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…

Music Sparks Social Imagination and Eases Loneliness

Summary: A large-scale study with 600 participants shows that music can genuinely evoke feelings of companionship by sparking social imagination. When participants listened to folk music, they imagined vivid social…

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…

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,…

Cannabis Linked to Reduced Insomnia and Anxiety

Summary: A new study suggests cannabis-based medical products may help people with insomnia sleep better over the long term. Across 124 patients followed for up to 18 months, participants consistently…

Breathwork and Music Trigger Psychedelic-Like Bliss in the Brain

Summary: New research shows that practicing breathwork while listening to music can induce profound altered states of consciousness similar to those caused by psychedelics. Using self-reports and brain imaging, scientists…

Big Five No More? New Study Uncovers Hidden Personality Traits

Summary: For 40 years, the Big Five personality model has dominated psychology, but new research suggests it may be incomplete. Using taxonomic graph analysis, researchers mapped personality from the ground…

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,…