#counseling — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #counseling, aggregated by home.social.
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 12:09PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Anthropic Says It Blocked AI Misuse That Could Create Biological Weapons
Source: PBS News Hour
Anthropic said Thursday it has blocked efforts by bad actors to use its artificial intelligence models for malicious activity such as cyberattacks, surveillance, and research that could have led to biological weapons. As AI models grow more powerful, elaborate cyberattacks no longer require sophisticated skills, and even lone individuals can create threats that would not have been possible even a year ago, Anthropic warned.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Anthropic #AIsecurity #BioweaponPrevention #CyberSecurity #AIMisuse #BioSecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #MaliciousUse #TechSafety #ResponsibleAI
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 12:09PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Anthropic Says It Blocked AI Misuse That Could Create Biological Weapons
Source: PBS News Hour
Anthropic said Thursday it has blocked efforts by bad actors to use its artificial intelligence models for malicious activity such as cyberattacks, surveillance, and research that could have led to biological weapons. As AI models grow more powerful, elaborate cyberattacks no longer require sophisticated skills, and even lone individuals can create threats that would not have been possible even a year ago, Anthropic warned.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Anthropic #AIsecurity #BioweaponPrevention #CyberSecurity #AIMisuse #BioSecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #MaliciousUse #TechSafety #ResponsibleAI
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 12:09PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Anthropic Says It Blocked AI Misuse That Could Create Biological Weapons
Source: PBS News Hour
Anthropic said Thursday it has blocked efforts by bad actors to use its artificial intelligence models for malicious activity such as cyberattacks, surveillance, and research that could have led to biological weapons. As AI models grow more powerful, elaborate cyberattacks no longer require sophisticated skills, and even lone individuals can create threats that would not have been possible even a year ago, Anthropic warned.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Anthropic #AIsecurity #BioweaponPrevention #CyberSecurity #AIMisuse #BioSecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #MaliciousUse #TechSafety #ResponsibleAI
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 12:08PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Ancient Teeth Reveal Humans Were Getting High 25,000 Years Ago
Source: Science Daily - Top Society
Ancient human remains from Sulawesi suggest people were habitually using the psychoactive betel nut as far back as 25,000 years ago. Researchers found unusual tooth wear and traces of arecoline, the nut's mind-altering compound, in the teeth of prehistoric hunter-gatherers. The practice may have started partly for pain relief, but prolonged use damaged their teeth—providing perhaps the earliest known evidence of habitual drug use anywhere in...
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #AncientHumans #BetelNut #PaleoDrugUse #AncientTeeth #PrehistoricHabitualUse #Arecoline #SulawesiAncients #ArchaeologyFindings #ToothWear #MindAlteringSubstances
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 12:08PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Studies May Promise Anonymity, But the Promise Is Often Broken
Source: Science
Economist Abel Brodeur was leading a group of colleagues examining a survey-research study when they noticed something that stunned them. Its data set, available in a public repository, contained names of people who had admitted to crimes and identified their accomplices, information never provided to police. This broken promise of anonymity, it turns out, was far from an isolated case, according to a new study released last week.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #StudiesMayPromiseAnonymity #AnonymityBroken #DataPrivacy #PublicDataRisks #SurveyResearch #DataSecurity #CriminalRecords leakage #ResearchEthics #SocialScience #ScienceNews
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 12:07PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Why People Often Hide Their Successes and Share Their Failures
Source: PsyPost
People often adjust what they share about their own achievements or setbacks based on what their conversation partner has just revealed. New research suggests that these choices are driven less by a desire to manage one's own image and more by an intention to protect other people's feelings. This goal leads people to share mutual failures far more often than mutual successes, according to a report in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision...
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #HidingSuccesses #SharingFailures #MutualSupport #EmpathyInConversation #SocialBehavior研究 #CommunicationDynamics #WorkplaceCulture #EmotionalIntelligence #SelfPresentation #PsychologyResearch
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 12:07PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Smartphone Use Before Age 13 Tied to Worse Mental Health in Adulthood
Source: PsyPost
New research has linked the use of smartphones in early childhood to poorer psychological well-being in young adulthood. The negative outcomes are largely tied to social media usage, which opens the door to cyberbullying, poor family relationships, and disrupted sleep. The study, published in Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, examined over 100,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 from 163 countries and varied cultural...
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #SmartphoneUse #YouthMentalHealth #EarlyTechExposure #SocialMediaImpact #CyberbullyingAwareness #SleepDisruption #FamilyRelationships #AdolescentWellbeing #MentalHealthResearch #DigitalWellbeing
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 12:05PM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Senators From Both Parties Question OpenAI on Breach of AI Startup
Source: PBS News Hour
Lawmakers worried about the existential risk posed by artificial intelligence demanded information from OpenAI on Thursday with separate queries that underscored concerns about the technology's potential to elude human control. Senator Josh Hawley launched an investigation Thursday into OpenAI for its artificial intelligence system hacking into another AI company on its own, and Senator Chris Van Hollen called on OpenAI to cooperate in a safety...
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #OpenAI #AIethics #AIsafety #TechRegulation #CongressInvestigation #Hawley #VanHollen #AIsecurity #machinelearning #AIpolicy
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 09:52AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Scientists find Ozempic may slow aging itself
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260911214238.htm
Semaglutide helped older healthy mice live longer while improving memory, muscle function, blood sugar control, and several biological signs of aging. Its effects went beyond those seen with calorie restriction, raising the possibility that GLP-1 drugs could tap into a separate biological pathway linked to longevity.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260911214238.htm
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Ozempic #Semaglutide #Longevity #AgingResearch #HealthyMice #MemoryBoost #MuscleFunction #Glp1Agonist #BiomarkersOfAging #LongevityDrugs
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 10:00AM
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: Tracking brain waves reveals a surprising twist in how different generations form social bonds
Getting to know someone across multiple encounters can ease feelings of loneliness, and new research indicates that these budding relationships physically synchronize brain activity in unexpected ways. A new study, published in PLOS Biology, suggests that when younger and older adults regularly participate in creative activities together, their brains coordinate differently over time compared to pairs of the same age. Over six weeks of collaborative drawing, people of different generations showed decreasing neural synchronization, while same-age peers showed increasing synchronization, even as both groups reported feeling closer to their partners.
People of all ages experience perceived social isolation, and community programs that mix generations are a popular way to combat these feelings of loneliness. These programs rely on the idea that repeated interactions foster meaningful social bonds. However, the physical brain changes that happen as these relationships form are mostly unknown to scientists.
“As the global population ages, and with social isolation acknowledged as a global health risk, it is critical to understand how social bonds form between people from the same and different generations,” Ryssa Moffat, a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich’s Social Brain Sciences Lab, told PsyPost. “My motivation to study social interactions between seniors and young adults grew from positive experiences getting to know seniors around the world. The idea for this project really gained momentum when I read statistics about the growing proportion of older adults globally and learned about the risks of loneliness and social isolation.”
To study these physical changes in real time, scientists use a technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy. This involves participants wearing a flexible cap embedded with sensors that shine safe levels of light through the scalp to measure changes in blood flow in specific brain areas. This tool allows researchers to track interpersonal neural synchrony, which is the extent to which two people’s brain activity aligns in time while they interact.
Researchers pay special attention to two specific brain regions during social tasks. The first is the temporoparietal junction, an area near the ears that helps people process social information and understand others’ perspectives. The second is the inferior frontal gyrus, an area near the temples involved in paying attention to the same thing as a partner.
A progression of recent research provides evidence that social bonds shift brain-to-brain dynamics as relationships unfold. For instance, a 2022 meta-analysis found that working together on a cooperative task consistently synchronizes the frontal and temporoparietal brain regions. This aligns with research covered by PsyPost in 2024, which found that brain synchronization between humans and dogs increases as they become more familiar with each other over several days.
In human relationships, a 2024 experiment indicated that brain synchrony between two people naturally shifts over the course of a conversation depending on whether they are friends or strangers. Building on this evidence, the authors of a 2024 review proposed that using mobile brain scanning to track neural alignment across repeated sessions is essential for understanding how social bonds develop across generations. The new research, led by Moffat and Emily S. Cross, put this concept into practice.
The researchers recruited 61 pairs of strangers from the community. They formed 31 intergenerational pairs, consisting of one younger adult and one adult aged 69 or older, and 30 same-generation pairs made up of two younger adults. The pairs met once a week for six weeks to complete a creative drawing program.
At the start of each session, the participants filled out surveys measuring their current feelings of loneliness, their sense of closeness to their drawing partner, and their attitudes toward people of different age groups. After completing the surveys, researchers fitted the participants with the sensor caps.
The pairs then completed three separate drawing tasks using oil pastels, lasting five minutes each. They were instructed not to talk during the drawing portion. For the first drawing, they worked independently, separated by a visual divider. For the next two drawings, the divider was removed and the pair worked together on a single piece of paper. The sessions concluded with a short puzzle or game.
“It is very exciting to have mapped how synchrony emerges among younger and older adults for the first time,” Moffat said. She noted that they were able “to show how patterns of synchrony change across repeated encounters with information from each encounter, instead of just the first and the last encounter.”
Over the six weeks, feelings of loneliness dropped by about 1 percent per session for both groups. Feelings of social closeness increased by about 4 percent per session, indicating that the program successfully fostered social bonds. “These small but robust changes were observed for same-generation pairs and intergenerational pairs alike,” Moffat noted. The intergenerational pairs generally reported feeling less lonely than the same-generation pairs, and they held more positive attitudes toward other generations.
When analyzing the brain data from all the sessions combined, the researchers found that interpersonal neural synchrony was greater when the pairs drew together compared to when they drew alone. This brain alignment was especially high in the temporoparietal junction and inferior frontal gyrus.
The findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost earlier in 2026, which found that engaging in shared activities together produces greater interpersonal neural synchrony than doing them alone, though that study measured brain alignment during shared music listening among friends rather than interactive drawing across different generations.
Tracking the brain alignment across the six weeks presented an unexpected pattern. For the same-generation pairs, neural synchrony in the right temporoparietal junction increased as the weeks went on. For the intergenerational pairs, neural synchrony in this same area actually decreased over the six weeks.
“I was initially surprised to see synchrony levels decrease for intergenerational dyads,” Moffat explained. “My assumption that we would see increases in synchrony was based on the existing studies comparing strangers, friends, and romantic partners who attend a single session. In these studies, the closer people are to one another, the more synchrony they tend to show.”
The authors suggest that this divergence might reflect how different age pairs integrate social information. “The main takeaway from our study is that the way in which people’s brains synchronize during cooperation depends on who they’re interacting with and the common ground shared by the interacting people,” Moffat said. Because synchrony is believed to reflect how fluently people can predict each other, it is amplified when prediction is less fluent.
Younger pairs might monitor each other’s attention more closely as they become familiar, leading to higher synchrony. As Moffat noted, “they may engage in unpredictable behaviors to keep the interactions interesting and engaging.” In contrast, mixed-generation pairs might require less active monitoring of their partner’s attention once they establish a comfortable routine. “As older and younger people become better acquainted and form more common ground, they can predict each other more fluently and we see reductions in synchrony between brains in certain brain regions,” she added.
The researchers also noticed relationships between the physical brain data and the survey responses. Across all the pairs, reporting higher social closeness predicted an increase in synchrony between the inferior frontal gyrus and the temporoparietal junction. Pairs with more similar levels of loneliness showed greater synchrony in the inferior frontal gyrus when drawing together, which might indicate that sharing a similar social mindset shapes how easily two people coordinate their attention.
One common misconception to avoid is the assumption that more synchrony is always better. “If we start from the standpoint that synchrony increases when predicting another person’s actions is more challenging, it’s probable that excessively high levels of synchrony indicate excessive challenge and that very low levels may indicate a lack of engagement,” Moffat explained. Instead, a “happy medium might be optimal,” where navigating different levels of predictability keeps people socially fit.
There are a few other things to keep in mind about this study. The brain scans targeted specific areas associated with social processing and attention, so the results do not capture activity across the entire brain. The experiment also specifically restricted verbal communication during the drawing tasks, meaning brain alignment might look different if the pairs were talking freely.
Additionally, the study only compared mixed-generation pairs to young-adult pairs. The researchers did not include a group of two older adults, which means some of the differences observed between the groups might relate to general age-related brain changes rather than the specific dynamic of mixing generations. Technical issues also caused a few sensors to fail during the experiment, slightly reducing the amount of data available for the right side of the brain.
Future studies could explore whether other types of common ground, such as shared cultural backgrounds or long-term hobbies, shape brain synchronization over time. Expanding this research into larger group settings could also provide a better understanding of how community arts programs physically benefit participants.
Moffat and her colleagues plan to expand on these findings by analyzing the other behavioral data they collected. “Alongside the recordings of brain activity, we also recorded a multitude of other signals including motion capture of body movements, performance on collaborative games and puzzles, the actual drawings that the participants co-created, as well as participants’ subjective experiences,” she said. “Our next steps are to analyze the other signals and to bring them together to understand how social connections form from a holistic perspective.”
The study, “Social interactions between people of same and different generations shape longitudinal changes in interpersonal neural synchrony, loneliness, and social connection,” was authored by Ryssa Moffat, Guillaume Dumas, and Emily S. Cross.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #IntergenerationalBonds #BrainSynchrony #SocialNeuroscience #LonelinessReduction #GenerationalBridge #Neuroimaging #InterpersonalNeuralSynchrony #CreativeCollaboration #DTMBrainResearch #PLOSBiology
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 08:00AM
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: How anxiety and face gender shape emotional processing in children
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-anxiety-and-face-gender-shape-emotional-processing-in-children/
As children grow, their brains develop distinct ways of processing facial expressions based on a mix of emotion and face gender. A recent study reveals that these neural responses grow more specialized with age, while elevated anxiety can alter how kids react to potentially threatening faces. The research was published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.
Cultural norms and early experiences teach children to associate certain emotions with specific genders. Anger is often linked with male faces and interpreted as a sign of dominance or potential threat. In contrast, happiness is frequently associated with female faces and perceived as a sign of emotional warmth. When a facial expression violates these expectations, such as an angry female face or a happy male face, the brain must work harder to interpret the social cue.
The research team wanted to see how the developing brain manages these unexpected social signals. They focused on tracking specific patterns of electrical activity, known as brain waves. Alpha and beta brain waves are associated with attention and the filtering of sensory information. Gamma waves, which oscillate much faster, are linked to higher cognitive tasks, like blending different pieces of social and emotional information together.
The scientists also aimed to explore how anxiety affects these developmental trajectories. Anxious individuals often exhibit a specific pattern of attention when faced with a threat. They may initially focus heavily on a threatening cue before quickly looking away to reduce their own psychological distress. The research team, led by neuroscientists Hua Bai, Yasra Arif, and Tony W. Wilson at Boys Town National Research Hospital in Nebraska, set out to map these cognitive processes in youth.
The researchers enrolled a group of healthy children and teenagers between the ages of six and 17. The final analysis included data from 149 participants. While positioned inside a brain scanning machine, the participants viewed photographs of adult faces displaying angry, happy, or neutral expressions. Half of the faces shown in the experiment were male, and the other half were female.
The participants were instructed to press a button indicating the gender of each face, regardless of the emotional expression. While the youths performed this task, the researchers recorded their neural activity using a technique called magnetoencephalography. This non-invasive imaging technology measures the tiny magnetic fields produced by the electrical firing of brain cells, allowing researchers to track brain waves with high precision in real time.
The team also collected behavioral data during the task, such as how accurately and quickly the participants responded. Afterward, the researchers used specialized software to filter out background noise from the brain recordings, such as the electrical signals generated by eye blinks and heartbeats. Finally, the children aged eight and older completed a standardized self-report questionnaire to assess their daily anxiety levels.
The behavioral results indicated that response times varied depending on both the age of the participant and the combination of gender and emotion. The youths responded fastest to angry male faces. In contrast, angry female faces prompted the slowest reactions across the board. The researchers noted that these reaction times did not reach a level of statistical significance for the happy faces, meaning the age-related changes were specific to angry and neutral expressions.
When analyzing the brain wave data, the researchers noticed distinct patterns emerging within a fraction of a second. In regions of the brain responsible for visual perception and movement control, alpha and beta wave responses grew stronger in older children. These brain waves were especially active when participants viewed faces that violated social expectations, such as angry female faces and happy male faces.
The researchers found a specific association between these brain waves and reaction times for angry male faces. Older children showed increased alpha and beta activity in a brain region involved in motor planning and inhibitory control. The scientists proposed that as children age, they increasingly recruit this inhibitory network to control their physical responses to threatening cues, slowing themselves down just enough to process the information safely.
A different pattern emerged slightly later in the brain’s processing timeline, characterized by gamma wave activity. Older children displayed increased gamma activity in areas of the brain known for handling complex social and emotional information, such as the temporoparietal junction. This activity was particularly elevated when processing angry female faces, suggesting that the brain requires more integrative processing to make sense of unexpected social signals.
The team also observed age-related increases in gamma waves when participants viewed neutral faces. However, these responses were mixed, with some brain regions reacting more to neutral male faces and others to neutral female faces. The researchers attributed this lack of a consistent pattern to the inherently ambiguous nature of a neutral expression, which requires social interpretation regardless of the person’s gender.
Individual anxiety levels also altered how the brain processed these faces. Children reporting higher levels of anxiety displayed weaker early alpha and beta responses in visual processing areas when viewing angry male faces. This pattern aligns with behavioral theories suggesting that anxious youths instinctively suppress attention toward highly threatening social cues to manage their own distress. Meanwhile, responses to angry female faces remained consistently elevated across all anxiety levels.
The study focuses exclusively on typically developing children, meaning the results may not generalize to youths with clinical conditions like social anxiety disorder or autism spectrum disorder. The faces used in the experiment were also entirely composed of adults. Future studies could incorporate images of children and teenagers to test if youth react differently to the faces of their own peers.
The participant pool was predominantly White, which introduces the possibility of an own-race familiarity bias in how the faces were perceived. Because the study only evaluated participants at a single point in time, researchers cannot track how these brain patterns evolve within the same individual over the years. Longitudinal tracking would clarify how early brain responses shape social and emotional development long-term.
The study, “Facial expression processing is modulated by face gender and anxiety levels in developing youth,” was authored by Hua Bai, Yasra Arif, Jake J. Son, Nathan M. Petro, Grace C. Ende, Danielle L. Rice, Jason A. John, Anna T. Coutant, Erica L. Steiner, Ryan J. Glesinger, Hannah J. Okelberry, Brittany K. Taylor, Giorgia Picci, and Tony W. Wilson.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-anxiety-and-face-gender-shape-emotional-processing-in-children/
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #FacialExpressionProcessing #FaceGenderAndAnxiety #DevelopmentalCognitionNeuroscience #ChildNeurology #EmotionalProcessingInYouth #AlphaBetaGammaWaves #AnxietyAndAttention #SocialCognition #NeuroscienceOfEmotion #YouthBrainDevelopment
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DATE: September 12, 2026 at 06:00AM
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: Having multiple partners does not compromise sexual health, large study finds
A recent study published in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships provides evidence that engaging in multiple romantic or sexual relationships does not compromise sexual health. Across two large datasets, researchers found that people in non-monogamous relationships, whether through mutual consent or secrecy, tended to report sexual functioning, satisfaction, and health outcomes that were comparable to, and in some cases slightly better than, those of people in strictly monogamous relationships.
Consensual non-monogamy involves partners mutually agreeing to allow outside romantic or sexual relationships, such as in polyamory or swinging. Infidelity, by contrast, involves engaging in outside relationships secretly and without a partner’s consent.
It is a common assumption that monogamy is inherently safer and more satisfying, but prior work paints a different picture. A study covered by PsyPost in 2016 found that more than one in five single American adults have engaged in consensual non-monogamy at some point. Following this demographic realization, research has sought to understand how these relationship structures operate. For instance, a 2015 study found that people in mutually agreed-upon open relationships were just as likely to practice safe sex and had similar rates of sexually transmitted infections compared to monogamous couples.
Expanding on that, a 2012 study indicated that people who cheat on their partners tend to be less likely to practice safer sex than those in openly non-monogamous relationships. In terms of sexual satisfaction, a 2019 study suggested that polyamorous individuals often experience higher levels of passion and eroticism with secondary partners than with their primary partners.
The current study builds on this progression by testing whether sexual functioning, desire, and the risk of sexually transmitted infections actually differ across relationship types. By strictly distinguishing between consensual non-monogamy and secret infidelity, the researchers used both targeted and large representative population datasets to answer this question.
The research was led by Michelle Larva-Ruhala, a doctoral researcher at the University of Turku’s INVEST Research Flagship Centre in Finland, who aimed to capture a comprehensive picture of how managing multiple partners influences sexual wellbeing.
“We addressed two gaps in research on [consensual non-monogamy],” Larva-Ruhala told PsyPost. “Firstly, we know from previous research that [consensually non-monogamous] relationships are similar to monogamous relationships in relationship quality and sexual satisfaction, but sexual functioning among people with multiple partners has not been studied outside the context of infidelity.”
“Second, the presumption has been that the transparent, negotiated, ‘ethical’ nature of (consensual) non-monogamy is what leads to these better outcomes and sets it apart from infidelity, which we associate with lower quality, conflict, etc.,” she continued. “So, in a nutshell, we wanted to know if having other partners had any ‘spillover effects’ into the bedroom, and whether the consensual vs. non-consensual nature of the non-monogamy had anything to do with it.”
The researchers utilized a two-study approach. In the first study, the team analyzed data from 888 adults recruited through an online survey across multiple countries, including the United States, Portugal, Italy, and Finland. Participants reported their relationship identity as either monogamous or consensually non-monogamous, which included categories like polyamory and open relationships. They also answered questions about how often their interactions with others felt like infidelity or involved keeping sexual and emotional secrets from their primary partner.
To measure sexual functioning, the survey used validated questionnaires assessing domains like desire, arousal, lubrication, and satisfaction for women, and erection, ejaculation, and satisfaction for men. Participants with multiple partners completed these measures for up to two partners. The survey also asked about participants’ history of testing for and being diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections.
The results of the first study showed that sexual functioning was largely similar between monogamous and non-monogamous individuals. However, partner-specific differences emerged. Women with multiple partners reported greater sexual desire, arousal, and satisfaction with their non-primary partners compared to their primary partners, and their scores with non-primary partners were also higher than the scores reported by single-partnered women.
These findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost in 2019, which found that polyamorous individuals report greater eroticism with secondary partners, suggesting they may diversify how their sexual needs are fulfilled across different relationships. Among men, sexual functioning did not differ by relationship type or between partners.
When looking at sexual health practices, polyamorous individuals were 3.6 times more likely to have ever been tested for a sexually transmitted infection compared to monogamous individuals. Despite this higher rate of testing and having more partners, the prevalence of sexually transmitted infection diagnoses did not differ between the two groups.
For the most part, infidelity was not linked to worse sexual functioning. There was one exception: men who reported keeping emotional attachments and sexual encounters secret from their primary partner tended to report lower sexual satisfaction in that primary relationship.
“We were surprised by the finding that infidelity was not associated with worse outcomes,” Larva-Ruhala noted. “Both studies suggest that, on average, having multiple concurrent partners isn’t necessarily tied to poorer sexual health, whether through consensual or non-consensual non-monogamy.”
The second study expanded the investigation to a population level, utilizing a pooled dataset of 10,503 participants from Finland. This dataset combined responses from genetic and behavioral research projects. Participants self-reported their relationship structure and completed broad measures of sexual wellbeing.
For women, this included overall sexual desire and functioning. For men, the researchers assessed premature ejaculatory symptoms, meaning how well they could control ejaculation. The study also measured general dyadic desire, which is the level of sexual interest a person feels toward an attractive partner.
To ensure fair comparisons between the small fraction of non-monogamous individuals and the large monogamous majority, the researchers statistically matched participants on factors like age, gender, and sociosexual orientation, a measure of how willing a person is to engage in uncommitted sex. They also controlled for whether the couples lived together and the gender of their partners.
This approach provided a unique advantage over previous work. “The method used in Study 2 is important for the current research on [consensual non-monogamy],” Larva-Ruhala explained. “Most studies… use data collected from online surveys that people in [consensually non-monogamous] relationships opt into, which is partly necessary in order to obtain a big enough pool of participants to conduct the analyses we want to do, but it also means heavy selection-bias.”
“People who are generally happy in their relationships and interested in representing their relationship configuration may be more quick to participate in these surveys,” she added. “However, study 2 used data from population-representative samples in studies not focused on [consensual non-monogamy], so we can assume people all across the board completed the survey, lowering some of that bias. It improves the generalizability of the results.”
In this population-based sample, non-monogamous men reported fewer early ejaculatory symptoms than monogamous men. Non-monogamous women reported higher global sexual desire than monogamous women. Both men and women in non-monogamous relationships reported slightly greater dyadic desire.
Again, when the researchers specifically isolated the effects of infidelity, defined here as cheating or having partners who were unaware and non-consenting, they found no effect on these sexual health outcomes. This broader lack of negative effects aligns with a major review covered by PsyPost earlier this year, which found that consensually non-monogamous individuals report levels of relationship and sexual satisfaction that are statistically indistinguishable from those of monogamous couples.
As with all research, there are a few things to keep in mind. The studies relied entirely on self-reported measures of sexual functioning and health, which can sometimes differ from objective physiological indicators or medical records. People might misremember their history of sexually transmitted infections or bias their answers to appear in a more favorable light.
Additionally, the first study grouped some participants under the broad umbrella of non-monogamy without distinguishing the specific agreements they had with their partners, such as whether they cohabitate or adhere to strict relationship hierarchies. The measure of infidelity in the second study also combined current and past cheating, meaning some participants may have reconciled with their partners long ago, potentially diluting the measurable impact of the infidelity on current sexual health. Future research could benefit from tracking couples over time to see how relationship structures and sexual health influence each other as relationship agreements evolve.
“Just because we didn’t find many differences in sexual health between those who cheat and those who practice ‘ethical’ forms of non-monogamy, doesn’t mean that doing one or the other is of no consequence,” Larva-Ruhala emphasized. “The results certainly don’t condone infidelity. They simply show that people can maintain sexual health under both versions of non-monogamy.”
To build on these findings, the research team hopes to see this work expanded. “We need replication research to validate or contradict these findings with further evidence, preferably in population-based samples from other countries,” she said.
The study, “Sexual Health in Monogamous and Non-Monogamous Relationships: Evidence From Convenience and Population-Based Samples,” was authored by Michelle A. Larva, David L. Rodrigues, Annika Gunst, Patrick Jern, Sabina Nickull, Marie-Pier Larose, Markus J. Rantala, and Justin K. Mogilski.
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DATE: September 11, 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: Escitalopram reduces anger and irritability in premenstrual dysphoric disorder, study finds
A study conducted in Sweden exploring the effects of escitalopram (20 mg per day) given during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle found that it is effective in reducing the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. It was particularly effective in reducing irritability and anger. Aggressiveness also diminished moderately as a result of the treatment. The paper was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
The menstrual cycle is a recurring series of hormonal and physical changes that prepares the female reproductive system for a possible pregnancy. It is usually divided into four main phases: menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. During these phases, changing levels of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone influence the ovaries, uterus, and many other systems in the body.
Many women notice physical or emotional changes in the days before menstruation, a group of symptoms commonly referred to as premenstrual symptoms. For some women, however, these symptoms are much more severe and can significantly interfere with everyday life, work, relationships, and general well-being. This more serious condition is known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD.
PMDD typically appears during the late luteal phase, in the week or two before menstruation. Symptoms usually improve shortly after bleeding begins. Common emotional symptoms include marked irritability, depressed mood, anxiety, mood swings, and feelings of being overwhelmed. Difficulties with concentration, motivation, and sleep can also occur. The disorder can come with physical symptoms as well. These can include fatigue, breast tenderness, bloating, headaches, and changes in appetite.
Study author Manon Dubol and her colleagues investigated the impact of treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle on the symptoms of PMDD. They were particularly interested in reactive aggression, an impulsive, emotional response to a perceived threat or provocation. SSRIs are antidepressant medications that increase the availability of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. They are a mainstream treatment for depression.
The study was conducted at Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden. Study participants were 62 women with regular menstrual cycles who met diagnostic criteria for PMDD. Their average age was 34 years. Most were married or cohabiting, employed, and well-educated. On average, they reported experiencing PMDD symptoms for 11 years. Over 75% of them reported being previously treated for PMDD.
Participating women were randomly divided into two groups (33 in one group, 29 in the other). One group was to receive 20 mg of escitalopram per day for up to 15 days in the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. The other received a placebo during the same period. Escitalopram is a widely used SSRI. It was delivered in the form of tablets. Escitalopram and placebo tablets were identical and used the same packaging and labeling. Participants were not told which treatment they were receiving.
Participants used a smartphone application to complete the Daily Record of Severity of Problems, an assessment of PMDD symptoms. Participants were considered to suffer from PMDD if their symptoms recorded in this way increased at least by 50% in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase, and if the symptoms were at least mild. The change in these symptoms was the primary outcome study authors observed. The secondary outcomes were specific groups of PMDD symptoms: depressed mood, anxiety, affective lability (mood swings, sensitivity, being easily hurt), and irritability and anger.
Study authors also used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a technique that maps brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow, to capture participants’ neural reactions to aggression-related stimuli. To invoke aggression in participants, study authors used the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm. This task measures aggression by letting participants earn points or retaliate by subtracting points from a supposed opponent who periodically takes points from them (retaliation at one’s own expense is taken as an indicator of aggression). Participants also completed a self-report assessment of aggression before and after the treatment (the Revised Swedish Version of the Aggression Questionnaire).
Results showed that participants who received escitalopram treatment had lower PMDD symptom scores after treatment compared to the placebo group. Their depression, affective lability, and irritability or anger scores were also lower. The decrease was the strongest in irritability and anger. The escitalopram group also showed moderately diminished self-reported aggression after treatment, though behavioral aggression measured by the experimental point-subtraction task did not change.
Further analyses showed that reductions in irritability and anger might be partly mediating the observed decrease in self-reported aggression. Analysis of the neuroimaging data indicated that the escitalopram group showed lower reactivity to provocation (in the experimental task) in the anterior insula, a region of the brain involved in threat detection. The activation in this area was associated with irritability or anger.
“This randomized controlled trial provides timely confirmation of escitalopram as an effective treatment for PMDD within a contemporary clinical context and using prospective daily symptom ratings. Functional neuroimaging suggests that modulation of serotonergic function in PMDD is related to corticolimbic circuits involved in irritability or anger and interpersonal behavior,” study authors concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific knowledge about the effects of escitalopram for treating PMDD. However, study authors report that they found no association between the self-reported irritability/anger and aggression scores derived from the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm, raising questions about the sensitivity and validity of this experimental task in this population.
The paper, “Escitalopram and brain reactivity to aggressive stimuli in premenstrual dysphoric disorder,” was authored by Manon Dubol, Maria Gröndal, Felix Schmidt, Patrick M. Fisher, Vibe Gedsoe Frokjaer, Johan Wikström, Elias Eriksson, Inger Sundstrøm, and Erika Comasco.
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DATE: September 11, 2026 at 04:00PM
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: How a parent’s motivation influences their child’s writing skills
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-a-parent-s-motivation-influences-their-child-s-writing-skills/
Parents who help their children with writing activities because they genuinely enjoy or value the process have children who display more positive attitudes toward the subject. These positive attitudes are then linked to better writing performance in the classroom. This research was published in the Journal of Writing Research.
Learning to write is a highly social process that requires consistent practice both inside and outside the classroom. While teachers provide formal instruction on grammar and text structure, parents often facilitate informal writing experiences at home. Educational psychologists view writing as a community effort. A child’s ability to communicate on paper is shaped by the social and cultural environment in which they learn.
Despite the importance of writing for future academic and professional success, research into home-based learning often focuses heavily on reading. Less is known about how parents support their children’s writing development. Specifically, researchers want to know what motivates parents to get involved in the first place.
Psychologists often divide human motivation into two distinct categories. Autonomous motivation describes doing something because it is intrinsically enjoyable or personally meaningful. For a parent, this might mean helping a child write a story because they believe the activity is important for the child’s growth.
Controlled motivation involves acting out of guilt, shame, or a sense of external obligation. A parent acting on controlled motivation might help with homework solely to avoid feeling like they are failing in their duties.
Bronte Kelso-Marsh, a researcher at Edith Cowan University, led a team to investigate how these different parental motivations relate to children’s writing skills. Kelso-Marsh worked with Anabela Abreu Malpique, Helen Davis, and Debora Similieana Valcan. The researchers wanted to understand if the underlying reasons parents help their children write are connected to how often they participate in home writing activities. They also aimed to see if this involvement is associated with how children feel about writing and how well they perform.
The researchers recruited 159 children in their second year of primary school, along with their parents or caregivers. The students attended twelve different schools in the Perth metropolitan region of Western Australia. These schools represented a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.
To measure the children’s attitudes toward writing, researchers conducted brief one-on-one interviews. They asked the children how much they liked writing and how they felt about writing stories on paper. Because the children were around seven years old, they responded by pointing to a visual scale of faces that ranged from awful to fantastic. Overall, the children reported generally positive feelings toward writing.
To assess writing quality, the researchers gave the children ten minutes to write a story based on a standard prompt. The children were asked to write a narrative about finding a robot on the way home from school.
Trained evaluators then scored these handwritten stories on ten specific criteria. The scoring system evaluated the children’s vocabulary, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. It also graded the narratives on broader concepts like character development, text structure, and how well the story engaged the reader.
The parents completed a comprehensive survey about their involvement in their children’s writing at home. The survey asked how often they engaged in everyday writing activities with their children. These activities included writing greeting cards, making shopping lists, playing word games, or doing free writing. Free writing involves writing for fun without a strict purpose or grading rubric.
Parents also answered questions designed to measure their autonomous and controlled motivations. To measure autonomous motivation, parents rated how much they agreed with statements about enjoying helping their child or valuing the benefits of writing. To measure controlled motivation, parents responded to statements about feeling guilty if they did not take part in their child’s writing activities.
The researchers analyzed the data using a mathematical technique that maps direct and indirect relationships between multiple variables. They found that parents who reported higher levels of autonomous motivation were more likely to frequently engage in home writing activities with their children. Enjoyment and a belief in the value of writing appeared to drive active participation.
Parents who were primarily driven by controlled motivation did not report engaging in writing activities any more frequently than other parents. Feelings of guilt or external pressure did not translate into more time spent writing with their children. In fact, higher controlled motivation was associated with children having slightly less favorable attitudes toward writing, though this specific relationship was not the main focus of the mathematical model.
The frequency of home writing activities was directly linked to the children’s attitudes. Children who regularly practiced writing with their parents tended to view writing more favorably.
The data also showed a positive relationship between a child’s attitude toward writing and the quality of their written stories. Children who liked writing produced stories with better structure, grammar, and vocabulary.
Through their statistical model, the researchers traced an indirect path linking the parents’ internal motivation to the children’s final writing quality. Parents who valued writing and enjoyed helping were more active in home writing activities. This shared activity was associated with their children developing positive attitudes. Those positive attitudes were then linked to higher scores on the narrative writing assessment.
The data revealed an unexpected pattern regarding parents who reported high autonomous motivation but low actual involvement. When the mathematical model isolated the effect of parents who valued writing but did not actively participate in writing activities, the children tended to have less favorable attitudes toward writing.
The researchers suggest that simply believing writing is important is not enough to help a child develop a positive mindset. The belief must translate into tangible, shared activities. If a parent values writing but forces a reluctant child to participate without making it an engaging activity, it might create conflict that harms the child’s attitude.
Because the study relies on observing existing behaviors at a single point in time, it cannot prove that parental motivation causes changes in children’s writing. It is possible that the relationship operates in the opposite direction. For example, parents might find it more enjoyable and rewarding to help a child who already likes writing and possesses strong writing skills. A child who struggles with writing might resist help, making the process less enjoyable for the parent.
The assessment of writing quality was also limited to a single narrative story prompt. Children might perform differently when asked to write informational texts or persuasive arguments. The researchers recommend that future studies evaluate multiple types of writing to get a broader picture of a child’s academic abilities. Identifying how parent involvement relates to specific skills like spelling versus idea generation requires larger sample sizes.
Future research could also explore other factors that prevent motivated parents from helping their children. Time constraints, cultural differences, and a parent’s confidence in their own writing abilities likely dictate how often they engage in these activities. By tracking families over several years, scientists could better understand how parental involvement shapes academic development over time.
The study, “Motivation Matters: The Positive Influence of Parental Involvement on Children’s Writing Outcome,” was authored by Bronte Kelso-Marsh, Anabela Abreu Malpique, Helen Davis, and Debora Similieana Valcan.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-a-parent-s-motivation-influences-their-child-s-writing-skills/
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #ParentalInvolvement #WritingDevelopment #AutonomousMotivation #ChildLiteracy # writingattitude #homewriting #parentingandwriting #childrenswriting #narrativewriting #educationresearch
-
DATE: September 11, 2026 at 04:00PM
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: How a parent’s motivation influences their child’s writing skills
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-a-parent-s-motivation-influences-their-child-s-writing-skills/
Parents who help their children with writing activities because they genuinely enjoy or value the process have children who display more positive attitudes toward the subject. These positive attitudes are then linked to better writing performance in the classroom. This research was published in the Journal of Writing Research.
Learning to write is a highly social process that requires consistent practice both inside and outside the classroom. While teachers provide formal instruction on grammar and text structure, parents often facilitate informal writing experiences at home. Educational psychologists view writing as a community effort. A child’s ability to communicate on paper is shaped by the social and cultural environment in which they learn.
Despite the importance of writing for future academic and professional success, research into home-based learning often focuses heavily on reading. Less is known about how parents support their children’s writing development. Specifically, researchers want to know what motivates parents to get involved in the first place.
Psychologists often divide human motivation into two distinct categories. Autonomous motivation describes doing something because it is intrinsically enjoyable or personally meaningful. For a parent, this might mean helping a child write a story because they believe the activity is important for the child’s growth.
Controlled motivation involves acting out of guilt, shame, or a sense of external obligation. A parent acting on controlled motivation might help with homework solely to avoid feeling like they are failing in their duties.
Bronte Kelso-Marsh, a researcher at Edith Cowan University, led a team to investigate how these different parental motivations relate to children’s writing skills. Kelso-Marsh worked with Anabela Abreu Malpique, Helen Davis, and Debora Similieana Valcan. The researchers wanted to understand if the underlying reasons parents help their children write are connected to how often they participate in home writing activities. They also aimed to see if this involvement is associated with how children feel about writing and how well they perform.
The researchers recruited 159 children in their second year of primary school, along with their parents or caregivers. The students attended twelve different schools in the Perth metropolitan region of Western Australia. These schools represented a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.
To measure the children’s attitudes toward writing, researchers conducted brief one-on-one interviews. They asked the children how much they liked writing and how they felt about writing stories on paper. Because the children were around seven years old, they responded by pointing to a visual scale of faces that ranged from awful to fantastic. Overall, the children reported generally positive feelings toward writing.
To assess writing quality, the researchers gave the children ten minutes to write a story based on a standard prompt. The children were asked to write a narrative about finding a robot on the way home from school.
Trained evaluators then scored these handwritten stories on ten specific criteria. The scoring system evaluated the children’s vocabulary, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. It also graded the narratives on broader concepts like character development, text structure, and how well the story engaged the reader.
The parents completed a comprehensive survey about their involvement in their children’s writing at home. The survey asked how often they engaged in everyday writing activities with their children. These activities included writing greeting cards, making shopping lists, playing word games, or doing free writing. Free writing involves writing for fun without a strict purpose or grading rubric.
Parents also answered questions designed to measure their autonomous and controlled motivations. To measure autonomous motivation, parents rated how much they agreed with statements about enjoying helping their child or valuing the benefits of writing. To measure controlled motivation, parents responded to statements about feeling guilty if they did not take part in their child’s writing activities.
The researchers analyzed the data using a mathematical technique that maps direct and indirect relationships between multiple variables. They found that parents who reported higher levels of autonomous motivation were more likely to frequently engage in home writing activities with their children. Enjoyment and a belief in the value of writing appeared to drive active participation.
Parents who were primarily driven by controlled motivation did not report engaging in writing activities any more frequently than other parents. Feelings of guilt or external pressure did not translate into more time spent writing with their children. In fact, higher controlled motivation was associated with children having slightly less favorable attitudes toward writing, though this specific relationship was not the main focus of the mathematical model.
The frequency of home writing activities was directly linked to the children’s attitudes. Children who regularly practiced writing with their parents tended to view writing more favorably.
The data also showed a positive relationship between a child’s attitude toward writing and the quality of their written stories. Children who liked writing produced stories with better structure, grammar, and vocabulary.
Through their statistical model, the researchers traced an indirect path linking the parents’ internal motivation to the children’s final writing quality. Parents who valued writing and enjoyed helping were more active in home writing activities. This shared activity was associated with their children developing positive attitudes. Those positive attitudes were then linked to higher scores on the narrative writing assessment.
The data revealed an unexpected pattern regarding parents who reported high autonomous motivation but low actual involvement. When the mathematical model isolated the effect of parents who valued writing but did not actively participate in writing activities, the children tended to have less favorable attitudes toward writing.
The researchers suggest that simply believing writing is important is not enough to help a child develop a positive mindset. The belief must translate into tangible, shared activities. If a parent values writing but forces a reluctant child to participate without making it an engaging activity, it might create conflict that harms the child’s attitude.
Because the study relies on observing existing behaviors at a single point in time, it cannot prove that parental motivation causes changes in children’s writing. It is possible that the relationship operates in the opposite direction. For example, parents might find it more enjoyable and rewarding to help a child who already likes writing and possesses strong writing skills. A child who struggles with writing might resist help, making the process less enjoyable for the parent.
The assessment of writing quality was also limited to a single narrative story prompt. Children might perform differently when asked to write informational texts or persuasive arguments. The researchers recommend that future studies evaluate multiple types of writing to get a broader picture of a child’s academic abilities. Identifying how parent involvement relates to specific skills like spelling versus idea generation requires larger sample sizes.
Future research could also explore other factors that prevent motivated parents from helping their children. Time constraints, cultural differences, and a parent’s confidence in their own writing abilities likely dictate how often they engage in these activities. By tracking families over several years, scientists could better understand how parental involvement shapes academic development over time.
The study, “Motivation Matters: The Positive Influence of Parental Involvement on Children’s Writing Outcome,” was authored by Bronte Kelso-Marsh, Anabela Abreu Malpique, Helen Davis, and Debora Similieana Valcan.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-a-parent-s-motivation-influences-their-child-s-writing-skills/
-------------------------------------------------
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Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #ParentalInvolvement #WritingDevelopment #AutonomousMotivation #ChildLiteracy # writingattitude #homewriting #parentingandwriting #childrenswriting #narrativewriting #educationresearch
-
DATE: September 11, 2026 at 04:00PM
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: How a parent’s motivation influences their child’s writing skills
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-a-parent-s-motivation-influences-their-child-s-writing-skills/
Parents who help their children with writing activities because they genuinely enjoy or value the process have children who display more positive attitudes toward the subject. These positive attitudes are then linked to better writing performance in the classroom. This research was published in the Journal of Writing Research.
Learning to write is a highly social process that requires consistent practice both inside and outside the classroom. While teachers provide formal instruction on grammar and text structure, parents often facilitate informal writing experiences at home. Educational psychologists view writing as a community effort. A child’s ability to communicate on paper is shaped by the social and cultural environment in which they learn.
Despite the importance of writing for future academic and professional success, research into home-based learning often focuses heavily on reading. Less is known about how parents support their children’s writing development. Specifically, researchers want to know what motivates parents to get involved in the first place.
Psychologists often divide human motivation into two distinct categories. Autonomous motivation describes doing something because it is intrinsically enjoyable or personally meaningful. For a parent, this might mean helping a child write a story because they believe the activity is important for the child’s growth.
Controlled motivation involves acting out of guilt, shame, or a sense of external obligation. A parent acting on controlled motivation might help with homework solely to avoid feeling like they are failing in their duties.
Bronte Kelso-Marsh, a researcher at Edith Cowan University, led a team to investigate how these different parental motivations relate to children’s writing skills. Kelso-Marsh worked with Anabela Abreu Malpique, Helen Davis, and Debora Similieana Valcan. The researchers wanted to understand if the underlying reasons parents help their children write are connected to how often they participate in home writing activities. They also aimed to see if this involvement is associated with how children feel about writing and how well they perform.
The researchers recruited 159 children in their second year of primary school, along with their parents or caregivers. The students attended twelve different schools in the Perth metropolitan region of Western Australia. These schools represented a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.
To measure the children’s attitudes toward writing, researchers conducted brief one-on-one interviews. They asked the children how much they liked writing and how they felt about writing stories on paper. Because the children were around seven years old, they responded by pointing to a visual scale of faces that ranged from awful to fantastic. Overall, the children reported generally positive feelings toward writing.
To assess writing quality, the researchers gave the children ten minutes to write a story based on a standard prompt. The children were asked to write a narrative about finding a robot on the way home from school.
Trained evaluators then scored these handwritten stories on ten specific criteria. The scoring system evaluated the children’s vocabulary, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. It also graded the narratives on broader concepts like character development, text structure, and how well the story engaged the reader.
The parents completed a comprehensive survey about their involvement in their children’s writing at home. The survey asked how often they engaged in everyday writing activities with their children. These activities included writing greeting cards, making shopping lists, playing word games, or doing free writing. Free writing involves writing for fun without a strict purpose or grading rubric.
Parents also answered questions designed to measure their autonomous and controlled motivations. To measure autonomous motivation, parents rated how much they agreed with statements about enjoying helping their child or valuing the benefits of writing. To measure controlled motivation, parents responded to statements about feeling guilty if they did not take part in their child’s writing activities.
The researchers analyzed the data using a mathematical technique that maps direct and indirect relationships between multiple variables. They found that parents who reported higher levels of autonomous motivation were more likely to frequently engage in home writing activities with their children. Enjoyment and a belief in the value of writing appeared to drive active participation.
Parents who were primarily driven by controlled motivation did not report engaging in writing activities any more frequently than other parents. Feelings of guilt or external pressure did not translate into more time spent writing with their children. In fact, higher controlled motivation was associated with children having slightly less favorable attitudes toward writing, though this specific relationship was not the main focus of the mathematical model.
The frequency of home writing activities was directly linked to the children’s attitudes. Children who regularly practiced writing with their parents tended to view writing more favorably.
The data also showed a positive relationship between a child’s attitude toward writing and the quality of their written stories. Children who liked writing produced stories with better structure, grammar, and vocabulary.
Through their statistical model, the researchers traced an indirect path linking the parents’ internal motivation to the children’s final writing quality. Parents who valued writing and enjoyed helping were more active in home writing activities. This shared activity was associated with their children developing positive attitudes. Those positive attitudes were then linked to higher scores on the narrative writing assessment.
The data revealed an unexpected pattern regarding parents who reported high autonomous motivation but low actual involvement. When the mathematical model isolated the effect of parents who valued writing but did not actively participate in writing activities, the children tended to have less favorable attitudes toward writing.
The researchers suggest that simply believing writing is important is not enough to help a child develop a positive mindset. The belief must translate into tangible, shared activities. If a parent values writing but forces a reluctant child to participate without making it an engaging activity, it might create conflict that harms the child’s attitude.
Because the study relies on observing existing behaviors at a single point in time, it cannot prove that parental motivation causes changes in children’s writing. It is possible that the relationship operates in the opposite direction. For example, parents might find it more enjoyable and rewarding to help a child who already likes writing and possesses strong writing skills. A child who struggles with writing might resist help, making the process less enjoyable for the parent.
The assessment of writing quality was also limited to a single narrative story prompt. Children might perform differently when asked to write informational texts or persuasive arguments. The researchers recommend that future studies evaluate multiple types of writing to get a broader picture of a child’s academic abilities. Identifying how parent involvement relates to specific skills like spelling versus idea generation requires larger sample sizes.
Future research could also explore other factors that prevent motivated parents from helping their children. Time constraints, cultural differences, and a parent’s confidence in their own writing abilities likely dictate how often they engage in these activities. By tracking families over several years, scientists could better understand how parental involvement shapes academic development over time.
The study, “Motivation Matters: The Positive Influence of Parental Involvement on Children’s Writing Outcome,” was authored by Bronte Kelso-Marsh, Anabela Abreu Malpique, Helen Davis, and Debora Similieana Valcan.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-a-parent-s-motivation-influences-their-child-s-writing-skills/
-------------------------------------------------
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Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #ParentalInvolvement #WritingDevelopment #AutonomousMotivation #ChildLiteracy # writingattitude #homewriting #parentingandwriting #childrenswriting #narrativewriting #educationresearch
-
DATE: September 11, 2026 at 02:00PM
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: Semaglutide may protect against psychiatric disorders independent of weight loss
New research suggests that higher doses of the medication semaglutide might be linked to a lower risk of developing certain mental health and neurological conditions, and this association appears to be independent of how much weight a person loses. The findings, published in npj Metabolic Health and Disease, indicate that the drug’s effects on the brain may go beyond its well-known metabolic benefits.
Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists. Originally developed to help manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, these drugs mimic a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1. The drug works by binding to GLP-1 receptors, which are specific protein structures located on the surface of cells, prompting the cell to behave in a certain way. While they are most famous for stimulating insulin release and slowing digestion, GLP-1 receptors are also present in the brain, including areas that control appetite and reward.
In recent years, semaglutide has become widely used as a treatment for obesity. Beyond weight management, it has also demonstrated protective effects on other organs. For example, a 2023 clinical trial found that semaglutide reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with obesity who do not have diabetes. Because of these wide-ranging health improvements, scientists want to understand the exact mechanisms at play. They question whether the positive changes in the body are a direct result of the medication acting on cells in different organs, or if they are simply a secondary benefit of carrying less body weight.
The research, led by Karthik Murugadoss and Venky Soundararajan of nference, aimed to explore these competing possibilities by examining how semaglutide relates to cognitive and mental health outcomes. By analyzing the medical histories of thousands of patients, the team hoped to see if psychiatric outcomes tracked more closely with the dosage of the medication a patient took or with the amount of weight they lost while taking it.
“Many patients report experiencing metabolic health problems and mental health conditions concurrently, yet treatment success is often summarized by kilograms or pounds lost,” said Soundararajan, founder and chief scientific officer at nference. “We wanted to understand whether Wegovy (semaglutide) dose and weight loss tell the same narrative about subsequent neurological and psychiatric diagnoses.”
The researchers conducted an observational study using a massive database of electronic health records. They identified 63,215 patients who were prescribed semaglutide and already had a documented history of a neurological or psychiatric condition. To establish a baseline for comparison, the researchers first matched these patients with individuals taking other common diabetes medications, such as metformin, making sure the groups were similar in age, sex, body mass index, and diabetes status.
Over a two-year period, patients taking semaglutide generally had lower rates of being diagnosed with new neuropsychiatric issues compared to those taking metformin. For instance, the incidence of substance-related disorders was 3.8 percent in the semaglutide group compared to 6.1 percent in the metformin group. Mood disorders were recorded in 10.5 percent of semaglutide users versus 13.2 percent of metformin users.
To dig deeper, the researchers split the semaglutide patients into groups based on two factors: the maximum dose they reached during their first two years of treatment and the maximum amount of weight they lost during that same window. The researchers then looked at the subsequent two years of medical records to see who developed new neuropsychiatric conditions, treating the two-year mark as a dividing line or “landmark.”
Achieving a higher dose of semaglutide, defined as 1.7 milligrams or more, was associated with lower rates of several mental health conditions compared to staying on a lower dose of 0.25 to 1.0 milligrams. Patients on high doses had a 29 percent lower relative risk of developing substance-related disorders during the follow-up period. They also had an 18 percent lower relative risk of mood disorders. Similar reductions were seen in rates of anxiety, neuromuscular diseases, and impulse-control disorders.
“These represent approximately 18% and 29% lower relative incidence, respectively, with absolute differences equivalent to about 23 and 14 fewer diagnoses per 1,000 people at risk,” Soundararajan told PsyPost. “Whether changing someone’s dose would produce those differences requires a randomized control trial.”
“The selectivity was striking: the association with higher doses of semaglutide did not extend across all neurological outcomes,” he added. “For example, dementia/degenerative central nervous system disease showed no significant difference between semaglutide dose groups. That reinforces why each neuropsychiatric outcome needs its own evidence and merits future studies that examine personalized precision GLP-1 medicine dosage and outcome measurements in support of each patient’s holistic health.”
When the researchers grouped patients by how much weight they lost, which ranged from less than 5 percent to more than 20 percent of their body weight, they did not see the same patterns. The amount of weight a person shed was not strongly linked to their risk of developing substance, mood, or anxiety disorders. This disconnect suggests that the psychiatric benefits associated with the drug might be driven by the medication itself rather than the physical act of losing weight.
“The weighing scale may tell only part of the story when it comes to GLP-1 medicines,” Soundararajan said. “Higher attained Wegovy (semaglutide) doses were associated with fewer subsequent mood, anxiety-related and substance-related diagnoses, without corresponding differences across weight-loss groups. This raises an important question for future research: how much can weight change alone tell us about a patient’s broader neuropsychiatric health improvement response to treatment?”
There was, however, an exception regarding cognitive and speech symptoms. These specific outcomes were more closely related to how much weight a patient lost rather than their medication dose. Patients who lost the most weight actually had slightly higher rates of recorded cognitive symptoms, rising from 2.1 percent in the group that lost the least weight to 4.7 percent in the group that lost the most. The researchers note that this does not necessarily mean the drug harms cognition. In real-world medical data, extreme weight loss can sometimes be an unintentional result of an underlying decline in health or frailty, which could also explain the increase in cognitive issues.
To provide biological context for these clinical findings, the researchers also examined publicly available genetic databases to map where the GLP-1 receptor is naturally produced in the human body. They found trace amounts of the receptor in specific brain regions, such as the hypothalamus, which helps regulate hormones and basic physical needs, and the caudate nucleus, which is involved in learning and reward processing. This genetic evidence provides a plausible pathway for the medication to interact directly with the central nervous system.
As with all research, there are a few caveats to consider. Because this was a retrospective observational study based on medical records, it cannot prove cause and effect. A major consideration is healthy-adherer bias. People who reach higher doses of a medication might just be healthier overall, more engaged with their healthcare providers, or better at taking their medication consistently. Those who experienced negative side effects early in treatment would naturally stay on lower doses or stop taking the drug altogether, which could skew the high-dose group toward individuals who already felt well.
The study also relied on medical diagnostic codes entered by doctors. These codes only capture when a condition is formally diagnosed, which often lags behind when the condition biologically began. The research was not designed to evaluate immediate psychiatric side effects that might happen right after starting the medication, nor should the findings be used to justify prescribing semaglutide specifically for psychiatric conditions. Future prospective trials, where patients are randomly assigned to different doses and closely monitored over time, will be needed to fully map out the drug’s impact on the brain.
“‘Independent of weight loss’ should be understood cautiously: comparing separate dose and weight-loss groups does not establish a direct drug effect independent of weight,” Soundararajan explained. “People who reach higher doses may differ in treatment tolerance, continuity of care and affordability, all of which could influence outcomes. We measured newly recorded diagnoses, which cannot establish recovery from an existing mental-health condition.”
“Our long-term aim is to understand which patients benefit, at what dose, and with what trade-offs across the body and brain,” he continued. “A priority is to use AI-assisted review of clinical notes to clarify actual medication use with expert physician adjudication and validation. We will similarly assess their reasons for stopping and symptom trajectories, and finally test the most credible signals with the greatest real-world evidence in prospective, gold-standard clinical trials.”
“For someone living with obesity or diabetes alongside a mental-health condition, everyday functioning, relationships and emotional well-being are central to what better health means,” Soundararajan said. “We hope this study by nference encourages future studies to measure treatment success in ways that reflect those priorities.”
The study, “Higher semaglutide dose is associated with lower neuropsychiatric event incidence independent of weight loss,” was authored by Karthik Murugadoss, A. J. Venkatakrishnan, and Venky Soundararajan.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Semaglutide #GLP1 #NeuropsychiatricHealth #MentalHealthResearch #WeightLossIndependent #NeurocognitiveBenefits #ObesityTreatment #DiabetesCare #PharmaScience #WegovyDoseDoseResponse
-
DATE: September 11, 2026 at 02:00PM
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: Semaglutide may protect against psychiatric disorders independent of weight loss
New research suggests that higher doses of the medication semaglutide might be linked to a lower risk of developing certain mental health and neurological conditions, and this association appears to be independent of how much weight a person loses. The findings, published in npj Metabolic Health and Disease, indicate that the drug’s effects on the brain may go beyond its well-known metabolic benefits.
Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists. Originally developed to help manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, these drugs mimic a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1. The drug works by binding to GLP-1 receptors, which are specific protein structures located on the surface of cells, prompting the cell to behave in a certain way. While they are most famous for stimulating insulin release and slowing digestion, GLP-1 receptors are also present in the brain, including areas that control appetite and reward.
In recent years, semaglutide has become widely used as a treatment for obesity. Beyond weight management, it has also demonstrated protective effects on other organs. For example, a 2023 clinical trial found that semaglutide reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with obesity who do not have diabetes. Because of these wide-ranging health improvements, scientists want to understand the exact mechanisms at play. They question whether the positive changes in the body are a direct result of the medication acting on cells in different organs, or if they are simply a secondary benefit of carrying less body weight.
The research, led by Karthik Murugadoss and Venky Soundararajan of nference, aimed to explore these competing possibilities by examining how semaglutide relates to cognitive and mental health outcomes. By analyzing the medical histories of thousands of patients, the team hoped to see if psychiatric outcomes tracked more closely with the dosage of the medication a patient took or with the amount of weight they lost while taking it.
“Many patients report experiencing metabolic health problems and mental health conditions concurrently, yet treatment success is often summarized by kilograms or pounds lost,” said Soundararajan, founder and chief scientific officer at nference. “We wanted to understand whether Wegovy (semaglutide) dose and weight loss tell the same narrative about subsequent neurological and psychiatric diagnoses.”
The researchers conducted an observational study using a massive database of electronic health records. They identified 63,215 patients who were prescribed semaglutide and already had a documented history of a neurological or psychiatric condition. To establish a baseline for comparison, the researchers first matched these patients with individuals taking other common diabetes medications, such as metformin, making sure the groups were similar in age, sex, body mass index, and diabetes status.
Over a two-year period, patients taking semaglutide generally had lower rates of being diagnosed with new neuropsychiatric issues compared to those taking metformin. For instance, the incidence of substance-related disorders was 3.8 percent in the semaglutide group compared to 6.1 percent in the metformin group. Mood disorders were recorded in 10.5 percent of semaglutide users versus 13.2 percent of metformin users.
To dig deeper, the researchers split the semaglutide patients into groups based on two factors: the maximum dose they reached during their first two years of treatment and the maximum amount of weight they lost during that same window. The researchers then looked at the subsequent two years of medical records to see who developed new neuropsychiatric conditions, treating the two-year mark as a dividing line or “landmark.”
Achieving a higher dose of semaglutide, defined as 1.7 milligrams or more, was associated with lower rates of several mental health conditions compared to staying on a lower dose of 0.25 to 1.0 milligrams. Patients on high doses had a 29 percent lower relative risk of developing substance-related disorders during the follow-up period. They also had an 18 percent lower relative risk of mood disorders. Similar reductions were seen in rates of anxiety, neuromuscular diseases, and impulse-control disorders.
“These represent approximately 18% and 29% lower relative incidence, respectively, with absolute differences equivalent to about 23 and 14 fewer diagnoses per 1,000 people at risk,” Soundararajan told PsyPost. “Whether changing someone’s dose would produce those differences requires a randomized control trial.”
“The selectivity was striking: the association with higher doses of semaglutide did not extend across all neurological outcomes,” he added. “For example, dementia/degenerative central nervous system disease showed no significant difference between semaglutide dose groups. That reinforces why each neuropsychiatric outcome needs its own evidence and merits future studies that examine personalized precision GLP-1 medicine dosage and outcome measurements in support of each patient’s holistic health.”
When the researchers grouped patients by how much weight they lost, which ranged from less than 5 percent to more than 20 percent of their body weight, they did not see the same patterns. The amount of weight a person shed was not strongly linked to their risk of developing substance, mood, or anxiety disorders. This disconnect suggests that the psychiatric benefits associated with the drug might be driven by the medication itself rather than the physical act of losing weight.
“The weighing scale may tell only part of the story when it comes to GLP-1 medicines,” Soundararajan said. “Higher attained Wegovy (semaglutide) doses were associated with fewer subsequent mood, anxiety-related and substance-related diagnoses, without corresponding differences across weight-loss groups. This raises an important question for future research: how much can weight change alone tell us about a patient’s broader neuropsychiatric health improvement response to treatment?”
There was, however, an exception regarding cognitive and speech symptoms. These specific outcomes were more closely related to how much weight a patient lost rather than their medication dose. Patients who lost the most weight actually had slightly higher rates of recorded cognitive symptoms, rising from 2.1 percent in the group that lost the least weight to 4.7 percent in the group that lost the most. The researchers note that this does not necessarily mean the drug harms cognition. In real-world medical data, extreme weight loss can sometimes be an unintentional result of an underlying decline in health or frailty, which could also explain the increase in cognitive issues.
To provide biological context for these clinical findings, the researchers also examined publicly available genetic databases to map where the GLP-1 receptor is naturally produced in the human body. They found trace amounts of the receptor in specific brain regions, such as the hypothalamus, which helps regulate hormones and basic physical needs, and the caudate nucleus, which is involved in learning and reward processing. This genetic evidence provides a plausible pathway for the medication to interact directly with the central nervous system.
As with all research, there are a few caveats to consider. Because this was a retrospective observational study based on medical records, it cannot prove cause and effect. A major consideration is healthy-adherer bias. People who reach higher doses of a medication might just be healthier overall, more engaged with their healthcare providers, or better at taking their medication consistently. Those who experienced negative side effects early in treatment would naturally stay on lower doses or stop taking the drug altogether, which could skew the high-dose group toward individuals who already felt well.
The study also relied on medical diagnostic codes entered by doctors. These codes only capture when a condition is formally diagnosed, which often lags behind when the condition biologically began. The research was not designed to evaluate immediate psychiatric side effects that might happen right after starting the medication, nor should the findings be used to justify prescribing semaglutide specifically for psychiatric conditions. Future prospective trials, where patients are randomly assigned to different doses and closely monitored over time, will be needed to fully map out the drug’s impact on the brain.
“‘Independent of weight loss’ should be understood cautiously: comparing separate dose and weight-loss groups does not establish a direct drug effect independent of weight,” Soundararajan explained. “People who reach higher doses may differ in treatment tolerance, continuity of care and affordability, all of which could influence outcomes. We measured newly recorded diagnoses, which cannot establish recovery from an existing mental-health condition.”
“Our long-term aim is to understand which patients benefit, at what dose, and with what trade-offs across the body and brain,” he continued. “A priority is to use AI-assisted review of clinical notes to clarify actual medication use with expert physician adjudication and validation. We will similarly assess their reasons for stopping and symptom trajectories, and finally test the most credible signals with the greatest real-world evidence in prospective, gold-standard clinical trials.”
“For someone living with obesity or diabetes alongside a mental-health condition, everyday functioning, relationships and emotional well-being are central to what better health means,” Soundararajan said. “We hope this study by nference encourages future studies to measure treatment success in ways that reflect those priorities.”
The study, “Higher semaglutide dose is associated with lower neuropsychiatric event incidence independent of weight loss,” was authored by Karthik Murugadoss, A. J. Venkatakrishnan, and Venky Soundararajan.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Semaglutide #GLP1 #NeuropsychiatricHealth #MentalHealthResearch #WeightLossIndependent #NeurocognitiveBenefits #ObesityTreatment #DiabetesCare #PharmaScience #WegovyDoseDoseResponse
-
DATE: September 11, 2026 at 02:00PM
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: Semaglutide may protect against psychiatric disorders independent of weight loss
New research suggests that higher doses of the medication semaglutide might be linked to a lower risk of developing certain mental health and neurological conditions, and this association appears to be independent of how much weight a person loses. The findings, published in npj Metabolic Health and Disease, indicate that the drug’s effects on the brain may go beyond its well-known metabolic benefits.
Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists. Originally developed to help manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, these drugs mimic a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1. The drug works by binding to GLP-1 receptors, which are specific protein structures located on the surface of cells, prompting the cell to behave in a certain way. While they are most famous for stimulating insulin release and slowing digestion, GLP-1 receptors are also present in the brain, including areas that control appetite and reward.
In recent years, semaglutide has become widely used as a treatment for obesity. Beyond weight management, it has also demonstrated protective effects on other organs. For example, a 2023 clinical trial found that semaglutide reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with obesity who do not have diabetes. Because of these wide-ranging health improvements, scientists want to understand the exact mechanisms at play. They question whether the positive changes in the body are a direct result of the medication acting on cells in different organs, or if they are simply a secondary benefit of carrying less body weight.
The research, led by Karthik Murugadoss and Venky Soundararajan of nference, aimed to explore these competing possibilities by examining how semaglutide relates to cognitive and mental health outcomes. By analyzing the medical histories of thousands of patients, the team hoped to see if psychiatric outcomes tracked more closely with the dosage of the medication a patient took or with the amount of weight they lost while taking it.
“Many patients report experiencing metabolic health problems and mental health conditions concurrently, yet treatment success is often summarized by kilograms or pounds lost,” said Soundararajan, founder and chief scientific officer at nference. “We wanted to understand whether Wegovy (semaglutide) dose and weight loss tell the same narrative about subsequent neurological and psychiatric diagnoses.”
The researchers conducted an observational study using a massive database of electronic health records. They identified 63,215 patients who were prescribed semaglutide and already had a documented history of a neurological or psychiatric condition. To establish a baseline for comparison, the researchers first matched these patients with individuals taking other common diabetes medications, such as metformin, making sure the groups were similar in age, sex, body mass index, and diabetes status.
Over a two-year period, patients taking semaglutide generally had lower rates of being diagnosed with new neuropsychiatric issues compared to those taking metformin. For instance, the incidence of substance-related disorders was 3.8 percent in the semaglutide group compared to 6.1 percent in the metformin group. Mood disorders were recorded in 10.5 percent of semaglutide users versus 13.2 percent of metformin users.
To dig deeper, the researchers split the semaglutide patients into groups based on two factors: the maximum dose they reached during their first two years of treatment and the maximum amount of weight they lost during that same window. The researchers then looked at the subsequent two years of medical records to see who developed new neuropsychiatric conditions, treating the two-year mark as a dividing line or “landmark.”
Achieving a higher dose of semaglutide, defined as 1.7 milligrams or more, was associated with lower rates of several mental health conditions compared to staying on a lower dose of 0.25 to 1.0 milligrams. Patients on high doses had a 29 percent lower relative risk of developing substance-related disorders during the follow-up period. They also had an 18 percent lower relative risk of mood disorders. Similar reductions were seen in rates of anxiety, neuromuscular diseases, and impulse-control disorders.
“These represent approximately 18% and 29% lower relative incidence, respectively, with absolute differences equivalent to about 23 and 14 fewer diagnoses per 1,000 people at risk,” Soundararajan told PsyPost. “Whether changing someone’s dose would produce those differences requires a randomized control trial.”
“The selectivity was striking: the association with higher doses of semaglutide did not extend across all neurological outcomes,” he added. “For example, dementia/degenerative central nervous system disease showed no significant difference between semaglutide dose groups. That reinforces why each neuropsychiatric outcome needs its own evidence and merits future studies that examine personalized precision GLP-1 medicine dosage and outcome measurements in support of each patient’s holistic health.”
When the researchers grouped patients by how much weight they lost, which ranged from less than 5 percent to more than 20 percent of their body weight, they did not see the same patterns. The amount of weight a person shed was not strongly linked to their risk of developing substance, mood, or anxiety disorders. This disconnect suggests that the psychiatric benefits associated with the drug might be driven by the medication itself rather than the physical act of losing weight.
“The weighing scale may tell only part of the story when it comes to GLP-1 medicines,” Soundararajan said. “Higher attained Wegovy (semaglutide) doses were associated with fewer subsequent mood, anxiety-related and substance-related diagnoses, without corresponding differences across weight-loss groups. This raises an important question for future research: how much can weight change alone tell us about a patient’s broader neuropsychiatric health improvement response to treatment?”
There was, however, an exception regarding cognitive and speech symptoms. These specific outcomes were more closely related to how much weight a patient lost rather than their medication dose. Patients who lost the most weight actually had slightly higher rates of recorded cognitive symptoms, rising from 2.1 percent in the group that lost the least weight to 4.7 percent in the group that lost the most. The researchers note that this does not necessarily mean the drug harms cognition. In real-world medical data, extreme weight loss can sometimes be an unintentional result of an underlying decline in health or frailty, which could also explain the increase in cognitive issues.
To provide biological context for these clinical findings, the researchers also examined publicly available genetic databases to map where the GLP-1 receptor is naturally produced in the human body. They found trace amounts of the receptor in specific brain regions, such as the hypothalamus, which helps regulate hormones and basic physical needs, and the caudate nucleus, which is involved in learning and reward processing. This genetic evidence provides a plausible pathway for the medication to interact directly with the central nervous system.
As with all research, there are a few caveats to consider. Because this was a retrospective observational study based on medical records, it cannot prove cause and effect. A major consideration is healthy-adherer bias. People who reach higher doses of a medication might just be healthier overall, more engaged with their healthcare providers, or better at taking their medication consistently. Those who experienced negative side effects early in treatment would naturally stay on lower doses or stop taking the drug altogether, which could skew the high-dose group toward individuals who already felt well.
The study also relied on medical diagnostic codes entered by doctors. These codes only capture when a condition is formally diagnosed, which often lags behind when the condition biologically began. The research was not designed to evaluate immediate psychiatric side effects that might happen right after starting the medication, nor should the findings be used to justify prescribing semaglutide specifically for psychiatric conditions. Future prospective trials, where patients are randomly assigned to different doses and closely monitored over time, will be needed to fully map out the drug’s impact on the brain.
“‘Independent of weight loss’ should be understood cautiously: comparing separate dose and weight-loss groups does not establish a direct drug effect independent of weight,” Soundararajan explained. “People who reach higher doses may differ in treatment tolerance, continuity of care and affordability, all of which could influence outcomes. We measured newly recorded diagnoses, which cannot establish recovery from an existing mental-health condition.”
“Our long-term aim is to understand which patients benefit, at what dose, and with what trade-offs across the body and brain,” he continued. “A priority is to use AI-assisted review of clinical notes to clarify actual medication use with expert physician adjudication and validation. We will similarly assess their reasons for stopping and symptom trajectories, and finally test the most credible signals with the greatest real-world evidence in prospective, gold-standard clinical trials.”
“For someone living with obesity or diabetes alongside a mental-health condition, everyday functioning, relationships and emotional well-being are central to what better health means,” Soundararajan said. “We hope this study by nference encourages future studies to measure treatment success in ways that reflect those priorities.”
The study, “Higher semaglutide dose is associated with lower neuropsychiatric event incidence independent of weight loss,” was authored by Karthik Murugadoss, A. J. Venkatakrishnan, and Venky Soundararajan.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Semaglutide #GLP1 #NeuropsychiatricHealth #MentalHealthResearch #WeightLossIndependent #NeurocognitiveBenefits #ObesityTreatment #DiabetesCare #PharmaScience #WegovyDoseDoseResponse
-
TRIGGER WARNING: Military Psychology
DATE: September 11, 2026 at 12:50PM
SOURCE: CONSORTIUM FOR DEFENSE PSYCHOLOGYDirect article link at end of text block below.
Are you a Creative Arts Therapist or PhD researcher? Join The Scholars’ Program to build an evidence-based foundation for creative arts therapies in service member health! Apply now: https://t.co/8kDVar5IQz https://t.co/FEHmJiewSs
Here are any URLs found in the article text:
Articles can be found at https://deploymentpsych.org/.
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-
TRIGGER WARNING: Military Psychology
DATE: September 11, 2026 at 12:50PM
SOURCE: CONSORTIUM FOR DEFENSE PSYCHOLOGYDirect article link at end of text block below.
Are you a Creative Arts Therapist or PhD researcher? Join The Scholars’ Program to build an evidence-based foundation for creative arts therapies in service member health! Apply now: https://t.co/8kDVar5IQz https://t.co/FEHmJiewSs
Here are any URLs found in the article text:
Articles can be found at https://deploymentpsych.org/.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #military #militarypsych #militarypsychology #militarycounseling #APA #Division19 #militaryhealth #DeploymentPsychology #DefensePsychology #ConsortiumForDefensePsychology #UniformServicesUniversity
-
TRIGGER WARNING: Military Psychology
DATE: September 11, 2026 at 12:50PM
SOURCE: CONSORTIUM FOR DEFENSE PSYCHOLOGYDirect article link at end of text block below.
Are you a Creative Arts Therapist or PhD researcher? Join The Scholars’ Program to build an evidence-based foundation for creative arts therapies in service member health! Apply now: https://t.co/8kDVar5IQz https://t.co/FEHmJiewSs
Here are any URLs found in the article text:
Articles can be found at https://deploymentpsych.org/.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #military #militarypsych #militarypsychology #militarycounseling #APA #Division19 #militaryhealth #DeploymentPsychology #DefensePsychology #ConsortiumForDefensePsychology #UniformServicesUniversity
-
DATE: September 11, 2026 at 12:00PM
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: Brain scans reveal how recurrent depression leaves a lasting mark on the amygdala
Brain scans reveal that elevated activity in the emotion-processing center is tied to a person’s history of recurrent depression, rather than their current mood. The large study, published in Psychological Medicine, suggests that each major depressive episode may leave a lasting biological mark that increases future vulnerability to the disease.
Major depressive disorder is a common psychiatric condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Currently, psychiatrists diagnose the condition based on clinical interviews and patient history. There are no biological markers, like a blood test or a brain scan, to guide treatment choices.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, allows researchers to observe the brain in action by tracking blood-oxygen levels. When a brain region becomes active, it requires more oxygen, leading to localized changes in blood flow. The scanner detects these magnetic differences to map out neural activity.
Scientists often use this technology to study the amygdala, an almond-shaped structure deep inside the brain that processes fear and negative emotions. Early brain imaging research suggested that people with clinical depression have hyperactive amygdalae when looking at negative images. But a recent analysis of a massive dataset called the UK Biobank found no association between amygdala activity and current depression symptoms.
Jerke J. van den Berg, a biomedical researcher at the University of Amsterdam, and his colleagues designed a new study to better understand this discrepancy. They suspected that previous research might have missed the broader picture by only looking at a patient’s current mood. The researchers focused on a concept called the kindling theory.
The kindling theory proposes that an initial depressive episode makes the brain more sensitive to stress. After the brain has been sensitized by that first experience, it takes progressively less trauma to trigger a relapse. To test if the amygdala reflects this effect, the research team decided to look at a person’s lifetime history of depression, known as a trait, rather than their current symptoms, known as a state.
The researchers utilized data from the UK Biobank, a long-term population health study. They analyzed functional MRI scans from a subset of participants, totaling more than 11,000 individuals. While inside the scanner, participants completed a visual exercise called the Hariri task.
During the task, participants were shown a target image of an angry or fearful face at the top of a screen. They were then asked to select the matching face from two options at the bottom. This specific visual matching exercise is known to reliably stimulate the amygdala.
Brain activity can vary widely from person to person based on age, gender, and head movement during a scan. To account for this natural variation, the research team used a statistical technique called normative modeling. They analyzed scans from over 6,400 healthy participants to establish a baseline of expected amygdala activity. This works much like a pediatric growth chart, which maps out normal ranges for a child’s height and weight.
Next, the researchers evaluated how much the brain activity of nearly 5,000 other participants deviated from this baseline model. They categorized these individuals based on their self-reported mental health histories. The groups included healthy controls, people who had experienced a single depressive episode, those with moderate recurrence involving two to five episodes, and those with a high recurrence of six or more episodes.
For this initial cross-sectional analysis, the team focused strictly on participants who were currently in remission from their depression. The initial results were not statistically significant when the team analyzed the unaltered brain scans. However, once they applied the normative modeling technique to account for age and gender variations, a distinct pattern emerged.
The analysis revealed a measurable association between an individual’s history of depression and their amygdala response. Participants with a high recurrence of depressive episodes showed a heightened amygdala reaction to negative faces compared to healthy controls.
When the researchers looked at individuals actively experiencing a depressive episode, they found no distinct increase in brain activity compared to controls. This suggested that amygdala reactivity represents a long-term biological trait, rather than a temporary state reflecting current mood.
The researchers also wanted to know how medication might influence these brain signals. They noticed that a higher percentage of people in the severe recurrence group were taking antidepressants compared to those with a single past episode. They repeated their cross-sectional analysis, this time removing any participants who were actively taking antidepressant medications.
Excluding medicated individuals strengthened the observed differences between the healthy controls and the recurrent depression groups. The findings indicated that antidepressants might dampen the hyperactive amygdala signal associated with a history of recurrent depression. Because the medication reduced amygdala reactivity, including these participants in the initial data pool slightly masked the true extent of the brain changes.
To see how the brain changes over time, the team conducted a longitudinal analysis. They focused on a smaller group of participants who returned for a second brain scan roughly two and a half years after their initial visit. The researchers categorized these individuals based on whether they had suffered new depressive episodes between the two scans.
For this longitudinal evaluation, the team specifically analyzed people who were in remission during both of their imaging sessions. Participants who began the study with a history of just one depressive episode, but then experienced multiple new episodes before their second scan, exhibited an increase in amygdala reactivity over time.
This brain change supported the kindling theory. It suggests that new depressive episodes incrementally alter how the brain processes negative emotional information, leaving a biological mark even after symptoms fade.
The study relied on a large dataset, but the researchers noted that the effect sizes were relatively small. These findings do not mean that a functional MRI scan can be used to diagnose depression in a clinical setting right now. The results are not robust enough to predict an individual’s exact risk of a relapse based on a single brain scan.
The data collection methods also presented certain limitations. The study depended on participants accurately recalling their own mental health histories, which can introduce memory biases. People might misremember exactly how many distinct depressive episodes they experienced over the course of their lives.
The mental health questionnaires also combined treatments for nerves, anxiety, and depression into a single metric. Because of this, the researchers could not strictly isolate the effects of anxiety disorders from the effects of clinical depression. Future studies will need to track larger groups of symptomatic individuals over extended periods of time to untangle these variables.
Scientists hope that advancing neuroimaging techniques will eventually reduce the normal fluctuations seen in brain scans. Over time, mapping the biology of recurrent depression could help psychiatrists tailor treatments to a patient’s individual history, moving away from the current trial-and-error approach to prescribing medication.
The study, “Normative amygdala fMRI response during emotional processing as a trait of depressive symptoms in the UK Biobank,” was authored by Jerke J. van den Berg, Henricus G. Ruhé, Henk A. Marquering, Liesbeth Reneman, and Matthan W. A. Caan.
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DATE: September 11, 2026 at 12:00PM
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: Brain scans reveal how recurrent depression leaves a lasting mark on the amygdala
Brain scans reveal that elevated activity in the emotion-processing center is tied to a person’s history of recurrent depression, rather than their current mood. The large study, published in Psychological Medicine, suggests that each major depressive episode may leave a lasting biological mark that increases future vulnerability to the disease.
Major depressive disorder is a common psychiatric condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Currently, psychiatrists diagnose the condition based on clinical interviews and patient history. There are no biological markers, like a blood test or a brain scan, to guide treatment choices.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, allows researchers to observe the brain in action by tracking blood-oxygen levels. When a brain region becomes active, it requires more oxygen, leading to localized changes in blood flow. The scanner detects these magnetic differences to map out neural activity.
Scientists often use this technology to study the amygdala, an almond-shaped structure deep inside the brain that processes fear and negative emotions. Early brain imaging research suggested that people with clinical depression have hyperactive amygdalae when looking at negative images. But a recent analysis of a massive dataset called the UK Biobank found no association between amygdala activity and current depression symptoms.
Jerke J. van den Berg, a biomedical researcher at the University of Amsterdam, and his colleagues designed a new study to better understand this discrepancy. They suspected that previous research might have missed the broader picture by only looking at a patient’s current mood. The researchers focused on a concept called the kindling theory.
The kindling theory proposes that an initial depressive episode makes the brain more sensitive to stress. After the brain has been sensitized by that first experience, it takes progressively less trauma to trigger a relapse. To test if the amygdala reflects this effect, the research team decided to look at a person’s lifetime history of depression, known as a trait, rather than their current symptoms, known as a state.
The researchers utilized data from the UK Biobank, a long-term population health study. They analyzed functional MRI scans from a subset of participants, totaling more than 11,000 individuals. While inside the scanner, participants completed a visual exercise called the Hariri task.
During the task, participants were shown a target image of an angry or fearful face at the top of a screen. They were then asked to select the matching face from two options at the bottom. This specific visual matching exercise is known to reliably stimulate the amygdala.
Brain activity can vary widely from person to person based on age, gender, and head movement during a scan. To account for this natural variation, the research team used a statistical technique called normative modeling. They analyzed scans from over 6,400 healthy participants to establish a baseline of expected amygdala activity. This works much like a pediatric growth chart, which maps out normal ranges for a child’s height and weight.
Next, the researchers evaluated how much the brain activity of nearly 5,000 other participants deviated from this baseline model. They categorized these individuals based on their self-reported mental health histories. The groups included healthy controls, people who had experienced a single depressive episode, those with moderate recurrence involving two to five episodes, and those with a high recurrence of six or more episodes.
For this initial cross-sectional analysis, the team focused strictly on participants who were currently in remission from their depression. The initial results were not statistically significant when the team analyzed the unaltered brain scans. However, once they applied the normative modeling technique to account for age and gender variations, a distinct pattern emerged.
The analysis revealed a measurable association between an individual’s history of depression and their amygdala response. Participants with a high recurrence of depressive episodes showed a heightened amygdala reaction to negative faces compared to healthy controls.
When the researchers looked at individuals actively experiencing a depressive episode, they found no distinct increase in brain activity compared to controls. This suggested that amygdala reactivity represents a long-term biological trait, rather than a temporary state reflecting current mood.
The researchers also wanted to know how medication might influence these brain signals. They noticed that a higher percentage of people in the severe recurrence group were taking antidepressants compared to those with a single past episode. They repeated their cross-sectional analysis, this time removing any participants who were actively taking antidepressant medications.
Excluding medicated individuals strengthened the observed differences between the healthy controls and the recurrent depression groups. The findings indicated that antidepressants might dampen the hyperactive amygdala signal associated with a history of recurrent depression. Because the medication reduced amygdala reactivity, including these participants in the initial data pool slightly masked the true extent of the brain changes.
To see how the brain changes over time, the team conducted a longitudinal analysis. They focused on a smaller group of participants who returned for a second brain scan roughly two and a half years after their initial visit. The researchers categorized these individuals based on whether they had suffered new depressive episodes between the two scans.
For this longitudinal evaluation, the team specifically analyzed people who were in remission during both of their imaging sessions. Participants who began the study with a history of just one depressive episode, but then experienced multiple new episodes before their second scan, exhibited an increase in amygdala reactivity over time.
This brain change supported the kindling theory. It suggests that new depressive episodes incrementally alter how the brain processes negative emotional information, leaving a biological mark even after symptoms fade.
The study relied on a large dataset, but the researchers noted that the effect sizes were relatively small. These findings do not mean that a functional MRI scan can be used to diagnose depression in a clinical setting right now. The results are not robust enough to predict an individual’s exact risk of a relapse based on a single brain scan.
The data collection methods also presented certain limitations. The study depended on participants accurately recalling their own mental health histories, which can introduce memory biases. People might misremember exactly how many distinct depressive episodes they experienced over the course of their lives.
The mental health questionnaires also combined treatments for nerves, anxiety, and depression into a single metric. Because of this, the researchers could not strictly isolate the effects of anxiety disorders from the effects of clinical depression. Future studies will need to track larger groups of symptomatic individuals over extended periods of time to untangle these variables.
Scientists hope that advancing neuroimaging techniques will eventually reduce the normal fluctuations seen in brain scans. Over time, mapping the biology of recurrent depression could help psychiatrists tailor treatments to a patient’s individual history, moving away from the current trial-and-error approach to prescribing medication.
The study, “Normative amygdala fMRI response during emotional processing as a trait of depressive symptoms in the UK Biobank,” was authored by Jerke J. van den Berg, Henricus G. Ruhé, Henk A. Marquering, Liesbeth Reneman, and Matthan W. A. Caan.
-------------------------------------------------
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #DepressionResearch #Amygdala #fMRI #Neuroimaging #KindlingTheory #UKBiobank #MentalHealthAwareness #BiomarkersInDepression #LongitudinalStudy #NeuroscienceAdvances
-
DATE: September 11, 2026 at 12:00PM
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: Brain scans reveal how recurrent depression leaves a lasting mark on the amygdala
Brain scans reveal that elevated activity in the emotion-processing center is tied to a person’s history of recurrent depression, rather than their current mood. The large study, published in Psychological Medicine, suggests that each major depressive episode may leave a lasting biological mark that increases future vulnerability to the disease.
Major depressive disorder is a common psychiatric condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Currently, psychiatrists diagnose the condition based on clinical interviews and patient history. There are no biological markers, like a blood test or a brain scan, to guide treatment choices.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, allows researchers to observe the brain in action by tracking blood-oxygen levels. When a brain region becomes active, it requires more oxygen, leading to localized changes in blood flow. The scanner detects these magnetic differences to map out neural activity.
Scientists often use this technology to study the amygdala, an almond-shaped structure deep inside the brain that processes fear and negative emotions. Early brain imaging research suggested that people with clinical depression have hyperactive amygdalae when looking at negative images. But a recent analysis of a massive dataset called the UK Biobank found no association between amygdala activity and current depression symptoms.
Jerke J. van den Berg, a biomedical researcher at the University of Amsterdam, and his colleagues designed a new study to better understand this discrepancy. They suspected that previous research might have missed the broader picture by only looking at a patient’s current mood. The researchers focused on a concept called the kindling theory.
The kindling theory proposes that an initial depressive episode makes the brain more sensitive to stress. After the brain has been sensitized by that first experience, it takes progressively less trauma to trigger a relapse. To test if the amygdala reflects this effect, the research team decided to look at a person’s lifetime history of depression, known as a trait, rather than their current symptoms, known as a state.
The researchers utilized data from the UK Biobank, a long-term population health study. They analyzed functional MRI scans from a subset of participants, totaling more than 11,000 individuals. While inside the scanner, participants completed a visual exercise called the Hariri task.
During the task, participants were shown a target image of an angry or fearful face at the top of a screen. They were then asked to select the matching face from two options at the bottom. This specific visual matching exercise is known to reliably stimulate the amygdala.
Brain activity can vary widely from person to person based on age, gender, and head movement during a scan. To account for this natural variation, the research team used a statistical technique called normative modeling. They analyzed scans from over 6,400 healthy participants to establish a baseline of expected amygdala activity. This works much like a pediatric growth chart, which maps out normal ranges for a child’s height and weight.
Next, the researchers evaluated how much the brain activity of nearly 5,000 other participants deviated from this baseline model. They categorized these individuals based on their self-reported mental health histories. The groups included healthy controls, people who had experienced a single depressive episode, those with moderate recurrence involving two to five episodes, and those with a high recurrence of six or more episodes.
For this initial cross-sectional analysis, the team focused strictly on participants who were currently in remission from their depression. The initial results were not statistically significant when the team analyzed the unaltered brain scans. However, once they applied the normative modeling technique to account for age and gender variations, a distinct pattern emerged.
The analysis revealed a measurable association between an individual’s history of depression and their amygdala response. Participants with a high recurrence of depressive episodes showed a heightened amygdala reaction to negative faces compared to healthy controls.
When the researchers looked at individuals actively experiencing a depressive episode, they found no distinct increase in brain activity compared to controls. This suggested that amygdala reactivity represents a long-term biological trait, rather than a temporary state reflecting current mood.
The researchers also wanted to know how medication might influence these brain signals. They noticed that a higher percentage of people in the severe recurrence group were taking antidepressants compared to those with a single past episode. They repeated their cross-sectional analysis, this time removing any participants who were actively taking antidepressant medications.
Excluding medicated individuals strengthened the observed differences between the healthy controls and the recurrent depression groups. The findings indicated that antidepressants might dampen the hyperactive amygdala signal associated with a history of recurrent depression. Because the medication reduced amygdala reactivity, including these participants in the initial data pool slightly masked the true extent of the brain changes.
To see how the brain changes over time, the team conducted a longitudinal analysis. They focused on a smaller group of participants who returned for a second brain scan roughly two and a half years after their initial visit. The researchers categorized these individuals based on whether they had suffered new depressive episodes between the two scans.
For this longitudinal evaluation, the team specifically analyzed people who were in remission during both of their imaging sessions. Participants who began the study with a history of just one depressive episode, but then experienced multiple new episodes before their second scan, exhibited an increase in amygdala reactivity over time.
This brain change supported the kindling theory. It suggests that new depressive episodes incrementally alter how the brain processes negative emotional information, leaving a biological mark even after symptoms fade.
The study relied on a large dataset, but the researchers noted that the effect sizes were relatively small. These findings do not mean that a functional MRI scan can be used to diagnose depression in a clinical setting right now. The results are not robust enough to predict an individual’s exact risk of a relapse based on a single brain scan.
The data collection methods also presented certain limitations. The study depended on participants accurately recalling their own mental health histories, which can introduce memory biases. People might misremember exactly how many distinct depressive episodes they experienced over the course of their lives.
The mental health questionnaires also combined treatments for nerves, anxiety, and depression into a single metric. Because of this, the researchers could not strictly isolate the effects of anxiety disorders from the effects of clinical depression. Future studies will need to track larger groups of symptomatic individuals over extended periods of time to untangle these variables.
Scientists hope that advancing neuroimaging techniques will eventually reduce the normal fluctuations seen in brain scans. Over time, mapping the biology of recurrent depression could help psychiatrists tailor treatments to a patient’s individual history, moving away from the current trial-and-error approach to prescribing medication.
The study, “Normative amygdala fMRI response during emotional processing as a trait of depressive symptoms in the UK Biobank,” was authored by Jerke J. van den Berg, Henricus G. Ruhé, Henk A. Marquering, Liesbeth Reneman, and Matthan W. A. Caan.
-------------------------------------------------
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Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #DepressionResearch #Amygdala #fMRI #Neuroimaging #KindlingTheory #UKBiobank #MentalHealthAwareness #BiomarkersInDepression #LongitudinalStudy #NeuroscienceAdvances
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DATE: September 11, 2026 at 10:00AM
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: A clever psychological test reveals the subtle detail that makes us want to work harder
A recent study published in Psychological Science suggests that human beings have a deep-seated need to feel their actions matter, a drive that emerges as early as age four. The research indicates that even the tiniest amount of lasting meaning, such as knowing a small piece of artwork will be saved rather than thrown away, is enough to motivate both children and adults to choose productive effort over easy tasks. These findings hint that the desire for meaningful work is a fundamental part of human nature rather than an abstract adult concept.
In psychology, a sense of mattering refers to the feeling that one’s life and activities have lasting worth across time and space, rather than being trivial or fleeting. This feeling is considered a core component of what gives human life meaning. To understand how this need affects human behavior, a 2008 laboratory experiment showed that adults tend to work much less when their creations, such as assembled Lego figures, are immediately broken apart rather than saved. Building on this idea, a 2020 study demonstrated that feeling like one’s actions truly matter is the biggest contributor to experiencing a sense of meaning in life.
The desire to matter is not limited to adults. For instance, research covered by PsyPost in 2024 indicated that a sense of meaning in daily life is associated with better mental health and fewer behavioral problems during childhood. Together, these earlier studies formed a research progression leading to the question of whether the drive to create something lasting is a basic psychological need present from a young age or a complex desire that only develops later in life.
The research, led by Yilin Liu, a doctoral student in developmental psychology at The University of Texas at Dallas, and Fan Yang, a research associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago, builds on this foundation by showing that the drive for even tiny amounts of lasting meaning emerges in early childhood.
“When I tell people that I study meaning, they often react as if it is a very big, abstract topic—almost a luxury reserved for certain people or certain moments in life,” Yang, who also directs the Human Nature and Potentials Lab, told PsyPost. “But I have always felt that meaning is much more fundamental than that. We wanted to ask whether meaning matters even for small, seemingly inconsequential actions in everyday life, whether this sensitivity to meaning emerges very early in development, and whether even a small amount of meaning can shape people’s motivation.”
“A lot of research on meaning focuses on relatively big things, such as having a sense of purpose, contributing to something larger than oneself, or seeing an activity as personally important,” Liu added. “We were interested in a more basic question: how much meaning does something actually need to have before it starts to matter for motivation? We wanted to know whether even a very small signal that what someone does matters in some way could influence what they choose to do and how much effort they put into it, and whether this sensitivity is already present in childhood.”
To investigate this, the researchers conducted four related experiments. The first experiment involved 81 children between the ages of four and nine, alongside a comparison group of 80 adults. Participants were asked to use puzzle pieces to create heart shapes. They were introduced to two games: a “no meaning” game where their created shapes would be immediately put into a shredder, and a “minimal meaning” game where their shapes would simply be saved in a box.
The researchers found that most adults and children evaluated the game where their work was saved more positively, regardless of whether they were playing the game once or repeatedly. In a follow-up test with 138 children and 141 adults, participants were asked which game they would actually prefer to play. The vast majority of adults (up to 90 percent) and children (up to 80 percent) actively chose to participate in the game where their work was saved.
A second experiment involving 129 children and 121 adults was designed to see if people simply like seeing items saved, or if they specifically care about the fate of their own creations. Participants were assigned to either a “create” condition, where they made art from puzzle pieces, or a “watch” condition, where they simply watched puzzle pieces move on a screen. They were then given a choice between a free activity where the objects would be dismantled, and an activity that required them to give up a sticker in order to have the objects saved.
In the watch condition, both children and adults preferred the free activity. However, in the create condition, participants were much more willing to pay the sticker cost just to ensure their own artwork was preserved. This suggests that people are uniquely attached to the lasting existence of the things they put effort into making.
The strength of this early-emerging preference stood out to the researchers. “What surprised me most was how little significance seemed to be necessary,” Liu noted. “We deliberately designed the difference between conditions to be minimal, so there were many reasons to expect that participants might simply ignore it. Seeing children respond to such a subtle distinction was especially striking because it suggests that sensitivity to whether something matters may emerge quite early.”
The third experiment, involving 124 children and 121 adults, tested whether the fate of their work would motivate participants to choose a challenging task over an effortless one. Participants were given the option to either use puzzle pieces to create a specific shape or take the easy route of simply moving the pieces into a box without building anything.
When participants knew their completed artwork would be saved, 83 percent of adults and over 80 percent of children chose to put in the effort to create the artwork. When they were told their artwork would be taken apart, only 34 percent of adults and about 50 percent of children chose the effortful option.
The final experiment explored what happens when actions have no lasting consequence, testing 132 children and 119 adults to see if simply focusing on having fun could compensate. Some participants were guided through the same choices as the previous experiment, while others were placed in a “fun” condition where an experimenter pointed to a smiling emoji and emphasized that the main point of the activity was to enjoy themselves.
The researchers observed that emphasizing enjoyment did increase motivation to create the artwork, even when participants knew it would be taken apart. However, the prospect of having the work saved still provided an additional motivational boost, indicating that enjoyment compensates partially but not entirely for a lack of lasting meaning.
“Study 4 was especially surprising to me,” Yang explained. “We had expected that focusing on enjoyment might largely compensate for a lack of significance. Instead, enjoyment only partially made up for it. That suggests that enjoying an activity and feeling that it matters may play distinct roles in motivation, and that pleasure alone may not fully substitute for a sense of significance.”
These results stand in slight tension with research covered by PsyPost earlier this year, which found that long-term goal success is driven more by the intrinsic enjoyment of the process than the perceived importance of the outcome. The new research, however, examined immediate task persistence and tiny amounts of consequence in short laboratory settings, rather than tracking adherence to real-world personal goals over long periods.
“Meaning is not a luxury concern for people who already have everything else,” Yang said. “It may be more like air: it is everywhere, and we do not always notice it, but it is difficult to replace when it is missing. Our findings suggest that even in very small, everyday actions, people are more motivated when they can see some meaning in what they are doing. Meaning may therefore be a much more fundamental psychological need, and a more basic part of human motivation, than we often assume.”
There are a few things to keep in mind regarding these findings. First, the researchers defined a meaningful outcome simply as putting the finished artwork in a box to save it. In the real world, people find meaning in many small ways, such as taking a picture of their work or showing it to a friend, and the psychological impact of these different actions is still not fully understood. Also, objectively saving an item does not guarantee that a person will subjectively feel their action mattered.
“I would not want readers to conclude that any small attempt to make something seem meaningful will automatically motivate people, or that meaning overrides other factors such as difficulty, interest, rewards, or personal circumstances,” Liu added. “These were controlled experimental tasks in which we isolated a very specific form of minimal significance. The broader question of when these subtle signals matter, and when they do not, is something we still have a lot to learn about.”
Another detail to consider is that the participants strongly valued the survival of objects they personally created. It remains unknown whether this protective motivation extends to items created by other people, or if cultural differences in how people view their own identity might shift these behaviors.
“One misinterpretation I would want to preempt is that, although our findings show that even a minimal amount of significance matters for motivation, this does not mean that minimal significance is sufficient for full motivation,” Yang emphasized. “In other words, our findings do not imply that giving children or adults only minimal significance is enough, or that greater significance would not matter more. An important next step is to study whether more substantial forms of significance have stronger motivational effects in certain situations, such as when circumstances are difficult or tasks are not intrinsically enjoyable.”
Finally, the laboratory tasks focused on physical objects. In an increasingly digital world where many daily interactions leave no physical trace, it is possible that the need to create something lasting is even stronger than these simple experiments capture.
Looking ahead, the researchers hope to explore how these subtle signals shape early development. “One direction I’m especially interested in is understanding how children come to recognize that activities, objects, and experiences are meaningful in the first place,” Liu said. “I’d also like to examine different kinds of meaning, such as whether something feels important, useful, connected to a larger purpose, or valued by other people, and how those different signals shape children’s motivation and learning. Ultimately, I hope this work can help us better understand how everyday environments communicate to children that what they are doing matters.”
Yang shares a similar goal regarding human potential. “My broader question is whether some psychological needs and experiences we often think of as ‘higher-level,’ such as meaning, awe, and transcendence, are actually much more fundamental and accessible to human beings than we typically assume,” she told PsyPost. “That’s why my lab has been exploring these topics in children. I want to understand when these capacities first emerge and how they can remain part of our lives over time. Ultimately, I hope this work can help us better understand our experiential potential and, in turn, give better answers to the question of how we can not only function in life, but live well.”
The study, “Moved by the lightest touch of meaning: Even minimal significance matters for motivation from childhood,” was authored by Yilin Liu and Fan Yang.
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DATE: September 11, 2026 at 09:55AM
SOURCE: PSYCHIATRIC TIMESDirect article link at end of text block below.
Today, we remember September 11, 2001, and the nearly 3,000 lives lost. We honor the first responders, families, and communities forever changed.
Read more about the lasting mental health impact of 9/11 and lessons from disaster psychiatry.
🔗https://t.co/bXqGButpfF https://t.co/4ZwEU0u5aE
Here are any URLs found in the article text:
Articles can be found by scrolling down the page at Articles can be found at https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/news".
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DATE: September 11, 2026 at 07:26AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHIATIRY FEEDTITLE: Study of 1.9 million people finds a striking link between ADHD and gut problems
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260911003840.htm
Researchers analyzing data from more than 1.9 million people found that ADHD is associated with substantially higher rates of digestive problems. People with ADHD had nearly double the odds of constipation, 58% higher odds of irritable bowel syndrome, and more than four times the odds of encopresis.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260911003840.htm
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DATE: September 11, 2026 at 07:26AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Study of 1.9 million people finds a striking link between ADHD and gut problems
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260911003840.htm
Researchers analyzing data from more than 1.9 million people found that ADHD is associated with substantially higher rates of digestive problems. People with ADHD had nearly double the odds of constipation, 58% higher odds of irritable bowel syndrome, and more than four times the odds of encopresis.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260911003840.htm
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DATE: September 11, 2026 at 08:00AM
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: The surprising link between prosocial motivation and dark creativity
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-rejection-and-neglect-fuel-dark-creativity/
Being actively rejected and being silently ignored both cause social pain, but they trigger entirely different forms of dark creativity. A recent series of psychological experiments reveals that people who feel ignored generate highly malicious ideas, while those who feel rejected come up with a higher volume of creative ideas that are less harmful. The research was published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts.
Creativity is usually viewed as a positive trait that drives innovation and problem solving. When people use divergent thinking to materially, mentally, or physically harm others, psychologists refer to this as malevolent creativity. The products of this dark imagination combine harmful intent with novelty, making them dangerous, difficult to detect, and hard to anticipate.
People often resort to malevolent creativity when they face threatening or unfair situations in their daily lives. Social exclusion is one common trigger, causing emotional pain that can lead to antisocial reactions. Psychologists have found that individuals use malevolent creativity as a defense mechanism to cope with social threats.
Not all forms of social exclusion are the same. Explicit rejection is a direct action that threatens a person’s fundamental need to belong to a group. In contrast, being ignored or given the silent treatment is more indirect. This implicit exclusion threatens a person’s sense of control and efficacy. According to psychological models of social behavior, people adjust their responses based on which specific psychological need is threatened.
Psychologist Junsheng Wu and a research team from Ningbo University in China wanted to understand how these distinct social threats shape dark creativity. The researchers suspected that the two types of exclusion would alter a person’s desire to help others, known as prosocial motivation, in entirely different ways. They designed a series of independent experiments to test how this motivation bridges the gap between social pain and creative revenge.
The research team conducted three distinct experiments to establish a chain of cause and effect. In the first experiment, the researchers randomly assigned 120 college students to one of three groups. They asked the participants to spend five minutes writing a detailed account of a specific memory. One group wrote about a time they felt intensely rejected and were told they were not wanted. A second group wrote about a time they were ignored, but not explicitly told they were disliked. A third control group recalled a mundane event from the previous day.
After the writing exercise, the participants completed a test designed to measure malevolent creativity. The prompt asked the students to imagine a scenario involving a romantic rival who made them angry. They were instructed to generate as many creative ideas for revenge as possible, regardless of how immoral the ideas might be.
Independent raters scored the anonymous written responses based on three distinct metrics. They measured fluency by counting the number of appropriate ideas generated. They measured originality by looking at the statistical rarity of the ideas compared to the rest of the group. Finally, they assigned a score based on the sheer malevolence or harmfulness of the proposed revenge.
The researchers observed distinct responses from the two socially excluded groups. The rejected group produced a higher quantity of unique ideas, but those ideas were relatively low in actual malice. The ignored group generated fewer ideas with less originality, but their responses scored much higher on the malevolence scale.
A second experiment investigated whether these differences stemmed from a shift in prosocial motivation. The researchers recruited 110 students and used the same memory writing exercise to prime feelings of explicit rejection, being ignored, or a neutral baseline state.
Instead of brainstorming revenge tactics, the participants rated their willingness to donate to a hypothetical curbside fundraiser on a scale from one to seven. This rating served as a proxy for their prosocial motivation. People with higher scores exhibited a stronger drive to act positively toward others.
The results showed that the rejected group reported the highest willingness to donate. The ignored group reported the lowest willingness to donate, falling well below the baseline of the control group. The authors suggest that explicit rejection prompts a desire to reconnect and regain social approval, whereas being ignored triggers self-protective and antisocial tendencies.
The third experiment tested whether prosocial motivation directly alters malevolent creativity. The researchers randomly assigned 67 students to either a control group or a priming group. The priming group wrote a detailed account of a past event where they helped someone, which elevated their prosocial motivation. The control group did not complete a memory writing task.
All participants then completed the same revenge-based brainstorming task used in the first experiment. The researchers scored the answers using the identical three metrics of fluency, originality, and malevolence.
Participants primed with prosocial motivation generated a higher volume of creative ideas, and those ideas were highly original. However, the actual harm intended in their ideas was measurably lower than the ideas produced by the control group.
The researchers concluded that a desire to help others plays a dual role in shaping behavior. A prosocial drive provides the mental energy and persistence needed for creative tasks, elevating fluency and novelty. At the same time, this motivation actively restrains the urge to cause severe harm, leading to a drop in actual malevolence.
The researchers note a few limitations to the experimental design. Measuring malevolent creativity by separating it into distinct facets of fluency, novelty, and malevolence might not fully capture the combined nature of the concept. A single composite score that fuses novelty and harm might provide a more accurate picture of real-world dark creativity.
The experiments also did not directly measure the emotional arousal levels of the participants. Heightened negative emotions might fuel the cognitive persistence needed for creative brainstorming, entirely separate from prosocial motivation. Future studies will need to track multiple emotional and motivational pathways simultaneously to map exactly how social threats translate into aggressive innovation.
The study, “The Impact of Social Exclusion on Malevolent Creativity: The Mediating Role of Prosocial Motivation,” was authored by Junsheng Wu, Xiao Rao, Jiabin Liu, Shuaijun You, Yang Cao, and Lan Jiao.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-rejection-and-neglect-fuel-dark-creativity/
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DATE: September 11, 2026 at 06:00AM
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: A specific facial proportion shapes our assumptions about men’s parenting styles
A new study indicates that people tend to view men with wider faces as more capable of protecting children. The findings suggest that facial proportions guide our assumptions about a person’s parenting style, motivations, and mating strategies. The research was published in Evolutionary Psychological Science.
The study centers on the facial width-to-height ratio, a physical measurement that compares the horizontal distance across a person’s face from cheek to cheek against the vertical distance from the upper lip to the brow. Past research established that wider male faces tend to signal physical strength and aggression. For example, a 2015 meta-analysis found that men with larger facial width-to-height ratios are consistently perceived by others as more physically formidable and dominant.
Building on this, a 2021 study provided evidence that people actively prefer to recruit men with wider faces for group roles that require physical strength and defense. Separate research has also indicated that physical strength translates into specific parenting stereotypes. For instance, a 2022 study found that people judge physically strong men as better suited for protective parenting roles.
The new study merges these lines of inquiry. From an evolutionary perspective, human mothers historically faced intense physical and caloric demands when raising children. Identifying a mate or ally capable of offering physical protection would have provided a distinct survival advantage. The research team tested whether the facial cues that make a man look like a good fighter also lead people to view him as a better, more motivated protector of children.
“What motivated me to conduct this research was a growing interest in the parental motivational systems that clarified the multidimensional nature of parenting that necessitates people to make tradeoffs in some parental decisions,” lead author Mitch Brown, a teaching assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of Arkansas, told PsyPost.
“Consideration of the tradeoff between protection and nurturance was the next logical step for formidability research with its own tradeoff logic,” Brown explained. “With facial width-to-height ratio being a common route to infer formidability with the primacy of face-to-face contact, while similarly connoting both anger and strength, the feature seemed to be an ideal way to model this tradeoff in perceptions.”
To investigate this, the researchers conducted four separate experiments. In the first study, 101 undergraduate students evaluated 20 standardized photographs of White male faces displaying neutral expressions. Half of the faces featured high facial width-to-height ratios, and the other half featured low ratios. The participants rated how effective each man would be at protecting and nurturing his children.
The participants rated the men with wider faces as more effective at protection, giving them an average score of 4.23 on a 7-point scale, compared to 3.84 for the men with narrower faces. The difference in nurturing ratings between the two groups was not statistically significant.
The second study tasked 111 participants with building a hypothetical coalition. Viewing the same set of faces, participants were asked to select up to five men who would be best at protecting offspring, and up to five who would be best at nurturing offspring. The participants also rated the faces for physical strength, aggressiveness, and warmth.
When selecting a team for protection, participants chose the men with wider faces much more often, picking an average of 2.78 men with high facial width-to-height ratios compared to just 1.15 men with low ratios. For the nurturing task, choices were evenly split. The tendency to choose wider-faced men for protection was strongly associated with perceiving them as stronger and more aggressive.
The third study, involving 194 participants, investigated how the brain processes these facial cues. Participants evaluated the same faces, but half the images were shown upright, and half were inverted upside down. Turning a face upside down disrupts configural processing, which is how the brain evaluates the overall arrangement of facial features rather than looking at individual parts in isolation.
When the faces were upright, the men with wider faces again appeared more effective at protection. However, when the faces were inverted, this protective advantage was not statistically significant. This suggests that perceiving protective ability relies on taking in the whole facial arrangement at once. In contrast, the men with narrower faces were still seen as slightly more effective at nurturing even when the images were upside down, suggesting that nurturing judgments might rely on specific, independent facial features.
“None of these results particularly surprised me, though I was particularly interested to see that the effects for Study 3 did not provide a clear answer for how perceivers view parental ability when facial process is disrupted,” Brown said. “Although perceivers were still able to infer men’s parental abilities through an inverted face, the effect was substantially muted from when the faces were presented upright.”
“This suggests that perceivers may be inferring a certain configuration of formidability that is based on specific figure,” he continued. “The confluence of these traits could have led selection to favor awareness of the broad constellation of formidability through various features that appears to be a broad judgment instead of many small ones, particularly ones that could be constrained by linguistic differences across cultures.”
However, Brown was careful to note that the facial width-to-height ratio itself is not necessarily a single evolutionary trait linked directly to hormones. “I am not indicating that fWHR itself is selected, nor am I arguing that the total feature is indicative of testosterone,” he clarified. “Rather, there appears to be a broad signal value that is apparent to perceivers through fWHR that is consistently informing perceptions of men’s parental abilities.”
The fourth study focused on the men’s presumed motivations rather than their abilities. A group of 206 participants rated the faces using modified questionnaires to assess how driven the men seemed to protect or nurture children. They also rated the men’s presumed interest in casual sexual encounters versus committed, long-term relationships.
The results indicated that observers assumed the men with wider faces were more motivated to protect children, scoring 3.51 on a 7-point scale compared to 3.40 for the narrower-faced men. Conversely, they viewed the men with wider faces as less motivated to nurture children, scoring 3.11 compared to 3.47. The wider-faced men also appeared more interested in short-term mating strategies, while the narrower-faced men seemed more inclined toward long-term relationships.
“The effects in this study are fairly large, which may reflect an apparently loud signal value in the faces,” Brown noted. “However, perceptions of ability appeared larger than that of motivation. This could reflect that fWHR may itself be a more reliable cue to physical ability rather than motivational states or traits.”
While laboratory settings isolate specific variables like face shape, real-world judgments involve much more context. “Additionally, having more information about a person beyond initial impressions would be informative in broader perceptions (thanks for stating something obvious that ignores the purpose of isolating variables, Reviewer 2),” Brown added. “But ancestral conditions likely saw individuals having to infer information relatively quickly without having the chance for fuller interactions, which may lead to an advantage in forming stereotypes with minimal information.”
These findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost in 2022, which found that physically stronger men are perceived as more effective protectors of offspring. The new study echoes this pattern, though it examined facial proportions rather than physical upper-body strength. Similar results were also seen in a 2023 study covered by PsyPost, which found that large neck muscles lead perceivers to rate men as more effective at protecting offspring.
However, the new results stand in tension with research covered by PsyPost later that same year. That 2023 study found no association between facial masculinity and a man’s actual or perceived involvement in paternal care. It is worth noting that the new study specifically evaluated perceptions of a man’s ability to protect offspring based on the facial width-to-height ratio, whereas the earlier study measured general perceptions of direct paternal care based on overall facial sexual dimorphism.
As with all research, there are a few things to keep in mind. The researchers relied on a specific set of standardized photographs, which only showed faces and provided no information about body size. While facial width is associated with physical formidability, a person’s actual body mass could heavily influence these judgments in the real world.
Additionally, the participants were undergraduate students drawn from Western university populations. People from different cultures evaluate facial features differently, and these specific stereotypes might not translate universally across all societies. Future research could explore whether these facial cues align with reality by measuring men’s actual facial proportions and comparing them to their self-reported parenting styles and actions.
“Despite how informative fWHR may ultimately be for these stereotypes, it remains important to recognize that any kernel of truth may not be enough to make broad inferences for every part of normal life as an imperfect rule,” Brown said. “This research is merely identifying how facial structures connoting physical prowess forms the basis of stereotypes that could have been historically functional to maintain one’s fitness within group living.”
Looking ahead, the researchers hope to see how these initial impressions affect high-stakes, real-world decisions. “My next steps are to apply these ideas into legal domains,” Brown told PsyPost. “Although perceptions could be based in potential kernels of truth and could have an ancestral function, it would nonetheless be inappropriate for perceivers to rely on visual information as the basis of legal decision-making without concomitant evidence.”
“I am conducting research currently seeing how fWHR informs perceptions of whether men should receive custody rights in divorce proceedings,” he continued. “In other words, would the inferred aggression from fWHR impede fair treatment under the law.”
Ultimately, the findings highlight the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of how we interpret physical strength. “This research should reflect an effort to identify ambivalence in the signal value of formidability, which may make research on the topic more challenging to discuss,” Brown concluded. “Formidability is a wide concept with many facets in the broad construct. Future research would benefit from trying to parse those components apart, which may clarify the heterogeneity in the literature.”
The study, “Formidable Facial Structures Inform Perceptions of Men’s Ability to Protect Offspring,” was authored by Mitch Brown, Donald F. Sacco, Nicholas P. Maxwell, Lindsey E. Eagan, and Steven G. Young.
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DATE: September 11, 2026 at 05:02AM
SOURCE:
NEW YORK TIMES PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGISTS FEEDTITLE: Dopamine Sites Sell Nothing, and People Cannot Get Enough
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/world/asia/dopamine-sites-popularity.html
Digital spaces that simulate indulgences like shopping and ordering food have taken off worldwide. Experts in human behavior say there are real reasons for their appeal.
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/world/asia/dopamine-sites-popularity.html
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DATE: September 11, 2026 at 05:02AM
SOURCE:
NEW YORK TIMES PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGISTS FEEDTITLE: Dopamine Sites Sell Nothing, and People Cannot Get Enough
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/world/asia/dopamine-sites-popularity.html
Digital spaces that simulate indulgences like shopping and ordering food have taken off worldwide. Experts in human behavior say there are real reasons for their appeal.
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/world/asia/dopamine-sites-popularity.html
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-
DATE: September 11, 2026 at 05:02AM
SOURCE:
NEW YORK TIMES PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGISTS FEEDTITLE: Dopamine Sites Sell Nothing, and People Cannot Get Enough
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/world/asia/dopamine-sites-popularity.html
Digital spaces that simulate indulgences like shopping and ordering food have taken off worldwide. Experts in human behavior say there are real reasons for their appeal.
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/world/asia/dopamine-sites-popularity.html
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-
DATE: September 10, 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: Chronic shame may drive destructive thought patterns in abuse survivors
URL: https://www.psypost.org/chronic-shame-may-drive-destructive-thought-patterns-in-abuse-survivors/
Adults who experienced emotional abuse as children often struggle with destructive thought patterns, such as ruminating on failures or avoiding negative feelings. A recent study published in the British Journal of Psychology suggests that chronic feelings of shame may link this early maltreatment to these harmful mental habits. By understanding how shame operates, psychologists may be better equipped to help survivors regulate their emotions in healthier ways.
Childhood emotional abuse involves caregivers engaging in non-physical maltreatment. This can include threatening, terrorizing, or constantly belittling a child. These early experiences of humiliation directly attack a child’s developing sense of self-worth.
Survivors of emotional abuse frequently develop difficulties with emotion regulation in adulthood. They often rely on aversive cognitive perseveration. This psychological term describes a tendency to over-engage with negative thoughts while simultaneously trying to reject or avoid negative feelings.
Aversive cognitive perseveration consists of three main components. The first is brooding rumination, which involves getting stuck on self-reproaching thoughts. The second is experiential avoidance, where a person puts effort into suppressing unwanted internal sensations. The third is emotional non-acceptance, which occurs when a person becomes angry or upset at themselves simply for feeling distressed.
These habits represent a type of response-focused emotion regulation. This means the person attempts to manage an emotion after it has already fully emerged, rather than trying to change their perspective beforehand. This late-stage regulation is often exhausting and counterproductive, leaving the individual trapped in a cycle of distress.
Shame is a powerful emotion that centers on a devalued sense of self. Unlike guilt, which focuses on a specific bad action, shame focuses on the idea that the entire person is flawed. Shame can exist as a chronic trait, meaning a person frequently feels inadequate across many situations. It can also occur as a temporary state in response to a specific humiliating event.
Mohammadali Amini-Tehrani, a psychology researcher at the University of Western Australia, led a team to investigate the mechanisms behind these psychological challenges. The researchers wanted to know if shame serves as the bridge between a history of childhood emotional abuse and the use of cognitive perseveration in adulthood.
The study involved 93 undergraduate students. First, the participants completed a series of questionnaires. They reported any history of childhood maltreatment, including emotional abuse. They also answered questions about their general tendencies to experience chronic shame and their usual reliance on cognitive perseveration in daily life.
Next, the participants engaged in a laboratory experiment designed to induce a temporary feeling of shame. They played a computer game called Cyberball, a well-established psychological tool for studying social exclusion. In the game, participants believed they were tossing a virtual ball back and forth with three other real people. In reality, the other players were computerized avatars programmed to eventually stop passing the ball to the participant.
To heighten the feeling of shame, the researchers modified the standard game. The game ended with a direct message informing the participant that they were being removed from the activity for having the lowest performance in the group. After this rejection, the researchers assessed the participants’ immediate feelings of shame and negative affect. Following a brief distraction task, the researchers measured the participants’ immediate use of cognitive perseveration strategies.
The researchers first analyzed the data to see how chronic tendencies related to behavior in the lab. They found that a history of childhood emotional abuse predicted higher levels of chronic shame. This chronic shame then predicted a greater reliance on cognitive perseveration in general life. It also predicted a higher use of these harmful thought patterns immediately following the laboratory rejection.
The team also tested whether an immediate spike in shame during the game would link past abuse to immediate cognitive perseveration. The results were not statistically significant in the expected direction. Participants with a history of emotional abuse did not report higher immediate shame or higher immediate cognitive perseveration right after being rejected in the game.
Looking closer at the data, the researchers noticed an unexpected pattern. For participants who reported moderate to severe levels of childhood emotional abuse, immediate feelings of shame and cognitive perseveration actually decreased after the rejection. The researchers suggest this might reflect a blunted emotional response. People who have experienced severe early stress sometimes develop an emotional numbness or physiological detachment when faced with new stressful situations.
Regardless of abuse history, the study confirmed a robust link between shame and cognitive perseveration. Whether measured as a chronic trait or an immediate reaction, higher feelings of shame consistently accompanied higher levels of brooding, avoidance, and emotional non-acceptance. The researchers suggest that when people feel a deep sense of shame, they try to fix the perceived flaws in themselves through intense overthinking.
Clinically, these findings highlight the need for targeted therapies. Mental health practitioners might need to help clients distinguish between generalized distress and specific feelings of shame. Because shame inherently encourages avoidance, it can be difficult for people to recognize it in themselves.
The study relied on a sample of 93 students, which limits the statistical power of the analyses. The findings based on this sample size provide tentative suggestions rather than definitive answers. Additionally, the participants were university students who were screened to exclude severe depression. This screening means the results might not automatically apply to clinical populations or the broader community.
The experiment also relied entirely on self-reported feelings collected during a single session. Participants might not always have accurate insight into their own emotional responses. The laboratory task might have also induced other emotions, such as fear or shock, which could have influenced the participants’ thought patterns. Researchers cannot be certain that shame was the sole driver of the observed behaviors.
Future studies could incorporate physiological measures, such as heart rate or skin conductance, to track bodily reactions alongside subjective feelings. Observing these physical markers could help clarify whether survivors of emotional abuse experience a physiological shutdown during stressful events. Researchers could also track participants over a longer period to see how immediate feelings of shame might solidify into long-term negative self-views.
The study, “Shame as a mediator of the association of childhood emotional abuse with aversive cognitive perseveration in adults,” was authored by Mohammadali Amini-Tehrani, Michael Weinborn, Kenneth Sim, Jeneva L. Ohan, and Kristin Naragon-Gainey.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/chronic-shame-may-drive-destructive-thought-patterns-in-abuse-survivors/
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DATE: September 10, 2026 at 04:00PM
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: Researchers tracked 43,000 women for 14 years. Here’s what happened to their political views as gender equality improved.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/when-equality-rises-egalitarians-start-defending-the-establishment/
People who champion social equality are often the loudest critics of the political status quo. A new study finds that as nations actually achieve greater gender parity, these egalitarian individuals become much more likely to defend the very political systems they once criticized. The research, published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, shows how shifting social realities can alter deep-seated psychological motives.
After World War II, democratic societies began adopting formal legal frameworks designed to guarantee gender equality. These structural changes eventually sparked a slow but steady cultural shift toward more egalitarian attitudes across the globe. Psychologists define system justification as the human tendency to defend and rationalize the existing social or political order. Historically, researchers linked this tendency to anti-egalitarian beliefs.
People who preferred strict social hierarchies generally defended the political establishment to maintain their dominant position in society. In contrast, people with egalitarian views typically criticized the establishment in hopes of dismantling those hierarchies. Social dominance theory has guided psychological research on prejudice for decades. It proposes that human societies naturally form group-based hierarchies, but individuals vary in how much they support this structure.
Researchers have documented how a preference for hierarchy predicts prejudice against minority groups and opposition to affirmative action. Conversely, individuals who favor equality actively scan their environments for signs of unfairness and work to dismantle power imbalances. For a long time, researchers viewed these egalitarian individuals as permanent critics of the status quo. Psychologists assumed that the drive to achieve equality inherently required a person to challenge the institutions around them.
Yet, recent studies show that egalitarian people are highly accurate at detecting when inequality is actually absent. This raised a new question for psychologists. If a society successfully implements equal rights, egalitarians might logically shift from criticizing the system to defending it. Sarah Buhl, a psychologist at Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany, led a research team to test this idea in a real-world setting.
Buhl and her colleagues focused on New Zealand. Over the past decade and a half, the country has achieved high levels of gender equality, including reaching gender parity in its parliament. The researchers wanted to see if this measurable increase in societal fairness altered how women viewed the political establishment.
The researchers analyzed fourteen years of survey responses from 43,924 women who participated in the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study between 2009 and 2023. The surveys asked participants to rate their agreement with statements supporting group-based hierarchies, which measured their level of egalitarianism. The surveys also asked participants how much they believed the national political system operated as it should, providing a measure of system justification.
To track objective changes in societal fairness, the team paired these survey responses with the country’s annual score on the Global Gender Gap Index. This index measures national parity in areas like economic participation, political empowerment, health, and education. By tracking the same women over time using a statistical technique called multi-level modeling, the researchers could observe how individual beliefs shifted in tandem with national progress.
In the earlier years of the study, when gender inequality was relatively high, the results aligned with traditional psychological expectations. Women who held anti-egalitarian views strongly defended the political system. Meanwhile, women with egalitarian views were highly critical of the establishment.
As New Zealand became more gender-equal over the fourteen-year period, this dynamic shifted. The overall population became more egalitarian. At the same time, the most egalitarian women grew less critical of the political status quo.
Because the establishment was increasingly reflecting their own values, these women began to legitimize the socio-political system. The research team used specialized statistical tests to ensure the timeline of these changes made sense. They confirmed that shifts in national gender equality preceded the changes in how women justified the system.
The research team also broke the data down by demographic groups to see if the benefits of gender equality were felt universally. They compared the responses of women from majoritized backgrounds, defined in this study as white and heterosexual, to women from minoritized backgrounds. Minoritized groups included ethnic minorities and non-heterosexual women.
The shift in system defense was driven entirely by majoritized women. As national gender equality rose, egalitarian women from majority groups became more supportive of the political system. They experienced the direct benefits of these societal changes and adjusted their political views accordingly.
For minoritized women, the rise in national gender equality did not change the relationship between their personal beliefs and their view of the establishment. Egalitarian women from minority groups remained highly critical of the political system regardless of the country’s rising score on the Global Gender Gap Index. These groups often continue to face compounded disadvantages that broad gender parity metrics do not fully capture.
When the researchers analyzed data from male participants in the same national survey, they found a different pattern. The rise in national gender equality did not lead egalitarian men to increasingly defend the system. The research team suspects this is because rising gender equality creates a psychological conflict for men, who traditionally benefit from patriarchal structures. Because men’s group interests do not directly align with dismantling male advantages, their responses to an increasingly equal status quo were more ambiguous.
Because New Zealand is already one of the most socially progressive countries in the world, the actual variation in gender equality over the study period was relatively small. The changes in survey responses, while mathematically robust, were similarly subtle. Testing these ideas in countries undergoing more dramatic social transformations could reveal even stronger shifts in public attitudes.
The Global Gender Gap Index also functions as a broad proxy for fairness. It heavily weighs representation in corporate leadership and national politics, which might not reflect the daily realities of domestic life or unpaid labor. Future studies could explore how the division of household chores or local community dynamics influences a person’s willingness to defend the political system.
Because the data relies on observing natural changes over time, it cannot prove that the rising equality scores directly caused the psychological shifts. Experimental research where participants are exposed to different levels of social progress could help confirm the exact mechanisms at play. Understanding these changes will help psychologists map how human behavior adapts to an increasingly equal world.
The study, “Rebels With(Out) a Cause: The Influence of Gender Inequality on the Relationship Between Egalitarianism and System Justification,” was authored by Sarah Buhl, Danny Osborne, Chris G. Sibley, and Frank Asbrock.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/when-equality-rises-egalitarians-start-defending-the-establishment/
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-
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 04:00PM
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: Researchers tracked 43,000 women for 14 years. Here’s what happened to their political views as gender equality improved.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/when-equality-rises-egalitarians-start-defending-the-establishment/
People who champion social equality are often the loudest critics of the political status quo. A new study finds that as nations actually achieve greater gender parity, these egalitarian individuals become much more likely to defend the very political systems they once criticized. The research, published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, shows how shifting social realities can alter deep-seated psychological motives.
After World War II, democratic societies began adopting formal legal frameworks designed to guarantee gender equality. These structural changes eventually sparked a slow but steady cultural shift toward more egalitarian attitudes across the globe. Psychologists define system justification as the human tendency to defend and rationalize the existing social or political order. Historically, researchers linked this tendency to anti-egalitarian beliefs.
People who preferred strict social hierarchies generally defended the political establishment to maintain their dominant position in society. In contrast, people with egalitarian views typically criticized the establishment in hopes of dismantling those hierarchies. Social dominance theory has guided psychological research on prejudice for decades. It proposes that human societies naturally form group-based hierarchies, but individuals vary in how much they support this structure.
Researchers have documented how a preference for hierarchy predicts prejudice against minority groups and opposition to affirmative action. Conversely, individuals who favor equality actively scan their environments for signs of unfairness and work to dismantle power imbalances. For a long time, researchers viewed these egalitarian individuals as permanent critics of the status quo. Psychologists assumed that the drive to achieve equality inherently required a person to challenge the institutions around them.
Yet, recent studies show that egalitarian people are highly accurate at detecting when inequality is actually absent. This raised a new question for psychologists. If a society successfully implements equal rights, egalitarians might logically shift from criticizing the system to defending it. Sarah Buhl, a psychologist at Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany, led a research team to test this idea in a real-world setting.
Buhl and her colleagues focused on New Zealand. Over the past decade and a half, the country has achieved high levels of gender equality, including reaching gender parity in its parliament. The researchers wanted to see if this measurable increase in societal fairness altered how women viewed the political establishment.
The researchers analyzed fourteen years of survey responses from 43,924 women who participated in the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study between 2009 and 2023. The surveys asked participants to rate their agreement with statements supporting group-based hierarchies, which measured their level of egalitarianism. The surveys also asked participants how much they believed the national political system operated as it should, providing a measure of system justification.
To track objective changes in societal fairness, the team paired these survey responses with the country’s annual score on the Global Gender Gap Index. This index measures national parity in areas like economic participation, political empowerment, health, and education. By tracking the same women over time using a statistical technique called multi-level modeling, the researchers could observe how individual beliefs shifted in tandem with national progress.
In the earlier years of the study, when gender inequality was relatively high, the results aligned with traditional psychological expectations. Women who held anti-egalitarian views strongly defended the political system. Meanwhile, women with egalitarian views were highly critical of the establishment.
As New Zealand became more gender-equal over the fourteen-year period, this dynamic shifted. The overall population became more egalitarian. At the same time, the most egalitarian women grew less critical of the political status quo.
Because the establishment was increasingly reflecting their own values, these women began to legitimize the socio-political system. The research team used specialized statistical tests to ensure the timeline of these changes made sense. They confirmed that shifts in national gender equality preceded the changes in how women justified the system.
The research team also broke the data down by demographic groups to see if the benefits of gender equality were felt universally. They compared the responses of women from majoritized backgrounds, defined in this study as white and heterosexual, to women from minoritized backgrounds. Minoritized groups included ethnic minorities and non-heterosexual women.
The shift in system defense was driven entirely by majoritized women. As national gender equality rose, egalitarian women from majority groups became more supportive of the political system. They experienced the direct benefits of these societal changes and adjusted their political views accordingly.
For minoritized women, the rise in national gender equality did not change the relationship between their personal beliefs and their view of the establishment. Egalitarian women from minority groups remained highly critical of the political system regardless of the country’s rising score on the Global Gender Gap Index. These groups often continue to face compounded disadvantages that broad gender parity metrics do not fully capture.
When the researchers analyzed data from male participants in the same national survey, they found a different pattern. The rise in national gender equality did not lead egalitarian men to increasingly defend the system. The research team suspects this is because rising gender equality creates a psychological conflict for men, who traditionally benefit from patriarchal structures. Because men’s group interests do not directly align with dismantling male advantages, their responses to an increasingly equal status quo were more ambiguous.
Because New Zealand is already one of the most socially progressive countries in the world, the actual variation in gender equality over the study period was relatively small. The changes in survey responses, while mathematically robust, were similarly subtle. Testing these ideas in countries undergoing more dramatic social transformations could reveal even stronger shifts in public attitudes.
The Global Gender Gap Index also functions as a broad proxy for fairness. It heavily weighs representation in corporate leadership and national politics, which might not reflect the daily realities of domestic life or unpaid labor. Future studies could explore how the division of household chores or local community dynamics influences a person’s willingness to defend the political system.
Because the data relies on observing natural changes over time, it cannot prove that the rising equality scores directly caused the psychological shifts. Experimental research where participants are exposed to different levels of social progress could help confirm the exact mechanisms at play. Understanding these changes will help psychologists map how human behavior adapts to an increasingly equal world.
The study, “Rebels With(Out) a Cause: The Influence of Gender Inequality on the Relationship Between Egalitarianism and System Justification,” was authored by Sarah Buhl, Danny Osborne, Chris G. Sibley, and Frank Asbrock.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/when-equality-rises-egalitarians-start-defending-the-establishment/
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #GenderEquality #SystemJustification #Egalitarianism #NewZealandStudy #GenderParody #SocialEquality #PoliticalSystemSupport #GenderGapIndex #MinorityMajority #SocialDominanceTheory
-
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 04:00PM
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: Researchers tracked 43,000 women for 14 years. Here’s what happened to their political views as gender equality improved.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/when-equality-rises-egalitarians-start-defending-the-establishment/
People who champion social equality are often the loudest critics of the political status quo. A new study finds that as nations actually achieve greater gender parity, these egalitarian individuals become much more likely to defend the very political systems they once criticized. The research, published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, shows how shifting social realities can alter deep-seated psychological motives.
After World War II, democratic societies began adopting formal legal frameworks designed to guarantee gender equality. These structural changes eventually sparked a slow but steady cultural shift toward more egalitarian attitudes across the globe. Psychologists define system justification as the human tendency to defend and rationalize the existing social or political order. Historically, researchers linked this tendency to anti-egalitarian beliefs.
People who preferred strict social hierarchies generally defended the political establishment to maintain their dominant position in society. In contrast, people with egalitarian views typically criticized the establishment in hopes of dismantling those hierarchies. Social dominance theory has guided psychological research on prejudice for decades. It proposes that human societies naturally form group-based hierarchies, but individuals vary in how much they support this structure.
Researchers have documented how a preference for hierarchy predicts prejudice against minority groups and opposition to affirmative action. Conversely, individuals who favor equality actively scan their environments for signs of unfairness and work to dismantle power imbalances. For a long time, researchers viewed these egalitarian individuals as permanent critics of the status quo. Psychologists assumed that the drive to achieve equality inherently required a person to challenge the institutions around them.
Yet, recent studies show that egalitarian people are highly accurate at detecting when inequality is actually absent. This raised a new question for psychologists. If a society successfully implements equal rights, egalitarians might logically shift from criticizing the system to defending it. Sarah Buhl, a psychologist at Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany, led a research team to test this idea in a real-world setting.
Buhl and her colleagues focused on New Zealand. Over the past decade and a half, the country has achieved high levels of gender equality, including reaching gender parity in its parliament. The researchers wanted to see if this measurable increase in societal fairness altered how women viewed the political establishment.
The researchers analyzed fourteen years of survey responses from 43,924 women who participated in the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study between 2009 and 2023. The surveys asked participants to rate their agreement with statements supporting group-based hierarchies, which measured their level of egalitarianism. The surveys also asked participants how much they believed the national political system operated as it should, providing a measure of system justification.
To track objective changes in societal fairness, the team paired these survey responses with the country’s annual score on the Global Gender Gap Index. This index measures national parity in areas like economic participation, political empowerment, health, and education. By tracking the same women over time using a statistical technique called multi-level modeling, the researchers could observe how individual beliefs shifted in tandem with national progress.
In the earlier years of the study, when gender inequality was relatively high, the results aligned with traditional psychological expectations. Women who held anti-egalitarian views strongly defended the political system. Meanwhile, women with egalitarian views were highly critical of the establishment.
As New Zealand became more gender-equal over the fourteen-year period, this dynamic shifted. The overall population became more egalitarian. At the same time, the most egalitarian women grew less critical of the political status quo.
Because the establishment was increasingly reflecting their own values, these women began to legitimize the socio-political system. The research team used specialized statistical tests to ensure the timeline of these changes made sense. They confirmed that shifts in national gender equality preceded the changes in how women justified the system.
The research team also broke the data down by demographic groups to see if the benefits of gender equality were felt universally. They compared the responses of women from majoritized backgrounds, defined in this study as white and heterosexual, to women from minoritized backgrounds. Minoritized groups included ethnic minorities and non-heterosexual women.
The shift in system defense was driven entirely by majoritized women. As national gender equality rose, egalitarian women from majority groups became more supportive of the political system. They experienced the direct benefits of these societal changes and adjusted their political views accordingly.
For minoritized women, the rise in national gender equality did not change the relationship between their personal beliefs and their view of the establishment. Egalitarian women from minority groups remained highly critical of the political system regardless of the country’s rising score on the Global Gender Gap Index. These groups often continue to face compounded disadvantages that broad gender parity metrics do not fully capture.
When the researchers analyzed data from male participants in the same national survey, they found a different pattern. The rise in national gender equality did not lead egalitarian men to increasingly defend the system. The research team suspects this is because rising gender equality creates a psychological conflict for men, who traditionally benefit from patriarchal structures. Because men’s group interests do not directly align with dismantling male advantages, their responses to an increasingly equal status quo were more ambiguous.
Because New Zealand is already one of the most socially progressive countries in the world, the actual variation in gender equality over the study period was relatively small. The changes in survey responses, while mathematically robust, were similarly subtle. Testing these ideas in countries undergoing more dramatic social transformations could reveal even stronger shifts in public attitudes.
The Global Gender Gap Index also functions as a broad proxy for fairness. It heavily weighs representation in corporate leadership and national politics, which might not reflect the daily realities of domestic life or unpaid labor. Future studies could explore how the division of household chores or local community dynamics influences a person’s willingness to defend the political system.
Because the data relies on observing natural changes over time, it cannot prove that the rising equality scores directly caused the psychological shifts. Experimental research where participants are exposed to different levels of social progress could help confirm the exact mechanisms at play. Understanding these changes will help psychologists map how human behavior adapts to an increasingly equal world.
The study, “Rebels With(Out) a Cause: The Influence of Gender Inequality on the Relationship Between Egalitarianism and System Justification,” was authored by Sarah Buhl, Danny Osborne, Chris G. Sibley, and Frank Asbrock.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/when-equality-rises-egalitarians-start-defending-the-establishment/
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #GenderEquality #SystemJustification #Egalitarianism #NewZealandStudy #GenderParody #SocialEquality #PoliticalSystemSupport #GenderGapIndex #MinorityMajority #SocialDominanceTheory
-
TRIGGER WARNING: Military Psychology
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 03:55AM
SOURCE: MILIARY PSYCHOLOGY JOURNAL: APA DIVISION 19TITLE: Military service, healthcare needs, and healthcare engagement among post-9/11 veterans from the BRAVO Cohort Study
URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08995605.2026.2719097?af=R
.
URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08995605.2026.2719097?af=R
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NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #military #militarypsych #militarypsychology #militarycounseling #APA #Division19 #militaryhealth #DeploymentPsychology #UniformServicesUniversity
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TRIGGER WARNING: Military Psychology
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 03:55AM
SOURCE: MILIARY PSYCHOLOGY JOURNAL: APA DIVISION 19TITLE: Military service, healthcare needs, and healthcare engagement among post-9/11 veterans from the BRAVO Cohort Study
URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08995605.2026.2719097?af=R
.
URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08995605.2026.2719097?af=R
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Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
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It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #military #militarypsych #militarypsychology #militarycounseling #APA #Division19 #militaryhealth #DeploymentPsychology #UniformServicesUniversity
-
TRIGGER WARNING: Military Psychology
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 03:55AM
SOURCE: MILIARY PSYCHOLOGY JOURNAL: APA DIVISION 19TITLE: Military service, healthcare needs, and healthcare engagement among post-9/11 veterans from the BRAVO Cohort Study
URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08995605.2026.2719097?af=R
.
URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08995605.2026.2719097?af=R
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
NYU Information for Practice puts out 400-500 good quality health-related research posts per week but its too much for many people, so that bot is limited to just subscribers. You can read it or subscribe at @PsychResearchBot
Since 1991 The National Psychologist has focused on keeping practicing psychologists current with news, information and items of interest. Check them out for more free articles, resources, and subscription information: https://www.nationalpsychologist.com
EMAIL DAILY DIGEST OF RSS FEEDS -- SUBSCRIBE: http://subscribe-article-digests.clinicians-exchange.org
READ ONLINE: http://read-the-rss-mega-archive.clinicians-exchange.org
It's primitive... but it works... mostly...
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-
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 02:00PM
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: Creatine improves muscle mass and cognitive function in older adults even without exercise
A study involving healthy adults between 45 and 65 years of age with a sedentary lifestyle found that 12 weeks of taking creatine monohydrate supplements increased their lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance, while promoting favorable changes in markers of cognitive function and memory. The same supplementation combined with an exercise and weight-loss diet program additionally resulted in body fat percentage reduction. The paper was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that helps cells rapidly produce energy, particularly during short periods of intense activity. The human body makes creatine mainly from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. It can also be obtained from foods such as meat and fish.
Most of the body’s creatine is stored in skeletal muscles, where it is converted into phosphocreatine. Phosphocreatine helps regenerate adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, the primary molecule cells use as an immediate source of energy. Because this energy system is especially important during brief, high-intensity efforts, creatine has long attracted interest in sport and exercise science.
Creatine can also be taken as a dietary supplement. Such intake allows the body to increase the amount of creatine stored in muscles. The most widely used supplemental form is creatine monohydrate, in which creatine is combined with a molecule of water. Creatine monohydrate is inexpensive, stable, and by far the most extensively studied form of creatine supplementation. Research has linked it to improvements in strength, power, training capacity, and gains in lean body mass. Interest is also growing in its possible effects on brain function and health.
Study author Jisun Chun and colleagues examined the effects of 12 weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation on body composition and cognitive function in healthy, untrained middle-aged and older adults. The researchers compared participants who maintained their usual lifestyle with those who engaged in a structured diet and training program aimed at promoting weight loss.
They note that as people age, the fat tissue in their bodies progressively increases while the mass of their skeletal muscles decreases. This condition, known as sarcopenic obesity, is associated with heightened health risks and various functional impairments.
The authors hypothesized that creatine monohydrate supplementation would support improvements in the health-related outcomes of exercise and diet, and would enhance improvements in body composition induced by training. They also expected that this supplementation would favorably influence the cognitive performance of individuals taking it.
Study participants were 64 adults between 45 and 65 years of age. Their average age was 55 years, and 40 of them were women.
Participants were divided into four groups. Two groups received creatine monohydrate supplementation (two 5-gram foil sachets per day, to be dissolved in water or a flavored beverage, taken once in the morning and once in the evening), and two groups received a placebo (identical-looking sachets containing maltodextrin, taken in the same way). While participants were randomly assigned to receive either creatine monohydrate or the placebo without knowing which substance they were receiving, they decided for themselves whether they would participate in the training and diet program or not. This created four distinct groups: no exercise with placebo, no exercise with creatine, exercise and diet with placebo, and exercise and diet with creatine.
Participants in the exercise groups participated in a supervised resistance and aerobic training program three times per week. Additionally, they were instructed to follow a diet plan aligned with the American Heart Association’s macronutrient recommendations (55 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein, 30 percent fat) to induce a modest energy deficit of approximately 300 to 500 calories per day to promote weight loss. These participants recorded their dietary intake using a smartphone-based application called MyFitnessPal. The non-exercise groups did not follow this diet or exercise program.
Participants completed various measurements at the start of the study, six weeks after the start, and at the end of the 12-week study. These included basic body measurements, resting metabolic rate (how much energy the body uses at rest), body composition measurements derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DXA, scans, blood biomarkers, physical activity, cognitive performance, reaction speed tests, muscular strength measurements, cardiopulmonary exercise capacity, and various psychological health measures.
Results showed that creatine monohydrate supplementation without the exercise and diet intervention increased lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance. It also promoted favorable changes in blood concentrations of some lipids and in markers of cognitive function and memory. Creatine supplementation combined with the exercise and diet program additionally resulted in a greater reduction in body fat percentage.
“Creatine supplementation (10 g/d) without exercise training and diet intervention increased lean tissue mass, strength and muscular endurance, promoted favorable changes in selected blood-lipid measures, reduced HbA1c levels [a measure of average blood sugar over the past two to three months], and improved selected markers of cognitive function and memory in middle-aged and older adults,” the study authors concluded. “Creatine supplementation during an exercise and weight-loss diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults promoted a greater reduction in body fat percentage, gains in muscular strength and endurance, and improved selected markers of cognitive function and memory.”
The study contributes to the scientific knowledge about the effects of creatine supplementation. However, the researchers cautioned that the individual cognitive and biomarker findings are exploratory and require confirmation. Furthermore, while participants were randomly assigned to receive creatine or a placebo, they chose for themselves whether they would participate in the training and diet program. This could have introduced systematic differences between those who did and did not choose to participate in the lifestyle intervention, affecting the results.
The paper, “Effects of creatine supplementation with and without exercise and diet intervention on body composition, cognitive function, and markers of health in middle-aged and older adults,” was authored by Jisun Chun, Yuhang Liu, Giuliet L. Kibler, Hudson Lee, Khatereh Babakhani, Nathaniel Rhoades, Ian Bivins, Joungbo Ko, Broderick Dickerson, Drew E. Gonzalez, Ryan J. Sowinski, Chris J. Rasmussen, and Richard B. Kreider.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #CreatineCognitionAgeing #CreatineForMuscleAndMind #SarcopenicObesityPrevention #MiddleAgedFitness #CreatineMonohydrateBenefits #CognitiveFunctionBoost #LeanMassGain #HealthyAging #ExerciseAndDietImpact #StrengthAndEnduranceBoost
-
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 02:00PM
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: Creatine improves muscle mass and cognitive function in older adults even without exercise
A study involving healthy adults between 45 and 65 years of age with a sedentary lifestyle found that 12 weeks of taking creatine monohydrate supplements increased their lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance, while promoting favorable changes in markers of cognitive function and memory. The same supplementation combined with an exercise and weight-loss diet program additionally resulted in body fat percentage reduction. The paper was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that helps cells rapidly produce energy, particularly during short periods of intense activity. The human body makes creatine mainly from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. It can also be obtained from foods such as meat and fish.
Most of the body’s creatine is stored in skeletal muscles, where it is converted into phosphocreatine. Phosphocreatine helps regenerate adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, the primary molecule cells use as an immediate source of energy. Because this energy system is especially important during brief, high-intensity efforts, creatine has long attracted interest in sport and exercise science.
Creatine can also be taken as a dietary supplement. Such intake allows the body to increase the amount of creatine stored in muscles. The most widely used supplemental form is creatine monohydrate, in which creatine is combined with a molecule of water. Creatine monohydrate is inexpensive, stable, and by far the most extensively studied form of creatine supplementation. Research has linked it to improvements in strength, power, training capacity, and gains in lean body mass. Interest is also growing in its possible effects on brain function and health.
Study author Jisun Chun and colleagues examined the effects of 12 weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation on body composition and cognitive function in healthy, untrained middle-aged and older adults. The researchers compared participants who maintained their usual lifestyle with those who engaged in a structured diet and training program aimed at promoting weight loss.
They note that as people age, the fat tissue in their bodies progressively increases while the mass of their skeletal muscles decreases. This condition, known as sarcopenic obesity, is associated with heightened health risks and various functional impairments.
The authors hypothesized that creatine monohydrate supplementation would support improvements in the health-related outcomes of exercise and diet, and would enhance improvements in body composition induced by training. They also expected that this supplementation would favorably influence the cognitive performance of individuals taking it.
Study participants were 64 adults between 45 and 65 years of age. Their average age was 55 years, and 40 of them were women.
Participants were divided into four groups. Two groups received creatine monohydrate supplementation (two 5-gram foil sachets per day, to be dissolved in water or a flavored beverage, taken once in the morning and once in the evening), and two groups received a placebo (identical-looking sachets containing maltodextrin, taken in the same way). While participants were randomly assigned to receive either creatine monohydrate or the placebo without knowing which substance they were receiving, they decided for themselves whether they would participate in the training and diet program or not. This created four distinct groups: no exercise with placebo, no exercise with creatine, exercise and diet with placebo, and exercise and diet with creatine.
Participants in the exercise groups participated in a supervised resistance and aerobic training program three times per week. Additionally, they were instructed to follow a diet plan aligned with the American Heart Association’s macronutrient recommendations (55 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein, 30 percent fat) to induce a modest energy deficit of approximately 300 to 500 calories per day to promote weight loss. These participants recorded their dietary intake using a smartphone-based application called MyFitnessPal. The non-exercise groups did not follow this diet or exercise program.
Participants completed various measurements at the start of the study, six weeks after the start, and at the end of the 12-week study. These included basic body measurements, resting metabolic rate (how much energy the body uses at rest), body composition measurements derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DXA, scans, blood biomarkers, physical activity, cognitive performance, reaction speed tests, muscular strength measurements, cardiopulmonary exercise capacity, and various psychological health measures.
Results showed that creatine monohydrate supplementation without the exercise and diet intervention increased lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance. It also promoted favorable changes in blood concentrations of some lipids and in markers of cognitive function and memory. Creatine supplementation combined with the exercise and diet program additionally resulted in a greater reduction in body fat percentage.
“Creatine supplementation (10 g/d) without exercise training and diet intervention increased lean tissue mass, strength and muscular endurance, promoted favorable changes in selected blood-lipid measures, reduced HbA1c levels [a measure of average blood sugar over the past two to three months], and improved selected markers of cognitive function and memory in middle-aged and older adults,” the study authors concluded. “Creatine supplementation during an exercise and weight-loss diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults promoted a greater reduction in body fat percentage, gains in muscular strength and endurance, and improved selected markers of cognitive function and memory.”
The study contributes to the scientific knowledge about the effects of creatine supplementation. However, the researchers cautioned that the individual cognitive and biomarker findings are exploratory and require confirmation. Furthermore, while participants were randomly assigned to receive creatine or a placebo, they chose for themselves whether they would participate in the training and diet program. This could have introduced systematic differences between those who did and did not choose to participate in the lifestyle intervention, affecting the results.
The paper, “Effects of creatine supplementation with and without exercise and diet intervention on body composition, cognitive function, and markers of health in middle-aged and older adults,” was authored by Jisun Chun, Yuhang Liu, Giuliet L. Kibler, Hudson Lee, Khatereh Babakhani, Nathaniel Rhoades, Ian Bivins, Joungbo Ko, Broderick Dickerson, Drew E. Gonzalez, Ryan J. Sowinski, Chris J. Rasmussen, and Richard B. Kreider.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #CreatineCognitionAgeing #CreatineForMuscleAndMind #SarcopenicObesityPrevention #MiddleAgedFitness #CreatineMonohydrateBenefits #CognitiveFunctionBoost #LeanMassGain #HealthyAging #ExerciseAndDietImpact #StrengthAndEnduranceBoost
-
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 02:00PM
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: Creatine improves muscle mass and cognitive function in older adults even without exercise
A study involving healthy adults between 45 and 65 years of age with a sedentary lifestyle found that 12 weeks of taking creatine monohydrate supplements increased their lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance, while promoting favorable changes in markers of cognitive function and memory. The same supplementation combined with an exercise and weight-loss diet program additionally resulted in body fat percentage reduction. The paper was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that helps cells rapidly produce energy, particularly during short periods of intense activity. The human body makes creatine mainly from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. It can also be obtained from foods such as meat and fish.
Most of the body’s creatine is stored in skeletal muscles, where it is converted into phosphocreatine. Phosphocreatine helps regenerate adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, the primary molecule cells use as an immediate source of energy. Because this energy system is especially important during brief, high-intensity efforts, creatine has long attracted interest in sport and exercise science.
Creatine can also be taken as a dietary supplement. Such intake allows the body to increase the amount of creatine stored in muscles. The most widely used supplemental form is creatine monohydrate, in which creatine is combined with a molecule of water. Creatine monohydrate is inexpensive, stable, and by far the most extensively studied form of creatine supplementation. Research has linked it to improvements in strength, power, training capacity, and gains in lean body mass. Interest is also growing in its possible effects on brain function and health.
Study author Jisun Chun and colleagues examined the effects of 12 weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation on body composition and cognitive function in healthy, untrained middle-aged and older adults. The researchers compared participants who maintained their usual lifestyle with those who engaged in a structured diet and training program aimed at promoting weight loss.
They note that as people age, the fat tissue in their bodies progressively increases while the mass of their skeletal muscles decreases. This condition, known as sarcopenic obesity, is associated with heightened health risks and various functional impairments.
The authors hypothesized that creatine monohydrate supplementation would support improvements in the health-related outcomes of exercise and diet, and would enhance improvements in body composition induced by training. They also expected that this supplementation would favorably influence the cognitive performance of individuals taking it.
Study participants were 64 adults between 45 and 65 years of age. Their average age was 55 years, and 40 of them were women.
Participants were divided into four groups. Two groups received creatine monohydrate supplementation (two 5-gram foil sachets per day, to be dissolved in water or a flavored beverage, taken once in the morning and once in the evening), and two groups received a placebo (identical-looking sachets containing maltodextrin, taken in the same way). While participants were randomly assigned to receive either creatine monohydrate or the placebo without knowing which substance they were receiving, they decided for themselves whether they would participate in the training and diet program or not. This created four distinct groups: no exercise with placebo, no exercise with creatine, exercise and diet with placebo, and exercise and diet with creatine.
Participants in the exercise groups participated in a supervised resistance and aerobic training program three times per week. Additionally, they were instructed to follow a diet plan aligned with the American Heart Association’s macronutrient recommendations (55 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein, 30 percent fat) to induce a modest energy deficit of approximately 300 to 500 calories per day to promote weight loss. These participants recorded their dietary intake using a smartphone-based application called MyFitnessPal. The non-exercise groups did not follow this diet or exercise program.
Participants completed various measurements at the start of the study, six weeks after the start, and at the end of the 12-week study. These included basic body measurements, resting metabolic rate (how much energy the body uses at rest), body composition measurements derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DXA, scans, blood biomarkers, physical activity, cognitive performance, reaction speed tests, muscular strength measurements, cardiopulmonary exercise capacity, and various psychological health measures.
Results showed that creatine monohydrate supplementation without the exercise and diet intervention increased lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance. It also promoted favorable changes in blood concentrations of some lipids and in markers of cognitive function and memory. Creatine supplementation combined with the exercise and diet program additionally resulted in a greater reduction in body fat percentage.
“Creatine supplementation (10 g/d) without exercise training and diet intervention increased lean tissue mass, strength and muscular endurance, promoted favorable changes in selected blood-lipid measures, reduced HbA1c levels [a measure of average blood sugar over the past two to three months], and improved selected markers of cognitive function and memory in middle-aged and older adults,” the study authors concluded. “Creatine supplementation during an exercise and weight-loss diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults promoted a greater reduction in body fat percentage, gains in muscular strength and endurance, and improved selected markers of cognitive function and memory.”
The study contributes to the scientific knowledge about the effects of creatine supplementation. However, the researchers cautioned that the individual cognitive and biomarker findings are exploratory and require confirmation. Furthermore, while participants were randomly assigned to receive creatine or a placebo, they chose for themselves whether they would participate in the training and diet program. This could have introduced systematic differences between those who did and did not choose to participate in the lifestyle intervention, affecting the results.
The paper, “Effects of creatine supplementation with and without exercise and diet intervention on body composition, cognitive function, and markers of health in middle-aged and older adults,” was authored by Jisun Chun, Yuhang Liu, Giuliet L. Kibler, Hudson Lee, Khatereh Babakhani, Nathaniel Rhoades, Ian Bivins, Joungbo Ko, Broderick Dickerson, Drew E. Gonzalez, Ryan J. Sowinski, Chris J. Rasmussen, and Richard B. Kreider.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #CreatineCognitionAgeing #CreatineForMuscleAndMind #SarcopenicObesityPrevention #MiddleAgedFitness #CreatineMonohydrateBenefits #CognitiveFunctionBoost #LeanMassGain #HealthyAging #ExerciseAndDietImpact #StrengthAndEnduranceBoost
-
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 02:00PM
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: Creatine improves muscle mass and cognitive function in older adults even without exercise
A study involving healthy adults between 45 and 65 years of age with a sedentary lifestyle found that 12 weeks of taking creatine monohydrate supplements increased their lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance, while promoting favorable changes in markers of cognitive function and memory. The same supplementation combined with an exercise and weight-loss diet program additionally resulted in body fat percentage reduction. The paper was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that helps cells rapidly produce energy, particularly during short periods of intense activity. The human body makes creatine mainly from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. It can also be obtained from foods such as meat and fish.
Most of the body’s creatine is stored in skeletal muscles, where it is converted into phosphocreatine. Phosphocreatine helps regenerate adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, the primary molecule cells use as an immediate source of energy. Because this energy system is especially important during brief, high-intensity efforts, creatine has long attracted interest in sport and exercise science.
Creatine can also be taken as a dietary supplement. Such intake allows the body to increase the amount of creatine stored in muscles. The most widely used supplemental form is creatine monohydrate, in which creatine is combined with a molecule of water. Creatine monohydrate is inexpensive, stable, and by far the most extensively studied form of creatine supplementation. Research has linked it to improvements in strength, power, training capacity, and gains in lean body mass. Interest is also growing in its possible effects on brain function and health.
Study author Jisun Chun and colleagues examined the effects of 12 weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation on body composition and cognitive function in healthy, untrained middle-aged and older adults. The researchers compared participants who maintained their usual lifestyle with those who engaged in a structured diet and training program aimed at promoting weight loss.
They note that as people age, the fat tissue in their bodies progressively increases while the mass of their skeletal muscles decreases. This condition, known as sarcopenic obesity, is associated with heightened health risks and various functional impairments.
The authors hypothesized that creatine monohydrate supplementation would support improvements in the health-related outcomes of exercise and diet, and would enhance improvements in body composition induced by training. They also expected that this supplementation would favorably influence the cognitive performance of individuals taking it.
Study participants were 64 adults between 45 and 65 years of age. Their average age was 55 years, and 40 of them were women.
Participants were divided into four groups. Two groups received creatine monohydrate supplementation (two 5-gram foil sachets per day, to be dissolved in water or a flavored beverage, taken once in the morning and once in the evening), and two groups received a placebo (identical-looking sachets containing maltodextrin, taken in the same way). While participants were randomly assigned to receive either creatine monohydrate or the placebo without knowing which substance they were receiving, they decided for themselves whether they would participate in the training and diet program or not. This created four distinct groups: no exercise with placebo, no exercise with creatine, exercise and diet with placebo, and exercise and diet with creatine.
Participants in the exercise groups participated in a supervised resistance and aerobic training program three times per week. Additionally, they were instructed to follow a diet plan aligned with the American Heart Association’s macronutrient recommendations (55 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein, 30 percent fat) to induce a modest energy deficit of approximately 300 to 500 calories per day to promote weight loss. These participants recorded their dietary intake using a smartphone-based application called MyFitnessPal. The non-exercise groups did not follow this diet or exercise program.
Participants completed various measurements at the start of the study, six weeks after the start, and at the end of the 12-week study. These included basic body measurements, resting metabolic rate (how much energy the body uses at rest), body composition measurements derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DXA, scans, blood biomarkers, physical activity, cognitive performance, reaction speed tests, muscular strength measurements, cardiopulmonary exercise capacity, and various psychological health measures.
Results showed that creatine monohydrate supplementation without the exercise and diet intervention increased lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance. It also promoted favorable changes in blood concentrations of some lipids and in markers of cognitive function and memory. Creatine supplementation combined with the exercise and diet program additionally resulted in a greater reduction in body fat percentage.
“Creatine supplementation (10 g/d) without exercise training and diet intervention increased lean tissue mass, strength and muscular endurance, promoted favorable changes in selected blood-lipid measures, reduced HbA1c levels [a measure of average blood sugar over the past two to three months], and improved selected markers of cognitive function and memory in middle-aged and older adults,” the study authors concluded. “Creatine supplementation during an exercise and weight-loss diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults promoted a greater reduction in body fat percentage, gains in muscular strength and endurance, and improved selected markers of cognitive function and memory.”
The study contributes to the scientific knowledge about the effects of creatine supplementation. However, the researchers cautioned that the individual cognitive and biomarker findings are exploratory and require confirmation. Furthermore, while participants were randomly assigned to receive creatine or a placebo, they chose for themselves whether they would participate in the training and diet program. This could have introduced systematic differences between those who did and did not choose to participate in the lifestyle intervention, affecting the results.
The paper, “Effects of creatine supplementation with and without exercise and diet intervention on body composition, cognitive function, and markers of health in middle-aged and older adults,” was authored by Jisun Chun, Yuhang Liu, Giuliet L. Kibler, Hudson Lee, Khatereh Babakhani, Nathaniel Rhoades, Ian Bivins, Joungbo Ko, Broderick Dickerson, Drew E. Gonzalez, Ryan J. Sowinski, Chris J. Rasmussen, and Richard B. Kreider.
-------------------------------------------------
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Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #CreatineCognitionAgeing #CreatineForMuscleAndMind #SarcopenicObesityPrevention #MiddleAgedFitness #CreatineMonohydrateBenefits #CognitiveFunctionBoost #LeanMassGain #HealthyAging #ExerciseAndDietImpact #StrengthAndEnduranceBoost
-
TRIGGER WARNING: Military Psychology
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 12:14PM
SOURCE: CONSORTIUM FOR DEFENSE PSYCHOLOGYDirect article link at end of text block below.
RT @CSTS_USU: Mental health problems are a leading cause of hospitalization and discharge among active-duty service members.
An upcoming vitamin B9 clinical trial will focus on reducing suicide risk and supporting service member health. https://t.co/LMxsoUfb93
Here are any URLs found in the article text:
Articles can be found at https://deploymentpsych.org/.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #military #militarypsych #militarypsychology #militarycounseling #APA #Division19 #militaryhealth #DeploymentPsychology #DefensePsychology #ConsortiumForDefensePsychology #UniformServicesUniversity
-
TRIGGER WARNING: Military Psychology
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 12:14PM
SOURCE: CONSORTIUM FOR DEFENSE PSYCHOLOGYDirect article link at end of text block below.
RT @CSTS_USU: Mental health problems are a leading cause of hospitalization and discharge among active-duty service members.
An upcoming vitamin B9 clinical trial will focus on reducing suicide risk and supporting service member health. https://t.co/LMxsoUfb93
Here are any URLs found in the article text:
Articles can be found at https://deploymentpsych.org/.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #military #militarypsych #militarypsychology #militarycounseling #APA #Division19 #militaryhealth #DeploymentPsychology #DefensePsychology #ConsortiumForDefensePsychology #UniformServicesUniversity
-
TRIGGER WARNING: Military Psychology
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 12:14PM
SOURCE: CONSORTIUM FOR DEFENSE PSYCHOLOGYDirect article link at end of text block below.
RT @CSTS_USU: Mental health problems are a leading cause of hospitalization and discharge among active-duty service members.
An upcoming vitamin B9 clinical trial will focus on reducing suicide risk and supporting service member health. https://t.co/LMxsoUfb93
Here are any URLs found in the article text:
Articles can be found at https://deploymentpsych.org/.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #military #militarypsych #militarypsychology #militarycounseling #APA #Division19 #militaryhealth #DeploymentPsychology #DefensePsychology #ConsortiumForDefensePsychology #UniformServicesUniversity
-
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 12:00PM
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: Getting a smartphone before age 13 linked to worse mental health in young adulthood
New research provides evidence that receiving a smartphone early in childhood is associated with poorer psychological well-being in young adulthood. The findings indicate that these negative outcomes are largely tied to early access to social media, which opens the door to cyberbullying, poor family relationships, and disrupted sleep. The study was published in Journal of Human Development and Capabilities.
Scientists and policymakers have expressed growing concern over the modern digital landscape. Smartphones operate as gateways into algorithmically curated digital environments. These algorithms are designed by artificial intelligence (AI) programs to maximize user engagement, often by presenting content that keeps users scrolling.
When young children navigate these spaces, they face unique challenges. According to a 2026 review, adolescent brains undergo biological changes that heighten their sensitivity to social feedback and variable rewards, like notifications and likes. This makes young minds particularly vulnerable to the design features of modern digital platforms.
Efforts to manage this issue have been mixed. For example, a study covered by PsyPost in 2026 evaluated the concurrent impact of restricting phone use during secondary school hours and noted little to no mental health improvement from daytime bans alone. With inconsistent findings across the scientific literature, questions remain regarding the long-term impact of digital exposure starting in early childhood.
The authors of the new study focused on the concept of mind health, which they distinguish from traditional clinical categories like depression and anxiety. Mind health encompasses the full complement of emotional, social, and cognitive capacities that allow a person to navigate life’s challenges and function productively.
The research, led by Tara C. Thiagarajan, founder and chief scientist of Sapien Labs, aimed to determine the population-level developmental consequences of owning a smartphone during childhood. They sought to understand how the age at which a child receives their first smartphone correlates with their mind health as a young adult.
“We are a nonprofit tracking mind health across the globe and exploring how different aspects of the environment contribute to the decline across each younger generation,” Thiagarajan told PsyPost. “One of the most significant environmental shifts that tracks with this trajectory is the advent of smartphones. We wanted to understand the cumulative effect of having a smartphone in childhood on development rather than just the immediate effect of using it.”
To explore this, the researchers analyzed data from the Global Mind Project, a large-scale data acquisition initiative. Their sample included over 100,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, spanning 163 countries and various cultural backgrounds. Participants completed an online assessment tool called the Mind Health Quotient.
The Mind Health Quotient captures 47 different functions and symptoms, generating a score that reflects a person’s overall mental well-being on a spectrum from distressed to thriving. The survey also collected contextual information, including the age at which each participant received their first smartphone and when they first created social media accounts. The researchers used regression analysis to identify associations between early phone ownership, potential mediating factors, and current mind health.
The results showed a consistent pattern across different regions and languages. Receiving a smartphone before the age of 13 was associated with progressively lower mind health scores in early adulthood. For example, the average Mind Health Quotient score was 30 for individuals who acquired their first smartphone at age 13, but it dropped to just 1 for those who received one at age five.
“That the younger a child got a phone, the worse their mental health is likely to be in adulthood,” Thiagarajan explained. “This relationship is particularly steep before age 13. That means that every successive year before 13 makes it even worse.”
The percentage of young adults considered distressed or struggling was higher among those who acquired smartphones earlier. Compared to those who received a phone later in adolescence, females who obtained a smartphone at a very young age experienced a 9.5 percent higher rate of severe struggles, while males showed a 7.0 percent higher rate.
Specific symptoms also varied based on the age of first smartphone ownership. Among female participants who received a smartphone at age five or six, 48 percent reported severe suicidal thoughts as young adults, compared to 28 percent of those who received their first phone at age 13. Among males, the figures were 31 percent for early adopters and 20 percent for those who waited until age 13. Participants who owned phones earlier also reported higher rates of aggression, feelings of detachment from reality, and diminished emotional resilience.
“We were surprised that the specific aspects that early smartphone exposure effects after controlling for other factors are things like suicidal thoughts, aggression towards others and detachment from reality and not the typically discussed anxiety and depression,” the researcher noted.
To understand why this association exists, the researchers looked at several potential contributing factors. Globally, the age at which participants first accessed social media accounted for about 40 percent of the link between early smartphone ownership and poorer adult mind health.
Other factors played a role, but they were often tied to social media use. Cyberbullying and poor family relationships were linked to early smartphone ownership, and the researchers found that these issues were largely downstream effects of accessing social media at a young age. On the other hand, early smartphone use was also associated with disrupted sleep, but this sleep disruption appeared to happen independently of social media access, suggesting it might stem from other screen activities like gaming or watching videos.
The study highlighted regional differences, particularly in developed, English-speaking countries. Young adults in these countries reported receiving smartphones at an average age of 11, compared to ages 14 to 16 in parts of Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East.
In these English-speaking nations, the age of social media access explained up to 70 percent of the negative mind health associations linked to early smartphone ownership. In this region, experiences of cyberbullying and poor family relationships were almost entirely downstream of early social media access. For females in these countries, early social media access was also linked to an increased likelihood of experiencing sexual abuse, which in turn predicted poorer mental health outcomes.
The findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost in 2026, which found that youth social media engagement is consistently linked to poorer emotional well-being and diminished self-worth. It is worth noting, however, that the earlier study examined ongoing digital usage during childhood rather than the specific age of first smartphone ownership on young adult outcomes.
The findings are in tension with an earlier study regarding whether adolescent phone use impairs long-term psychological development. That previous study specifically tracked self-control over time in teenagers in South Korea, whereas the new study relied on retrospective reports of first smartphone ownership and broader adult mental health outcomes.
As with all research, there are a few things to keep in mind. The study relies on observational data, meaning it can show links between early phone ownership and later mental health, but it cannot establish that one directly causes the other. Participants were also asked to recall events from their childhood, which can introduce memory errors.
“These results reflect the population level effects,” Thiagarajan said. “What that means is that they reflect having phones in a world where almost everyone else has one too. If you are the only one without a phone, it doesn’t mean you will easily have better outcomes. In fact it could even be more isolating.”
“On the other hand if an entire group doesn’t have phones it will change the social dynamic and behaviors in positive ways,” she added. “So the more impactful solutions are likely to be population level bans until 13 at the school or societal level.”
The researchers did not measure the total amount of time participants spent on screens during childhood. The study also lacked data on the specific types of online content the individuals interacted with as they grew up. The findings reflect broad patterns across large populations and do not predict the exact outcome for every child who receives a smartphone at a young age.
“We are working on understanding if these cumulative effects can be reversed and how,” Thiagarajan said. “One example is this recently published camp study.”
The study, “Protecting the Developing Mind in a Digital Age: A Global Policy Imperative,” was authored by Tara C. Thiagarajan, Jennifer Jane Newson, and Shailender Swaminathan.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #SmartphoneAge13 #MindHealthQuotient #DigitalAgeImpact #YouthMentalWellbeing #SocialMediaEffects #CyberbullyingRisk #EarlyPhoneOwnership #ScreenTimeEffects #MentalHealthResearch #GlobalMindProject
-
DATE: September 10, 2026 at 12:00PM
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: Getting a smartphone before age 13 linked to worse mental health in young adulthood
New research provides evidence that receiving a smartphone early in childhood is associated with poorer psychological well-being in young adulthood. The findings indicate that these negative outcomes are largely tied to early access to social media, which opens the door to cyberbullying, poor family relationships, and disrupted sleep. The study was published in Journal of Human Development and Capabilities.
Scientists and policymakers have expressed growing concern over the modern digital landscape. Smartphones operate as gateways into algorithmically curated digital environments. These algorithms are designed by artificial intelligence (AI) programs to maximize user engagement, often by presenting content that keeps users scrolling.
When young children navigate these spaces, they face unique challenges. According to a 2026 review, adolescent brains undergo biological changes that heighten their sensitivity to social feedback and variable rewards, like notifications and likes. This makes young minds particularly vulnerable to the design features of modern digital platforms.
Efforts to manage this issue have been mixed. For example, a study covered by PsyPost in 2026 evaluated the concurrent impact of restricting phone use during secondary school hours and noted little to no mental health improvement from daytime bans alone. With inconsistent findings across the scientific literature, questions remain regarding the long-term impact of digital exposure starting in early childhood.
The authors of the new study focused on the concept of mind health, which they distinguish from traditional clinical categories like depression and anxiety. Mind health encompasses the full complement of emotional, social, and cognitive capacities that allow a person to navigate life’s challenges and function productively.
The research, led by Tara C. Thiagarajan, founder and chief scientist of Sapien Labs, aimed to determine the population-level developmental consequences of owning a smartphone during childhood. They sought to understand how the age at which a child receives their first smartphone correlates with their mind health as a young adult.
“We are a nonprofit tracking mind health across the globe and exploring how different aspects of the environment contribute to the decline across each younger generation,” Thiagarajan told PsyPost. “One of the most significant environmental shifts that tracks with this trajectory is the advent of smartphones. We wanted to understand the cumulative effect of having a smartphone in childhood on development rather than just the immediate effect of using it.”
To explore this, the researchers analyzed data from the Global Mind Project, a large-scale data acquisition initiative. Their sample included over 100,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, spanning 163 countries and various cultural backgrounds. Participants completed an online assessment tool called the Mind Health Quotient.
The Mind Health Quotient captures 47 different functions and symptoms, generating a score that reflects a person’s overall mental well-being on a spectrum from distressed to thriving. The survey also collected contextual information, including the age at which each participant received their first smartphone and when they first created social media accounts. The researchers used regression analysis to identify associations between early phone ownership, potential mediating factors, and current mind health.
The results showed a consistent pattern across different regions and languages. Receiving a smartphone before the age of 13 was associated with progressively lower mind health scores in early adulthood. For example, the average Mind Health Quotient score was 30 for individuals who acquired their first smartphone at age 13, but it dropped to just 1 for those who received one at age five.
“That the younger a child got a phone, the worse their mental health is likely to be in adulthood,” Thiagarajan explained. “This relationship is particularly steep before age 13. That means that every successive year before 13 makes it even worse.”
The percentage of young adults considered distressed or struggling was higher among those who acquired smartphones earlier. Compared to those who received a phone later in adolescence, females who obtained a smartphone at a very young age experienced a 9.5 percent higher rate of severe struggles, while males showed a 7.0 percent higher rate.
Specific symptoms also varied based on the age of first smartphone ownership. Among female participants who received a smartphone at age five or six, 48 percent reported severe suicidal thoughts as young adults, compared to 28 percent of those who received their first phone at age 13. Among males, the figures were 31 percent for early adopters and 20 percent for those who waited until age 13. Participants who owned phones earlier also reported higher rates of aggression, feelings of detachment from reality, and diminished emotional resilience.
“We were surprised that the specific aspects that early smartphone exposure effects after controlling for other factors are things like suicidal thoughts, aggression towards others and detachment from reality and not the typically discussed anxiety and depression,” the researcher noted.
To understand why this association exists, the researchers looked at several potential contributing factors. Globally, the age at which participants first accessed social media accounted for about 40 percent of the link between early smartphone ownership and poorer adult mind health.
Other factors played a role, but they were often tied to social media use. Cyberbullying and poor family relationships were linked to early smartphone ownership, and the researchers found that these issues were largely downstream effects of accessing social media at a young age. On the other hand, early smartphone use was also associated with disrupted sleep, but this sleep disruption appeared to happen independently of social media access, suggesting it might stem from other screen activities like gaming or watching videos.
The study highlighted regional differences, particularly in developed, English-speaking countries. Young adults in these countries reported receiving smartphones at an average age of 11, compared to ages 14 to 16 in parts of Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East.
In these English-speaking nations, the age of social media access explained up to 70 percent of the negative mind health associations linked to early smartphone ownership. In this region, experiences of cyberbullying and poor family relationships were almost entirely downstream of early social media access. For females in these countries, early social media access was also linked to an increased likelihood of experiencing sexual abuse, which in turn predicted poorer mental health outcomes.
The findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost in 2026, which found that youth social media engagement is consistently linked to poorer emotional well-being and diminished self-worth. It is worth noting, however, that the earlier study examined ongoing digital usage during childhood rather than the specific age of first smartphone ownership on young adult outcomes.
The findings are in tension with an earlier study regarding whether adolescent phone use impairs long-term psychological development. That previous study specifically tracked self-control over time in teenagers in South Korea, whereas the new study relied on retrospective reports of first smartphone ownership and broader adult mental health outcomes.
As with all research, there are a few things to keep in mind. The study relies on observational data, meaning it can show links between early phone ownership and later mental health, but it cannot establish that one directly causes the other. Participants were also asked to recall events from their childhood, which can introduce memory errors.
“These results reflect the population level effects,” Thiagarajan said. “What that means is that they reflect having phones in a world where almost everyone else has one too. If you are the only one without a phone, it doesn’t mean you will easily have better outcomes. In fact it could even be more isolating.”
“On the other hand if an entire group doesn’t have phones it will change the social dynamic and behaviors in positive ways,” she added. “So the more impactful solutions are likely to be population level bans until 13 at the school or societal level.”
The researchers did not measure the total amount of time participants spent on screens during childhood. The study also lacked data on the specific types of online content the individuals interacted with as they grew up. The findings reflect broad patterns across large populations and do not predict the exact outcome for every child who receives a smartphone at a young age.
“We are working on understanding if these cumulative effects can be reversed and how,” Thiagarajan said. “One example is this recently published camp study.”
The study, “Protecting the Developing Mind in a Digital Age: A Global Policy Imperative,” was authored by Tara C. Thiagarajan, Jennifer Jane Newson, and Shailender Swaminathan.
-------------------------------------------------
Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot
-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #SmartphoneAge13 #MindHealthQuotient #DigitalAgeImpact #YouthMentalWellbeing #SocialMediaEffects #CyberbullyingRisk #EarlyPhoneOwnership #ScreenTimeEffects #MentalHealthResearch #GlobalMindProject