BREAKING NEWS: Psychology & Self-Help

Why anger cools after 50: Surprising findings from a new menopause study

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 07:42:18 -0400

Anger isn’t just a fleeting emotion—it plays a deeper role in women’s mental and physical health during midlife. A groundbreaking study tracking over 500 women aged 35 to 55 reveals that anger traits like outbursts and hostility tend to diminish with age and menopause progression. This shift could signal enhanced emotional regulation during and after the reproductive transition. Surprisingly, the only form of anger that remained steady was suppressed anger.

Israel Using Starvation As Weapon of War, Amnesty Report Alleges

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 06:18:40 -0400

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - World News

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation—a U.S.- and Israel-backed group that has taken over aid distribution in the territory—is enabling Israel to use starvation as a weapon of war and inflict genocide against Palestinians, says a report released Thursday by Amnesty International. The report cites testimony gathered from medical staff, parents of children hospitalized for malnutrition, and displaced Palestinians struggling to find food in the...

Why Anger Cools After 50: Surprising Findings From a Menopause Study

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 06:18:23 -0400

Source: Science Daily - Top Health

Anger isn't just a fleeting emotion—it plays a deeper role in mental and physical health during midlife. A groundbreaking study tracking over 500 women aged 35 to 55 reveals that angry outbursts and hostility tend to diminish with age and menopause progression. This shift could signal enhanced emotional regulation during and after the reproductive transition. The only form of anger that remained steady was suppressed anger.

Penn Rewrites Swimming Records to Settle Federal Case

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:37:10 -0400

Source: Google News - Health

The University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday rewrote three school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and said it would apologize to female athletes "disadvantaged" by her participation on the women's swim team, part of a resolution of a federal civil rights case brought by the Trump administration. The high-profile case focused on Thomas, who competed for Penn in 2022 and became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA...

Are Lefties Really More Creative? 100 Years of Data Say No

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:36:56 -0400

Source: Science Daily

A sweeping review of more than a century's research upends the popular notion that left-handers are naturally more creative. Researchers examined nearly a thousand studies and found no consistent advantage for lefties on standard divergent-thinking tests. The myth appears to thrive on coincidence: left-handedness is rare and so is creative genius, plus lefties' overrepresentation in art and music gets cherry-picked while other professions are...

A New Era of Weight Loss: Mental Health Effects of GLP-1 Drugs

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:36:34 -0400

Source: APA Monitor

At first, Meghan Dressler wasn't interested in taking a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, the class of popular diabetes and weight-loss medications that includes Ozempic and Wegovy. But in 2024 at age 41, Dressler's joints hurt and she began taking Zepbound, a cousin of the original GLP-1s. Dressler lost 70 pounds within a year and plans to continue. And she is not alone—an estimated 12% of U.S. adults have now used a GLP-1.

Inquiry Finds British Committed Genocide on Indigenous Australians

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:36:14 -0400

Source: BBC News - Top Headlines

British colonists committed genocide against Australia's Indigenous population in Victoria, a four-year landmark Aboriginal-led inquiry has found. The Yoorrook Justice Commission found violence and disease reduced the local Indigenous population by three quarters in the 20 years after the state was colonized, in the early 1830s. Its report also included 100 recommendations to redress harm caused by "invasion and occupation."

The Pandemic Pet Boom Was Real, But Happiness Boost Wasn’t

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:36:04 -0400

Source: Science Daily

A new study challenges the belief in a universal "pet effect" on human well-being. Using data collected during COVID-19 lockdowns, researchers found no significant change in respondents' well-being when they acquired or lost a pet in their household. The findings suggest that, even during a time of extreme isolation, human-animal bonds may not be as emotionally transformative as we like to believe.

The pandemic pet boom was real. The happiness boost wasn’t

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 05:57:47 -0400

Locked-down Hungarians who gained or lost pets saw almost no lasting shift in mood or loneliness, and new dog owners actually felt less calm and satisfied over time—hinting that the storied “pet effect” may be more myth than mental-health remedy even in extreme isolation.

Major Climate Change Reports Are Removed From U.S. Websites

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 04:22:06 -0400

Source: United Press International - Health News

The Trump administration has quietly shut down a major federal website that hosted congressionally mandated national climate assessments, which were the U.S. government's preeminent reports on climate change impacts, risks, and responses. The disappearance Monday of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's website marked an unexpected loss in public access to the most crucial source for climate-related science.

Cool Is Cool Wherever You Are

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 04:21:35 -0400

Source: APA Press Releases

From Chile to China, cultures vary greatly around the globe, but people in at least a dozen countries agree about what it means to be cool, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. The researchers conducted experiments with almost 6,000 participants from countries around the world and found that cool people have surprisingly similar personalities. Even though Eastern and Western cultures often differ in many...

Trump Administration Says Harvard Risks Loss of All Federal Funding

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 02:38:16 -0400

Source: Google News - Health

The Trump administration on Monday formally accused Harvard University of violating federal civil rights laws and failing to mount an appropriate response to alleged campus antisemitism. "Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources," wrote administration officials, including Justice Department civil rights chief Harmeet K. Dhillon, in a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber.

The gene that hijacks fear: How PTEN rewires the brain’s anxiety circuit

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 05:06:58 -0400

Deleting a gene called PTEN in certain brain cells disrupts the brain’s fear circuitry and triggers anxiety-like behavior in mice — key traits seen in autism. Researchers mapped how this genetic tweak throws off the brain's delicate balance of excitation and inhibition in the amygdala, offering deep insights into how one gene can drive specific ASD symptoms.

Pride Month Photos Show Celebrations Around the World

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 09:17:56 -0400

Source: CBS News - World News

Wrapped in multicolored flags and waving protest signs, revelers across the globe have gathered throughout June for Pride events—a monthlong celebration of the LGBTQ community that also symbolizes an ongoing fight for equal rights. The roots of Pride Month stretch back to June 28, 1969, when a police raid on New York City's Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, led to the Stonewall Uprising—a demonstration that's now considered the start of the LGBTQ...

Hungary Pride Goes Ahead, Defying Orban Threat of "Legal Consequences"

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 09:17:41 -0400

Source: BBC News - Europe

Tens of thousands have gathered for the Budapest Pride march, defying Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's legal threats against LGBTQ rights activists. Organizers say a record 200,000 people may have taken part despite mounting pressure from conservative politicians and police to stop any display of pro-LGBTQ material. The police had issued a ban in line with a new "child protection" law restricting gatherings considered to be promoting...

Only Three Years Left: The Carbon Budget for 1.5 °C Is Almost Gone

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 09:17:27 -0400

Source: Science Daily - Top News

At current emission rates, we are just over three years away from blowing through the remaining carbon budget to limit warming to 1.5 C. This new international assessment, published today in the journal Earth System Science Data, paints a stark picture: the pace of climate change is accelerating, seas are rising faster than ever, and the Earth is absorbing more heat with devastating consequences from hotter oceans to intensified weather extremes.

U.S. Supreme Court Allows Parents to Opt Out of Lessons with LGBT Books

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 09:17:11 -0400

Source: BBC News - Americas

The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with parents in the state of Maryland who wanted to opt their children out of reading books with LGBTQ themes. The justices voted 6-3 in support of the parents who said a curriculum adopted in 2022 violated their religious rights. The introduction of the books "along with its decision to withhold opt-outs, places an unconstitutional burden on the parents' rights to the free exercise of their religion," the court...

A Third of Pacific Island Nation Applies for Australian Climate Change Visa

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 12:22:08 -0400

Source: BBC News - Science and Environment

More than a third of Tuvalu citizens have entered the ballot for a world-first climate visa which would allow them to permanently migrate to Australia. Opening for the first intake on 16 June, the influx of registrations could indicate that program will be hugely oversubscribed, with only 280 visas awarded to Tuvalu citizens from the random ballot each year. Still, Australia's visa program is a landmark response to the threat of climate-related...

U.S. Investigates Trans Athlete on Minnesota High School Softball Team

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 12:22:00 -0400

Source: United Press International - Health News

The Trump administration has opened a civil rights investigation into the Minnesota Department of Education over a transgender teenager competing on a girls' softball team. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics supports transgender athletes playing sports in alignment with their gender identity, stating it "helps youth develop self-esteem, correlates positively with overall mental health, and appears to have a protective effect against...

Life-Sized Animal Puppet Herd Arrives in London

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 12:21:44 -0400

Source: BBC News - UK News

A herd of life-sized puppet animals has arrived in London, as part of its world tour to raise awareness of climate change. The effort aims to symbolize the animals' flight from climate disaster, according to The Walk Productions, which is behind the large scale public art. The animals, created in part by students, began their tour on April 9 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and then travelled north, through locations in Africa and western...

He Sued for Marriage Equality and Won But Now Fears for LGBTQ+ Rights

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 03:10:15 -0400

Source: Google News

Jim Obergefell's husband, John Arthur, didn't live to see the day when same-sex marriage became legal in all 50 U.S. states. Yet he played a key role in making it happen. "John deserved to die a married man," Obergefell, the plaintiff in a landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, said in an interview. Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that states could not deny marriage to same-sex couples.

U.S. Map Shows the Impact of Same-Sex Marriage Court Decision

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 03:10:02 -0400

Source: Google News

"They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law," then-Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote 10 years ago to this day, in the Obergefell v. Hodges majority opinion. "The Constitution grants them that right." With those words, same-sex marriage became legal in all U.S. states on June 26, 2015. "The right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person," the Supreme Court ruled in its landmark decision.

How AI Is Helping Solve an Ancient Mystery From the Roman Empire

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 03:09:13 -0400

Source: CBS News - World News

Artificial intelligence is helping to solve an ancient mystery from the Roman Empire involving scrolls from a library that was buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted and wiped out Pompeii. Deep beneath the surface, 18th century archaeologists found 1,800 papyrus scrolls in the only ancient library in the world that is still intact, but the scrolls were carbonized and unreadable—that is, until artificial intelligence was used to decipher the letters.

Attachment theory: A new lens for understanding human-AI relationships

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:53:25 -0400

Human-AI interactions are well understood in terms of trust and companionship. However, the role of attachment and experiences in such relationships is not entirely clear. In a new breakthrough, researchers from Waseda University have devised a novel self-report scale and highlighted the concepts of attachment anxiety and avoidance toward AI. Their work is expected to serve as a guideline to further explore human-AI relationships and incorporate ethical considerations in AI design.

Horses 'mane' inspiration for new generation of social robots

Wed, 28 May 2025 21:42:22 -0400

Interactive robots should not just be passive companions, but active partners -- like therapy horses who respond to human emotion -- say researchers.

Mother's warmth in childhood influences teen health by shaping perceptions of social safety

Wed, 28 May 2025 13:16:36 -0400

Parental warmth and affection in early childhood can have life-long physical and mental health benefits for children, and new research points to an important underlying process: children's sense of social safety.

Overimitation begins in infancy but is not yet linked to in-group preference

Thu, 22 May 2025 16:25:44 -0400

A new study examines the emergence of overimitation in infants aged between 16 and 21 months to see if and how it is linked to social affiliation and other forms of imitation. The researchers found that young children engaged in low rates of overimitation and that it was not driven by in-group preference -- meaning they were not acting to please someone similar to themselves. This suggests that overimitation for social affiliation reasons may emerge later. But they did find that other types of imitation associated with memory and cognition were closely correlated.

Emotional expressions shape how help is received in the workplace

Wed, 21 May 2025 12:46:13 -0400

The way people express emotions while helping others can influence whether their assistance is welcomed, resented, or reciprocated, according to new research.

Evidence of mother-offspring attachment types in wild chimpanzees

Mon, 12 May 2025 13:36:54 -0400

A team of researchers has identified distinct mother-offspring attachment types in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus). Drawing parallels with human psychology, the study provides compelling evidence that wild chimpanzee infants, like human children, develop critical secure and insecure-avoidant attachment patterns to their mothers. However, unlike humans and some captive chimpanzees, wild chimpanzees did not exhibit disorganized attachment characterized by high rates of aggression. This raises new questions about how this type of attachment may be shaped by survival and modern environmental pressures.

Addressing hearing loss may reduce isolation among the elderly

Mon, 12 May 2025 13:36:00 -0400

Providing hearing aids and advice on their use may preserve social connections that often wane as we age, a new study shows. Its authors say that this approach could help ease the loneliness epidemic that older Americans face.

Nature visits can improve well-being disparities among urban dwellers

Thu, 08 May 2025 11:31:15 -0400

How relatedness-to-nature is linked to well-being is determined by district-level socioeconomic status. A new analysis is based on survey results from two major Japanese metropolitan areas.

Non-inherited genes affect children's development

Wed, 07 May 2025 20:08:09 -0400

Parents' genes -- even when not directly inherited by a child -- may play a role in their educational and mental health outcomes, finds a new report.

Losing a parent may increase children's risk of being bullied

Wed, 07 May 2025 13:05:08 -0400

A new study surveyed 21,000 children in China and found that the association between parental bereavement and school bullying varied by sex of the child and deceased parent, age when the death occurred, and geographical area. Adolescents in rural areas, girls, and older youth (ages 13-17) were at higher risk of bullying after either parent died.

Birds form bonds that look a lot like friendship

Wed, 07 May 2025 12:58:46 -0400

A study of starlings in Africa shows that they form long-term social bonds similar to human friendships.

What's a healthy amount of sleep? It differs from one country to another

Tue, 06 May 2025 22:44:30 -0400

Your optimal amount of sleep may depend on where you live, new research has found. An analysis of sleep data and health outcomes for nearly 5,000 people in 20 countries revealed that the hours of sleep required for good health varies significantly across different cultures, challenging the common belief that everyone needs the same amount. The study was the first to investigate whether people from countries with shorter sleep durations suffer from worse health, and it found no evidence that this is so.

Neighborhood stress may impact kids' brains -- and increase depression risk

Mon, 05 May 2025 17:10:08 -0400

Children who grow up in disadvantaged neighborhoods -- areas with higher levels of crime and deprivation, and lower access to community resources -- are at risk of developing depression, and new research may help to explain why.

Gorilla study reveals complex pros and cons of friendship

Mon, 05 May 2025 17:08:16 -0400

Friendship comes with complex pros and cons -- possibly explaining why some individuals are less sociable, according to a new study of gorillas.

Spanking and other physical discipline lead to exclusively negative outcomes for children in low- and middle-income countries

Mon, 05 May 2025 12:17:54 -0400

Physically punishing children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has exclusively negative outcomes -- including poor health, lower academic performance, and impaired social-emotional development -- yielding similar results to studies in wealthier nations, finds a new analysis.

Study suggests dance and lullabies aren't universal human behaviors

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 11:28:28 -0400

Social singing and dance are often assumed to be hard-wired into the human condition; studies have supported the conclusion that these are common across cultures. But new research from an anthropologist challenges the idea that dance and lullabies are universal among humans. The study draws on 43 years of research with an Indigenous population in Paraguay.

Awkward. Humans are still better than AI at reading the room

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 16:56:49 -0400

Humans are better than current AI models at interpreting social interactions and understanding social dynamics in moving scenes. Researchers believe this is because AI neural networks were inspired by the infrastructure of the part of the brain that processes static images, which is different from the area of the brain that processes dynamic social scenes.

Empathy might be retained in Alzheimer's disease

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:26:28 -0400

People with Alzheimer's disease may retain their ability to empathize, despite declines in other social abilities, finds a new study.

Father's mental health can impact children for years

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 21:19:22 -0400

Five-year-olds exposed to paternal depression are more likely to have behavioral issues in grade school, researchers find.

Environmental variability promotes the evolution of cooperation among humans: A simulation-based analysis

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 11:28:01 -0400

Researchers have demonstrated that intensified environmental variability (EV) can promote the evolution of cooperation through simulation based on evolutionary game theory. This result offers a new perspective for the reinterpretation of the variability selection hypothesis (VSH), which attributes improvement in human cognitive abilities to severe EV in Africa during the Middle Stone Age (MSA), as further relevant to the explanation of the evolution of sociality.

Finding friendship at first whiff: Scent plays role in platonic potential

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 14:49:01 -0400

Two women meeting for the first time can judge within minutes whether they have the potential to be friends -- guided as much by smell as any other sense, research on friendship formation finds.

Nurturing now, thriving later: The lasting power of affectionate mothering

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:55:00 -0400

Affectionate mothering in childhood may have a lasting impact on important personality traits, potentially influencing life outcomes such as educational achievement, economic success, and health and well-being, according to new research. The findings suggest that positive maternal parenting could foster important traits such as openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness.

How does our brain regulate generosity?

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 16:20:46 -0400

Are there areas of the brain, which regulate prosocial, altruistic behavior? Researchers have studied a very special group of patients and established that the 'basolateral amygdala' (part of the limbic system) plays an important role in this.

Lip sync: Study reveals gender differences in preference for lip size

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:53:05 -0400

Shifting cultural perceptions of beauty could drive 'lip dysmorphia', so psychologists tested the response of 32 people to altered images of lips to see how they responded. The results were surprising.

Advanced imaging reveals mired migration of neurons in Rett syndrome lab models

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 17:31:59 -0400

Using organoids to model early development, researchers used an emerging microscopy technology to see that new neurons struggled to reach their developmental destination.

Taking your time makes a difference

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 17:31:45 -0400

Researchers find that stem cells in the developing brain of modern humans take longer to divide and make fewer errors when distributing their chromosomes to their daughter cells, compared to those of Neanderthals.

Some types of stress could be good for brain functioning

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 14:30:14 -0400

It may feel like an anvil hanging over your head, but that looming deadline stressing you out at work may actually be beneficial for your brain, according to new research. The study found that low to moderate levels of stress can help individuals develop resilience and reduce the risk of developing mental health disorders, like depression and antisocial behaviors. Low to moderate stress can also help individuals to cope with future stressful encounters.