Current reporting, research and professional developments across Psychology, curated for psychologists and behavioral-health professionals.
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsReaders reply: Is ‘ripen at home’ fruit the…
As newborn neurons make their way through the developing brain, they must squeeze through incredibly tight spaces to reach their final destinations. Researchers discovered that this physical journey routinely causes some…
Psychology suggests that fathers who repair broken items instead of replacing them are rarely being cheap or stubborn. More often, they are preserving something far greater than the object itself. In ...
Of all the characteristics we might prize in a leader – competence, integrity, careful judgment, ethical courage – why do people rate charisma so highly?
A sport psychologist takes a look at disruption, tactical creativity and controlled mind-wandering in the modern game.
Rest can feel uncomfortable when society treats effort as evidence of commitment.
Big decisions are messier than they look, but there are things you can try before taking the leap – or not.
To the designer Susan Kare, designing icons was about solving ‘the little puzzle of making an image fit a metaphor’. Forty years later, that challenge remains.
Exposure to a common plastic chemical before and shortly after birth may have lasting effects on behavior. Researchers found that male rats exposed early in life to DEHP—a plasticizer used in products ranging from…
A small clinical trial suggests that probiotics may offer a surprising mental health boost for older adults with depression. Seniors who took a daily probiotic alongside their regular antidepressant treatment experienced…
Depression appears to change what children notice in the faces around them, but the effect depends on family history. Kids with a higher inherited risk became more focused on sadness, while lower-risk children lost some…
Dogs and cats both give you a brief mood lift, but only one of them seems to raise your stress levels too.
The term is everywhere, but what does it mean? Six guiding principles can help organisations provide care without causing further harm.
A new international study finds that middle-aged Americans are lonelier, more depressed, and experiencing worse memory and health than earlier generations. Researchers say growing financial strain, weaker social…
A three-year study of nearly 4,000 adults ranging from age 19 to 94 found that brain health can improve at any age, challenging the common belief that mental sharpness must decline as we get older. Participants spent…
Learning a musical instrument later in life may help keep the brain younger for longer. In a four-year study, older adults who continued practicing maintained their memory performance and showed less age-related brain…
A child psychologist says grandparents are more important than ever as youth mental health challenges continue to rise. He argues that children need supportive relationships, meaningful conversations, and a sense of…
Scientists have uncovered a surprising new genetic cause of a rare movement disorder after analyzing nearly 3,000 patients with conditions affecting coordination and muscle control. The team identified mutations in a…
Practicing existential humility means learning to live with the natural tension between our desires for certainty and curiosity.
Psychology does not claim that everyone who prefers black-and-white clothing has the same personality traits. Human behavior is far too nuanced and individual for such broad conclusions.
A groundbreaking new connectome maps every neural connection in an adult fruit fly’s central nervous system, creating an unprecedented view of how the brain and body work together. The findings suggest that complex…
A newly identified group of amygdala neurons appears to play a central role in anxiety and social behavior. Restoring normal activity in this tiny brain circuit reversed anxiety and social deficits in mice, revealing a…
Researchers found that social behavior begins in the brain before it becomes visible as movement. In zebrafish, a coordinated pattern of activity spread across the brain several seconds before the animals approached…
Scientists discovered that sleep deprivation damages a key brain circuit responsible for social memory, making it harder to recognize familiar individuals. In laboratory studies, caffeine restored communication between…
Cambridge researchers created miniature brain-and-spinal-cord systems in the lab that can send signals and even trigger tiny muscle contractions. They discovered that human neurons gradually lose their ability to regrow…
For more than a century, pianists and music teachers have argued over whether a performer’s touch can actually change the tone color of a piano note — and now scientists say the answer is yes. Using a cutting-edge sensor…
A new brain imaging study has found no evidence of widespread brain inflammation in patients suffering from prolonged symptoms after COVID-19 infection. Instead, the most severe long COVID symptoms were associated with…
A surprising new approach to depression treatment is showing early promise — not by targeting brain chemicals, but by calming the immune system. In a small clinical trial, researchers found that an anti-inflammatory drug…
When the body runs low on protein, the gut sends powerful signals to the brain that reshape cravings and push animals to seek essential amino acids instead of sugar. Researchers say this newly discovered gut-brain…
A drug combo widely explored for anti-aging may actually damage the brain, according to new mouse research showing severe loss of myelin and changes linked to “chemo brain.” Surprisingly, the damaged cells resembled…
Send a personal recommendation to a friend.