Psychology news

• Why does snow bring childlike joy?

  22-01-2025 16:22 via scientificamerican.com
  
  Snow’s appeal is more than just a fond nostalgia for childhood days away from school.
  
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• What the Science of Music Reveals About Cognition, Emotion, and Identity

  05-03-2026 16:50 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: APA MonitorMusic is an extraordinary feature of the human species. It unites us and conveys feeling when words fail. It speaks to our identity as individuals and as members of a group. It is universal—found in nearly every culture and society—yet wildly diverse. It is emotionally potent but cognitively complex. In all its intricacy, music is a mirror of the brain itself, and it has its own implications for cognition, emotion, and identity.
  
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• ‘Our consciousness is under siege’: Michael Pollan on chatbots, social media and mental freedom

  05-03-2026 16:00
  In his new book, the celebrated author explains why we need ‘consciousness hygiene’ to defend ourselves from AI and dopamine-driven algorithmsEach day when you wake up, you come back to yourself. You see the room around you, feel your body brush against your clothes and think about your plans, worries and hopes for the day. This daily internal experience is miraculous and mysterious, and the subject of Michael Pollan’s new book, A World Appears.It also may be under siege, Polla
  
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• U.S. High Court Blocks California Ban on Schools Outing Trans Students

  05-03-2026 14:28 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: PBS News HourThe U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for California schools to tell religious parents if their children identify as transgender without getting the student's approval, granting an emergency appeal from a conservative legal group. The order blocks for now a state law that bans automatic parental notification requirements if students change their pronouns or gender expression at school, there by allowing schools to out students to their...
  
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• Transforming Cellblocks Into Psychology Classrooms

  05-03-2026 14:19 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: APA MonitorWhen the 1994 Crime Bill eliminated Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students, higher education programs in prisons across the U.S. plummeted from nearly 1,000 in the 1990s to just 12 by 2005. That changed in 2023 when Pell Grant eligibility was restored. As a result, there has been an upsurge in colleges and universities partnering with correctional facilities to offer credited courses and degree programs that duplicate what's available...
  
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• U.S. Military Using Anthropic's Artificial Intelligence in Iran War Despite Ban

  05-03-2026 14:14 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsTwo sources familiar with the U.S. military's use of artificial intelligence confirm that the U.S. used Anthropic's Claude AI model over weekend for the attack on Iran — and is still using it. The Pentagon has not said exactly how the AI tool is being deployed, but it's being used despite a government-wide ban on the technology announced after a dispute last week with the Pentagon.
  
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• OpenAI Reaches Deal with Pentagon After Trump Drops Anthropic

  05-03-2026 14:14 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsOpenAI announced it secured a deal to provide artificial intelligence tools to the Pentagon hours after the White House told all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's AI services. OpenAI—a tech company founded by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and others—developed applications such as ChatGPT and DALL-E. Contract negotiations between Anthropic soured after the company wanted limits on the government using AI to spy on Americans or create..
  
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• Is Bubble Tea Bad for You? New Research Raises Red Flags

  05-03-2026 14:14 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthThat photogenic cup of bubble tea may come with hidden downsides. Tapioca pearls made from cassava can absorb heavy metals like lead, and in large amounts they may slow digestion or even cause blockages. The drink is often loaded with sugar—sometimes more than soda—raising risks for cavities, obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease. There are even reports linking frequent consumption to kidney stones and poorer mental health.
  
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• Boy's Birth Brings Hope for Amazon People Facing Extinction

  05-03-2026 14:14 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: CBS News - World NewsPugapia and her daughters Aiga and Babawru lived for years as the only surviving members of the Akuntsu, an Indigenous people decimated by a government-backed push to clear parts of the Amazon rainforest for meat and dairy production. As they advanced in age without a child to carry on the line, many expected the Akuntsu to vanish when the women died. That changed in December, when Babawru—the youngest of the three, in her 40s—gave birth to...
  
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• As a psychologist, I’ve seen that polyamory doesn’t fix relationships – it reveals them | Carly Dober

  01-03-2026 15:00
  The success of any relationship hinges on the same pillars of trust, respect, honesty and shared values. Polyamory simply tests their integrity dailyThe modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their workEmilio* and Jessica* sat in front of me, disconnected and barely looking at each other. They had been together for seven years and had recently opened up their relationship and tried polyamory, upon Emilio’s suggestion. Jessica agreed to this, b
  
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• Should you overshare more?

  01-03-2026 13:00
  We may cringe at influencers and friends who let it all hang out, but research shows that keeping quiet might be worseDo you recoil at oversharers on social media, or joke among your friends about “TMI”? I know I do. But while mocking public confession comes easy, it’s harder to appreciate the risks of normalising silence: withheld anxieties, unspoken family histories, and the little omissions that make workplaces and relationships brittle. The instinct to pour scorn on “
  
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• President Trump Bans Government Use of Anthropic AI Products

  01-03-2026 09:32 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: NPRPresident Trump ordered the U.S. government on Friday to stop using the artificial intelligence company Anthropic's products, and the Pentagon moved to designate the company a national security risk. The twin decisions are a response to the company's refusal to allow its products and services from being used in mass surveillance of American citizens or to power autonomous weapon systems, as part of a military contract worth up to $200 million.
  
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• Living with hyperphantasia: ‘I remember the clothes people wore the day we met, the things they said word-for-word’

  27-02-2026 15:00
  It’s hard to know what people can see in their own mind’s eye. But for Maddie Thomas there was no doubt: she had especially vivid mental imageryGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailI close my eyes and picture a boat making its way towards the mainland. Lit only by moonlight, a silhouette walks towards a post box and mails three letters, one by one. Then, the familiar tune of ABBA’s Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) starts to play, and the musical begins.Sometime
  
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• Mahzarin Banaji Is Probing the Black Box of Large Language Modules

  27-02-2026 06:59 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Association for Psychological ScienceIn 2023, Mahzarin Banaji was talking with her student Tessa Charlesworth about ChatGPT, and the two decided to ask the AI tool a brief question: "What are your implicit biases?" Banaji is the Harvard professor who co-coined the term "implicit bias" decades ago, and ChatGPT's answer steered her research in a whole new direction. The response was, "I am a white male." Since then, Banaji has been testing whether AI models like ChatGPT harbor...
  
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• Shingles Vaccine May Slow Biological Aging and Cognitive Decline

  26-02-2026 16:59 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA shingles shot might do more than prevent a painful rash—it could help slow down the aging process. In a national study of Americans age 70 and older, those who received the shingles vaccine showed slower biological aging, lower levels of chronic inflammation, and slower changes in gene activity linked to aging, suggesting the vaccine may calm the body's "inflammaging"—the low-grade inflammation tied to heart disease, frailty, and cognitive...
  
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• Polls Show Increasing Concerns About President Trump's Mental Acuity

  26-02-2026 16:59 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google News - HealthDonald Trump won the 2024 presidential race after his initial opponent, then-President Joe Biden, withdrew over worries about his age and mental sharpness. But now, polls suggest Americans aren't just increasingly unhappy with Mr. Trump's job performance; they're increasingly concerned about his mental capacity as well. The unease is not at the levels it was with Biden, who was 81 when he ended his campaign, but it is growing as Mr. Trump...
  
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• Kansas Invalidates Trans Residents' Driver's Licenses and Birth Certificates

  26-02-2026 16:59 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsA new Kansas law requiring transgender residents' state-issued identification to reflect their "sex at birth" went into effect Thursday, invalidating hundreds of driver's licenses and birth certificates. Other states ban trans people from changing the gender on their IDs, but the Kansas law also nullifies previous changes made legally. In addition, the new law allows citizens to sue transgender people for $1,000 if they encounter them breaking...
  
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• Kansas Invalidates Driver's Licenses, Birth Certificates of Trans Residents

  26-02-2026 16:59 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsA new Kansas law requiring transgender residents' state-issued identification to reflect their "sex at birth" went into effect Thursday, invalidating hundreds of driver's licenses and birth certificates. Other states ban trans people from changing the gender on their IDs, but the Kansas law also nullifies previous changes made legally. In addition, the new law allows citizens to sue transgender people for $1,000 if they encounter them breaking...
  
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• U.S. Justice Department Sues UCLA Over Anti-Semitism Allegations

  24-02-2026 14:47 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: PBS News HourThe U.S. Justice Department is suing the University of California Los Angeles over allegations that the school failed to protect Jewish employees from antisemitic harassment amid pro-Palestinian protests that roiled the campus in 2023 and 2024. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in California, is the latest effort by the Trump administration to punish top universities that it says have been soft on antisemitism.
  
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• Senegal Prime Minister Proposes Doubling Jail Terms for Same-Sex Acts

  24-02-2026 14:47 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: DW- top storiesSenegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko unveiled legislation Tuesday to double the maximum penalty for same-sex relations. People are regularly arrested on such charges in traditionalist, Muslim-majority Senegal, where they face a prison sentence of up to five years. The prime minister said the bill changed the penal code to stipulate that any act "of a sexual nature between two people of the same sex constitutes an act against nature."
  
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• Grandiose Narcissists Tend to Show Reduced Neural Sensitivity to Errors

  24-02-2026 14:47 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: PsyPostTwo studies of students in the U.K. revealed that individuals with pronounced grandiose narcissism—characterized by a strong need for admiration and a tendency toward self-centeredness—tended to show blunted neural activity in response to errors. This blunting appears to be a mechanism that helps narcissists protect and bolster their positive self-views. The research was published in the Journal of Personality.
  
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• No Time to Heal: the psychological rehabilitation of a Ukrainian soldier after Russian captivity

  24-02-2026 12:01
  Ukrainian soldiers suffering from PTSD, depression and anxiety are sent to the Forest Glade – Ukraine’s first centre for the treatment of psychological trauma – before returning to the frontline.  After three years in Russian captivity following the battle for Mariupol, 25-year-old Kyrylo Chuvak spends three weeks at the centre, a brief opportunity for rehabilitation. Hidden in the pines near Kyiv, this modest building offers soldiers psychological therapy as well as
  
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• I went to a place deep in the forest where Ukraine’s wounded soldiers go to heal. This is what they told me | Ksenia Savoskina

  24-02-2026 12:00
  A former Soviet military facility offers an unlikely respite – before its patients return, too quickly, to the frontlineKsenia Savoskina directed the Guardian documentary No Time to Heal, which follows the psychological rehabilitation of a Ukrainian soldier after three years in Russian captivityImagine a place hidden deep in a pine forest, with small lakes and ponies. Far from the noisy city. In the middle of it there is a modernist Soviet building with marble walls. Walls that have heard
  
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• MLA Psychology Embarks on a New Chapter in Providing Accessible, High-Quality Mental Health Care in Australia

  23-02-2026 19:51 via pr.com
  MLA Psychology is pleased to announce the launching of something new and exciting that reflects its ongoing commitment to accessible, high-quality mental health care. [PR.com]
  
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• How loose social ties can help heal political division | Eva M Meyersson Milgrom

  22-02-2026 13:00
  Weak connections known as ‘bridge ties’ cross the boundaries that normally structure our lives. We must restore this connective tissueThe first time a woman I’ll call Shoshana went toBrandi Carlile’s music festival, she arrived alone. She had just been through another unsuccessful round of IVF. During one of the songs, about motherhood, she began to cry in the middle of the crowd. Then two women she had never met stepped closer and wordlessly wrapped their arms around her
  
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• Teen Cannabis Use Doubles Psychosis and Bipolar Risk, Study Finds

  22-02-2026 10:11 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google News - HealthA massive study of over 460,000 adolescents suggests that even occasional cannabis use during teenage years is a major risk factor for severe mental illness. The research followed participants from age 13 through 26, revealing that those who used cannabis were twice as likely to develop psychotic or bipolar disorders, with the disorders typically emerging within two years of initial use, regardless of the teen's prior mental health history.
  
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• Common Pneumonia Bacterium May Fuel Alzheimer’s Disease

  22-02-2026 10:11 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA common bacterium best known for causing pneumonia and sinus infections may also play a surprising role in Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that Chlamydia pneumoniae can invade the retina and brain, where it sparks inflammation, nerve cell death, and the buildup of amyloid-beta—the hallmark protein linked to Alzheimer's. Higher levels of the bacterium were found in people with Alzheimer's and were tied to more severe cognitive decline.
  
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• Women and Men Both Show Biases in Rating Responses to Sexual Assault

  22-02-2026 10:10 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: PsyPostStudies on gender differences in perspective-taking suggest that accuracy may be domain-specific, especially in areas where men and women have divergent experiences. One such domain is sexual violence, where women have disproportionately experienced victimization. Accordingly, a new study finds that men tend to underestimate how upset women would feel after sexual assault by an intimate partner, whereas women tend to overestimate how upset men...
  
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• Remembering Reverend Jesse Jackson, an American Original

  22-02-2026 10:09 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsIn 1988, the Reverend Jesse Jackson ended his outsider campaign for president with a stirring speech for the history books: "We must never surrender. America will get better and better. Keep hope alive! Keep hope alive! Keep hope alive!" In a decade when America was turning against big government, Jackson ran on a message of economic support and faith-based compassion for the working class and poor of all backgrounds. He called it his "Rainbow...
  
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• New Research Highlights the Enduring Distinctiveness of Marriage

  22-02-2026 10:08 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: PsyPostNew research suggests that when given the option between marriage and domestic partnership, same-sex couples in the United States overwhelmingly choose marriage. The findings, based on governmental data as well as national survey results, indicate that marriage retains a distinct and powerful status due to its legal benefits, social clarity, and perceived level of commitment. The new study appears in the Journal of Marriage and Family.
  
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