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Psychology

·December 18, 2025·7 min read

Depression Quietly Damages the Heart Through Stress Circuits

Depression and anxiety may heighten cardiovascular disease risk through chronic stress pathways in the brain and body. In a large analysis of more than 85,000 adults, those with depression or anxiety — especially both — were significantly more likely to experience heart attack, stroke or heart failure.

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·December 16, 2025·5 min read

Social Isolation Directly Speeds Up Cognitive Decline

Social isolation has a direct causal impact on how quickly cognitive function declines in later life, independent of whether someone feels lonely. By analyzing more than 137,000 cognitive tests from over 30,000 older adults, the study found that reduced social contact consistently predicted faster decline across every demographic group.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 15, 2025·7 min read

Second-Hand Gifts Are Becoming the New Status Symbol

New research shows that buying second-hand gifts is typically a thoughtful, intentional decision rather than an impulsive one. Consumers are motivated by fair prices, the thrill of finding rare items, and the desire to shop sustainably. Survey results from a major online marketplace reveal that intentions often translate directly into purchases—especially for items that are easy to evaluate, such as books.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 14, 2025·5 min read

Study Challenges Myths About Self-Centeredness

A large international study of more than 45,000 people shows that narcissism is a universal personality trait—not one concentrated in any single country. Although nations differed somewhat, the five highest-scoring countries were Germany, Iraq, China, Nepal, and South Korea, with the United States ranking 16th.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 12, 2025·6 min read

AI Brain Model Reveals How Fear Works in Real Life

Researchers have developed an AI-driven brain model that can track fear as it unfolds in real-world situations, offering a major shift from traditional lab-based approaches. Classic fear studies often rely on static images, but these do not reflect how the brain processes fear in dynamic contexts.

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·December 11, 2025·7 min read

Stress Levels Predict Cannabis Use

New research shows that rats with naturally higher baseline stress hormone levels are significantly more likely to self-administer cannabis vapor. Over several weeks, rats were allowed to nose-poke for cannabis, and those with elevated corticosterone displayed the strongest drug-seeking behavior.

Neuroscience

·December 10, 2025·7 min read

Anti-Inflammatory Treatments Show Promise for Depression

A new analysis shows that anti-inflammatory medications may help reduce symptoms for a subset of people with depression who also have chronic, low-grade inflammation. By reviewing randomized controlled trials that specifically enrolled individuals with elevated inflammatory markers, researchers found that anti-inflammatory treatments significantly reduced both overall depressive symptoms and anhedonia.

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·December 10, 2025·6 min read

Positive Imagining Changes the Brain in Seconds

Vividly imagining a positive interaction with someone can increase how much you like them — and even alter how your brain stores information about that person. During imagined encounters, participants developed stronger preferences, and brain scans revealed activity patterns similar to those seen when people learn from real rewarding experiences.

This shows the outline of heads and newspapers.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 9, 2025·6 min read

Reading Habits Predict Hidden Biases Toward Autism

A new study shows that the newspapers people read are strong predictors of their automatic, unconscious biases toward autism—even after accounting for age, education, political views, and personal experience. Readers of right-leaning tabloid outlets showed more negative automatic biases, reflecting the more stereotyped and less frequent coverage of autism in these publications.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 8, 2025·5 min read

PTSD Linked to Accelerated Brain Aging

A new study using advanced deep-learning brain age estimation shows that World Trade Center responders with PTSD exhibit signs of accelerated brain aging. Using BrainAgeNeXt, a model trained on more than 11,000 MRI scans, researchers found that responders with PTSD had “older” appearing brains than those without the disorder, especially among individuals with longer exposure at Ground Zero.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 5, 2025·6 min read

Warmth and Hugging Strengthen the Feeling of Being You

Changes in skin temperature play a key role in how strongly we experience our bodies as our own. Thermoception influences emotion, identity, and mental health by acting as a direct “skin-to-brain” pathway supporting bodily self-awareness.

This shows a person and a natural environment.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 4, 2025·5 min read

Growing Fear of Nature: Study Reveals Causes of Rising Biophobia

An increasing number of people experience fear, discomfort, or disgust toward nature—a phenomenon known as biophobia. The findings reveal that negative emotions form through both external factors such as urban environments and media portrayals, and internal factors like health and emotional traits.