Psychology news

• Lead negatively impacts cognitive functions of boys more than girls

  23-01-2015 20:09
  The female hormones estrogen and estradiol may help ward off the effects of lead exposure for young girls, explaining why boys, are shown to suffer more often from the cognitive disabilities linked to lead.
  
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• Lucid dreams and metacognition: Awareness of thinking; awareness of dreaming

  23-01-2015 19:51
  
  To control one's dreams and to live 'out there' what is impossible in real life -- a truly tempting idea. Some persons -- so-called lucid dreamers -- can do this. Researchers have discovered that the brain area which enables self-reflection is larger in lucid dreamers. Thus, lucid dreamers are possibly also more self-reflecting when being awake.
  
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• The psychological power of princess movies

  23-01-2015 18:46 via cnn.com
  
  Psychologists say the success of "Frozen" involves universal themes about family and being good.
  
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• Lose weight using just your mind

  23-01-2015 18:22 via time.com
  
  Researcher says people may be able to control their hunger pangs (to an extent) if they try to remember the last food they’ve eaten.
  
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• Happiness can be learned

  23-01-2015 18:20 via huffingtonpost.com
  
  Researchers suggest that happiness is a skill that can be cultivated.
  
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• Why all-nighters don't work: How sleep, memory go hand-in-hand

  23-01-2015 18:17
  
  Scientists have long known that sleep, memory and learning are deeply connected but how has remained a mystery. The question is, does the mechanism that promotes sleep also consolidate memory, or do two distinct processes work together? In other words, is memory consolidated during sleep because the brain is quiet or are memory neurons actually putting us to sleep? In a recent paper, researchers make a case for the latter.
  
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• Good-quality sleep when younger, not older, may benefit later-life memory

  23-01-2015 17:00
  A new study finds maintaining good quality of sleep as a young or middle-aged adult, rather than in older age, may benefit learning and memory later in life.
  
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• Why getting what you want doesn’t always make you happy

  23-01-2015 16:00
  
  ‘When someone you’re arguing with suddenly concedes your point, there’s a palpable sense that something’s amiss: a crucial process has been skipped’When I realised, the other day, my bank had charged me an utterly outrageous £20 fee for something that wasn’t my fault, I did what any sensible person would do: spent half the morning raging inwardly, composing the monologue, polite yet unyielding, with which I’d make my case. I pictured myself fighting my way up the ba
  
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• New brain pathway offers hope for treating hypogylcemia

  23-01-2015 14:19
  A novel pathway buried deep within a region of the brain produces a brain hormone that acts as a crucial sensor of blood glucose levels. Learning how the hormone helps orchestrate responses around the body when levels drop too low offers hope for treating hypoglycemia.
  
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• The brain's electrical alphabet: Timing, rate underlie neural information, study shows

  23-01-2015 14:17
  The brain’s alphabet is a mix of rate and precise timing of electrical pulses, researchers have revealed. The study shows that the nervous system features a “multichannel” language that makes up the neural code, or the alphabet that processes information in the brain.
  
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• Scientists map brains of the blind to solve mysteries of human brain specialization

  23-01-2015 14:17
  
  Studying the brain activity of blind people, scientists are challenging the standard view of how the human brain specializes to perform different kinds of tasks, and shedding new light on how our brains can adapt to the rapid cultural and technological changes of the 21st Century.
  
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• New 'systems genetics' study identifies possible target for epilepsy treatment

  23-01-2015 14:17
  A single gene that coordinates a network of about 400 genes involved in epilepsy could be a target for new treatments, according to research. Epilepsy is a common and serious disease that affects around 50 million people worldwide. The mortality rate among people with epilepsy is two to three times higher than the general population. It is known that epilepsy has a strong genetic component, but the risk is related to multiple factors that are 'spread' over hundreds of genes.
  
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• Trying to project an image of success? It could make you dwell on your failures

  23-01-2015 11:00
  
  Life is full of experiences that challenge how we see ourselves and we often compensate by buying products that reinforce our ideal self-image.
  
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• Health consciousness: do consumers believe healthy food always tastes bad?

  23-01-2015 11:00
  
  Why are health awareness campaigns failing to reduce skyrocketing obesity rates?
  
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• Antisocial and non-antisocial siblings share difficulty recognising emotions

  23-01-2015 11:00
  
  Teenagers with brothers and sisters who exhibit severe antisocial behaviour share a similar impairment with their siblings in recognising emotions, according to a new study from the University of...
  
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• Strategy to reduce stigma of facial paralysis

  23-01-2015 09:00
  
  A little bit of sensitivity training can help people form better first impressions of those with facial paralysis, reducing prejudices against people with a visible but often unrecognizable...
  
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• Ground-Breaking New PTSD Treatment Promises Fast Relief for Veterans

  23-01-2015 09:00 via pr.com
  A new PTSD treatment is based on a unique application of the latest discoveries in neuroscience and memory reconsolidation. Called RESET Therapy (Reconsolidation Enhancement by Stimulation of Emotional Triggers), relief is often obtained in just one to two treatment sessions. RESET Therapy uses specific therapy techniques combined with acoustical neuromodulation, provided by a device from Insight NeuroSystems, to "reset" [PR.com]
  
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