Psychology

Psychology

Chess players rely on familiar moves even when the game changes

In chess as in life, people use memory as a shortcut for decision-making. That strategy can backfire when the present doesn’t resemblance the past.

Psychology

Uncertainty is on the rise. Here’s how people can cope

Societal upheaval can trigger uncertainty, which makes people susceptible to cognitive traps. Experts suggest some simple tools can help.

Psychology

Loneliness is higher among middle-aged Americans than older ones

Across much of the world, loneliness increases from middle age to later years. That trend is reversed in the United States, a new study shows.

Animals

You might be reading your dog’s moods wrong

A dog's physical cues often take a back seat to environmental ones, skewing humans' perceptions, a small study suggests.

Neuroscience

Human memory is flawed. But a new book says that’s OK

The new book Memory Lane convincingly demonstrates how memories are like Lego buildings that are constantly being rebuilt.

Neuroscience

Parenthood may help the brain stay young

A study of nearly 38,000 adults shows that the number of kids correlates with coordination of brain regions’ activities — regardless of parents’ sex.

Science & Society

Why some chaos-seekers just want to watch the world burn

A political scientist explains how a confluence of personality traits and perceived status loss can encourage some people to generate chaos as a solution to their woes.

Psychology

Breaking negative thought patterns could ward off anxiety, depression

Getting stuck in a negative loop is part of many mental health disorders. A new therapy focuses more on these thought patterns than the thoughts themselves.

Artificial Intelligence

Are AI chatbot ‘personalities’ in the eye of the beholder?

Defining AI chatbot personality could be based on how a bot “feels” about itself or on how a person feels about the bot they’re interacting with.

Psychology

Survivors of the LA fires will face a complex blend of mental health challenges

Logistical needs, like employment and housing, along with psychological needs must be met after disasters like the LA wildfires, research shows.

Humans

How child soldiers heal after the trauma of war

For more than two decades, Theresa Betancourt has studied Sierra Leone’s former child soldiers. Her new book Shadows into Light tells their stories.

Anthropology

Humans have linked emotions to the same body parts for 3,000 years

3,000-year-old clay tablets show that some associations between emotion and parts of the body have remained the same for millennia.