Summary: Reading stories that employ “internal focalization”, granting readers direct access to a character’s private remorse, sparks genuine empathy that leads to forgiveness of fictional misdeeds. Researchers found that this…
Tag: Ohio State University
Prenatal Stress Alters the Placenta to Shape Fetal Brain Development
Summary: Chronic stress during pregnancy fundamentally shifts how the placenta communicates with the fetus, altering vital antiviral immune signaling, cellular energy metabolism, and gene-regulatory programs. These placental changes, confirmed across…
Psilocybin Therapy Drives 75% PTSD Remission
Summary: The first U.S. clinical trial evaluating psilocybin-assisted therapy in military veterans with treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has demonstrated significant safety and clinical efficacy. The 11-week pilot trial combined…
Doubting Your Doubts Can Boost Motivation
Summary: When people facing uncertainty about an important identity goal are nudged to question the validity of their own doubts, their commitment to that goal actually increases. The research demonstrates…
Familiar Faces and Fights: What Monkeys Like to Watch Most
Summary: A new study reveals that long-tailed macaques, like humans, are most captivated by videos featuring social conflict and familiar group members. Researchers showed the macaques videos of monkeys engaged…
Psychedelics May Shift Brain Power to the Right Hemisphere
Summary: A new theory suggests that psychedelics promote empathy, insight, and psychological flexibility by making the brain’s right hemisphere temporarily dominant over the left. Known as HEALS—Hemispheric Annealing and Lateralization…
Nearly Half of U.S. Adults Report Weekly Stress from News
Summary: A new national survey reveals that 45% of U.S. adults experience stress at least once a week due to news or social media, with 16% feeling stressed daily. While…
Music Choice Can Harm Productivity
Summary: A new study shows that background music in workplaces can harm employee mood, energy, and job performance when it doesn’t match individual needs. This “music misfit” effect leads to…
Dendrites Link Memories Formed Close in Time
Summary: A new study shows that our brains physically link memories formed close together in time through changes in the dendrites of neurons, rather than in the cell bodies. Using…
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…
