The unseen emotional aftershocks of Hurricane Sandy may linger for children who were in the storm's path. A noted psychologist discusses why children may experience PTSD and how parents and caregivers can help.
Parents with social anxiety disorder are more likely than parents with other forms of anxiety to engage in behaviors that put their children at high risk for developing angst of their own, according to a small study of parent-child pairs conducted at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.
Mathematics anxiety can prompt a response in the brain similar to when a person experiences physical pain. Using brain scans, scholars determined that the brain areas active when highly math-anxious people prepare to do math overlap with the same brain areas that register the threat of bodily harm—and in some cases, physical pain.
A team of researchers in Boston University’s Psychology Department have found that, despite years of scientific training, even professional scientists cannot escape a deep-seated belief that natural phenomena exist for a purpose.
Life is about failure as much as it is about success. From the mistakes we make at work or school to our blunders in romantic relationships, we are constantly reminded of how we could be better. By focusing on the important qualities that make us who we are – a process called self-affirmation – we preserve our self-worth in the face of our shortcomings.
Study finds media messages describing paranormal investigators as "scientific" makes people more likely to "believe."
A Boston University study by Deborah Kelemen, associate professor of psychology finds that when scientists are required to think under time pressure, an underlying tendency to find purpose in nature is revealed. The results provide the strongest evidence yet that the human mind has a robust default preference for purpose-based explanation that persists from early in development.
In some human societies, men transfer their wealth to their sister's sons, a practice that puzzles evolutionary biologists. A new study by SFI's Laura Fortunato has produced insights into "matrilineal inheritance."
For the past four decades, the “marshmallow test” has served as a classic experimental measure of children’s self-control: will a preschooler eat one of the fluffy white confections now or hold out for two later? Now a new study demonstrates that being able to delay gratification is influenced as much by the environment as by innate ability.
Bad news articles in the media increase women’s sensitivity to stressful situations, but do not have a similar effect on men, according to a study undertaken by University of Montreal researchers at the Centre for Studies on Human Stress of Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital.
White persons viewing pictures of bi-racial people are more likely to categorize the faces as black when given cues signaling economic recession. They are more likely to label the faces as white when shown cues of economic prosperity.
Flirtatiousness, female friendliness, or the more diplomatic description “feminine charm” is an effective way for women to gain negotiating mileage, according to a new negotiaion study by Haas School of Business Professor Laura Kray.
Evolutionary psychology researchers Carin Perilloux and David Buss found significant negative consequences of rape and attempted sexual assault in 13 domains of psychological and social functioning, including self-esteem, social reputation, sexual desire and self-perceived mate value.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are inviting the world to take part in an online experiment that will allow participants to see how their individual scores on a face-name memory test compare with those of other test takers.
It is widely believed that adolescents engage in risky behaviors because of an innate tolerance for risks, but a study by researchers at New York University, Yale’s School of Medicine, and Fordham University has found this is not the case.
The most detailed brain meapping study to date has found that the area of the brain that recognizes faces is also used to identify objects of expertise.
A new study by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers shows that adolescents' reactions to threat remain high even when the danger is no longer present. According to researchers, once a teenager's brain is triggered by a threat, the ability to suppress an emotional response to the threat is diminished which may explain the peak in anxiety and stress-related disorders during this developmental period.
Texting while driving is a serious threat to public safety, but a new University of Michigan study suggests that we might not be aware of our actions.
Clint Eastwood’s famous interview with an invisible President Obama seated in an empty chair at the Republican National Convention may have done more than elicit a round of late-night television jokes. Celebrities who publicly support political candidates may want to think twice about doing so, according to a University of New Hampshire researcher who has found that those who are most vocal about political, religious, and social causes may pay with decreased popularity and a hit to their wallets.
New research finds that that we can improve our memory of members of another race by identifying ourselves as part of the same group. Such identification could improve everything from race relations to eyewitness identification.
Some athletes may improve their performance under pressure simply by squeezing a ball or clenching their left hand before competition to activate certain parts of the brain, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
What's in a name? President Obama’s middle name, Hussein, makes Israelis – both Jewish and Arab – perceive him as less pro-Israeli, reveals a new study conducted by the University of Haifa and the University of Texas.
Pacifiers may stunt the emotional development of baby boys by robbing them of the opportunity to try on facial expressions during infancy.
New research finds that women are better than men at recognizing living things whicle men are better than women at recognizing vehicles.
A recent study examined people’s bodily responses while watching presidential campaign ads - and discovered another way that people avoid political information that challenges their beliefs.
Stress has long been pegged as the enemy of attention, disrupting focus and doing substantial damage to working memory — the short-term juggling of information that allows us to do all the little things that make us productive.
A 61-million-person experiment led by UC San Diego and conducted on Facebook during the U.S. elections in 2010 demonstrates (for the first time, the authors believe) that important real-world behaviors like voting can be influenced by online social networks. The authors estimate that Facebook's "get out the vote" message yielded 300,000+ more voters at the polls in 2010. Close friends made all the difference.
Many high-achieving students experience math anxiety at a young age — a problem that can follow them throughout their lives. In a study of first- and second-graders, researchers found that students report worry and fear about doing math as early as first grade. Most surprisingly math anxiety harmed the highest-achieving students.
Two professors are researching how to help computer users who have little to no computer experience improve their Web browsing safety without security-specific education. The goal is to keep users from making mistakes that could compromise their online security and to inform them when a security failure has happened.
Teens who play mature-rated, risk-glorifying video games may be more likely than those who don’t to become reckless drivers who experience increases in automobile accidents, police stops and willingness to drink and drive, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
Direct displays of respect can reduce conflict in protests in the Middle East, where a premium is placed on honor.
A new paper that describes two studies by Jaye Derrick, PhD, research scientist at the University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions, found that watching a rerun of a favorite TV show may help restore the drive to get things done in people who have used up their reserves of willpower or self-control.
Bullying was once considered a childhood rite of passage. Today, however, bullying is recognized as a serious problem. Up to half of all children are bullied at some point during their school years, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. And thanks to tech-savvy kids, cyberbullying and other forms of electronic harassment are now commonplace.
New research suggests that violent video games may not make players more aggressive – if they play cooperatively with other people.
New psychology study shows adults are more likely than children to find supernatural explanations for existential questions.
Pretend play that involves uses of the imagination to create a fantasy world or situation can be fun for preschool children, but a new University of Virginia study finds that it is not as crucial to a child's development as currently believed.
Your mood for food can be changed by a restaurant’s choice of music and lighting, leading to increased satisfaction and reduced calorie intake, according to a new study.
A research team led by the University of Iowa has upended current thinking about areas in the human brain responsible for self-awareness. Using a rare patient with damage to areas considered vital to be self-aware, the team learned the patient was not only self-aware, but capable of introspection and self-insight. The researchers propose that self-awareness is a product of a diffuse patchwork of pathways in the brain rather than confined to specific areas.
It’s not just in movies where nerds get their revenge.Social rejection can inspire imaginative thinking, particularly in individuals with a strong sense of their own independence.
Children as young as 3 apparently can tell the difference between whining and when someone has good reason to be upset, and they will respond with sympathy usually only when it is truly deserved, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
If you sing, dance, draw, or act -- and especially if you watch others do so -- you probably have an altruistic streak, according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Researchers led by James Lampinen of the University of Arkansas received a $400,380 grant from the National Science Foundation to learn when and how children develop memory-editing skills and suggest methods of learning such skills.
Fat women who accept their bodies find more self-confidence and better sexual relationships. Those who struggle with their body size, however, report less sexual fulfillment and are more likely to say that men used them sexually.
Researchers have long known that people are very frequently overconfident – that they tend to believe they are more physically talented, socially adept, and skilled at their job than they actually are. For example, 94% of college professors think they do above average work (which is nearly impossible, statistically speaking). But this overconfidence can also have detrimental effects on their performance and decision-making. So why, in light of these negative consequences, is overconfidence still so pervasive? The lure of social status promotes overconfidence.
When conflict breaks out in social groups, individuals make strategic decisions about how to behave based on their understanding of alliances and feuds in the group. But it’s been challenging to quantify the underlying trends that dictate how individuals make predictions, given they may only have seen a small number of fights or have limited memory.
Psychotherapy is effective, helps reduce the overall need for health services and produces long-term health improvements, according to a review of research studies conducted by the American Psychological Association.
University of Michigan study the first to show evidence that mindfulness yoga may offer effective treatment for depressed new mothers to be.
Hearing generic language to describe a category of people, such as “boys have short hair,” can lead children to endorse a range of other stereotypes about the category, a study by researchers at New York University and Princeton University has found.
Telling the truth when tempted to lie can significantly improve a person’s mental and physical health, according to a “Science of Honesty” study presented at the American Psychological Association’s 120th Annual Convention.
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