Latest

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.

This is a painting of a depressed person

Depression, Not Anxiety, Linked With Inflammation and Metabolic Change

Depression and anxiety have different biochemical links to inflammation and lipid metabolism. Those with depression have greater levels of inflammation and different types and amounts of lipids in their blood compared to those with anxiety. The metabolites associated with depression were linked to the severity of symptoms. Higher levels of lipids associated with depression detected in a person's blood correlated with more severe symptoms.

People React Better to Both Negative and Positive Events With More Sleep

Shorter sleep duration causes people to react more emotionally to stressful events and find less joy in positive events the next day. Following a good night of rest, people's reaction to positive and negative events improves dramatically.

Substance Use Disorders Linked to COVID-19 Susceptibility

People with a history of substance use disorder are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection and have an increased risk of experiencing worse outcomes, a new study reports.

Smartphones Can Predict Brain Function Associated With Anxiety and Depression

Data collected from smartphones can accurately predict connectivity between brain regions associated with emotional processing. Analyzing cellphone data, such as social activity, screen time, and location, alongside fMRI brain scans, researchers found smartphone data activity mirrors brain activity associated with depression and anxiety.

Depression Risk Detected by Measuring Heart Rate Changes

Measuring changes in heart rate for 24 hours, researchers can predict, with 90% accuracy, if a person is currently suffering from symptoms of depression.

Colors Evoke Similar Feelings Around the World

Color emotion may be a universal phenomenon, a new study reveals. People from different parts of the world often associate the same color with the same emotions.

Why Human-Like Robots Elicit Uncanny Feelings

Perceived animacy decreases significantly as a function of exposure time for android faces.

This shows emotional words highlighted in a book

Emotion Vocabulary Reflects State of Well-Being

The vocabulary we use to describe our emotions is an indicator of mental health, physical health, and overall well-being.

Loss of a Pet Can Potentially Trigger Mental Health Issues in Children

Children who experience the death of a pet may experience long-lasting and profound grief, which could lead to subsequent mental health problems. Researchers found strong emotional attachment to a pet may result in measurable psychological distress that serves as an indicator of depression in children and adolescents for three years or more after their animal dies.

Binge-Drinkers’ Brains Have to Work Harder to Feel Empathy for Others

Study reveals binge drinking is associated with more widespread neural dysfunction than previously believed. In those who binge drink, the visual areas of the brain show unusually high levels of activation. Additionally, those who binge drink have more difficulty in feeling empathy for others.

Children Will Wait to Impress Others: Another Twist on the Classic Marshmallow Test

In a twist on the classic marshmallow test of delay of gratification, researchers found children will wait almost twice as long for a reward if they are told another person will find out how long they have waited.