Researchers found that oxytocin increases trust in reliable partners but not in potentially unreliable ones. Volunteers who received oxytocin nasal spray were more generous with computer and reliable partners than those who received a placebo.
A new study on British Sign Language found that signers make different mistakes in the sign and in mouthing, indicating separate brain processing for hand and lip movements. Researchers suggest that this suggests the signer is processing two languages simultaneously.
A new study suggests that people with a strong fusion of identity with their group will take extreme actions to protect others within the group, but not outsiders. Researchers found that those who identified as fused were more likely to sacrifice themselves for their own group members.
Researchers found that smokers who try to suppress their thoughts of smoking tend to smoke more than usual when they stop, a phenomenon known as behavioral rebound. This suggests that techniques like thought suppression may not be effective in quitting smoking and could even lead to increased consumption.
Children as young as 3-4 years old use statistical information to infer the preferences of others. In experiments, they were more likely to give a toy to someone who had selected it from a container with a low proportion of that toy type. This ability is crucial for learning about others' desires and preferences.
A recent study published in Psychological Science discovered that individuals who face restrictions on emigration tend to rationalize their country's system and justify its flaws. This reaction is linked to feelings of system inescapability, particularly among those experiencing poverty.
A study of over 2,000 business units found that employee work perceptions predict important organizational outcomes. Employee job satisfaction is linked to higher retention rates, increased customer loyalty, and better financial performance.
The latest research on schizophrenia focuses on prenatal factors, neurological development, prognosis, brain abnormalities, social cognition, and promising treatments.
A new study found that angry individuals pay more attention to rewarding images than threatening ones. This suggests that anger is associated with a motivation to approach rewards, rather than avoid threats. The research highlights the importance of understanding how emotions influence visual attention and behavior.
A new article highlights the importance of considering cultural differences in the workplace. Research shows that people from different cultures have varying expectations about teamwork, leadership, and family involvement. By acknowledging these differences, employers can create more effective teams and improve collaboration.
A recent study published in Psychological Science found that people find humor in moral violations when they seem harmless or non-threatening. The researchers tested this theory by presenting volunteers with different scenarios and rewarding them with candy bars. They discovered that the situations involving a moral violation were more...
Research suggests that economic systems influence cooperation and trust, with societies prioritizing cooperation experiencing higher levels of trust and cooperation. Climate also impacts behavior, with violent-crime rates increasing during warmer months and prosocial behaviors enhanced by sunny weather.
A recent brain study found that thinking about God decreases distress and anxiety in people who believe, but has the opposite effect on those who don't. For believers, this mental preparation may help them cope with mistakes and setbacks more effectively.
A recent study found that East Asian cultures process information differently than Western cultures, with differences in attention, categorization, and reasoning. Aging has a greater impact on cognitive processes than culture.
A new study identifies an effective training program to help children overcome reading-comprehension difficulties. The Oral Language training program showed the largest long-term gains, suggesting that deficits in oral vocabulary may be a key underlying cause of these problems.
Researchers found that people who stay busy, even with meaningless tasks, are happier than those who sit idly. The study used a survey with two options: drop off the survey at a nearby location or wait out the remaining time by walking to a farther location.
A study by Stanford University researchers found that individuals are more likely to speak up against bias when they hold the belief that people's personalities can change. This implies that confronting prejudice may be an expression of hope and a desire for personal growth, rather than simply a conflict situation.
A new study published in Psychological Science found that men are less likely to seek cancer screening when presented with misleading information about the prevalence of screening among other men. The researchers suggest that framing health messages to emphasize the benefits of screening rather than relying on relative numbers can be a...
Researchers discovered that daydreaming about distant memories can improve memory recall and reduce remembering of recent events. Participants who thought about a vacation within the U.S. remembered more words than those who thought about an overseas trip.
A recent study published in Psychological Science suggests that genetics may play a role in how sensitive we are to social drinking cues. Volunteers with a specific variant of the dopamine D4 receptor gene were found to drink more when others consumed three or four drinks, but not when they only consumed one.
A new study found that getting angry may actually hurt one's cause in negotiations with East Asians, unlike in negotiations with European Americans. Cultural norms about expressing anger play a critical role in shaping reactions to emotional displays.
Researchers found that treating people with botulinum toxin to block facial expressions caused them to take longer to read angry and sad sentences compared to happy ones. The study supports the embodied cognition hypothesis, suggesting that emotions are rooted in basic bodily processes of perception and action.
A study found that intensive meditation training improves perceptual discrimination and sustained attention, leading to better task performance over time. The benefits persisted even after five months, particularly for those who continued to meditate daily.
New research reveals that having a lucky token can enhance performance by improving confidence. Volunteers who brought a lucky charm did better in memory games and set higher goals for themselves. Wishing someone good luck also improved success at tasks requiring manual dexterity.
Researchers found that Israeli Arabs' biases towards their own group are stronger in Arabic than in Hebrew, suggesting language influences thought patterns. The study used the Implicit Association Test to measure biases in bilingual Arab Israelis.
A study found that pianists' ability to sight-read music is linked to their working memory capacity, not just practice time. Working memory plays a crucial role in musicians' performance, with even significant amounts of practice unable to compensate for poor cognitive abilities.
Researchers found that volunteers who associated their partner with bad things had a higher risk of separation. The new test did better at predicting breakup than traditional methods, providing insight into people's feelings about their partners.
Researchers found that only one side of the brain can be motivated at a time, with subliminal cues influencing hand grip strength. This unilateral effect challenges traditional views on motivation and its relationship to conscious awareness.
Researchers discovered that volunteers could rapidly assess whether a face was looking at them if it had exaggerated masculine or feminine features. Women were quicker to classify gaze direction when viewing more masculine faces, while men were faster with feminine faces.
A recent study discovered that blind individuals' brains represent tools in the same regions as sighted people, while non-tool objects don't trigger the same brain activity. This finding suggests a highly constrained organization of brain processing, which may be built-in by genetics.
A recent study found that brain structure corresponds to specific personality traits, with conscientious people having a larger lateral prefrontal cortex and extraverted individuals having a larger medial orbitofrontal cortex. The Big Five personality factors were also linked to distinct brain regions.
Research highlights the importance of early detection and intervention for preschool depression, which can be a precursor to later childhood depression. Developmental interventions and psychotherapy may be effective in addressing preschool depression, with novel treatments like Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) showing promise.
Food cravings are intense, specific desires to eat certain foods, which can pose serious health risks. Research suggests that mental imagery is a key component of food cravings, taking up brain power and making it hard to focus on other tasks.
A new study published in Psychological Science found that physical contact from a female experimenter increases financial risk taking in adults. The researchers suggest that this effect is due to the way mothers use touch to make their babies feel secure, creating a sense of attachment and increased willingness to take risks.
A new study reveals that copycat behavior in children is a universal human activity, where they mimic everything an adult shows them, even if it's irrelevant. This finding sheds light on how humans develop and transmit culture.
A study published in Psychological Science found that when the mind wanders, people blink more, setting up a 'tiny physical barrier' to prevent external information from entering the brain. The researchers suggest that this blinking behavior is an embodiment of mind-wandering, highlighting the interconnectedness of the body and mind.
A new study found that looking at pictures of people with diseases triggers a stronger immune response, which may be beneficial for fighting off pathogens. The researchers suggest this response could have evolved as a way to prepare the body for potential infections when additional cues indicate a higher threat.
Researchers discovered that reflecting on alternative scenarios where an institution did not exist can increase employee commitment to the organization. This 'near-loss' mentality fosters a positive view of current circumstances, leading to improved morale and institutional prosperity.
A study of speed dating events found that when men and women have fewer potential partners to choose from, they prioritize physical characteristics like height and weight. In contrast, larger groups lead to a greater emphasis on attributes that can be quickly evaluated, such as education and occupation.
A study published in Psychological Science found that people who have a stronger association between death and self are more likely to attempt suicide. This association can be measured using an Implicit Association Test (IAT), which may provide a new tool for identifying and predicting clinical behaviors that are not reported verbally.
A recent study published in Psychological Science found that students who expected to receive grades quickly performed better than those who anticipated delays. This counterintuitive result may be due to the threat of disappointment being more prominent for early expectants, leading them to perform better as a result. The study has imp...
Researchers found that infants are more likely to help an actress who has previously shown good intentions, even if they were unable to provide a toy. This suggests that by 21 months, infants display selective helping behavior based on their previous interactions with others.
A study published in Psychological Science found that law students' optimism about their future affected their immune response, with more optimistic students showing stronger immune responses. The researchers measured the students' immune systems over six months and found a significant correlation between optimism and immune strength.
Researchers found that great apes from socio-linguistically rich environments outperformed those raised in standard laboratory settings. Apes who received simultaneous pointing and vocalization cues performed best, suggesting a potential link between environment and language development.
A study found that owning a video game system can impede reading and writing development in young boys. The study, conducted by Robert Weis and Brittany C. Cerankosky, involved families with boys aged 6-9 who received either an immediate or delayed video game system.
A recent study published in Psychological Science reveals that individuals with higher well-being engage in fewer solitary activities and more social interactions. The research suggests a link between deeper, more meaningful conversations and overall happiness.
Researchers found that darkness can lead to an increase in dishonest and self-interested behaviors, even when participants are anonymous. In three experiments, those in dimly lit rooms cheated more than those in well-lit rooms, while wearing sunglasses made participants behave more selfishly.
Research by Adam Waytz et al. reveals that anthropomorphism gives non-human entities moral care, while dehumanization is linked to social connection. The study highlights the complexities of identifying humans in a psychological sense.
A recent study published in Psychological Science found that taxing unhealthy foods reduces overall calories purchased, while subsidizing healthy food increases calorie intake. Mothers who received subsidies spent their savings on less healthy alternatives, whereas taxes encouraged healthier choices.
The study found that modern films, particularly those from the action and adventure genres, exhibit a pattern called the 1/f fluctuation, which is a natural pattern of human attention. This pattern appears in music, engineering, economics, and elsewhere in nature.