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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

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DATE:
December 26, 2023 at 11:00AM
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TITLE:
Pet ownership linked to slower rate of cognitive decline in older adults living alone
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/pet-ownership-linked-to-slower-rate-of-cognitive-decline-in-older-adults-living-alone-215171

<p>Owning a pet might help slow down cognitive decline in older adults living alone, according to new research published in <em><a href="https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.49241" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JAMA Network Open</a></em>. The study provides initial evidence that the companionship of pets could play an important role in maintaining mental sharpness as we age.</p>
<p>The motivation behind this study stemmed from a growing public health concern: the rise in cognitive decline and dementia in our aging population. With the number of people suffering from dementia expected to more than double by 2050, understanding and addressing the factors that influence cognitive health in older adults is increasingly important.</p>
<p>Researchers are particularly interested in modifiable factors – aspects of lifestyle or environment that can be changed to improve health outcomes. This study specifically looked at the potential impact of pet ownership, a factor that is both significant and modifiable, on cognitive function in older adults.</p>
<p>The study was conducted using data from the <a href="https://www.elsa-project.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English Longitudinal Study of Ageing</a>, which includes a nationally representative group of adults aged 50 and older living in the United Kingdom. The researchers focused on a subset of 7,945 participants, whose average age was 66 years. Most of these individuals were White, with a fairly even gender split.</p>
<p>To assess cognitive function, the study utilized measures of verbal memory and fluency – essentially how well participants could remember words and how fluently they could access and use language. These cognitive abilities were evaluated at multiple points over several years, providing a dynamic picture of how participants&#8217; mental capabilities changed over time.</p>
<p>The researchers found that pet ownership was associated with a slower rate of decline in verbal memory and fluency among older adults. This suggests that having a pet could have a protective effect on certain aspects of cognitive function.</p>
<p>Further analyses revealed that living alone seemed to modify the relationship between pet ownership and cognitive decline. For older adults living by themselves, having a pet was linked to a noticeably slower rate of decline in verbal abilities.</p>
<p>However, this protective effect of pet ownership was not observed in those living with others. This distinction underscores the potential role of pets in providing social and emotional support, which might be particularly beneficial for individuals who lack human companionship.</p>
<p>The findings are in line <a href="https://www.psypost.org/2023/11/cognitive-decline-in-old-age-is-slower-in-pet-owners-214524" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with a previous study</a>, published in <em>Scientific Reports</em>, which found that older adults who own pets, especially dogs, experience slower cognitive decline compared to non-owners, with this effect more pronounced in dog owners who regularly walk their dogs.</p>
<p>Even after controlling for age and health conditions, pet owners showed less deterioration in memory, executive function, language function, psychomotor speed, and processing speed over ten years, with cat owners also experiencing less decline in memory and language function.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>Similarly, a study in the <em>Journal of Aging and Health</em> on U.S. adults over 50 found that individuals above 65 who had owned a pet for more than 5 years <a href="https://www.psypost.org/2022/12/owning-a-pet-is-linked-to-having-better-cognitive-health-in-advanced-age-study-finds-64604" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showed higher cognitive and memory scores</a> compared to their non-pet-owning peers. This association was not observed in participants under 65.</p>
<p>Despite these promising findings, it&#8217;s important to note the study&#8217;s limitations. The observational nature of the new study means we can&#8217;t definitively conclude that owning a pet directly causes slower cognitive decline – there may be other factors at play. &#8220;Randomized clinical trials are needed to assess whether pet ownership slows the rate of cognitive decline in older adults living alone,&#8221; the researchers concluded.</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.49241" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pet Ownership, Living Alone, and Cognitive Decline Among Adults 50 Years and Older</a>&#8220;, was authored by Yanzhi Li, Wanxin Wang, Liwan Zhu, Liwen Yang, Herui Wu, Xiaojuan Zhang, Lan Guo, and Ciyong Lu.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

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DATE:
December 26, 2023 at 09:00AM
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TITLE:
Developmental amnesia: the rare disorder that causes children to forget things they’ve just learned
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/developmental-amnesia-the-rare-disorder-that-causes-children-to-forget-things-theyve-just-learned-215165

<p>Even though it came out more than 20 years ago, many people still remember <a href="https://www.pixar.com/feature-films/finding-nemo">Finding Nemo</a> thanks to one of its beloved main characters: Dory. The blue fish is remembered not only for her happy-go-lucky personality but for the condition she has, which makes her forget things almost as soon as they’ve happened.</p>
<p>Viewers might have assumed Dory’s condition was the stuff of fantasy, crafted to spur the movie’s plot forward. What many may not realise is that Dory’s memory troubles are similar to a real but rare condition that affects children.</p>
<p>Developmental amnesia causes children to forget things almost as soon as they’ve happened. Like Dory, they are unable to recall previous conversations or events – even significant ones such as an exciting birthday party.</p>
<p>This condition can affect them throughout their adult lives too. However, research by myself and colleagues may have uncovered a new <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09602011.2023.2275825">way to support</a> these children and make the most of their memory.</p>
<p>Developmental amnesia is caused by a lack of oxygen reaching the brain. There are a number of reasons this could happen, including a traumatic birth where the baby becomes stuck in the birth canal, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/123/3/499/348744?login=false">unable to breathe</a>. Respiratory failure and cardiac arrest after birth are other potential causes.</p>
<p>It’s long been known that a lack of oxygen can cause brain damage. But in the late 1990s, Faraneh Vargha-Khadem, a consultant neuropsychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, identified three teenagers who had been <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9219696/">struggling with memory difficulties</a> since they were little. All had suffered a lack of oxygen to the brain in early life, and MRI scans showed all had damage to their hippocampus – the brain’s memory hub.</p>
<p>Based on what Vargha-Khadem observed, she outlined three main characteristics of developmental amnesia. First, spatial memory problems, such as getting lost in familiar surroundings or forgetting where they’d left their belongings.</p>
<p>Second, temporal memory problems, including needing to be frequently reminded of regularly scheduled classes or activities. And third, episodic memory problems or being unable to remember events in their lives.</p>
<p>These memory problems are lifelong and can be very disabling – meaning the children will need support for the rest of their lives.</p>
<p>It’s not known how common developmental amnesia is. Like Dory from Finding Nemo, children with developmental amnesia have good language skills, motor skills and cognitive abilities. So, at first glance, they don’t appear to have a problem.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>This means doctors can miss their memory problems and the children don’t get referred to a specialist. Some are also misdiagnosed with attentional problems instead.</p>
<h2>Memory help</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, it’s not possible to repair the hippocampus once its damaged. As such, treatments for developmental amnesia focus on supporting children to make the most of their abilities.</p>
<p>Despite this support, children with developmental amnesia are at a considerable disadvantage in school. If they ask a question in class, they’ll soon forget the answer. When they get home from school, they can’t remember what their lessons involved.</p>
<p>However, one remarkable feature of developmental amnesia is that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028393209000438">recognition memory</a> – the ability to recognise something that has been encountered before – is not impaired.</p>
<p>So, if you showed someone with developmental amnesia pictures of faces, then later gave them a memory test of those faces, they’d be able to identify the ones they’d seen before.</p>
<p>While they wouldn’t remember where they’d seen the faces, they’d be able to say a face feels familiar – and correctly judge they’d seen it previously. This shows us that some aspects of memory can still function well in children with this condition.</p>
<p>We wondered if the ability to recognise familiar things could be key to helping children with developmental amnesia learn. To <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09602011.2023.2275825">test this idea</a>, we set up a case study with eight-year-old “Patient H”.</p>
<p>Patient H watched four different educational videos six times each. After each watch, he was immediately given a memory test.</p>
<p>For half of the videos, he was asked open-ended questions such as: “Where did the Egyptian nomads live?” This sort of test is very difficult for children with developmental amnesia. Even though he’d watched each video six times, he performed very poorly in the test.</p>
<p>For the other videos, he was given a multiple-choice test. This allowed him to use his recognition memory to identify which of the answers felt familiar.</p>
<p>Patient H performed far better in this test, getting 18 out of 20 answers right, compared with only six out of 20 in the first test. In fact, he performed as well in the recognition test as children without developmental amnesia.</p>
<p>A week later, Patient H returned to the lab and was given another memory test based on the videos he’d previously watched. Remarkably, he was able to recall twice as much information from the videos he’d been tested on using multiple choice, compared with the first time he was tested – even when he was asked open-ended questions. Crucially, he wasn’t only able to recognise the information but could recall details.</p>
<h2>How new memories are formed</h2>
<p>Our conclusion was that multiple-choice tests allowed Patient H to use intact parts of his brain’s memory system to process and consolidate information. This helped him learn information more efficiently and build a stable memory.</p>
<p>This finding is encouraging, but further research is needed to understand if recognition memory can support learning in the classroom and over longer delays than one week. The fact that developmental amnesia is so rare makes it difficult to study and test interventions in larger groups of people.</p>
<p>We also need to do more work to understand the learning processes that occur in developmental amnesia, and how new memories are formed. Understanding this may help develop better learning techniques for people with the condition.</p>
<p>But these results are promising nonetheless, showing that multiple-choice tests may be an easy and helpful tool for children with developmental amnesia in forming stable memories and potentially keeping up in class.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img decoding="async" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216925/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/developmental-amnesia-the-rare-disorder-that-causes-children-to-forget-things-theyve-just-learned-216925">original article</a>.</em></p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

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DATE:
December 26, 2023 at 07:00AM
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TITLE:
Attachment styles influence sexual satisfaction trajectories during the transition to parenthood, study suggests
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/attachment-styles-influence-sexual-satisfaction-trajectories-during-the-transition-to-parenthood-study-suggests-215162

<p>A recent study published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2275271" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Journal of Sex Research</a></em> has unveiled significant insights into how sexual satisfaction evolves among couples during the transition to parenthood. Researchers found that while sexual satisfaction generally increases after childbirth, this improvement tends to slow down around eight months postpartum. Moreover, attachment styles appear to play a crucial role in these satisfaction trajectories.</p>
<p>The journey to parenthood, a phase filled with profound changes and challenges, is known to impact various aspects of a couple&#8217;s relationship, including their sexual satisfaction. Understanding this dynamic is crucial, as a fulfilling sexual life not only nurtures intimacy but is also linked to psychological well-being and relationship stability.</p>
<p>Previous studies have shed light on the changes in sexual functions postpartum, but there was a gap in understanding how sexual satisfaction itself changes during this critical period, and how couples&#8217; attachment styles might influence these changes. This prompted researchers to delve into the transitional period to parenthood to unravel these complex dynamics.</p>
<p>&#8220;We were interested by this topic for several reasons,&#8221; said study author Audrey Brassard, a full professor at the University of Sherbrooke and director of the <a href="https://labo-couple.recherche.usherbrooke.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Couple &amp; Sexuality Research Lab</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Firstly, attachment plays a fundamental role in an individual’s functioning, particularly within a romantic relationship. Attachment anxiety (self-doubts, fear of abandonment) and attachment avoidance (discomfort with intimacy, independence) have been related to difficulties regarding sexuality as well.</p>
<p>&#8220;Secondly, the transition to parenthood is a significant milestone experienced by numerous couples. Lastly, sexual satisfaction emerges as a decisive factor in the continuation or dissolution of a romantic relationship. Given these considerations, we were eager to explore the interconnections among these variables.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study recruited 221 first-time parent couples, including seven same-sex/gender couples, all in the second trimester of pregnancy. The criteria for participation were age (18 years or older), cohabitation, daily internet access, and fluency in French. High-risk pregnancies were excluded due to their potential impact on sexual satisfaction and anxiety levels.</p>
<p>Participants were asked to complete online questionnaires at four different stages: during the second trimester and at 4, 8, and 12 months postpartum. Each session took about 30 to 45 minutes. The questionnaires covered a range of topics, including sociodemographic information, sexual satisfaction, and attachment styles.</p>
<p>Sexual satisfaction was assessed using the French version of the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction. This tool comprises five questions rated on a seven-point scale, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.</p>
<p>Attachment styles were measured using the French version of the Experiences in Close Relationships scale, which assesses attachment anxiety and avoidance on a seven-point Likert scale.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>The study revealed several key findings about the sexual satisfaction trajectories of new parents. First, it was observed that sexual satisfaction decreased during pregnancy but generally improved in the year following childbirth.</p>
<p>Interestingly, this upward trend in satisfaction seemed to decelerate around eight months postpartum. This pattern suggests that while couples initially adapt well to their new roles as parents, certain challenges, potentially including the return to work and related stressors, might impact their sexual relationship.</p>
<p>The researchers also found that partners&#8217; attachment styles played a significant role in these satisfaction trajectories. For instance, being in a relationship with a partner high in attachment anxiety — characterized by a fear of rejection and a strong need for reassurance in relationships — was linked to greater improvement in sexual satisfaction from pregnancy to 12 months postpartum, but this improvement slowed down over time.</p>
<p>&#8220;We were surprised to discover that when new parents are paired with an anxiously attached partner, they reported a steeper increase in their own sexual satisfaction up to four months postpartum,&#8221; Brassard told PsyPost. &#8220;This suggests that a new parent with higher attachment anxiety may place a higher value on sexuality and invest efforts to preserve the couple&#8217;s sex life in the early postpartum period.&#8221;</p>
<p>In contrast, those with higher attachment avoidance — marked by discomfort with closeness and a preference for independence — reported lower sexual satisfaction during pregnancy. In addition, being in a relationship with a partner high in attachment avoidance was linked to a slower rate of improvement in sexual satisfaction postpartum.</p>
<p>&#8220;The average person should understand that fluctuations in sexual satisfaction among couples of new parents are normal,&#8221; Brassard explained. &#8220;While the sexual satisfaction of expectant parents may decrease during pregnancy, it tends to improve during the postpartum period for the majority of couples.</p>
<p>&#8220;Parents most vulnerable to declines in prenatal sexual satisfaction are those with attachment avoidance. Therefore, if you are facing sexual challenges before or after the birth of your first child, do not hesitate to discuss these issues with your healthcare professional.&#8221;</p>
<p>But the study, like all research, includes some limitations.</p>
<p>&#8220;As attachment may vary throughout the transition to parenthood, future research should explore attachment across all measurement points,&#8221; Brassard said. &#8220;This will help determine whether changes in sexual satisfaction are independent of fluctuations in attachment. The generalization of our results is also limited by the lack of sexual and cultural diversity, as the majority of couples where cisgender men and women from the province of Québec, Canada.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224499.2023.2275271" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Romantic Attachment and Sexual Satisfaction Trajectories Among Couples Transitioning to Parenthood</a>&#8220;, was authored by Gabrielle Bourque-Morel, Laurence Grenier, Laurie Arseneault, Shalie-Emma Vaillancourt, Audrey Brassard, Anne Brault-Labbé, Marie-France Lafontaine, and Katherine Péloquin.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

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DATE:
December 25, 2023 at 09:00AM
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TITLE:
People with social anxiety drink more in the presence of strangers
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/people-with-social-anxiety-drink-more-in-the-presence-of-strangers-215160

<p>People who are more socially anxious may drink more alcohol when they are in situations where they do not know many people, according to new research. The study, published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2023.107672"><em>Addictive Behaviors</em></a>, used a combination of smartphone surveys and alcohol sensors to measure how social anxiety and social context influenced drinking behaviors in everyday environments.</p>
<p>Social anxiety has been found to be a risk factor for alcohol use disorder, but the relationship between social anxiety and drinking behaviors in real-world settings is unclear. Previous studies have used different methods and measures that often do not reflect authentic social settings to examine this relationship. Consequently these studies have produced mixed results.</p>
<p>Hence, the study team led by Eddie P. Caumiant from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign aimed to investigate how social-contextual features of real-world drinking contexts, such as the familiarity of the people present, might influence the relationship between social anxiety and alcohol consumption in everyday settings.</p>
<p>The researchers recruited 48 heavy social drinkers (drinking an average of 2–3 times per week, with an average of 3.8 drinks per occasion). They were aged 21 to 28, and they completed a measure of social anxiety at the beginning of the study via the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale.</p>
<p>These participants self-reported their alcohol consumption for the next seven days, in addition to wearing a transdermal alcohol monitor as an ankle bracelet, which monitored their alcohol consumption by tracking the amount of alcohol diffusing through their skin.</p>
<p>An app was downloaded onto their smartphone which administered surveys at random times of the day, during which they provided photographs of their surroundings. Participants later reported on their levels of social familiarity with the people visible in the photographs and categorized their relationship with each person, e.g. “romantic partner” / “friend” / “coworker” / “stranger”.</p>
<p>After statistical analyses, the results demonstrated that social anxiety and social context interacted to predict drinking. Among participants who were higher in social anxiety, drinking increased as the familiarity of the people in their environment decreased. In other words, they drank more when they were surrounded by strangers than when they were with friends or family.</p>
<p>However, among participants who were lower in social anxiety, the familiarity of the people in their environment did not affect their drinking.</p>
<p>Together, these results suggest that the presence of strangers in a given environment may play a role in the drinking behavior of socially anxious individuals. The researchers explain that socially anxious individuals may drink more in unfamiliar settings to relieve the stress of social situations, generate positive mood, or to facilitate social interaction.</p>
<p>Caumiant and colleagues noted that their findings may help explain why previous studies have found mixed results regarding the question of whether socially anxious individuals consume alcohol in greater quantities, as they did not take into account the social context of drinking.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>The authors concluded, “alcohol consumption does not occur in a vacuum, but instead represents a product of individuals’ motivations to drink and the broader environmental contexts in which they consume alcohol. Consequently, in seeking to develop effective strategies for protecting against the development of alcohol use disorder in socially anxious individuals, <em>an approach that integrates a consideration of both person and environment is essential</em>.”</p>
<p>The study had some limitations, such as the small sample of participants who collectively had low levels of social anxiety, as well as an imperfect social context measure (not all individuals present in a particular environment were captured in the photographs).</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306460323000679">Social anxiety and alcohol consumption: The role of social context</a>”, was authored by Eddie P. Caumiant, Catharine E. Fairbairn, Konrad Bresin, I. Gary Rosen, Susan E. Luczak and Dahyeon Kang.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

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DATE:
December 25, 2023 at 07:00AM
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TITLE:
Intriguing new study reveals positive emotions follow a classical psychophysical law
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/intriguing-new-study-reveals-positive-emotions-follow-a-classical-psychophysical-law-215155

<p>A study has found evidence that some emotional responses adhere to Weber&#8217;s law, a psychophysiological principle that governs human perception of various sensations. In experiments where participants assessed emotional intensity, it was found that as the level of pleasantness increased, the accuracy of their judgments diminished. The study was published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001161.supp"><em>Emotion</em></a>.</p>
<p>Weber&#8217;s Law, also known as the Weber-Fechner law, is a fundamental principle in psychology and psychophysics that describes the relationship between the intensity of a physical stimulus and the perceived magnitude of the sensation it produces. It states that the smallest detectable change in the intensity of a stimulus, is proportional to the initial intensity of the stimulus. As the intensity of a stimulus increases, the amount of change required for a person to notice the difference also increases.</p>
<p>The law was named after Ernst Heinrich Weber, a 19th-century German physiologist and anatomist. Weber initially formulated the law in the context of weightlifting. It was later applied to the measurement of sensations by one of his students – Gustav Theodor Fechner, who went to develop the science of psychophysics starting from this law.</p>
<p>Weber&#8217;s law underwent extensive testing throughout the 19th and much of the 20th century, primarily in the realm of sensory perceptions like light, taste, sound, pain, and heat. While emotional perception is also a well-researched area, it remains uncertain whether emotions conform to Weber&#8217;s law in the same manner as these sensory perceptions.</p>
<p>In their new study, Rotem Berkovich and Nachshon Meiran set out to test whether Weber’s law refers to emotional feelings as well and to develop an accurate way of measuring the intensity of these feelings that would start from a real 0-point (unlike the most commonly used rating scales that have arbitrary starting points). They relied on a conceptual model called linear ballistic accumulator.</p>
<p>Essentially, this model states that the brain accumulates evidence and it makes a decision when there is enough evidence to make it. The more intense a stimulus is, the more its perception can vary, making it harder to differentiate between very intense stimuli than between stimuli of low intensity.</p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&#8220;I find it fascinating to take a topic that seems so &#8216;spiritual&#8217; such as our emotions, and yet to be able to quantify it,&#8221; said Berkovich, a PhD student.</span><span lang="en-IL"><br />
</span></p>
<p>The study involved 34 undergraduate students, 29 of whom were female, recruited through Ben Gurion University&#8217;s online system. The researchers utilized a unique experimental procedure designed to mask its actual purpose and minimize demand characteristics. Participants were informed that the research explored how emotions might influence performance in a pure perceptual task, keeping the true nature of the study concealed.</p>
<p>Two main tasks were administered to the participants: an emotion task and a perceptual task.</p>
<p>In the emotional task, participants viewed images pre-determined to evoke specific emotions of varying intensities. They reported whether each image made them feel pleasant or unpleasant by pressing one of two keys, with researchers recording their responses and response times.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>In the perceptual task, participants were shown a circle and their task was to indicate whether the next circle presented to them was larger or smaller than the previous one. Each circle area was 5% larger or 5% smaller than the previous one. Participants participated in these experiments on their own personal computers at home.</p>
<p>The results suggest that applying the linear ballistic accumulation model to predict emotional reports is as valid as using it for perceptual decisions, its original intended application. This implies that both the perception of emotions and sensory stimuli are governed by the same principle: Weber&#8217;s law. The study found that as emotions (induced by pictures) became more pleasant, the accuracy with which participants gauged their intensity decreased. This supported the notion that pleasant emotions reach awareness in the same ways ordinary sensations do.</p>
<p>The findings provide evidence that &#8220;emotions are a form of perception; we become aware of our emotions just as we become aware of our other senses. Additionally, we become less accurate in estimating the intensity of our pleasant emotional experiences as the experience becomes more pleasant,&#8221; Berkovich told PsyPost.</p>
<p>However, this pattern did not hold for unpleasant emotions. &#8220;We believed that both pleasant and unpleasant emotional feelings follow Weber’s law, but in this study we found that only pleasant emotional feelings follow this law,&#8221; Berkovich said.</p>
<p>This might be because accurately detecting small differences in negative emotions becomes crucial for survival as their intensity increases. For example, correctly distinguishing between two highly fearful situations could be a matter of life or death.</p>
<p>“Using computational modeling, we suggest a novel ratio scale [a scale that starts with a real 0, a complete absence of the measured property] that reflects the rate of emotion-related evidence accumulation. Second, this tool allows us to provide one of the strongest supports for James’ perceptual theory [the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James%E2%80%93Lange_theory">James-Lange theory of emotions</a>] by showing that pleasant feelings obey Weber’s law. This finding suggests that the process that underlies emotional awareness resembles the process that underlies usual sensory perception, as James has suggested,&#8221; the study authors concluded.</p>
<p>The study makes a valuable contribution to the psychological theory about measurement of emotions. However, it also has limitations that need to be taken into account. Notably, the study was conducted on a very small group of participants, consisting almost exclusively of young females.</p>
<p>Additionally, the range of emotion intensities that can be induced using pictures is limited. On the other hand, the Weber-Fechner law is one of the best-established laws in psychology. It is likely that results would remain essentially the same on larger samples and using a broader range of emotion intensities.</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001161.supp">Pleasant Emotional Feelings Follow One of the Most Basic Psychophysical Laws (Weber’s Law) as Most Sensations Do</a>”, was authored by Rotem Berkovich and Nachshon Meiran.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 24, 2023 at 11:00AM
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TITLE:
Air pollution’s surprising effect on NFL team performance
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/air-pollutions-surprising-effect-on-nfl-team-performance-215111

<p>New research provides evidence that increased air pollution, specifically fine particulate matter, impacts the performance of National Football League (NFL) teams, with a notable impact on the productivity of offensive plays, particularly passing plays. The findings have been published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2023.101310" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Economics &amp; Human Biology</a></em>.</p>
<p>With increasing concerns over air quality and its implications on public health and productivity, this study aimed to understand how air pollution affects team productivity, a relatively underexplored aspect. The choice of the NFL as a study context was driven by the highly strategic and team-oriented nature of football, which could provide clear insights into how pollution impacts physical and mental performance.</p>
<p>&#8220;There is a growing literature on the impact of air quality on employee performance. A lot of it uses data from sports but none from the NFL. I had another research project in process that uses play-level NFL data and this was a natural extension for those data,&#8221; said study author <a href="https://bradhumphreys.faculty.wvu.edu/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brad R. Humphreys</a>, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research and Professor of Economics at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at the West Virginia University.</p>
<p>For their study, the researchers analyzed approximately 90,000 offensive plays from around 900 NFL games played between 2008 and 2016. This large sample provided a robust dataset for examining the nuances of team performance under varying environmental conditions.</p>
<p>The specific measure used was the concentration of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) in the air. PM2.5 is known to have adverse health effects and is a common pollutant resulting from various sources like vehicle emissions and industrial activities. The researchers tracked this data from monitoring stations close to the NFL stadiums to ensure accuracy in capturing the game-day air quality.</p>
<p>The study&#8217;s analysis involved assessing the yards gained per offensive play, focusing particularly on passing plays. This metric was chosen because it reflects the collective effort of the team and is crucial in determining the outcome of a game. The researchers controlled for various factors, such as team composition, game-week, and season-specific factors, to isolate the impact of air pollution from other variables.</p>
<p>The researchers found that for each microgram increase of PM2.5 per cubic meter of air near the stadium, offensive teams gained an additional 0.5 inches of yardage per play. This translated to about 4.3 additional yards for passing plays over a game with a standard deviation increase in PM2.5. Essentially, teams were slightly more successful on offense in more polluted conditions, an effect attributed to the impaired response of the defensive players to the offensive plays.</p>
<p>This finding is significant as it suggests that air pollution doesn&#8217;t just have health and economic implications, but it also impacts team dynamics and performance, particularly in roles requiring quick reaction and coordination. The results are particularly relevant for understanding how environmental factors can influence outcomes in team-based work settings, beyond just sports.</p>
<p>&#8220;Air quality can negatively affect job performance, especially in jobs with physical requirements,&#8221; Humphreys told PsyPost. &#8220;Although, there is also evidence that mental cognition is affected. For football fans, if their team travels to a game in a city with worse air quality, their team could be at a disadvantage. For people who bet on sports, you might want to look at local air quality before placing a bet on an NFL team.&#8221;</p>
<p>While the study provides valuable insights, it also has its limitations. One major limitation is the inability to control for all game-day variables, such as team strategies and individual player conditions, which might also influence play outcomes. Additionally, the study primarily focuses on one pollutant type (PM2.5) and does not comprehensively cover other pollutants, like ozone, which was found to have no significant impact in this context.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>Future research could expand on these findings by exploring other sports or team-based activities to see if similar patterns emerge. Another potential avenue is to analyze the impact of different types of pollutants, or a combination of them, on team performance. Moreover, studies could delve deeper into understanding the mechanisms behind how air pollution specifically affects player performance, both physically and cognitively.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have not completely nailed down the underlying mechanisms that explain why the defense is affected more than the offense,&#8221; Humphreys said.</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1570677X23000916" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Air quality and employee performance in teams: Evidence from the NFL</a>&#8220;, was authored by Brad R. Humphreys and Jane E. Ruseski.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 24, 2023 at 09:00AM
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TITLE:
Intervention at an Early Age May Hold Off the Onset of Depression
.
URL:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/intervention-at-an-early-age-may-hold-off-the-onset-of-depression/

<p>Preventing initial episodes might stop depression from becoming a disabling chronic condition</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 24, 2023 at 09:00AM
.
TITLE:
Mindfulness-based interventions improve cognition
.
URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/mindfulness-based-interventions-improve-cognition-215153

<p>A meta-analytic review of randomized-controlled trials evaluating the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cognition found that these interventions consistently yield small-to-moderate improvements in global cognition and various cognitive subdomains. The improvement levels are practically meaningful. The study was published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2023.2248222"><em>Health Psychology Review</em></a>.</p>
<p>Mindfulness is the practice of paying deliberate and non-judgmental attention to the present moment, cultivating awareness of one&#8217;s thoughts, feelings, and surroundings to promote mental clarity, emotional balance, and overall well-being. It is often used in psychotherapy as a therapeutic technique to help individuals manage stress, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, enhance self-awareness, and develop healthier coping mechanisms by incorporating mindfulness practices and principles into their treatment.</p>
<p>Mindfulness-based interventions typically involve practices like meditation, deep breathing, and body scans to develop mindfulness skills. These interventions have been used to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and improve overall mental health, as well as enhance one&#8217;s ability to cope with various life challenges. Studies have shown that they can also improve executive functioning by teaching individuals to not react to cognitive and emotional content.</p>
<p>Study authors Nur Hani Zainal and Michelle G. Newman wanted to systematically assess the strength of effects of mindfulness-based interventions on global cognition and the following unique cognitive subdomains: orienting, executive attention, working memory accuracy and latency, inhibition accuracy and latency, shifting accuracy and latency, sustained attention (accuracy or intra-individual coefficient of variation), subjective cognitive functioning, processing speed, verbal fluency, episodic memory, and cognitive error.</p>
<p>These cognitive subdomains encompass various aspects of mental functioning. Orienting involves directing attention to specific sensory stimuli. Executive attention relates to cognitive control, aiding in planning and decision-making. Working memory measures the accuracy of temporary information storage and manipulation, with latency reflecting processing speed.</p>
<p>Inhibition assesses the ability to suppress irrelevant information. Shifting evaluates task-switching ability, while sustained attention measures focus stability. Subjective cognitive functioning involves self-perception of cognitive abilities. Processing speed gauges how quickly individuals process information. Verbal fluency assesses language-related skills. Episodic memory relates to recalling past experiences, and cognitive error identifies and quantifies thinking mistakes.</p>
<p>The researchers acknowledged a key limitation of prior meta-analyses: the inclusion of studies lacking randomization and adequate experimental control. To address this, they conducted a meta-analysis focusing solely on randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions.</p>
<p>The study authors searched for published papers on randomized controlled trials involving participants without prior meditation experience, employing control groups, and including pre-and post-assessment as well as at least two mindfulness-based training sessions. This search in scientific journal databases yielded 111 studies fitting these criteria. In their analysis, the researchers considered various factors: the participants&#8217; characteristics (age, health conditions, etc.), the nature of the treatment, and the overall attributes of the study, including its quality and the presence of fidelity checks.</p>
<p>The combined studies analyzed included 9,538 participants, averaging 34 years in age. However, there was a wide age range among participants, from 4 to 81 years. Females constituted 58% of the study participants. The size of the individual studies varied, ranging from 14 to 424 participants. These studies were conducted across 22 countries, with 41% originating from the United States. Among the studies that reported on participants&#8217; ethnicity, 61% of participants were identified as white.</p>
<p>The analysis of effect sizes revealed that mindfulness-based interventions positively influenced global cognition, executive attention, working memory, accuracy in inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility, sustained attention accuracy, and subjective cognitive functioning, in comparison to control groups. The magnitude of these effects varied across studies, ranging from small to large, with effects on global cognition generally being more substantial.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>Effects were weaker on older individuals and females. Studies of better quality tended to report stronger effects of mindfulness-based interventions compared to controls. The size of the effect did not depend on the number of sessions, treatment duration, or on the percentage of participants that completed the study.</p>
<p>Non-standard mindfulness-based interventions had stronger effects than standard ones on global cognition, sustained attention accuracy and subjective cognitive functioning. Treatments delivered face-to-face were substantially more effective than self-guided interventions.</p>
<p>“MBIs [mindfulness-based interventions] showed positive effects on executive attention, inhibition accuracy, WM [working memory] accuracy, shifting accuracy, sustained attention accuracy, intra-individual coefficient of variation, and subjective cognitive functioning,&#8221; the study authors concluded.</p>
<p>“However, MBIs did not significantly positively affect orienting, WM latency, inhibition latency, shifting latency, processing speed, verbal fluency, episodic memory, and cognitive error. Overall, MBIs improved EF [executive functioning] and sustained attention accuracy-based rather than latency-based outcomes, likely because mindfulness practices promote present-moment awareness and effective goal attainment over efficiency”.</p>
<p>The study sheds light on the effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cognition. However, it also has limitations that need to be taken into account. Notably, study authors were not able to account for variations in the delivery of the training i.e., the quality of the training and how well it was conducted in practice. Additionally, it remains unknown which components of mindfulness-based interventions produce the observed effects.</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2023.2248222">Mindfulness enhances cognitive functioning: a meta-analysis of 111 randomized controlled trials</a>”, was authored by Nur Hani Zainal and Michelle G. Newman.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 24, 2023 at 07:00AM
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TITLE:
In a revealing study, researchers shed light on why some choose singlehood
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/in-a-revealing-study-researchers-shed-light-on-why-some-choose-singlehood-215148

<p>A new study provides insights into why a significant portion of adults choose to remain single. The findings, published in <em><a href="https://czasopisma.uksw.edu.pl/index.php/sp/article/view/11985" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Studia Psychologica: Theoria et praxis</a></em>, provide evidence that negative past relationship experiences significantly influence the decision to stay single, with many individuals prioritizing personal goals or nursing disappointments from previous romances.</p>
<p>The motivation for this study stemmed from a noticeable trend in contemporary post-industrial societies: a significant number of adults are single. This phenomenon presents in two forms &#8211; some are single against their wishes, while others actively choose to avoid intimate relationships. Researchers set out to understand this choice, especially considering the evolutionary importance of forming relationships for procreation and nurturing offspring.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am an evolutionary psychologist studying human mating. Having an intimate partner is of utmost evolutionary importance as people who fail to do so will not have any offspring,&#8221; explained study author <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/menelaosapostolou/">Menelaos Apostolou</a>, a professor at the University of Nicosia.</p>
<p>&#8220;Thus, the rising occurrence of voluntary singlehood &#8212; people not having an intimate partner and not wanting to have one &#8212; is puzzling at least from an evolutionary perspective. Thus, part of my research effort is focused on solving this puzzle.&#8221;</p>
<p>For their study, the researchers recruited 377 women and 252 men (with an average age around 36) via social media platforms and personal networks. The study was divided into two parts: assessing past relationship experiences and gathering demographic information.</p>
<p>Participants used a four-item scale to rate their previous intimate relationships, with higher scores indicating more negative experiences (e.g., &#8220;My previous relationships were traumatic&#8221;). They also provided information about their current relationship status.</p>
<p>The measure of relationship status was meticulously designed to categorize participants into distinct groups based on their current romantic involvement and attitudes towards relationships. The categories included &#8216;In a Relationship&#8217;, &#8216;Married&#8217;, &#8216;Involuntarily Single&#8217;, &#8216;Single Between-Relationships&#8217;, and various subcategories of &#8216;Prefer to be Single&#8217;, such as those single due to past disappointments, different life priorities, or other unspecified reasons.</p>
<p>When considering just the voluntarily single group, nearly 60% cited other priorities as their reason, followed by past disappointments (24%) and other reasons (17%).</p>
<p>A key discovery was the significant influence of past relationship experiences on the decision to remain single. Those with more negative experiences were more likely to choose singlehood, particularly due to past disappointments. Interestingly, this effect was consistent across genders, suggesting a universal impact of past relationship traumas on future relationship choices.</p>
<p>&#8220;Using a relatively large sample of Greek-speaking participants, we found that about one in five were voluntarily single, with one in four indicating that they were in this group because they were disappointed with past relationship,&#8221; Apostolou told PsyPost.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>&#8220;In addition, we measured people’s past relationship experiences, and we found that those who indicated that they had negative experiences were more likely to be currently single than those who indicated more positive experiences. The take home message is that, having negative experiences in romantic relationships may discourage some people from entering into new relationships, making them to prefer to be single.&#8221;</p>
<p>While the study makes significant strides in understanding the dynamics of modern singlehood, there are also some limitations to consider. The findings are based on a non-random sample from a specific cultural context, which may not universally apply. The study&#8217;s correlational nature means it can&#8217;t definitively prove that negative relationship experiences cause people to choose singlehood.</p>
<p>&#8220;The phenomenon of singlehood is too complex and there are many factors at play. So more work and replication studies are needed to understand it,&#8221; Apostolou said.</p>
<p>&#8220;It seems that negative experiences with romantic relationship can have a scarring effect, discouraging people from looking for an intimate partner. One question that needs to be addressed is how persistent this effect is &#8212; for instance, does it result in people permanently withdrawing from the mating game or does it lasts only for some months/years?&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://doi.org/10.21697/sp.2022.22.2.03">Why people prefer to be single: Voluntary singlehood and experiences with relationships</a>&#8220;, was authored by Menelaos Apostolou and Ellie Michaelidou.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 23, 2023 at 11:00AM
.
TITLE:
New research explores the relationship between spiritual well-being and psychedelic use
.
URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/new-research-explores-the-relationship-between-spiritual-well-being-and-psychedelic-use-215127

<p>Researchers are starting to take a closer look at the relationship between psychedelic use and spiritual well-being. A new study, published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2023.2284343"><em>Journal of Psychoactive Drugs</em></a>, highlights differences in spiritual well-being between psychedelic users and non-users while also highlighting the need for more inclusive tools to assess spirituality.</p>
<p>The study was motivated by a growing recognition of the importance of spiritual well-being in overall quality of life, particularly in palliative care settings. Traditionally, economic and physical health indicators have been the primary focus in assessing an individual&#8217;s well-being. However, recent research has highlighted the need for more nuanced tools that also consider the spiritual dimension of life.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m a palliative care nurse and professor. I carry out research mainly in the area of palliative care and, within this theme, I also work with the topics of spirituality and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in serious illnesses,&#8221; said study author Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, a professor at the Federal University of Alfenas, leader of the <a href="https://www.unifal-mg.edu.br/ciecp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Interdisciplinary Center for Studies in Palliative Care</a>, and member of the Interdisciplinary Cooperation for Ayahuasca Research and Outreach (ICARO).</p>
<p>&#8220;Specifically with regard to the research that led to this article, the main objective was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale in Brazil (i.e. to check whether this scale is a good instrument for measuring spiritual well-being among the Brazilian population). In addition, considering that the target audience of the study were both users and non-users of psychedelics, we also wanted to check whether there was a difference between the spiritual well-being of these groups.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I have a personal and professional interest in the subject of spirituality in health. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that spirituality is an important part of a person&#8217;s quality of life, especially for those facing stressful and challenging situations, such as serious illness. In the context of psychedelics, the history of the use of these substances among human beings is deeply linked to the spiritual context, even today.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study was conducted as an online cross-sectional survey over a period from April to June 2022. Participants, adults of varying genders and health statuses, were recruited primarily through messaging applications and social media platforms. The researchers reached a substantial number of valid respondents, totaling 517 individuals.</p>
<p>Each participant was asked to complete an initial questionnaire that collected information on their age, gender, level of education, professional profile, spirituality, religiosity, and psychedelic substance use.</p>
<p>The core of the study revolved around the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, consisting of 20 statements split into two subscales: religious well-being and existential well-being. These statements were designed to capture the participants&#8217; spiritual state using a Likert-type scale ranging from total agreement to total disagreement. Some examples include &#8220;I believe that God loves me and cares about me&#8221; and &#8220;I feel good about my future.&#8221;</p>
<p>The researchers found that older individuals generally exhibited higher existential well-being. Gender differences were also prominent, with women scoring significantly higher in both religious and existential well-being compared to men. Intriguingly, individuals with lower education levels presented higher scores in these well-being dimensions. Furthermore, those who frequently engaged in discussions about death and finitude reported higher existential well-being.</p>
<p>A particularly intriguing aspect of the study was its exploration of psychedelic use. Participants who had never used psychedelics tended to have better religious and existential well-being. However, those who used psychedelics frequently showed better well-being than those who used them infrequently or almost never.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>This finding suggests a complex relationship between psychedelic use and spiritual health. But the researchers caution against drawing definitive conclusions about the impact of psychedelics on spiritual well-being. The study&#8217;s reliance on an instrument developed based on a Judeo-Christian conception of religious well-being might not fully resonate with non-religious respondents.</p>
<p>&#8220;Spirituality is basically about the need we have, as human beings, for transcendence and the search for meaning and purpose in life, as well as a relationship with ourselves, with others, with nature and with a being or something greater than ourselves. It is something important in people&#8217;s lives, even for those who don&#8217;t profess any religion,&#8221; Mesquita Garcia told PsyPost.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, studying spirituality is complex. Depending on what we want to investigate about spirituality, it&#8217;s important to have instruments to measure it. For example, when I want to measure the length of something, the appropriate instrument to use is a tape measure or ruler. To study spirituality, we also need to identify the right tools.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;According to our study, we realized that the way of experiencing spirituality between users and non-users of psychedelics is different,&#8221; Mesquita Garcia explained. &#8220;We realized that the instrument used in the study, the spiritual well-being scale, despite having good psychometric properties (i.e. the results relating to the evaluation of the scale were considered reliable and valid &#8212; the scale really does seem to measure what it sets out to measure), may not be the best choice for evaluating spirituality among people who do not profess a religion, especially those from a Judeo-Christian background &#8211; considering that the spiritual well-being scale is partly based on the Judeo-Christian conception of the evaluation of religious well-being.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;In our study, we found that a significant proportion of the sample (46.8%), despite not having any religion, considered themselves to be spiritual. Of those who said they practiced a religion, most professed a religion outside the Judeo-Christian spectrum (e.g. Buddhism, Afro-descendant religions). Therefore, future studies that aim to assess spirituality in samples similar to ours should consider using instruments that assess spirituality in a more comprehensive way, including the religious aspect.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02791072.2023.2284343">Spiritual Well-Being Among Users and Non-Users of Psychedelics: A Cross-Sectional Study</a>&#8220;, was authored by Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Lucas Oliveira Maia, Everson Meireles, Denismar Alves Nogueira, and Luís Fernando Tófoli.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 23, 2023 at 08:00AM
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TITLE:
Decoding Your Hunger During the Holidays
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URL:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/decoding-your-hunger-during-the-holidays/

<p>Deciding when and what to eat is a complex calculus incorporating input from your eyes, your gut and your vagus nerve</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

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DATE:
December 23, 2023 at 09:00AM
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TITLE:
Real-time data shows psychological impact of Hamas missile strikes on Israeli civilians
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/real-time-data-shows-psychological-impact-of-hamas-missile-strikes-on-israeli-civilians-215143

<p>A study focusing on Israelis residing in areas targeted by Hamas missile strikes during the May 2021 conflict revealed that wellbeing indicators fluctuated during the missile strikes and throughout the duration of the war. However, these indicators returned to their pre-war values shortly afterwards, with almost all participants showing a return to baseline levels. The study was published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-023-00284-y"><em>Nature Communications Medicine</em></a>.</p>
<p>Wars can take a heavy toll on individuals involved in them. It is the one of the very few conditions when it can become both socially acceptable and legal to wound or kill other humans, destroy their property, and infringe on personal liberties of individuals who have not broken any laws.</p>
<p>Additionally, with changes in the technology of warfare in the past 200 years, wars started affecting civilians even more than in earlier times. While intentional targeting and massacring of civilians and looting of their property were quite common in wars of previous centuries, this tended to mainly affect civilians living in areas where wars took place.</p>
<p>In contrast, modern warfare allows for the targeting of civilians even far from frontlines through aerial bombardments, artillery, and missile strikes. Today&#8217;s conflicts are fought across extensive lines, often involving civilian settlements for fortifications, shelter, and concealment of military equipment. This has resulted in a decrease in safe areas due to the increased range of weapons.</p>
<p>These developments cause both bodily and psychological damage to civilians exposed to war. Additionally, easy access to media, and particularly social media, was shown to additionally increase levels of fear in individuals living in areas affected by war. Researchers have long studied effects of living in conditions of war on psychological well-being of civilians. However, most of those studies were retrospective in nature i.e., conducted after the war ended and based on reported memories of survivors.</p>
<p>Study author Merav Mofaz and his colleagues wanted to examine the effects of war on civilians in real-time. They planned to utilize the capabilities of smartphones and smartwatches to observe both objective and subjective changes in individuals experiencing wartime conditions. Their focus was on the changes that occurred during the 2021 Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.</p>
<p>In April-May 2021, after a series of incidents, massive Palestinian protests erupted. Amid these tensions, Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, began firing rockets at Israeli settlements. In response, Israel initiated air strikes on Gaza. Over the course of the hostilities, over 4300 rockets and missiles were launched towards Israeli cities, while Israel conducted 1500 aerial, land, and sea strikes towards 16,500 targets in the Gaza Strip.</p>
<p>The study included 954 Israeli participants, all over 40 years of age, with a median age of 59. Of these, 549 were women, and 50% had incomes above the median level. They resided in regions targeted by Hamas missiles from Gaza. Among them, 74% lived in areas at medium risk of rocket and missile attacks, 7% in high-risk areas, and the remaining 19% in areas not exposed to missile attacks.</p>
<p>The study started on April 26, 2021, two weeks prior to the onset of the full-scale war. This period was marked by escalating hostilities, although the war had not officially begun. The study concluded shortly after a ceasefire was established in early June 2021.</p>
<p>Participants were instructed to install two applications on their smartphones: the Garmin Connect app, which gathered data from their smartwatches, and a specialized app created for this study. This second app collected GPS-based data on their locations and enabled them to complete daily questionnaires.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>Participants wore Garmin smartwatches, which recorded data such as daily step counts, average heart rate, sleep onset time, and the percentage of awake time during the night. Their smartphones&#8217; sensors captured the total duration the screen was active each day, a metric closely linked to stress, and the amount of time the phone remained stationary. They also filled out daily questionnaires reporting their mood (ranging from awful to excellent), sleep duration, sleep quality (also on an awful-to-excellent scale), time spent engaging in sports, and the number of social interactions they had.</p>
<p>Results showed that participants’ heart rates considerably increased after they heard an air-raid siren. From an average 50 beats per minute before the siren, the number of heartbeats would increase to 76 beats per minute an hour after the siren. During the war, Israeli authorities used air raid sirens to warn civilians that missiles and rockets were detected flying towards the area they live in. The heart rates returned to baseline values 20 minutes after the missile strike alert ended.</p>
<p>The war adversely affected all the wellbeing indicators. These effects were significantly larger in areas with a higher risk of exposure to missile attacks. More specifically, the daily time that smartphone screen was turned on was 38 minutes longer on average during the war. The reported mood decreased; stress increased.</p>
<p>The number of social encounters, as well as the number of steps taken in a day were also lower during the war. Sleep time was delayed by 9 minutes on average during the war, sleep duration decreased by 10 minutes, and the quality of sleep worsened somewhat. However, these changes largely reversed within two weeks after the war&#8217;s conclusion.</p>
<p>&#8220;The main findings of our study are that Israelis showed an acute and robust reaction to the war situation,&#8221; the study authors concluded. &#8220;The reaction was demonstrated in sharp responses in both objective and subjective measures related to three axes, mental, energy expenditure, and sleep. All these measures worsened during the war.</p>
<p>&#8220;Interestingly, our data suggest the resilience (the ability of the individual to &#8216;bounce back&#8217; after the war) of the Israeli civilian population: as quick as the effects of the war were, so was the recovery, with all the measures that were altered during the war period returning approximately back to normal within 2 weeks after the cease-fire date.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study presents a novel way to study the psychological effects of war on civilians. However, it&#8217;s important to note that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has persisted for decades. Consequently, the Israeli population may have become accustomed to these war conditions.</p>
<p>Additionally, Hamas missile strikes tend to be imprecise, using mainly low-payload rockets, while Israeli anti-missile defenses are among the best in the world. Due to this, these missile strikes result in very few casualties and limited damage to property. Findings might not be the same if the study was conducted on a population without prior experience of war, protected by weaker defenses, and subjected to heavy aerial bombardment or missile strikes, in which risks of death, bodily harm or destruction of the living surroundings were much higher.</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-023-00284-y">Real-time sensing of war’s effects on wellbeing with smartphones and smartwatches</a>”, was authored by Merav Mofaz, Matan Yechezkel, Haim Einat, Noga Kronfeld-Schor, Dan Yamin, and Erez Shmueli.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 23, 2023 at 07:00AM
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TITLE:
Childhood isolation linked to chronic inflammation in adulthood
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/childhood-isolation-linked-to-chronic-inflammation-in-adulthood-215125

<p>A recent study has found that living alone and experiencing childhood social isolation are associated with increased levels of inflammation in adults. Published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2023.11.022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brain, Behavior, and Immunity</a></em>, the research highlights the significant impact of social connections on physical health.</p>
<p>The motivation behind this study stemmed from a growing body of evidence indicating the crucial role of social relationships in health and longevity. Prior research has consistently shown that social connections are not just beneficial but essential for maintaining good health.</p>
<p>A particularly intriguing aspect is the potential connection between social isolation and increased inflammation, a key factor in various health issues. Researchers embarked on this study to explore how different aspects of social relationships, specifically living alone, childhood social isolation, and loneliness, relate to inflammation, which is a known risk factor for various chronic diseases.</p>
<p>&#8220;There is now abundant evidence that both social isolation and loneliness are risk factors for early mortality,&#8221; said study author Timothy Matthews, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Greenwich. &#8220;We were interested in studying potential processes through which these experiences &#8211; particularly when experienced in childhood &#8211; might become biologically embedded. Based on the literature on other stressful childhood experiences, we hypothesized that inflammation was a plausible candidate.&#8221;</p>
<p>Conducted across three diverse cohorts, the study involved a large sample size to ensure robust results. In Denmark, the research included 6,144 acutely admitted medical patients. In New Zealand, the study analyzed data from 881 participants in a birth cohort study, and in the United Kingdom, it involved 1,448 participants from a twin cohort.</p>
<p>The study used both direct and proxy measures of social isolation and loneliness. Living alone was used as a proxy for social isolation in the Danish cohort. In the New Zealand and UK cohorts, childhood social isolation and adult loneliness were assessed through detailed questionnaires and interviews.</p>
<p>The researchers measured inflammation using three different biomarkers: C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and the novel marker soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR).</p>
<p>In Denmark, patients who were living alone showed significantly higher levels of all three inflammation markers compared to those not living alone. However, after adjusting for factors like age, sex, body mass index, and smoking, only higher suPAR levels remained significant.</p>
<p>&#8220;We measured inflammation using three different biomarkers,&#8221; Matthews told PsyPost. &#8220;Two of these, CRP and IL-6, are very widely used, while the third, suPAR, is a relatively new marker which we believe is useful for studying systemic chronic inflammation. Of the three, social isolation was most consistently associated with suPAR.&#8221;</p>
<p>In New Zealand, participants who experienced childhood social isolation or loneliness at age 38 had higher levels of all three biomarkers at age 45. These associations remained significant for suPAR even after accounting for other influential factors.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>In the UK study of young adults, childhood social isolation was associated with higher levels of these biomarkers at age 18, but only the suPAR levels remained significant after adjustments.</p>
<p>These results collectively suggest that living alone and experiencing social isolation during childhood are more consistently associated with increased inflammation, particularly indicated by the suPAR marker, than loneliness. Social isolation refers to the objective lack of social contacts and interactions with others, while loneliness is a subjective feeling of being alone or disconnected from others, regardless of the actual number of social contacts one has.</p>
<p>&#8220;A key finding is that children who are socially isolated may show signs of chronic inflammation many years later in adulthood, which in turn could signal risk for conditions such as heart disease and diabetes,&#8221; Matthews explained. &#8220;Therefore, a take-away point is that we should act early to support children who end up on the fringes of their peer group.&#8221;</p>
<p>Looking ahead, the findings open several avenues for future research. Further studies could explore more comprehensive and direct measures of social isolation and loneliness and include longitudinal designs to better understand how these social factors affect inflammation over time.</p>
<p>Another important direction would be to investigate the biological mechanisms underlying these associations, such as the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which could provide deeper insights into the interaction between social factors and physical health.</p>
<p>&#8220;While we took care to control for potential confounding variables, such as smoking and body mass index, further work can be done to advance causal hypotheses,&#8221; Matthews said. &#8220;Incorporating measures of inflammation in intervention studies is one way this could be taken forward.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;A strength of this study is that we were able to replicate the findings in multiple samples, including two population-representative cohort studies that have followed participants from childhood through to adulthood.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159123003562" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Social isolation, loneliness, and inflammation: A multi-cohort investigation in early and mid-adulthood</a>&#8220;, was authored Timothy Matthews, Line Jee Hartmann Rasmussen, Antony Ambler, Andrea Danese, Jesper Eugen-Olsen, Daisy Fancourt, Helen L. Fisher, Kasper Karmark Iversen, Martin Schultz, Karen Sugden, Benjamin Williams, Avshalom Caspi, and Terrie E. Moffitt.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 22, 2023 at 04:09AM
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TITLE:
Scent Chemicals in Women's Tears May Block Aggression in Men
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176157&url=https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2023/12/22/scent-woman-tears-lower-anger-men/2791703256630/

<div><p>Source: <a href="http://www.upi.com/Health_News/" rel="tag" target="_blank">United Press International - Health News</a></p>A man doing almost anything to stop a woman from crying is an old chestnut in TV and movies. But there appears to be a biochemical truth to that clich&eacute;, a new study reports. Women's tears contain scent-borne chemicals that block aggression in men, according to research published in the journal PLOS Biology. Smelling those tears leads to reduced brain activity related to aggression, which results in less aggressive behavior, researchers say.</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 22, 2023 at 04:08AM
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TITLE:
Meet "Coscientist," Your Shockingly Fast AI Lab Partner
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176152&url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/12/231221012729.htm

<div><p>Source: <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/" rel="tag" target="_blank">Science Daily - Top Society</a></p>In less time than it will take you to read this article, an artificial intelligence-driven system was able to autonomously learn about certain Nobel Prize-winning chemical reactions and design a successful laboratory procedure to make them, according to a report published in the journal Nature. The AI did all that in just a few minutes -- and nailed it on the first try. They named their AI-based system &quot;Coscientist.&quot;</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

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DATE:
December 22, 2023 at 01:00PM
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TITLE:
Narcissistic young people are more prone to both cyberbullying others and prosocial online behaviors
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/narcissistic-young-people-are-more-prone-to-both-cyberbullying-others-and-prosocial-online-behaviors-215123

<p>A study of early adolescents in China found that individuals higher in narcissism are more prone to both cyberbullying others and online prosocial behaviors. It is possible that in adolescents feeling lonely, narcissism leads to attention-seeking, which, in turn, leads to both cyberbullying and online prosocial behaviors. The study was published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/01650254231198034"><em>International Journal of Behavioral Development</em></a>.</p>
<p>Narcissism is a personality trait characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance and an intense focus on one&#8217;s own needs, desires, and accomplishments. Individuals exhibiting narcissistic tendencies often display a deep need for admiration and typically show a lack of empathy toward others. Such individuals are inclined to engage in self-centered actions and may manipulate or exploit others to satisfy their own needs. While a certain degree of narcissism is considered normal, it becomes a concern when it hinders interpersonal relationships and affects a person&#8217;s social and professional functioning.</p>
<p>Young people with pronounced narcissism often promote themselves on social media. They engage in both antagonistic and prosocial behaviors towards others in order to attain status. Past research studies have largely focused on aggressive behaviors of narcissistic individuals, while prosocial behaviors of such individuals have received relatively little attention.</p>
<p>Study author Ying Wang and his colleagues wanted to explore both the aggressive and prosocial facets of narcissism in young people. They aimed to investigate whether narcissism in early adolescents, coupled with a lack of peer support (loneliness), and the interplay between these factors, predict aggressive and prosocial behaviors through either strategic attention-seeking or impulsivity.</p>
<p>They hypothesized that more pronounced narcissism would correlate with increased attention-seeking, leading to both cyberbullying and online prosocial behaviors. Additionally, they theorized that loneliness could also trigger attention-seeking and these online behaviors, while simultaneously intensifying their association with narcissism. Cyberbullying involves using digital technology to harass, threaten, or harm others, often through malicious messages, spreading false information, or online harassment.</p>
<p>The study involved 213 middle school students from a highly developed district in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Over half of these students&#8217; parents had received a college education or higher. The average age of the participants was 13 years, and most were active users of WeChat and QQ, two of the most popular social media platforms in China.</p>
<p>Participants completed assessments of narcissism (the Childhood Narcissism Scale), loneliness (the Childhood Loneliness Scale), attention-seeking on social media (a 5-item scale), impulsivity (items from the Ego Under-Control Scale), cyberbullying offending (a compilation of items from existing cyberbullying scales), and online prosocial behaviors (4 items).</p>
<p>The study authors developed and tested a statistical model to examine the relationships between the observed behavioral tendencies and personality traits. The model revealed that individuals with more pronounced narcissism tended to exhibit more online prosocial behaviors.</p>
<p>While no direct link with cyberbullying was observed, increased narcissistic tendencies did lead to more attention-seeking behaviors, which then resulted in both cyberbullying and online prosocial activities. Notably, individuals with heightened narcissism were not found to be more impulsive than those with less pronounced narcissistic traits.</p>
<p>Lonely individuals were more prone to attention-seeking behaviors, impulsivity, and cyberbullying others. They were less likely to engage in online prosocial behaviors. The model showed that a part of the effect of loneliness on cyberbullying and online prosocial behaviors is mediated by attention-seeking and impulsivity.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>Loneliness regulated the strength of the link between narcissism and attention-seeking. When a person was lonely, higher narcissism led to higher attention seeking. However, this link was absent when the person was not lonely.</p>
<p>&#8220;These results suggest that narcissistic youth’s aggressive and prosocial behaviors online might both represent strategic efforts to gain recognition. These associations were stronger in the context of higher loneliness, highlighting status-loss contexts as a potential risk factor for heightened narcissistic attention-seeking,&#8221; the study authors concluded.</p>
<p>The study sheds light on the links between narcissism, loneliness, and online behaviors. However, it should be taken into account that the study design does not allow any definitive cause-and-effect conclusions to be drawn from the results. Additionally, all data came from self-reports which are particularly vulnerable to social desirability biases when narcissistic individuals are studied.</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/01650254231198034">Lonely, impulsive, and seeking attention: Predictors of narcissistic adolescents’ antisocial and prosocial behaviors on social media</a>”, was authored by Ying Wang, Skyler T. Hawk, Natalie Wong, and Yan Zhang.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

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DATE:
December 22, 2023 at 11:00AM
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TITLE:
New research sheds light on age-related trends in women’s partner preferences
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/new-research-sheds-light-on-age-related-trends-in-womens-partner-preferences-215105

<p>A recent study published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-023-09460-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Human Nature</a></em> has revealed intriguing insights into the relationship between women&#8217;s preferences for certain characteristics in a partner change and their age. The research found that while age is related to women&#8217;s preferences for a partner’s parenting intentions and confidence, it has little impact on other attributes.</p>
<p>While previous studies primarily focused on differences in partner preferences between men and women, this research aimed to understand how these preferences evolve with age, especially in women. The motivation stemmed from the recognition that as people age, their life goals and motivations, particularly in the realm of relationships, change significantly.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most of what we know about people’s dream partner is based on scientific studies with samples of psychology students; individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 with a high level of education, living in industrialized, westernized countries,&#8221; said study author <a href="https://www.psych.uni-goettingen.de/en/biopers/team/botzet/botzet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Laura Botzet</a>, a doctoral candidate at the University of Göttingen.</p>
<p>&#8220;In our current study, we were able to address the question of how single women in almost 150 countries, across a wide age range (18 to 67 years), including not only heterosexuals, but also bisexual and lesbian women as well, imagine their perfect partner. In this heterogeneous sample based on users from the femtech app Clue, we were really excited to find out how the picture of the perfect partner is linked to age.&#8221;</p>
<p>The researchers collected data from 68,085 participants. However, after applying specific exclusion criteria – focusing on single women – the number was narrowed down to 17,254 participants.</p>
<p>Participants, ranging from 18 to around 50 years of age, completed an online survey designed to gauge their preferences in various partner attributes. These attributes included kindness and supportiveness, attractiveness, financial security, education, intelligence, and confidence and assertiveness.</p>
<p>Additionally, the survey asked about the importance of a partner&#8217;s parenting intentions and their preferred number of children. The survey was conducted in ten different languages and spanned 147 countries, providing a broad, diverse data set.</p>
<p>One key result was that older women showed a higher preference for confidence and assertiveness in partners compared to younger women. This preference could reflect changing priorities or greater clarity in what is desired in a partner as women gain more life experience.</p>
<p>Additionally, the study found that as women grow older, they become more open to a broader age range in potential partners, particularly younger ones. This change could be due to a decrease in available partners of similar age or a shift in what is considered desirable or acceptable in a partner over time.</p>
<p>&#8220;Age does not seem to play a role in most attributes of an ideal partner,&#8221; Botzet told PsyPost. &#8220;Across all age groups, single women wanted their ideal romantic partner to be kind and supportive, attractive, financially secure and successful, as well as educated and intelligent.&#8221;</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>&#8220;The only exceptions were that higher age was linked to a greater preference for confident and assertive partners and to a greater acceptance of a partner being younger than oneself. At 18, women typically prefer partners who are their age or older, while 65-year-olds accept partners as young as 50.&#8221;</p>
<p>In terms of parenting intentions, there was a notable inverted U-shaped pattern. Women in their late twenties and early thirties placed more importance on a partner&#8217;s intention to become a parent. However, this preference began to decline after around the age of 30. This pattern might be linked to the biological fertility timeline or a shift in life focus as women age.</p>
<p>&#8220;We were really surprised by the results regarding the link between age and the preference for parenting intention,&#8221; Botzet said. &#8220;The importance of the ideal partner wanting to be or become a father remained equally high up to the age of 28, but then decreased.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We would have expected this decline to occur later, between the ages of 40 and 50. And while we observed this pattern among heterosexual women, it was different among bisexual and lesbian women, possibly indicating different attitudes toward having children at different ages among the groups.&#8221;</p>
<p>Looking ahead, the researchers suggest that future studies should consider a broader age range, possibly including women older than 67, to understand how partner preferences might change in later life stages. Longitudinal studies could provide more clarity on how individual preferences evolve over time and in response to life events like childbirth or retirement.</p>
<p>&#8220;The study was solely based on a cross-sectional sample, meaning that women were asked about their partner preferences only once,&#8221; Botzet explained. &#8220;Therefore, we do not know how the <em>same</em> woman would describe her dream partner at different ages throughout her life. This means that we cannot say whether the changes we observed are due to aging alone, or whether the time when these women were born also played a role.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;In addition, we cannot say anything about women over the age of 67 years, at which point a number of very important life events occur (e.g., becoming a grandparent, retiring, declining health) that may influence the picture of the perfect partner.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12110-023-09460-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Link Between Age and Partner Preferences in a Large, International Sample of Single Women</a>&#8220;, was authored by Laura J. Botzet, Amanda Shea, Virginia J. Vitzthum, Anna Druet, Maddie Sheesley, and Tanja M. Gerlach.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 22, 2023 at 10:00AM
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TITLE:
An integral model for using empathy in counseling
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URL:
https://ct.counseling.org/2023/12/an-integral-model-for-using-empathy-in-counseling/

<p>Counselors understand the importance of empathy, but they sometimes find it challenging to fully integrate into practice.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://ct.counseling.org/2023/12/an-integral-model-for-using-empathy-in-counseling/">An integral model for using empathy in counseling</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ct.counseling.org">Counseling Today</a>.</p>

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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 22, 2023 at 08:30AM
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TITLE:
You Can Literally Sniff Out Other People's Inner Feelings
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URL:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/you-can-literally-sniff-out-other-peoples-inner-feelings/

<p>Scents are not only important in our relationship to food and the natural world. They also play a role in how we communicate with people we know</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 22, 2023 at 09:00AM
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TITLE:
Strawberry supplementation may aid cognitive health in dementia-prone adults
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/strawberry-supplementation-may-aid-cognitive-health-in-dementia-prone-adults-215118

<p>Strawberries may help reduce memory loss and depression in middle-aged adults who have an increased risk of developing dementia, according to a new study published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15204431"><em>Nutrients</em></a>.</p>
<p>Alzheimer’s disease is a common and incurable form of dementia often beginning in midlife with symptoms progressing over many years. Metabolic dysfunction is also prominent during the midlife period, leading to increased rates of insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia (higher-than-normal blood insulin levels) and obesity.</p>
<p>Disturbances to metabolism creates an environment of inflammation in the brain, which is thought to be one mechanism contributing to Alzheimer&#8217;s disease.</p>
<p>Strawberries and other berry fruits are rich in anthocyanins, natural compounds that give them their red color. Studies have demonstrated anthocyanins reduce inflammation, as well as corrects metabolic dysfunction, and that strawberry supplements in general have improved metabolic function, cognitive performance, and overall health.</p>
<p>Consequently, researchers from the University of Cincinnati led by Robert Krikorian sought to investigate the effects of strawberry supplementation on cognitive function, mood, and metabolic health in middle-aged adults with increased risk for developing dementia &#8211; in particular, overweight individuals with insulin resistance and mild subjective cognitive complaints.</p>
<p>A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted with 30 participants aged 50 to 65 years old.</p>
<p>The participants were randomly assigned to receive either daily packets of 13 grams strawberry powder from desiccated, freeze-dried, and milled whole strawberries (15 participants), or placebo powder (15 participants) for 12 weeks. The participants were instructed to avoid consuming any other berry products during the study and to complete diet diaries before and after being given the powder.</p>
<p>The participants underwent an array of cognitive and mood assessments, blood tests to measure metabolism, and body measurements (e.g. height and weight) at the start of the study, and after 12 weeks.</p>
<p>The researchers discovered that strawberry supplementation did not affect executive ability (planning and execution of goals), lexical access (recognizing words from a ‘mental dictionary’ when wanting to use/understand the word), verbal memory (remembering words and language-based information), or visual-spatial memory (a ‘mental map’ that stores information on where objects are).</p>
<p>However, the strawberry powder was found to reduce memory interference and depressive symptoms compared to the placebo powder.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>Memory interference refers to the difficulty in learning and remembering new information due to the presence of irrelevant or competing information. The researchers suggested that these benefits may reflect improved executive control, which allows suppression of the irrelevant information.</p>
<p>Depressive symptoms include feelings of hopelessness, irritability, and guilt. Krikorian and colleagues suggested that the group who received the strawberry supplements had “improved emotional coping capability and lower levels of stress. Such coping enhancement also can be understood as implying improved executive ability, i.e. better ability to manage everyday activities and social relationships and improved response control and greater flexibility.”</p>
<p>Strawberry supplementation did not affect metabolic health, as no differences were found between the groups for fasting glucose levels, insulin levels, HOMA-IR (assessment of the degree of insulin resistance), glycated hemoglobin (a marker of average blood glucose levels), triglycerides (fat) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol. Body weight, BMI, and waist circumference also did not differ between the groups.</p>
<p>The researchers noted that this finding was in contrast to their original hypotheses and suggested that perhaps “the cognitive and mood effects were not attributable to enhancement of metabolic function as we expected. It may be that anti-inflammatory actions of anthocyanins were effective in correcting aspects of neurocognitive deficit in the absence of improvement of metabolic health”.</p>
<p>The researchers speculated that the lack of effect on these measures may be due to the limitations of a small sample size, the short period of the study, or the relatively low anthocyanin dose provided by the strawberry powder compared to other fruits such as blueberries where doses are in higher quantities.</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/20/4431">Early Intervention in Cognitive Aging with Strawberry Supplementation</a>&#8220;, was authored by Robert Krikorian, Marcelle D. Shidler and Suzanne S. Summer.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 22, 2023 at 07:00AM
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TITLE:
Conservative media consumption linked to opioid use disorder stigma and support for discriminatory policies
.
URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/conservative-media-consumption-linked-to-opioid-use-disorder-stigma-and-support-for-discriminatory-policies-215103

<p>In a new study, researchers have discovered a significant link between the type of media consumed and public attitudes towards opioid use disorder (OUD), providing insights into how partisan media sources can influence opinions on drug policy and stigma associated with opioid addiction. The study, published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102430"><em>Preventive Medicine Reports</em></a>, found that individuals who consume Republican-leaning media are more likely to hold stigmatizing views about OUD and are less supportive of harm reduction policies, while those who consume Democratic-leaning media tend to have the opposite views.</p>
<p>The United States is grappling with an opioid epidemic that has seen a sharp rise in deaths and disorders related to opioid use. With synthetic opioid use increasing almost 7.5 times from 2015 to 2021, leading to more than 80,000 overdose deaths in 2021 alone, understanding public attitudes towards OUD is crucial. The researchers embarked on this study to explore how media consumption affects public perception of OUD, which is essential for crafting effective public health policies and reducing the stigma that can be a barrier to treatment.</p>
<p>&#8220;We became interested in this topic because media coverage of public health issues can influence public attitudes toward or away from supporting public health initiatives,&#8221; said study author <a href="https://www.norc.org/about/experts/alex-kresovich.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Kresovich</a>, a research scientist at NORC at the University of Chicago. &#8220;As the opioid epidemic rages on, we wondered what role partisan media consumption might play in affecting the U.S. public’s attitudes toward opioid use disorder stigma, evidence-based policies, and discrimination directed toward individuals with opioid addiction.&#8221;</p>
<p>To conduct their study, the researchers utilized a panel from the University of Chicago called AmeriSpeak, which is designed to represent the U.S. household population. This panel involved over 40,000 households and used a sampling method that covers approximately 97% of U.S. households.</p>
<p>The study included 6,515 adults, with most participating through web interviews and a smaller portion via phone. The survey, available in both English and Spanish, delved into a variety of topics including personal health, financial standing, experiences with opioids, and interactions with the criminal justice system. Crucially, it also explored participants&#8217; media consumption habits and their attitudes towards OUD.</p>
<p>The researchers employed several measures to assess attitudes and opinions. These included scales to gauge stigma associated with OUD, attitudes towards various opioid policies (ranging from harm reduction to carceral approaches), and the extent of medical mistrust among participants. They also incorporated the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS) to examine racial attitudes and their impact on views about drug use and policy.</p>
<p>Kresovich and his colleagues found that the type of media consumed had a significant impact on how individuals perceive opioid use disorder. Specifically, those who consumed media sources leaning towards Republican ideologies exhibited increased stigma towards OUD, were less supportive of national and local harm reduction policies like Medicaid coverage for treatment or safe injection sites, and showed greater support for discriminatory policies against individuals with OUD (e.g., &#8220;Physicians and other healthcare providers should be allowed to refuse to treat a person with an opioid use disorder&#8221;).</p>
<p>Conversely, consumption of Democratic-leaning media was associated with reduced OUD stigma and higher support for rehabilitative policies. Interestingly, media consumption was not significantly linked to support for carceral policies against individuals with OUD, such as arresting and imprisoning those who engage in the non-medical use opioids.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our findings suggest there are associations between partisan media consumption, opioid use disorder (OUD) stigma, and support for evidence-based policies among U.S. adults. Our results support the need to investigate this potential phenomenon further with longitudinal research,&#8221; Kresovich told PsyPost.</p>
<p>&#8220;If partisan media consumption influences OUD stigma and policy support, public health advocates must collaborate with conservative leaders to find bipartisan common ground for targeted communication campaigns. In doing so, we can show how non-stigmatizing approaches can be a mechanism to reduce opioid overdose deaths by making medications for opioid use disorders more widely accessible in pharmacies and getting more individuals with OUD to initiate and stay in treatment.&#8221;</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>The researchers also found that markers of racism were significantly related to increased stigma against people with OUD and support for punitive policies against them. Racism was found to partially mediate the relationship between media consumption and attitudes towards OUD-related policies. This means that the type of media individuals consumed predicted their racial attitudes, which in turn affected their views on OUD and related policies.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our results also indicate that it will also be a monumental task to make progress against this ongoing epidemic without addressing the inherently racial component of the issue,&#8221; Kresovich said. &#8220;Much like the gains other stigmatized groups have seen in recent decades (LGBT, mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities), our results indicate the need for more research into the implications of the mainstream media’s framing of the OUD epidemic with respect to how it may significantly impact our nation’s ability to address the opioid epidemic using evidence-based practices.&#8221;</p>
<p>Despite its insightful findings, the study has its limitations. Its cross-sectional nature means it can’t establish causality or explain the direction of the observed associations. The researchers suggest that future studies should be longitudinal, allowing a better understanding of how media consumption influences public opinion over time. Furthermore, exploring the reinforcing cycle between pre-existing partisan attitudes and media consumption habits could provide deeper insights.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our study is just a starting point, and we can&#8217;t fully explain the connections we observed without more research over time,&#8221; Kresovich explained. &#8220;We can&#8217;t say for sure which came first, whether people&#8217;s views influenced the media they choose or if their media habits shaped their opinions. Even though we found important links between people&#8217;s views, the stigma around opioid use disorder (OUD), and support for OUD policies, it&#8217;s possible that people pick media that aligns with what they already believe.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;This could create a cycle where their beliefs influence their media choices, and in turn, the media reinforces their beliefs. We can&#8217;t rule out a similar cycle between people&#8217;s racist beliefs and their views on the media. Also, the way we measured people&#8217;s political views has its limitations. We used scores based on how people identified politically, but we couldn&#8217;t capture how much they were exposed to these ideas. Our survey had a decent response rate, but it might not represent all kinds of people. Still, we made efforts to balance our data to match the national population as closely as possible.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335523003212" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associations between partisan media consumption, opioid use disorder stigma, and opioid policy support: An exploration of the media’s role in the ongoing opioid epidemic</a>&#8220;, was authored by Alex Kresovich, Sherry L. Emery, Mateusz Borowiecki, Cedasia McQueen, Marie Ngobo-Ekamby, Phoebe A. Lamuda, Bruce G. Taylor, Harold A. Pollack, and John A. Schneider.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 21, 2023 at 08:34AM
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TITLE:
Unhappy? Anxious? How You Sleep May Be the Cause
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176142&url=https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiTWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNubi5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8yMS9oZWFsdGgvc2xlZXAtbWVudGFsLWhlYWx0aC13ZWxsbmVzcy9pbmRleC5odG1s0gEA?oc=5

<div><p>Source: <a href="http://news.google.com/?ned=us&topic=m" rel="tag" target="_blank">Google News - Health</a></p>Not getting enough sleep, or sleeping poorly, can greatly affect your mood and mental health, according to a new meta-analysis published in the journal Psychological Bulletin, based on 154 studies. &quot;We found that all forms of sleep loss&mdash;total sleep deprivation, partial sleep loss, and sleep fragmentation&mdash;resulted in emotional changes. The strongest and most consistent effect was that sleep loss reduced positive mood,&quot; said co-lead author...</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 21, 2023 at 08:34AM
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TITLE:
Spinal Cord Stimulation May Improve Mental Health
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176140&url=https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2023/12/21/spinal-cord-stimulation-depression/9281703167243/

<div><p>Source: <a href="http://www.upi.com/Health_News/" rel="tag" target="_blank">United Press International - Health News</a></p>Believe it or not, your spinal cord may be a pathway to better mood and even an end to depression, new research suggests. The investigators stressed that their pilot study&mdash;to see whether tweaking the spinal cord can ease depression&mdash;is in its early stages. However, 20-minute sessions did seem to deliver mental health benefits. As the scientists explained it, the spinal cord serves as a kind of neuronal highway traveling to the brain's mood...</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 21, 2023 at 02:00PM
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TITLE:
Sniffing women’s tears reduces aggression in men and alters brain activity, groundbreaking study finds
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/sniffing-womens-tears-reduces-aggression-in-men-and-alters-brain-activity-groundbreaking-study-finds-215029

<p>In a new study published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002442" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PLOS Biology</a></em>, researchers have discovered that human tears possess the remarkable ability to reduce aggression in men. This finding not only challenges the long-held belief that tears are merely for eye protection but also suggests that they play a significant role in human social interaction.</p>
<p>The study was motivated by the long-standing mystery surrounding the purpose of human emotional tears. While Charles Darwin once thought weeping to be an incidental result of evolution, more recent research has indicated that tears could serve as a form of social chemosignaling – a way of conveying chemical signals between individuals. While rodents use tears in this manner, it was unclear if humans had a similar system, especially since humans lack the specialized olfactory system rodents use for this purpose.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are interested in human behavior, in what makes us do things, why, and how,&#8221; said study author Noam Sobel, the director of the <a href="https://www.weizmann.ac.il/brain-sciences/worg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weizmann Olfaction Research Group</a>. &#8220;Within this very big picture, the smaller picture we are studying is a topic referred to as &#8216;chemical communication.&#8217; Humans, like all terrestrial mammals, communicate meaningful information in body odor, and this effects behavior. We are interested in understanding these chemicals and ensuing behaviors, including their brain mechanisms.&#8221;</p>
<p>The researchers conducted a series of three experiments to investigate the potential role of human tears in conveying social chemical signals, particularly focusing on their impact on male aggression. These experiments were designed to explore different aspects of this phenomenon, from behavioral responses to the activation of specific olfactory receptors, and finally, to the brain&#8217;s response to these signals.</p>
<p>&#8220;One thing we like about this study is that it combines three levels of investigation: behavior, brain imaging, and molecular biology. We are unaware of any previous study that combined these three levels in one study in humans,&#8221; Sobel told PsyPost.</p>
<p>In the first experiment, 31 healthy men were involved. To conduct the study, tears were collected from six women who could easily cry while watching sad movies. These tears were then used as the primary stimulus in the experiment. For control, saline (a saltwater solution) was trickled down the cheek of the women and collected. The male participants were exposed to either tears or saline in a double-blind setup, meaning neither the researchers nor the participants knew which substance was being tested at any given time.</p>
<p>During the experiment, the men sniffed the tears or saline and then played a game designed to measure their aggression levels. This game, known as the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm, involved making money-related decisions that could provoke aggressive responses. The findings were striking: exposure to tears led to a 43.7% reduction in aggression among the participants compared to when they were exposed to saline.</p>
<p>Sobel said he was surprised to observe the large effect. &#8220;A 40% reduction is not something typically seen in lab settings,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>In the second experiment, the team shifted focus to understand how the human body detects and processes these tear signals. They tested 62 different human olfactory receptors – the proteins responsible for detecting smells – using a cell-based system. The goal was to see if any of these receptors responded specifically to the collected tears.</p>
<p>This time, the researchers found that four out of the 62 receptors showed a reaction to the tears. These receptors did not respond to the control saline solution. This result indicates that certain receptors in the human nose are capable of detecting signals from tears, even though the tears themselves do not have a noticeable smell.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>&#8220;It was also surprising to learn that the olfactory system&#8217;s smell receptors can react to tears despite their lack of odor,&#8221; said study author Shani Agron, a PhD student at Weizmann Institute of Science. &#8220;Mammals mostly receive chemical signals through the accessory olfactory system, but humans only have a primary olfactory system. This discovery is the first of its kind, and it suggests that the primary olfactory system in humans may have a more diverse range of functions than previously believed.&#8221;</p>
<p>The third experiment involved 33 men and used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the brain&#8217;s response to tears. Like in the first experiment, the participants were exposed to tears or saline and then played the aggression-measuring game. However, this time, their brain activity was monitored.</p>
<p>This experiment revealed subtle yet significant changes in brain activity. When exposed to tears, there was reduced activity in brain areas typically associated with aggression. Additionally, tears increased the connectivity between areas of the brain involved in processing smells and those involved in aggression.</p>
<p>The results of these experiments suggest that human tears could play a vital role in social interactions, particularly in reducing aggression. This aligns with the concept that emotional crying can be a means of non-verbal communication, significantly impacting the behavior of others, especially in close-range interactions. The findings also provide insights into the connection between the sense of smell and social behaviors like aggression.</p>
<p>&#8220;Tears contain a chemical signal that lowers aggression, and that this mechanisms is common to many mammals,&#8221; Sobel said. &#8220;We have answered the very basic question: what is the functional purpose of emotional tears?&#8221;</p>
<p>Despite these findings, the study has limitations. For instance, only a fraction of the human olfactory receptors were tested, leaving the possibility that more receptors could respond to tears. Also, the study only involved male participants, leaving the effect of tears on women unexplored. Additionally, the discomfort and unique environment of the MRI scanner in the third experiment might have influenced the participants&#8217; responses.</p>
<p>Future research could include testing the full range of olfactory receptors, exploring the effect of tears on women, and finding ways to overcome the limitations posed by the MRI environment. This would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the role tears play in human social signaling and behavior.</p>
<p>&#8220;We didn&#8217;t study the response in female participants,&#8221; Sobel explained. &#8220;We didn&#8217;t because this is an incredibly &#8216;expensive&#8217; experiment to run. Expensive in funds, but more so expensive in time (which is also funds). Thus, we wanted to start where we had higher chances of seeing an effect. We knew that sniffing tears lowers testosterone, and lowering testosterone has a greater effect on aggression in men than in women, so we started with them. We must, however, now replicate in women to obtain a fuller picture of this behavior.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;A second concern worth mentioning is that from all what we know about the brain mechanisms of such behaviors, the hypothalamus is a key player. Yet we did not see any hypothalamic effects in our brain imaging. This is a concern regarding our imaging methodology.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Our key focus is to now find the active molecules in tears,&#8221; Sobel said. &#8220;What is it in tears that drives the effects? If we find the molecule(s), this may have significant clinical implications and applications.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002442">A chemical signal in human female tears lowers aggression in males</a>&#8220;, was authored by Shani Agron, Claire A. de March, Reut Weissgross, Eva Mishor, Lior Gorodisky, Tali Weiss, Edna Furman-Haran, Hiroaki Matsunami, and Noam Sobel.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 21, 2023 at 11:00AM
.
TITLE:
Sniffing Women's Tears Makes Men Less Aggressive
.
URL:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sniffing-womens-tears-makes-men-less-aggressive/

<p>For the first time, researchers have used behavioral measures, brain imaging and molecular biology to test how odorless chemicals from human tears affect people</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 21, 2023 at 09:00AM
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TITLE:
New study reveals link between digital interactions, attachment, and young adults’ sexual satisfaction
.
URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/new-study-reveals-link-between-digital-interactions-attachment-and-young-adults-sexual-satisfaction-215088

<p>New research sheds light on how digital forms of sexual interaction, such as sexting and cybersex, are related to the sexual satisfaction of young adults. The study, published in the journal <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2022.2130231" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sexual and Relationship Therapy</a></em>, provides evidence that the reasons behind engaging in digital sexual activities, rather than the frequency of these activities, significantly affect the quality of young adults&#8217; romantic relationships.</p>
<p>With sexual dissatisfaction being a common issue among couples seeking therapy, and the increasing role of technology in young adults’ romantic lives, the researchers aimed to explore the complex dynamics between digital sexual interactions, attachment styles, and sexual satisfaction. The study sought to fill a gap in existing research by examining both individual and coupled perspectives on this contemporary issue.</p>
<p>&#8220;Considering that the evolution of technology has transformed the way young adults develop and maintain relationships, including their sexuality, we found it important to understand what contributes to their experiences, knowing that a considerable number of young adults report low sexual satisfaction,&#8221; explained study author <a href="https://labo-couple.recherche.usherbrooke.ca/audrey-brassard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Audrey Brassard</a>, a full professor at the University of Sherbrooke.</p>
<p>Study 1 focused on individual experiences within relationships. The researchers gathered data from 422 young adults aged between 18 to 29, all of whom were in exclusive romantic relationships. The study used an online survey platform to collect responses on several key areas.</p>
<p>The first area was attachment style, measured using the Experiences in Close Relationships scale. This tool helped identify levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance, providing insight into how individuals perceive and react to relationship dynamics.</p>
<p>The second area was sexual satisfaction. This was assessed using the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction, which uses a range of descriptors to gauge individuals&#8217; contentment with their sexual relationships.</p>
<p>The third and perhaps most novel aspect of the survey dealt with technology-mediated sexual interactions. Participants responded to questions about how often they engaged in digital sexual activities like sexting or cybersex and their motivations for doing so. The motivations were categorized into approach motives (like promoting desire or pleasure) and avoidance motives (like fear of losing a partner).</p>
<p>In Study 2, the researchers adopted a dyadic approach, examining the interplay between partners in a relationship. This part of the study involved 142 mixed-sex couples, focusing on how each partner’s attachment style and digital sexual behavior impacted not only their own but also their partner’s sexual satisfaction.</p>
<p>Like Study 1, participants completed online surveys assessing attachment styles and sexual satisfaction using similar scales. However, the study uniquely accounted for the interconnectedness of couples&#8217; experiences, exploring how one partner&#8217;s behavior and emotions could affect the other.</p>
<p>The findings from both studies revealed intriguing insights into the role of digital sexual interactions in young adults’ romantic relationships. In Study 1, it was found that attachment anxiety was related to a higher frequency of digital sexual activities and motivations based on avoidance.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>These avoidance motivations were linked to lower sexual satisfaction, while approach-based motivations correlated with higher satisfaction. Interestingly, when digital sexual interactions were used to manage long-distance aspects of a relationship, they moderated the negative impact of attachment avoidance on sexual satisfaction.</p>
<p>Study 2 further expanded these findings by showing that the frequency of digital sexual activities positively affected men&#8217;s sexual satisfaction but had a negative impact on their female partners&#8217; satisfaction. This study also reiterated the significance of the motivations behind engaging in digital sexual interactions.</p>
<p>These findings suggest that the reasons behind engaging in digital sexual interactions are critical. When driven by positive motives, like seeking pleasure or connection, these interactions relate to higher sexual satisfaction. In contrast, negative motivations, such as avoiding partner loss, correlate with lower satisfaction.</p>
<p>&#8220;Young adults with a higher level of attachment anxiety (fear of abandonment and rejection by their romantic partner) tend to send sexts (share sexually explicit content) more frequently to their partner. These young adults are also more likely to engage in sexting for avoidance motives (i.e., to avoid negative consequences),&#8221; Brassard told PsyPost.</p>
<p>&#8220;Young adults who send sexts for intimacy and pleasure report greater sexual satisfaction, while those who send sexts for avoidance reasons report lower sexual satisfaction. Finally, there is a link between attachment avoidance (discomfort with emotional and physical intimacy) and low sexual satisfaction, but this link disappear when young adults send sexts to manage distance from their romantic partner (travel, long-distance relationship, etc.).&#8221;</p>
<p>Surprisingly, for individuals with attachment avoidance, their discomfort with emotional closeness did not appear to significantly influence how often they engaged in digital sexual interactions nor the reasons why they engaged in these interactions.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of our hypotheses suggested that young adults’ avoidant attachment would be related to the frequency of sending sexts,&#8221; Brassard explained. &#8220;However, our results contradict studies that showed that frequent sexters reported higher levels of attachment avoidance. We explain this result by the fact that young adults in our sample who report high levels of attachment avoidance may be less likely to send sexts since they may involve some form of self-disclosure or investment in the relationship.&#8221;</p>
<p>But the study, like all research, includes some caveats. The cross-sectional nature of the research limits the ability to draw causal conclusions. The reliance on self-reported data could introduce biases. Moreover, the sample&#8217;s limited diversity regarding gender, sexual orientation, and relationship types could affect the generalizability of the findings. The researchers suggest that future studies should include more diverse samples and adopt longitudinal designs to further explore these dynamics.</p>
<p>&#8220;Given the cross-sectional nature of the research, caution should be used when interpreting the results,&#8221; Brassard said. &#8220;Our first sample included mainly women, while our second sample included only mixed-sex couples, and both samples included only cisgender individuals and couples, limiting the generalizability of the results. Our findings should be replicated with larger and more diverse samples (gender, sexual orientations, relational arrangements).&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681994.2022.2130231" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A contemporary exploration of the relationship between attachment and sexual satisfaction: the role of technology-mediated sexual interaction</a>&#8220;, was authored by Audrey-Ann Lefebvre, Ariane Audet, Mathilde Savard, Marie Christine Mackay, Audrey Brassard, Marie-Ève Daspe, Yvan Lussier, and Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 21, 2023 at 07:00AM
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TITLE:
Cognitive trainings using video games might increase subjective well-being of individuals with depression
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/cognitive-trainings-using-video-games-might-increase-subjective-well-being-of-individuals-with-depression-215084

<p>A study conducted in Germany revealed that playing the 3D video game &#8220;Super Mario Odyssey&#8221; resulted in a more significant reduction in depression symptoms compared to participants who used a cognitive training computer program (&#8220;CogPack&#8221;) or underwent standard treatments for these symptoms. The study, published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1173652" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frontiers in Psychiatry</a></em>, also found that participants in the 3D video game group exhibited higher levels of training motivation.</p>
<p>Human mental processes have two important aspects. One is cognition, the set of mental processes encompassing activities such as perception, memory, problem-solving, and decision-making. It involves the acquisition, storage, processing, and utilization of information in the mind. The other one is affect. Affect represents the emotional dimension of mental life, the subjective experience of emotions and moods. Affect is expressed through facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. It plays an important role in shaping an individual&#8217;s responses and interactions with their environment.</p>
<p>When studying depression or major depressive disorder, researchers most often focus on its affective symptoms. These include persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, and hopelessness, accompanied by a diminished ability to experience pleasure or interest in activities once found enjoyable.</p>
<p>However, this disorder is also accompanied by cognitive dysfunctions such as persistent negative thoughts, self-criticism, difficulty concentrating, and impaired decision-making. Unlike affective symptoms, cognitive symptoms of depression can often persist even after affective symptoms have withdrawn.</p>
<p>Study author Moritz Bergmann and his colleagues wanted to investigate whether a six-week video game intervention leads to improvements in depressed mood, training motivation, and visuo-spatial memory functions in individuals with major depressive disorder. They compared the effects of playing the video game “Super Mario Odyssey” on a Nintendo Switch console with the effects of a cognitive training program “CogPack” and usual treatments for this disorder.</p>
<p>The game “Super Mario Odyssey” requires participants to navigate within 3D environments while relying on processes that depend on the hippocampus region of the brain. In this way, it could potentially influence performance on hippocampally-mediated memory tasks, specifically visuo-spatial memory.</p>
<p>The study involved 46 individuals diagnosed with depression who reported infrequent video game play in their leisure time. These participants were randomly divided into three groups: one playing &#8220;Super Mario Odyssey,&#8221; one using the &#8220;CogPack&#8221; program, and one receiving standard clinical treatment, which included medication and psychotherapy.</p>
<p>At the beginning and end of the study, participants underwent assessments of depression symptoms (using Becks Depression Inventory, BDI-II), motivation to participate in the cognitive training (assessed through one question), and visuo-spatial learning and memory (evaluated using the Wechsler memory scale – block tapping and the Brief Visual Memory Test-Revised).</p>
<p>Results showed that the percentage of participants with high levels of depressive symptoms decreased the most in the “Super Mario Odyssey” group. Their number almost halved. The decreases in the other two groups were smaller and insufficient to exclude the possibility that they were due to random variations in answers instead of treatment effects.</p>
<p>Participants assigned to play &#8220;Super Mario Odyssey&#8221; reported higher motivation for treatment compared to those in the &#8220;CogPack&#8221; group. Visuo-spatial memory scores improved most notably in the &#8220;CogPack&#8221; group. One of the memory tests showed a smaller improvement in the &#8220;Super Mario Odyssey&#8221; group compared to the &#8220;CogPack,&#8221; while the other test did not show any memory improvement in the &#8220;Super Mario Odyssey&#8221; group. Participants undergoing standard treatments for depression showed no improvement in memory.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>&#8220;Results indicate that after six weeks of training the 3D video gaming group [the &#8216;Super Mario Odyssey&#8217; group] showed a significant decrease in the proportion of participants with clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms by self-report and a higher mean training motivation when compared with the active control group,&#8221; the study authors concluded.</p>
<p>&#8220;Furthermore, results suggest significant improvements in tasks of visuo-spatial (working) memory performance during post-testing in both training groups, however, the 3D video gaming group demonstrates more selective improvements and does not perform significantly better than the other two groups. Still, these mixed findings suggest that video game training may be a cost-effective and feasible intervention for patients with MDD that can be used in conjunction with regular treatment and therapy.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study makes a valuable contribution to understanding the effects of video games on symptoms of depression. However, it was not a blind study; participants were aware of their assigned group and could likely infer the research focus, potentially biasing the results. Additionally, the sample size was small, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1173652">Effects of a video game intervention on symptoms, training motivation, and visuo-spatial memory in depression</a>”, was authored by Moritz Bergmann, Ines Wollbrandt, Lisa Gittel, Eva Halbe, Sarah Mackert, Alexandra Philipsen, and Silke Lux.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 20, 2023 at 03:23AM
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TITLE:
AI Systems Can't Be Named As the Inventor of Patents, U.K. Court Rules
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176116&url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/ai-systems-named-inventor-patents-uks-top-court-105808414

<div><p>Source: <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Technology" rel="tag" target="_blank">ABC News - Science and Technology</a></p>An artificial intelligence system can't be registered as the inventor of a patent, Britain's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision that denies machines the same status as humans. The U.K. high court concluded that &quot;an inventor must be a person&quot; to apply for patents under the current law. The decision ended American technologist Stephen Thaler's long-running British legal battle to get his AI, dubbed DABUS, listed as the inventor of two...</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 20, 2023 at 03:22AM
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TITLE:
House Speaker Johnson Among U.S. Leaders with Ancestral Ties to Slavery
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176109&url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2023-12-20/house-speaker-johnson-among-us-politicians-with-ancestral-ties-to-slavery

<div><p>Source: <a href="http://www.usnews.com/" rel="tag" target="_blank">U.S. News and World Report</a></p>Republican Mike Johnson, who became Speaker of the House of Representatives in October and opposes reparations for slavery, has at least three direct ancestors who were slaveholders, an investigation has found. Yet he is not the only high-ranking U.S. leader descended from slaveholders. Others include President Joe Biden, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and two of the nine sitting U.S. Supreme Court justices&mdash;Amy Coney Barrett and Neil...</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 20, 2023 at 10:30AM
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TITLE:
How Winter Affects Our Mood and Behavior
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URL:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-winter-affects-our-mood-and-behavior/

<p>From experiencing seasonal depression to feeling friskier, here are some ways winter affects people's mental health and attitude</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 20, 2023 at 11:00AM
.
TITLE:
A common antibiotic might help treat drug addiction, according to new research
.
URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/a-common-antibiotic-could-help-treat-drug-addiction-according-to-new-research-215083

<p>Doxycycline, a widely used antibiotic, might help reduce the addictive effects of drugs like morphine and cocaine, according to new research published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110870"><em>Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry</em></a>. This finding opens up new possibilities for treating substance use disorders, offering hope for more effective interventions.</p>
<p>Substance use disorders represent a major public health challenge globally. Characterized by the compulsive use of addictive drugs, these disorders lead to severe behavioral and neural changes, posing significant treatment challenges.</p>
<p>Existing treatments are often inadequate, underlining the urgent need for new therapeutic strategies. The researchers embarked on this study to explore the potential of doxycycline, a common antibiotic known for its anti-inflammatory properties, in mitigating the addictive effects of certain drugs.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our interest in this topic from the complexity and recurrent nature of substance use disorders, which present a significant public health concern,&#8221; said study author <a href="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0816-1792" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amanda J. Sales</a>, a postdoctoral researcher at the Ribeirão Preto Medical School at the University of São Paulo.</p>
<p>&#8220;Despite this, the neurobiology underlying these disorders is not fully understood, with a lack of effective treatments. In addition to being an antibiotic, doxycycline has important anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties (at low doses, that use lack antibiotic properties). Since brain immune/inflammatory mechanisms have also been associated with substance use disorders, we decided to verify if this drug could be useful in this condition.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study was conducted at the University of São Paulo, where 302 male mice were subjected to a series of experiments to assess the impact of doxycycline on addiction-related behaviors. The mice, housed under standard laboratory conditions, were randomly assigned to different treatment groups, ensuring unbiased results. The research was performed in compliance with ethical guidelines to minimize animal suffering.</p>
<p>The experiments involved administering various doses of doxycycline, morphine, and cocaine to the mice. Two primary tests were used:</p>
<ol>
<li><em>Conditioned Place Preference (CPP):</em> This test measured the mice&#8217;s preference for an environment associated with drug exposure. It involved an apparatus with two chambers, each with distinct visual and tactile cues. The time spent by the mice in each compartment before and after drug administration was recorded, providing insights into the drugs&#8217; rewarding effects.</li>
<li><em>Locomotor Sensitization:</em> This test assessed the hyperactivity and increased movement induced by cocaine. Mice were observed in an open field arena following drug administration, measuring changes in their locomotor activity.</li>
</ol>
<p>The researchers found that doxycycline significantly reduced the rewarding effects of morphine in the mice, as shown by their decreased preference for the drug-associated environment. Importantly, it did not affect morphine&#8217;s pain-relieving properties.</p>
<p>The antibiotic also attenuated both the development and expression of cocaine-induced addictive behaviors. Interestingly, a single dose of doxycycline before testing was enough to reduce the expression of reward-associated memory related to cocaine. In addition, doxycycline effectively prevented the hyperactive behavior and psychomotor sensitization typically induced by cocaine.</p>
<p>These results suggest that doxycycline could be a valuable tool in treating substance use disorders. The antibiotic&#8217;s ability to modulate memory and behavioral responses associated with drug addiction without affecting the primary therapeutic effects of drugs like morphine (for pain relief) is particularly promising.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>&#8220;It is important that everyone understands substance use disorders as psychiatric illnesses lacking rapid and effective treatments. Nevertheless, several studies, including our own, have investigated into these conditions and potential treatments with greater efficacy,&#8221; Sales told PsyPost.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our preclinical study showed the effectiveness of an antibiotic in improving behaviors associated with use of abuse drugs. These findings pave the way for potential use of this “old” class of drug in treating substance use disorders. However, more studies are needed because this is an initial study performed in animals.&#8221;</p>
<p>Despite these promising results, it&#8217;s important to note that the study was conducted exclusively on male mice. This limitation raises questions about the applicability of the findings across different genders. Future research needs to include female subjects to understand any potential sex differences in response to treatment.</p>
<p>Moreover, the exact mechanism by which doxycycline influences addictive behaviors is not fully understood. While the study suggests that the antibiotic&#8217;s effect on matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) – enzymes involved in brain plasticity – could be a key factor, more research is required to confirm this hypothesis and explore other possible mechanisms.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our study was the first that investigated the effects of doxycycline on the rewarding and psychomotor responses induced by addictive drugs,&#8221; Sales explained. &#8220;Although we administered low doses for a short duration in our study, it is crucial to note that the use of antibiotic drugs, including doxycycline, can lead to antibacterial resistance.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Moreover, this is a preclinical study conducted in rodents, and until now, no studies using doxycycline have been performed in humans with substance use disorders. Therefore, this is an initial study, and further studies are needed to understand the molecular mechanisms associated with these effects.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is very important to conduct further studies investigating the neurobiology of substance use disorders and exploring potentially more effective treatments,&#8221; Sales added. &#8220;We are actively engaged in this ongoing research.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278584623001562" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doxycycline diminishes the rewarding and psychomotor effects induced by morphine and cocaine</a>&#8220;, was authored by Amanda J. Sales, Pedro H. Gobira, João F.C. Pedrazzi, João R. Silveira, Elaine Del Bel, Felipe V. Gomes, and Francisco S. Guimarães.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 20, 2023 at 07:00AM
.
TITLE:
Smoking is strongly associated with decreased brain volume, study finds
.
URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/smoking-is-strongly-associated-with-decreased-brain-volume-study-finds-215074

<p>Smoking tobacco is linked to a reduction in brain volume, including both gray and white matter, according to new research published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.09.006">Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science</a>.</em> The study highlights the potential long-term adverse effects of smoking on the brain, with heavier smoking related to more significant brain volume loss.</p>
<p>The motivation for this extensive study stems from the well-documented harmful effects of cigarette smoking on overall health, including diseases like cancer, heart, and respiratory conditions. <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Previous research</a> has established a connection between smoking and brain-related issues, such as dementia and deterioration in brain matter. However, a critical question remained unanswered: does smoking cause brain volume reduction, or do people with reduced brain volume have a predisposition to smoke?</p>
<p>&#8220;The world&#8217;s population is aging and we have a wave of older people who will develop dementia. This aging of the population is a growing major public health problem and we need to focus on how we can improve the modifiable risk factors for dementia so that we can have a healthy older population,&#8221; said senior author <a href="https://healthbehaviorcenter.wustl.edu/who-we-are/laura-j-bierut-m-d/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Laura J. Bierut</a>, the Alumni Endowed Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis.</p>
<p>The core of the study relied on data from the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database and research resource. The researchers utilized the 2019 release of this data, which included detailed imaging data of participants. To ensure the integrity and relevance of their findings, the study team was selective about their sample. They included 32,094 participants, carefully excluding individuals with neurological conditions that could confound the results.</p>
<p>&#8220;The UK Biobank is an amazing database available to scientists around the world,&#8221; Bierut explained. &#8220;This unique resource allows us to finally examine the effects of smoking on the brain. This work adds evidence to the recommendation that quitting smoking is one way to reduce one&#8217;s risk of developing dementia.&#8221;</p>
<p>A critical component of the study was the use of high-resolution brain imaging. Participants&#8217; brain volumes were assessed using T1-weighted scans, performed with a Siemens Magnetom Skyra 3T scanner. These scans are known for their ability to provide detailed images of the brain&#8217;s structure, allowing for precise measurement of total brain volume, gray matter volume, white matter volume, and cerebrospinal fluid volume.</p>
<p>Smoking behaviors were assessed through self-reported surveys taken at two different time points. The study classified participants into various categories based on their smoking history, including daily smokers and non-smokers. Additionally, the researchers quantified smoking intensity using a metric known as &#8220;pack years,&#8221; which considers the number of cigarette packs smoked per day and the number of years smoked.</p>
<p>The researchers found that individuals with a history of daily smoking had significantly lower total brain volume, gray matter volume, and white matter volume compared to non-smokers. Among these, the reduction in gray matter volume was particularly pronounced. Gray matter is crucial for processing information in the brain, and its reduction could have significant implications for cognitive functions.</p>
<p>Moreover, the study uncovered a dose-response relationship between smoking and brain volume reduction. This means that the more cigarettes a person smoked over time, as measured by pack years, the greater the reduction in their brain volume. This finding is particularly concerning as it suggests that not just smoking, but the intensity and duration of smoking, exacerbates the decline in brain volume.</p>
<p>The researchers also delved into specific regions of the brain affected by smoking. They found that smoking was associated with changes in certain areas of the brain, including regions involved in high-level functions like the superior frontal cortex, as well as in subcortical and cerebellar regions. These changes could have significant implications for understanding how smoking affects specific brain functions.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>While the researchers found a strong correlation between the polygenic risk score for smoking and a history of daily smoking, this genetic predisposition had only a modest association with brain volume changes. This suggests that the changes in brain volume are more likely a consequence of smoking behavior itself rather than being driven by genetic factors.</p>
<p>&#8220;People who smoke have an &#8216;older&#8217; brain,&#8221; Bierut told PsyPost. &#8220;Decreased brain size is correlated with aging (as well as cognitive decline and dementia) and so we can think of the results in this paper as demonstrating an accelerated aging of the brain. This paper is another piece of the puzzle linking cigarette smoking to cognitive decline and dementia.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Quitting smoking is one of the most important things that you can do for your health. This includes not only the health of your heart and lungs, but also the health of your brain. The more cigarettes you smoke and the longer you smoke, the more you age your brain. So &#8211; since we are living longer, it is important to keep your brain as young as possible for as long as possible.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The other thing I always say to people who are older and who smoke &#8211; it is never too late to quit,&#8221; Bierut added. &#8220;There are health benefits of quitting even later in life.&#8221;</p>
<p>Future research could examine the factors influencing susceptibility to the effects of smoking. &#8220;A major question is whether everyone is equally susceptible to the effects of smoking or whether some are more (or less) susceptible,&#8221; Bierut said.</p>
<p>&#8220;Given the age of this population, the participants smoked combustible cigarettes. However, people are now using other tobacco products &#8211; for example e-cigarettes. Important questions &#8211; Is the effect of smoking on the brain related to the thousands of toxic chemicals that are in combustible cigarette smoke? Does nicotine play any role in these brain changes?&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667174323001362" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Investigating the Relationship Between Smoking Behavior and Global Brain Volume</a>&#8220;, was authored by Yoonhoo Chang, Vera Thornton, Ariya Chaloemtoem, Andrey P. Anokhin, Janine Bijsterbosch, Ryan Bogdan, Dana B. Hancock, Eric Otto Johnson, and Laura J. Bierut.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 19, 2023 at 07:10AM
.
TITLE:
New York Will Set Up a Commission to Consider Reparations for Slavery
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176088&url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gov-kathy-hochul-signs-controversial-legislation-to-create-slavery-reparations-commission/

<div><p>Source: <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/us/" rel="tag" target="_blank">CBS News - U.S. News</a></p>New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed historic racial justice legislation on Tuesday, creating a community commission that will study the history of slavery in New York state and what reparations could look like. Slavery was abolished in New York in 1827 and officially across the us in 1863, but it was followed by racial segregation practices like Jim Crow and redlining&mdash;denying loans to people based on race.</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 19, 2023 at 10:55AM
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TITLE:
The balance of innovation and ethics with artificial intelligence
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URL:
https://ct.counseling.org/2023/12/the-balance-of-innovation-and-ethics-with-artificial-intelligence/

<p>Artificial intelligence is here to stay, but issues around regulation and ethical use of it remain unclear. </p>
<p>The post <a href="https://ct.counseling.org/2023/12/the-balance-of-innovation-and-ethics-with-artificial-intelligence/">The balance of innovation and ethics with artificial intelligence</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ct.counseling.org">Counseling Today</a>.</p>

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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

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DATE:
December 19, 2023 at 09:00AM
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TITLE:
Mothers of autistic boys drank diet soda much more often during pregnancy
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/mothers-of-autistic-boys-drank-diet-soda-much-more-often-during-pregnancy-215070

<p>A study recent found that the mothers of autistic boys drank over three times more diet sodas during pregnancy than the mothers of non-autistic boys. This difference was absent in mothers of girls. The study was published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15173772"><em>Nutrients</em></a>.</p>
<p>Autism spectrum disorder is a category of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by challenges in social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors. The term &#8220;spectrum&#8221; reflects the wide variation in symptoms and severity that individuals with autism spectrum disorder can experience. This disorder is typically diagnosed in early childhood, and its impact on daily functioning can vary widely.</p>
<p>The share of children suffering from autism has risen dramatically in the past 40 years in the United States. Numbers went from 0.3 per 1000 children before 1980 to 27.6 per 1000 children in 2020. This increase is largely, but not entirely, due to better testing and diagnostics. Researchers are intensely studying whether there are other factors that made autism more common.</p>
<p>One point many researchers look at are conditions in the uterus during pregnancy and, consequently, the lifestyle of mothers and their dietary habits. Studies indicate that maternal intake of vitamins, folic acid, omega-6 fatty acids, and a number of other substances during pregnancy are associated with a reduced risk of autism in children.</p>
<p>In contrast, higher intake of methanol has been linked to an increased risk of autism in children. The primary source of dietary methanol is aspartame, a widely used artificial sweetener. During digestion, aspartame breaks down into two amino acids (aspartic acid and phenylalanine) and methanol. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved aspartame as a tabletop sweetener, these findings suggest that pregnant women might unknowingly expose their unborn children to an increased risk of autism by consuming products sweetened with aspartame.</p>
<p>Aspartame is mainly used in diet sodas, so study author Sharon Parten Fowler and her colleagues wanted to explore whether the quantity of diet sodas consumed during pregnancy or the equivalent amount of aspartame (calculated from data on diet soda intake) differs in mothers of children with and without autism. Noting that the risk of autism is 4 times higher in boys than in girls, they also wanted to make comparisons within sexes.</p>
<p>The study involved 235 families with at least one child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and 121 families with non-autistic children. Recruitment was conducted through the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio between 2011 and 2014, as well as through media in San Antonio and southern Texas.</p>
<p>Parents provided information about their households, demographic details about the children, and whether each child had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, Asperger’s disorder, pervasive developmental disorder—not otherwise specified, or childhood disintegrative disorder. Children diagnosed with any of these disorders were included in the autism spectrum disorder group. Researchers also inquired if there was a period when their child started using “at least three words” they could understand and then stopped talking for a while. Children whose parents answered “No” to this question were further classified as non-regressive autism spectrum disorder cases.</p>
<p>Biological mothers of the children completed a retrospective questionnaire about their consumption of diet sodas and other diet drinks during pregnancy and breastfeeding. They reported the number of cans or bottles of diet sodas or other diet drinks consumed in a specified time unit. The questionnaire also inquired about the frequency of low-calorie sweetener use during pregnancy (such as Sweet ‘N Low, Equal, or Splenda).</p>
<p>The researchers divided mothers into two groups based on their reported diet soda consumption during pregnancy – those drinking up to one can of diet soda per day and those drinking more than that. Similarly, after estimating the likely amounts of aspartame from all diet beverages and low-calorie sweeteners, mothers were categorized into those consuming up to 177 milligrams of aspartame per day and those consuming more.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>Results showed that shares of mothers with high intake of aspartame and diet sodas during pregnancy increased sharply with the severity of autism symptoms in boys. Approximately 25% of mothers of boys with non-regressive autism (a more severe form of the disorder) fell into the high aspartame intake category. In comparison, 22.1% of these mothers consumed more than one diet soda per day during pregnancy, while only 7.4% of the control group (mothers of non-autistic boys) did so.</p>
<p>Interpreted in a different way, odds of high exposure to dietary soda <em>in utero</em> progressively increased with the increasing severity of autism symptoms. The odds of exposure to diet soda and aspartame <em>in utero</em> were more than tripled in boys with autism compared to boys without this disorder.</p>
<p>These associations were completely absent in girls. This made researchers conclude that the likely effects of early exposure to diet soda might be specific for boys. Overall, between 24% and 30% of mothers reported using low-calorie sweeteners, diet sodas or other diet beverages during pregnancy.</p>
<p>“Compared with male controls, males with autism in our study had more than tripled odds of having been exposed daily—gestationally and/or through breastfeeding—to either diet soda itself or comparable doses of aspartame from multiple sources. These exposure odds were the highest among cases with non-regressive autism,&#8221; the researchers concluded.</p>
<p>&#8220;These associations do not prove causality. Taken in concert, however, with previous findings of increased prematurity and cardiometabolic health impacts among infants and children exposed daily to diet beverages and/or aspartame during pregnancy, they raise new concerns about the potential neurological impacts, which need to be addressed.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study sheds light on the links between aspartame consumption during pregnancy and autism in children. However, it should be noted that the study design does not allow any cause-and-effect conclusions to be derived from the data. Additionally, data on aspartame-sweetened products was based on participants’ reported memories from years ago. Studies directly tracking the consumption of such beverages in mothers during pregnancy might produce different results.</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15173772">Daily Early-Life Exposures to Diet Soda and Aspartame Are Associated with Autism in Males: A Case-Control Study</a>”, was authored by Sharon Parten Fowler, David Gimeno Ruiz de Porras, Michael D. Swartz, Paula Stigler Granados, Lynne Parsons Heilbrun, and Raymond F. Palmer.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 02:41AM
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TITLE:
Doctor Who Treated Freed Hamas Hostages Describes Abuse
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176038&url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doctor-who-treated-freed-hamas-hostages-describes-physical-sexual-and-psychological-abuse/

<div><p>Source: <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/world/" rel="tag" target="_blank">CBS News - World News</a></p>About 100 Israeli hostages, kidnapped during the deadly Hamas raid on Israel, have been released after more than 50 days in captivity. Dr. Itai Pessach, whose team interviewed and examined many of them, has now described the physical, sexual, and psychological abuse they endured, including cases of being branded (a common practice inflicted on Jews and other prisoners of Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust).</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 02:40AM
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TITLE:
Pakistan Ex-Leader Used Artificial Intelligence to Campaign From Jail
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176066&url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-67752610?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

<div><p>Source: <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world/asia" rel="tag" target="_blank">BBC News - Asia</a></p>Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's party has used an artificial intelligence voice clone of him to campaign from prison. Mr. Khan had his three-year sentence for corruption suspended in August, but remains in jail. His party used AI to make a 4-minute audio clip, based on text he had written from prison, played over an AI-generated image that appeared to be speaking in a &quot;virtual rally.&quot;</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 02:40AM
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TITLE:
Uganda's LGBT Community Endures Trying Year
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176051&url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2023-12-18/eviction-threats-and-suicidal-thoughts-ugandas-lgbt-community-endures-trying-year

<div><p>Source: <a href="http://www.usnews.com/" rel="tag" target="_blank">U.S. News and World Report</a></p>As a Ugandan court hears a challenge on Monday to one of the world's harshest anti-LGBT laws, there's more at stake than the statute. Activists say the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) has given Ugandans an implicit license to abuse sexual minorities. While at least five people have been charged under the AHA, including two for offenses that carry the death penalty, hundreds more have suffered torture, sexual abuse, and eviction at the hands of...</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 03:00PM
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TITLE:
First Atlas of Every Mouse Brain Cell Could Improve Neuro Disease Treatments
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URL:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/first-atlas-of-every-mouse-brain-cell-could-improve-neuro-disease-treatments/

<p>Several research teams have created an atlas of the mouse brain. The map, which has more than 5,300 cell clusters, should help to improve the treatment of brain diseases</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 02:18AM
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TITLE:
Vatican Approves Blessings for Same-Sex Couples in Landmark Decision
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176055&url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pope-priests-bless-same-sex-unions-requests-subject-105739066

<div><p>Source: <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/international" rel="tag" target="_blank">ABC News - International</a></p>Pope Francis formally approved letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, the Vatican announced Monday&mdash;a radical shift aimed at making the church more inclusive while maintaining its strict ban on gay marriage. But while the Vatican statement was heralded by many as a step toward dismantling discrimination, some LGBTQ+ advocates warned it reinforced the church's treatment of gay couples as inferior to heterosexual partnerships.</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 02:04AM
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TITLE:
Church of England Blesses Same-Sex Couples for the First Time
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176037&url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/church-england-blesses-same-sex-couples-time-wed-105723602

<div><p>Source: <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/international" rel="tag" target="_blank">ABC News - International</a></p>Church of England priests offered officially sanctioned blessings of same-sex partnerships for the first time on Sunday, though a ban on church weddings for gay couples remains in place. The compromise was struck following five years of discussions about the church's position on sexuality. Church leaders offered an apology for the church's failure to welcome LGBTQ people, but also endorsed the doctrine that marriage is the union of one man and...</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 02:02AM
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TITLE:
1 in 4 United Methodist Churches in U.S. Left in Schism Over LGBTQ Ban
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176014&url=https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2023-12-15/one-fourth-of-united-methodist-churches-in-us-have-left-in-schism-over-lgbtq-ban-what-happens-now

<div><p>Source: <a href="http://www.usnews.com/" rel="tag" target="_blank">U.S. News and World Report</a></p>A quarter of U.S. congregations in the United Methodist Church have received permission to leave the denomination during a five-year window, closing this month, that authorized departures for congregations over disputes involving the church's LGBTQ-related policies. This year alone, 5,641 congregations received permission to leave the denomination as of Thursday, according to an unofficial tally by United Methodist News. What happens now?</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 01:25AM
.
TITLE:
UW-Madison Launches Program to Cover Indigenous Students' Full Costs
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URL:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=176062&url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/uw-madison-launches-program-cover-indigenous-students-full-105746916

<div><p>Source: <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US" rel="tag" target="_blank">ABC News - US News</a></p>Indigenous students from any of Wisconsin's 11 tribes will be able to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison for free beginning next fall, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced Monday. The Wisconsin Tribal Education Promise program will use private donations and other internal funding to cover tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, and other undergraduate expenses after students have applied any other scholarships and grants they've earned.</div><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><br /><a href="https://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?action=rssHomepage" target="_blank"><img title="Brought to you by Social Psychology Network" alt="Brought to you by SocialPsychology Network" src="https://www.socialpsychology.org/images/rss-footer-large.png" border="0" width="400" height="45" /></a><br><br>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 02:34PM
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TITLE:
Advocacy Update: Your vote is your voice
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URL:
https://ct.counseling.org/2023/12/advocacy-update-your-vote-is-your-voice/

<p>Election Day 2024 is less than a year away, so now is the time to learn about and act on issues that matter to you and the counseling profession. </p>
<p>The post <a href="https://ct.counseling.org/2023/12/advocacy-update-your-vote-is-your-voice/">Advocacy Update: Your vote is your voice </a> appeared first on <a href="https://ct.counseling.org">Counseling Today</a>.</p>

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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

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DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 11:00AM
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TITLE:
The human brain’s energy puzzle: Unveiling the high costs of thinking
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/the-human-brains-energy-puzzle-unveiling-the-high-costs-of-thinking-214966

<p>In a new study published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi7632" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Science Advances</a></em>, scientists have revealed that certain areas of the human brain, particularly those involved in complex cognitive functions like memory and reasoning, require significantly more energy than others. This discovery sheds light on how the evolution of human cognition might be closely linked to the development of these energy-intensive brain networks, challenging the long-held belief that our cognitive abilities are solely due to larger brain sizes.</p>
<p>The human brain, a mere 2% of our body weight, astonishingly consumes about 20% of our energy. This disproportionate energy use has long fascinated scientists, prompting the question: what makes our brain so energetically demanding? Common theories attributed this to the sheer size of the human brain.</p>
<p>However, this explanation was insufficient as other mammals have larger brains or more neurons. Thus, researchers embarked on this study to delve deeper into the brain&#8217;s energy distribution, particularly focusing on the role of neuromodulators – chemicals like dopamine and serotonin that regulate neuron activity.</p>
<p>The study involved 30 healthy, right-handed participants without a history of psychiatric conditions. The researchers employed two advanced neuroimaging techniques: positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). PET scans are adept at measuring metabolic processes in the body, like glucose metabolism, which is a key indicator of energy use. fMRI, on the other hand, excels at detecting blood flow changes related to neural activity, thereby mapping functional connections in the brain.</p>
<p>Participants underwent scans in a state of rest, with their eyes open or closed. These scans provided a wealth of data about the brain&#8217;s metabolic rate of glucose – essentially how much energy the brain uses – and the level of functional connectivity – how different brain regions communicate.</p>
<p>One key discovery was a linear relationship between the brain&#8217;s glucose metabolism and its functional connectivity. This meant that areas of the brain with more connections or activity also used more energy. Significantly, the frontoparietal networks, which are pivotal in high-level cognitive tasks like problem-solving and decision-making, were found to use up to 67% more energy than areas involved in basic sensory or motor functions.</p>
<p>This energy distribution was consistently observed across all participants, irrespective of gender and age. It also highlighted that regions regulated more by neuromodulators, such as dopamine and serotonin, required more energy. This finding is crucial because it suggests that the human brain’s development, particularly its cognitive capabilities, may be as much about these energy-intensive regions as it is about overall size.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the study found a connection between the brain&#8217;s energy use and its evolutionary growth. Regions that have expanded the most in human evolution showed higher energy demands. On a microscale, areas with high energy costs also exhibited a higher density of cells in their lower layers.</p>
<p>Additionally, through gene expression analysis, researchers linked regions with high energetic costs to genes involved in signal transduction, particularly those involved in neuromodulation. This genetic association underscores the molecular basis behind the brain’s energy distribution.</p>
<p>Lastly, by analyzing cognitive function, the study revealed that regions with high neuromodulator activity are more involved in complex cognitive processes like memory and reading, rather than simple sensory-motor functions. This suggests that the brain&#8217;s energy usage is intricately tied to our higher cognitive abilities.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>&#8220;Our findings suggest that the evolution of human cognition may have emerged not only from an overall larger brain, but particularly by the development of slow-acting neuromodulator circuits,&#8221; the researchers wrote. &#8220;It seems that the benefits of increased cortical energy metabolism, together with an increased supply of energy substrates, have outweighed its risks. Yet, our knowledge of how the interaction of slow-acting neuromodulators with fast information processing contributes to human cognition is still limited.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adi7632" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An energy costly architecture of neuromodulators for human brain evolution and cognition</a>&#8220;, was authored by Gabriel Castrillon, Samira Epp, Antonia Bose, Laura Fraticelli, André Hechler, Roman Belenya, Andreas Ranft, Igor Yakushev, Lukas Utz, Lalith Sundar, Josef P. Rauschecker, Christine Preibisch, Katarzyna Kurcyus, and Valentin Riedl.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

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DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 09:00AM
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TITLE:
Individuals with depression have lower concentrations of taurine in the hippocampus
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/individuals-with-depression-have-lower-concentrations-of-taurine-in-the-hippocampus-215068

<p>A neuroimaging study conducted in South Korea showed that women suffering from major depressive disorder have lower concentrations of taurine in the hippocampus region of the brain compared to healthy individuals. Taurine is an amino acid that plays a critical role in the development of neurons and the formation of connections between neurons (synaptic connections). The study was published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.08.025"><em>Biological Psychiatry.</em></a></p>
<p>Major depressive disorder, commonly known as depression, is a mental health condition marked by enduring feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a diminished interest or pleasure in activities. Those affected by depression often experience a variety of symptoms that impact multiple facets of their daily lives, including sleep patterns, appetite, energy levels, and concentration abilities.</p>
<p>According to the World Health Organization, more than 264 million people worldwide are affected by major depressive disorder. Close to 800,000 people commit suicide every year as a consequence. Studies in the United States have indicated that women are twice as likely to be affected by it than men.</p>
<p>In recent decades, neuroimaging studies have sought to identify markers of major depressive disorder. These studies found that in individuals with the disorder, the limbic regions of the brain are typically more active, while the frontal regions show reduced activity during emotional and cognitive tasks. Additionally, variations in the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brains of depressed individuals have been observed.</p>
<p>A team of researchers from South Korea hypothesized that concentrations of taurine in the hippocampus region of the brain might also be associated with depression. Previous studies indicated that taurine has an antidepressant effect on animals. Injections of taurine were shown to reverse depression-like behaviors in rats. It is possible that concentrations of this amino acid might also be different in humans with and without depression. These researchers organized a neuroimaging study.</p>
<p>&#8220;While conducting various studies using fMRI, I started thinking about its contribution to mental illness. Then, I read an article about the seriousness of depression. I realized that most patients do not seek appropriate medical help early on, resulting in serious consequences later on,&#8221; said study author <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chaejoon.cheong">Chaejoon Cheong</a>, Principal Research Fellow at the Korea Basic Science Institute.</p>
<p>&#8220;Considering the social atmosphere of people reluctant to seek psychiatric treatment, especially in South Korea, this is an understandable phenomenon, and in order to solve this problem, I thought it would be great if early depression could be diagnosed through a test such as a health checkup before visiting a psychiatric clinic. So, I began researching objective criteria for the early diagnosis of depression using MRI.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study involved young women aged between 18 and 29 years from South Korea. Of these, 41 were diagnosed with major depressive disorder, while 43 served as healthy controls. The participants were assessed and diagnosed using the structured clinical interview for DSM-5 by a licensed clinical psychologist. Additionally, they completed the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.</p>
<p>The participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging using a 7T whole-body MR scanner. During this procedure, the researchers measured taurine concentrations in three different brain areas: the hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex, and occipital cortex. They anticipated differences in taurine levels in the hippocampus, while the other two areas served as comparative benchmarks.</p>
<p>The results confirmed that taurine concentrations were indeed lower in the hippocampus of participants with major depressive disorder compared to those in the healthy group. However, there were no significant differences in taurine levels in the other two brain regions between the two groups.</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<figure id="attachment_215069" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-215069" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-215069" src="https://www.psypost.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Low-Res_Fig1-700x459.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="459" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-215069" class="wp-caption-text">Brain regions where spectra were measured (yellow box) (B) 1H MR spectrum in the hippocampus: Hippocampal taurine signal shown at 3.4 ppm (arrow). Black line: actual measured spectrum. Red line: LCModel fitting spectrum.</figcaption></figure>
<p>“In summary, we found that hippocampal taurine concentrations were lower in young women with MDD [major depressive disorder] compared to the healthy control group using a non-invasive in vivo magnetic resonance imaging measurement. This study demonstrates that a lower level of taurine concentration in the hippocampus may provide a novel characteristic of MDD,&#8221; the study authors concluded.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think the general public will immediately benefit from my research results,&#8221; Cheong told PsyPost. But he added that &#8220;if an objective method for diagnosing depression, including my research, is established in the future, it will be possible to diagnose depression through a simple test without the burden of psychiatric visits.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study highlights a new potential indicator of major depressive disorder. However, study participants were exclusively young women from two regions of South Korea. Studies on other age groups, larger samples, men and individuals from other cultures might not yield the same results.</p>
<p>&#8220;Studies on men and older people are to be conducted,&#8221; Cheong said. &#8220;Additionally, an objective diagnosis method for depression should be established through other metabolites and research modalities.&#8221;</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.08.025">Association between taurine level in the hippocampus and major depressive disorder in young women: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study at 7 Tesla</a>”, was authored by Youngkyu Song, Jee-Hyun Cho, Hyungjun Kim, Young-Ji Eum, E-Nae Cheong, Sunyoung Choi, Jeong-Heon Park, Sungho Tak, Bumwoo Park, Jin-Hun Sohn, Gyunggoo Cho, and Chaejoon Cheong.</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

Psychology News Robot
DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 08:00AM
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TITLE:
Young Researchers of Color Need Better Mentors
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URL:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/young-researchers-of-color-need-better-mentors/

<p>Universities need to train their faculty to be better mentors to students of color, and to understand these students&rsquo; vulnerabilities</p>
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psychbot , 7 months ago to psychology

.
DATE:
December 18, 2023 at 07:00AM
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TITLE:
Women are more likely than men to consider ending a relationship due to sexual disagreements
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URL:
https://www.psypost.org/2023/12/women-are-more-likely-than-men-to-consider-ending-a-relationship-due-to-sexual-disagreements-214996

<p>Sexual disagreements in relationships are more strongly associated with women considering ending their relationships than men, according to a new study published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2270508"><em>Journal of Sex Research</em></a>. This finding, emerging from an analysis of thousands of participants, challenges traditional notions about the impact of sexual harmony on relationship stability.</p>
<p>The study was spurred by a gap in existing research, which primarily focused on the link between sexual satisfaction and relationship stability but seldom delved into how sexual disagreements might lead to instability. Surprisingly, despite the common occurrence of sexual conflicts and their association with reduced relationship satisfaction, this aspect has received little attention.</p>
<p>&#8220;Based on traditional gender ideologies, we would expect that sexual disagreements are associated with relationship instability more strongly among men than among women,&#8221; said study author <a href="https://www.muni.cz/en/people/450454-dominika-perdoch-sladka" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dominika Perdoch Sladká</a>, a researcher and a PhD student at the Department of Sociology at Masaryk University.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some previous studies found that men judge their relationship quality by the quality of their sexual life more often than women. We were interested in testing if the gendered relationship between sexual disagreements and union instability found in earlier studies from the United States still exists in the 21st century and in other than U.S. contexts. We focused on seven European countries, and we were using data from the Generations and Gender Survey, a cross-nationally harmonized panel survey. Our study included both married and cohabiting partners.&#8221;</p>
<p>The initial data collection phase for the Generations and Gender Survey began between 2004 and 2009 in the countries included in this study. The second wave of data collection occurred between 2007 and 2013, following up on the first wave. The sample for the current study included 19,446 participants (age range 18–79) from Austria, Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, France, Lithuania, and Russia.</p>
<p>The key measure of the study, separation proneness, was assessed by asking participants if they had contemplated breaking up with their partner in the past year. Additionally, the frequency of sexual disagreements was measured through a question about how often they had argued about sex in the last twelve months. The frequency of these disagreements was measured using a scale ranging from &#8216;never&#8217; to &#8216;very frequently.&#8217;</p>
<p>Individuals who reported frequent sexual disagreements were found to be significantly more likely to consider ending their relationships. This effect was particularly pronounced among women. In comparison to those who never had such disagreements, women who frequently experienced sexual disagreements were 13.1 percentage points more likely to consider separation. In contrast, men with frequent sexual disagreements showed only a 5 percentage point increase in separation proneness compared to those with no disagreements.</p>
<p>The researchers also found that, at every level of sexual disagreement, women were more inclined towards separation proneness than men. This difference was most stark among those with frequent disagreements, underscoring a notable gender disparity.</p>
<p>&#8220;If a couple often experiences sexual disagreements, the partners are more likely to think about breaking up,&#8221; Sladká told PsyPost. &#8220;This relationship between disagreements and separation proneness is, surprisingly, stronger among women than men. Even if the couple has no disagreements in other areas, such as money, family relations, or raising children, discrepancies in the sexual area can contribute to separation proneness.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;However, we found that the separation proneness is reversible – people who were thinking about breaking up with their partner before the first interview often did not report considering separation at the second interview, approximately three years later.&#8221;</p><div class="addrop-wrap" data-id="64749"><p style="text-align: center;">
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<p>The researchers controlled for other types of disagreements in relationships, as well as factors like age, education, type of partnership, and country of residence. But the study, like all research, includes some caveats.</p>
<p>The complex nature of concepts like separation proneness and sexual disagreements is challenging to capture fully with single questionnaire items. Additionally, the study&#8217;s findings are based on self-reported data, which may not always capture the full spectrum of a relationship&#8217;s dynamics.</p>
<p>Future research could expand on these findings by measuring both partners&#8217; perspectives in a relationship, exploring how they handle conflicts, and examining the dynamics in different social and demographic groups. Additionally, the role of communication styles in mediating the impact of sexual disagreements on relationship stability is an area ripe for further exploration.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our study focused on disagreements, but we were not able to include any measures of how couples deal with their conflicts,&#8221; Sladká said. &#8220;Couples’ communication style might play a role in the negative effects of disagreements on the relationship. It would also be interesting to see how sexual disagreements are associated with relationship instability in same-sex couples.&#8221;</p>
<p>The study, &#8220;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224499.2023.2270508">The Link Between Sexual Disagreements and Separation Proneness: Differences Between Men and Women in a Culturally Diverse Sample</a>,&#8221; was authored by Dominika Perdoch Sladká and <a href="https://www.muni.cz/en/people/108207-martin-kreidl">Martin Kreidl</a>.</p>
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