Ninety percent of psychology studies come from countries representing less than 15 percent of the world’s population. Researchers are realizing that universalizing those findings might not make sense.
Overselling slim results can get research findings into the hands of news consumers.
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Breathless press releases, over-interpreted meta-analyses and other ‘crud factors’ mean that weak research results can get overhyped to the public. It’s time for a cultural change in the social sciences.
Boosting someone else may deliver a mood boost to you too.
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It’s a psychological quirk that when something becomes rarer, people may spot it in more places than ever. What is the ‘concept creep’ that lets context change how we categorize the world around us?
Which cognitive processes explain long-term effects of childhood adversity?
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Childhood adversity is linked to social and mental health problems later in life. New research suggests brains that aren’t as good at recognizing rewards and responding to change may be to blame.
You’re ready to blow your top – but how much is due to your internal hunger and how much to external annoyances?
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Missing a meal can certainly push you toward a bad mood. But new research identifies in what kind of situations hunger is most likely to tip toward hanger.
A quirky quiz probably isn’t going to tell you much about your innermost essence.
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Few can resist an assessment that promises to reveal your hidden, true self. But new research suggests that people mistakenly believe difficult to answer questions offer deep insights.
If everyone else sticks with salad, maybe you will too.
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Everybody wants more self-control, but it’s proven difficult to beef up through training. New research suggests that what your social group does might be key to enhancing your own self-control skills.
Little kids have a tendency to look on the bright side.
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Human beings seem to be born wearing rose-colored glasses. Psychologists are interested in how this bias toward the positive works in the very young – and how it fades over time.
We don’t automatically question information we read or hear.
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Cognitive psychologists know the way our minds work means we not only don’t notice errors and misinformation we know are wrong, we also then remember them as true.
How can you maximize reading’s rewards for baby?
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Remember that story about the molecule found in turkey that makes you drowsy? Research shows it’s a myth – tryptophan doesn’t cause you to nod off, but it may be connected to cooperation.
Bathing in pure colour can have effects on the body and mind.
Julia Leonard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Persistence and self-control are valuable traits that can help kids succeed in school and beyond. A new study suggests infants can learn stick-to-itiveness by watching adults persist in a difficult task.
Darby Saxbe, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Having a newborn can be rough, whether you’re a mom or a dad. New research ties men’s testosterone to their postpartum depression – with some surprising upsides for their partners.
Who has the upper hand in this battle?
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As we struggle to avoid temptations throughout the day, we often rely on willpower and self-control to back impulses. New research suggests a different way to think about this internal battle.
Who’s missing from this picture?
Lawrence Sinclair
Women experience negative effects from the objectification that’s common in our society. What happens if they try to seize the reins and elicit sexualized attention in their romantic relationships?
Culturally biased psychology research and the advice based on it ends up in textbooks. But it’s not appropriate for everyone.
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