Psychology

  1. woman looking bored at a laptop
    Psychology

    In the social distancing era, boredom may pose a public health threat

    Boredom contributes to pandemic fatigue and may account for why some people don’t follow social distancing rules.

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  2. masked student looking at a computer
    Psychology

    The COVID-19 pandemic made U.S. college students’ mental health even worse

    College students struggled with mental health problems before the pandemic. Now, some vulnerable students are even more at risk.

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  3. Bonobos grooming
    Animals

    Bonobos, much like humans, show commitment to completing a joint task

    Experiments with bonobos suggest that humans aren’t the only ones who can feel a sense of mutual responsibility toward other members of their species.

    By
  4. woman inside wearing mask
    Neuroscience

    Lonely brains crave people like hungry brains crave food

    After hours of isolation, dopamine-producing cells in the brain fire up in response to pictures of humans, showing our social side runs deep.

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  5. woman staring off to the side looking troubled
    Psychology

    ‘Deaths of despair’ are rising. It’s time to define despair

    A sense of defeat, not mental ailments, may be derailing the lives of less-educated people in the United States.

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  6. Science & Society

    ‘The Origins of You’ explores how kids develop into their adult selves

    A new book describes the interplay of nature and nurture as children, at least in Western societies, grow up.

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  7. Maya sculpture of woman holding child
    Humans

    Ancient sculptures hint at universal facial expressions across cultures

    Interpreting the emotions carved onto sculptures from long ago offers a new way to study how humans perceive facial expressions.

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  8. Woman at graduation
    Psychology

    Why do we miss the rituals put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic?

    Even solitary rituals bind us to our groups and help calm anxieties. What happens when those traditions are upended?

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  9. children playing soccer in Iraq
    Science & Society

    Interfaith soccer teams eased Muslim-Christian tensions — to a point

    Soccer bonded Christian and Muslim teammates in Iraq, but that camaraderie didn’t change attitudes.

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  10. surprised-looking rhesus macaque monkey
    Psychology

    Monkeys may share a key grammar-related skill with humans

    A contested study suggests the ability to embed sequences within other sequences, a skill called recursion and crucial to grammar, has ancient roots.

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  11. Neuroscience

    How coronavirus stress may scramble our brains

    The pandemic has made clear thinking a real struggle. But researchers say knowing how stress affects the brain can help people cope.

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  12. Psychology

    A simple exercise on belonging helps black college students years later

    Black college freshmen who did a one-hour training on belonging reported higher professional and personal satisfaction years later.

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