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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.

Facts Can Heal Divides, Not Just Deepen Them

A new study challenges the belief that exposure to facts only deepens political divisions. Researchers found that when Americans were presented with balanced, credible information about gun control, and incentivized to engage with it, they retained the facts and even revised their views.

Only Children Face Unique Struggles as Parental Caregivers

As single-child families rise in the U.S., more adults are navigating the intense responsibility of caregiving without the support of siblings. A new study reveals that only children experience greater emotional and financial stress when caring for aging parents, and support from friends or extended family doesn't offer the same relief it does for those with siblings.

Neural Rewiring May Hold the Key to Psychosis Recovery

A new study has uncovered the brain connectivity patterns that differentiate patients who recover from psychosis from those who do not. Using whole-brain computational models, researchers found that patients in remission show increased neural connectivity, while those with persistent symptoms show reduced connectivity.

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These 3 Bad Habits in Your 30s Impact Later Mental Health

A decades-long study in Finland reveals that smoking, heavy drinking, and physical inactivity in early adulthood are strongly linked to declining physical and mental health by age 36. Participants with all three habits showed elevated depression symptoms, higher metabolic risk, and lower self-rated health and wellbeing scores.

AI Still Falls Short in Understanding Human Social Interactions

Humans significantly outperform AI models in interpreting dynamic social interactions, a skill critical for technologies like autonomous vehicles and assistive robots. In a new study, participants reliably judged short videos of social scenes, while over 350 AI models struggled to match human accuracy or predict brain responses.

Oxytocin Powers Altruistic Responses via Parallel Brain Circuits

A new study reveals that mice instinctively display rescue-like behaviors toward anesthetized peers, offering powerful evidence that prosociality may be hardwired in mammals. Researchers identified oxytocin as a key driver, activating two brain pathways to coordinate emotional and motor responses.

How the Quest for Significance Fuels Conspiracy Beliefs

A deep psychological need to feel significant drives much of human behavior—and can also lead people toward conspiracy theories and extremist beliefs. Drawing from decades of research and real-world examples, experts explain how feelings of insignificance, especially in uncertain times, make people more susceptible to narratives that promise belonging, identity, and a sense of control.

Gun Culture a Key Factor in School Shooter Backgrounds

A comprehensive analysis of all known U.S. school shootings reveals that most shooters grew up in social environments where guns were a central part of family bonding and identity. These cultural meanings of affection, fun, and belonging made firearms easily accessible to the shooters—often without barriers at home. In many cases, parents purchased the firearms used or stored them in places their children could reach.

Can Brain Scans Tell Which Antidepressant Will Work for You?

A new study shows that brain connectivity patterns, especially in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, can help predict how patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) will respond to antidepressants. By combining brain imaging with clinical data, researchers developed machine learning models that accurately predicted treatment outcomes across two large trials.

People Worry More About Today’s AI Harms Than Future Catastrophes

A new study finds that people are more concerned about the immediate risks of artificial intelligence—like job loss, bias, and disinformation—than they are about hypothetical future threats to humanity. Researchers exposed over 10,000 participants to different AI narratives and found that, while future catastrophes raise concern, real-world present dangers resonate more strongly.

Human Eyes See New Color “Olo” for the First Time

Scientists have created a technology called Oz that stimulates individual photoreceptor cells in the human eye to create an entirely new, ultra-saturated color never seen in nature—dubbed olo. Using microdoses of laser light, Oz activates specific combinations of cone cells to generate this vivid blue-green hue, which vanishes the moment the precision targeting is disrupted.

Psychedelics May Reset Brain-Immune Link Driving Fear and Anxiety

A new study reveals that chronic stress activates immune cells that travel to the brain, amplify inflammation, and heighten fear responses. Researchers found that psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin disrupt this immune-brain crosstalk, reducing stress-related fear in mice and showing similar effects in human tissue samples.