Psychology News

Coffee Improves Teamwork, New Research Shows

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.
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 reviews for their group’s performance on a task if they drank caffeinated coffee beforehand; one of the studies also showed that people talked more in a group setting under the influence of caffeinated coffee — but they also were more on-topic than those who drank decaf. The studies are described...

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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...

The findings by Aspy et al discount the theory that Vitamin B6 enhances dream recall by disrupting sleep. Image credit: Peter Pyw.

Study: Taking Vitamin B6 Before Bed Could Help You Remember Your Dreams

May 1, 2018 by News Staff

A new study on the effects of B vitamins on dreaming and sleep has found that Vitamin B6 taken before bed increased dream recall compared to placebo. The...

Grip strength is significantly associated with cognitive functioning in the general population and individuals with schizophrenia, particularly for working memory and processing speed. Image credit: Sergej Kistner.

Study: Stronger People Have Sharper Brains

Apr 24, 2018 by News Staff

New research, published in the Schizophrenia Bulletin, has revealed that muscular strength, measured by handgrip, is an indication of how healthy our brains...

According to Jung et al, risk tolerance was positively associated with functional connectivity between amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex and negatively associated with structural connectivity between these regions. Image credit: University of Pennsylvania.

Risk Tolerance Linked to Two Brain Regions

Apr 6, 2018 by News Staff

A new study published in the journal Neuron links willingness to take risks to brain structure and function, specifically the amygdala and the prefrontal...

This high-resolution scanning electron microscope image shows an unusual tube-like structural form that is less than 1/100th the width of a human hair in size found in the Martian meteorite ALH84001. Image credit: NASA.

How Will Humanity React to Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life?

Feb 20, 2018 by News Staff

How will humans react to the discovery of alien life? Speculation on this topic abounds, but empirical research is practically non-existent. In a paper...

According to the study, you are more likely to remember something if you read it out loud. Image credit: Pexels.

Reading Text Aloud Improves Long-Term Memory, New Study Finds

Dec 5, 2017 by News Staff

A new study has found that speaking text aloud helps to get words into long-term memory. Dubbed the ‘production effect,’ the study determined that...

Dr. Ståhl and Dr. van Prooijen attempted to identify psychological precursors of skepticism toward unfounded beliefs. Image credit: Patrick Neufelder.

High Cognitive Ability Alone Does Not Protect Against Unfounded Beliefs, Psychologists Say

Nov 17, 2017 by News Staff

In a paper published the journal Personality and Individual Differences, Dr. Tomas Ståhl of the University of Illinois at Chicago and Dr. Jan-Willem van...

Wells et al estimate that there should be at least 10 -- currently undiscovered -- exoplanets which are favorably located to detect the Earth and are capable of sustaining life as we know it. Image credit: NASA.

Psychologists Show How You Can Induce Lucid Dreaming

Oct 21, 2017 by News Staff

Lucid dreaming is a learnable skill, according to new research published in the journal Dreaming. Lead author Dr. Denholm Aspy of the University of Adelaide...

A study by Abramovitch et al is the first analysis of existing data on the link between IQ and OCD sufferers verses the general population. Image credit: AirPix.

New Study Debunks Myth that Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is Associated with Higher IQ

Sep 20, 2017 by News Staff

According to a meta-analytic study published in the journal Neuropsychology Review, obsessive-compulsive disorder is not associated with a higher intelligence...

UC Berkeley psychologists Professor Dacher Keltner and Alan Cowen uncovered 27 varieties of emotional experience. Image credit: Alexandra.

Psychologists Identify Twenty Seven Distinct Categories of Emotion

Sep 11, 2017 by News Staff

Using sophisticated statistical models to analyze the responses of people to emotionally evocative short videos, University of California, Berkeley researchers...

According to the team, music listening can be easily integrated into daily life and may provide an innovative means to facilitate creative cognition in an efficient way in various scientific, educational and organizational settings when creative thinking is needed. Image credit: Gerd Altmann.

Happy Music Boosts Divergent Creative Thinking, New Study Finds

Sep 8, 2017 by News Staff

A new study published in the journal PLoS ONE has found that listening to ‘happy music’ (i.e. classical music that elicits positive mood and is high...

Booty, booby, nitwit and hooter are among the words which make us laugh most.

New Research Reveals Funniest Words in English Language

Aug 2, 2017 by News Staff

According to new research published in the journal Behavior Research Method, tit, booty, booby, hooter and nitwit are some of the funniest words in the...

Sonny & Cher performing the song ‘The Beat Goes On’ on Dutch TV program ‘Fanclub,’ February 4, 1967. Image credit: A. Vente / Beeld & Geluid Wiki / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Male Artists Sing about Romantic Love and Sex More Often than Female Performers

May 23, 2017 by News Staff

An analysis of song lyrics from 1960 through 2008 reveals that male artists sing about both romantic love and sex more often than female artists. However,...

German Shepherd puppy. Image credit: Marilyn Peddle / CC BY 2.0.

Study: Pet Dogs Help Children Feel Less Stressed

May 12, 2017 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Social Development, pet dogs provide valuable social support for children when they’re stressed. German...

Watching birds near your home is good for mental health. Image credit: Tim Felce / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Watching Birds, Trees near Your Home is Good for Mental Health, Study Shows

Feb 27, 2017 by News Staff

According to a study led by University of Exeter researcher Daniel Cox, people living in neighborhoods with more birds, shrubs and trees are less likely...

Dopaminergic system and reward processing: dopaminergic neurons are located in the midbrain structures substantia nigra (SNc) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA); their axons project to the striatum (caudate nucleus, putamen and ventral striatum including nucleus accumbens), the dorsal and ventral prefrontal cortex; the mesolimbic dopamine pathway mediates the psychopharmacology of reward, whether that is a natural high or a drug-induced high, and is sometimes referred to as the pleasure center of the brain, with dopamine as the pleasure neurotransmitter. Image credit: Oscar Arias-Carrion et al, doi: 10.1186/1755-7682-7-29.

Study: Neurotransmitter Dopamine Plays Role in Human Bonding

Feb 20, 2017 by News Staff

Researchers have found for the first time that dopamine, a vital neurotransmitter in the brain, is involved in human bonding. The results appear in the...

According to Brian Chin et al, married people have lower cortisol levels and steeper slopes than the unmarried ones. Image credit: Olessya.

Study: Married People Have Lower Levels of Stress Hormone Cortisol

Feb 14, 2017 by News Staff

A study led by Carnegie Mellon University researchers provides the first biological evidence to explain how marriage impacts health. According to Brian...

Mark Rylance, Brie Larson, Leonardo Dicaprio, Alicia Vikander at the 88th Oscars. Image credit: ABC Television Group / CC BY-ND 2.0.

Psychology Researchers Reveal How to Win an Oscar

Feb 6, 2017 by News Staff

If you want to win an Oscar it is best to be an American actor in a movie that portrays American culture. That is the conclusion of a paper by an international...

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