psychology – News Stories About psychology - Page 7

Low IQ Linked to Racism, Conservatism, Study Claims

Jan 26, 2012 3:13 PM CST

Low IQ Linked to Racism, Conservatism, Study Claims

'Sense of order' appeals to those with lower intelligence, researchers say

(Newser) - Children with low IQs are more likely to embrace conservative ideologies and to be prejudiced against gays and people of other races as they get older, according to research certain to spark a few heated conversations. The researchers say people with lower intelligence tend to be attracted to the structure...

Key to 'Gaydar':
Facial Symmetry?

study says

Jan 23, 2012 2:46 PM CST

Key to 'Gaydar': Facial Symmetry?

Guesses at sexual orientation tied to face shape: study

(Newser) - Wondering why you instinctively consider someone gay or straight? Try looking at the shape of the person's face. A new study says that people who identify as straight have a more symmetrical face than those who identify as gay. Researchers found this out by having 40 subjects identify the...

Marriage Won't Make You Happier: Study

Jan 19, 2012 2:30 PM CST

Marriage Won't Make You Happier: Study

At least, not compared to just living with your partner

(Newser) - If you're living with your significant other, don't worry too much about tying the knot, because it won't make you any happier, according to a new study. The study followed 2,737 single men and women for six years, watching as 896 of them either got married...

Infants Want Bad Guys to Get It

study says

Dec 2, 2011 9:13 AM CST

Infants Want Bad Guys to Get It

Suggests the desire is a hardwired human trait

(Newser) - Even at eight months old, we seem to have a desire to see evildoers punished. Researchers showed groups of babies a puppet routine in which one elephant puppet treated a duck puppet well, while another was mean to his puppet peer. In a later scene, a moose puppet rewarded the...

Prof Ends Snack
Demand After 39 Years

Nov 24, 2011 4:24 AM CST

Prof Ends Snack Demand After 39 Years

Requirement was team-building exercise, he says

(Newser) - For the first time in 39 years, Psychology 101 students at Sacramento State may find themselves being taught by a hungry Parrott. For decades, professor George Parrott has told students that if they fail to bring homemade snacks for the class to share, there will be no class. The university...

Panic Attacks
May Explain
Triathletes'
Deaths

Nov 15, 2011 4:49 PM CST

Panic Attacks May Explain Triathletes' Deaths

It often sets in during the swimming portion, writes competitor

(Newser) - At least nine people died this summer during triathlons, and one competitor has a theory about what's going on: panic attacks, specifically during the swimming portion of the race. As in earlier years, almost all the deaths (eight, in this case) occurred in the water, writes David Brown in...

Crew Emerges From
520-Day Mars 'Flight'

Nov 4, 2011 11:28 AM CDT

Crew Emerges From 520-Day Mars 'Flight'

Mission 'lands' without ever leaving planet

(Newser) - They’re free—and they don’t appear to have gone crazy. The crew of Russia’s simulated Mars mission has landed, by which we mean, been released from the narrow confines of the “spaceship” they’ve been trapped in for 520 days . The six men, ages 27 to...

Embarrassment
Helps Gain Trust

study says

Oct 9, 2011 2:15 PM CDT

Embarrassment Helps Gain Trust

Humiliation may show you're 'prosocial': researchers

(Newser) - It may not feel great in the moment, but embarrassment may actually work to your benefit, a study shows. The emotion may be linked to being "prosocial," or focused on helping others, researchers say. They asked more than 1,000 participants to remember embarrassing moments while being videotaped....

Do Your Brain
a Favor: Meditate

studies say

Sep 25, 2011 2:24 PM CDT

Do Your Brain a Favor: Meditate

Other coping mechanisms do more harm than good: research

(Newser) - Humankind has developed plenty of coping mechanisms over the centuries, from long walks to hard drugs. While many of these methods have endured, not all of them are in our brains’ best interests, writes Alice Walton at Forbes . Smoking and drinking, for example, can lead to a vicious cycle of...

Why Return Trips
Seem Shorter

study explains

Sep 15, 2011 5:02 PM CDT

Why Return Trips Seem Shorter

It's not about familiarity with the route, study suggests

(Newser) - Ever noticed how the trip home from your destination always seems shorter than the trip there? The standard explanation is that on the way back, you’re familiar with the route. But scientists in the Netherlands are contesting that view, offering a different explanation centered on expectations, MSNBC reports. On...

Reality TV Is a Psychological Blood Sport

OPINION

Aug 18, 2011 1:50 PM CDT

Reality TV Is a Psychological Blood Sport

We need to get these people mental health

(Newser) - The suicide of Real Housewives hubby Russell Armstrong ought to make us think twice about reality TV, which has become “the soft-bellied, 21st century American TV version of a gladiatorial contest,” writes Matt Zoller Seitz on Salon . “As your parents may have warned you, it’s all...

It's True: Fatty Foods
Make You Happier

study says

Aug 8, 2011 11:50 AM CDT

It's True: Fatty Foods Make You Happier

Chowing down when depressed may just be instinct

(Newser) - There’s a reason we gorge on chocolate bars or French fries when we’re down: Fatty foods actually do make us feel better, a study suggests. Scientists in Belgium had subjects look at images of sad people and listen to sad music while being fed through a tube, the...

Air Pollution Tied
to Brain Damage

study says

Jul 5, 2011 3:03 PM CDT

Air Pollution Tied to Brain Damage

May cause learning and memory troubles, depression: Study

(Newser) - Air pollution isn’t just a threat to the heart and lungs: It can also affect learning, memory, and mood, researchers find. They exposed mice to extended periods of polluted or filtered air, and found that those exposed to pollution were slower to learn, quick to forget, and possibly more...

Emotions Contagious
on Facebook

Jun 9, 2011 2:11 PM CDT

Emotions Contagious on Facebook

Use especially negative words, and your friends will, too: Study

(Newser) - Does your Facebook feed seem especially glum lately? Angry? Bubbly? Streaks like that are to be expected, according to a new study from Facebook data scientist Adam Kramer. After analyzing posts by roughly 1 million users and their 150 million friends, Kramer has concluded that emotions spread like wildfire across...

To Get Workers
Working, Try
Sarcasm

study says

Jun 5, 2011 10:56 AM CDT

To Get Workers Working, Try Sarcasm

It helps them solve creative problems, study suggests

(Newser) - Hiring a new manager? Give Jerry Seinfeld a call. Sarcasm prompts employees to speed through tasks that require creative problem-solving, Israeli research suggests. Simple fury at your staff can also get them working quickly, but it’s only effective for more straightforward tasks. “The incongruent information inherent in sarcasm...

Would a Therapist
Really Prescribe
a Puppet?

May 15, 2011 6:14 PM CDT

Would a Therapist Really Prescribe a Puppet?

Yes, but not exactly the way Mel Gibson claims in 'The Beaver'

(Newser) - Are puppets really used for therapy, the way Mel Gibson's character claims to use his in The Beaver? GIbson's character claims the puppet, as prescribed by his therapist, is meant to "create a psychological distance between himself and the negative aspects of his personality," although in...

Men Often Say
'I Love You' First

May 4, 2011 2:55 PM CDT

Men Often Say 'I Love You' First

But it might be because they have ulterior motives in mind: Study

(Newser) - Women may have a reputation for romance, but when it comes to saying the magic words—“I love you”—it turns out they’re a good deal slower than men. According to a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, two-thirds of couples report that guys...

We're Most
Miserable in
Middle Age

study says

Apr 18, 2011 6:10 PM CDT

We're Most Miserable in Middle Age

Satisfaction declines in late 20s; climbs in late 50s: study

(Newser) - We’ve learned that the world’s happiest person is 69 , and that we may be happiest in old age ; now a study suggests that we’re at our most miserable in middle age. Indeed, life satisfaction is “U-shaped,” the Telegraph reports: happiness can start to decline in...

Mystery Solved: Why We'll Pay $1M for a Clapton Guitar

Mar 9, 2011 8:24 AM CST

Mystery Solved: Why We'll Pay $1M for a Clapton Guitar

Celebrity items inspire 'magical thinking' in collectors, say scientists

(Newser) - It’s strange enough that a guitar used by Eric Clapton sold for nearly $1 million in 2004—but perhaps even stranger that a replica of that guitar is expected to go for at least $20,000 at auction today. Why are collectors willing to pay so much for something...

Stuttering Is in the Genes

study says

Feb 21, 2011 10:58 AM CST

Stuttering Is in the Genes

It's physical, not psychological: researcher

(Newser) - Stuttering has long been considered a psychological issue, something born of anxiety or trauma—but new research suggests it’s in the genes, the Telegraph reports. “The brain actually looks different in people who stutter compared with those that don’t,” says a scientist. Certain gene variations often...