Summary: Open-world video games can significantly improve relaxation and mental health, especially for postgraduate students. These games, offering expansive environments and player autonomy, provide a form of cognitive escapism that…
Tag: Psychology
Study Ties Visual Errors to Paranoid Beliefs
Summary: A new study suggests complex beliefs like paranoia may have roots in visual misperception. Participants prone to paranoia or teleological thinking were more likely to wrongly identify one moving…
Teen Brain’s Blunted Reward Response Predicts Depression Onset
Summary: A new study reveals that a reduced neural response to rewards in teens predicts the first onset of depression, but not anxiety or suicidality. Researchers used EEG scans to…
Ketamine Reduces “Giving Up” by Targeting Brain Support Cells
Summary: Researchers have found that ketamine’s antidepressant effects target astroglia, a type of brain support cell, rather than neurons, challenging conventional views. Using zebrafish, scientists observed that ketamine suppressed the…
AI Tweaks Personality Tests to Appear More Likable
Summary: Large language models (LLMs) can identify when they are being given personality tests and adjust their responses to appear more socially desirable. Researchers found that LLMs, like GPT-4, showed…
Being Watched Changes How Your Brain Processes Faces
Summary: A new study shows that knowing you’re under surveillance triggers a faster, automatic brain response to detect faces and gaze direction. Researchers found that participants monitored via CCTV became…
Twin Dynamics: How Developmental Differences Shape Dominance Roles
Summary: A new study reveals that developmental differences strongly influence dominance roles in twin relationships, with typically developing twins perceived as dominant over their nontypically developing siblings. This dominance imbalance…
Positive Attitude Boosts Passion and Determination
Summary: New research links a positive attitude, or “growth mindset,” to higher levels of passion and determination. A study of over 1,500 participants aged 13 to 77 found that those…
Moms Carry 71% of the Mental Load
Summary: New research shows that mothers take on 71% of household mental load tasks, including planning, scheduling, and organizing, while fathers manage just 45%. This imbalance often leads to stress,…
Genetic Mechanism Links Emotional Experiences to Behavior Changes
Summary: Researchers have identified a genetic mechanism that regulates behavioral adaptations to emotional experiences by forming R-loops, unique RNA:DNA structures that activate target genes. The study focused on NPAS4, a…
