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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.

What You Choose to Remember Shapes Memory More Than Emotion

A new study reveals that intentional memory control—deciding what to remember or forget—is more powerful than emotional influence when forming long-term memories. Participants were more likely to recall words they were told to remember than those carrying emotional weight, even though emotion sometimes strengthened recall or caused false memories.

This is an illustration of people pushing neurons, as in a battle.

Social Brain: Neurons That Decide Who Wins and Who Yields

Researchers have pinpointed specific brain cells that control how animals react to social defeat, offering new insight into the biology of dominance and submission. In male mice, neurons in the dorsomedial striatum—known as cholinergic interneurons—were found to regulate the “loser effect,” where past defeats lower an individual’s future social rank.

Do You Get Déjà Vu? Memory Glitches Make Time Feel Repeated

Déjà vu—the eerie feeling that a new moment has happened before—has puzzled scientists and philosophers for centuries. Neuroscientists now believe it’s a normal brain glitch tied to how memory and perception interact.

This shows a brain surrounded by "noisy" items, like music notes and people chewing.

Misophonia Might Be a Brain Regulation Disorder

A new study shows that misophonia, strong negative reactions to certain sounds, is closely linked to cognitive and emotional inflexibility. Participants with high misophonia severity struggled to shift between emotional tasks and reported rigid thinking in daily life.

This shows people walking with album covers and sound waves in the background.

How Growing Up Changes the Way We Hear, and Feel, Music

Our music preferences evolve across life — from youthful exploration to nostalgic reflection. A large-scale analysis of 40,000 users’ streaming data over 15 years revealed that young listeners engage broadly with new and popular music, while adults settle into more personal and emotionally rooted tastes.

This shows a brain wrapped in a chain and a depressed woman.

Sugar Chains in the Brain: New Pathway Behind Depression Found

Scientists have discovered that depression can be driven by abnormal sugar modifications on proteins in the brain, offering a new molecular pathway for understanding the disorder. Chronic stress was shown to reduce sialylation—a stabilizing sugar process—in the prefrontal cortex, impairing neural circuit stability and triggering depressive symptoms.

Motherhood Flips Brain Switch That Triggers Aggression

Researchers discovered that female mice gain access to aggression after giving birth through a brain circuit usually dormant in non-pregnant females.

This shows a mom holding a baby at night.

When Mom Struggles to Bond, Babies Sleep Worse

A large Finnish study has found that mothers who struggle to bond with their infants are more likely to have children with sleep problems that persist into toddlerhood. Difficulties in bonding at eight months were linked to sleep disruptions, including frequent awakenings and trouble falling asleep, even at age two.

Psilocybin Rewire Brain Circuits Tied to Pain and Mood

New research shows that psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms, can reduce both chronic pain and pain-related depression by modulating brain circuits rather than acting at the site of injury. In mouse studies, a single dose provided pain relief and mood benefits lasting nearly two weeks by targeting the anterior cingulate cortex.

This shows a mom and child with a swirly background.

Psilocybin Worsens Postpartum Depression Symptoms

New research shows psilocybin, often studied as a treatment for mental health disorders, may worsen symptoms of postpartum depression in mice. Mothers given the drug showed more anxiety, avoidance of their pups, and lasting depressive-like behaviors.

Income Inequality Reshapes Children’s Brains and Mental Health

A large-scale neuroimaging study of over 10,000 U.S. children reveals that income inequality in society is tied to structural and functional brain changes that predict poorer mental health outcomes. Unlike individual family income, societal inequality impacts children across socioeconomic groups, suggesting that social environments exert powerful biological effects.

This shows a woman surrounded by pollen, sneezing.

High Pollen Levels Tied to Rising Suicide Risk

A U.S. study combining pollen and suicide data from over a decade shows that high pollen days are linked to a measurable rise in suicide risk. The risk increased incrementally with pollen levels, peaking at a 7.4% rise on the highest days.