Psychology news

• Adults' happiness on the decline in U.S.

  05-11-2015 20:35
  Are you less happy than your parents were at the same age? It may not be all in your head. Researchers have found that adults over age 30 are not as happy as they used to be, but teens and young adults are happier than ever.
  
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• Scientists find neural match for complexity of visual world

  05-11-2015 20:11
  The complexity of the neural activity we use to process visual images reflects the intricacy of those images, a team of scientists has found. Their study offers new insights into how our brain extracts information about our natural surroundings from the light captured by our eyes.
  
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• Strength of brain connectivity varies with fitness level in older adults

  05-11-2015 18:17
  A new study shows that age-related differences in brain health -- specifically the strength of connections between different regions of the brain -- vary with fitness level in older adults.
  
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• Researchers show how positive stimuli provide benefits to the distracted brain

  05-11-2015 18:15
  Researchers have identified how your mind processes and differentiates between positive and negative ones when you're trying to get a job done.
  
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• The cumulative research shows no explicit medical impediment to surrogate motherhood

  05-11-2015 18:00
  
  The Swedish government is investigating a change of legislation to make surrogate motherhood permitted in Sweden.
  
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• Relying on faith, culture and family to reduce stress of caregivers

  05-11-2015 18:00
  
  A culturally informed family therapy is proven helpful to caregivers of loved ones with schizophrenia.
  
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• Beating the winter blues with cognitive behavioral therapy

  05-11-2015 18:00
  
  Research has shown that CBT may be more effective in the long term than light therapy in alleviating seasonal affective disorder, a condition that affects 6% of Americans.
  
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• Some consider an obsession with clean eating a disorder

  05-11-2015 17:14 via washingtonpost.com
  
  Orthorexia nervosa is an illness that has been making the rounds online, though it’s absent from all psychiatric manuals.
  
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• What is the link between depression and heart disease?

  05-11-2015 17:13 via well.blogs.nytimes.com
  The link between the two diseases is complex and not entirely understood.
  
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• Teen substance use is risky even with parents' knowledge

  05-11-2015 17:11 via foxnews.com
  
  Researchers conclude that all use equals risk, and parents should communicate and clarify those risks.
  
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• Online cognitive behavioral therapy intervention to reduce suicide ideation in medical interns

  05-11-2015 17:00
  
  Physicians in training are at high risk for suicidal ideation (thoughts) during their internship year. In an article published online by JAMA Psychiatry, Constance Guille, M.D.
  
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• Are you hardwired to enjoy high-calorie foods? Research links genes to heightened brain reward responses to foods high in fat and sugar

  05-11-2015 16:39
  For the first time, researchers have identified two genetic variants that interact to alter the brain responses to high-calorie foods, a tie that could aid in the development of targeted treatments for obesity and overweight. Researchers found that two gene variants - FTO and DRD2 - influenced activity in the brain reward system when looking at pictures of high-calorie foods.
  
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• Colombia Lifts Same-Sex Adoption Limits

  05-11-2015 16:25 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: BBC News - Top HeadlinesColombia's constitutional court lifts restrictions on same-sex couples adopting children.
  
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• The roots of language | Paul Ibbotson and Michael Tomasello

  05-11-2015 15:29
  
  At the heart of our unique language ability lie other forms of cognition and cooperation, argue Paul Ibbotson and Michael TomaselloThe natural world is full of wondrous adaptations such as camouflage, migration and echolocation. In one sense, the quintessentially human ability to use language is no more remarkable than these other talents. However, unlike these other adaptations, language seems to have evolved just once, in one out of 8.7 million species on earth today. The hunt is on to explain
  
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• In preventing return of winter blues, talk outshines light

  05-11-2015 14:45
  In the long term, cognitive behavior therapy is more effective at treating seasonal affective disorder that light therapy, considered the gold standard, a study found. Two winters after the initial treatment, 46 percent of research subjects given light therapy reported a recurrence of depression compared with 27 percent of those who were administered CBT. Depressive symptoms were also more severe for those who received light therapy.
  
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• Medicine used to treat ADHD may also help patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

  05-11-2015 14:00
  
  A drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may be a significantly better treatment alternative for post-traumatic stress disorder than current therapies, according to new...
  
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• Can virtual reality body-swapping technique improve body image?

  05-11-2015 14:00
  
  In a new study using a body-swapping illusion, women shown images of themselves in virtual reality with a skinny belly estimated their body size more accurately compared to their estimates of...
  
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• Who's the 'enviest' of them all?

  05-11-2015 13:00
  
  Young adults are more envious than their elders -- and about more things."Mirror, mirror, on the wall - who's the fairest of them all?" New research doesn't have an answer to that.
  
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• Expressive writing shows some benefits for returning vets

  05-11-2015 13:00
  
  Study of online writing included nearly 1,300 veterans.In a study of nearly 1,300 returning veterans reporting reintegration problems, those who completed online expressive-writing sessions...
  
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• Lust, idealism and torschlusspanik: a wishlist of emotions for Inside Out 2

  05-11-2015 12:10
  
  Guilt, shame, envy … now we know which emotions officially didn’t make the cut for the original crossover smash, it’s time to suggest a few for a second journey into Riley’s mindInside Out was an almost completely perfect film. Adolescents could relate to it. Adults could reminisce about it. Children who enjoy watching their parents burst into shuddering fits of tears for seemingly no reason also managed to get plenty out of it. This universal appeal was, in part, down t
  
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• Can scientists agree on a definition of curiosity?

  05-11-2015 10:00
  
  Philosopher Thomas Hobbes called it "the lust of the mind." Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt said it was "the most useful gift." And, yes, we all know what killed the cat.
  
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• Beaux Greep: Support a Graphic Novel Exploring Anxiety and Depression

  05-11-2015 09:00 via pr.com
  Illustrator Josh Sears is poised to release what is shaping up to be a very important resource for those touched by the effects of anxiety and depression. Most interestingly, he aims to do so in an unexpected medium: A full color graphic novel. The project is currently an active crowdunding campaign on rockethub.com, where he was chosen as a finalist in a partnership with OvationTv Creative Studio, an initiative to [PR.com]
  
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• Brain's immune system could be harnessed to fight Alzheimer's

  05-11-2015 07:05
  The brain's immune system could potentially be harnessed to help clear the amyloid plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests. The findings are the culmination of years of investigation after a surprising discovery while studying mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers observed that amyloid beta plaques -- which scientists believe play a major role in the disease -- were being cleared in animals with chronic brain inflammation.
  
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• Should psychiatric hospitals ban smoking completely?

  05-11-2015 01:00
  
  In The BMJ this week, experts discuss whether hospitals should ban smoking for psychiatric patients outside as well as indoors.
  
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