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Psychology

·October 4, 2024·4 min read

AI Admissions Essays Align with Privileged Male Writing Patterns

Researchers analyzed AI-generated and human-written college admissions essays, finding that AI-generated essays resemble those written by male students from privileged backgrounds. AI essays tended to use longer words and exhibited less variety in writing style than human essays, particularly resembling essays from private school applicants. The study highlights concerns about the use of AI in crafting admissions essays, as AI may dilute a student’s authentic voice. Students are encouraged to use AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, their personal narrative in writing.

This shows a woman and psychedelic swirls.

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·October 3, 2024·4 min read

Psychedelics Reduce Anxiety Without Hallucinations

New research has pinpointed the specific brain region and neuron type responsible for reducing anxiety using the psychedelic drug DOI, without triggering hallucinations. The study revealed that DOI targets serotonin2A receptors on parvalbumin-positive neurons in the ventral hippocampus, decreasing anxiety behaviors in animal models.

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·October 3, 2024·2 min read

Faulty Brain Processes Behind Hearing Voices in Schizophrenia

A new study reveals that auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia may be caused by two faulty brain processes: a failed suppression of self-generated sounds and an overactive response to internal noises. The research showed that patients with hallucinations had a "broken" corollary discharge and an enhanced response to unintended sounds, compared to those without hallucinations. These findings suggest that future treatments for auditory hallucinations could target these disrupted processes.

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·October 3, 2024·5 min read

How Previous Food Choices Influence Future Decisions

Research shows that when rating food for appeal or calorie content, judgments are influenced by the food choices we’ve made just before. This effect, known as serial dependence, causes people to rate the next food similarly to the previous one, whether it’s more appealing or less.

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·October 3, 2024·4 min read

Why People Are Better at Guessing the Past Than Predicting the Future

A new study shows that people are better at inferring past events than predicting future ones when watching scenes from TV dramas. The researchers found that participants were more accurate in guessing what had happened earlier in the story because characters tend to talk about their pasts more often than their futures.

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·October 3, 2024·4 min read

Friendships Drive Happiness for Single Young Adults

A new study of single Americans aged 18 to 24 highlights the key role that satisfying friendships play in overall happiness. Researchers divided participants into five subgroups based on levels of happiness and five predictors: satisfaction with family, satisfaction with friends, self-esteem, neuroticism, and extraversion.

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·October 2, 2024·4 min read

Dolphins’ “Smile” Reveals Playful Intentions

Bottlenose dolphins use an "open mouth" expression, similar to a smile, during playful interactions with other dolphins. This expression is a signal of fun and playfulness, preventing misunderstandings as aggression.

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·October 2, 2024·7 min read

New Therapy Improves Depression in Fathers

A new study shows that a group parenting intervention significantly reduces male postpartum depression (PPD) in Pakistani fathers, with over 70% of participants experiencing full remission of symptoms. The program, "Learning Through Play Plus Dads," also improved child development and strengthened relationships within families.

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·October 2, 2024·4 min read

Cannabis Pill Reduces Agitation in Alzheimer’s Patients by 30%

A new study reveals that dronabinol, a synthetic form of THC, can reduce agitation in Alzheimer’s patients by 30%. Unlike current medications, dronabinol showed fewer side effects, such as delirium or seizures, making it a safer alternative.

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·October 2, 2024·6 min read

Key Brain Cell Mechanism Tied to Sensory Selectivity Discovered

Neuroscientists have discovered how the CP-AMPA receptor in brain cells influences neuron selectivity in response to sensory stimuli. This receptor type makes neurons less selective, which may help explain certain brain disorders like autism and epilepsy.

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·October 1, 2024·5 min read

Reduced Brain Response to Visual Cues Linked to Psychosis in Parkinson’s

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) who experience visual hallucinations have reduced brain responses to unexpected visual changes, a marker known as visual mismatch negativity (vMMN). Using EEG, researchers compared brain activity in PD patients with and without hallucinations and discovered that those with hallucinations showed weaker vMMN signals.

This shows a painting of a springbok with a tracking collar.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 1, 2024·4 min read

Wildlife Tagging Alters Behavior for Days

A new study reveals that the stress of capturing and tagging wildlife affects their behavior for several days, altering their activity levels and movement patterns. By tracking 1,585 individuals from 42 species fitted with GPS collars, researchers found that predators tended to reduce their activity while herbivores often increased movement post-release.