Little Negotiators
Young children are skilled negotiators, says a Swedish study–suggests letting kids work things out on their own.
The results show that children’s negotiations form part of their play, and that these negotiations have a clear purpose: to agree on both how they can be together in their play and the content of their play.
Attachment v. Abuse
A ScienceDaily write-up of baby rat study–Abusive mothering aggravates the impact of stress hormones.
“Our work shows that, while the infant brain is wired to form attachments at all costs, abusive attachments have negative consequences in social behavior development.”
Sports Therapy
In case you missed it: Ron Artest Thanks Psychiatrist After Lakers Win.
“Breathing, talking to yourself, and having key words – some word you train your mind and body to stay under control,” [says Dr. Nicole Miller.] “Athletes come to us to increase performance. It’s one of the last legal drugs.”
UPDATE: She’s a psychologist.
Stressed Dads
Fatherhood is the new motherhood. Happy Father’s Day.
[S]everal studies show that fathers are now struggling just as much — and sometimes even more — than mothers in trying to fulfill their responsibilities at home and in the office. Just last week, Boston College released a study called “The New Dad” suggesting that new fathers face a subtle bias in the workplace, which fails to recognize their stepped-up family responsibilities and presumes that they will be largely unaffected by children.
Promoting “Stuff”
Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things got a big promotional push when it came out earlier this year. Thanks to the (hoarding?) nature of net, the material is still around. That includes an NPR interview with co-author Randy Frost. And here’s a Time Magazine story, “Hoarding: How Collecting Stuff Can Destroy Your Life.” Excerpt:
When I asked one woman if I could describe her as a former hoarder — because she has been living pretty much clutter-free for the past six or seven years — she said no. She gave a little anecdote about her thoughts about throwing away a yogurt cup. It was [still] excruciating for her. Part of her phenomena is a tendency to anthropomorphize things and give them feelings. She felt so badly for this cup that she was throwing away. That it was the one that got rejected. That it had to go into this bin and maybe it would be humid and uncomfortable.
Brains Like Agreement
ScienceDaily: Brain study shows that the opinions of others matters.
Simon Cowell may appear to relish arguing with his fellow judges when they disagree with him, but new research out June 17 suggests that — at least at a neuronal level — he would find their agreement much more satisfying…
“War on Sex”?
PsychCentral: Views on Sex and Drugs Usually Related.
While people who are more religious and those who are more politically conservative do tend to oppose recreational drugs, in both study samples the predictive power of these religious and ideological items was reduced nearly to zero by controlling for items tracking attitudes toward sexual promiscuity.
Obesity and Sex
Less birth control, more unwanted pregnancies–so says a study of obesity and sex.
Unplanned pregnancies were four times higher among single obese women…Obese women were 70% less likely to use birth control pills and eight times more likely to use less effective methods, such as withdrawal….
Studying Postpartum Depression
ScienceDaily: More than just baby blues: How postpartum depression arises and how it could be prevented.
Within the first week after giving birth, up to 70 percent of all women experience symptoms of the baby blues. While most women recover quickly, up to 13 percent of all new mothers suffer from symptoms of a clinical-level postpartum depression…
Gulf Spill Distress
NYT: Add Psyche of Gulf Workers to Spill’s Toll.
Beyond the environmental and economic damage, the toll of the mammoth spill in the Gulf of Mexico is being measured in hopelessness, anxiety, stress, anger, depression and even suicidal thoughts among those most affected, social workers say.