News

Health

Another Way of Moving Toward Your Health Goals

Holly Parker, Ph.D. on May 23, 2022 in Your Future Self

What if you wanted to change more than one aspect of your health? Is it a good idea to try shifting two lifestyle habits rather than simply taking on one at a time?

How Climate Change Impacts Mental Health

Charles Hebert M.D. on May 23, 2022 in Health Examined

Is the summer heat in May getting you down? It may be the effects of climate change.

Do Soft Drinks Play a Role in Adolescent Suicide?

Gary Wenk Ph.D. on May 23, 2022 in Your Brain on Food

Diet plays a significant role in adolescent suicide risk, new research finds—and boys may be especially at risk.

Ghosting

7 Breakup Strategies, From "Worst" to "Best"

Theresa E. DiDonato Ph.D. on May 23, 2022 in Meet, Catch, and Keep

When you want out of a relationship, which breakup strategies have the best outcomes?

Does the Movie "Frankenstein" Impart a Message About Bigotry?

Troy Rondinone Ph.D. on May 23, 2022 in The Asylum

The classic film "Frankenstein" blames the beast on an "abnormal" brain. This speaks to a dark—and ongoing—history of stigma and hate.

Cognition

What We Can All Learn From the War in Ukraine

Eric Haseltine Ph.D. on May 22, 2022 in Long Fuse, Big Bang

A key lesson learned in Ukraine that we should all pay attention to.

Stress

How the Brain Handles Modern Life

Mark Rego M.D. on May 22, 2022 in Modern World, Modern Mind

Modern life stresses us in a way that makes us vulnerable to mental illness. Only by seeing where modern life and the brain meet will we see how this happens and how to prevent it.

Screens, Avocados, And Learning To Deal With Pain

Steven C. Hayes Ph.D. on May 22, 2022 in Get Out of Your Mind

If you get lost in painful thoughts and feelings, it often helps to do this simple technique.

Neuroscience

Why Most Neuroscientific Theories of Consciousness Are Wrong

Marc Wittmann Ph.D. on May 21, 2022 in Sense of Time

Consciousness and the felt present moment extend in time. Any brain theory of consciousness has to deal with this fact.

What Makes Antagonistic People So Unwilling to Change?

Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D. on May 21, 2022 in Fulfillment at Any Age

Although it may seem that people don’t like having undesirable personality traits, new research suggests antagonistic people prefer to stay just the way they are.

Personality

A Criminal Personality Rationalized and Romanticized

Stanton E. Samenow Ph.D. on May 20, 2022 in Inside the Criminal Mind

A forensic psychologist notes what others fail to observe in the widely acclaimed novel "Groundskeeping."

Mindfulness

Mindfulness Doesn’t Change Our Brains in Ways Once Thought

Christopher Bergland on May 20, 2022 in The Athlete's Way

Doing an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program has lots of benefits, but it may not change your brain in ways you've been told.

Sensation-Seeking

Cocaine Increases Risky Behaviors, Depending on Your Age

Juan M Dominguez Ph.D. on May 20, 2022 in Motivated Behaviors

Does taking cocaine when you're younger make a difference in whether it increases risky behaviors? Yes it does.

Memory

How Our Brains Instantly Recognize Music

Kelly Jakubowski Ph.D. on May 20, 2022 in Music and Memory

Why are we so good at identifying songs from as little as one second of music? And why is it so fun?

The Therapeutic Potential of Altered States of Consciousness

Jeff Tarrant, Ph.D., BCN on May 20, 2022 in Choosing Your Meditation Style

Meditation, breathwork, virtual reality, and vibroacoustics may offer some of the same benefits as classic psychedelic medicines.

Psychological First Aid in Ukraine

Chris Gilbert, M.D., Ph.D. on May 20, 2022 in Heal the Mind to Heal the Body

An interview with a Medecins Sans Frontieres a.k.a. Doctors Without Borders psychologist on what happened at the Ukrainian-Moldovan border.

What Are the Mental Health Consequences for Refugee Children?

Fabiana Franco Ph.D. on May 20, 2022 in Trauma, Resilience, and Recovery

What you need to know about the mental health consequences for refugee children and adolescents fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Stress

Why Everyday Stress Still Isn't Fully Understood

Aljoscha Dreisoerner on May 20, 2022 in Soothing Touch

Most research on stress has either been done in the laboratory or on close cousins like burnout. Where is the research on stress in everyday situations?

Defense Mechanisms

When Moral Reasoning Isn’t Just Rationalization

Victor Kumar Ph.D. on May 19, 2022 in The Moral Mind

We're only human.

4 Physical Benefits of Hugging

Lisa van Raalte Ph.D. on May 19, 2022 in Close Communication

In addition to just making us feel closer to others, hugging has substantial physiological benefits.

Can Logging Off Social Media Improve Mental Health?

Alexander Danvers Ph.D. on May 19, 2022 in How Do You Know?

Observing patterns of social media use and mental health suggests they are related. But what happens when we cut off all social media use for a week?

Adolescence

Why Your Teen Doesn't Listen to You

The Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research on May 19, 2022 in Evidence-Based Living

A neurological study found teens’ brains change to help them tune into new people and put less emphasis on their parents.

Dolphins Label Their Friends With Names

Mary Bates Ph.D. on May 18, 2022 in Animal Minds

Do the signature whistles of dolphins really function as names? A new study attempts to get inside their minds.

Confidence

How People Differ in Confidence About Their Attitudes

Art Markman Ph.D. on May 18, 2022 in Ulterior Motives

People have attitudes about all kinds of things. New research suggests people differ in their overall certainty or confidence in those attitudes.

Animal Behavior

Why Dogs Need More Control Over Their Lives

Jessica Pierce Ph.D. on May 18, 2022 in All Dogs Go to Heaven

Lack of control has a significant negative impact on a dog’s mental health. Fortunately, there are countless easy ways to enhance our dogs’ agency.

Why Some Young Adults Are So Sensitive to Instagram Feedback

Mark Travers Ph.D. on May 18, 2022 in Social Instincts

Research explores why social media means so much to teenagers and young adults.

Psychiatry

Depp vs. Heard, Mental Health, and What Is Admissible in Court

Lisa Zeiderman Esq., CFL on May 18, 2022 in Legal Matters

The ongoing civil lawsuit between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp is a reminder that a plaintiff or defendant’s mental state can be introduced as evidence.