Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Mark Lawson: We are the alien nation
Mark Lawson: Recent 'sightings' expose a collective anxiety that has more to do with security fears than ET
Does This Make Me Look Fat?
The peer groups teenage girls identify with determine how they decide to control their own figure. Also influencing weight control behavior is girls' own definition of normal body weight and...
Political Participation Is Partially Rooted In Genetic Inheritance
The decision to vote is partly genetic. Researchers have now identify a link between two specific genes and political participation. They show that individuals with a variant of the MAOA...
Weekends Slow Weight Loss, Researchers Find
Saturday can be the worst enemy for our waistlines. Researchers found that study subjects on strict diet and exercise programs tend to lose weight more slowly than expected because they...
Scientists Identify the Brain’s Activity Hub
A new report provides the most complete rough draft to date of the electrical architecture of the brain’s cerebral cortex.
Mind: Decades Later, Still Asking: Would I Pull That Switch?
New papers illustrate the continuing power of Stanley Milgram’s shock experiments — and the interpretations they still inspire.
New research shows employer-based weight loss programs are helpful
A new review of studies from the University of Cincinnati (UC) shows that a little shove from the workplace may actually be the ticket to dropping weight.
Smokers Suffer More Back Pain, Survey Shows
Smokers suffer more chronic back pain according to a new survey. Researchers interviewed more than 8000 people in the course of a telephone health survey. This included questions on social...
New Combination Of Tests Measures Child's Ability To Taste And Smell
Researchers have developed a series of tests that for the first time accurately measure the normality of taste (gustatory function) and smell (olfactory function) in young children.
New 'Everyday Cognition' Scale Tracks How Older Adults Function In Daily Life
As more adults age into the high-risk period for cognitive impairment, clinicians need simple and reliable methods to identify where they may have problems in everyday life that reveal underlying...
Lay-offs at Fermilab set to be reversed
Bush signs spending bill that includes emergency support for physics
Monday-itis all in our head
Having the Monday morning blues or feeling high on Friday afternoon is all in our imagination, according to new research that breaks the working week stereotypes.
Surprising fact: Half of gun deaths are suicides
(AP) -- The Supreme Court's landmark ruling on gun ownership last week focused on citizens' ability to defend themselves from intruders in their homes. But research shows that surprisingly...
Study finds long benefit in illegal mushroom drug
(AP) -- In 2002, at a Johns Hopkins University laboratory, a business consultant named Dede Osborn took a psychedelic drug as part of a research project. She felt like...
Researchers call for independent body to monitor deaths in wars and other crises... and more
The accurate documentation of deaths during wars and other humanitarian emergencies is critical to grading the severity of the crisis and adjusting relief operations accordingly, and yet collection of data...
Neuronal correlates of the set-size effect in monkey lateral intraparietal area
It is well known that the brain is limited in the amount of sensory information it can process at any given time. During an everyday task such as finding an...
Psychedelic Study Shows Positive Results
Scientists reported that when they surveyed volunteers 14 months after they took a psychedelic drug, most said they were still feeling and behaving better because of the experience.
Achieving Top Grades In Science Subjects More Difficult, Research Shows
Schoolchildren in the UK studying science and technology subjects like maths, physics and chemistry find it much harder to achieve the top exam grades than candidates of similar ability studying...
United States Has Highest Level Of Illegal Cocaine And Cannabis Use
A survey of 17 countries has found that despite its punitive drug policies the United States has the highest levels of illegal cocaine and cannabis use. Cannabis use was highest...
Despite Frustrations, Americans Are Pretty Darned Happy
We're number 16 ... in world happiness. Feel the joy. The United States ranks ahead of more than 80 countries, but below 15 others in happiness levels, according to new...
The Perils Of Overconfidence
Overestimating one's abilities can have hazardous consequences. Research has backed up this notion but with one glaring problem: it relies on participants to give accurate reports of their own confidence.
Toxic legacy: Scientists ponder task of labelling nuclear waste
How will "DANGER!" be written 5,000 years from now? How will it be written in 50,000 years? Finding an answer to these questions may not seem like a Code Red...
Rocketing Through Water
Swimmers around the world are breaking records this year like never before, including at this week's U.S. Olympic trials. Some attribute it to extensive training as athletes prepare to compete...
Breaking The Pattern: How Motivation Plays A Role In Getting Healthy
People fall into a pattern. They start out with the best intentions and do well for a little while ... but then fall back into old habits. It's a classic...
How Does Language Exist In The Brain?
Despite much research on acquisition of languages amongst monolingual persons, scientists still have to ask themselves basic questions about bilingual acquisition: How do babies realize that they are in a...
Kids today hyper but happier
Children today are happier than they were 20 years ago, despite common perception, although they tend to be more hyperactive at school, research has found.
Artists dare cellphone users to hand over their handsets for day-long display
Artists dare cellphone users to hand over their handsets for day-long display
Cops: "Hypermiling" Often Risky, Illegal
AAA Agrees. And master hypermiler Wayne Gerdes clarifies his suggested techniques by telling motorists to steer clear of dangerous maneuvers cited by authorities.