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Is social media use a potentially addictive behaviour?

Research at University of Strathclyde suggests frequent social media use is not necessarily linked to addiction, contradicting previous studies on attentional bias. The study tested participants' attention towards specific apps and found no association with self-reported addictive severity or established measures of engagement.

SourceUniversity of Strathclyde·JournalJournal of Behavioral Addictions·DateApr 20, 2021

Your neighborhood may affect your brain health

Research suggests that social and economic conditions in neighborhoods can affect brain health, with people living in disadvantaged areas showing faster decline on cognitive tests and more brain shrinkage on scans. The study's findings may indicate the earliest stages of dementia and highlight the importance of monitoring for early signs.

SourceAmerican Academy of Neurology·JournalNeurology·DateApr 14, 2021

Billboard and storefront ads for cannabis linked to problematic use in teens

A new study found that adolescents who frequently see billboard or storefront advertisements for recreational cannabis are more likely to use the drug weekly and have symptoms of a cannabis use disorder. Researchers used social media sites and apps to recruit 172 teens, ages 15 to 19, who lived in states with legal recreational marijuana.

SourceJournal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs·JournalJournal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs·DateApr 8, 2021

Americans are super-spreaders of COVID-19 misinformation

A study by McGill University found that Canadians exposed to US-based information on social media are more likely to consume and spread COVID-19 misinformation. The researchers analyzed the behaviors of 200,000 active Canadian Twitter users and found that exposure to US news outlets was associated with misperceptions about COVID-19.

SourceMcGill University·JournalFrontiers in Political Science·DateApr 6, 2021

Crnic Institute discovery may explain high risk of leukemia in children with Down syndrome

A new study by the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome identifies a higher-than-expected rate of clonal hematopoiesis in individuals with Down syndrome between the age of one to 20 years old. This precocious clonal hematopoiesis is linked to an increased risk of leukemia, with oncogenic mutations dominating the TET2 gene.

Social media addiction linked to cyberbullying

A new study by the University of Georgia suggests that social media addiction is associated with an increased risk of cyberbullying behaviors among adolescents. Higher scores on social media addiction tests, more time spent online, and identifying as male were linked to a greater likelihood of perpetrating cyberbullying.

SourceUniversity of Georgia·JournalJournal of Child and Adolescent Counseling·DateMar 30, 2021

Doubling down on headache pain

A combination of metoclopramide and diphenhydramine has been shown to reduce headache pain by more than five points in people who experienced a head trauma. However, the study's results may not be generalizable due to the participants' limited socioeconomic access.

SourceAmerican Academy of Neurology·JournalNeurology·DateMar 24, 2021

80% of Spanish health professionals were willing to be vaccinated during the second COVID-19 wave

A study by Universitat Oberta de Catalunya found that 80% of Spanish health professionals are willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The main reasons for not wanting vaccination were concerns about safety and side effects. The low acceptance rate among nursing staff is particularly worrying, as they are closely involved with patients.

Blind trust in social media cements conspiracy beliefs

A recent study from Washington State University reveals that people who blindly trust information on social media are more likely to believe conspiracy theories, even if they can identify misinformation. Researchers found that a strong trust in social media information lowers the ability to reject conspiracy beliefs, highlighting the n...

SourceWashington State University·JournalPublic Understanding of Science·DateMar 5, 2021