Latest

Psychology

·May 2, 2025·5 min read

Happiness Is as Unique as You Are

A large international study shows that happiness does not stem solely from either external circumstances or internal attitudes, but varies widely between individuals. Some people’s happiness is shaped mostly by life domains like income and relationships, while others draw happiness from internal qualities, or a mix of both.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 2, 2025·5 min read

Motivation Struggles Persist After Depression Recovery

People who have recovered from depression show reduced motivation to pursue rewards unless the incentives are large and highly certain. Although mood improves post-recovery, hidden deficits in reward processing and decision-making linger, potentially contributing to relapse vulnerability.

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.

This shows the outline of a person and a brain.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·May 2, 2025·4 min read

Immune System Tied to Mental Health Disorders

New research reveals that immune system activity may play a causal role in conditions like schizophrenia, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease. Using Mendelian randomisation, scientists linked 29 immune-related proteins to seven neuropsychiatric disorders, suggesting the brain is not the only organ involved in mental health.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 2, 2025·5 min read

Personality Traits Strongly Linked to Mental Health Risks

A major study of over 16,000 participants found that personality traits explain about 25% of the overall risk for mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and phobias. Traits such as higher neuroticism, higher agreeableness, and lower conscientiousness were particularly associated with general mental health risk.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 30, 2025·6 min read

Parents Often Miss Early Clues About How Kids Feel at School

Parents often misread how their children feel about school during their first year, usually taking a full year to align with their child’s actual experiences. While most parents believed their children enjoyed the classroom, many underestimated how much children liked the playground—and vice versa.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 30, 2025·7 min read

Girls With ADHD Face Higher Risk of Anxiety

A new study reveals that in girls, symptoms of inattentive-type ADHD significantly increase the likelihood of developing anxiety during adolescence. Inattention and anxiety appear to reinforce each other in girls, but not in boys, where hyperactivity is the more predictive factor.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 30, 2025·5 min read

Dance and Lullabies May Not Be Human Universals After All

New research challenges the long-held belief that dance and lullabies are universal to human culture. Drawing on over four decades of ethnographic work among the Northern Aché people in Paraguay, researchers found no evidence of group dancing or infant-directed singing.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 30, 2025·4 min read

Early Teen Depression May Be Easier to Treat Than in Adults

New research reveals that depression in young teens may be more treatable than in adults, thanks to more flexible and less entrenched symptom patterns. Using data from over 35,000 adolescents, researchers applied network analysis and a novel "network temperature" model to show that depressive symptoms stabilize with age, becoming more resistant to change.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 30, 2025·6 min read

What Poor Sleep Really Does to Your Brain

Chronic sleep disorders and short-term sleep deprivation affect different regions of the brain, highlighting distinct neural impacts. A meta-analysis of 231 brain studies showed that chronic sleep disorders alter regions involved in emotions and memory, while short-term deprivation primarily affects attention and movement regulation.

$This shows kids in a classroom.$

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 30, 2025·7 min read

The Smart Way to Teach Math? Mix Speed with Strategy

A new review shows that children learn arithmetic most effectively through a structured approach that integrates conceptual understanding with brief timed practice and reflection. Rather than choosing between rote memorization or rich discussion, the most successful instruction cycles through both, reinforcing number sense and mental strategies.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·April 29, 2025·6 min read

Negative Expectations Worsen Pain More Than Positive Ones Ease It

New research shows that negative expectations, known as nocebo effects, exert a stronger and longer-lasting impact on pain perception than positive expectations, or placebo effects. In a two-session study, participants consistently reported more intense pain when they expected worse outcomes, while the benefits of expecting relief were weaker.