Psychology

Positive psychology is so powerful it can change gene expression, according to a paper in PNAS. A good state of mind, your happiness levels, affect your genes, say academics in psychoneuroimmunology…

Though we have access to a seemingly limitless amount of new music each day, we keep coming back to songs or albums, mostly stuff we liked at college age. It's common to prefer the familiar - even by…

When President Ronald Reagan told the Soviet Communists to "tear down this wall" in his legendary Berlin speech, it resonated with a lot of people. Reagan was regarded as someone who could do things…

Does buying a Snickers bar instead of a Milky Way improve a baseball team's chance to win?  You can't prove it doesn't - and for that reason the most superstitious baseball fans have little…

Is sex as addictive as cocaine or alcohol? It depends on who you ask. Obviously there is an entire industry built up around the idea that it is, just like there is an industry build around homeopathy…

Shy? You may be less happy. Surveys say so. In its happy journey into becoming anthropology, epidemiology is increasingly tackling social issues like they are diseases and using surveys as…

The idea that dogs tend to look like their owners is big news to no-one. Even before the days of Paris Hilton dressing her Chihuahua, ‘Tinkerbell’ in mini-me outfits, it has long been observed that…

Music decreases children's perceived sense of pain, say the authors of an article in JAMA Pediatrics.   The team conducted a clinical research trial of 42 children between the ages of 3 and 11…

Sociology might actually have an explanation for the odd popularity of Tori Amos songs - depressing music might evoke positive emotions, according to a new paper. Obviously depending on your age you…

Yoga improves the mood and mental wellbeing of prisoners, say psychologists who report that after a ten-week yoga course, the convicts reported improved mood, reduced stress and were better at a task…