Summary: Touch can strengthen bonds and calm stress, but not all affection is sincere. A new study reveals that people with “dark triad” traits—narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism—often use physical touch…
Tag: emotion
Feeling the Music: Touch Amplifies Emotional Power of Sound
Summary: A new study shows that combining touch with hearing profoundly intensifies emotional responses to music. Using a custom-built device that transforms sound into tactile vibrations, researchers found that people…
What You Choose to Remember Shapes Memory More Than Emotion
Summary: A new study reveals that intentional memory control—deciding what to remember or forget—is more powerful than emotional influence when forming long-term memories. Participants were more likely to recall words…
How Growing Up Changes the Way We Hear, and Feel, Music
Summary: Our music preferences evolve across life — from youthful exploration to nostalgic reflection. A large-scale analysis of 40,000 users’ streaming data over 15 years revealed that young listeners engage…
Every Heartbeat Shapes Thoughts and Emotions
Summary: Researchers emphasize that the heart and brain are deeply interconnected, with every heartbeat influencing cognition and emotion within milliseconds. This link helps explain why cardiovascular diseases like hypertension often…
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…
Hormonal Contraceptives Influence Memory of Emotional Events
Summary: A new study reveals that hormonal contraceptives may shape both emotional responses and memory processing in women. Compared with naturally cycling women, users of hormonal birth control had stronger…
Belief in Success and Meaning in Life Boost Well-Being
Summary: New research shows that meaning in life and self-efficacy—the belief in one’s ability to succeed—are critical for well-being, regardless of sex. Men reported higher levels of passion and self-efficacy,…
Music After Learning Boosts Memory, But Only at the Right Emotion Level
Summary: A new study reveals that listening to music immediately after an experience can enhance memory—if the emotional response is just right. Researchers found that volunteers who experienced moderate arousal…
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…
