Music Can Be an Alternative to Opioid-Based Medication for Chronic Pain

Summary: Music has been suggested as a complementary alternative to chronic pain medication. A new study examines the experience of a woman with chronic pain who used music for pain…

Women are More Prone to Alzheimer’s Disease and Stress May Be the Culprit

Summary: Stress may be a factor in why women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid beta rose sharply in the brains of female…

Cracking the Code of VR Sickness: Why Some Experience Motion Sickness While Gaming and Others Don’t

Summary: The way our senses adjust while playing virtual reality (VR) games affects the severity of cybersickness experienced. Researchers measured how participants perceived the orientation of vertical lines before and…

Focusing on Mental Imagery Helps Teens Break Free From Negativity

Summary: A new study reports that negative rumination can be improved by using mental imagery for teens. The researchers reported that mental imagery improves negative affect and helps regulate the…

Schizophrenia Identified in 60 Seconds via Visual Fixation

Summary: Researchers have identified spatial and temporal abnormalities in spontaneous fixational saccades as a potential biomarker for cognitive and positive symptoms in schizophrenia. Researchers combined patient data of fixational eye…

Snap a Selfie for the Memory: Why Third-Person Photos Capture Deeper Meaning of Events

Summary: People are more likely to take third-person photos, like selfies, when their goal is to capture the deeper meaning of an event, but opt for first-person photos when they…

Spread Happiness: Sharing Positive Emotions Can Help Combat Loneliness and Negativity

Summary: A new study suggests that sharing positive feelings with others may ease loneliness-based negativity, which can contribute to psychological issues and physical health problems. Researchers at the University of…

Children and Adults Process Social Interactions Differently: Study Reveals Key Differences in Brain Activation

Summary: A new study found brain differences between adults and children that potentially explain developmental differences in social interaction understanding. The study showed that children and adults might employ different…

Brain differences suggest that children and adults use different strategies to understand social interactions

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Understanding the meaning of social interactions is an important human ability that relies on deciphering different kinds of social information. For example, perceiving body and face…

Pandemic Pet Pals: Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Pet Ownership, Stress, and Loneliness During Lockdown

Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, US dog and cat owners became closer to their pets, though pet ownership did not consistently alleviate stress and loneliness. The relationship between mental health…