Current reporting, research and professional developments across Psychology, curated for psychologists and behavioral-health professionals.
In response to the global issue where approximately a quarter of the population suffers from sleep disorders, closely linked to insufficient physical activity, decreased self-control, and problematic social media use…
To address the scarcity of scalable and interpretable mental health screening tools for university students, we developed MHSP-Stack (Mental Health Status Prediction via Stacking) and applied multi-level explainability…
This study aimed to explore the impact of a laughter prescription on well-being in a sample of earthquake survivors in Türkiye. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted following a 14-day intervention; and…
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming various fields, including art. Studies comparing human- and AI-generated art primarily examine evaluation, perception, and the ability to identify art created by AI…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D. During my college years, I worked summers at a family camp in the Sierras for alumni of the University of California. A month into my first summer, I was running…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D. The question of whether similar or dissimilar personality traits are a source of romantic attraction and marital satisfaction has been debated for years. An…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D. After hearing from the experiences of adopted children and then later relearning very similar lessons from donor-conceived children, people are more commonly…
The biggest lie you'll ever believe is the story you tell yourself about what you're no longer capable of doing. Maybe you've heard it. On an expedition in Argentina, I found myself listening to that voice. In my 50s, I…
Someone praises your work, but you brush it off. Yet one critical comment stays with you for days. Psychology suggests this common experience isn't simply low confidence. It may reflect how the brain ...
Growing up in New York, I understand how humor can be hurtful. Sarcastic barbs that diminish a person are not humorous at all. Yet, held lightly, humor can soften painful edges, ease defensiveness, and bring a welcome…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch When I learned that a wildfire was moving toward the treehouse that my sister and I had built together as children, I felt a pit in my stomach. My sister died…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch Is "LARPing" playing some kind of role in your life? There was the original gaming meaning of LARPing—Live-Action Role-Playing—which referred to dressing up in real life…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D. Whether antidepressants can trigger suicidal thoughts in some patients remains one of the most controversial questions in psychopharmacology. Clinical trials…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch I have spent more than three decades studying, teaching, researching, mentoring, and practicing psychology. One phrase has followed me everywhere—dinner parties, clinics…
This post is part of a series on adverse childhood experiences. Read the other parts here. Adopted or foster children come with challenging experiences. All have been separated from their biological parents. Many had…
There have been many different pathways to developing psychotropic drugs. None, perhaps, have differed as much as the discovery of haloperidol, which exemplifies the role of creative intuition, and the development of…
Your sleep pattern could influence how vulnerable you are to certain mental health problems.
Updated August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods The recent heartbreaking news of two brothers lost to suicide in Adelaide, South Australia, is every family’s worst nightmare. As a psychologist who has spent over two…
In an episode of his podcast, Travis Kelce stated that he and his wife Taylor Swift have never had a fight. George Clooney has made the same claim about him and his wife, Amal. Is this a level of perfect coupledom that…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Davia Sills This post is part 2 in a series. Read part 1 here. Pleasure goes beyond simply having orgasms. It’s about curiosity, connection, and caring about your partner’s experience…
Attraction in a relationship is a measure of intensity. That is, how strongly two people are drawn to each other, how quickly the connection forms, and how much energy the relationship generates in its early months. What…
Probability is the branch of mathematics that measures the likelihood of an event occurring. In this entry, we examine how you can use probability statistics to free or freeze yourself. One way of looking at probability…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Davia Sills Active in our addictions, our worlds often shrink. We prune people from our lives who question our use. We remove ourselves from events and activities that once brought us…
Carol looked up at me on our virtual call and said, "Hold on, you want me to do what?" I gently further encouraged her by repeating my prompt. She then wrote each number in the left column first. That's right, I'm…
A key question this column seeks to ask is what psychiatry lost when we traded the talking cure for the prescription pad. I learned the answer as a patient. After a manic psychotic episode, I was committed to a state…
Is using AI making your work faster, and your days a little emptier, at the same time? Is it limiting your creative outlets? Taking away chances to solve problems with a teammate? Leaving you feeling, if you're honest…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Davia Sills Co-authored by Jessica Murphy, Kodie Curran, Hannah Feeney, and Michael Hogan. Educational inequity is one of the most persistent problems in modern schooling, and rural…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Davia Sills Just as the human body is physiologically incapable of enduring in a physical vacuum deprived of oxygen and basic biological nourishment, it appears that the human psyche…
Posted August 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods For 35 years, I taught a course called "Psychology and Law" in a small college town in Wisconsin. Every year I asked my students the same question: Where are the high crime…
We now have unprecedented access to so much information. Thanks to social media, digital news platforms, and various safety phone apps, we find out that a high school classmate lost his battle with cancer, but that…
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