Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
For older adults, participating in social service activities can improve brain functions
Volunteer service, such as tutoring children, can help older adults delay or reverse declining brain function, according to a new study. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers found...
Couples who do the dishes together stay happier
A new study published by The University of Western Ontario reveals that couples who share the responsibility for paid and unpaid work report higher average measures of happiness and life...
MCG scientists decode memory-forming brain cell conversations
The conversations neurones have as they form and recall memories have been decoded by Medical College of Georgia scientists...
The importance of attractiveness depends on where you live
Do good-looking people really benefit from their looks, and in what ways? A team of researchers from the University of Georgia and the University of Kansas found that yes; attractive...
Psychotherapy offers obesity prevention for 'at risk' teenage girls
A team of scientists at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the National Institutes of Health have piloted psychotherapy treatment to prevent excessive weight gain in teenager...
Feature: Feeling no pain
Every week some AFL players need painkilling jabs to get on the field, writes Dr Jodi Richardson.
Text Retrieval Expert Named Distinguished Scientist by Computing Group
Ellen Voorhees, leader of the text retrieval group in the Information Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), was recently recognized as a "Distinguished Scientist" by...
Music and the arts fight depression, promote health
If you paint, dance or play a musical instrument – or just enjoy going to the theater or to concerts -- it’s likely that you feel healthier and are less...
Letters: Scientific approach to Darwin and the origin of natural selection
Such generalisations (Letters, 11 December) only serve to fuel the Darwin myth. Let's be specific. Darwin's claim that he had understood the concept of natural selection for 20 years was dishonest. Darwin's use...
Time for a new view of late-life dementia
Two new studies published in the December 16, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association point to the need for a broader scientific perspective on late-life dementia,...
Pension fund switch to decentralized management right way to go, landmark study finds
As pension funds have grown and become increasingly complex many have turned to using multiple, often pricier specialist managers to steer their investment decisions.
Parents encouraged to avoid purchasing lottery tickets as gifts for minors
(PhysOrg.com) -- In the flurry of activity before the holidays, some well-meaning family members consider buying lottery tickets and scratch cards as affordable, colourful, and potentially promising gift options for...
Experiential learning teaches change and adaptation
MADISON, WI, December 15, 2009 -- Economics, environmental impacts, social dynamics, and production levels are all major factors that influence the overall success of an agroecosystem. Positive or negative,...
Teen drug use survey seen as 'warning sign'
'When beliefs soften, drug use worsens,' says Obama's drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, referring to a study that shows fewer teens believe use of marijuana, inhalants, LSD and Ecstasy is risky. ...
Experiential Learning Teaches Change and Adaptation
This study analyzed the impact of experiential learning on students through a study of an agroecology course. Via a mixed-methods analysis, researchers determined that the course measurably impacted participating...
Psychologist to examine childhood depression
Research by Binghamton University psychologist Brandon Gibb could provide new weapons for the fight against childhood depression. Working with colleagues around the country, he hopes to identify the causes of...
How to encourage big ideas
Scientists are much more likely to produce innovative research when using long-term grants that allow them exceptional freedom in the lab, according to a new study co-written by MIT economists.The work shows that...
Rogers charges for texts contract says are free
A B.C. mother with three teenagers is speaking out about how Rogers Wireless cost her money she didn't expect to pay, by arbitrarily changing the terms of her contract for...
Stereotypes steer women away from computer science
Surroundings can ‘communicate a sense of belonging’ or ‘exclusion’
People who 'see' numbers have better memories for dates
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new research project has shown that people who perceive numbers visually, and who see sequences of numbers as visual patterns, have better memories for dates and events...
Marriage is good for the health: global study
Despite the barbs of comedians and the spectacular bust-ups documented in the gossip magazines, marriage really is good for you, international research has found.
Marriage gives risky boost
A study has found that marriage reduces the risk of mental disorders, such as depression – but divorce has the opposite effect.
No need to split twins for good grades: study
Whether or not twins are separated at school, a subject of debate that is often a dilemma for parents, has no affect on their grades, according to a Dutch study...
Plan for Kidney Drugs Spurs Division
A plan to help pay for the drugs that transplant recipients need has run into opposition from dialysis providers, drug companies and the National Kidney Foundation.
Rain or Shine? Computer Models How Brain Cells Reach a Decision
(PhysOrg.com) -- Yale University researchers have devised a computer model to explain how the brain makes decisions based on statistical probabilities-as, for instance, when a doctor makes a diagnosis based...
Real loneliness can do serious damage
Neuroscientist John Cacioppo says social pain is akin to physical pain. So what can be done to make it better?'Tis the season to be lonely. Half a million pensioners will spend Christmas...
Teen marijuana use tilts up, while some drugs decline in use
(PhysOrg.com) -- Marijuana use among American adolescents has increased gradually over the past two years (three years among 12th-graders) following years of declining use, according to the latest Monitoring the...
Case Shined First Light on Abuse of Children
In 1874, it took the A.S.P.C.A. to bring the case of a battered 10-year-old, Mary Ellen McCormack, before a New York court.