Make the Hangover go away with Cerebrafil
Your Brain on Alcohol: How Can You Make A Hangover [...]
Cultural Background Impacts Thoughts About Death
A new study to be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science shows how culture can influence how people respond to mortality. In particular, investigators found European-Americans confronted with thoughts of death are likely to try to protect their sense of self, while Asian-Americans are more likely to reach out to others. Psychologists label the topic [...]
Social Cues Are Difficult for People with Schizophrenia
New research finds that impairment in a brain area make it difficult for people with schizophrenia to understand the nonverbal actions of others. “Misunderstanding social situations and interactions are core deficits in schizophrenia,” said psychologist Dr. Sohee Park of Vanderbilt University. “Our findings may help explain the origins of some of the delusions involving perception [...]
Postural Problems a Sign of Bipolar Illness?
Although motor deficits often accompany a mood or psychiatric disorder, most researchers have not targeted motor areas as a method to improve mental health. In a new study, researchers at Indiana University suggests that postural control problems may be a core feature of bipolar disorder, not just a random symptom. The investigators believe attention to [...]
Brooding, Proud Guys Score High on Sex Appeal
We are all familiar with media advertisements in which sullen looking men, often accompanied by a beautiful women, project an aura of sexuality and decadence. The ‘picture’ sells the product, whatever the product may be. The perceptions created by the ads may be accurate as investigators discover women find happy guys significantly less sexually attractive [...]
Disaster Plans Should Include Those with Mental Illness
When disaster strikes — whether a deadly supercell tornado, a flood, or man-made catastrophe — it is not just those with physical injuries and trauma-related disorders who suffer. Johns Hopkins University researchers say more attention should be devoted to triaging and managing those identified as having mental disorders. In a commentary appearing in the June issue [...]
Does Computer Use Undermine Reading Skills?
A provocative new study suggests increased leisure use of computers by children leads to poorer reading ability. Swedish researchers said this effect is being played out in both Sweden and the United States. Monica Rosén, Ph.D., of the University of Gothenburg, analyzed differences between different countries over time in order to explain change in reading achievement [...]
More Americans Praying for Health Reasons
Researchers have discovered a dramatic increase among American adults in the use of prayer for health issues. Investigators analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 1999, 2002 and 2007 National Health Interview Surveys and determined praying about health issues increased over the past three decades, rising 36 percent between 1999 and 2007. [...]
Obsessive Fears Arise in Response to Compulsions in OCD
The chicken-and-egg question regarding obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), for the most part, is usually answered by identifying obsessive fears as driving the behaviors such as repetitive hand-washing. A new study effectively reverses the order, finding that the repetitive behaviors themselves (the compulsions) might be the precursors to the disorder, and that obsessions may simply be the brain’s [...]
Housework Increases Stress for Dual Wage Earners
A new study from the University of Southern California finds that among dual wage earners, the spouse who does the most housework has elevated levels of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. USC researchers looked at how male and female spouses recover from the burdens of work and how the couples balance their housework and leisure [...]