Personal and community health - Emotions

  • Lying liars lie!
    Lying liars lie!

    We lie for many reasons: Glory. Money. Both. Something else. Is there a science of detecting lies? Does the digital realm make lying harder? Easier? Both?


    Thursday, January 31st, 2013
  • Screaming about screen time?
    Screaming about screen time?

    We spend ever-more hours with TV, cellphones, tablets and computers, is it rude or necessary to always answer your phone? Does distraction make you dumb? What about multitasking?


    Thursday, December 20th, 2012
  • Emotional expressions: The face isn’t the whole story
    Emotional expressions: The face isn’t the whole story

    At the moment of loss or victory, an athlete’s face shows intense … what? Without seeing the body, you can’t tell whether an important point was won or lost. Adding the body language makes all the difference — and can even overwhelm the message of the face!


    Thursday, November 29th, 2012
  • Losing in politics & sports
    Losing in politics & sports

    With the $6-billion slugfest thankfully in our rear-view mirror, we ponder the attachment to “my” team. How do we deal with the inevitable disappointment? Are we fair-weather fans or die-hards, and how does that affect our response to the big game? Could sports affiliation even protect against suicide?


    Thursday, November 8th, 2012
  • To play, and therefore to mate
    To play, and therefore to mate

    Are we affecting the character of future generations by the way we choose mates? If choosing attractive mates tends to make the grandchildren more attractive, what about choosing mates who like to laugh or have fun?


    Thursday, August 9th, 2012
  • Holiday blue? NOT!
    Holiday blue? NOT!

    Sick of the scare stories about holiday stress? Over-eating, over-this, over-that? What’s the upside of holidays, in terms of ritual and getting together with family and friends? What’s more conducive to happiness: giving or receiving?


    Thursday, December 15th, 2011
  • Brains: Don't mess with stress
    Brain under threat

    In just a moment, our brains can go from calm, deliberate and focused, to alert, agitated and aroused. New neural networks get activated during the transition. Now a study of the fight-or flight-response fingers a common hormone in triggering the brainwide changes.


    Thursday, November 24th, 2011
  • The psychological price of job loss
    The psychological price of job loss

    With the jobless rate still above 8%, what happens to depression, anxiety, brooding? Is job loss worse if you have more education? Could long-term job loss shorten your life?


    Thursday, September 15th, 2011
  • In early life, your mother is likely to be your most important person, emotionally, cognitively and behaviorally.
    Honor thy mother

    Mother is your first — and most important — relationship. What does science tell us about the effects of mothering? What happens when groups of monkeys are raised without a mother? How does a “fragile family” affect young people? What are “social risk factors,” and why should we care about them?


    Thursday, May 5th, 2011
  • Animal love! (?)
    Animal love! (?)

    Researchers finally accept that animals can have emotions. But is love one of those emotions, and how would we be sure? What does neurochemistry and behavioral studies tell us about emotions. Does your dog really love you? Your cat? Do they love each other?


    Thursday, February 10th, 2011
  • Prayer: How does it work?
    Prayer: How does it work?

    How do victims of domestic violence benefit from prayer? A series of interviews shows a range of mechanisms: from zoning out to offering psychic protection to allowing forgiveness. A new study shows how real benefits could emerge from an appeal to an “imaginary other.”


    Thursday, December 16th, 2010
  • It's uncertain what got these Germans smiling back in 1954, but they likely led a life of fluctuating happiness.
    We’re happy to report

    Heard the rumor that people are happy — or not — depending on their genes and upbringing? “My bad,” says a 24-year study from Germany, which finds the opposite. Attitudes toward money, employment and neurotic mates all play a big role resetting your “happo-stat.”


    Thursday, October 7th, 2010
  • psychedelic glasses read 'psyschedelic medicine'
    Psychedelics are back – as therapy

    Journal of Psycho-pharmacology. How do hallucinogens change consciousness? Psilocybin relieves terror of PTSD, death. Ecstasy may ease OCD. What’s new in psychedelic research?


    Thursday, May 6th, 2010
  • Psst! Who’s laughing at you? April Fools!
    Psst! Who’s laughing at you? April Fools!

    For some people, laughter is a threat, conveying anger, disapproval and humiliation. In the strange world of the gelotophobe, laughter can actually make you feel worse. If you fear laughter, you tend to stay away from crowds, groups, restaurants — and the pranksters afoot on April Fools’ Day.


    Thursday, April 1st, 2010
  • Senators, governors and other mammals…
    Senators, governors and other mammals…

    Can our evolutionary roots explain that self-destructive search for sex – and sexual companionship? Could Darwinian psychology constitute the cause home-wrecking, career-blitzing fatal attractions?


    Thursday, July 9th, 2009


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