Psychology News

These research articles involve many aspects of psychology such as cognitive psychology, depression studies, mental health, stress, happiness and neuropsychology, Scroll below for more specific categories.

A new study found increased neuronal connectivity in the brains of serial entrepreneurs. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), the researchers discovered that entrepreneurs have higher connectivity between key brain regions associated with cognitive flexibility and exploratory choices.
A new study exploring the potential impacts of contraceptive pills on mental health reveals an alarming connection to depression, especially in teenage users. The research, which analyzed data from over a quarter of a million women from the UK Biobank, found that teens initiating contraceptive pill use had a 130% higher incidence of depression symptoms.
Young adults who heavily consumed alcohol during their teenage years exhibited thinner cortical gray matter and modified neurotransmission. Utilizing MRI and TMS-EEG technology, the researchers identified lower gray matter thickness and increased N45 potential, indicative of inhibitory GABA and excitatory glutamate neurotransmitter activity. This study underlines the long-term, detrimental impact of adolescent heavy drinking on adult brain structure and function.
Researchers discovered children's ability to process emotional cues is largely established by the time they start school. Analyzing brain scans from children aged five to 15, the study revealed that such brain activity becomes increasingly similar to their peers' as they reach adolescence. The research emphasizes the importance of early intervention to address issues related to understanding emotional cues.
Researchers identified specific brain network connections associated with anosognosia, a condition where patients are unaware of their neurological or psychiatric deficits. Using a technique called lesion network mapping, they identified separate networks linked to visual and motor anosognosia and a shared network responsible for awareness of these deficits. The shared network converged on the hippocampus and precuneus, both associated with memory.
Researchers uncovered how chronic stress in combination with high-calorie diets can amplify our brain's reward system, driving overeating and weight gain. They found that stress inhibits the lateral habenula, a brain area typically curbing such reward signals.
Researchers discovered people with higher neuroticism, a trait potentially risking mental health, experience not only amplified negative emotions but also higher mood variability. Using a novel approach from Bayesian statistics, the psychologists analyzed 13 longitudinal datasets to confirm their findings.