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Why do our emotions get in the way of rational decisions about safety products?

A new study explores how emotions hinder safety product decisions, finding that people reject imperfectly safe options due to feelings of betrayal. Providing positive images and presenting information in a graphic format can help consumers make safer choices. Influencing others' choices can also encourage safer decisions.

SourceUniversity of Chicago Press Journals·JournalJournal of Consumer Research·DateJan 18, 2011

Study: Avoidance, poor coping challenge prisoners returning to society

A study of 20 individuals returning to society after prison found that avoidance and problem-focused coping strategies were frequently used but often ineffective in managing barriers. Healthy coping mechanisms, such as emotion-focused strategies, were infrequently employed, contributing to recidivism.

SourceDick Jones Communications·JournalInternational Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology·DateNov 29, 2010

Hurts so good -- neural clues to the calming effects of self-harm

A study found that individuals with borderline personality disorder experience heightened activation of limbic circuitry in response to emotions, but physical pain stimuli suppress this activation, providing possible relief. This process may help compensate for deficient emotional regulation mechanisms.

SourceElsevier·JournalBiological Psychiatry·DateAug 30, 2010

Executives who take the fewest risks have the most negative emotions

A Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology study found that executives with higher negative emotional traits took fewer risks, while those with higher educational levels took more. The researchers analyzed data from 70 banks and 46 savings banks, discovering a significant connection between the CEO's emotional traits and firm risk.

SourceSpanish Foundation for Science and Technology·JournalBritish Journal of Management·DateJul 9, 2010

Managing the emotions behind eating

Researchers at Temple University's Center for Obesity Research are developing a new weight loss treatment that incorporates skills to address emotional eating. The program helps participants recognize and manage emotional triggers, such as boredom, frustration, or sadness, to break the cycle of overeating.

Blinded by jealousy?

A new study by University of Delaware psychologists found that jealousy impairs a woman's ability to detect targets among distracting images. The researchers suggest social emotions can affect perception, revealing a profound impact on mental and physical health.

SourceUniversity of Delaware·JournalEmotion·DateApr 13, 2010

To remember the good times, reach for the sky

A study found that motor actions can determine people's emotional memories, with participants remembering more positive life experiences when moving marbles upward and more negative experiences when moving them downward. This suggests that spatial metaphors for emotion are not just in language but also in mental processes.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalCognition·DateMar 31, 2010

An emotion detector for baby

A Japanese team has developed an emotion detector for babies that can accurately classify their cries as 'normal' or in pain. The device uses a statistical analysis of audio spectra and achieved a 100% success rate in its validation tests.

SourceInderscience Publishers·JournalInternational Journal of Biometrics·DateFeb 24, 2010

Thicker brains fend off pain

Researchers found that practicing Zen meditation can thicken certain areas of the brain, leading to lower pain sensitivity. The study suggests that meditative practices could be beneficial for managing chronic pain and age-related grey matter reductions.

SourceUniversity of Montreal·JournalEmotion·DateFeb 24, 2010

Prayer increases forgiveness

A study published in Psychological Science found that directed prayer can spark forgiveness in both the person praying and their wronged partner. Praying for a close friend also increased selfless concern, which boosted forgiveness. The researchers believe prayer shifts attention from the self back to others, allowing resentments to fade.

SourceAssociation for Psychological Science·JournalPsychological Science·DateJan 27, 2010

Emotions an overlooked key to whistle-blowing, study says

A University of Illinois study suggests that connecting with workers' emotions and personal identity can produce powerful triggers for calling out wrongdoing in the workplace. The study found that half of employees who witnessed wrongdoing on the job failed to report it due to fear of retaliation, but those who did reported being drive...

SourceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau·JournalBusiness Ethics Quarterly·DateDec 7, 2009

'Emotions increase or decrease pain': researchers

A Universite de Montréal study published in PNAS found that negative emotions amplify pain, while positive emotions reduce it. The research used fMRI scans to measure brain activity in subjects exposed to painful electric shocks while viewing pleasant or unpleasant images.

SourceUniversity of Montreal·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateNov 10, 2009

Sights and sounds of emotion trigger big brain responses

A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identified a brain region that strongly reacts to emotional faces and voices. The research found that the posterior superior temporal sulcus responds supra-additively to simultaneous visual and auditory emotional stimuli.

SourceUniversity of York·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateNov 2, 2009

Will this trip be exciting? Consumers respond best to vacation ads that match current emotions

A study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that consumers respond best to vacation ads that match their current emotions, whether it's excitement or relaxation. The researchers suggest that marketers can facilitate a positive impression by displaying products in contexts where pre-existing feelings align with the product's claims.

SourceUniversity of Chicago Press Journals·JournalJournal of Consumer Research·DateOct 13, 2009

Facial expressions show language barriers too

Research finds that Easterners and Westerners have different ways of recognizing facial expressions, with Easterners neglecting the mouth and focusing on the eyes. This complexity highlights that human communication of emotion is more nuanced than previously thought.

SourceCell Press·JournalCurrent Biology·DateAug 13, 2009

Listening to pleasant music could help restore vision in stroke patients, suggests study

A new study suggests that listening to pleasant music can improve visual awareness in stroke patients with impaired visual neglect. The study found that patients could identify coloured shapes and red lights more accurately while listening to their preferred music compared to silence or music they did not like.

SourceImperial College London·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMar 23, 2009