Psychology news

• Our thoughts are susceptible to external influence, even against our will

  03-02-2015 20:23
  
  New research documents how our thoughts are influenced by our outside environment. This research is the first demonstration of two thoughts in the stream of consciousness being controlled externally and against participants' will.
  
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• Get the gist? Tool provides unique insight for those with traumatic brain injury

  03-02-2015 20:23
  Individuals with traumatic brain injury have significantly more difficulty with gist reasoning than traditional cognitive tests, research shows. Using a unique cognitive assessment, these findings indicate that an individual's ability to 'get the gist' after a TBI more strongly predicts daily functionality than traditional cognitive tests alone.
  
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• New research sheds light on neural circuit development

  03-02-2015 19:33
  Using multiphoton imaging, researchers are now able to move beyond characterizing the properties of individual cells to investigate how communication among neurons changes over the course of development. In a new paper, researchers report substantial developmental changes in communication among cells that significantly improve the information processing capabilities of the brain.
  
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• Superager brains yield new clues to their remarkable memories

  03-02-2015 19:33
  'Cognitive SuperAgers,' persons aged 80 and above with extraordinarily sharp memories, have distinctly different looking brains than those of normal older people, according to new research. A new study begins to reveal why the memories of these cognitively elite elders don't suffer the usual ravages of time. The discoveries may foster the development of strategies to protect the memories of normal aging persons as well as treat dementia.
  
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• Neurons important for induction of natural REM sleep identified

  03-02-2015 18:34
  
  Scientists have found that that activation of cholinergic neurons -- those that release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine -- in two brain stem structures can induce REM sleep in an animal model. Better understanding of mechanisms that control different sleep states is essential to improved treatment of sleep disorders.
  
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• If Facebook use causes envy, depression could follow

  03-02-2015 18:34
  Facebook use can lead to symptoms of depression if the social networking site triggers feelings of envy among its users, research shows. "Facebook can be a fun and healthy activity if users take advantage of the site to stay connected with family and old friends and to share interesting and important aspects of their lives," an author said. "However, if Facebook is used to see how well an acquaintance is doing financially or how happy an old friend is in his relationship--things that cause envy
  
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• Gender Roles: Men and Women Are Not So Different After All

  03-02-2015 17:54 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyGender is a large part of our identity that is often defined by our psychological differences as men and women. But a researcher says in reality men and women are more alike than we may think.
  
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• Psychologists Explore Differences in Social Class

  03-02-2015 17:18 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: APA MonitorSocial status isn't just about the cars we drive, the money we make or the schools we attend — it's also about how we feel, think and act, psychology researchers say.
  
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• Diet and Nutrition Are Key Determinants of Mental Health

  03-02-2015 17:18 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyEvidence is rapidly growing showing vital relationships between both diet quality and potential nutritional deficiencies and mental health, a new international collaborative study has revealed.
  
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• Can People Be Taught to Taste Sounds and See Letters As Colors?

  03-02-2015 17:18 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyCan synesthesia have cognitive benefits and can it be taught? There are over 60 known types of synesthesia, a condition in which stimulation of one sense, such as taste, leads to automatic, involuntary experience in a second sense. People with synesthesia tend to perform better on memory tasks, particularly involving color, abstract patterns or words and this can also be transferred to creative disciplines such as music.
  
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• Research points to genes that may help us form memories

  03-02-2015 16:41
  Gene expression within neurons is critical for the formation of memories, but it's difficult to identify genes whose expression is altered by learning. Now researchers have successfully monitored the expression of genes in neurons after rats were exposed to auditory fear conditioning, in which a neutral auditory tone is paired with electric shock.
  
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• Believing that life is fair makes you a terrible person | Oliver Burkeman

  03-02-2015 16:15
  
  Faced with injustice, we’ll try to alleviate it – but, if we can’t, we’ll do the next best thing, psychologically speaking: blame the victims of the injusticeIf you’ve been following the news recently, you know that human beings are terrible and everything is appalling. Yet the sheer range of ways we find to sabotage our efforts to make the world a better place continues to astonish. Did you know, for example, that last week’s commemorations of the liberation of Auschwitz may have ma
  
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• Decreases in short-term memory, IQ, and altered brain metabolic ratios in urban apolipoprotein ?4 children exposed to air pollution

  03-02-2015 15:41
  A new study heightens concerns over the detrimental impact of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ?4 allele -- the most prevalent genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease -- upon cognition, olfaction, and metabolic brain indices in healthy urban children and teens.
  
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• How Re-Writing Your Story Can Change Your Life

  03-02-2015 13:02 via counsellingresource.com
  
  So what's your story? We all have one, you know -- a story about ourselves, where we come from, who we are, and what our place is in this world.Tags: control, decision making, motivation
  
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• Friends know how long you'll live, study finds

  03-02-2015 11:00
  
  Young lovers walking down the aisle may dream of long and healthy lives together, but close friends in the wedding party may have a better sense of whether those wishes will come true, suggests new...
  
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• Stress shared by same-sex couples can have unique health impacts

  03-02-2015 10:00
  
  Studies of stress and its effects on health have typically focused on the worries of an individual: money, love, health, work. But what about stress shared by two people in a romantic relationship?
  
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• Austerity measures in Greece linked to sharp rise in suicides

  03-02-2015 10:00
  Researchers report that rates of suicide rose sharply to a 30-year high in Greece following the introduction of further austerity measures.
  
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• Toddlers pose a serious risk to smartphones and tablets | Dean Burnett

  03-02-2015 08:15
  
  Another report has wrongly suggested that children’s brains are at risk from smartphones and tablets. There is, however, plenty of evidence for the opposite; smartphones and tablets are at risk from childrenIt’s been said repeatedly that tablets and smartphones are “bad” for children’s brains. This happened again just last weekend, and as ever the evidence for these claims is incredibly flimsy. The criticisms and analyses of these claims are constant, but they always fail to address th
  
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• Maternal depression often starts before giving birth

  03-02-2015 04:58 via well.blogs.nytimes.com
  A new study documents the unexpected links in the timing and severity of symptoms of maternal depression.
  
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• Military life is stressful, and efforts to help often fall short

  03-02-2015 04:57 via washingtonpost.com
  
  Anxiety, depression and other mental health problems afflict service personnel and their families.
  
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• Music improves health

  03-02-2015 04:56 via huffingtonpost.com
  
  Neuroscientists have discovered that listening to music heightens positive emotion through the reward centers of our brain, stimulating hits of dopamine.
  
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• Transgender children aren’t confused about their gender identity

  03-02-2015 04:54 via foxnews.com
  
  An ongoing longitudinal study of transgender children and their siblings has revealed that these youths have a strong understanding of their gender identity.
  
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• Researchers determine how the brain controls robotic grasping tools

  03-02-2015 03:24
  
  Grasping an object involves a complex network of brain functions. First, visual cues are processed in specialized areas of the brain. Then, other areas of the brain use these signals to control the hands to reach for and manipulate the desired object. New findings suggest that the cerebellum, a region of the brain that has changed very little over time, may play a critical role. Findings could lead to advancements in assistive technologies benefiting the disabled.
  
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