psychology

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Miserable People Prefer Not to Be Cheered Up

You're only going to make them feel worse, say researchers

(Newser) - If your friend is feeling down, your first thought might be to tell her things aren't so bad—but that may not be helpful. People with low self-esteem get a much bigger boost from "negative validation" than from "positive reframing," suggests a study in the American...

Look Out! Threats From Left Are More Menacing
Look Out! Threats From Left Are More Menacing
studies say
Jun 2, 2014 5:42 PM CDT

Look Out! Threats From Left Are More Menacing

Studies show people worry less about things on their right

(Newser) - Don't look now—especially to your left, because that's where things seem scarier. So say University of Utah researchers who found that people reacted with greater alarm when faced with tornadoes, traffic, dog poop, and homeless people appearing on their left. Here are examples of their still-unpublished studies,...

What It&#39;s Like to Be 100
 What It's Like to Be 100 
May 17, 2014 3:05 PM CDT

What It's Like to Be 100

Pretty good, even if you've got several illnesses: researcher

(Newser) - Though plenty of people want to live a long time, they don't find the idea being of 100 years old particularly appealing, a researcher tells the New York Times . Good news, Prof. Daniela Jopp finds: The people who make it to 100 tend to feel pretty optimistic about life,...

The 'Present Moment' Lasts for 15 Seconds

Study reveals fascinating details of perception

(Newser) - If you're aiming to live in the present, you'll want to restrict yourself to the last 15 seconds—because that's how long we perceive the current moment, a study suggests. A group of US researchers say it's not just a split second: Instead, our minds seem...

It Takes More Like 66 Days to Form a Habit

21-day pop psychology myth debunked by research

(Newser) - Chances are that you have heard the wisdom that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. It's a comforting thought. "Who wouldn't like the idea of changing your life in just three weeks?" asks James Clear at the Huffington Post . Unfortunately, it's also just...

Why We Don't Hold Grudges Against Friends

We just can't afford it, study suggests

(Newser) - When it comes to those close to us, we often quickly forgive and forget a deep offense—but if someone we don't know harms us slightly, we'll nurse our anger far longer. So suggests new research on our ability to hold grudges, io9 reports. Researchers asked participants to...

Belief in Hell Makes Life on Earth More Miserable
 Belief in Hell 
 Makes Life on 
 Earth More 
 Miserable 
in case you missed it
Mar 1, 2014 7:19 AM CST

Belief in Hell Makes Life on Earth More Miserable

Study investigates beliefs across 63 countries

(Newser) - Believers in hell—or just those who think about it—may find themselves less satisfied with life on Earth, a new study suggests. In the study published in PLOS One , researchers in British Columbia investigated data from 63 countries, both on a national scale and an individual one. They compared...

&#39;Short Man Syndrome&#39; Is Real

 'Short Man 
 Syndrome' 
 Is Real 
study says
Jan 29, 2014 8:55 AM CST

'Short Man Syndrome' Is Real

Researchers use virtual reality to shrink subjects

(Newser) - Scientists are lending some support to a persistent stereotype—or, as the Telegraph puts it, "Short-man syndrome really does exist." Researchers exposed subjects to two scenarios on a virtual-reality version of the London Underground. In one, subjects retained their normal heights; in the other, they were 10 inches...

Shock Treatment Zap Your Bad Memories
 Shock Treatment 
 Zaps Your Bad 
 Memories 
study says
Dec 29, 2013 9:12 AM CST

Shock Treatment Zaps Your Bad Memories

Netherlands researchers find success with electroshock therapy

(Newser) - Scientists are investigating a new way to combat bad memories, and so far, the results look promising. In the 1960s, researchers found that mice who were trained to fear a certain sound were able to forget that fear if shocked after hearing the noise. A new study points to a...

This President Had the Most 'Grandiose Narcissism'

Lyndon Johnson was full of himself, but it may have helped

(Newser) - When you're running the country, being narcissistic may come in handy. Psychologists and experts on presidential personalities have put together a list of the presidents who had the most "grandiose narcissism"—which, the Houston Chronicle explains, is characterized by a showy and extroverted personality. That's in...

Crushed by Existential Angst? Find a Teddy Bear

Study finds a simple touch can ease feelings of worthlessness

(Newser) - World got you down? Can't find the point of it all in your meaningless existence? You are a person in dire need of a teddy bear, say researchers in Amsterdam. Through a series of studies, they found that people with low self-esteem see the world in a much better...

Boost Your Optimism: Wash Your Hands

Trouble is, you might also lose your drive, study says

(Newser) - Feeling dejected? You might want to turn on the sink. Washing your hands, a study suggests, can be emotionally cleansing: It may help us feel more optimistic after a failure. Researchers assigned an "impossible task" to two groups of people; they failed, of course. Then, scientists told one group...

Men Are Worse at Multitasking
 Men Are Worse at Multitasking 
Study Says
Oct 24, 2013 3:25 PM CDT

Men Are Worse at Multitasking

Women perform better in new study

(Newser) - Women have a distinct edge when it comes to juggling problems, a new study has concluded. Researchers had 120 men and 120 women each complete a computer test, first giving them the tasks one at a time, and then mixing them up, forcing participants to tackle them in a fragmented...

Feeling Guilty? You Probably Feel Heavier, Too
Feeling Guilty? You
Probably Feel Heavier, Too
study says
Oct 12, 2013 6:00 AM CDT

Feeling Guilty? You Probably Feel Heavier, Too

Study finds that a weighty conscience makes people feel weightier in general

(Newser) - A new study suggests that the phrase "weight of a guilty conscience" has an element of truth to it. Researchers found that people asked to recall their own unethical behavior felt physically heavier when asked to assess their own body weight, reports PsychCentral . (Researchers compared them to people in...

You're Not the Only One Who Cries on Planes

Why do we shed tears, especially when airborne?

(Newser) - If you've ever flown alone, you may have felt it. High above the earth, a yawning emptiness might creep over you, along with—perhaps—a tear. It's certainly happened to Elijah Wolfson at the Atlantic , and he's not the only one—a Virgin Atlantic survey once found...

Study: Psychopaths Can Choose to Have Empathy

They just have to flip the empathy 'switch'

(Newser) - Psychopaths aren't devoid of human empathy, they just have the ability to switch it on and off, a new study suggests—though they do tend to default to "off". The study hooked criminals diagnosed with psycopathy up to a brain scanner, and showed them video clips of two...

Sex Addiction Is Just a Myth, Study Suggests

Researchers study brain reactions for the first time

(Newser) - The term "sex addiction" might get tossed around a lot these days as a way to explain some not-so-classy behavior of the Anthony Weiner-Tiger Woods variety, but is it really an addiction on par with drugs or alcohol? The first study to explore brain responses in people who describe...

Is Your Boss Dishonest? He Might Need a Smaller Desk

Study sees correlation between 'expansive' surroundings and bad behavior

(Newser) - A study at the Columbia Business School floats a novel theory on why some white-collar workers lie, steal, and cheat—it's partly their desks' fault. The researchers say they found a correlation between "expansive" physical surroundings and dishonesty, reports PsychCentral . As the theory goes, someone sitting behind a...

NJ Looks to Ban Gay Conversion Therapy

Would join California as only states to do so

(Newser) - California may soon have an ally in its battle against anti-gay psychological therapy. The New Jersey Assembly voted 56-14 yesterday to ban licensed therapists and social workers from pushing gay and lesbian young people to alter their sexuality, Reuters reports. The state Senate is likely to approve the measure Thursday....

Task Forces Tackle Dangerous—and Disgusting—Hoarding

California team has been trained to fight gag reflex

(Newser) - How'd you like to spend your days walking on piles of newspapers soaked with rat urine, helping hoarders clear their houses of not just junk but often gross junk, from mildewed papers to bottles of urine? That's what the members of California's Orange County Task Force on...

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