Psychology News

These research articles involve many aspects of psychology such as cognitive psychology, depression studies, mental health, stress, happiness and neuropsychology, Scroll below for more specific categories.

A systematic review synthesizing data from 70 studies reveals significant insights into the relationship between loneliness, perceived social support (PSS), and personality disorders. The review found that individuals with personality disorder traits or diagnoses, except those with narcissistic traits, experience higher levels of loneliness and lower levels of PSS compared to the general population and other clinical groups.
A comprehensive review challenges the long-held belief that menopause directly causes psychological distress and mental health conditions in all women. This study finds no universal link between menopause and an increased risk of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or psychosis. However, it identifies factors that heighten the risk of depressive symptoms during menopause, such as previous depression episodes, sleep disruption from hot flushes, and concurrent stressful life events.
A recent study reveals that younger adults feel and appear older on days filled with stress, particularly when they perceive their control over life as diminished. This research, involving 107 participants aged 18 to 36, underscores the link between stress, perceived age, and control over one’s life on a daily basis.
A new study examines the phenomenon of problematic pornography use (PPU) across 42 countries, involving over 82,000 people of diverse genders and sexual orientations. The research highlights how PPU affects a significant minority, leading to serious life consequences, yet remains largely unaddressed in terms of seeking help.
Researchers shed new light on why some individuals are more vulnerable to substance abuse than others, focusing on the relationship between impulsivity, dopamine production, and cocaine use. Through a study on rats, they discovered that impulsivity predicts cocaine consumption not through dopamine production capacity but possibly through the control of its release.
Researchers made a groundbreaking discovery in identifying a unique group of astrocytes, located in the brain's central striatum, that play a crucial role in regulating behaviors linked to neuropsychiatric disorders. This distinct subset of astrocytes expresses the gene Crym, coding for μ-crystallin, a protein associated with various human diseases.
A new study reveals a direct correlation between adversities faced in childhood and adulthood with later psychiatric and cognitive decline. Analyzing data from nearly 3,500 individuals over 24 years, the study found that even a single instance of childhood adversity can heighten the risk of mental illness, while adult adversities are linked to both psychiatric disorders and cognitive deterioration.
New research delves into how valence weighting bias—people's tendency to prioritize negative or positive attitudes—plays a crucial role in procrastination. By studying individuals' responses to tasks like tax filing and academic research participation, the researchers found a strong link between a negative-leaning attitude and the tendency to delay tasks.
Researchers provide novel insights into female psychopathy, challenging the conventional 6:1 male-to-female psychopath ratio with new evidence suggesting a closer 1.2:1 ratio. The research indicates that societal gender biases have obscured the true nature and prevalence of female psychopaths, who often employ manipulation and seduction rather than violence to achieve their goals.
Affective computing is transforming how machines understand human emotions, enabling them to respond to our feelings in real-time. This interdisciplinary field merges computer science, psychology, and neuroscience, aiming to enhance human-machine interactions.
Live music significantly amplifies emotional responses in the brain compared to recorded tunes. By measuring amygdala activity, researchers found that live performances evoke stronger emotional reactions, fostering a deeper cognitive and affective processing throughout the brain.