Psychology | Personality

“My-side bias” makes it hard to see the logic in arguments we disagree with – Research Digest

By Christian Jarrett. The results help explain why debating controversial issues can feel futile.

Psychology | Personality

Shame may feel awful but it is fundamental to survival

By Emma Young. Shame functions like pain – as a warning not to repeat a behaviour that threatens our wellbeing. 

Psychology | Personality

What Are Ego Blind Spots?

An essay encourages people to consider their “ego blind spots”: hidden drives and assumptions that prompt us to keep repeating destructive knee-jerk reactions and behaviors. Is it possible to find these blind spots and reconsider (or eliminate) them?

Psychology | Personality

10 Things Mentally Strong People Give Up to Gain Inner Peace | Psychology Today

Letting go of certain things can open the door to true contentment in life.

Psychology | Personality

The Bias of Thinking You Can Nonverbally Decode | Psychology Today

It’s easy to read people’s nonverbal cues, tell what they’re feeling, and know if they’re flirting, right? Not really. Verbal communication is a better choice.

Psychology | Personality

Anxious Avoidant Attachment: Analysis of a Match Made in Hell

Psychology | Personality

Coping Styles That Will Ease Your Worries

If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, here are two coping styles that will help ease your worries. Because when you're stressed it's important to have a plan.

Psychology | Personality

When Complex Trauma Is Misdiagnosed as Anxiety | The Mighty

A woman shares the difference between anxiety from complex trauma and generalized anxiety.

Psychology | Personality

Repeatedly watching a video of themselves touching a filthy bedpan reduced people’s OCD symptoms – Research Digest

By Emma Young. "My hands [felt] clean after using the app" said one participant.

Psychology | Personality

How lights and sounds encourage risky behavior

A new study investigates how visual and auditory cues increase risk-taking behavior. The findings provide a much-needed insight into gambling addiction.

Psychology | Personality

A new "intelligence" test has been developed by psychologists — Quartz

But many have argued that evaluating something as complex as intelligence using just one measure is bound to be wrong.

Psychology | Personality

Why We Love to Scare Ourselves on Halloween (and the Rest of the Year, Too) - Scientific American Blog Network

Psychology | Personality

Your native language affects what you can and can’t see – Research Digest

By Emma Young. This is the first demonstration that language affects whether we consciously perceive a stimulus or not.

Psychology | Personality

5 Ways to Stop Yourself From Jumping to Conclusions | Psychology Today

Coming to a conclusion before you have all the facts is a common problem that can hurt yourself and your relationships. Follow these steps to slow yourself down.

Psychology | Personality

Desiring to alter personality not enough unless you take concrete action to change –

By Christian Jarrett. Active behavioural change is required to achieve shifts in personality.

Psychology | Personality

The Science Behind Why We Procrastinate — Breather Insights

Procrastination is a near-universal experience. Who hasn’t felt the impulse to briefly shrink away from our responsibilities to check our feeds, gossip with coworkers or just stare off into space?

Psychology | Personality

The 3 Qualities of a Successful Leader - Mindful

Based on extensive research, Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter reveal the three qualities present in the minds of great leaders.

Psychology | Personality

Understanding Reality: What Hallucinations Reveal - The Atlantic

Experiences like hearing voices are leading psychologists to question how all people perceive reality.

Psychology | Personality

New personality type identified. Chances are you’ve had it | Science | AAAS

Study finds that personality changes over the life span

Psychology | Personality

12 signs of a depression relapse

After experiencing one period of depression, many people experience a relapse. This can happen either before recovery is complete, or some time later, as a separate episode. Learn more about the early signs of relapses and recurrence and possible trigger

Psychology | Personality

Kindness And Confidence Are Key Ingredients – Lemonade To Lace

Psychology | Personality

Fight Back Against Imposter Syndrome | Psychology Today

How to reclaim confidence.

Psychology | Personality

A Nerve Pathway Links the Gut to the Brain's Pleasure Centers

A newly discovered neural circuit in mice may one day help modify food preferences and eating behavior

Psychology | Personality

Your Personality Doesn't Change Much When You're Drunk, Study Finds

If you think you've got an alter ego when you're drunk, think again. A new study finds your personality actually isn't all that different while intoxicated.

This study has interesting implications because if personality doesn't change much when people drink, and many people drink to loosen up their personalities than....

Psychology | Personality

Brain scans could distinguish bipolar from depression: Looking inside the brain to distinguish bipolar from depression -

New research has found that neurons deep inside the brain could hold the key to accurately diagnosing bipolar disorder and depression.

Psychology | Personality

Teens Face Lifelong Health Effects After Sexual Assault | Thrive Global

All survivors grapple with lifelong consequences, but teens are particularly vulnerable to certain brain changes.

Psychology | Personality

Your Fear of Confrontation Is Probably Unnecessary

New research from the University of Chicago finds that most people react better to honesty than we expect them to, suggesting that the common fear of confrontation is unhelpful and unfounded.

Psychology | Personality

Why Children From Abusive Families Analyze Every Single Detail

It is a well-known fact our families are one of the guiding factors that shape our personalities while we're growing up. Parents raise us to the best of their

Psychology | Personality

This Is the Age When Your Self-Esteem Is Highest, Study Says | Time

A new study looks at how self-esteem changes with age, beginning from childhood to old age. Here's when self-esteem is highest.

Psychology | Personality

What do gut decisions reveal about us?

A new study compares the psychological effects of intuitive decisions based on the proverbial gut feeling with decisions made after careful deliberation.

Psychology | Personality

Who to trust: Study shows guilt-prone people are more trustworthy — Quartz at Work

New research from the University of Chicago suggests trustworthiness is actually linked to guilt.

Psychology | Personality

Moral Outrage Can Backfire When It Goes Viral - Pacific Standard

As negative comments accumulate, they start to come across as bullying—even if they're justified.

Psychology | Personality

ADHD numbers are rising, and scientists are trying to understand why - The Washington Post

More than 10 percent of children now have the diagnosis, according to a study.

Psychology | Personality

Five myths about anger - The Washington Post

No, venting and breaking things won’t really calm your rage.

Psychology | Personality

Study: 1 In 4 College Students Diagnosed With Mental Health Condition - Study Finds

College brings about new experiences and challenges for young adults that can be difficult to adapt to and overcome, so perhaps it's no surprise that a new study reports high rates of stress and mental health conditions among students.

Psychology | Personality

How to Stop Taking Everything Personally | Psychology Today

When you engage in this type of thinking, you see yourself as the cause of things you're not responsible for. For this reason, personalization is also a major source of self-blame.

Psychology | Personality

Smile! Happiness After 60 Key To Living Longer, Study Claims

Happiness could be the key to a longer life, a new study finds. Researchers from the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore found that the happier a person is, the more likely they'll enjoy a greater lifespan.

Psychology | Personality

Seven Ways to Help Someone with Anxiety

Simple tools to better support your loved ones without trying to fix them.

Psychology | Personality

10 Studies That Show The Advantages of Feeling Down – Research Digest

By Christian Jarrett As human beings, there's no avoiding feeling sad – as R.E.M. put it "everybody cries, and everybody hurts sometimes". We usually think of this as an unpleasant state, and for those of us who want to minimise our miserable

Psychology | Personality

What is synesthesia?

People with synesthesia experience unique perceptual cross-overs, such as associating letters or sounds to colors. Learn more about it in this Spotlight.

Psychology | Personality

Morning depression: Causes, symptoms, and how to cope

Diurnal variations are types of depression that cause symptoms to get worse at certain times of the day. Morning depression is a common diurnal variation. In this article, learn about the symptoms and risk factors for morning depression, as well as the tr

Psychology | Personality

Does receiving favors make you uncomfortable? Maybe it's reciprocity anxiety

Researchers have devised a new reciprocity anxiety scale. By Christian Jarrett

Psychology | Personality

Treating Teens' Depression May Make Parents Happier, Too - The Atlantic

Early evidence suggests that treatment has a ripple effect in families.

Psychology | Personality

What it Really Means to Hold Space for Someone

Do you want to be there for a loved one, but don't know how? Here are some techniques to help you 'hold space' for people in need.

Psychology | Personality

The Key Role of Body Image in Happy Relationships | Psychology Today

Feeling comfortable in your own skin would seem to be an important contributor to happiness. New research shows body image also affects relationship quality.

Psychology | Personality

Surprising Facts About Body Language and Your Emotions | Psychology Today

You are undoubtedly aware that your face communicates your emotional state, but new research shows the surprising ways that your entire body language contributes to the process.

Psychology | Personality

Study: High-Empathy People Process Music Differently In The Brain - Study Finds

People who more deeply feel the happiness or sadness of others process music differently in the brain than people who do not possess such high levels empathy, a new study finds.

Psychology | Personality

Why Is Seeing Your Own Reflection So Important?

Four research findings from neuroscience that you need to know

Psychology | Personality

Simply Fearing The Day Will Be Stressful Worsens Memory, Focus, Productivity - Study Finds

Just believing your day will be stressful worsens your working memory and cause you to be less productive and make a day at the office even harder, a new study finds.

Psychology | Personality

What Does it Mean to Be a Man? | The On Being Project

What would it mean to rethink our definition of masculinity? Jonathan P. Higgins calls for an unlearning of our warped understanding of what it means to be a man, and a new definition that makes space for wholeness.

Psychology | Personality

Flat Minds | Psychology Today

Almost everything we think we know about our own minds is wrong. Perhaps that's progress.

Psychology | Personality

The Middle Child Is Going Extinct

Middle children are empaths, peacemakers, negotiators. And as more American families choose to have only one or two children, they’re becoming an endangered species.

Psychology | Personality

New Study: The Genetics of Staying in School - The Atlantic

Researchers have found 1,271 gene variants associated with years of formal education. That’s important, but not for the obvious reasons.

Psychology | Personality

Reducing trait anxiety by implanting false positive memories – Research Digest

The results suggest it may be possible to exploit the known malleability of memory to edit people's very sense of self. By Christian Jarrett

Psychology | Personality

Stress affects people with schizophrenia differently: Strategies for coping with stress and building resilience may prov

Stressful situations affect the brain and body differently in people with schizophrenia compared to people without the mental illness or individuals at high risk for developing psychosis, a new study shows. The relationship between two chemicals released

Psychology | Personality

The Edge Effect: People Who Have Deep Relationships with Foreigners are More Creative

There is great comfort in the familiar. It's one reason humans often flock to other people who share the same interests, laugh at the same jokes, hold the same political views. But familiar ground may not be the best place to cultivate creativity. From sc

Psychology | Personality

The surreal, sad story behind the acclaimed new doc 'Three Identical Strangers'

The incredible true story of triplets separated at birth and reunited years later unfolds in the documentary 'Three Identical Strangers'

Psychology | Personality

Do You Like ‘Dogs Playing Poker’? Science Would Like to Know Why - The New York Times

A growing number of psychologists are focusing their studies on aesthetics and the question of why we like what we like.

Psychology | Personality

The Key To Success Could Be Your Attitude – Not Your Intelligence | Thrive Global

According to new research from Stanford University, it may be time to change your mindset.

Psychology | Personality

This Is Your Brain on Fatherhood | Science | Smithsonian

What clownfish stepfathers and Dad-of-the-Year foxes teach us about paternal neurochemistry in the animal kingdom

Psychology | Personality

What is love– An inventory of the meaningful life.

An inventory of cross-disciplinary interestingness, spanning art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more.

Psychology | Personality

Is There Scientific Proof of Psychic Ability?

New research argues that legitimate, statistically significant evidence for psi, or psychic ability, does exist, despite the predominance of criticism and mockery of such studies in the psychology field.

Psychology | Personality

Are Male and Female Brains Biologically Different? - The Atlantic

The scientific debate around this question keeps raging, but one neuroscientist says we’re more alike than we think.

Psychology | Personality

Tuning in to Our Amazing Auditory System

Welcome to the Monitor on Psychology digital edition! This interactive format allows you to easily read, share with friends, and click on web links to get further resources.

Psychology | Personality

Personality: Who Do You Think You Are?

Who do you think you are?

Psychology | Personality

With RNA, Researchers Transfer Memories Between Sea Slugs - D-brief

It hints that memories might not be totally stored in synapses as we thought.

Psychology | Personality

If You Think a Friend Might Be Suicidal, Ask

Don’t let your anxiety or worries about triggering someone hold you back.

Psychology | Personality

Beneath the Mask of Toughness: What I Lost on the Wrestling Mat

“For a long time, I thought wrestling had changed me. Yet wrestling did not erase my fear — it only made my body stronger, more the equal of my heart.” A former wrestler reflects on the strength the sport was able to give him — and the courage he

Psychology | Personality

The 2 Lessons About Happiness That Completely Changed My Mindset

Don't avoid the negative thoughts you may be having. Instead, draw from these ideas to help change your mindset.

Psychology | Personality

What Are Sunday Scaries? And How Can You Handle Them?

We sat down with Megan Murk, a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, to learn simple ways to manage the Sunday Scaries at home.

Psychology | Personality

Inherited Variations in Noncoding Sections of DNA Associated with Autism

A new study has identified an association between paternally-inherited rare structural variants in noncoding segments of genes and the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study adds to a growing body of research describing genetic contribut

#autism #dna #genes #brain #pregnancy #psychology

Psychology | Personality

Americans Are More Socially Isolated, but Less Lonely

What's the difference between social isolation and loneliness? And why is one rising while the other one is declining over time?

Psychology | Personality

Positive Self-Talk: 7 Things Mentally Healthy People Tell Themselves

The messages we give to ourselves every day have enormous power. Anything that is repeated and repeated and repeated can become "truth" -- even when it isn't. Any coach will tell you that practice doesn't necessarily make perfect but it certainl

Psychology | Personality

12 Signs You May Have an Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety comes in many forms—panic attacks, anxiety attacks, phobia, and social anxiety—and the distinction between a disorder and "normal"

Psychology | Personality

Loneliness Rivals Obesity, Smoking as Health Risk

A new survey finds nearly half of Americans reporting they feel alone, isolated, or left out at least some of the time.

Psychology | Personality

How Useful Is Fear? - The Atlantic

Evolution has installed phobias in humans that are proving hard to shake.

Psychology | Personality

What Is Anxiety Contagion?

Research shows that the human brain can pick up on and experience stress felt by our partners and friends.

Psychology | Personality

The 7 Thought-Habits of Highly Self-Confident People

Do you wish you had more self-esteem? These 7 thinking habits will help you become more confident and mentally strong.

Psychology | Personality

Why You Need to Be Good at Reading Your Emotions | Psychology Today

Being able to read other people’s emotions is important for your relationships, but according to new research, it’s just as important to read your own with clarity.

Psychology | Personality

How Exactly Does Autism Muddy Communication?

The root of the problem could be social or linguistic.

Psychology | Personality

Rewiring Your Avoidant, Anxious, or Fearful Attachment Style

Sometimes it's less about figuring things out and more about practicing behaviors that will help rewire your emotional system and give you the freedom to change.

Psychology | Personality

What Makes Complex Trauma So Complex?

"Complex trauma" is a term increasingly used to describe multiple instances of trauma, the effects of which are cumulative and experienced over time.

Psychology | Personality

I Belong, Therefore I Am? | The Immeasurable

What does group behavior tell us about the inner life of individuals? The perils of identity and why we want to belong to groups. I Belong, Therefore I Am?

Psychology | Personality

A New Prime Suspect for Depression

How ketamine tipped off the depression detectives

Psychology | Personality