All Articles Tagged As: emotions

Imaging study provides glimpse of alcohol's effect on brain (5/5/2008)

Findings help explain why people engage in risky behavior while intoxicated ...> Full Article

Cause and Affect: Emotions can be unconsciously and subliminally evoked (4/29/2008)

Recent research suggests emotions can be unconsciously evoked and manipulated ...> Full Article

More clues to midlife dementia that erases personality (4/22/2008)

New clues have been uncovered about a mystifying, hidden dementia that robs its victims of empathy and social skills, and leads to an early death. ...> Full Article

Study finds teasing may be more damaging than once thought (4/20/2008)

Children are more likely to interpret teasing -- even teasing intended to be harmless -- as negative rather than positive ...> Full Article

Study suggests genetic factors associated with common fears (4/8/2008)

Genetic factors that are associated with fears appear to change as children and adolescents age, with some familial factors declining in importance over time while other genetic risk factors arise in adolescence and adulthood ...> Full Article

A Little Anxiety Pays Sometimes, Study Shows (4/6/2008)

Researchers identify region of brain that plays a key role in predicting harm and also learning to avoid it ...> Full Article

Fear of Messing Up May Undermine Interracial Contact (4/4/2008)

Research shows that many Americans feel anxious during interracial interactions whether or not race is even mentioned ...> Full Article

Study Shows the Upside of Anger (3/27/2008)

Psychologists tested whether people prefer to experience emotions that are potentially useful, even when they are unpleasant to experience. ...> Full Article

Money buys happiness when you spend on others (3/25/2008)

Researchers have found that it's possible to buy happiness after all: when you spend money on others. ...> Full Article

Changing stress levels can make brain flip from 'desire' to 'dread' (3/24/2008)

A single brain circuit mediates desire and dread according to a new study ...> Full Article

The regulation of negative emotions: impact on brain activity (3/21/2008)

Emotions play an important role in the lives of humans, and influence our behavior, thoughts, decisions, and interactions. The ability to regulate emotions is essential to both mental and physical well-being. "Conversely, difficulties with emotion regulation have been postulated as a core mechanism underlying mood and anxiety disorders," according to the authors of a new study published in Biological Psychiatry on March 15th. Thus, these researchers set out to further expand our understanding of the differential effects of emotion regulation strategies on the human brain. ...> Full Article

Disgusting videos key to first-ever brain imaging study comparing ways of controlling emotions (3/19/2008)

Researchers have conducted the first-ever brain imaging study that directly contrasts two different techniques for emotion regulation. ...> Full Article

To bet or not to bet: How the brain learns to estimate risk (3/18/2008)

Researchers from EPFL and Caltech have made an important neurobiological discovery of how humans learn to predict risk. The research, appearing in the March 12 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, will shed light on why certain kinds of risk, notably financial risk, are often underestimated, and whether abnormal behavior such as addiction (e.g. to gambling or drugs) could be caused by an erroneous evaluation of risk. ...> Full Article

Emotional 'bummer' of cocaine addiction mimicked in animals (3/15/2008)

Cocaine addicts often suffer a downward emotional spiral that is a key to their craving and chronic relapse. While researchers have developed animal models of the reward of cocaine, they have not been able to model this emotional impact, until now. ...> Full Article

Mother-daughter conflict, low serotonin level may be deadly combination (3/11/2008)

A combination of negative mother-daughter relationships and low blood levels of serotonin, an important brain chemical for mood stability, may be lethal for adolescent girls, leaving them vulnerable to engage in self-harming behaviors such as cutting themselves. ...> Full Article

Researchers unlock snake and spider mystery (3/11/2008)

researchers have unlocked new evidence that could help them get to the bottom of our most common phobias and their causes. ...> Full Article

Spanking Kids Increases Risk of Sexual Problems as Adults, New Research Shows (3/2/2008)

Children who are spanked or victims of other corporal punishment are more likely to have sexual problems as a teen or adult ...> Full Article

The Evolution of Aversion: Why even children are fearful of snakes (3/1/2008)

Some of the oldest tales and wisest mythology allude to the snake as a mischievous seducer, dangerous foe or powerful iconoclast; however, the legend surrounding this proverbial predator may not be based solely on fantasy. As scientists from the University of Virginia recently discovered, the common fear of snakes is most likely intrinsic. ...> Full Article

Advertisers, neuroscientists trace source of emotions in brain (2/20/2008)

First came direct marketing, then focus groups. Now, advertisers, with the help of neuroscientists, are closing in on the holy grail: mind reading. ...> Full Article

The Beauty Bias: Can people love the one they are compatible with? (2/17/2008)

Physical attractiveness is important in choosing whom to date. Good looking people are not only popular targets for romantic pursuits, they themselves also tend to flock together with more attractive others. Does this mean then that more attractive versus less attractive people wear a different pair of lens when evaluating others' attractiveness? ...> Full Article

What do we mean when we talk of love? (2/14/2008)

Just in time for Valentine's Day, psychologist Dacher Keltner demystifies the biological manifestations of everyone's favorite heartfelt emotion ...> Full Article

Misery is not Miserly: New Study Finds Why Even Momentary Sadness Increases Spending (2/13/2008)

How you are feeling has an impact on your routine economic transactions, whether you’re aware of this effect or not. ...> Full Article

Very Young Found To Process Fear Memories In Unique Way (2/8/2008)

Very young brains process memories of fear differently than more mature ones, new research indicates. The findings appear in the Feb. 6 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The work significantly advances scientific understanding of when and how fear is stored and unlearned, and introduces new thinking on the implications of fear experience early in life. ...> Full Article

Laughter Is The Best Medicine (1/28/2008)

Laughter is the best medicine. We've heard the expression time and again. For decades, researchers have explored how humor helps patients relieve stress and heal. Melissa B. Wanzer, EdD, professor of communication studies at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, has taken it one step further, with her research on how humor helps medical professionals cope with their difficult jobs. She also looked at how humor affects the elderly and how it can increase communication in the workplace and in the classroom. ...> Full Article

Don't worry, be (moderately) happy, research suggests (1/27/2008)

Could the pursuit of happiness go too far? Most self-help books on the subject offer tips on how to maximize one's bliss, but a new study suggests that moderate happiness may be preferable to full-fledged elation. ...> Full Article

Sports machismo may be cue to male teen violence (1/26/2008)

The sports culture surrounding football and wrestling may be fueling aggressive and violent behavior not only among teen male players but also among their male friends and peers on and off the field, according to a Penn State study. ...> Full Article

A good fight may keep you and your marriage healthy (1/25/2008)

A good fight with your spouse may be good for your health, research suggests. ...> Full Article

Team Identifies Key Factor in Stress Effects on the Brain (1/23/2008)

Acute and chronic stress can have devastating effects on the brain, and Yale School of Medicine researchers have pinpointed one receptor that plays a key role in that harmful cycle, it was reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...> Full Article

Aggression as rewarding as sex, food and drugs (1/15/2008)

New research from Vanderbilt University shows for the first time that the brain processes aggression as a reward - much like sex, food and drugs - offering insights into our propensity to fight and our fascination with violent sports like boxing and football. ...> Full Article

Bullies target teenagers unable to express emotion (1/6/2008)

Youngsters with specific language impairment (SLI) are unable to verbally express their feelings and find it difficult to understand what others are saying due to a developmental problem with their language. However they show no physical signs of the disorder, have otherwise normal intellectual ability and do enjoy socialising, so often appear to other people as just 'unusual'. This can lead to them being ostracised or even attacked by their peers. ...> Full Article

Bright Light Therapy Eases Bipolar Depression for Some (1/4/2008)

Bright light therapy can ease bipolar depression in some patients, according to a study published in the journal Bipolar Disorders. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic studied nine women with bipolar disorder to examine the effects of light therapy in the morning or at midday on mood symptoms. ...> Full Article

Experts Debate the Role of Psychology in Interrogations (12/28/2007)

The involvement of psychologists in interrogations is a subject of great interest among practicing psychologists, researchers, policy advocates and interrogators. There are greatly varying opinions about what role psychologists should play in interrogation settings. For example, at last summer's meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco, representatives of the APA Council of Representatives voted against banning participation of psychologists, and in favor of adopting an alternative resolution. ...> Full Article

Scientists Identify Brain Abnormalities Underlying Key Element of Borderline Personality Disorder (12/26/2007)

Using new approaches, an interdisciplinary team of scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City has gained a view of activity in key brain areas associated with a core difficulty in patients with borderline personality disorder-shedding new light on this serious psychiatric condition. ...> Full Article

Humor Develops From Aggression Caused By Male Hormones, Professor Says (12/25/2007)

Humor appears to develop from aggression caused by male hormones, according to a study published in the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal. ...> Full Article

What's the Rush? Taking Time to Acknowledge Loss is not that Bad (12/22/2007)

There are two guarantees in every person's life: happiness and sadness. Although lost opportunities and mistaken expectations are often unpleasant to think and talk about, these experiences may impact personality development and overall happiness. A seven-year study conducted by Laura King, a researcher at the University of Missouri, indicates that individuals who take time to stop and think about their losses are more likely to mature and achieve a potentially more durable sense of happiness. ...> Full Article

Meditation can change brain function, psychology study says (12/17/2007)

Feeling stressed or depressed? You may one day be prescribed meditation rather than medication, thanks to a study conducted by researchers from the Department of Psychology and the Centre for Addiction andMental Health (CAMH) at St. Joseph's Hospital. ...> Full Article

Money motivates - especially when your colleague gets less (12/15/2007)

Brain scanning experiment shows how much we take others' earnings as a measure of our success ...> Full Article

Research Finds Voters' Bodies Recoil at Negative Political Advertising; Brain Remembers Negative Messages (12/14/2007)

As the great race begins, professor discusses physiological impact of negative campaign advertising. ...> Full Article

Natural Human hormone as the next antidepressant? (12/11/2007)

A search for novel treatment strategies in coping with depression has revealed that erythropoietin, or Epo, a hormone naturally produced by the kidneys to stimulate the formation of red blood cells, affects cognitive and associated neural responses in humans, and could potentially be used in the treatment of depression. ...> Full Article

Mental illness and drug addiction may co-occur due to disturbance in the brain's seat of anxiety and fear (12/9/2007)

Study finds rats with amygdalas damaged at birth showed abnormal adult behavior related to fear plus greater cocaine sensitivity ...> Full Article

This Is Your Brain on Violent Media (12/8/2007)

Behavior Control Center in Brain Less Responsive After Repeated Exposure to Violence May Lead to Aggressive Behavior ...> Full Article

Fear is stronger motivator to get fit than hope for those worrying about their bodies (11/28/2007)

Fear of looking unattractive can be a stronger motivation for keeping people going to the gym than the hope of looking good, a study says. ...> Full Article

Researchers Use Brain Imaging to Demonstrate How Men and Women Cope Differently Under Stress (11/25/2007)

Findings have implications for identifying gender differences in mood disorders ...> Full Article

Selective memory helpful short-term but harmful long-term (11/22/2007)

People who block out unpleasant memories or issues may enjoy short-term gains but emotionally detaching themselves causes long-term consequences. ...> Full Article

Effects of Social Isolation Traced to Brain Hormone (11/15/2007)

The anxiety and aggression that result from social isolation have been traced to altered levels of an enzyme that controls production of a brain hormone. ...> Full Article

Fears Can Be Treated Successfully With Combination of Drugs and Behavior Therapy (11/14/2007)

Medication combined with behavioral therapy can be effective in helping individuals fight their fears ...> Full Article

Marijuana-like brain chemicals work as antidepressant (11/6/2007)

Study on anandamide shows how endocannabinoid system can be targeted for new pharmaceuticals to treat depression ...> Full Article

From Terror to Joy: Faced with Death, Our Minds Turn to Happier Thoughts (10/24/2007)

Philosophers and scientists have long been interested in how the mind processes the inevitability of death, both cognitively and emotionally. One would expect, for example, that reminders of our mortality--say the sudden death of a loved one--would throw us into a state of disabling fear of the unknown. But that doesn't happen. If the prospect of death is so incomprehensible, why are we not trembling in a constant state of terror over this fact? ...> Full Article

Why it is Impossible for Some to 'Just Say No' (10/12/2007)

Drug abuse, crime and obesity are but a few of the problems our nation faces, but they all have one thing in common--people’s failure to control their behavior in the face of temptation. While the ability to control and restrain our impulses is one of the defining features of the human animal, its failure is one of the central problems of human society. So, why do we so often lack this crucial ability? ...> Full Article

What emotional memories are made of (10/5/2007)

Mouse experiments reveal 'flight or fight' hormone's role ...> Full Article

The Karma of Gratitude (7/19/2007)

Gratitude may seem like a simple emotion, but Robert Emmons argues that it inspires kindness, connection, and transformative life changes. And he's done the research to prove it. ...> Full Article

Emotional Memories Can Be Suppressed With Practice (7/16/2007)

A new University of Colorado at Boulder study shows people have the ability to suppress emotional memories with practice, which has implications for those suffering from conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to depression. ...> Full Article