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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.

Stress of Long Work Hours May Physically Alter the Brain

Preliminary research suggests that working more than 52 hours per week may physically alter brain regions involved in emotional regulation, memory, and decision-making. MRI scans from healthcare workers revealed increased grey matter volume in key areas like the middle and superior frontal gyri and the insula.

This shows a brain and people looking with disgust at a steak.

Disgust, Not Taste, Drives Vegetarian Meat Avoidance

A new study finds that vegetarians reject meat with the emotion of disgust, rather than simple distaste, mirroring the strong aversion meat-eaters feel toward taboo foods like human flesh or feces. In contrast, disliked vegetables like beets or sprouts are typically rejected due to distaste—an aversion based on taste or texture.

New Insights Into Why Stress Is So Hard to Treat

A new review reveals key differences in how stress hormone systems function in primate versus rodent brains, offering insight into why treatments for stress-related disorders often fail in humans. Researchers found that corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) interacts with dopamine circuits in more complex and widespread ways in primates, with dopamine neurons often releasing multiple neurotransmitters.

Chronic Illness Combinations Double Depression Risk

A new study reveals that people with multiple chronic physical conditions face a significantly higher risk of developing depression, especially when conditions like heart disease and diabetes co-occur. Researchers analyzed health data from over 142,000 adults and found that certain multimorbidity profiles more than doubled the chance of a depression diagnosis within 10 years.

Social Status Shapes Addiction Risk Through Dopamine Circuitry

A new study reveals how social rank influences addiction vulnerability by altering dopamine pathways in the brain. Low-ranking male mice showed stronger reward signals and weaker control circuits, making them more prone to seek methamphetamine, while high-ranking mice had better balance and resistance.

Salience Network Expansion May Be A Reliable Biomarker for Depression

A newly identified biomarker—an enlarged salience network in the brain—could dramatically change how depression is detected and treated. This network, responsible for regulating attention and switching between mental states, was found to be consistently larger in people with depression, regardless of symptom severity or treatment history.

Diverse Social Ties Boost Health in Aging

A decade-long study of over 1,500 older adults reveals that socially enriched networks—marked by diverse and active relationships, are strongly linked to better health outcomes later in life. In contrast, those with restricted networks, often limited to family and shaped by isolation, reported significantly worse health and were less likely to improve their social ties over time.

This shows a man on a hill with a snowboard and briefcase.

The Cost of Chasing Passion Careers

A decade-long study of snowsport instructors reveals that trading a stable nine-to-five job for a passion-fueled career can lead to deep fulfillment—but also demands sacrifices. While participants reported personal growth and a sense of meaning, they also faced mental, financial, and physical challenges in a lifestyle centered around constant travel and seasonal work.

Changing Places Sparks Creativity

A new study finds that Nobel Prize winners who moved more frequently or worked in multiple locations began their groundbreaking research years earlier than peers who stayed in one place. By exposing themselves to new ideas and collaborators, mobile scientists accelerated their creative output.

Can Hearing Aids Ease Loneliness? New Study Says Yes

A new study shows that providing hearing aids and personalized audiology care helps older adults maintain social connections, reducing feelings of loneliness over time. Participants who received hearing interventions retained more diverse and meaningful relationships than those given only general healthy aging guidance.

Why OCD, Tics, and ADHD Keep You Up at Night

People with obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders (OCSDs), chronic tic disorders (CTDs), and ADHD often suffer from significant sleep disturbances, and a new review suggests that disruptions in the cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) pathway may be the reason why. The review highlights how dopamine and GABA dysregulation in CSTC circuitry contributes to both poor sleep and the disorders themselves, suggesting a bidirectional and additive relationship.

Does the TikTok Grounding Trend Really Improve Sleep?

Grounding, or physically connecting the body to the Earth, has gained traction as a wellness trend—now even through high-tech mats and sheets designed to replicate direct Earth contact. Advocates claim benefits for sleep, mood, and recovery, but scientific evidence remains limited.