Psychology
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		Health & MedicineAlzheimer’s trade-off for mentally active seniors
Staying mentally active may delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease but may also prompt rapid cognitive decline once symptoms appear.
By Bruce Bower - 			
			
		PsychologySadness response strengthens with age
Older people reacted more strongly to sad scenes than twentysomethings did in a recent study of emotional receptivity.
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		PsychologyDNA variant may make heavy boozing a team sport
People who inherit a particular gene variant may find it more appealing to drink a lot of alcohol when they see others doing so.
By Bruce Bower - 			
			
		PsychologyAncient hominids grabbed early northern exposure
Newly recovered stone tools indicate that hominids lived in chilly northwestern Europe more than 800,000 years ago.
By Bruce Bower - 			
			
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		HumansBotox injections put a crease in emotional evaluations
By immobilizing a muscle needed for frowning, Botox injections may interfere with a person’s ability to assess others’ emotions.
By Bruce Bower - 			
			
		PsychologySocial judgments take touching turns
New evidence suggests that the sense of touch influences people’s willingness to drive a hard bargain or endorse a job candidate.
By Bruce Bower - 			
			
		HumansFor sight-reading music, practice doesn’t make perfect
Individual memory differences may set upper limits on pianists’ sight-reading skill, regardless of their experience.
By Bruce Bower - 			
			
		PsychologyTravelers have southern bias
Southern routes to a destination often get picked over same-distance northern routes, possibly because people equate north with “up.”
By Bruce Bower - 			
			
		HumansSecondhand smoke linked to mental distress
A Scottish survey finds a link between exposure to cigarette smoke and serious emotional problems.
By Bruce Bower - 			
			
		HumansMaking scents of a partner’s feelings
Couples pick up on subtle differences in other half’s emotion-laden odors, new study suggests.
By Bruce Bower - 			
			
		HumansTraumatic events trigger diverse responses
New study compares difficulties faced by survivors of life-threatening events.
By Bruce Bower