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Psychology
Emotional Support Animals pose legal, ethical and professional challenges
The booming popularity of an increasingly exotic array of emotional support animals (ESAs) has created legal, ethical and professional challenges for the therapists who...
Study questions evidence from gold-standard psychological treatments
A paper has questioned much of the statistical evidence underpinning therapies designated as "Empirically Supported Treatments" (ESTs), by Division 12 of the American Psychological...
Med students driven to drink by Fees Must Fall protests — study
Fees Must Fall protests drove medical students to drink. Literally. The Times reports that this is according to a study at the University of...
UK medical schools fail to provide adequate training on eating disorders
A study of all Britain's medical schools has revealed that medical students receive less than two hours of training on eating disorders over four...
Meta-analysis isolates job advantages enjoyed by extroverts
Extroversion in the workplace was found to be linked with a few key advantages, found a University of Toronto study.
"There's been much debate in...
Anger more harmful than sadness in older people
Anger may be more harmful to an older person's physical health than sadness, potentially increasing inflammation, which is associated with such chronic illnesses as...
Perseverance to fend off depression, anxiety and panic —18-year study
"Perseverance cultivates a sense of purposefulness that can create resilience against or decrease current levels of major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and panic...
Mental disorders more common in people who live alone
Living alone is positively associated with common mental disorders, regardless of age and sex, according to a large English study.
The proportion of people living...
The 'sugar rush' myth: It actually lowers alertness and increases fatigue
Sugar does not improve mood and it can make people less alert and more tired after its consumption, according to a meta-analysis by the...
30-minute 'nature pill' reduces stress hormone levels by up to 28%
Taking a 30-minute "nature pill" at least three-times a week, reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol by up to 28%, found a US...
Growing up in green surroundings significantly lessens risk of mental disorders
Children who grow up with greener surroundings have up to 55% less risk of developing various mental disorders later in life. This is shown...
Background music may actually hamper creativity
The popular view that music enhances creativity has been challenged by researchers who say it has the opposite effect. Psychologists from the University of...
Taking the plunge — the benefits of cold-water swimming
Angus Harrison looks at the health benefits of cold-water swimming in a Vice report. He writes: “Brighton, 6:45am. The sky is clear and silent:...
Number of suicide deaths increased since 1990
The total number of deaths from suicide increased by 6.7% globally between 1990 and 2016 to 817,000 deaths in 2016, finds a study. However,...
Learning new vocabulary during deep sleep
A Swiss study has showed for the first time that we can acquire the vocabulary of a new language during distinct phases of slow-wave...
Psychological distress a factor for future dementia risk
A new study suggests that vital exhaustion – which can be perceived as an indicator of psychological distress – is a risk factor for...
Hysterectomy may affect cognition — animal study
Research at Arizona State University found rats that underwent the surgical removal of the uterus with ovaries left intact had a memory deficit, suggesting the uterus...
Looking to hypnotherapy to improve IBS symptoms
Hypnotherapy should be considered as a possible treatment for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in primary and secondary care, found a Dutch trial.
People...
First causal linking of social media use and decreased well-being
The link between the two has been talked about for years, but a causal connection had never been proven. For the first time, University...
More screen time links with lower psychological well-being in children
Higher amounts of screen time are linked t0 heightened levels and diagnoses of anxiety or depression in children as young as age two, according...
Free, new reasoning test to challenge the widely used APM
A team of psychologists at the University of California has now developed a free test to measure reasoning ability in undergraduates that takes roughly...
Group CBT may be best for treatment of anxiety disorders in children
Group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) could be the best choice of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, according to a network meta-analysis...
Concern over psycho executives overblown – unless it's a man
Corporate leaders do not tend to have substantially higher levels of psychopathic tendencies, according to a meta-analysis from the American Psychological Association. However, there is...
Religious upbringing link to better health and well-being in adulthood
Participating in spiritual practices during childhood and adolescence may be a protective factor for a range of health and well-being outcomes in early adulthood,...
New personality test is faster to take and harder to manipulate
Psychology researchers have developed a new personality test that is both faster to take and much harder to manipulate by those attempting to control...
Taking ayahuasca is like having a near-death experience – study
A psychedelic drug taken as part of the South American plant brew ayahuasca produces effects that are strikingly similar to near-death experiences, a study...
Wake up and smell the placebo, for a cognitive boost
Research at Stevens Institute of Technology reveals that the scent of coffee alone may help people perform better on the analytical portion of the...
Conservatives understand 'meaning of life' better than liberals
"To be or not to be?" Hamlet asked aloud as he pondered the meaning of life. Maybe he was a liberal. Conservatives, more so...
Digital overload may contribute to new ADHD behaviours
According to a US observational study digital overload could be linked to a modest but significant rise in new ADHD behaviours, offering a warning...
Psychological outcomes in children of same-sex vs different-sex parents
For children of lesbian or gay parents, psychological adjustment is about the same as in children of heterosexual parents, reports a study. "Our findings...
Helicopter parents are doing more harm than good
Research published by the American Psychological Association found that over-controlling parenting can negatively affect a child's ability to manage his or her emotions and...
Religious affiliation linked to increased longevity
A US study of obituaries has found that people with religious affiliations lived nearly four years longer than those with no ties to religion....
Quantifying the tipping point for large social change
When organisations turn a blind eye to sexual harassment in the workplace, how many people need to take a stand before the behaviour is...
SA guidelines for psychologists working with LGBTI people
An historic document was launched in Johannesburg recently by the Psychological Society of South Africa. Suntosh R Pillay, a clinical psychologist in a public...
Long-lasting benefits of using meditation to sustain attention
Gains in the ability to sustain attention developed through intensive meditation training are maintained up to seven years later, reports a study is based...
Husbands more prone to illness when wives are primary breadwinners
US men whose female partners are the primary bread-winners in their families are more likely to suffer from conditions such as lung diseases, ulcers...
Meditation helps attentiveness and ability to focus in old age
Regular and intensive meditation sessions over the course of a lifetime could help a person remain attentive and focused well into old age. This...
Helping shatter the stigma of doctors' mental health problems
SIGECAPS is the mnemonic medical students memorise to learn the core symptoms of depression: sleep, interest, guilt, energy, concentration, appetite, psychomotor retardation, and suicidality....
'Boomerang generation' reduces parents' quality of life
Adult children who return to live with their parents, the so-called “boomerang generation”, cause a significant decline in parents' quality of life and well-being,...
Holding a loved one's hand helps to diminish pain
Simply holding hands with a comforting partner will synchronise not only breathing and heart rate, but also brain wave patterns, accompanied with a decrease...