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 large international study of over 21,000 identical twins has identified genetic variants that influence how individuals respond to life experiences, affecting traits such as anxiety, depression, and autistic traits. By analyzing genetic differences in identical twins, researchers discovered that certain genes make people more or less sensitive to environmental exposures.
New research reveals a stress-sensitive neural pathway that impairs both sleep and memory in male mice. Scientists activated neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, known for their role in stress response, which caused sleep loss and poor memory performance.
Psilocybin significantly enhances psychological well-being and spiritual insight among clergy members across major world religions. Participants reported lasting positive changes in religious practice, personal beliefs, and vocational effectiveness after two guided psilocybin sessions.
Late-life depression and bipolar disorder may be more than psychiatric conditions—they could be early warning signs of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Using advanced brain imaging and postmortem tissue analysis, researchers found that half of the participants with late-onset mood disorders showed signs of tau accumulation, a key hallmark of neurodegeneration.
Chimpanzees have been observed yawning and lying down after seeing a humanoid android mimic a yawning facial expression, indicating contagious yawning triggered by an artificial agent. This study is the first to show yawn contagion in response to an inanimate model, suggesting that yawns may serve as a rest cue in addition to a social reflex.
A new workbook offers science-backed strategies to help individuals overcome chronic nightmares and insomnia. Using proven therapeutic approaches, it teaches readers how to rewrite distressing dreams and develop healthier sleep patterns.
A new study shows that AI can create internet memes rated as funny and shareable as those made by humans—but the best jokes still come from people. Researchers compared memes made by humans, AI, and human-AI teams, using classic templates like Doge and Futurama Fry.
A new study reveals that multitasking isn’t a single, universal skill, but a combination of broad cognitive abilities and task-specific skills. Researchers tested 224 participants across nine different multitasking challenges, including concurrent tasks, task-switching, and complex multitasking.
In a unique real-world study, researchers examined the psychological effects of trauma on survivors of the October 7 Nova Festival attack in Israel, focusing on their use of mind-altering substances. Among 343 participants, those who had taken classic psychedelics like LSD or psilocybin reported significantly lower anxiety and PTSD symptoms than those who used other substances or none at all.
New research reveals that bedtime procrastination in young adults is linked to specific personality traits, especially higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness and extraversion. These associations remained significant even after accounting for chronotype, the natural inclination to sleep earlier or later.