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·May 11, 2025·5 min read

Verbal Abuse in Childhood Rewires the Developing Brain

New neuroscience research highlights how verbal abuse in childhood can alter brain development and increase the risk of mental health issues later in life. Children who are routinely shamed, threatened, or belittled by adults may develop a hyperactive threat system and a blunted reward response, making trust and emotional regulation more difficult in adulthood.

This shows people in an art gallery. Above their heads are thought bubbles.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 11, 2025·6 min read

Contemplating Beauty Boosts Abstract Thinking

A new study finds that actively engaging with artistic beauty—rather than just looking at art—enhances abstract thinking and psychological distancing, helping people see the bigger picture beyond daily concerns. Participants who focused on rating the beauty of ceramic artworks scored significantly higher on cognitive tests measuring abstract thought than those who simply matched objects with line drawings.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 10, 2025·5 min read

Heavy Social Media Use Linked to Believing and Spreading Fake News

Individuals who experience high levels of distress and functional impairment from excessive social media use are significantly more likely to believe fake news and interact with it. Researchers found that problematic users were more inclined to click, like, comment on, and share false news stories, regardless of their accuracy.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 10, 2025·4 min read

Moral Outrage Goes Viral, But Doesn’t Drive Action Online

A new study analyzing over a million posts linked to online petitions found that while moral outrage boosts a post's virality, it doesn't significantly increase petition signatures. Emotional and morally charged content spreads widely on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), but fails to translate into real-world collective actions.

This shows people using AI to design a robot.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 9, 2025·7 min read

Seeing Is Believing: How We Judge AI as Creative or Not

New research shows that people perceive AI systems as more creative when they observe not just the final product, but also the creative process and the robot in action. In a set of controlled experiments using identical drawings, participants consistently rated creativity higher the more they saw of the act itself.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 9, 2025·2 min read

Majority of Parents Report Sensory Overload From Daily Family Chaos

A new survey finds that nearly 75% of parents experience sensory overload—when sounds, sights, and chaos from daily life overwhelm the brain. The most common triggers include children arguing, loud household noise, and clutter from toys and messes.

This shows people gossiping and a person standing alone.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 9, 2025·5 min read

Would You Rather Be Ignored or Gossiped About? Science Weighs In

New research explores the psychological tradeoff between being ignored and being the subject of gossip, revealing that neither option feels good—but for different reasons. In a series of five experiments with over 1,000 participants, researchers found that while most people reject negative gossip, many also feel uncomfortable being praised behind their backs.

This shows a person using a swap to analyze a saliva test.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 9, 2025·5 min read

At Home Saliva Test Detects Hidden Stress, Depression Risks

Researchers have developed a portable “lab-on-a-chip” device that measures cortisol levels from saliva, offering an objective and rapid way to assess stress and mental health risk. The device includes a disposable saliva collector and a handheld reader that delivers results to a smartphone within minutes.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 9, 2025·6 min read

Resistance to New Rules Fades Once They’re in Place

A new study reveals that resistance to policies like smoking bans or speed limits drops significantly after they are implemented. Known as “reactance,” this initial pushback stems from perceived threats to personal freedom, but tends to subside as people adapt and begin recognizing societal benefits.

This is a drawing of a cannabis pharmacy.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 8, 2025·5 min read

Legal Cannabis Linked to Less Problematic Use, Better Mental Health

The Weed Care study in Switzerland is investigating how legal access to cannabis affects users' consumption and mental health. In the first randomized trial of its kind, participants buying cannabis legally showed a slight decline in problematic use, especially among those who also used other drugs.

This shows a group of people and a person on their own.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·May 8, 2025·5 min read

People Prefer to Empathize With Groups Over Individuals

People are more likely to choose to empathize with groups rather than individuals, even though they find empathizing equally difficult in both scenarios. Using a card-based empathy selection task, participants opted to empathize 53% of the time when shown groups, versus just 34% for individuals. Researchers suggest that groups provide more contextual information, making empathizing feel more intuitive or meaningful.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 8, 2025·6 min read

New Relief for Panic Disorders

A focused four-day treatment for panic disorder has shown impressive and lasting results, according to new research. Originally developed in Bergen and called Bergen 4-Day Treatment (B4DT), this method delivers rapid relief, with nearly 90% of patients reporting major improvement one week after therapy.