Feature Channels: Behavioral Science

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A new study shows that creative people have neither a greater nor lesser ability to override impulses or engage in goal-directed thought.

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There are many factors that account for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory, but Americans would be doing a disservice to their understanding of the country’s political system by ignoring Trump’s 14-year starring role as a reality television personality, according to an associate professor in the University at Buffalo Department of Psychology. Shira Gabriel is lead author of a forthcoming study which is the first to scientifically examine how viewers’ parasocial bonds with Trump, formed through his television shows, “The Apprentice” and “The Celebrity Apprentice,” contributed to his being elected to the nation’s highest office.

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A new study conducted by researchers at The Wistar Institute revealed how a key protein residing in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) helps cells respond to stress. This process is especially important for B cells to respond to severe stress conditions and their ability to produce antibodies. The research was published online in the Journal of Cell Biology.

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Although impressive scientific evidence shows that pain self-management programs based on cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) are effective, they would have greater utility and impact if simplified appropriately for persons with below average literacy skills and impaired cognitive function, according to a leading pain psychologist speaking at the American Pain Society Scientific Summit here.

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A new CU Boulder study shows that one hour of bright light at night nearly eliminates melatonin production in young children and keeps it suppressed an hour after light's out. Structural differences may make children's immature eyes more vulnerable to body clock disruption from light.

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Research by San Francisco State professor Ryan Howell says it’s what we buy that really matters to our well-being.

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Social amoebae evolve to fight with others but also to die for their kin.

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Exposure to trauma is increasingly common among school-aged American students, yet many affected children are not receiving the mental health care that could enable them to heal and thrive. Schools are the most common source of mental health care for students, which is why school administrators, counselors and teachers need the tools to enable them to develop an environment that promotes evidence-based interventions to help students overcome trauma and excel.

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Higher levels of biomarkers for inflammation correlate with better outcomes following ECT; findings could help prioritize candidates for the treatment

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Sherri Williams, assistant professor of race media and communication at American University teams with Wake Forest University professor Melissa Harris-Perry and The Nation to launch "Black On Campus," a new effort to train the next generation of black journalists.

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In her latest book, Diane Shoos examines portrayals of abusive relationships on the Silver Screen that reinforce who and what we believe about domestic violence.

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People who suffer from insomnia could be cured of the dangerous sleep disorder by following a six-week, drug-free regimen recommended by a sleep physician at Virginia Mason Medical Center.

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Reach for the hand of a loved one in pain and not only will your breathing and heart rate synchronize with theirs, your brain wave patterns will couple up.

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Research led by Jared Martin, a psychology graduate student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, shows that smiles meant to convey dominance are associated with a physical reaction — a spike in stress hormones — in their targets. On the other hand, smiles intended as a reward, to reinforce behavior, appear to physically buffer recipients against stress.

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New research by Vanderbilt economist Joni Hersch finds there are not strong enough incentives to push companies to eliminate or mitigate the risk of workplace sexual harassment.

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Scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered a new target for treating major depressive disorder, a disease that affects more than 16 million American adults.

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Rutgers and Stanford researchers develop new mathematical model to explain how smartphones act as “portable funhouse mirrors”

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Backed by a $3.6 million National Institutes of Health grant, a Michigan State University researcher is looking to reduce postpartum depression by expanding a preventative program that has already shown it can cut the postpartum depression rate in half among low-income women.

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People who are more image conscious tend to support more crowdfunding campaigns according to a new study. The research, from the University of Portsmouth, says that funders who have a public profile containing a photo are more likely to be image conscious and will engage in significantly greater levels of visible funding activity compared with those without.

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The program, called STIR (Sunset Terrace Integration and Recovery), requires a 12-month commitment and encourages patients to increase their health literacy, take an active role in their care, and get to know their team of providers.

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Today, the Obama Foundation and the University of Chicago announced the Obama Foundation Scholars Program, a new program at the Harris School of Public Policy to support the next generation of leaders making an impact on issues in their communities and around the world.

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The stress on survivors and the families of victims of mass shootings is obvious to anyone who listens to the many firsthand accounts that come to light in the days that follow these incidents.

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In the wake of a mass shooting that took the lives of 17 students and teachers at a South Florida high school, a vast majority of Floridians support stricter gun laws, including a ban on assault-style rifles, universal background checks and raising the minimum age for gun purchasers, according to a statewide survey by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI).

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Tracking nearly 8,000 girls from adolescence through their late 20s – far longer than other studies have – a Cornell University researcher says girls who get their periods earlier than peers are likely to experience depression and antisocial behavior well into adulthood. The study, “Age at Menarche, Depression and Antisocial Behavior in Adulthood,” was published Dec. 26, 2017, in Pediatrics.

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Racial discrimination can have serious health consequences. A new study led by the University of California, Irvine has found that more self-reported incidents among black and Latino adults corresponded to higher blood pressure levels, putting these populations at greater risk for cardiovascular disease.

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The rural physician shortage is well-established, and there's the notion that doctors don't necessarily establish their practices where need for health care is greatest––in poor and unhealthy communities

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Rutgers palliative care expert Judy Barberio gives patients and their families strategies on how to ease the transition to end-of-life care

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What prompts some people to intervene in cyberbullying, while others just stand idly by? A Cornell University research team has discovered a way to encourage people to intervene – and it can be built right into the design of social networking sites.

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Does life really begin at 40? Is 50 the new 30? For people in these age groups, the answer appears to be yes. But for young adults in their teens and early 20s, turning 50 equates to hitting old age. A new study of more than a half-million Americans led by a Michigan State University scholar shows just how skewed views of aging can be - particularly among the young.

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Most election polls take the political pulse of a state or nation by reaching out to citizens about their voting plans. Santa Fe Institute Professor Mirta Galesic says pollsters might also ask: how do your friends plan to vote?

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Being a responsible student, maintaining an interest in school and having good reading and writing skills will not only help a teenager get good grades in high school but could also be predictors of educational and occupational success decades later, regardless of IQ, parental socioeconomic status or other personality factors, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

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New research from the University of Notre Dame discovers people appear to stop conceiving babies several months before recessions begin. 

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Women face several options when it comes to birth control, so potential side effects often factor into their decision. Depression is a common concern for many women, but a new study by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is putting patients at ease.

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New research from an American University professor finds that teen attitudes towards drinking can be changed with the help of a short public service announcement.

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Alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment and recovery research typically focuses on outcomes such as 'days abstinent.' Yet the degree to which individuals may be functioning better physically, socially and psychologically, how happy they may be, and their levels of self-esteem may be equally important as measures of progress. Little is known about whether such changes occur, when they may occur, and for whom, as people progress in recovery. This study sought to improve understanding of recovery milestones and points of vulnerability and growth.

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The “loudness” of our thoughts--or how we imagine saying something--influences how we judge the loudness of real, external sounds.

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A UCLA study explored the relationship between new drivers' skills to age, gender and playing organized sports or video games. The results suggest all novice drivers should undergo mandatory training, not just teenagers. Age: Among males, the older the student, the worse his driving skills score.

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Recent studies suggest that ketamine, a widely used anesthetic agent, could offer a wholly new approach to treating severe depression—producing an antidepressant response in hours rather than weeks. Two reviews of recent evidence on ketamine and related drugs for treating depression appear in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, published by Wolters Kluwer.

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Approximately one in four preschoolers in the US are overweight or obese, and poor nutrition in early childhood has enduring consequences to children’s cognitive functioning. Preschool, therefore, is a critical period for children to begin to make their own dietary decisions to develop life-long healthy eating habits. A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that preschoolers who learned how to classify food as healthy or unhealthy were more likely to say they would choose healthy food as a snack.

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In one sense, the digital divide between teenagers from different socio-economic backgrounds is narrowing: All increasingly have access to technologies such as smartphones and computers. But a new digital divide appears to be emerging over the types of experiences these teens have online, according to a University of California, Irvine researcher.

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An international team of researchers led by a Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine scientist has uncovered a novel mechanism in which a protein—neuregulin 3—controls how key neurotransmitters are released in the brain during schizophrenia. The protein is elevated in people with schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses, but the study is the first to investigate how it causes such severe mental illness.

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Paul Marvar, PhD, at GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, received a large grant from the NIH to study a possible link between post-traumatic stress disorder and cardiovascular disease.

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A new study shows that individuals who possess high primary psychopathic characteristics appear to have distinct advantages over those who don’t, when working for an abusive supervisor.

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Cuando alguien padece una enfermedad crónica, bien puede poner sus esperanzas en los tratamientos de los ensayos clínicos que, al principio, muestran resultados positivos. Sin embargo, esos resultados posiblemente sean exagerados en 1 de cada 3 de los primeros ensayos clínicos.

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The midterm election may signal more than a change of direction in Washington, said Dianne Bystrom, director of Iowa State’s Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics. It also may determine if 2016 was an anomaly or the new norm for future elections.

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Republicans who believe that God is very involved with humanity are like Democrats — more liberal — when it comes to social and economic justice issues, according to a Baylor University study. Meanwhile, Democrats who see God as a strict father tend to agree about with "an eye-for-an-eye" policy when it comes to harsher criminal punishment and military solutions to foreign conflicts.

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Some young people with cerebral palsy and other conditions exceeded their own expectations during a ski trip to Windham Mountain. The Adaptive Sports Academy at New York City’s Hospital for Special Surgery sponsored the trip for young patients who see doctors or physical therapists at the hospital.

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New research finds that altruism – and social media – can help corporations cultivate trust with consumers on mobile devices during and after natural disasters, such as hurricanes.