A study finds a new way t o predict whether or not a couple is going to stay together–word matching. The researchers found that volunteers who found it easy to associate their partner with bad things and difficult to associate the partner with good things were more likely to separate over the next year.
PsychCentral: Relationship Breakup Similar to Addiction Withdrawal Rejection by a romantic partner is a bitter pill. New research suggests the trauma is severe because love rejection affects primitive areas of the brain associated with motivation, reward and addiction cravings…
Ending Relationship Like Kicking Drugs Read More »
ScienceDaily: For female baboons, too, it’s good to have friends: Female baboons that maintain closer ties with other members of their troop live substantially longer than do those whose social bonds are less stable, a recent study has found. The researchers say that the findings add to evidence in animals from mice to humans that
Friends Good for You (Baboon Edition) Read More »
NYT reports study about Activity and Mental Health in Women: People who are physically active appear to be at lower risk for cognitive impairment late in life, and for women, a new study suggests, physical activity during the teenage years may provide the greatest benefit.
Exercise and Mental Health Read More »
Benedict Carey looks at The Benefits of Blowing Your Top in the NYT. One upside to emotional expression (according to a study), a better social life: [P]sychologists followed 278 men and women as they entered college, giving questionnaires and conducting interviews. Those who scored highest on measures of emotion suppression had the hardest time making
Unwanted habits are susceptible to some simple tricks, says PsyBlog, reviewing a new study. Something you want to stop doing? Try: Vigilant monitoring: watching out for slip-ups and saying “Don’t do it!” to yourself. Distraction: trying to think about something else. Stimulus control: removing the opportunity to perform the habit, say by leaving the bar, fast-food restaurant
The universal truths of psychology may not be so universal, after all. A new University of British Columbia study says that an overreliance on research subjects from the U.S. and other Western nations can produce false claims about human psychology and behavior because their psychological tendencies are highly unusual compared to the global population…
Overstudying the WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) Read More »
Studies have couples checking in annually about their marriages, online. “You don’t wait to see the dentist until something hurts — you go for checkups on a regular basis…If people were to bring their marriages in for a checkup on an annual basis, would that provide the same sort of benefit that a physical health
Online Marriage Checkup Read More »
“Brain’s energy restored during sleep–not exactly a news flash. But a study looks at what actually goes on in your head while you’re slumbering: In the initial stages of sleep, energy levels increase dramatically in brain regions found to be active during waking hours [suggesting] a surge of cellular energy may replenish brain processes needed to
ScienceDaily: Age doesn’t necessarily affect decision-making, study shows Many people believe that getting older means losing a mental edge, leading to poor decision-making. But a new study from North Carolina State University shows that when it comes to making intuitive decisions — using your “gut instincts” — older adults fare as well as their juniors.
Maintaining a Mental Edge Read More »