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In a negative emotional climate, romantic partners may miss attempts to warm things up!

A new University of Illinois study reveals that conflict in romantic relationships can hinder a person's ability to recognize their partner's efforts to reconcile. Couples who use constructive communication styles tend to form healthier relationships with good communicators.

Helping toddlers understand emotion key to development

A federally funded study led by Michigan State University researcher finds that teaching toddlers to understand emotion through 'emotion bridging' with their mothers can reduce behavioral problems. Mothers of higher-risk toddlers benefited most from this strategy, particularly those from disadvantaged families.

SourceMichigan State University·JournalJournal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics·DateSep 1, 2015

CONRAD to receive USAID funding for Project EMOTION

Project EMOTION aims to develop user-centered strategies for creating market demand for microbicides and PrEP products among high-risk women. The project will work with local partners to identify drivers and barriers to product use, and design new product attributes, packaging, and messaging.

SourceCONRAD·DateAug 24, 2015

Crying has its perks

Researchers found that tears help to relieve emotions, leading to an improvement in mood, even if it takes time for the feelings to recover

SourceSpringer·JournalMotivation and Emotion·DateAug 24, 2015

Maltreated children's brains show 'encouraging' ability to regulate emotions

A University of Washington-led study found that maltreated adolescents can modulate their emotional responses when taught strategies for controlling them. The researchers observed increased brain activity in regions involved in emotion control among the maltreated group, suggesting a promising ability to regulate emotions with training.

SourceUniversity of Washington·JournalJournal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry·DateAug 20, 2015

Patients with immediate medical needs tend to perceive doctors as emotionless, study finds

A new study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science finds that patients who require immediate medical attention tend to view their doctors as 'empty vessels,' lacking emotions. These patients expect their physicians to empathize with them and contain their emotions, which can lead to better care if acknowledged.

SourceUniversity of Chicago Booth School of Business·JournalSocial Psychological and Personality Science·DateAug 18, 2015

Brain structure reveals ability to regulate emotions

Research found that healthy individuals with difficulties regulating emotions exhibit smaller volume in orbitofrontal cortex, a region also affected in people with borderline and antisocial personality disorders. The study suggests a continuum in emotional regulation ability, with extreme variants leading to psychiatric diagnoses.

SourceKarolinska Institutet·JournalSocial Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience·DateJul 24, 2015

Emotion knowledge fosters attentiveness

A study by Leuphana University and George Mason University found that preschoolers with a good understanding of their emotions experienced fewer attention problems. The research suggests that emotion knowledge is a key factor in the development of attention skills, alongside executive functions.

SourceLeuphana Universität Lüneburg·JournalKindheit und Entwicklung·DateJul 6, 2015

The shame of psychology

UCSB sociologist Thomas Scheff argues that psychology's scientific method is blind to the insights of intuition, leading to misconceptions about catharsis, stigma, and self-esteem. Future studies could split scales into cognitive and emotional components to address these issues.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Barbara·JournalReview of General Psychology·DateJun 23, 2015

Better actionless than action-taking

A recent study found that unconscious priming of acceptance attitude can effectively reduce frustrating emotional responses. Unconscious acceptance serves as a stable background, reducing frustration from the start, whereas conscious acceptance requires salient experience of unpleasant emotion.

SourceScience China Press·JournalScience China Life Sciences·DateApr 3, 2015

Communicating emotions

Researchers at McGill University found that visual cues are crucial in recognizing emotions conveyed by music, whereas speech relies on acoustic cues. In their study, participants identified emotions better with video and audio combined compared to just audio or speech alone.

SourceMcGill University·JournalQuarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology·DateFeb 24, 2015

Dogs know that smile on your face

Researchers found that dogs could distinguish between emotional expressions in humans, even with unfamiliar faces. The dogs' discriminatory abilities were tested in four types of trials, including novel faces and previously trained faces.

SourceCell Press·JournalCurrent Biology·DateFeb 12, 2015

Music cuts across cultures

Researchers discovered that despite cultural differences, listeners from various groups responded similarly to the excitement and calmness of music. The study used emoticons and physiological measurements to compare reactions to Western and Pygmy music.

SourceMcGill University·JournalFrontiers in Psychology·DateJan 7, 2015

Season's eatings

Michigan State University researcher Kelly Klump found a link between women's monthly hormonal changes and intensified body obsession, increasing the risk of eating disorders. The study suggests that cultural perceptions of increased food intake as negative can be detrimental, particularly during holidays.

SourceMichigan State University·JournalInternational Journal of Eating Disorders·DateDec 16, 2014

It pays to have an eye for emotions

Researchers found that people with strong emotion recognition skills are perceived as more socially and politically skilled by colleagues and supervisors. They also earn significantly higher incomes. The study controlled for various factors affecting employee income and replicated its findings in a second study.

SourceUniversity of Bonn·JournalJournal of Organizational Behavior·DateNov 19, 2014

The body's emotions

A new study demonstrates that people with multiple sclerosis often have trouble recognizing emotions conveyed by facial expressions, and now shows similar difficulties with emotions expressed through body posture. The research suggests that this difficulty is unrelated to identifying one's own emotions, a disorder known as alexithymia.

SourceInternational School of Advanced Studies (SISSA)·JournalJournal of the International Neuropsychological Society·DateNov 10, 2014

Computerized emotion detector

A new software emotion detector uses a three-phase approach to analyze facial features and associate them with emotional states, achieving a 94% success rate. The technology has the potential to enhance human-computer interactions and improve security checks at airports.

SourceInderscience Publishers·JournalInternational Journal of Computational Vision and Robotics·DateSep 16, 2014