number about a woman’s letter to her husband on the second world war frontline unlocked my ability to blub – and made me a happier personI am sure I must have cried as a child, but by the time I was a teenager it had stopped. It was probably a boarding school thing. Very stiff upper lip. My parents are not the most emotionally available human beings, either. I like to tease them by saying: “I love you.” You can see the panic in their eyes. They will normally say
  • Tamakio M. Patterson Named a Woman of the Month for February 2026 by P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized)

    Tamakio M. Patterson of Stockbridge, Georgia, has been named a Woman of the Month for February 2026 by P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized). This distinction acknowledges her contributions and achievements in healthcare. Patterson will be featured on the P.O.W.E.R. website and in the Spring 2026 issue of P.O.W.E.R. Magazine, alongside other accomplished women who have demonstrated [PR.com]
  • What Is a Femcel? The Psychology of Female Celibates

    Source: PsyPostThe term "incel"—short for involuntary celibate—has become a fixture in public discourse, typically referring to men and a male subculture often linked to online misogyny and real-world acts of aggression. However, a parallel but distinct phenomenon has emerged that receives far less attention: the "femcel." Female involuntary celibates, or femcels, are women who feel they are unable to form romantic or sexual relationships despite wishing...
  • The Advantages of Human Language Being Messy

    Source: Science Daily - Social Psychology Human language may seem messy and inefficient compared to the ultra-compact strings of ones and zeros used by computers, but that messiness may actually be beneficial. New research published in Nature Human Behaviour reveals that while digital-style encoding could theoretically compress information more tightly, it would demand far more mental effort from both speaker and listener. Instead, language is built around familiar words and predictable...
  • Edward Deci, Pioneering Researcher on Human Motivation, Dies at 83

    Source: Social Psychology Network NewsEdward Deci, whose pioneering research on human motivation shaped generations of scholars, practitioners, and students worldwide, died February 14 at age 83. He was best known for his work on self-determination theory, which he cofounded with his colleague Richard Ryan. The theory became one of the most influential frameworks on human motivation and wellness in contemporary psychology, with its reach extending far beyond academic journals.
  • Inside voice: what can our thoughts reveal about the nature of consciousness? – podcast

    Scientists and philosophers studying the mind have discovered how little we know about our inner experiencesWritten and read by Michael Pollan Continue reading...
  • Trump's EPA Sued Over Repeal of Landmark Climate Finding

    Source: The Guardian - Climate CrisisMore than a dozen health and environmental justice nonprofits have sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its rollback of the legal finding that previously laid the foundation for U.S. federal climate regulations. Filed in Washington, DC, circuit court, the lawsuit challenges the EPA's repeal of the "endangerment finding," which states that the buildup of heat-trapping pollution in the atmosphere endangers public health and...
  • Workers Restore the Philadelphia President's House Slavery Exhibit

    Source: PBS News HourWorkers on Thursday began restoring an exhibit on the lives of nine enslaved people at former President George Washington's House in Philadelphia amid a legal fight between the city and the Trump administration. In her 40-page opinion, Senior U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe compared President Donald Trump's administration to the totalitarian regime in the dystopian novel "1984," which revised historical records to align with its narrative.
  • Microsoft Pledges $50 Billion to Counter Global AI Divide

    Source: United Press International - Health NewsMicrosoft announced Wednesday that it's allocating $50 billion over the next 10 years to combat artificial intelligence inequality in low-income nations. The company said it intends to bridge the AI divide among nations and ensure equal access to its potential benefits. Company officials revealed its plan at the AI Impact Summit in India. Microsoft said the Global North had nearly twice the amount of AI diffusion than the Global South at the end...
  • Climate Change Is Accelerating But Nature Seems to Be Slowing Down

    Source: Science Daily - Top NewsAs the planet warms, many scientists had expected ecosystems to change faster and faster. Instead, a massive global study suggests that species turnover has slowed by about one-third since the 1970s. As described in a new report published in Nature Communications, this unexpected slowdown may signal something alarming: ecosystems losing the biodiversity needed to remain responsive to external changes in habitat.
  • Meta No Longer Designs Apps to Maximize Screentime, CEO Claims

    Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - Top Stories NewsDuring a Wednesday court appearance, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg pushed back on a lawyer's suggestion that he had misled Congress about the design of the company's social media platforms, as ‌a landmark trial over youth social media addiction continues. Zuckerberg was questioned on the statements he gave to Congress during a 2024 hearing, when he said the company did not give its teams the goal of maximizing time spent on its apps.

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