Psychology

Rats Know How To Repay Kindness

If I scratch your back and you scratch mine, then we’re both better off as a result – so goes the principle of reciprocity, one of the most popular explanations for how co-operative behavior has evolved. But what if one partner provides a better service t ...

Article - The Conversation - Feb 26 2015 - 12:30pm

Facilitated Communication: Why Do Debunked Autism Treatment Fads Persist?

Parents of kids with severe autism are willing to try anything- unfortunately, a lot of people who claim to be experts in psychology and communication disorders don't understand science and may continue to try things long after they have been debunked ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 26 2015 - 4:16pm

Misconceptions About The Psychology Of Food Choice

In a symposium on social psychology, psychologists are challenging the beliefs of other psychologists about the effectiveness of traditional strategies for encouraging healthy eating.  A paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association observed wh ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 1 2015 - 12:45pm

Psychologically, Refusing A Bribe Generates More Excitement Than The Money

Sometimes losing money is more exciting than taking it. A recent study found that turning down a bribe brought greater physiological arousal than the thought of more money did. This means that the violation or enforcement of a given ethical standard is no ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 3 2015 - 12:03pm

Sad Movies Make You Fat, Watch Big Hero 6 Instead

Sad movies are bad news for diets. A newly reported study from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab showed movie-goers watching tearjerkers ate between 28% and 55% more popcorn both in the lab and in a mall theater during the Thanksgiving holiday. According to ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 7 2015 - 11:24pm

Men Are More Narcissistic Than Women, Finds Review

A review of 31 years of narcissism research using data from more than 475,000 participants finds that men, on average, are more narcissistic than women. Or at least they scored higher in narcissism across multiple generations and regardless of age. Psychol ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 4 2015 - 11:30am

Twins Study Tries To Determine Heritability Of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Because of the broad nature of autism spectrum disorder and even broader range of autism traits, any number of genetic and environmental influences are associated with risk of it. Twins studies are valuable in science because at least some of the factors a ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 4 2015 - 11:43am

Can You Detect Sexism In A Smile?

A new paper says they can detect sexism in a smile.  A man’s true attitude towards the female sex can be detected according to how he smiles and chats to her, according to Jin Goh and Judith Hall of Northeastern University writing in Sex Roles.  ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 9 2015 - 4:28pm

Psychedelic Drugs Could Reduce Suicidal Thinking

A history of psychedelic drug use is associated fewer suicidal thoughts, planning and attempts, according to survey results analyzed by Johns Hopkins and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In a national survey of over 190,000 U.S. adults, lifetime us ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 9 2015 - 5:18pm

The Voices In Your Head Are More Complex Than Previously Believed

A survey on the experience of auditory hallucinations, commonly referred to as hearing voices, found that the majority of voice-hearers hear multiple voices with distinct character-like qualities, with many also experiencing physical effects on their bodie ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 10 2015 - 8:51pm