Psychology news

• Arno Rabinowitz obituary

  20-12-2024 20:41
  
  My father, Arno Rabinowitz, who has died aged 90, was a pioneering educational psychologist and a widely admired mentor, counsellor and confidant. His existence was down to a confluence of luck: his mother, Tilly, was one of three siblings evacuated from eastern Europe in the early 1920s during the pogroms against Jews. These three were “Ochberg Orphans”, fortunate recipients of the philanthropy of another émigré, the industrialist Isaac Ochberg, who enabled Jewish orph
  
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• Unraveling the Power and Influence of Language

  20-12-2024 08:31 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Association for Psychological ScienceFraming matters. For instance, when a story about cancer is framed as a "battle" rather than a "journey," people tend to view the diagnosis as more fatal. Indeed, research on framing goes well beyond health and psychology—it now extends to economics and government policy. This multidisciplinary area of research is spotlighted in the latest issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest, which explores the power and influence of language.
  
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• Large Study Finds No Link Between Antibiotics and Dementia

  20-12-2024 08:31 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthGiven that the gut microbiome is important for overall health—including cognitive function—researchers have been concerned that antibiotics could have a harmful long-term effect on the brain, especially because older adults are frequently prescribed antibiotics. New research suggests, however, that antibiotic usage is not related to dementia. The results, based on 13,571 healthy people over 70, were published December 18, 2024, in the...
  
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• Biases in AI Can Amplify Our Own Biases, Research Suggests

  20-12-2024 08:30 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top SocietyArtificial intelligence systems tend to absorb human biases and amplify them, causing people who use that AI to become more biased themselves, finds a new study. Human and AI biases can consequently create a feedback loop, with small initial biases increasing the risk of human error, according to findings published in Nature Human Behaviour. The research was based on a series of experiments with over 1,200 study participants interacting with AI...
  
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• Rights Group Says Israel's Deprivation of Water in Gaza Is Act of Genocide

  19-12-2024 13:27 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google News - HealthHuman Rights Watch said on Thursday that Israel has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza by denying them clean water, which it says legally amounts to acts of extermination and genocide. In its report, the group concluded that "Israeli authorities have committed the crime against humanity of extermination, which is ongoing. This policy also amounts to an 'act of genocide' under the Genocide Convention of 1948."
  
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• Teens With Reduced Response to Rewards at Higher Risk of Depression

  19-12-2024 13:26 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA new study has found that a reduced neural response to receiving rewards in teens predicts the first onset of depression, but not anxiety or suicidality. This prediction is independent of pre-existing depressive or anxiety symptoms, as well as age or sex, which are already strong risk factors for depression. The study, published by a Canadian research team, is a step toward using brain science to understand and assess mental health risks.
  
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• Could Tariffs Help Fight Climate Change?

  19-12-2024 13:26 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - World NewsU.S. president-elect Donald Trump says he's a "big believer in tariffs," and has threatened a 25 percent tariff on products from Canada and Mexico unless they curb the flow of drugs and migrants across the border. Trump says tariffs are a powerful tool to get "other things outside of economics." Could that include getting countries to cool the planet? Canada and the U.S. are now discussing "carbon tariffs" as a way to achieve climate goals.
  
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• Adopting an Anti-Inflammatory Diet to Improve Mental Health

  19-12-2024 13:26 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportThe connection between nutritious foods and physical health has been drilled into us since our parents told us to eat our vegetables. But studies have also found that avoiding unhealthy foods can help with mental health. Healthy foods provide essential nutrients that support brain function, protect against cognitive decline, and influence mood and cognition. What's the link between food and mental health? One is chronic inflammation.
  
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• Church Breakup Over LGBTQ Issues Linked to Deadly Violence in Nigeria

  19-12-2024 13:25 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportA religious schism has turned deadly in Nigeria, with a church member fatally shot and two young children killed as homes were set ablaze, according to United Methodist News Service. The news service said the reported violence on Sunday stemmed from a split in the worldwide United Methodist Church over its decision to repeal LGBTQ bans—and the ensuing formation of the new Global Methodist Church by breakaway conservative churches.
  
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• Inflammatory Dietary Habits Linked to 84% Higher Risk of Dementia

  19-12-2024 13:24 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Google NewsInflammatory dietary habits linked to 84% higher risk of dementia Medical Xpress Cognitive decline: 4 nutrients may reduce brain iron buildup with age Medical News Today Research finds the MIND diet may reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Psychology Today UNL researchers delving into which foods help slow aging of brain KOLN Dementia Incidence Linked to Inflammatory Foods Medpage Today.
  
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• Trouble in Arctic Town As Polar Bears and People Face Warming World

  19-12-2024 12:42 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: BBC News - Science and EnvironmentThe town of Churchill, Canada, is known as the polar bear capital of the world. Every year, the Hudson Bay thaws and forces the bears on shore. Yet the bear population has dropped from 1,200 in the 1980s to just over half that number, largely due to climate change, say experts. And as the sea ice continues to melt earlier each year, the bears are spending more time on land, introducing a new challenge: increased human-bear interactions.
  
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• App Helps Alleviate Mental Health Symptoms in Bereaved Parents

  19-12-2024 12:42 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthA new study has found that an app can help parents mourning the loss of a child. The study, published in the journal Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, was based on data from 248 Swedish parents who had lost a child in the last 10 years. Half received access to the app, and the other half had to wait three months to use it. Parents who used the app reported reduced symptoms of prolonged grief and post-traumatic stress, and also had fewer negative...
  
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• Recommendations to Minimize Bias in Medical AI Technologies

  19-12-2024 12:34 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science DailyA new set of recommendations aims to improve the way datasets are used to build artificial intelligence health technologies and reduce the risk of bias. An international initiative called "STANDING Together (STANdards for data Diversity, INclusivity and Generalizability)" has published recommendations after surveying more than 350 experts from 58 countries. The recommendations aim to ensure that medical AI is safe and effective for everyone.
  
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• Dr Harte Says: Drug Control, Not Gun Control

  19-12-2024 00:49 via pr.com
  
  The recent Madison, WI school shooting brings the usual cries for gun control, when that is not the point. Legally prescribed psych drugs are making kids crazy and violent. [PR.com]
  
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• The Debrief Project Announces Plans for a Documentary Film Honoring the Heroes of the Battle of Baqubah, Iraq

  18-12-2024 18:17 via pr.com
  
  Compelling Stories from Soldiers, Leaders, and Families to be Captured in Time for 20-Year Anniversary of a Hard-Fought Victory [PR.com]
  
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• Life inside a therapeutic prison: ‘Look, we’ve done some terrible things ...’

  18-12-2024 11:00
  
  At HMP Grendon, psychology professionals aim to ‘re-child’ a group of Britain’s most serious offenders in relatively relaxed conditions. Does the treatment work?As you go through the gates of Grendon prison in Buckinghamshire, past the raised garden – whose intricacy is still discernible in November – towards the main block, there’s a foundation stone laid by Rab Butler from when building commenced in 1960. “As home secretary, he wanted two things: to im
  
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• Could Psychedelic Drugs Improve the Mental Health of Autistic People?

  17-12-2024 09:44 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDeep feelings of unity, transcendence, and awe—as well as improved mental health. Those were among the testimonials in a recent survey of 233 people about their experiences with psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin. Such accounts aren't unusual, but the survey participants were: All were autistic. The results, reported in October in Psychopharmacology, hint that psychedelics could benefit a group typically overlooked in studies of...
  
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• Transgender Patients Are More Likely to Experience Chronic Pain

  17-12-2024 09:43 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceChronic pain can affect people of all demographics, bringing with it disability, lower quality of life, and economic hardship. Women, people older than 65, and people with a history of trauma are all known to be particularly vulnerable, but new research suggests another group is in the high-risk category: transgender individuals. The study, based on data from 56,470 transgender men and 41,882 transgender women, was published in the European...
  
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• Australian State May Ban Protests at Worship Sites to Fight Antisemitism

  17-12-2024 09:43 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportAn Australian state government on Tuesday proposed new restrictions on protesters in response to rising antisemitism, including a ban on demonstrations outside places of worship. Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan proposed the new laws after arsonists damaged a Melbourne synagogue this month and protestors kept fearful worshippers trapped inside a Sydney synagogue for three hours a week earlier.
  
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• Tortured by an earworm? How to get it out of your head

  16-12-2024 15:46
  
  Scientists explain why the music of Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga and Wicked sticks in our minds – and the best ways to ditch an unshakeable tuneSomething has changed within me – and it’s really bloody annoying!Ever since Wicked stormed the global box office last month, many people have been holding space for the lyrics of Defying Gravity – which is to say, unable to get them out of their head. Continue reading...
  
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• Lisa Kudrow says Tom Hanks movie Here is ‘an endorsement for AI’

  16-12-2024 14:07
  
  The former Friends star criticised the film which makes extensive use of an AI-driven tool called Metaphysic Live to de-age and face-swap actorsTom Hanks’ new film Here has been criticised as “an endorsement for AI” by former Friends star Lisa Kudrow.Kudrow was discussing the implications of ageing with host Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert podcast and pointed to Here as the harbinger of crisis for the film industry. Continue reading...
  
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• U.S. Improving Airline Travel for People with Disabilities

  16-12-2024 12:23 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsAirline travel in 2025 is set to improve for passengers with disabilities under a new U.S. Department of Transportation rule. For example, the new rule requires training for airlines workers assisting passengers with disabilities, and it outlines steps airlines must take if they damage or misplace a passenger's wheelchair. "Every passenger deserves safe, dignified travel when they fly," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement...
  
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• More Than 120 Democrats Urge Biden to Push for ERA Ratification

  16-12-2024 12:23 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsA group of more than 120 House Democrats signed a letter asking President Joe Biden to call on the U.S. archivist to recognize the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution despite the deadline passing decades ago. The letter said that the amendment, which would enshrine sex equality into the Constitution, should be published despite not receiving enough state ratifications by the 1982 date set by Congress.
  
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• Catching Holiday Blues Instead of Cheer? Here Are Ways to Find Peace

  16-12-2024 12:23 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportIf you're suffering from a case of the holiday blues, you're not alone, say experts. A strained relationship with family, for example, can make this time of year pretty lonely. The holidays are expensive, and financial woes can cause major stress. Anxiety about holiday anything can fuel depression and worsen existing mental health concerns. Here's what experts say you can do to make your holiday season a little more bearable, if not cheery.
  
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• Uncertainty is part of being human, so how can we learn to live with it?

  15-12-2024 14:00
  
  A professor of statistics explains that living is about taking risks and not knowing the outcome, and why it’s important to accept and embrace that My father was an enthusiastic traveller, but as he got older he increasingly suffered from what he called “travel fever”, a vivid term for the acute anxiety felt before a journey, essentially due to uncertainty about all the things that could go wrong. Sadly, this eventually stopped him from going on holiday. Then I, too, started to
  
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• I waited 45 minutes to buy a single croissant in Fitzroy. Why do humans queue?

  15-12-2024 00:00
  
  Lines for pastries, phones, even paying respects have become famous. What is it that draws people to spend their scarce, precious time in queues?Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailI have waited in line for a Lune croissant. At the worst possible time, too – mid-morning on a Sunday, the queue stretching out the door of the vaunted bakery’s Fitzroy warehouse and curling around the corner. This is an embarrassing admission for someone wary of falling for hype.The line, which on
  
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• Sculpting the Brain Without a Chisel or Scalpel

  14-12-2024 17:52 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: Science Daily - Top HealthImagine being able to carve a new pattern of activity into a person's brain that would allow for faster learning, or better treatment of psychiatric and developmental disorders such as depression or autism. Now imagine being able to do that in a way that doesn't require brain surgery or any physical manipulation. Sounds like science fiction? It is, but perhaps not for long, according to new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of...
  
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• Nearly Half of U.S. Teens Report Being Online "Constantly," Pew Finds

  14-12-2024 17:52 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportNearly half of American teenagers say they are online "constantly" despite concerns about the effects of social media and smartphones on their mental health, according to a new report published Thursday by the Pew Research Center. As in past years, YouTube was the single most popular platform teenagers used — 90% said they watched videos on the site, down slightly from 95% in 2022. Nearly three-quarters said they visit YouTube every day.
  
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• What Is Red 40, and Why Hasn't the FDA Banned the Dye?

  14-12-2024 06:14 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: CBS News - HealthThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not formally reevaluated the safety of Red 40 food dye in over a decade, the agency's top food official said this month when asked about renewed worries over its potential behavioral health effects. A review by California's Environmental Protection Agency in 2021 looking at dozens of studies concluded that "synthetic food dyes can cause or exacerbate neuro-behavioral problems in some children," including...
  
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• Japanese High Court Rules Same-Sex Marriage Ban Is Unconstitutional

  14-12-2024 06:14 via socialpsychology.org
  Source: United Press International - Health NewsJapanese law prohibiting same-sex marriage from being officially recognized is unconstitutional, the country's Fukuoka High Court ruled Friday. The decree marks the third time a Japanese high court has ruled in a similar manner. "There is no longer any reason to not legally recognize marriage between same-sex couples," Presiding Judge Takeshi Okada said following the ruling. Japan's constitution does not explicitly permit same-sex marriage.
  
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