Psychology & Psychiatry news

The upside of feeling down

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 09, 2009 | 4.4 / 5 (18) | 4

A chill wind chases you into the door of your local newsagent. Rain is drumming down outside. As you pay for your newspaper, you briefly notice a number of strange items on the checkout counter - a matchbox ...

Professor: 'Depression is like the worst disease you can get' (Video)

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 10, 2009 | 4.9 / 5 (8) | 0

Depression must be understood on both a biological and psychological level, says Robert Sapolsky.

When preschoolers ask questions, they want explanations

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 13, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (4) | 4

Curiosity plays a big part in preschoolers' lives. A new study that explored why young children ask so many "why" questions concludes that children are motivated by a desire for explanation.

Can thinking of a loved one reduce your pain?

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 13, 2009 | 4 / 5 (4) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- "The very thought of you ... the mere idea of you" -- from the song "The Very Thought of You" by Ray Noble. Can the mere thought of your loved one reduce your pain?

The narrow line between love and jealousy

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 12, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

A new study carried out at the University of Haifa has found that the hormone oxytocin, the "love hormone", which affects behaviors such as trust, empathy and generosity, also affects opposite behaviors, such as jealousy ...

Youths see all parental control negatively when there's a lot of it

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 13, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

A new study has found that young people feel differently about two types of parental control, generally viewing a type of control that's thought to be better for their development more positively. However, when parents are ...

Foreign subtitles improve speech perception

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 11, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 2

Do you speak English as a second language well, but still have trouble understanding movies with unfamiliar accents, such as Brad Pitt's southern accent in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds? In a new study, published ...

Shape perception in brain develops by itself

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 13, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 0

Despite minimal exposure to the regular geometric objects found in developed countries, African tribal people perceive shapes as well as westerners, according to a new study.

Targeting teen depression

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 13, 2009 | 4 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Psychologist Mona Taouk is developing a world-first questionnaire to identify young people at risk of depression and suicide.

Does modernization affect children's cognitive development?

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 13, 2009 | 3 / 5 (2) | 0

Societal and technological changes have taken place at a dizzying pace over recent decades. A new cross-cultural study aimed to determine whether these dramatic changes have had an effect on the thinking skills that are learned ...

New study sheds light on brain's response to distress, unexpected events (w/ Video)

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 10, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

In a new study, psychologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are able to see in detail for the first time how various regions of the human brain respond when people experience an unexpected or traumatic ...

Walking, talking and memory

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 12, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 1

(PhysOrg.com) -- How easy is it to walk, talk and remember what was said? Dr Dee Way studied how actors learn a script and whether walking affects their memory performance.

Faulty body clock may make kids bipolar

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 12, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 1

Malfunctioning circadian clock genes may be responsible for bipolar disorder in children. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry found four versions of the regulatory gene RORB that were associated with p ...

Under Pressure: The Impact of Stress on Decision Making

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 12, 2009 | 2 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- We are faced with making decisions all the time. Often, we will carefully deliberate the pros and cons of each item, taking into consideration past experiences with similar situations before making our ultimate ...

Thoughtful words help couples stay fighting fit

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Nov 13, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

Couples who bring thoughtful words to a fight release lower amounts of stress-related proteins, suggesting that rational communication between partners can ease the impact of marital conflict on the immune system.