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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.

This shows a diagram of a brain with the areas identified as part of the compulsion network highlighted.

Brain Signal Linked to OCD Compulsions Identified

A newly identified high-frequency brain signal in the frontal cortex appears to drive compulsive behaviors in OCD. In three severe cases, briefly disrupting this activity through targeted deep brain stimulation rapidly reduced symptoms, offering hope for more precise and responsive treatments.

This shows a couple in love with an overlay of neurons connecting them.

What Falling in Love Does to Your Brain

Falling in love activates the brain’s reward system much like food or addictive substances. Dopamine surges create euphoria and obsessive focus, while stress hormones intensify the experience. Meanwhile, brain regions tied to critical judgment quiet down, allowing emotional bonding to take precedence over skepticism. As relationships mature, bonding hormones reshape that initial spark into lasting attachment.

Antidepressants May Safeguard Against Preterm Birth Risks

Does treating depression with antidepressants during pregnancy harm the baby? A massive new study reveals that while SSRIs increase gestational diabetes risk, they also protect against preterm birth.

This shows a brain with the nucleus accumbens highlighted, showing where the drug activates to prevent opioid relapse behaviors.

Glaucoma Drug Repurposed to Block Opioid Cravings and Relapse

An old drug for glaucoma might be the key to stopping opioid relapse. New research shows acetazolamide "resets" the brain's reward center to block cravings.

This shows a person looking at a cloud covered, digital head, symbolizing a human connection with AI chatbots.

When AI Becomes a Co-Author of Your Delusions

Generative AI doesn’t just hallucinate at us, it can shape how we hallucinate with it. By affirming and elaborating on users’ beliefs, conversational systems may help false narratives take root and grow.

Cognitive Illusion: Why AI Still Can’t Think Like a Human

Forget the hype about AI "solving" human cognition, new research suggests that the most advanced models may just be master test-takers rather than true thinkers. By uncovering a "glitch" in how AI processes instructions, scientists have revealed that the path to a truly general cognitive model is blocked by a lack of genuine language understanding.

A realistic, modern art style 3D rendering of a human brain displayed on a concrete pedestal in a gallery setting. The brain is illuminated with intricate neon filaments in contrasting blue and orange, representing the intertwined nature of episodic and semantic memory.

Memory Rewritten: Study Finds No Clear Line Between Episodic and Semantic Retrieval

A new study challenges the long-standing belief that episodic and semantic memory rely on distinct brain systems. Researchers found that retrieving personal memories and general knowledge activates overlapping neural regions, a discovery that could reshape our understanding of dementia.

Early Intervention Helps Most Autistic Children Acquire Spoken Language

Summary: New research reports that approximately two-thirds of initially non-speaking children with...

Early Screen Time Linked to Long-Term Brain Changes, Teen Anxiety

New research following children for more than a decade links high screen exposure before age two to accelerated brain maturation, slower decision-making, and increased anxiety by adolescence. Infants with more screen time showed premature specialization in brain networks involved in visual processing and cognitive control, which later reduced flexibility during thinking tasks.

Doubting Your Doubts Can Boost Motivation

When people facing uncertainty about an important identity goal are nudged to question the validity of their own doubts, their commitment to that goal actually increases. The research demonstrates that inducing meta-cognitive doubt—doubt about one’s doubts—can flip ambivalence into renewed motivation.

This shows faces expressing different emotions.

Smiling Faces Trigger Mimicry, and Make Us Trust Them More

People instinctively mimic others’ facial expressions, but new research shows we do this far more with joyful faces than with sadness or anger—and that the intensity of mimicry predicts how much we trust someone. Across three experiments using EMG and behavioral tasks, participants copied smiles more readily and rated smiling individuals as more attractive, confident, and trustworthy.

Guilt and Shame Shape Behavior Through Separate Brain Pathways

uilt and shame arise from different cognitive triggers and rely on distinct neural systems to guide compensatory behavior. Using a controlled game that manipulated both harm and responsibility, researchers showed that guilt is more strongly driven by the severity of harm caused, while shame is more strongly shaped by how responsible someone feels for that harm. Guilt also more reliably translated into financial compensation, whereas shame required greater cognitive control to influence behavior.