A new study of young mothers by researchers at University College London (UCL) has shown that romantic and maternal love activate many of the same specific regions of the brain, and lead to a suppression of neural activity associated with critical social assessment of other people and negative emotions. The findings suggest that once one is closely familiar with a person, the need to assess the character and personality of that person is reduced, and bring us closer to explaining why, in neurologica
Report suggests we’re better at avoiding self-blame than we think
“Regrets? I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.” When Frank Sinatra crooned those lyrics in his song “My Way,” he probably didn’t know that having few regrets is more like “Our Way.”
Research has shown that people often expect to feel more regret when they “nearly succeed” (miss an airplane by a minute) than when they “clearly fail” (miss a flight by an hour) because they believe they will blame
Anger primes prejudice
You may be more prejudiced than you think, especially if you’re angry and approached by someone of a different race, religion or creed.
A study slated for publication in the Spring 2004 edition of Psychological Science (the flagship Journal of the American Psychological Society) by psychology professors David DeSteno and Nilanjana Dasgupta from Northeastern University and UMass Amherst respectively, reveals that the experience of anger causes automati
As Valentine’s Day approaches, one prevailing argument for marriage may well be that studies show married people are less depressed than their single counterparts. Behind this string of scientific reasoning for matrimony is a proven fact: the prevalence of depression in patients with coronary artery disease (e.g., myocardial infarction and heart failure) is approximately five times that of the general population.
Background
Major depression is a significant predictor of mor
Heavy Internet use may be therapeutic for those people facing social isolation and loneliness, says a University of Alberta study–dispelling the belief that high computer usage leads to psychological problems.
A team of researchers, lead by graduate student Mary Modayil, challenged the notion that heavy Internet use increases levels of depression for its users. The research was recently published in the journal Cyberpsychology and Behavior.
Modayil and her team, made up of Dr. G
Teenage girls who have sex with more than one partner in a short period of time are likely to engage in other risk behaviors such as fighting, binge drinking, smoking cigarettes, using cocaine or sniffing glue, according to results from a national survey of American high school youth.
The study of more than 3,000 female students appears in the American Journal of Health Behavior.
Having sexual intercourse with multiple partners increases the risk of pregnancy, sexually transmitted
Treatment for depression may be stymied in people with moderate to severe body pain, according to a new study.
Researchers Matthew J. Bair, M.D., formerly of the Regenstrief Institute, and colleagues uncovered the connection by analyzing the results of a clinical trial of 573 depression patients taking medications like Prozac, Paxil or Zoloft. Their findings are published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.
Although depression improved in most of the patients after three months
Some men may not be willing to use condoms regularly even after seeking treatment for a sexually transmitted infection and acknowledging their protective value, according to a new survey of low-income African-American clinic patients.
Two-thirds of the men with a primary sexual partner and one-third of those without a primary partner said they were not ready to use condoms consistently, say Diane Grimley, Ph.D., of University of Alabama at Birmingham and colleagues. The study was published
A person’s sense of self-worth is probably linked, to a certain degree, on how economically or socially successful they are
Worried about gaining weight and wrinkles as you age? Well, now there’s one more reason to fear aging – an increased sense of insecurity, say sociologists from the University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario.
“We live in a culture of youth where being young is prized and idealized,” says Professor John Cairney, a sociologist in U of T’s
Smokers trying to kick the habit for 2004 are probably finding it much harder than they expected. New research by University of Sussex psychologists reveals that smokers subconsciously react to all sorts of visual cues that encourage them to light up.
It’s not just the obvious sight or smell of a cigarette that sparks off the behaviour. The researchers found that neutral images can also set off the craving.
“The implication of these findings is that cures for smoking should be focu
Becoming an adult takes longer today than in previous decades, with many not achieving all the traditional markers — starting a career, forming a new household, starting a family — until after age 30, according to a study by the Network on Transitions to Adulthood.
The Network, funded by the MacArthur Foundation, is directed by Frank Furstenberg, professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.
According to the study, a demographic shift has occurred, almost without no
General cognitive ability is related to success in multiple domains
Intelligence in the workplace is not that different from intelligence at school, according to the results of a meta-analysis of over one hundred studies involving more than 20,000 people. The findings contradict the popular notion that abilities required for success in the real world differ greatly from what is needed to achieve success in the classroom. The results are published in the January issue of the American
Long-lasting depot medication appears safe and effective for treatment of narcotic addiction
A study in the January issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence reports that a long-lasting depot medication appears safe and effective for treatment of narcotic addiction. In the study a single injection prevented withdrawal discomfort for 6 weeks in heroin-dependent patients, reduced the effects of injected opiates, and provided a comfortable detoxification as it gradually wore off.
Relationships with friends play a significant role in whether teenage girls think about suicide, but have little impact on suicidal thoughts among boys, according to a new nationwide study.
The research found that girls were nearly twice as likely to think about suicide if they had only a few friends and felt isolated from their peers. Girls were also more likely to consider suicide if their friends were not friends with each other.
These relationship factors had no significant eff
Effective team leadership may play an important part in reducing employee stress, while ineffective or ’laissez-faire’ leadership style may lead to increased depression in employees.
These are the findings of a study which was presented today, Wednesday 7 January at the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology Annual Conference at The Stratford Moathouse Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon.
The study by Jonathon Bell and Dr Angela Carter of the Institute of Work
Researchers report that children who spent more time in sports activities and had higher aerobic fitness reported fewer “sick” days; children with more than 25% body fat had significantly more
How best to keep school aged children from getting sick? Some invoke the most famous parental warning of all: “Don’t go outside with your hair wet or you’ll catch pneumonia.” Now, a new study offers additional strategies for combating the number of cold and flu symptom days among youngsters.
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