Emotional response to climate change influences whether we seek or avoid further information

People with negative feelings toward climate change seek out more information, study finds.

Sixty-two percent of Americans now say they believe that global warming is happening, but 46 percent say they are “very sure” or “extremely sure” that it is not.…[Read more]

Greater Working Memory Capacity Benefits Analytic, But Not Creative, Problem-Solving

In a new article in the August issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, Jennifer Wiley and Andrew Jarosz of the University of Illinois at Chicago explore the role of working memory capacity in…[Read more]

Investigators Identify New Gene Linked to PTSD

Investigators at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System have identified a new gene linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings, published online in Molecular Psychiatry, indicate that a gene known to play a role in protecting…[Read more]

The current study compared the effectiveness of a Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) to supportive patient education in a randomized trial of 122 participants between the ages of 16 and 65 years. Those already taking medication continued their treatment during the study period. Designed by some members of the study team, the…[Read more]

Genetic link to rapid weight gain from antipsychotics discovered.

“Weight gain occurs in up to 40 per cent of patients taking medications called second-generation or atypical antipsychotics, which are used because they’re effective in controlling the major symptoms of schizophrenia,” says CAMH Scientist Dr. James Kennedy, senior author on the…[Read more]

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have identified five rare mutations in a single gene that appear to increase the chances that a boy will develop an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Mutations in the AFF2 gene, and other genes like it on the X chromosome, may explain why autism spectrum disorders affect four times as many boys as…[Read more]

Research also shows “endowment effect” can be turned on and off.

Groundbreaking new research in the field of evolutionary analysis in law not only provides additional evidence that chimpanzees share the controversial human psychological trait known as the “endowment effect” – which in humans has implications for law – but also shows the effect…[Read more]

Poker-playing subjects seen weighing whether to bluff

Although many areas of the human brain are devoted to social tasks like detecting another person nearby, a new study has found that one small region carries information only for decisions during social interactions. Specifically, the area is active when we encounter a worthy opponent and…[Read more]

Anxiety disorders in children are not detected in due time.

Only few children suffering from anxiety disorders undergo treatment. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have looked into how many children who suffer from the most common yet treatable anxiety disorders that are actually diagnosed in the psychiatric system in Denmark. According…[Read more]

What are your opinions about using deep brain stimulation to treat depression?

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This is a thought provoking article involving the benefits of daydreaming.

Has daydreaming helped you in some way?

The Benefits of Daydreaming | Surprising Science

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/04/the-benefits-of-daydreaming

Scenes and sightings from Smithsonian museums and beyond