psychology – News Stories About psychology - Page 6

new study

Jun 16, 2012 9:50 AM CDT

Flowers Really Can Make Love Bloom

French study found women more receptive to men near florist shops

(Newser) - Trying to woo her? It's scientifically proven that flowers will make the job an easier one, reports the Telegraph . Psychologists in France conducted a study in which five attractive young men approached 600 women on the street; each introduced himself, complimented her looks, and asked for the lady's...

Early Birds
Happier Than
Night Owls

Early Birds Happier Than Night Owls

It's true regardless of age: study

(Newser) - Morning people, count yourselves lucky: New research shows you're happier, and feel healthier, than your night-owl peers—not just in the morning, but in general. People tend naturally to rise earlier as they get older, which might explain why older people tend to be happier, researchers say. Their study...

Exercise Doesn't
Fight Depression

study says

Jun 6, 2012 8:23 AM CDT

Exercise Doesn't Fight Depression

Prof: Findings a 'huge disappointment'

(Newser) - New findings are challenging accepted wisdom about exercise. For some children, it's little help against obesity ; now we learn that it may not fend off depression, either. In a study, British researchers compared some 361 patients, all of whom received standard depression treatments but only some of whom were...

Barack and Mitt: Both Love Star Trek , Grilled Chicken

Obama, Romney 'Shy' Introverts Who Love Star Trek

Jun 3, 2012 1:35 PM CDT

Obama, Romney 'Shy' Introverts Who Love Star Trek

Barack and Mitt could even share Vulcan symbols at a barbeque

(Newser) - President Obama and Mitt Romney may not be so different after all. Both like grilled chicken and Star Trek—and iPads, Modern Family, and spicy food. On a more serious note, both are considered aloof, analytical introverts who prefer cautious decision-making to gut instinct, and eschew the emotional tone of...

Pop Music Getting
Sadder, More
Complex

Jun 2, 2012 9:31 AM CDT

Pop Music Getting Sadder, More Complex

New songs tend toward minor scales and mixed emotions

(Newser) - Pop music is getting sadder, slower, and more sophisticated, according to a new study published in a psychology journal. Researchers analyzed Top 40 hits in Billboard from the mid-60's through 2010 and discovered that popular tunes have increasingly been written in "minor modes"—which associate with darker...

Philip Roth:
I Did Not
'Crack Up'

May 24, 2012 2:09 PM CDT

Philip Roth: I Did Not 'Crack Up'

Novelist refutes magazine, says it was a bad reaction to sleeping pill

(Newser) - Philip Roth isn't happy with the Atlantic: A recent piece in the magazine said he suffered from "a 'crack-up' in his mid-50s," and the novelist says that's simply "not true." The Atlantic Wire points out that the episode, "whatever you call it,...

Buying Organic: Turns You Into a Big Jerk

Buying Organic
Turns You Into
a Jerk

study says

May 19, 2012 4:31 PM CDT

Buying Organic Turns You Into a Jerk

Organic food lovers feel too good about themselves: study

(Newser) - Ever encountered a snotty attitude at an organic food stand? It makes sense psychologically, according to a new study that analyzed how people reacted after looking at different kinds of foods, MSNBC reports. "There's something about being exposed to organic food that made them feel better about themselves,...

Stay-at-Home
Moms Suffer
More Sadness

survey says

May 18, 2012 10:44 AM CDT

Stay-at-Home Moms Suffer More Sadness

Cite more depression, anger compared to employed mothers: Gallup poll

(Newser) - Stay-at-home moms struggle with sadness, depression, and anger more often than employed mothers do, according to a sure-to-be-controversial new Gallup poll. While 26% of stay-at-home moms reported feeling sadness much of "yesterday," that figure was just 16% among employed moms. Some 28% of stay-at-home moms said they have...

Why We
Love to
Boast

study shows

May 8, 2012 4:30 PM CDT

Why We Love to Boast

Talking about ourselves stimulates the brain

(Newser) - In the era of Facebook and Twitter, it's clear we love talking about ourselves—indeed, the topic makes up 40% of our everyday conversation. Now scientists can explain why: Doing so stimulates the brain the same way sex, food, and cash do. Researchers scanned subjects' brains and found that...

How to Get
a Job: Stay
Positive for
Months

study says

May 6, 2012 4:20 PM CDT

How to Get a Job: Stay Positive for Months

Upbeat job seekers see good results in 20-week study

(Newser) - If you're looking for a job, get ready to stick it out for four months—and keep up that can-do attitude. Researchers tracked the job search experiences of 177 unemployed subjects for 20 weeks and found that 72% of them got work, particularly those who maintained a good outlook....

Thinking, Religion
Don't Mix: Study

Apr 27, 2012 9:09 AM CDT

Thinking, Religion Don't Mix: Study

Analytical thought tends to drown out faith, researcher finds

(Newser) - People prone to analytical thinking are less prone to religious faith, a new study has concluded. Scientists have long believed that analytical thinking can override one's intuitive responses, and studies have shown that religion is rooted in intuitive thought. So Canadian researcher Will Gervais set out to see if...

Hey, Guys:
Women Are
Better People
Than You

study says

Apr 16, 2012 11:26 AM CDT

Hey, Guys: Women Are Better People Than You

And we all grow more moral as we age: study

(Newser) - Women are the more moral sex, making choices in light of others' needs, a study suggests. Men, on the other hand, tend to focus on themselves, the Telegraph reports. The female approach "tends to produce better decisions," says the philosopher who conducted the study. But both sexes become...

Wait, Beer Boosts Your Brain?

Apr 12, 2012 10:05 AM CDT

Wait, Beer Boosts Your Brain?

Study shows it makes you better at bar games, anyway

(Newser) - You know how you get when you've got a couple pints in you: You stumble a bit, talk too loudly, and completely rock at brainteasers. A new study suggests that downing a little beer actually improves some cognitive functions. Researchers at the University of Illinois in Chicago got a...

How DNA
Can Make
You Nice

study shows

Apr 10, 2012 6:56 PM CDT

How DNA Can Make You Nice

Genes can keep us friendly despite dark outlooks

(Newser) - Whether you're a nice person isn't just about your life experiences: Chemicals appear to play a big role, too. Your kindness, or lack of it, depends in part on whether your brain has the right kind of receptors for the hormones behind affection, scientists find. Researchers asked hundreds...

Psychologists
to Guys: Shave
Your Beard

Psychologists to Guys: Shave Your Beard

Women prefer clean-shaven look: study

(Newser) - To beard or not to beard? Amid much contradictory research, a group of psychologists was determined to find out once and for all whether women prefer the scruffy look. Turns out they don't, the New Zealand and Canadian researchers discovered. They showed 200 women from New Zealand and Samoa...

Heart Drug Curbs Racism

STUDY SAYS

Mar 8, 2012 3:23 AM CST

Heart Drug Curbs Racism

Dose of propranolol 'alters subconscious attitudes,' say researchers

(Newser) - Could popping pills make racists change their ways? British researchers claim that a common heart drug significantly reduces racist attitudes. White volunteers given small doses of the beta blocker propranolol scored lower than a control group on a test designed to measure subconscious racist attitudes, the Telegraph reports. The Oxford...

People Aren't
Smart Enough
to Pick Smart
Candidates

study says

Mar 1, 2012 4:05 PM CST

People Aren't Smart Enough to Pick Smart Candidates

Democracy often results in mediocrity, say researchers

(Newser) - When it comes to choosing a leader, we may simply be victims of our own ignorance. Researchers say that voters can't be trusted to choose experts on topics they themselves know little about—meaning, for instance, that we can't pick the candidate with the best tax policy without...

Forget 8 Hours of Sleep:
Try 4 Hours, Twice

Feb 23, 2012 9:51 AM CST

Forget 8 Hours of Sleep: Try 4 Hours, Twice

History suggests it could be the 'natural' way

(Newser) - Eight hours of sleep—doctor's orders, right? Perhaps not. A number of recent studies have pointed to a human tendency to sleep in two sessions of about four hours each, with an hour or two between, the BBC reports. A researcher in the 1990s put subjects in darkness 14...

Scientists
Spot Trouble
With Online
Dating

Feb 7, 2012 3:34 PM CST

Scientists Spot Trouble With Online Dating

'Supermarkets of love' no better than bars for meeting people: Study

(Newser) - Online dating could help you find your perfect match—but your chances aren't any better than they'd be at a bar, a study suggests. You can't tell much about the people listed on sites like Match.com. Browsing such lists "overloads people and they end up...

Exercising Makes Bosses Nicer

study says

Jan 27, 2012 1:33 PM CST

Exercising Makes Bosses Nicer

Those who hit the gym don't take stress out on subordinates: study

(Newser) - Got a crabby boss? Maybe you should get your office to chip in on a gym membership. Bosses who work out are less likely to mistreat their employees, according to a recent study in the Journal of Business and Psychology , spotted by Scientific American . Researchers had 98 MBA students fill...