Researchers Explore How Children Learn Language Far Faster Than Teenagers or Adults
Small children learn language at a pace far faster than teenagers or adults. One explanation for this learning advantage comes not from differences between children…
Psychology
Autistic People More Likely to Use Recreational Drugs to Self-Medicate
While autistic individuals are less likely to use substances, those who do so are more likely to self-medicate for their mental health symptoms, according to…
When Employees Lack Power at Work, They Get Paranoid – And Aggressive
When employees lack power at work, they can feel vulnerable and paranoid. In turn, that paranoia can cause people to lash out against colleagues or…
A Simple Trick Can Help Couples Weather COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Stress
Relationships are often undermined by everyday frustrations like work stress or financial anxiety, but how do couples handle a challenge as unprecedented as the COVID-19…
Homophobic Statements Trigger Elevated Stress in Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People – Can Contribute to Health Problems
New research provides strongest evidence to date that the stress of discrimination causes physiological changes that can contribute to health problems for lesbian, gay and…
People More Afraid of Catching COVID-19 Are More Judgmental
Researchers studying how we make moral judgments found that people more concerned about catching COVID-19 were more disapproving of the wrong-doings of others, whatever they…
Narcissism Linked to Aggression – Study Found Relationship “Across the Board” All Over the World
A comprehensive analysis of 437 studies from around the world provides the best evidence to date that narcissism is an important risk factor for both…
Where Do We Place the Blame for the COVID-19 Pandemic?
In a time of a global crisis such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is easy to note how people move through different phases to…
Screams of “Joy” Are Often Mistaken for “Fear” When Heard Out of Context
The first in-depth look at the human ability to decode the range of emotions tied to the acoustic cues of screams. People are adept at…
Using Humor and Emotion to Combat Science Misinformation
Misinformation in public debates about scientific issues such as vaccinations and climate change can be found all over the internet, especially on social media. In…
Research Highlights: The Role of Adult Playfulness in Romantic Life
While play and playfulness have been studied well in children, their structure and consequences are understudied in adults. A new article published in Social and…
Researchers Warn: Large Number of COVID-19 Survivors Will Experience Cognitive Complications
A research review led by Oxford Brookes University has found a large proportion of COVID-19 survivors will be affected by neuropsychiatric and cognitive complications. Psychologists…
Answer Quickly to Be Believed – Pausing Before Replying Decreases Perceived Sincerity
When people pause before replying to a question, even for just a few seconds, their answers are perceived to be less sincere and credible than…
MIT Twitter Experiment Shows Clear Self-Selection Into Social Media “Echo Chambers” Due to Political Preferences
It is no secret that U.S. politics is polarized. An experiment conducted by MIT researchers now shows just how deeply political partisanship directly influences people’s…
Happy Childhood? That’s No Guarantee for Good Mental Health Later in Life
It’s well understood that a difficult childhood can increase the likelihood of mental illness, but according to new research from the University of South Australia,…
The Mystery of Playing With Fear: Psychology Researchers Investigate Haunted Houses
Haunted houses, horror movies, and ghost stories can be chilling delights, provided the fear they evoke remains in a “Goldilocks zone” that is neither too…
Writing by Hand Makes Kids Smarter – Here’s Why
Writing by hand creates much more activity in the sensorimotor parts of the brain, researchers found. New brain research shows that writing by hand helps…
When Racism and Sexism Benefit Black and Female Politicians
When It Comes to Supporting Candidates, Ideology Trumps Race and Gender Prejudiced people will still vote for Black and female politicians, as long as ideologies…
