BREAKING NEWS: Psychology & Self-Help

Massive Study Looks at Risks and Benefits of Weight-Loss Drugs

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:40:59 -0500

Source: United Press International - Health News

As demand for weight-loss injections sold under brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy continues to soar, a new study has uncovered neurological and behavioral health benefits amid increased risks of gastrointestinal disorders, low blood pressure, fainting, arthritis, pancreatitis, and kidney disease that may occur without symptoms until an advanced stage, with limited treatment options. The study was published this week in the journal Nature...

U.S. Tech Giants Plan to Invest $500 Billion in AI Joint Venture

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:40:29 -0500

Source: BBC News - Business

OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, is teaming up with Oracle and Softbank to build data centers equipped to power artificial intelligence (AI), with plans to invest $100 billion "immediately." In a press conference Tuesday, the three companies said that they intended to invest $500 billion over the next four years in the joint venture, dubbed Stargate. "I think this will be the most important project of this era," said OpenAI's chief executive, Sam...

Trump U.N. Nominee Backs Israeli Claims of Biblical Rights to West Bank

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:40:04 -0500

Source: Google News - Health

During a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations endorsed Israeli far-right claims of biblical rights to the entire West Bank, aligning herself with positions that could complicate diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. Nominee Elise Stefanik, a Republican member of Congress, was asked by Senator Chris Van Hollen whether she continues to hold this view. "Yes," Stefanik replied.

17 Ways Trump's Day 1 Orders Change U.S. Policy on the Environment

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:39:48 -0500

Source: Huff Post Environment

Hours after being sworn in for a second term in the White House, Donald Trump signed a raft of executive orders designed to overhaul U.S. energy policies and America's approach to curbing climate change. The orders cover everything from withdrawing from the Paris climate accords and boosting fossil fuels by declaring the nation's first "energy emergency" to halting offshore wind development and opening America's largest national forest to...

What's Next for EVs As Trump Aims to Eliminate Biden-Era Incentives?

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:39:25 -0500

Source: PBS Science

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday promising to eliminate what he incorrectly labels "the electric vehicle mandate" imposed under former President Joe Biden. His order is consistent with pledges Trump made on the campaign trail to end what he calls a "preposterous" focus on EVs by Biden and other Democrats. The order, along with other steps expected in a second Trump administration, could slow U.S. efforts to address climate...

Recommendations for studying the impact of AI on young people's mental health

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 21:05:22 -0500

Experts highlight the need for a clear framework when it comes to AI research, given the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence by children and adolescents using digital devices to access the internet and social media.

Trump White House Declares a Person's Gender Can't Be Changed

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 11:26:31 -0500

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - World News

The U.S. will recognize only two sexes, male and female, that are unchangeable, President Donald Trump ordered Monday as he moved to end a range of policies aimed at promoting racial equity and protecting 2SLGBTQ+ rights. The order requires the government use the term "sex" rather than "gender," while mandating that government IDs—including passports and visas—be based on "an individual's immutable biological classification as either male or...

Trump Signs Executive Actions on DEI, Climate, TikTok, and Immigration

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 11:26:15 -0500

Source: Google News

President Trump on Monday signed a flurry of executive orders, memoranda, and proclamations after his inauguration, reversing many of his predecessors' policies. For example, he withdrew the United States from the Paris climate change agreement, declared "that a national emergency exists at the southern border of the United States," and dismantled diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the federal government.

New Research Program Aims to Indigenize Artificial Intelligence

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 03:34:33 -0500

Source: Science Daily - Top Society

A new research program, Abundant Intelligences, is challenging the direction of artificial intelligence (AI). The premise is that AI has thus far been biased against non-Western modes of thinking about intelligence—especially those originating from Indigenous cultures. As a way of decolonizing AI, the program incorporates indigenous knowledge to create an inclusive, robust concept of intelligence that can be embedded into existing and future...

Visiting Auschwitz, British Leader Vows to Fight "Poison" of Antisemitism

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 03:34:19 -0500

Source: BBC News - UK Politics

During a visit to Auschwitz, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was determined to fight the "poison" of antisemitism. Sir Keir explained that nothing could have prepared him for the horror of what he saw. "The mounds of hair, the shoes, the suitcases, the names and details, everything that was so meticulously kept, except for human life," Sir Keir said. Six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis and their accomplices during World...

Equal Rights Amendment Should Be Considered Ratified, Biden Says

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 03:33:37 -0500

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - World News

President Joe Biden announced Friday that the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered a ratified addition to the U.S. Constitution, backing an effort to enshrine the change more than a century after the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. "It is long past time to recognize the will of the American people," Biden said. It was unclear what impact the outgoing president's comments might have, coming days before Donald Trump takes...

Do parents really have a favorite child? Here's what new research says

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 13:33:09 -0500

A new study found that younger siblings generally receive more favorable treatment from parents. Meanwhile, older siblings are often granted more autonomy, and parents are less controlling towards them as they grow up.

Red Meat Tied to Cognitive Decline, Neurology Study Finds

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:17:05 -0500

Source: United Press International - Health News

Eating red meat—especially processed meat such as bacon and sausage—increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, a new study suggests. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published Wednesday in Neurology, journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study adds to earlier results linking red meat to a higher risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Processed meats also increase the risk of...

FDA Releases Proposal to Make Cigarettes Less Addictive

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:15:51 -0500

Source: PBS Health

U.S. officials released a far-reaching proposal Wednesday to make cigarettes far less addictive by capping their nicotine content, a goal long sought by antismoking advocates. The FDA said Wednesday that cutting nicotine would help nearly 13 million current smokers quit cigarettes within one year. Roughly 48 million more young people would never take up the habit because cigarettes would essentially become nonaddictive, according to agency...

How improving education could close maternal heart health gaps

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 16:52:52 -0500

Research has established a clear link between racial and ethnic disparities in maternal heart health and higher risks of preterm birth, preeclampsia and cardiovascular issues for Black and Hispanic mothers and their babies.

From caring touch to cooperative communities

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:54:13 -0500

An international research team concludes that gentle touch is not only good for mental health, but also for the evolution of cooperation.

Global Study Pinpoints Genes for Depression Across Ethnicities

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 06:11:20 -0500

Source: Science Daily - Top Health

The world's largest and most diverse genetic study ever conducted on major depression has revealed nearly 300 previously unknown genetic links to the condition, experts say. One hundred of the newly discovered genetic variations—small differences in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene—were identified due to the inclusion of people of African, East Asian, Hispanic, and South Asian descent, the study found. The results appear in the research...

Almost Half of Americans Over 55 Face Dementia Risk

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 06:11:13 -0500

Source: Google News - Health

New research finds that the lifetime risk of dementia after age 55 in Americans is 42%—significantly higher than previous estimates. Dementia involves progressive declines in memory, concentration, and judgment. Women face a higher risk than men (48% vs. 35%), a difference attributable in part to their longer life expectancy. The risk factors for dementia include genetic predisposition, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and limited physical...

U.S. House Passes Ban on Transgender Students in Girls Sports

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 06:10:56 -0500

Source: CBS News - U.S. News

The U.S. House passed a Republican measure on Tuesday banning transgender girls and women from competing on school sports teams that match their gender identity. The bill, called the "Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act," would amend Title IX, the federal law banning sex discrimination in schools, to define a person's sex as "based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth." Schools defying the ban risk losing...

Biden Signs Executive Order Seeking to Grow AI Infrastructure

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 06:09:43 -0500

Source: PBS Science

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to ensure the infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations, such as large-scale data centers and clean power facilities, can be built quickly and at scale in the U.S. The order directs federal agencies to accelerate large-scale AI infrastructure development at government sites, while imposing requirements and safeguards at the same time.

Supreme Court Allows Hawaii Climate Lawsuits Against Oil and Gas Industry

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 09:14:29 -0500

Source: CBS News - U.S. News

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it will not consider whether to block lawsuits brought by Honolulu seeking billions of dollars from oil and gas companies for the damage caused by the effects of climate change, clearing the way for the cases to move forward. The lawsuits claim that the oil and gas industry engaged in a deceptive campaign and misled the public about the dangers of their fossil fuel products and the environmental impacts.

How Wildfire Smoke Exposure Affects Physical and Mental Health

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 08:04:29 -0500

Source: Huff Post Environment

The wildfires blazing in California aren't just dangerous for the people and wildlife at risk of being burned, but also for those nearby who are exposed to heavy smoke. And because smoke can travel long distances, even people thousands of miles away from the fires can feel their effects, some of which may be long-lasting. For example, wildfire smoke can affect pregnancies and is thought to be a risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Blackrock Quits Climate Change Group in Latest Green Climbdown

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 10:11:48 -0500

Source: Google News - Health

BlackRock has become the latest financial firm to quit a big climate change industry group in the wake of Donald Trump's election as U.S. president. The world's largest money manager told clients in a letter on Thursday that it had quit Net Zero Asset Managers. All six of the largest U.S. banks—JPMorgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs—have recently quit Net-Zero Banking Alliance, a similar group...

Robotic Puppy "Jennie" Designed to Boost Mental Health

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 03:04:06 -0500

Source: United Press International - Health News

Emotional support dogs can serve people with various mental health needs, but many of them can't care for an animal at home. That's where Tombot comes in. The company has designed a robotic puppy to aid individuals, families, and communities in dealing with health adversities. This week, Tombot unveiled Jennie, its battery-operated Labrador retriever puppy intended to help people with dementia, autism, anxiety, PTSD, and other health conditions.

Mixed signals: How the brain interprets social cues

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 13:32:38 -0500

Researchers have found that smell and sound signals merge in the mouse brain's hearing center, influencing social behaviors like pup retrieval. The discovery may lead to a better understanding of how neurological conditions such as autism affect a person's ability to interpret social cues.

Risk of domestic abuse increases over time for those exposed to childhood maltreatment

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 13:26:47 -0500

The risk of experiencing intimate partner violence may accumulate over time among people who experienced childhood maltreatment when they were younger, finds a new study.

Loneliness linked to higher risk of heart disease and stroke and susceptibility to infection

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 12:50:29 -0500

Interactions with friends and family may keep us healthy because they boost our immune system and reduce our risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, new research suggests. Researchers drew this conclusion after studying proteins from blood samples taken from over 42,000 adults recruited to the UK Biobank.

Too many men or too few women? New study finds how the gender gap is framed affects perceptions of it

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 16:26:32 -0500

Recognizing that news coverage may have influence in forming attitudes and in driving action, a team of psychology researchers examined whether reframing this gender gap in terms of 'men's overrepresentation' -- rather than as 'women's underrepresentation' -- would have an impact on perceptions of the issue and on motivations to address it. Its findings showed that framing the gap as 'men's overrepresentation' -- as opposed to 'women's underrepresentation' -- in political leadership elicited more anger at the disparity among women and increased perceptions that the gap is unjust. Moreover, the results showed that anger at the disparity leads women to take action to address it.

Singles differ in personality traits and life satisfaction compared to partnered people

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:39:05 -0500

New research finds that lifelong singles have lower life satisfaction scores compared to those in relationships.

Patience isn't a virtue; it's a coping mechanism

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 19:03:10 -0500

Impatience, studies of more than 1,200 people found, is the emotion people feel when they face a delay that seems unfair, unreasonable, or inappropriate -- like a traffic jam outside of rush hour, or a meeting that should have ended 15 minutes ago. Patience is the form of emotion regulation we use to cope with those feelings of impatience.

How to deal with narcissists at home and at work

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 15:24:05 -0500

The best way to deal with narcissistic people in your personal life may be the hardest advice to take, according to an expert who has studied narcissism for more than 20 years. The best course of action is to identify narcissistic people early on and get them out of your life, said the professor of psychology.

Tracking other people's minds in communication

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 13:21:55 -0500

Language and social cognition are fundamental to human communication. But how do these capacities interact? In a review paper, researchers show how language and social cognition are integrated in real time. The authors propose a new 'mind-tracking' model of communication, in which social micro-processes play a fundamental role in language production and comprehension.

Bias in AI amplifies our own biases, researchers show

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 13:21:37 -0500

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems tend to take on human biases and amplify them, causing people who use that AI to become more biased themselves, a new study finds.

App helps alleviate mental health symptoms in bereaved parents

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 13:13:00 -0500

A new study shows that an app can help parents who are mourning the loss of a child. Parents who used the app for three months reported reduced symptoms of prolonged grief and post-traumatic stress, and also had fewer negative thoughts. Some parents thought the app should be offered early in the mourning process.

Paranoia may be, in part, a visual problem

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 20:15:42 -0500

Could complex beliefs like paranoia have roots in something as basic as vision? A new study finds evidence that they might. When completing a visual perception task, in which participants had to identify whether one moving dot was chasing another moving dot, those with greater tendencies toward paranoid thinking (believing others intend them harm) and teleological thinking (ascribing excessive meaning and purpose to events) performed worse than their counterparts, the study found. Those individuals more often -- and confidently -- claimed one dot was chasing the other when it wasn't. The findings suggest that, in the future, testing for illnesses like schizophrenia could be done with a simple eye test.

Research shows solitude is better for your health when it's not too intense

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 20:15:11 -0500

Hiking by yourself deep in a forest and similar episodes of intense solitude are not as likely to restore energy and enhance social connectedness as less complete forms of solitude, such as reading in a cafe or listening to Spotify while commuting.

The psychological implications of Big Brother's gaze

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:46:42 -0500

A new psychological study has shown that when people know they are under surveillance it generates an automatic response of heightened awareness of being watched, with implications for public mental health.

Online training could help older adults communicate in noisy environments

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 20:37:28 -0500

Online training that helps people recognize and understand new voices could be key to helping older adults improve communication in everyday environments, finds new research.

Emoji use may depend on emotional intelligence and attachment style

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 14:50:24 -0500

Higher emotional intelligence is linked to more emoji use with friends, while avoidant attachment is associated with less emoji use with friends and dating or romantic partners, according to a new study. This pattern of results varies across genders and relationship types, with women using emojis with friends and family more frequently than men.

Owning a home in the US linked to longer life

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 11:40:18 -0500

A new study finds that owning a home in early adult life adds approximately four months to the lives of male Americans born in the early twentieth century.

Language used by mothers affects oxytocin levels of infants

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 14:58:04 -0500

Infants whose mothers regularly use language to describe what their child is thinking or feeling, have higher levels of the hormone oxytocin, finds a new study.

Political opinions influence our choice of chocolate

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 12:50:38 -0500

We distance ourselves from completely neutral products if they are liked by people who have political views that we find disagreeable. Even chocolate can be political, according to new research from Sweden. The behavior is reinforced if we have to make a decision when others are watching.

Researchers develop tools to examine neighborhood economic effects on spinal cord injury outcomes

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 12:49:23 -0500

A new study emphasizes that neighborhood conditions significantly shape recovery opportunities for individuals with SCI and advocates for environmental interventions to reduce health inequities.

Social networked friendship quality can be means of combating loneliness

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 12:48:23 -0500

Spending too much time social networking appears to be a key driver in loneliness, but a new article suggests motivated uses of social networking sites for connecting with people and feeling companionship can also play a role in alleviating it.

Overthinking what you said? It's your 'lizard brain' talking to newer, advanced parts of your brain

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 18:53:36 -0500

Scientists sought to better understand how humans evolved to become so skilled at thinking about what's happening in other peoples' minds. The findings could have implications for one day treating psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression.

Animal characters can boost young children's psychological development

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 13:06:29 -0500

A study has shown that iconic characters such as Peter Rabbit -- or Toad and Ratty from The Wind in the Willows -- can also play an important role in the development of children's theory of mind skills, which include the ability to read and predict social changes in the environment through tone of voice, choice of words, or facial expression.

Tantrums in young children could be linked to ADHD, study finds

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 11:58:03 -0500

Preschool children who struggle to control their emotions and behaviour have more symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- known as ADHD -- at age seven, a study suggests. Children aged between three and seven who are slower at acquiring skills to manage their intense emotions were also found to be at risk of displaying more conduct issues. They were also more likely to show internalising behaviours, such as sadness and worries, at age seven, experts say.

Cannabis disrupts brain activity in young adults prone to psychosis

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:30:38 -0500

Young adults at risk of psychosis show reduced brain connectivity, a deficit that cannabis use appears to worsen, a new study has found. The breakthrough paves the way for psychosis treatments targeting symptoms that current medications miss.

How children learned for 99% of human history

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:27:17 -0500

Unlike kids in the United States, hunter-gatherer children in the Congo Basin have often learned how to hunt, identify edible plants and care for babies by the tender age of six or seven. This rapid learning is facilitated by a unique social environment where cultural knowledge is passed down not just from parents but from the broader community. The research helps explain how many cultural traits have been preserved for thousands of years among hunter-gatherer groups across a wide range of natural environments in Africa.

'Jekyll and Hyde' leaders do lasting damage, new research shows

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 19:56:47 -0500

Employees struggle when supervisors swing between good and bad behavior