Psychology news

• Test Predicts Rate of Cognitive Decline in People with Alzheimer's

  11-07-2024 13:47 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google News - HealthAlzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, affects almost 7 million people in the United States alone, with an estimated one in three U.S. seniors dying with Alzheimer's or another dementia. Now, a research team in Amsterdam has designed a model that can predict the rate of cognitive decline in people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. The research appears in the journal Neurology.
  
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• ‘For me, the wig was the key’: how I defied family expectations to become a criminal barrister

  08-09-2024 14:00
  
  Coming from a family of builders and roofers, a career in the law seemed unlikely. But then my elder brother ran into some difficulties…Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned in my life – certainly of those that apply to being a parent – is the need to give free rein to a child’s ambitions. My son has just turned six and, as with most kids, what he wants to be when he grows up changes with the wind: marine biologist; palaeontologist; treasure hunter; film direc
  
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• We each have a Nazi in us. We need to understand the psychological roots of authoritarianism | Gabor Maté

  06-09-2024 11:00
  
  Neuroimaging studies have shown that the amygdala, the tiny almond-shaped brain structure that mediates fear, is larger in people with more rightwing views“Any attempt to understand the attraction which fascism exercises upon great nations compels us to recognize the role of psychological factors,” the German-Jewish social psychologist Erich Fromm asserted in 1941. Such factors are not specifically German or, say Italian, nor were they the manifestations of a unique historical era, n
  
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• Dr. Alfred J. Liotta Recognized as a Lifetime Featured Member by Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide

  06-09-2024 09:00 via pr.com
  
  Dr. Alfred J. Liotta of Yonkers, New York, has been recognized as a Lifetime Featured Member by Strathmore’s Who’s Who Worldwide Edition for his outstanding contributions and achievements in the field of education.About Dr. Alfred J. Liotta With over 40+ years of experience, Dr. Alfred J. Liotta is an instructor at Mercy University in Dobbs Ferry, New York, where he teaches medical ethics, sociology, death [PR.com]
  
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• I am falling for an amazing woman who is a flat-earther. Can I reconcile my diminishing respect? | Leading questions

  06-09-2024 02:18
  
  Disagreements about our beliefs are one thing, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, but our beliefs are also bound up with what we valueRead more Leading questionsI am a divorced man, raising two sons alone and getting back into the dating world at 43 years old. I am a few months into dating this absolutely amazing woman and I’ve enjoyed it very much. She seems to be the total package in many, many ways! She is kind, thoughtful, empathetic, soft, genuine, intuitive, honest and man
  
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• I am falling for an amazing woman who is a flat-earther. Can I reconcile my diminishing respect?

  06-09-2024 02:18
  Disagreements about our beliefs are one thing, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, but our beliefs are also bound up with what we valueRead more Leading questionsI am a divorced man, raising two sons alone and getting back into the dating world at 43 years old. I am a few months into dating this absolutely amazing woman and I’ve enjoyed it very much. She seems to be the total package in many, many ways! She is kind, thoughtful, empathetic, soft, genuine, intuitive, honest and man
  
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• Artificial Intelligence Likely to Play an Increasing Role in Science Publications

  05-09-2024 17:58 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top SocietyAccording to former editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association Howard Bauchner, MD, artificial intelligence is poised to transform the writing of scientific manuscripts, assist in reviewing them, and help editors select the highest impact papers. It may even help editors increase the influence of their journals, he says, although he questions whether editors should use AI to predict journal article citations.
  
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• Pope Francis Says Climate Change a Common Cause During Mosque Visit

  05-09-2024 17:57 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportPope Francis invited Muslims and Catholics Thursday to push global leaders to confront the dangers of climate change and extremism, and spoke of the common roots of different religious beliefs as he visited Southeast Asia's largest mosque in Jakarta. During his visit to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, the pope issued a joint declaration with the national grand imam that called for "decisive action" to address the...
  
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• Trump Says U.S. Colleges Could Lose Accreditation Over Antisemitism

  05-09-2024 15:58 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump told a crowd of more than 1,000 Republican Jewish Coalition donors Thursday that U.S. universities would lose accreditation and federal support over what he described as "antisemitic propaganda" if he is elected to the White House. Protests roiled college campuses in spring, with students opposing Israel's war in Gaza and demanding institutions stop doing business with companies supporting the war.
  
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• YouTube Adopts New Teen Safeguards on Body Weight, Social Aggression

  05-09-2024 11:03 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsYouTube on Thursday rolled out what it said are additional safeguards for content recommendations for teen users. The video platform said in a blog post that it is now limiting repeated recommendations of content that "compares physical features and idealizes some types over others, idealizes specific fitness levels or body weights, or displays social aggression in the form of non-contact fights and intimidation."
  
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• ‘They’d ask me: “Do you want to die today?”’ How I was kidnapped by pirates – and rescued by US Navy Seals

  05-09-2024 11:00
  
  In 2011, aid worker Jessica Buchanan was taken captive in the Somaliland desert. It was more than three months before she was freed – and every day felt like it might be her lastIn the first moments of her kidnapping, Jessica Buchanan’s brain seized up, her mind went blank – but her body knew. Her experience of terror was physical. She struggled to breathe. She somehow turned icy cold, while at the same time she felt roasted alive.“I had this very basic rumination: &lsquo
  
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• How Do You Know When AI Is Powerful Enough to Be Dangerous?

  04-09-2024 11:13 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportHow do you know if an artificial intelligence system is so powerful that it poses a security danger and requires careful oversight? For regulators trying to put guardrails on AI, it's mostly about the arithmetic. Specifically, AI models must now be reported to the U.S. government if they're trained on 10 to the 26th floating-point operations per second—a level of computing power that could create or proliferate weapons of mass destruction.
  
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• War and Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan Going Mostly Unnoticed

  04-09-2024 11:12 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - World NewsTens of thousands of civilians dead. Warring factions driving millions from their homes. The threat of famine. Fears of genocide. Any one of these would be a crisis warranting a major international response, but in Sudan, they're all taking place at once, more than 500 days into a brutal civil war. Little global attention is being paid to what's happening in the northeast African nation, with few signs that the situation there will get any...
  
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• The ‘staggering’ rise in childhood anxiety is not a mental health crisis | Letters

  03-09-2024 17:17
  
  Pathologising young people is less effective than tackling the social causes of their worries, suggest clinical psychologists Dr Lucy Johnstone and Dr Helen Care. Plus, letters from a concerned grandparent and Linda KarlsenThe “staggering” rise in anxiety among children (NHS referrals for anxiety in children more than double pre-Covid levels, 27 August) deserves a more sophisticated response than installing counsellors in every school, useful though that may be in some cases, and I s
  
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• Ozempic Doesn't Raise Risk of Depression or Suicide, Study Finds

  03-09-2024 14:35 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsThe popularity of the weight-loss drug semaglutide has prompted increasing concerns about potential side effects from taking Ozempic or Wegovy. But a new study, published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine, casts doubt on at least one possible problem: the drug does not appear to raise a person's risk of depression or suicide. The study—funded by Novo Nordisk, maker of Ozempic and Wegovy—reviewed data from more than 3,500 people across f
  
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• California Lawmakers Approve Bills to Ban Deepfakes and Regulate AI

  03-09-2024 14:35 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportCalifornia lawmakers approved a host of proposals this week to regulate artificial intelligence, combat deepfakes, and protect workers from exploitation by the rapidly evolving technology. Governor Gavin Newsom has until September 30 to sign the bills, veto them, or let them become law without signature. In July, he signaled support for a proposal to crack down on election deepfakes, but he has also warned that overregulation could hurt the AI...
  
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• ‘Why did I hurt?’ A writer on grieving the father she never really knew

  01-09-2024 15:00
  
  When my father died my grief was deep – for him and the dad I wished he’d beenGrief is a thing with wings. It swoops in when and how it wants, often uninvited. When I think of my father, I think of sound. His laughter: a deep rumble from his slightly distended gut, ending with a sigh, as if he were reluctant to let it go. The gentle push of his windscreen-shaped glasses up the bridge of his nose. I think of 5am wake-up calls – me at five or six, my brother five years older, bot
  
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• Readers reply: What is the evolutionary purpose of blushing?

  01-09-2024 15:00
  
  The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhat is the evolutionary purpose of blushing? Peter Walls, LiverpoolSend new questions to [email protected]. Continue reading...
  
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• Philosophy professor Jeffrey J Kripal: ‘Thinking about a UFO as some kind of extraterrestrial spaceship is naive’

  01-09-2024 13:00
  
  The academic and author draws on quantum mechanics, English romantic philosophy and mysticism to explore a new theory of mind that embraces the paranormalJeffrey J Kripal is a professor of philosophy and religious thought at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He is the author of 10 books on the history of mysticism, psychology and the paranormal. His latest, How to Think Impossibly, draws on a range of sources including gnosticism, quantum physics and English romantic philosophy, to attempt a ne
  
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• I find conversations with dates dissatisfying, specially when they tell me the plots of films | Ask Philippa

  01-09-2024 07:00
  
  Just interrupt and say, ‘Sorry, I can’t bear film plots’The question I am a woman in my 30s and I notice I can find conversation unfulfilling. When I am with new people, I find myself either having a bit of commentary in my head or doing lots of listening to their problems, as they might overshare things and I feel as if they are dumping on me. Such conversation feels unsatisfactory. This is not a feeling I get with older friends, where sharing and turn-taking is mostly natural
  
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• Announcing GayVeterans.us Has Launched a New Members Portal, Supporting the LGBTQ+ US Veterans Community

  31-08-2024 17:44 via pr.com
  
  This new member portal is dedicated to supporting 1 million LGBTQ+ veterans with resources, camaraderie, and information they need. You can connect with fellow veterans, access a wide range of support services, and get help for PTSD, mental health, find veteran's organizations, and more.GayVeterans.us is the brainchild of Bill Kibler, who has a long-standing reputation of combining both community service and the [PR.com]
  
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• Harris and Trump Have Starkly Different Visions on Climate Change

  31-08-2024 10:53 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportAs the Earth sizzled through a summer with four of the hottest days ever measured, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have starkly different visions on how to address a changing climate while ensuring a reliable energy supply. While Harris has voted in favor of laws to curb climate change, Trump has pledged to dismantle Biden's "green new scam" and led chants of "drill, baby, drill" at the Republican National...
  
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• A New AI Tool Creates Hyperrealistic Photos. Can You Tell the Difference?

  31-08-2024 10:53 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsSeveral new artificial intelligence tools have been released this summer that create hyperrealistic photos, making it easier than ever to alter, or entirely fabricate, an image. Experts say it's becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to discern what is real and what is fake. Among the most powerful new tools is FLUX.1, or Flux, a free AI image generator released in August, which allows for the creation of hyperrealistic images without a...
  
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• Young Girls Are Using Anti-Aging Products They See on Social Media

  31-08-2024 10:52 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportPreteen girls around the U.S. have been flocking to beauty stores to buy anti-aging skin care products, a trend captured in viral videos with the hashtag #SephoraKids. And as a result, girls as young as 8 are turning up at doctors' offices with rashes, chemical burns, and other allergic reactions to products not intended for children's sensitive skin. Equally troubling to parents and child psychologists, this trend may have lasting effects on...
  
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• School-Based Mindfulness Programs May Boost Kids' Mental Health

  31-08-2024 10:52 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportTeaching school kids to practice mindfulness can boost their mental health—and, maybe, even their grades. That's the takeaway from a new review of more than 40 research studies on school-based mindfulness interventions, such as seated or slow-walking meditation. The review appears in the journal Psychiatry Online. In a nutshell, mindfulness programs teach kids to pay attention to the present moment and not to be judgmental about it.
  
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• Laws Allow Women Behind Bars to Tell Their Stories of Abuse

  31-08-2024 10:51 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportAdvocates for domestic violence survivors in Illinois celebrated earlier this month when Governor JB Pritzker signed a bill into law making it easier for those who are incarcerated to get reduced sentences. The idea is that women who received harsh sentences without a court hearing about their histories of abuse should get a chance to tell their stories in court and potentially be resentenced. New York, California, and Oklahoma have similar laws.
  
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• Black Students Still Disciplined at Higher Rates, U.S. Report Concludes

  31-08-2024 10:51 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportRacial differences in how U.S. schools discipline students received media attention 10 years ago, during a national reckoning with racial injustice. A decade later, change has been slow to materialize. In many schools around the country, Black students remain more likely to receive punishments that remove them from the classroom, including suspensions, expulsions, and being transferred to alternative schools. Here's what an Associated Press...
  
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• Women's College in Virginia Bars Transgender Students

  31-08-2024 10:49 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportSweet Briar College in Virginia has instituted an admissions policy that bars transgender women, making the school an outlier among U.S. women's colleges. The private women's liberal arts school said that the policy stems from the legally binding will of its founder, who died in 1900, and that the document requires it to "be a place of "girls and young women" as its founder "understood at the time." Some students and most faculty members...
  
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• Pope Francis Says Earth Is "Sick" in New Climate Change Warning

  31-08-2024 10:49 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportPope Francis on Friday urged people around the world to better protect the environment, ahead of a 12-day trip to Southeast Asia next week in which the pontiff is expected to urge global action on climate change. "If we took the planet's temperature, it will tell us that the Earth has a fever. And it is sick," the pope said in a video message. "We must commit ourselves to... the protection of nature, changing our personal and community habits."
  
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• Some People with Schizophrenia Fight Stigma on Social Media

  29-08-2024 11:17 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsPeople with schizophrenia have been challenging the stigma of their mental disorder by posting on social media, trying to dispel the myth that they're prone to injuring themselves or others. "People will treat me like I am dangerous just because of my illness," said Kody Green, who creates social media content about schizophrenia. Yet, "studies show that people with schizophrenia are more likely to be victims of violent crime than the...
  
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