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Coles et al provide the strongest evidence to date that facial expressions can influence our feelings. Image credit: Sasin Tipchai.

Smiling Can Make Us Feel Little Bit Happier, Review Says

Apr 15, 2019 by News Staff

According to a review of previous studies, published in the Psychological Bulletin, emotional facial expressions — such as smiling — can influence...

Exposure to coffee-related cues increases arousal.

Just Looking at Things that Remind Us of Coffee Can Arouse Our Minds

Apr 1, 2019 by News Staff

Coffee and tea are two beverages commonly-consumed around the world. In Western societies, coffee is associated with greater arousal than tea. According...

The popular view that music enhances creativity has been challenged by Threadgold et al. Image credit: William Iven.

Background Music Stints Creativity, Says New Study

Feb 28, 2019 by News Staff

In a series of three experiments, a team of psychologists from Lancaster University, the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Gävle...

Study: Children’s Personalities Influence How They Perform in Math and Reading

Dec 26, 2018 by News Staff

Proficiency in reading and math is associated with a complex system of skills, some of which derive from personality traits. In new research, Dr. Margherita...

Westbury & Hollis determined that there are two main kinds of predictors of funniness in words: those related to the form of the word and those related to its meaning. Image credit: Jesper Sehested, PlusLexia.com / CC BY 2.0.

What Makes Some Words Funny? Psychology Experts Cracking Science of Humor

Nov 29, 2018 by News Staff

A new study by University of Alberta scientists demonstrates that words are judged funnier if they are less common and have an improbable orthographic...

Tobacco package stimuli: neutral (left) and negative (right) social cues. Image credit: Jennifer Jeffrey & Matthew Thomson, doi: 10.1111/joca.12232.

Negative Social Cues on Tobacco Packaging May Encourage Smokers Quit

Nov 27, 2018 by News Staff

A new study by Western University, Canada, supports the notion that tobacco packaging which conveys to smokers that ‘others’ view smoking negatively...

By combining separate measures of recall and recognition, Jenkins et al show that people know about 5,000 faces on average and that individual differences are large. Image credit: Gerd Altmann.

People Know 5,000 Faces on Average, Study Says

Oct 11, 2018 by News Staff

Over our species history, humans have typically lived in small groups of under a hundred individuals. But a new study, published in the journal Royal Society...

Receiving a hug on the day of conflict was associated with improved concurrent negative and positive affect and improved next day negative affect compared to days when conflict occurred but no hug was received. Image credit: Rawpixel.

Study: Hugs Protect against Conflict-Related Psychological Distress

Oct 4, 2018 by News Staff

According to new research, receiving hugs — a common support behavior that individuals engage in with a wide range of social partners — may...

Gerlach et al determine four new personality types: average, reserved, self-centered and role model. Image credit: GraphicMama Team / Sci-News.com.

Researchers Determine Four New Personality Types

Sep 19, 2018 by News Staff

A team of researchers at Northwestern University has sifted through data from more than 1.5 million people around the world and found at least four distinct...

Infants distinguish between respect-based and fear-based power relations. Image credit: Bill Kasman.

Study: Toddlers Can Distinguish Between Bullies and Leaders

Sep 5, 2018 by News Staff

New research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Trento finds that 21-month-old infants can distinguish between two...

Men and women show surprising differences in seeing motion. Image credit: Free-Photos.

New Research Finds Differences in Ways Men and Women See Motion

Aug 22, 2018 by News Staff

A study led by the Universities of Rochester and Washington shows that on average, men pick up on visual motion significantly faster than women do. Men...

Poor sleep triggers loneliness and social rejection. Image credit: Patrica J. Joslin.

Study: Lack of Sleep Leads to Social Withdrawal and Loneliness

Aug 17, 2018 by News Staff

A new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, has demonstrated that sleep-deprived individuals feel lonelier and less inclined to engage...

Billari et al found that individuals with DSL access sleep 25 minutes less. Image credit: Tookapic.

Study: Access to High-Speed Internet Reduces Sleep Duration

Aug 9, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

A study led by Bocconi University’s Professor Francesco Billari has found that high-speed Internet access causally reduces sleep duration and satisfaction. Billari...

This study is the first to show that omega-3 supplementation in children can reduce inter-partner psychological aggression among adult caregivers not receiving supplements. Image credit: Steve Buissinne.

Study: Omega-3 Supplementation in Children Could Reduce Psychological Aggression among Adults

Jul 31, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

New research by scientists from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and elsewhere shows how omega 3-rich diet can prevent disruptive, even abusive behavior. This...

Mantantzis et al found that increasing blood sugar levels not only improves memory and performance, but makes older adults feel happier during a task. Image credit: Gabriela Sanda.

Glucose Improves Memory in Older Adults: Study

Jul 20, 2018 by News Staff

A small dose of glucose can improve memory in older adults, motivate them to work harder and puts them in a good mood when performing difficult tasks,...

In the large-scale survey by Akhtar et al, 6,641 respondents provided descriptions of their first memory and their age when they encoded that memory, and they completed various memory judgments and ratings. The established view is that the distribution around mean age at encoding is truncated, with very few or no memories dating to the preverbal period, that is, below about two years of age. However, Akhtar et al found that 2,487 first memories (nearly 40% of the entire sample) dated to an age at encoding of two years and younger, with 893 dating to one year and younger. Image credit: Myriam.

Study: Nearly 40% of People Have Fictional First Memory

Jul 19, 2018 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the University of Bradford, Nottingham Trent University and City, University of London, UK, has conducted a large-scale survey...

Consuming a moderate amount of caffeinated coffee prior to indulging in a group activity enhances an individual’s task-relevant participation in the group activity. Image credit: Raw Pixel.

Coffee Improves Teamwork, New Research Shows

Jun 15, 2018 by News Staff

A pair of studies conducted by scientists from the University of California at Davis and the Ohio State University found that people gave more positive...

This is the first study that provides comprehensive evidence for the effect of depression on decline in overall cognitive function (also referred to as cognitive state), in a general population. Image credit: Amber John, University of Sussex.

Depression and Anxiety Speed Up Cognitive Aging, Scientists Find

May 28, 2018 by News Staff

Individuals with affective problems (depression and anxiety) are at an increased risk of a greater decline in cognitive state, according to a review of...

Photo-a-day practice has complex benefits for improving wellbeing. Image credit: SplitShire.

Photo-A-Day: Daily Digital Practice Improves Wellbeing

May 3, 2018 by News Staff

Taking a photo each day and posting it online has multiple benefits for wellbeing, according to a study carried out by Dr. Liz Brewster of Lancaster University...