Category: Psychology

We make conscious decisions when we breathe out, says new study involving 52 people pressing a button, monitored with brain, heart and lung sensors.
The study links breathing to the Readiness Potential (RP, a brain signal that precedes intention), and shows that we make the most decisions when we breathe out.
No correlation was found between decisions and heartbeat, showing that the lungs, and the signals they send, are more important to voluntary action.
RP has been debated for decades, many saying that it means we have no free will and our bodies control us.
This study doesn’t tell us if free will is real, but it explains -when- we do things – the findings will help neuroscience, as well as many other research fields.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on February 10, 2020

nature.com

Study provides proof that emotions are processed in one area of the brain—and not different areas for different emotions.
Similarly to retinotopy (process of mapping images from the eye along brain neurons), the authors propose a new mechanism called emotionotopy.
This is an important step towards understanding exactly how emotions activate different areas in the brain.
Additionally, the study shows that it’s possible to predict brain activity using moment-by-moment scores of six basic emotions.
The study was based on a high-quality dataset from a project called studyforrest.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on January 27, 2020

In the USA alone, more than 3,000,000 people suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Many of them don’t respond well to the conventional psychotherapy + medication treatments.
New study shows that psychedelics can be a safe and effective agent in warding off PTSD.
The findings, based on 6 clinical trials in 4 countries, show that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy is significantly more effective compared to alternatives.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on January 20, 2020

psypost.org

Study finds causal relationship between psychedelic use and increased nature-relatedness.
In other words, we appreciate nature more after we use psychedelics.
It’s not the only way to get closer to nature, going out on a hike might be enough for most people.
However, the finding does prove that psychedelics have a positive effect on our psychological wellbeing.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on January 8, 2020

psypost.org

Two studies based on one dataset (3,659 children surveyed throughout 4 years) show that, essentially, negative content is linked to negative thinking patterns.
Researchers found that social media and TV consumption are linked to anxiety and depression in teenagers.
Surprisingly, no such link was found for video games, presumably because playing games is a social activity that allows people to spend more time with friends.
Ultimately, it looks like screen time in itself isn’t harmful, but it can be if young people consume the wrong content
In particular, content that causes youths to compare themselves to more successful peers was found to be harmful, as it makes young people more depressed.

Bulleted by Michał Słupski
on December 13, 2019

Psychology (category filter × )