People who feel sad or anxious without knowing the source of their sulkiness will let negative feelings affect their decision-making on unrelated issues. However, a groundbreaking new study in the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Research reveals a surprisingly simple way to combat the rule of bad feelings: identify the source of the negative emotion.
“When we do not know the cause of our negative states – referred to as mood states by psychologists–we use the moo
An important new study explores the impact of artificial bonuses on customer loyalty. For example, putting a few extra “bonus” stamps on a frequent-buyer card – instead of just requiring more purchases in the first place – leads to an artificial feeling of advancement towards a goal…and repeat business. In a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Consumer Research, this phenomenon is termed the “endowed progress effect.”
“The endowed progress effect we document is shown to affect the attr
Many dog owners who relinquish their pets to animal shelters are not entirely honest about their dogs’ behavioral problems probably for fear that their pets will be put to sleep, according to a study from the University of Pennsylvania and University of California veterinary schools. According to the researchers, these behavioral problems may sometimes pose a risk to an adopting family who could unknowingly take in an aggressive animal.
The researchers studied behavioral questionn
Diabetes prevention study reveals another benefit of lifestyle changes
Losing a modest amount of weight through dietary changes and increased physical activity reduces the occurrence of urinary incontinence (UI) in women with prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet diabetic. This finding comes from a new study, published in the February issue of Diabetes Care, of women who participated in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP),
People with strong views on abortion and other controversial issues tend to exaggerate differences of opinion they have with their opponents, a new University of Florida study finds.
The research shows that the middle ground can be reached on intellectual terms but often is not because individuals view their opponents’ arguments as attacks upon their core values and therefore themselves, said John Chambers, a UF psychology professor.
“Members of partisan social grou
These findings set the stage for clinical research into stroke prevention
Among patients who have suffered a single stroke, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, along with colleagues at other institutions, have found that severe stenosis, or narrowing, of the arteries in the head represents a major risk factor for the development of a subsequent stroke. Patients with recent symptoms were also at high risk. Further, women faced a greater risk of sub
Children’s first dental visit should come soon after their first teeth sprout, says UCSF researcher
Fluoride varnish, a dental preventive treatment, reduces the incidence of early childhood tooth decay in combination with dental health counseling for parents, according to a study by investigators at the UCSF School of Dentistry.
The investigators examined cavity-free infants and young children, primarily from low-income Chinese or Hispanic families in San Francis
Offering free HIV tests instead of charging a small fee is more cost-effective at preventing HIV infections and draws in three times as many people for testing, according to a Duke University Medical Center study conducted in Tanzania.
The Duke researchers provided free HIV tests and counseling during a two-week pilot program in 2003. The number of people seeking tests increased from 4.1 per day before the free testing interval to 15.0 per day during the pilot program. However, th
Study led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine may provide new hope for cancer patients and others with compromised immune systems
New study by Mount Sinai researchers may lead to improved stem cell therapies for patients with compromised immune systems due to intensive cancer therapy or autoimmune disease. The study is published in this week’s issue of Cell.
A group, led by Paul Frenette, Associate Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, found that t
A study of seven tropical forests around the world has revealed that nature encourages biodiversity by favoring the growth of less common trees. The landmark study, conducted by 33 ecologists from 12 countries and published in the Jan. 27 issue of the journal Science, conclusively demonstrates that diversity matters and has ecological importance to tropical forests. Helene Muller-Landau, an assistant professor of ecology in the University of Minnesota’s College of Biological Sciences, is a c
Children who experience a rewarding friendship before the birth of a sibling are likely to have a better relationship with that brother or sister that endures throughout their childhood, said Laurie Kramer in a University of Illinois study published in December’s Journal of Family Psychology.
“There’s something about early friendships — when they work well, they help children learn how to behave constructively in relationships,” said Kramer, co-editor with Lew Bank
Unique resources at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital let researchers generate a “gold mine” of data to track evolution of bird flu virus genes and understand how they cooperate to cause disease
Investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have completed the first large-scale study of bird flu virus genomes, thereby doubling the amount of genetic information available on the genes and proteins of these viruses. The results of the project could lead to
University of Pittsburgh researchers announced they have genetically engineered an avian flu vaccine from the critical components of the deadly H5N1 virus that completely protected mice and chickens from infection. Avian flu has devastated bird populations in Southeast Asia and Europe and so far has killed more than 80 people.
Because this vaccine contains a live virus, it may be more immune-activating than avian flu vaccines prepared by traditional methods, say the researcher
Relationships with industry, competitive environments associated with research secrecy
Open sharing of information is a basic principle of the scientific process, but it is well known that secrecy has become a fact of life in academic science. Several studies have described how researchers may withhold the results of their studies from other scientists or deny them access to data or materials. In two new reports, researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Inst
Care at a trauma center lowers by 25 percent the risk of death for injured patients compared to treatment received at non-trauma centers, according to the results of a nationwide study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Washington School of Medicine. “A National Evaluation of the Effect of Trauma Center Care on Mortality,” to be published in the January 26, 2006, edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, is among the
A study published in the latest issue of Conservation Biology examines the effects of humans on Magellanic Penguins and finds no immediate, negative effects of tourism. Although first seeing people is stressful for the penguins, habituation is rapid. The authors monitored the defensive head turns and the level of a hormone secreted in response to stress (plasma corticosterone) of penguins when encountering humans. “Head turns of penguins visited for 10 days were significantly lower than those of
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