Summary: In the first study of its kind, researchers found that psychedelic use can positively affect sexuality, romantic relationships, and gender expression. Surveying nearly 600 users of substances like psilocybin,…
Category: brain research
How Sleep Rewrites the Brain to Strengthen and Optimize Memories
Summary: A new study reveals how the brain reprocesses and refines memories during sleep, particularly those related to spatial learning. Researchers tracked rats’ hippocampal neuron activity for up to 20…
“Mental Booster Shots” Strengthen Resistance to Fake News
Summary: New research reveals that short, memory-focused interventions can help individuals resist misinformation more effectively and retain these skills over extended periods, acting as “psychological booster shots.” The study evaluated…
Prenatal Stress Timing Shapes Infant Stress Response
Summary: New research reveals that the timing of stress during pregnancy has gender-specific effects on infants, altering how boys and girls respond to stress differently. Scientists found mid-pregnancy stress has…
Anxiety and Apathy Affect Decision-Making in Opposite Ways
Summary: A new study reveals that anxiety and apathy lead to fundamentally different patterns in decision-making under uncertainty. Anxious individuals perceive their environment as highly volatile, leading them to explore…
Study Links Spite to Conspiracy Theory Beliefs
Summary: A new study finds that spite—driven by feelings of uncertainty, threat, or disadvantage—plays a key role in conspiracy theory belief. Researchers analyzed data from 1,000 participants and found that…
Ignoring Your Better Judgment Increases Regret and Self-Blame
Summary: A new study reveals that people feel more culpable when they follow bad advice than when they make poor decisions independently. Researchers found that going against one’s better judgment…
Adverse Childhood Experiences Impact Brain Development and Mental Health
Summary: A decade-long study reveals how childhood adversity alters brain development, increasing risks for mental health disorders and substance use. Researchers found that teens who experienced early adversity showed delayed…
Optimism and Pessimism Shape Resilience and Risk
Summary: Researchers examined how optimism and pessimism influenced well-being and behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzing data from a large-scale study of older adults, they found that optimism was linked…
