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University of Amsterdam

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·June 17, 2025·5 min read

Your Brain Instantly Sees What You Can Do, AI Still Can’t

New research shows that the human brain automatically recognizes what actions an environment affords—like walking, climbing, or swimming—even without conscious thought. Using MRI scans, researchers found unique activity in visual brain regions that went beyond simply processing objects or colors, revealing deep neural encoding of “affordances,” or possible actions.

This shows a shadowy politician on a stage.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 15, 2025·4 min read

Dark Personality Traits in Politicians Fuel Political Polarization

New research reveals that politicians with narcissistic, psychopathic, or Machiavellian traits significantly increase affective polarization among voters. When citizens identify ideologically with such leaders, they become more hostile toward political opponents.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 27, 2024·4 min read

Your Smile Reveals More About Your Personality Than You Think

Research shows that the way you smile in a photograph can reveal key personality traits like warmth, trustworthiness, and conscientiousness. Social psychologists found that people with a Duchenne Smile, which involves both mouth and eye muscles, are perceived more accurately than those with neutral expressions.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 27, 2024·5 min read

Brain Structure Linked to Political Ideology

A large study has found a small but significant link between brain structure and political ideology. The research revealed that conservatives have a slightly larger amygdala, a brain region involved in processing emotions, though the size difference is minimal.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 25, 2024·5 min read

Trust Levels in Scientists: Who Tops and Who Flops?

A new study revealed varying levels of trust in scientists across 45 different fields, highlighting how perceptions of competence and morality influence public confidence. Conducted with 2,780 U.S. participants, the research found that trust levels varied significantly, with neuroscientists and marine biologists ranking highest, while political scientists and economists were trusted less.

This shows a man with a cloud over his head.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 28, 2024·5 min read

Anxiety Drives Wishful Thinking to Risky Levels

Individuals tend to become overly optimistic in situations marked by insecurity and anxiety, potentially to their detriment. The research, involving more than 1,700 participants, demonstrated that people are less accurate in recognizing patterns linked to negative outcomes, like electrical shocks or monetary loss, indicating a clear bias towards wishful thinking.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 7, 2024·3 min read

AI Predicts Antidepressant Success in a Week

Researchers developed an AI algorithm that, by analyzing brain scans and clinical information, can predict within a week whether an antidepressant will work for patients with major depression disorder. This method could potentially avoid unnecessary prescriptions of sertraline, a commonly used antidepressant, by identifying non-responders early, thus offering better patient care and reducing side effects.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·January 10, 2024·3 min read

Five Biological Variants of Alzheimer’s Discovered

Researchers have identified five biological variants of Alzheimer's disease through cerebrospinal fluid analysis, shedding new light on the complexity of the condition. These variants differ in amyloid production, blood-brain barrier integrity, nerve cell growth, protein synthesis, and immune system functioning.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 27, 2023·5 min read

Newborns’ Innate Beat Perception: Key to Early Musical Cognition

Researchers revealed that newborn babies inherently perceive musical beats, a skill separate from their statistical learning ability. The study involved 27 newborns and used EEG brain wave measurements to differentiate between beat perception and statistical learning of sound sequences. Results showed that babies could detect a regular pulse in music when timing between beats was consistent.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 12, 2023·4 min read

Obesity and the Brain: Stubborn Dopamine Responses Hamper Weight Loss

The brain responses to specific nutrients are significantly diminished in individuals with obesity, even after weight loss. The study found that those with obesity released less dopamine in areas of the brain crucial for food intake motivation, compared to their healthy-weight counterparts.

This shows a drawing of a brain over a hand

Featured Neuroscience

·March 10, 2022·6 min read

How Our Environment Affects What We Remember

When successive experiences occur in the same environment, they become more deeply imprinted in our brain.

This is a cartoon of a scientist working in her lab

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·February 8, 2022·4 min read

Scientists Carry Greater Credibility Than Spiritual Gurus

Both the majority of religious and non-religious people consider information provided by scientists to be more credible and reliable than information provided by religious leaders, a new study report.

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University of Amsterdam

Your Brain Instantly Sees What You Can Do, AI Still Can’t

Dark Personality Traits in Politicians Fuel Political Polarization

Your Smile Reveals More About Your Personality Than You Think

Brain Structure Linked to Political Ideology

Trust Levels in Scientists: Who Tops and Who Flops?

Anxiety Drives Wishful Thinking to Risky Levels

AI Predicts Antidepressant Success in a Week

Five Biological Variants of Alzheimer’s Discovered

Newborns’ Innate Beat Perception: Key to Early Musical Cognition

Obesity and the Brain: Stubborn Dopamine Responses Hamper Weight Loss

How Our Environment Affects What We Remember

Scientists Carry Greater Credibility Than Spiritual Gurus

How PTSD Disrupts Brain Cell Communication

Why Some People Struggle to Recognize Faces of Other Races

Facial Expressions Reveal Hidden Cognitive States

Chronic Pain Linked to Neuron Overactivity in the Brainstem

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