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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: psychology

psychology stories: 107 news summaries

61 - 80 of 107 Stories | << Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next >>

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(Newser) - Superstitions and conspiracy theories all boil down to control issues, a new study says. When subjects in a University of Texas test were made to feel out of control, they saw more patterns that did not exist—whether images in a fuzzy picture or links between unconnected actions. Which is... More »

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study • science • research • psychology • conspiracy • mind • superstition

Scare Easily? You May Be a Conservative

Study suggests
political leanings
could be hard-wired

Sep 19, 08 1:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - People who startle more easily at loud noises or frightening images may be more prone to taking conservative political stances, reports the Washington Post. A new study suggests that there may be a biological basis for people's stands on contentious issues, with those who react less strongly to perceived... More »

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politics • genetics • partisanship • psychology • scientific study

Cruel TV Makes for Crueler Viewers: Study

Meanness of Mean Girls as influential as killing in Kill Bill

Sep 16, 08 1:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - Psychologists have long known about the link between on-screen violence and real-life aggression, but a new study suggests video cruelty has much the same effect, USA Today reports. Groups of subjects shown either footage from Mean Girls of the hands-off hostility known as "relational aggression" or a knife fight... More »

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psychology • television watching • psychological research • movies • viewership • relational aggression • Mean Girls • Kill Bill

 You Are Your Music: Study

Study says music reflects our personalities

Sep 6, 08 6:11 PM CDT
(Newser) - Our favorite music speaks volumes about who we are, according to a new psychological study. It turns out that Indie fans are miserable, and metal heads act a lot like classical music lovers. The Independent breaks down personalities by genre:  
  • Indie: Low self-esteem and lazy, not to
... More »

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music • classical music • list • psychology • country music • rap music • reggae • heavy metal • blues • rock music • survey • dance music • indie rock

Doc, I Think I'm on Reality TV

Psychiatrists see Truman Show delusion so often it's got its
own syndrome

Aug 28, 08 12:17 PM CDT
(Newser) - In The Truman Show, Jim Carrey's life was nothing more than a reality TV program, with actors playing his friends and family and millions of viewers watching his every move. Those themes of surveillance and artificiality pervade the lives of a growing number of psychiatric patients—people who think they... More »

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psychiatry • psychology • surveillance • psychosis • Jim Carrey • delusion • paranoia • The Truman Show • Truman Syndrome

Children Can Count Without Numbers

Study suggests
that kids have innate
math abilities

Aug 19, 08 8:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - A study sure to fan a fiery disagreement among developmental psychologists has found that children can count objects even if their language lacks words for the numbers involved. Researchers found that Australian Aboriginal children, who know words for only a few small numbers, did just as well as English-speaking children... More »

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Australia • Aborigines • brain • psychology • language • mathematics • psychological research

Bronze Medalists Happier Than Silver Winners

2nd place a letdown, 3rd is a thrill

Aug 18, 08 4:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - Newly minted gold medalists are ecstatic, second-place finishers slightly less so, and bronze winners the least happy—or so conventional wisdom would have it. But psychologists find that bronze medalists are usually happier than those who finish with silver, the Washington Post reports. Why does this Olympic paradox play out... More »

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psychology • happiness • psychological research • gold medal • Olympic athletes • Olympics

Drugs Shrinking Psychiatrists' Talk Time: Study

Cost-conscious managed care also seen behind decline

Aug 5, 08 8:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Psychiatry is increasingly focused on prescribing drugs and less on psychotherapy, a study published in the Archives of General Psychology finds. A reluctance by insurance firms to pay for therapy is one factor, HealthDay reports, along with the wide variety of drugs now available to treat various conditions. More »

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psychiatry • antidepressant • mental health • psychology • pharmaceutical industry • medication • psychotherapy

OPINION

Age Is Just a Number; for Guys, It's 31

If it's really all in your head, show your head your birth certificate

Aug 5, 08 4:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - Most men have two ages, theorizes author Douglas Coupland of Generation X fame: "the age we really are, and the age we are in our heads," which he pegs at "about 31 or 32." Coupland explains in in Best Life magazine: "When middle-aged men look... More »

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age • aging • psychology • Generation X • middle age • Douglas Coupland

Shopaholics Trying to Buy Self-Esteem

They love fawning clerks and attention, study says

Aug 2, 08 11:39 AM CDT
(Newser) - Shopaholics crave the self-esteem boost they get from interaction with retail staff far more than the actual goods they buy, new research shows. Psychiatrists believe the findings will lead to a new course of therapy, rather than the usual treatment of prescribing antidepressants, Deutsche Welle reports. The disorder affects up... More »

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shopping • psychology • psychiatric disorders • retail shopping • shoppers

 Archery's Terrifying Secret

Experts can't even say the name of biggest fear: target panic

Aug 1, 08 7:09 AM CDT
(Newser) - The greatest fear of elite archers is something called "target panic"—an affliction that keeps some from releasing their bow, and causes others to shoot wildly as soon as the bull's-eye comes into sight. Many archers won't even say the words, although the condition has at some time... More »

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psychology • neurology • archery • Olympics

OPINION

 A Lefty Will Be President 

Dissecting 'handedness' in politics

Jul 4, 08 8:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - No matter what happens in November, a left-hander will take the White House. In fact, five of the last seven presidents have been southpaws. While left-handedness has been taken as a sign of everything from artistic talent to brain damage, ambidexterity may be a desirable quality in a leader. Left-handedness... More »

MORE ABOUT:
John McCain • psychology • lefties • Obama 2008 • left handed • McCain 2008

ANALYSIS

Flip-Flopping Pols Are Just Channeling Inner Hypocrite

They know it's wrong, but benefits too great

Jul 1, 08 1:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - Think all politicians are self-justifying hypocrites? You're probably right, John Tierney writes in the New York Times. As a recent psychological study demonstrates, all of us, given enough time and mental wiggle room, will succumb to the "self-halo effect," justifying in ourselves and our allies moral lapses we... More »

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Barack Obama • John McCain • politics • psychology • hypocrisy • morality

 Most Lucrative College Majors 

Computer engineering tops list for grads seeking quick cash

Jun 21, 08 4:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - College students looking for fast cash after graduation should study computer engineering, Forbes reports. Here are the most lucrative college majors, with salaries for beginners and veterans alike:
  • Computer engineering ($60,500-$104,000)
  • Economics ($48,000-$96,200)
  • Electrical engineering ($59,900-$96,100)
  • Computer science ($54,200-$94,000)
  • Mechanical
... More »

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economics • finance • college • psychology • engineering • mathematics • college graduates

Better Red
Than Dead in
Online Games

Red teams win more often than blue teams, researchers find

Jun 12, 08 2:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - If you want to win, at least in the online first-person shooter Unreal Tournament 2004, get your red on. Researchers have found that red teams beat blue teams in the multiplayer game 55% of the time, even though players choose their own teams. One scientist suggested this is because the... More »

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psychology • multiplayer games • academic research • red • Unreal Tournament 2004

 This View Zaps Stress, Naturally 

Study finds plasma TV images no substitute

Jun 11, 08 1:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - For stress relief, there is no substitute for views of nature, the Seattle Times reports. A University of Washington study found that students who faced a stressful task returned to a normal heart rate most quickly while looking out the window at trees and grass. More »

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stress • psychology • nature • University of Washington • relief • natural resources • Plasma TV

Focus, Not IQ, Might be Best School Skill

Kids trained to flex 'executive function' muscles learn better

Jun 5, 08 3:43 PM CDT
(Newser) - EF is the new IQ, and if educators accept that new acronym mantra, more preschoolers will be playing games, Newsweek reports. Executive function—the ability to repress distracting thoughts and focus on a task—could be a better indicator of scholarly success than intelligence alone; psychologist Adele Diamond implemented an... More »

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intelligence • learning • psychology • cognitive development • public schools • preschool • executive function

 'Do-It-Yourself'
 Can Be Fightin' Words 

35% of British homeowners admit to house-related disputes

May 4, 08 12:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Adrian starts painting in the middle, but Hannah wants the wall layered methodically. Adrian storms out, and Hannah works alone. The DIY dispute is no anomaly: 35% of British homeowners said in a recent study that home improvements caused domestic rifts. Underlying the debates on paint color and floorboards is... More »

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home improvement • marriage • psychology • fight • therapy • relationship • couples

NIU Shooter Saw Himself as Sensitive Victim

Kazmierczak's essays trace path from group home to dean's list

Apr 21, 08 12:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - Steven Kazmierczak didn’t leave a note before his deadly February shooting spree at Northern Illinois University, nor clues to his motivations on his computer or cell phone. But in essays for graduate-school applications, the Chicago Tribune reports, the future killer writes extensively about his life and his mental problems—... More »

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mental illness • school shooting • psychology • Northern Illinois University • shooting • Steven Kazmierczak • social work

Suicide Kills More LA Cops Than Criminals

Grim nature of job biggest hazard
for officers

Mar 26, 08 5:59 AM CDT
(Newser) - Cops in Los Angeles are more likely to die by their own hand than from a criminal's bullet, the Los Angeles Times reports. Psychologists trying to improve the LAPD's suicide prevention efforts found that 19 police officers in the city killed themselves between 1998 and 2007, while just seven died... More »

MORE ABOUT:
suicide • police • psychology • LAPD • psychiatrist • suicide rate

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