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APA

·July 1, 2025·4 min read

Universally Cool: Personality Traits That Cross Cultural Lines

What makes someone “cool” appears to be remarkably consistent across cultures, according to a global psychology study. Researchers surveyed nearly 6,000 people from 13 countries and found that cool individuals are consistently described as extraverted, powerful, open-minded, adventurous, and independent.

This shows people from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 23, 2025·5 min read

Why People Trust Those Who Grew Up With Less

New research reveals that people are more likely to trust others who grew up in lower-income households than those from privileged backgrounds. Across multiple experiments, participants consistently showed greater behavioral trust toward individuals with modest upbringings, seeing them as more moral and trustworthy.

This shows two people, one bathed in light, the other in darkness.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 2, 2025·4 min read

Study Reveals the Selfish Side of Karmic Belief

A new study reveals people apply karma differently to themselves and others. While individuals view their own positive experiences as karmic rewards, they tend to interpret others' suffering as deserved punishment.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 16, 2025·4 min read

Early Maternal Affection Shapes Key Personality Traits for Life

Affectionate mothering in early childhood may play a lasting role in shaping personality traits that influence educational, professional, and health outcomes. A study of over 2,200 identical twins found that maternal warmth between ages 5 and 10 predicted higher levels of openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness at age 18.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 19, 2024·4 min read

Digital Swiping Increases Boredom, Reduces Video Enjoyment

Swiping through online videos to alleviate boredom may actually make people more bored and less satisfied with the content, according to new research. The study found that switching between short video snippets or fast-forwarding through them leaves viewers feeling less engaged and more restless. Participants reported greater satisfaction and meaningful engagement when they watched a single video without interruptions. The findings suggest that to enhance enjoyment, viewers should minimize digital switching and focus on fully engaging with the content.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 5, 2024·5 min read

Hurts to Think: The Unpleasant Truth About Mental Effort

New research suggests that mental exertion is often associated with unpleasant feelings such as stress and irritation, challenging the notion that people enjoy mentally demanding tasks. A meta-analysis of 170 studies found a consistent link between mental effort and discomfort across diverse populations and tasks. Interestingly, this aversive effect was less pronounced in Asian countries, possibly due to different cultural attitudes towards education. Despite the discomfort, people still engage in challenging tasks for potential rewards, indicating that the motivation may lie in the benefits rather than the effort itself.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 3, 2024·4 min read

Overthinking Happiness Can Lower Life Satisfaction

Obsessing over personal happiness can actually decrease life satisfaction, according to new research. In three studies involving over 1,800 participants, individuals who judged their own happiness reported lower well-being, increased negativity, and more disappointment in positive events.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 11, 2024·4 min read

Study Shows Narcissism Declines with Age

A study reveals that narcissism decreases from childhood to older adulthood, though individual differences remain stable over time. People who are more narcissistic as children tend to stay that way as adults.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 10, 2024·2 min read

The Failure Myth: Success Doesn’t Always Follow

The belief that failure leads to success is often misguided and harmful. Analyzing over 1,800 participants across various experiments, researchers found that people vastly overestimate the likelihood of succeeding after failing. This misconception can demotivate individuals and hinder support for necessary interventions. Correcting these beliefs may shift focus towards more effective rehabilitation and reform efforts.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 17, 2024·5 min read

Distracted Eating Fuels Later Indulgence

Distractions during meals, such as watching videos or playing games, can lead to decreased enjoyment and satisfaction, triggering compensatory overconsumption of pleasurable activities later. This phenomenon, termed "hedonic compensation," suggests that individuals seek to fulfill their unmet enjoyment quota by indulging in other pleasurable activities.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 22, 2024·5 min read

Perceptions of Old Age Starting Later

Middle-aged and older adults now perceive the onset of old age to occur later in life compared to previous generations. Analyzing data from the German Ageing Survey, which spanned 25 years and involved 14,056 participants, researchers noted that individuals born later consistently viewed old age as beginning at a later age.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 11, 2024·5 min read

Those Who Use Willpower Deemed More Trustworthy

Individuals who rely on willpower to resist temptations are perceived as more trustworthy than those using external commitment strategies like swear jars or internet-blocking apps. This study involved over 2,800 U.S. participants in online experiments, comparing perceptions of integrity between those using internal versus external methods for achieving goals.