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University of Portsmouth

·July 11, 2025·7 min read

When Words Aren’t Enough: Autistic Adults Navigate Nonverbal Challenges

Autistic adults describe nonverbal communication as an exhausting “unwritten language” they must decode in real time, according to a new study. Reviewing hundreds of firsthand accounts, researchers found that many struggle to interpret facial expressions and body language while trying to perform expected cues themselves.

This shows a chimp and a child on cell phones.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 24, 2025·5 min read

Chimpanzees and Children Share a Curiosity for Social Drama

A new study shows that both chimpanzees and young children are drawn to watching social interactions—sometimes even at a cost. When given a choice between viewing videos of social behavior or solo individuals, both species consistently chose the social scenes.

This shows the shadow of a dad and child.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 12, 2024·5 min read

Reflecting on Parents in Therapy Can Shift Childhood Memories

New research suggests that reflecting on a parent in therapy can subtly alter how a person recalls feelings from childhood, even if the question is neutral. This process, known as reappraisal, may lead individuals to adjust their emotions or perceptions toward a parent, with potential long-term effects on family dynamics. In one experiment, participants were asked to remember positive or negative attributes of their mothers, which notably impacted their current and past feelings.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 25, 2024·5 min read

Stress Fuels Impulsive Behavior in Response to Boredom

Research shows a strong link between impulsivity, boredom, and stress, with highly impulsive individuals reacting more to boredom by releasing more of the stress hormone cortisol. This physiological response explains why impulsive people are more prone to making rash decisions when bored.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 23, 2024·4 min read

Memory Cues May Help Reduce Alcohol Consumption

A study suggests that recalling past alcohol experiences before drinking can slow down consumption, indicating a potential strategy to reduce alcohol intake. In the study, women who remembered a previous drinking episode took longer to consume an alcoholic beverage, possibly due to reduced motivation to drink. This approach, along with strong health warnings, may offer new methods to curb excessive alcohol consumption. Further research is needed to explore this effect in males.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 16, 2024·4 min read

People Prefer AI in Fairness-Related Decisions

A new study reveals that over 60% of participants prefer AI over humans for redistributive decisions, despite finding AI decisions less satisfying and fair. Researchers conducted an online experiment with over 200 participants from the UK and Germany.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 20, 2024·5 min read

Exercise’s Dopamine-Driven Cognitive Boost

Recent research has revealed a significant link between exercise and improved cognitive performance, attributing this enhancement to increased dopamine levels. This discovery, involving sophisticated PET scans to monitor dopamine release in the brain during exercise, indicates that dopamine plays a vital role in boosting reaction times and overall brain function.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 14, 2023·4 min read

Beer Goggles Myth Busted: Alcohol Doesn’t Alter Attraction

Researchers have debunked the "beer goggles" myth, suggesting that alcohol doesn't necessarily make people appear more attractive due to facial symmetry. In their study, participants, including intoxicated individuals, rated natural faces as more attractive than asymmetrical ones.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 25, 2023·7 min read

Exercise Boosts Brain Power Amidst Sleep Deprivation

New research reveals that moderate exercise improves cognitive performance (CP) even under conditions of sleep deprivation and low oxygen levels. The study involved two experiments with 24 participants in total, examining the effects of partial and total sleep deprivation, as well as hypoxia, on CP.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 23, 2022·4 min read

Picky Eaters Are Put Off by Food Depending on Plateware Color

The color of the plate food is served on influences taste perception, a new study reports.

This shows a little boy playing peak-a-boo

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 10, 2022·3 min read

Pretend Play Should Be Studied in Children From a Younger Age

When it comes to pretend play, infants perform interactional patterns with elements of pretense a lot earlier than previously believed. Researchers say pretend play should be considered an interpersonal feature of cognitive development, and not an end product.