Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Compassion meditation may improve physical and emotional responses to psychological stress
Data from a new study suggests that individuals who engage in compassion meditation may benefit by reductions in inflammatory and behavioral responses to stress that have been linked to depression...
Learning How Not to Be Afraid
Why do some people have the ability to remain calm and relaxed even in the most stressful situations? New experiments in mice by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers are...
Narcissistic People Most Likely To Emerge As Leaders
When a group is without a leader, you can often count on a narcissist to take charge, a new study suggests. Researchers found that people who score high in narcissism...
Deathways Open Doors To Unexpected Cultural Practices
Cremation, "air burial," grave cairns, funeral mounds, mummification, belief in life after death -- death practices sacred to one culture are often considered "odd" or even terrifying by another. In...
The X Chromosome and the Case against Monogamy
Researchers report genetic evidence bolstering the socially contentious idea that polygyny--the mating practice where some males dominate reproduction by fathering children with several women--was the norm for sexual behavior throughout...
Cocaine addicts' brains predisposed to abuse: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Cocaine addicts may have brain deficits that predispose them to drug abuse, and abusing drugs appears to make matters worse, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.
Online players beware the video game police
Xbox Live's head cop discusses how he keeps law and order in an online world.
Insider trading: Another glass ceiling?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Martha Stewart notwithstanding, female executives who legally trade on inside information make nice, tidy profits—but not as much as men in the same positions, say researchers at the...
Horse moms tend to be nicer to sons
Do mothers inherently favor sons over daughters? They do if the mom is healthy and she is a wild horse, according to a new study on literal horseplay.
IT workers paid less in P.E.I.
A new study on the information technology labour force on P.E.I. shows workers are paid less on the Island, and employers are having a hard time filling positions.
Major research project highlights the changing face of nurses in films over the last 100 years
An extensive study of how the nursing profession has been portrayed in films over the last century has shown that unflattering stereotypes are becoming less common and nurses are now...
GPs and patients getting older
Not only are patients getting older, the number of general practitioners under 45 has also declined over the past decade, new research has found.
Emory University psychiatrist accused of conflict of interest
Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff failed to report a third of the income he received from companies whose drugs he was evaluating, a congressional investigation finds. ...
Fertile women raise their voice pitch
Study links voice changes to ovulation and suggests human behaviour is similar to other animals in displaying signs of fertility
Research ethics must still apply in disaster zones
Disaster research can help future interventions, but urgency should never excuse exploitation of survivors, says Athula Sumathipala.
Plunge in markets brings another kind of depression
Porter Ranch murder-suicide is an extreme example of the stresses gripping the American psyche, experts say. Mental health professionals say referrals have soared. ...
University: Stem-cell study used falsified data
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The University of Minnesota has concluded that falsified data were used in a 2001 article published by one of its researchers on adult...
Business Cool Toward McCain’s Health Coverage Plan
Business leaders fear that John McCain’s proposal to revamp taxation of health benefits would help to erode employer-sponsored health insurance.
Report: Human evolution has ended
LONDON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- British geneticist Steve Jones says human evolution appears to have come to an end, mainly because fewer older men are fathering children.
Scientists go chatting to hear kids' drug concerns
(AP) -- It's nothing to LOL about. Students these days often have ready access to marijuana, alcohol and tobacco but they don't feel comfortable talking about the ramifications. So,...
World-first device may help solve child language mystery
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers are one step closer to understanding why children can learn languages far more easily than adults, thanks to a world-first device that allows scientists to measure the...
NYC takes calorie-counting campaign to the rails
(AP) -- Craving a burrito with sour cream and guacamole? What if you knew it had more than half the calories you should eat in a day?
Broken symmetry: Answering the solace of quantum
Humans like the comfort of symmetry -- the identical image in the mirror, the matching wings of the baroque mansion, the equal numbers in opposing football teams.
Feature: Mobile phone health an elusive call
Bianca Nogrady examines the latest research into mobile phone safety, and discovers the challenges involved in testing for a health effect when you're not exactly sure what you're looking for.
Test could predict depression risk
A simple emotional intelligence test, similar to an IQ measure, could be used to predict a person's risk of developing depression, research has found.
Hyper kids struggle to identify smells
Scratch and sniff tests could one day tell if a child has ADHD, thanks to new research that has linked a reduced ability to identify smells with the disorder.
Baby, It's All In Your Mind
In the August 15th issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry, Gregory Miller, PhD, and his colleagues released the results of a preliminary study in which they found that stress impacts...
Air turbulence tests 'improved'
Researchers, led by a University of Reading academic, claim to have found a more accurate way of predicting turbulence.