Your Words May Reveal More Than You Think: AI Shows How

Summary: Psychologists are turning to artificial intelligence to uncover hidden psychological cues in speech, from word choice to tone and pacing. These signals can reveal personality traits and even early…

Astrocyte Disruption Tied to Depression After Childhood Stress

Summary: Researchers have shown that astrocytes in the lateral hypothalamus play a pivotal role in how stress shapes behavior, particularly after early-life adversity. In mice, stress led to smaller, less…

Chronic Stress Sends Immune Cells to Brain, Driving Depression

Summary: A new study shows that chronic stress causes immune cells called neutrophils to leave bone marrow in the skull and collect in the brain’s protective membranes, where they contribute…

Adding more green space to a campus is a simple, cheap and healthy way to help millions of stressed and depressed college students

Stress on college students can be palpable, and it hits them from every direction: academic challenges, social pressures and financial burdens, all intermingled with their first taste of independence. It’s…

Depression Disrupts Learning to Avoid Unpleasant Events

Summary: Depression specifically impairs the ability to learn how to actively avoid unpleasant events, though it does not affect avoidance behavior once learned. Researchers tested 465 participants across a range…

Extreme Heat Makes People More Negative

Summary: A large-scale global study shows that extreme heat affects not just our bodies, but also our emotions. Researchers analyzed over a billion social media posts and found that when…

Brain Cells Behind Depression Identified

Summary: Researchers analyzing post-mortem brain tissue found two cell types altered in people with depression: excitatory neurons that regulate mood and stress, and microglia that manage inflammation. The findings highlight…

The Midlife “Unhappiness Hump” Has Vanished, But at a Cost

Summary: A new large-scale study finds that the long-observed “unhappiness hump,” where mental distress peaked in midlife, has disappeared. Instead, younger people now report the highest levels of anxiety, depression,…

Brain Study Reveals Circuit Controlling Depression and Anxiety

Summary: A new study identifies brain area 46 in the marmoset dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as a key regulator of mood-related behavior. When this region was inactivated, the animals showed less…

How Stress Types Differently Impact Brain and Behavior

Summary: Stress is a universal experience, but not all stress affects the brain in the same way. A new study in rats reveals that acute stress provokes anxiety-like behaviors, especially…