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Psychology
Sibling bullying triples risk of later psychotic disorders
People who were bullied by siblings during childhood are up to three times more likely to develop psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia in early...
Positive views on ageing protect against dementia even among the high-risk
Older adults who acquired positive beliefs about old age from their surrounding culture are less likely to develop dementia, according to a Yale study....
Conspiracy theorists more likely to be anti-vaxxers
People who believe Princess Diana was murdered or that John F Kennedy's assassination was an elaborate plot are more likely to think that vaccines...
Prevalence of depression 'overestimated'
The common practice of using patient self-report screening questionnaires rather than diagnostic interviews conducted by researchers has resulted in overestimates of the prevalence of...
A romantic partner's scent helps lower stress levels
The scent of a romantic partner can help lower stress levels, research from the University of British Columbia has found. The study found women...
Selfitis — a genuine 'psychological complex'
‘Selfitis’ – the obsessive taking of selfies on mobile phones – appears to be a real psychological condition according to a UK-India study.
Researchers at...
Heavy Facebook users treat online friends as 'digital objects'
If you're materialistic, you're likely to use Facebook more frequently and intensely. A German study reveals that materialistic people see and treat their Facebook...
The cognitive origins of religious belief
Previous studies have suggested people who hold strong religious beliefs are more intuitive and less analytical, and when they think more analytically their religious...
Traditional South American drug improving wellbeing
A psychedelic drug traditionally used in South America improves people's general sense of wellbeing and may offer a treatment for alcoholism and depression, new...
Poor academic performance a predictor of suicide risk
A Swedish study has shown that poor academic performance, measured as grade point average (GPA) at age 16, was a robust and strong predictor...
Concern as social media promotes 'bonespiration'
‘Bonespiration’ — the celebration of skeletal images of bodies featuring protruding bones and pencil-thin limbs — is being promoted on social media, University of...
Traumatic events take toll on heart, especially after menopause
A study on women demonstrates how traumatic experiences - defined as events such as sexual harassment, death of a child, being in a car accident...
Facial contrast causes women to look younger
Observers perceive women with increased facial contrast - how much the eyes, lips and eyebrows stand out in the face in terms of how...
Men finding 'bromances' more emotionally satisfying than romances
Young men's 'bromances,' close friendships with other men, are more emotionally satisfying than their romantic relationships with women, finds a small University of Winchester...
Gossip is essential for interpersonal relationships
Intrasexual competition positively predicted gossip frequency with women reporting a greater tendency to gossip in comparison to men, particularly about physical appearance and social...
Boys with psychopathic potential don't have contagious laughter urge
Boys who showed disruptive behaviour coupled with high levels of callous-unemotional traits reported less desire to join in with laughter than did normally behaved...
Effective interventions with suicide emergency department patients
Three simple interventions for follow up of patients identified as suicide risks in hospital emergency departments save lives and are cost-effective relative to usual...
Emoji fans take heart: Scientists pinpoint 27 states of emotion
A University of California Berkeley study challenges a long-held assumption in psychology that most human emotions fall within the universal categories of happiness, sadness,...
Using money to buy time is linked with greater happiness
13Money spent on buying free time rather than material goods is linked with greater life satisfaction, but relatively few people, even among the wealthy,...
The long-term impact of spanking
Past research has indicated that physical punishment, such as spanking, has negative consequences on child development. However, most research studies have examined short-term associations...
Mindfulness training helps reduce the pain experience
Mindfulness training and hypnotic suggestion significantly reduced acute pain, experienced by hospital patients, similar to what one might expect from an opioid painkiller. After...
Longer oestrogen exposure reduces depression risk in menopause
Longer duration of oestrogen exposure from the start of menstruation until the onset of menopause was significantly associated with a reduced risk of depression...
Just thinking one is less active than peers, increases premature death risk
People who think they are less active than others in a similar age bracket die younger than those who believe they are more active,...
ACE's role in opioid addiction and later higher healthcare usage
Physical, sexual or emotional abuse as a child, or other childhood stresses, can lead to higher levels of health service use throughout adulthood, found...
Traditional bullying still far more common than cyberbullying
Despite the growth of social media, the internet and their central role in modern childhood, traditional bullying – such as name-calling or being excluded...
Pet therapy races far ahead of scientific evidence – experts
A therapy-animal trend grips the US, reports The Washington Post.Tthe trend, which has accelerated hugely since its initial stirrings a few decades ago, is...
Music therapy for schizophrenia – Cochrane evidence review
Moderate- to low-quality evidence suggests that music therapy as an addition to standard care improves the global state, mental state, social functioning, and quality...
Drugs, alcohol and violence as much a suicide risk as self-harm in adolescents
The risk of suicide 10 years after adolescents were hospitalised for drug problems, alcohol abuse or violent injury was similar to the risk among...
Mindfulness helps keep anxious minds from wandering
Just 10 minutes of daily mindful meditation may help prevent the mind from wandering, particularly with those who tend to have repetitive, anxious thoughts,...
Childhood adversities linked to increased adolescent suicide risk
Exposure to various common childhood adversities – such as parental psychiatric disorder, parental substance abuse or a death in the family – is associated...
How nature's sounds help us to relax
A Brighton and Sussex Medical School study found that playing 'natural sounds' affected the bodily systems that control the flight-or-fright and rest-digest autonomic...
Prudence, impatience, laziness not entrenched traits but contagious attitudes
'Prudence', 'impatience' and 'laziness' are typically thought of as entrenched personality traits that guide how people weigh the cost of risk, delay and effort...
Confidence, not maths ability, hinders path to science degrees
Girls rate their mathematics abilities markedly lower than boys, even when there is no observable difference between the two, a US study found. Confidence...
Lonely people prone to report more severe cold symptoms
Suffering through a cold is annoying enough, but if you’re lonely, you’re likely to feel even worse. US research indicated that people who feel...
Marmite may be good for the brain, scientists find
People like it or loathe it, but now Marmite is getting attention for other reasons. Researchers at the University of York have discovered a...
UK researchers confirm link between chronic stress and obesity
Using hair to measure long-term levels of the stress hormone cortisol, UK researchers have confirmed the link between chronic stress and packing on kilograms,...
Stress of sex abuse impacts on girls' physical growth and maturation
While it has long been known that maltreatment can affect a child's psychological development, new Penn State research indicates that the stress of abuse...
Higher status for overworked and busy people in the US, but not Italy
Long gone are the days when a life of material excess and endless leisure time signified prestige. According to a study by researchers at...
Positive changes in the brains of retreat participants
More Americans than ever are turning to spiritual, meditative and religious retreats as a way to reset their daily life and enhance wellbeing. Now...
At last we know: The Mona Lisa IS happy!
In perhaps the world's most recognised painting, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, her supposedly ambiguous expression - is she happy or sad? - was...