Psychology news

• Imagine if you could delete bad memories. Well, you can | Ed Cooke

  09-05-2016 20:54
  
  A new study shows that it is possible to deliberately forget things. It is a surprisingly essential life skillA mental adventure familiar to most students is that of cramming one’s mind with knowledge in the run up to an exam. Once the exam is done, we gleefully evacuate our brain of all this hard-won learning that’s no longer needed. Within days, we can barely remember the subject matter, let alone the details. At such moments, it’s as if we’ve forgotten on purpose. It m
  
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• Small brain area plays key role in making everyday decisions

  09-05-2016 19:33
  A small brain structure plays a central role in the many decisions like this we make each day. But it hasn’t been clear how a limited number of neurons in this small part of the brain can support an unlimited number of choices. Now, studying how macaque monkeys choose between juice drinks, researchers have found that neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex can re-map to make different decisions when circumstances change.
  
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• Why is finding a therapist so hard? Meet the mental health matchmaker

  09-05-2016 18:21
  
  Finding someone to connect with can be draining – much like dating – and Dr David Kelley wants to help. Jean Hannah Edelstein investigates“You should try therapy!” is a suggestion that I realized, after maybe too long, most people don’t take as a compliment. I think therapy is great: what thoughtful, smart person wouldn’t benefit from taking some time for careful examination of their feelings and how they interact with the world? No thoughtful, smart person, i
  
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• Exploring the gut-brain connection for insights into multiple sclerosis

  09-05-2016 17:51
  Bacteria living in the gut may remotely influence the activity of cells in the brain that are involved in controlling inflammation and neurodegeneration, new research suggests. Using pre-clinical models for multiple sclerosis (MS) and samples from MS patients, the team found evidence that changes in diet and gut flora may influence astrocytes in the brain, and, consequently, neurodegeneration, pointing to potential therapeutic targets.
  
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• The Juliet Effect: Why your mum and your sister don't like your hunky boyfriend

  09-05-2016 15:00
  
  Why do we choose the partners we do, and why do we get flak about it from our parents?
  
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• Predicting precision of movement tasks

  09-05-2016 14:57
  Even simple, frequently carried-out movement tasks like opening a door or grasping an object are sometimes realized better and sometimes worse, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, sometimes more precisely, sometimes less precisely. This variability in performance can be traced back in part to brain activity. An interdisciplinary junior research group has developed a self-learning algorithm that allows predictions concerning the precision of an action. The procedure could be used for physical tra
  
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• Politics and the Narcissist’s Disdain

  09-05-2016 12:59 via counsellingresource.com
  
  Rampant narcissism undermines the prospects for genuineness and civility in our political discourse and helps desensitize us to the character disturbance which often lies behind narcissistic behavior.Tags: character disturbance, politics
  
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