psychology

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2 Languages Better Than 1 for Baby's Brain

Bilingual kids may talk later but excel at 'executive functions'

(Newser) - Some teachers complain that children raised in bilingual households tend to lag behind their peers in school, but a new study suggests multilingual kids' brains may be better organized, the Economist reports. Polyglot babies have stronger "executive function": processes in the brain that help humans plan, prioritize, and switch...

Herd Mentality Moves Many to Needless Penny-Pinching

Psychology has everyone spending less, even those who don't need to

(Newser) - Amid the economic distress, many people who can spend as freely as they could before aren’t, the Washington Post reports. Such consumers, economists say, take psychological cues from friends and the media and pinching pennies needlessly—which only helps deepen the downturn. Upper-income consumers cut spending from $185 in...

Researchers Hope Canine Brain Holds Clues to Ours

(Newser) - At Harvard and labs across the country, researchers are turning to dogs for clues on how their brains—and ours—work, the Boston Globe reports. “Psychologists have been ignoring animals that were sleeping quietly at their feet,” one professor said, but no longer. Dogs understand pointing better than...

Self-Control Is Unnatural: Study

(Newser) - When you wolf down a box of cookies at midnight, it only shows you're being human and relinquishing your self-control, Meredith Small writes on LiveScience. A recent study supports your habit, showing that subjects following the story of a waiter who resists gourmet dishes finally have to eat the same...

In Hard Times, Pride Can Keep You Afloat

Can help you function better and raise you in others' eyes

(Newser) - Swallowing your pride might not be so healthy—especially in times like these, psychologists say. While the emotion historically hasn’t meant much to psychologists, new studies are showing that pride can help us function and improve how others perceive us, the New York Times reports. “It’s the...

A Rose by Any Other Name Might Smell ... Manly?

Language influences perception, study finds

(Newser) - Think of the Golden Gate Bridge. Would you describe it as fragile, elegant, and slender? Or strong, dangerous, and sturdy? When they pictured a bridge, a group of German speakers offered the first group of words, while Spanish speakers offered the second, NPR reports. The difference, believes the psychologist behind...

Sorry, Brother, Sisters Are Good for You

Researchers say female siblings encourage communication while brothers clam up

(Newser) - It's not quite "girls rule, boys drool," but it's close. A new study says growing up with a sister turns people into happier and better-balanced adults. University of Ulster researchers studied hundreds of families and found that female siblings encouraged healthy communication and family cohesion, while brothers tended...

Spanking's Stressful, but S&M Brings Couples Closer

(Newser) - Spanking your partner may ratchet up their stress hormones, but they’ll thank you when it’s over, according to a new study. Researchers measured levels of the stress hormone cortisol in 13 men and women at one S&M party, and testosterone levels at another. Those on the receiving...

Cartoons Could Help Diagnose Autism in Kids

Study finds differences in how autistic toddlers look at moving images

(Newser) - The way in which toddlers are drawn to animated movement may help facilitate the diagnosis of autism-spectrum disorders, reports the BBC. In the study, children who were developing normally focused on the half of a split-screen that featured an upright animation; children with signs of autism showed no preference between...

Group Therapy Gains on Couch in Recession

(Newser) - Increasingly, having a couch to yourself is just too pricey. Group therapy is catching on as people look for a cheaper alternative to one-on-one sessions, the Wall Street Journal reports. And despite the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest stigma it often endures, participants swear by it. “Group...

Love Endures, Sort Of: Study
 Love Endures, Sort Of: Study 
Mar 20, 2009 1:47 PM CDT

Love Endures, Sort Of: Study

(Newser) - Romantic love is more enduring than previously thought, says a new study in the Review of General Psychology. Researchers surveyed more than 6,000 people, some newly coupled, some married for decades, and found that 13% still reported high levels of romance. That may not sound like much, but it...

Newbies' Passion for Opera 'Like Love at First Sight'

Research suggests if you don't swoon first time, opera may not be for you

(Newser) - The passion that opera fans feel for the art form is more akin to love at first sight than a slow-growing desire, Reuters reports. A sociologist focused on fans in the cheap seats who hadn't been brought up on opera, and found they tended to have an intense, explosive attraction...

Distracted Doodling Helps Us Focus, Study Shows

(Newser) - Doodling while listening actually increases retention of memory, LiveScience reports. A new study shows that subjects who “mindlessly” sketched while listening to a not-so-interesting phone message remembered key facts 29% more than others instructed to just listen. “It helps to keep us on track with a boring task,...

Fast Thinking Makes People Happy

Rapid thoughts can make people feel happier

(Newser) - Happy people think fast thoughts, say researchers at Princeton and Harvard. They asked two groups to perform the same tasks—problem-solving, reading, and watching TV—at different speeds. Those forced to move along briskly felt more elated, creative, even powerful, Scientific American reports. The findings suggest a crossword puzzle or...

What Not to Name Your New Baby

Researchers find the most poorly named among us

(Newser) - Naming your child Anna Sasin, Paige Turner, or Hazel Nutt may seem funny, but they're Terry Bull ideas. Those are all real names in British phone books—and the jokes are no laughing matter for the people stuck with the monikers, researchers with TheBabyWebsite.com say. The kidding "got...

Recession Depression Setting In
 Recession Depression Setting In 
Feb 15, 2009 6:11 AM CST

Recession Depression Setting In

One suicide hotline reports a 77% jump in calls

(Newser) - Some people can take losing a job in stride, but Silvia Martinez isn’t one of them. When she lost her $52,000-a-year human resources job, the Virginia woman was too ashamed to tell anyone and sank into a deep depression. “I apply for jobs and apply for jobs...

Obamas Haunt Our Dreams&mdash;Even Sexy Ones
Obamas Haunt Our Dreams—Even Sexy Ones
OPINION
Feb 6, 2009 12:59 PM CST

Obamas Haunt Our Dreams—Even Sexy Ones

(Newser) - Americans have a unique connection with Barack Obama—one they might want to discuss with a therapist, writes Judith Warner in the New York Times. From strange dreams to sexual obsessions, everyone seems hung up on the president. Warner has dreamed about him taking a shower and smoking in the...

Manners Killed Titanic's Brits as Yanks Fled: Study

British were more likely to line up for lifeboats, researcher contends

(Newser) - British passengers aboard the Titanic were most likely to die because their sense of propriety inclined them to line up for lifeboats while Americans elbowed past to save themselves, claims an Australian researcher who is studying how people react in life-threatening disasters. Americans were 8.5% more likely than other...

Crisis Turns Econ Theory on Its Ear:
Crisis Turns Econ Theory
on Its Ear:
OPINION
Jan 16, 2009 1:03 PM CST

Crisis Turns Econ Theory on Its Ear:

Models, and pols, don't account for biases, insecurities: Brooks

(Newser) - Classical economics is based on the idea that “reason rides the passions the way a rider sits atop a horse,” David Brooks writes in the New York Times—which means classical economics is pretty much out the window right now. The recession proves the market is a psychological...

Feeling Lonely? Give Your Sweetie's T-Shirt a Sniff

Men, women report snuggling with clothing

(Newser) - Both men and women cuddle with and smell their loved ones' clothing when they can't be together, MSNBC reports. "When I was going through high school and college, I would wear a boyfriend’s shirt to bed," said the author of a new study on how scent evokes...

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