Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Feature: The pursuit of happiness - sustaining human well-being
CSIRO’s Dr Steve Hatfield-Dodds and Anthea Coggan argue that insights from research into happiness and well-being are important to achieving sustainable development in its broadest sense.
Health Journalists Face Translation Challenge, Researchers Find
University of Missouri researchers conducted a national survey and found that the majority of health journalists have not had specialized training in health reporting and face challenges in communicating new...
75 Percent Of Athletes' Parents Let Their Child Skip Exams For A Game
Three quarters of parents of young athletes let their child forgo an exam for an important game, a new study conducted at the University of Haifa has found. In comparison,...
Study Sheds Light On Impact Of Terrorism On Adolescent Depression
In a study on adolescent depression following terror attacks, Professor Golan Shahar of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel, and Professor Christopher Henrich of Georgia State University, report...
Brain study could lead to new understanding of depression
(PhysOrg.com) -- Brain scientists have moved a step closer to understanding why some people may be more prone to depression than others.
New approach needed to tackle child abuse and neglect
Leading child advocates have called for a new approach to tackling child abuse and neglect amid rising rates of abuse notifications and children being brought into State care. The arguments...
Book Review: The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature
In his innovative 2006 bestseller, This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, Daniel J. Levitin, a path-breaking McGill University neuroscientist and former world-class music producer,...
Report Rejects Medicare Boast of Paring Fraud
Medicare officials’ 2006 statements that they had reduced the number of fraudulent and improper claims were misleading, a draft report says.
The New Old Age: The Easiest Marks of All
The elderly can be conned, cheated and harassed both by strangers and family members or caretakers. One blog reader shares her story.
Measles Cases Grow in Number, and Officials Blame Parents’ Fear of Autism
Many parents say they believe vaccines cause autism, even though multiple studies have found no reputable evidence to support such a claim.
Starting Kindergarten Later Gives Students Only A Fleeting Edge, Study Finds
New research challenges a growing trend toward holding kids out of kindergarten until they're older, arguing that academic advantages are short-lived and come at the expense of delaying entry into...
Healthy People And Enhancement Drugs
Healthy people are more willing to take drugs to enhance traits that are not fundamental to their identity. People's willingness to take a pill or drug depends on whether the...
Feature: Social maps strengthen support for abused children
The Take Two program is using social maps to allow traumatised children to express themselves and to help them heal.
A Teacher on the Front Line as Faith and Science Clash
A passionate educator takes Florida’s mandate to teach evolution to students raised to take the biblical creation story as fact.
Antidepressants may help persistent sexual arousal syndrome
I am a woman with over-the-top libido. My doctor says I may have PSAS -- persistent sexual arousal syndrome. The antidepressant Pristiq has helped, but I wonder if there is...
A bad economy means fewer baby boys
Stress caused by money troubles and natural disasters affects the sex ratio, studies show. ...
Hidden epidemic of pelvic floor problems
Researchers have only recently begun to realize how widespread the issues of incontinence and dropped pelvic organs are among women. Treatment is available, and is becoming less-invasive. ...
Road bikes relax a little
The mantra was "Comfort = Performance," and the product was radical in 2005: A high- performance endurance road bike for aging baby boomers who rode a lot but didn't want...
Audits of Medicare drug plans lacking
(AP) -- Nearly three years into the Medicare drug benefit, federal officials have yet to ensure that private drug plans enacted programs to deter fraud and abuse, government investigators...
Habitual snorer? Blame Fido, study suggests
Children with pets are more likely to snore later in life as adults, a Swedish study suggests.
Getting inside the minds of moviegoers
Hollywood studios and neuroscientists are increasingly using technologies such as brain scans to peer inside the minds of moviegoers.
How much risk can you handle? Making better investment decisions
Many Americans make investment decisions with their retirement funds. But they don't always make informed judgments. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research introduces a new tool that...
Personal relationships increase donations
People tend to be more sympathetic to people suffering from the same misfortune as a friend. But friendship with a victim does not make people generally more sympathetic, according to...
A room with a viewpoint: conservation messages and motivation
People are more likely to reuse hotel towels if they know other guests are doing it too. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research examined participation rates in...
Powerful donor motivators for fundraising
People are more likely to donate to pledge drive appeals when fundraisers tap into peoples' desire to help others, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research....
A reason to smile: New immigrants respond best to oral hygiene campaign
Tapping into the desire to have an attractive smile is the best motivator for improving oral hygiene, and new immigrants are the most receptive to oral health messages, according to...
Asked to Volunteer Time, People Give Money
Thinking about donating time reminds people of the happiness achieved through helping others.
The Older The Fatter: Longitudinal Study About Overweight Children
Fast food and soda instead of fruits and vegetables: the consequences can already be seen in children – more and more of them suffer from overweight and adiposity. But what...