Summary: Dogs trained to use soundboards can combine two-word buttons purposefully to communicate needs and desires, rather than randomly or by imitating their owners. Researchers analyzed over 260,000 button presses…
Category: Psychology
Older Adults Are Risk-Takers Who Learn and Adapt Quickly
Summary: New research challenges stereotypes about older adults, revealing that they are more willing to take risks than younger individuals and are equally adept at resisting manipulation. Using gambling tasks,…
Music Can Change the Emotional Tone of Your Memories
Summary: New research reveals that music can do more than trigger memories—it can alter their emotional tone. When participants recalled neutral stories while listening to emotionally charged music, they later…
Why Fidgeting Bothers Some People
Summary: Misokinesia, affecting about one-third of individuals, is an aversion to repetitive bodily movements like fidgeting, causing emotional, cognitive, and physical distress. New research explores its impact on daily life,…
Depression Genes in Women Linked to Higher Heart Disease Risk
Summary: A new study analyzing genetic data from over 300,000 people revealed that women with a high genetic risk for depression also face a higher likelihood of developing heart disease,…
Leaded Gas Exposure Linked to Mental Illness
Summary: A new study estimates that childhood lead exposure, peaking between 1960 and 1990 due to leaded gasoline, caused 151 million excess cases of mental illness by 2015. Researchers linked…
How We Filter Out Background Sounds When Speaking
Summary: Researchers have traced how the brain filters out background noise during speech using signals between the motor and auditory cortices. These milliseconds-long electrical signals, called auditory corollary discharge, originate…
Empathy Loss in Dementia Linked to Brain Activity Changes
Summary: Frontotemporal dementia, affecting about 3% of dementia patients in Sweden, is characterized by a loss of empathy that challenges patients and their families. Using functional MRI, researchers found that…
How Alcohol Increases Pain Tolerance, and Aggression
Summary: Alcohol not only raises pain tolerance but also amplifies aggression, according to a new study. Researchers found that participants who drank alcohol had higher pain thresholds and were more…
