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  1. DATE: May 24, 2026 at 06:00PM
    SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

    ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
    -------------------------------------------------

    TITLE: Does the smell of pine make you smarter?

    URL: psypost.org/does-the-smell-of-

    Short-term exposure to essential oils from two tree species — the Douglas fir and the Hinoki cypress — produced no significant effects on mood, psychological stress, or cognitive performance in a well-designed laboratory study. Researchers noted that most participants could not reliably identify the scent they were smelling, according to research published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

    Research consistently shows that being outdoors — especially in forests — improves mood, reduces stress, and sharpens mental performance. But as cities grow and green spaces shrink, scientists are increasingly interested in whether the specific elements of nature that drive these benefits can be recreated indoors.

    One underexplored candidate is smell. Forests are rich with airborne molecules released by trees, including substances called terpenes, which have been linked to reduced stress and improved immune function in prior studies. However, those earlier studies exploring cognitive performance were very small and produced inconsistent results.

    The researchers behind this new study wanted to test the effects of tree scents more rigorously and in a larger sample, while also exploring whether the familiarity of a scent matters.

    Led by Djo Juliette Fischer of the University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, together with Simone Kühn of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, the team conducted two linked studies in Germany. In the first study, 68 participants (mean age 28.2 years, 53% female) were randomly assigned to either a Douglas fir group or a Hinoki cypress group.

    Each participant completed the same tests on two separate days — once with the tree oil diffusing into the room, and once with plain water as a placebo — in a randomised order. Because the Douglas fir is a scent common to German forests while the Hinoki cypress is native to Japan, the design allowed researchers to test whether odour familiarity mattered.

    When the first study produced a marginal hint of an effect on one vigilance measure in the Douglas fir group, a second study added 34 more Douglas fir participants to boost statistical power. Across both studies, participants completed seven cognitive tasks spanning working memory, attention control, task-switching, inhibition, vigilance, and executive control, alongside mood and stress questionnaires.

    Neither tree scent produced any significant effects on any outcome. The initial hint of a vigilance benefit from the Douglas fir vanished once the larger combined sample was analysed. Crucially, additional statistical testing did not merely fail to find an effect — it provided strong evidence that no meaningful effect existed.

    One potentially telling finding came from a small subgroup. Only around 15% of the participants in the second Douglas fir study correctly identified the scent as coming from a tree or forest. When looking at the 14 participants across both studies who correctly identified the origin of the scent, the researchers found tentative hints of reduced fatigue and sharper inhibition performance. This suggests that consciously recognising a smell as nature-related may be necessary for it to trigger psychological benefits.

    As the researchers note, “most participants could not reliably identify the odour, suggesting limited conscious awareness and/or semantic associations.” Indeed, most participants in the second study who noticed any smell at all described it as citrusy, floral, or like a cleaning product.

    Several aspects of the study design may have limited the chances of detecting an effect. For example, the researchers did not explicitly tell the participants the study involved scents, introducing the diffuser simply as a humidifier. Additionally, the 75-minute cognitive battery likely induced mental fatigue that could have masked subtle benefits. Previous studies showing stress-relief effects typically had participants sit and inhale the oil for a short period without any mental demands.

    The researchers also note that individual tree essential oils cannot replicate the full chemical richness of real forest air, and the plain laboratory setting offered none of the visual or contextual cues that might help people associate a scent with nature.

    The study, “Scent of trees: Investigating the short-term effects of two tree essential oils on mood, psychological stress, and cognition,” was authored by Djo Juliette Fischer and Simone Kühn.

    URL: psypost.org/does-the-smell-of-

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    #psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #treeodors #forestsmell #cognitiveperformance # Douglasfir #HinokiCypress #essentialoils #scentresearch #environmentalpsychology #forests #natureinfluence

  2. DATE: May 13, 2026 at 06:00PM
    SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

    ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
    -------------------------------------------------

    TITLE: Class background influences whether genetic predisposition for intelligence drives you left or right

    URL: psypost.org/how-childhood-clas

    A person’s economic political views are shaped by their genetic predisposition for cognitive performance interacting with their childhood social class. People with a higher genetic likelihood for cognitive performance tend to adopt left-wing policies if they grew up poor, and right-wing policies if they grew up wealthy. The research was published in Political Psychology.

    Understanding differences in economic policy preferences is a primary goal of political science. Traditional models in political economics assume that individuals will support policies that benefit them financially. In a strictly theoretical system where flat taxes are redistributed equally, anyone earning below the average income should want complete redistribution, while anyone earning above the average should oppose it. While real political systems are messier, the fundamental dynamic generally holds.

    Low-income earners tend to benefit from proportional taxation and redistribution, while high-income earners bear the costs. In recent years, researchers have found that genetics also influence political behavior. Studies using various methods have documented genetic overlaps with political preferences. This overlap means that ideological preferences partially share the same genetic architecture as other measurable traits.

    Since our distant ancestors did not have modern tax systems or mass political parties, evolutionary forces could not have shaped economic ideology directly. Genetic effects on these preferences must operate through intermediate traits, which scientists call endophenotypes. Some researchers proposed that cognitive performance might act as one of these intermediate traits.

    The results of previous studies on cognitive performance and economic ideology, however, have been wildly inconsistent. Some studies showed a positive link between cognitive ability and economic conservatism. Other studies found a negative link, and some found no connection at all.

    Rafael Ahlskog, a researcher at the Department of Government at Uppsala University in Sweden, thought these contradictory results could be reconciled. He proposed a gene-environment interaction. This occurs when a specific genetic factor behaves differently depending on the environment surrounding the individual.

    Ahlskog theorized that cognitive performance does not push a person toward a specific political ideology on its own. Instead, cognitive capacity helps people analyze complicated policy packages and accurately deduce their own class interests. Modern economies feature vast arrays of diverse taxes, regulations, and benefit programs. Evaluating how these policies interact requires analytical effort.

    By applying these conceptual frameworks, the study connects the theories of classical economics with modern genetics. People who find it easy to perform the mental calculations required to navigate tax proposals will optimize their policy preferences. Those who find it more difficult might answer policy questions more randomly, or they might rely on social cues not strictly tied to their personal class background.

    In addition to this, political science maintains a long-standing theory regarding the impressionable years in human development. This theory states that environmental influences on attitudes are most potent during late adolescence and early adulthood. After this period, political preferences tend to stick. Based on this, Ahlskog suggested that the perception of one’s class interest is shaped primarily by the relative economic standing of their parents during these formative years.

    To test these ideas, Ahlskog analyzed data from a large sample of fraternal twins from the Swedish Twin Registry born between 1943 and 1958. Fraternal twins are siblings born at the same time who share, on average, half of their genetic sequence. Using within-family differences among fraternal twins provides an excellent natural experiment for behavioral researchers.

    Researchers value within-family sibling designs because comparing two people from the broader population introduces confounding variables. Between two random strangers, a genetic correlation might be skewed by regional ancestry differences or by the environmental impacts of their parents’ genes. Fraternal twins share the exact same family environment, and their genetic differences result purely from the random shuffling of DNA during conception.

    Because of this randomization, systematic downstream differences in sibling behavior have a causal interpretation. Researchers can confidently conclude that the genetic difference caused the behavioral difference, rather than an unmeasured environmental factor.

    To conduct the analysis, Ahlskog utilized variation in a genetic measure called a polygenic index. A polygenic index is an individual-level predictor of a specific trait that is based entirely on a person’s DNA. Geneticists build these indices by identifying thousands of tiny DNA variations known as single nucleotide polymorphisms that correlate with a target trait. The index used in this study summarized each twin’s genetic propensity for cognitive performance based on previous large-scale genomic discoveries.

    He combined this genetic data with the twins’ responses to an extensive survey conducted by the Swedish Twin Registry between 2009 and 2010. The survey included a detailed battery of over thirty political preference questions. Participants rated policy proposals on a five-point scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Ahlskog isolated twelve items specifically dealing with economic ideology, such as opinions on taxation, welfare distribution, the public sector, and government regulation.

    To measure family socioeconomic standing, Ahlskog utilized Swedish registry data covering the twins’ parents. He calculated a relative affluence score by comparing the parents’ income and education levels to other adults in their specific local parishes. This provided a localized measure of class background. Sociologists have found that people typically compare their economic status to their immediate neighbors rather than the national average.

    When looking at the average effect across the entire sample, the genetic measure for cognitive performance had no impact on economic conservatism. The effect size appeared as practically zero. Without looking deeper, this might seem like a simple lack of an effect.

    When Ahlskog factored in the family’s socioeconomic background, the average null effect broke apart to reveal two distinct, opposing trends. Among children raised in relatively poorer families, a higher genetic index for cognitive performance caused more left-wing economic views. These individuals favored higher taxation and wealth redistribution.

    Among children from affluent backgrounds, the effect reversed entirely. A higher genetic index among these privileged individuals caused more right-wing views. They favored market reliance and reduced welfare spending. The genetic factor altered how individuals optimized their political views based entirely on their childhood class.

    In the scientific taxonomy of gene-environment interactions, researchers often distinguish between dimmer effects and lens effects. A dimmer effect happens when a change in the environment alters the magnitude of a genetic influence, making it stronger or weaker. A lens effect happens when the environment actually changes the direction of the genetic influence. Ahlskog’s findings represent a rare, robust example of a lens effect for a socially relevant behavior.

    The researcher also controlled for the twins’ adult income and education levels. The environmental interaction held up even when accounting for later-life resources. This suggests the genetic influence operates specifically on the early-life formation of class identity, not simply on a voter’s current bank account balance.

    As a placebo test to verify his theory, Ahlskog applied the same analytical models to social ideology. Social ideology involves cultural and moral issues, such as immigration, criminal justice policy, and animal rights. Unlike economic ideology, there is no direct personal financial benefit to optimizing social preferences based on household class.

    In this test, he found that a higher genetic index was naturally associated with lower social conservatism across the board. The effects operated in parallel for both the rich and the poor. There was no interaction based on socioeconomic background.

    The study features a few limitations and caveats. The genetic predictor is a noisy measurement that only captures a fraction of the actual heritable traits for cognitive performance. Comparing genetic differences within local twin pairs amplifies this measurement noise even further. As a result, the reported effects are likely much smaller than the actual biological impact.

    The geographical and historical realities of the respondent group also matter. The individuals in this sample grew up in Sweden during the middle of the twentieth century, a period defined by the rapid expansion of the modern welfare state. Class-based politics and labor movements were highly salient in their daily lives.

    The findings might look completely different in populations where economic ideology is not the primary dividing line in public debate. In political environments where left-wing economic positions are championed by socially conservative populists, the class dynamics could manifest in alternate ways. Finding out which specific political relationships are affected by changing social cultures will require further study.

    Ultimately, the findings demonstrate that genetic influences on political behavior are highly contingent on social environments. An effect that appears to be mathematically zero on average can obscure shifting dynamics beneath the surface. This heavy dependency on outside environmental factors functions as a strong argument against genetic determinism.

    The study, “Class, genes, and rationality: A gene-environment interaction approach to ideology,” was authored by Rafael Ahlskog.

    URL: psypost.org/how-childhood-clas

    -------------------------------------------------

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    #psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #GeneticsAndPolitics #CognitivePerformance #GeneEnvironmentInteraction #ClassBackground #EconomicIdeology #LeftWingRightWing #TaxPolicy #WelfarePolicy #PoliticalPsychology #TwinStudy

  3. THEORETICAL NUTRITION STACK FOR DRONE PILOTS + CASES

    ---

    1. Base Nutrition (Foundation)

    Principle: stable glucose = stable precision

    Case:
    Pilot consumes sugar + an energy drink before a session → 30–60 min later: drop in focus, twitchy stick input.
    Alternative: complex carbs + protein (rice/buckwheat + meat) → steady state for 2–3 hours, no crashes.

    ---

    2. Micronutrients

    Principle: the nervous system is electrochemical

    Case:
    Magnesium deficiency → micro-tremor, hard to hold a steady hover.
    After normalizing Mg + B-complex → cleaner movements, fewer parasitic corrections.

    ---

    3. Cognitive Enhancers

    Principle: stimulation without loss of control

    Case:
    150–200 mg caffeine alone → faster reactions but overcontrol.
    Caffeine + L-theanine → speed preserved, less jitter, smoother trajectories.

    ---

    4. Hydration

    Principle: even mild dehydration degrades cognition

    Case:
    2–3 hours without water → slower reactions, distance misjudgment.
    After water + electrolytes → “sense of space” returns quickly.

    ---

    5. Timing

    Principle: when you eat = how you control

    Case:
    Heavy meal right before flight → drowsiness, “soft” control.
    Light meal ~40 min prior → stable attention, normal response.

    ---

    6. Anti-Tremor

    Principle: control = minimal noise in the CNS

    Case:
    After 2 energy drinks → tremor, hard to hold stick center.
    Reduced stimulants + magnesium → stable micro-movements.

    ---

    7. Sleep

    Principle: sleep debt kills precision

    Case:
    4–5 hours sleep → reaction seems okay, but constant small errors.
    8 hours → “locked-in feel,” fewer corrections, clean lines.

    ---

    8. What to Avoid

    Principle: aggressive stimulation breaks micro-control

    Case:
    Random “nootropic stack” → chaotic state, unstable focus.
    Minimalist stack → predictable performance.

    ---

    Conclusion

    Stability > stimulation

    Pilot precision comes from a stable nervous system, not spikes.

    ---

    Hashtags

    #FPV #DronePilot #FPVLife #DroneControl #MicroControl #NeuroPerformance #CognitivePerformance #Focus #ReactionTime #FineMotorSkills #HandEyeCoordination #Nootropics #Nutrition #Hydration #Magnesium #Omega3 #Caffeine #LTheanine #Sleep #Recovery #PerformanceOptimization #HumanFactor #DroneOps #PrecisionFlying #AerialControl

  4. THEORETICAL NUTRITION STACK FOR DRONE PILOTS + CASES

    ---

    1. Base Nutrition (Foundation)

    Principle: stable glucose = stable precision

    Case:
    Pilot consumes sugar + an energy drink before a session → 30–60 min later: drop in focus, twitchy stick input.
    Alternative: complex carbs + protein (rice/buckwheat + meat) → steady state for 2–3 hours, no crashes.

    ---

    2. Micronutrients

    Principle: the nervous system is electrochemical

    Case:
    Magnesium deficiency → micro-tremor, hard to hold a steady hover.
    After normalizing Mg + B-complex → cleaner movements, fewer parasitic corrections.

    ---

    3. Cognitive Enhancers

    Principle: stimulation without loss of control

    Case:
    150–200 mg caffeine alone → faster reactions but overcontrol.
    Caffeine + L-theanine → speed preserved, less jitter, smoother trajectories.

    ---

    4. Hydration

    Principle: even mild dehydration degrades cognition

    Case:
    2–3 hours without water → slower reactions, distance misjudgment.
    After water + electrolytes → “sense of space” returns quickly.

    ---

    5. Timing

    Principle: when you eat = how you control

    Case:
    Heavy meal right before flight → drowsiness, “soft” control.
    Light meal ~40 min prior → stable attention, normal response.

    ---

    6. Anti-Tremor

    Principle: control = minimal noise in the CNS

    Case:
    After 2 energy drinks → tremor, hard to hold stick center.
    Reduced stimulants + magnesium → stable micro-movements.

    ---

    7. Sleep

    Principle: sleep debt kills precision

    Case:
    4–5 hours sleep → reaction seems okay, but constant small errors.
    8 hours → “locked-in feel,” fewer corrections, clean lines.

    ---

    8. What to Avoid

    Principle: aggressive stimulation breaks micro-control

    Case:
    Random “nootropic stack” → chaotic state, unstable focus.
    Minimalist stack → predictable performance.

    ---

    Conclusion

    Stability > stimulation

    Pilot precision comes from a stable nervous system, not spikes.

    ---

    Hashtags

    #FPV #DronePilot #FPVLife #DroneControl #MicroControl #NeuroPerformance #CognitivePerformance #Focus #ReactionTime #FineMotorSkills #HandEyeCoordination #Nootropics #Nutrition #Hydration #Magnesium #Omega3 #Caffeine #LTheanine #Sleep #Recovery #PerformanceOptimization #HumanFactor #DroneOps #PrecisionFlying #AerialControl

  5. The Cognitive Elite: Top 3 Nootropic Supplements for Brain Health and Performance

    If there's one supplement that consistently garners praise for its elegant formulation and broad-spectrum benefits, it's Mind Lab Pro.

    Save 25% when you buy a 4-month supply! Shop online!

    sites.google.com/view/mind-lab

    #nootropics #brainhealth #supplements #biohacking #mentalclarity #focus #neuroscience #wellness #productivity #brainpower #healthylifestyle #memory #cognitiveperformance

  6. Are night owls really smarter? 🦉

    In my latest article on Medium, I dive into new research from Imperial College London that explores the link between chronotypes and cognitive performance. 🌟 It turns out that night owls might outperform early risers in areas like memory and logical reasoning! But does staying up late make you smarter? 🧐

    Find out what science says about your natural sleep-wake cycle and how it can impact your productivity and well-being.

    🚀 Check it out on Medium:
    gisiger.medium.com/are-night-o

    #Productivity #SleepScience #NightOwls #CognitivePerformance

  7. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/389264 Cognitive functioning associated with acute and subacute effects of classic psychedelics and MDMA - a systematic review and meta-analysis (Basedow, et al, 2024) #mdma #psychedelics #fda #psychedelicresearch #psychedelic in which acute MDMA effect found to affect memory, leaving executive functions and attention unaffected. #brains #neuroscience #MDMAtherapy #ptsd #trauma #cognitiveperformance #cognition #psychedelictherapy