#counseling — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #counseling, aggregated by home.social.
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DATE: September 17, 2026 at 10:00PM
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: Everyday physical activity is linked to a major boost in energy and mood
URL: https://www.psypost.org/everyday-physical-activity-is-linked-to-a-major-boost-in-energy-and-mood/
People tended to feel more energetic and positive when they were more physically active than usual, and they were also more likely to become active after reporting better well-being, according to a large analysis published in Nature Human Behaviour.
Physical activity includes more than organized exercise. It can involve walking, household movement, commuting and other everyday activities. Affective well-being refers to a person’s momentary emotional state, including whether they feel happy or unhappy, energized or tired, calm or tense, and generally good or bad.
Earlier research has often linked exercise with improved mood, but studies conducted in laboratories or through occasional questionnaires may not accurately reflect people’s ordinary lives. Researchers have increasingly used wearable movement monitors and smartphone surveys to record what people are doing and how they feel throughout the day. However, these studies have used different methods and have produced mixed results.
The current researchers aimed to combine this evidence and determine whether physical activity and well-being were related in both directions. They also wanted to distinguish changes within individuals from differences between individuals. This distinction matters because a person who is generally active may also be happier for other reasons, such as better health, social support or living conditions.
Led by Johanna Rehder of the University of Salzburg in Austria, the team analyzed 67 datasets from 14 countries. The study included 8,223 participants, with an average age of 36.33 years. Sex or gender information was available for 8,190 participants: 54.93% were female and 0.06% were nonbinary.
Participants wore accelerometers, small devices that objectively record movement, for periods ranging from one to 100 days. They also received smartphone prompts asking them to report their current well-being. Across the datasets, participants provided 321,345 well-being ratings linked to nearly 1 million hours of movement measurements.
The researchers examined five aspects of well-being: positive feelings, negative feelings, overall pleasantness, energy and calmness. They assessed both whether physical activity came before later changes in well-being and whether well-being came before later physical activity.
Within individuals, physical activity was consistently associated with greater energy, more positive feelings and better overall pleasantness. The strongest relationship involved energetic arousal—the feeling of being awake, alert and energized. In practical terms, moving from sitting to walking was associated with a 0.62-point increase in energetic arousal on a 1-to-4 scale. The same comparison was associated with a 0.24-point increase in positive feelings and a 0.16-point increase in pleasantness. Physical activity did not, however, show a consistent relationship with negative feelings such as sadness or anxiety.
Physical activity was also linked with feeling less calm. This does not necessarily mean that movement made people distressed. It may reflect the fact that being active is associated with feeling more alert and stimulated rather than relaxed.
The relationship also operated in the opposite direction. When people reported feeling better and more energetic than their own average, they tended to be more physically active afterward, whereas feeling calmer was associated with less subsequent activity. Negative feelings, however, did not show a consistent relationship with later activity. At the level of differences between people, physical activity was most consistently associated with positive feelings and pleasantness.
The strength of the associations varied substantially among individuals. Age, body mass index, sex or gender and whether measurements were taken on a weekday or weekend explained some of this variation. For instance, younger adults and those with a lower body mass index showed stronger positive emotional responses linked to physical activity. Additionally, the energy boost from being active was more pronounced on weekends than on weekdays, and women felt more energized after activity than men.
The authors concluded that “the results document the critical relevance of [physical activity]–[affective well-being] relations in everyday life.”
Important limitations remain. For example, the datasets were observational, so they cannot establish that physical activity directly improves well-being or that positive feelings cause later activity. The studies also differed in the devices they used, how often participants reported their feelings and how well-being was defined.
The study, “An Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis of How Physical Activity Relates to Affective Well-being in Daily Life,” was authored by Johanna Rehder, Irina Timm, Gesa Berretz, Iris Reinhard, Andreas B. Neubauer, Onur Güntürkün, Keisuke Takano, Walter Bierbauer, Miriam Cabrita, Matthew Bourke, Joshua Smyth, Jinhyuk Kim, Johannes Michalak, Joshua Curtiss, Björn Pannicke, Jacob B. Gallagher, Ana M. Abrantes, Toru Nakamura, Yoshiharu Yamamoto, Paul Cook, Lena M. Wieland, Birte von Haaren-Mack, Bryan McCormick, Justin Hachenberger, Tomas Vetrovsky, Benjamin Henwood, Louise Poppe, Gorden Sudeck, Laura Hollands, Andrea B. Goldschmidt, Lynn Martire, Martina Kanning, Jaclyn P. Maher, Yu-Mei Li, Ulrich Reininghaus, Corina Berli, Caroline Seiferth, Derek J. Hevel, Kate Leger, Amanda E. Staiano, Almut Zeeck, Stefano Calza, Yue Liao, Geralyn R. Ruissen, the CoCA Consortium, Andreas R. Schwerdtfeger, Matthias Haucke, Loree T. Pham, Siwei Liu, Mark C. Thomas, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Genevieve F. Dunton, Steriani Elavsky, Ulrich W. Ebner-Priemer, Marco Giurgiu, Julian Packheiser and Markus Reichert.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/everyday-physical-activity-is-linked-to-a-major-boost-in-energy-and-mood/
-------------------------------------------------
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 #PhysicalActivity #EnergyBoost #MoodBoost #EverydayMovement #WellBeing #AffectiveWellBeing #EnergyAndMood #ActiveLifestyle #WeekendEnergy #WearableTech
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DATE: September 17, 2026 at 10:00PM
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: Everyday physical activity is linked to a major boost in energy and mood
URL: https://www.psypost.org/everyday-physical-activity-is-linked-to-a-major-boost-in-energy-and-mood/
People tended to feel more energetic and positive when they were more physically active than usual, and they were also more likely to become active after reporting better well-being, according to a large analysis published in Nature Human Behaviour.
Physical activity includes more than organized exercise. It can involve walking, household movement, commuting and other everyday activities. Affective well-being refers to a person’s momentary emotional state, including whether they feel happy or unhappy, energized or tired, calm or tense, and generally good or bad.
Earlier research has often linked exercise with improved mood, but studies conducted in laboratories or through occasional questionnaires may not accurately reflect people’s ordinary lives. Researchers have increasingly used wearable movement monitors and smartphone surveys to record what people are doing and how they feel throughout the day. However, these studies have used different methods and have produced mixed results.
The current researchers aimed to combine this evidence and determine whether physical activity and well-being were related in both directions. They also wanted to distinguish changes within individuals from differences between individuals. This distinction matters because a person who is generally active may also be happier for other reasons, such as better health, social support or living conditions.
Led by Johanna Rehder of the University of Salzburg in Austria, the team analyzed 67 datasets from 14 countries. The study included 8,223 participants, with an average age of 36.33 years. Sex or gender information was available for 8,190 participants: 54.93% were female and 0.06% were nonbinary.
Participants wore accelerometers, small devices that objectively record movement, for periods ranging from one to 100 days. They also received smartphone prompts asking them to report their current well-being. Across the datasets, participants provided 321,345 well-being ratings linked to nearly 1 million hours of movement measurements.
The researchers examined five aspects of well-being: positive feelings, negative feelings, overall pleasantness, energy and calmness. They assessed both whether physical activity came before later changes in well-being and whether well-being came before later physical activity.
Within individuals, physical activity was consistently associated with greater energy, more positive feelings and better overall pleasantness. The strongest relationship involved energetic arousal—the feeling of being awake, alert and energized. In practical terms, moving from sitting to walking was associated with a 0.62-point increase in energetic arousal on a 1-to-4 scale. The same comparison was associated with a 0.24-point increase in positive feelings and a 0.16-point increase in pleasantness. Physical activity did not, however, show a consistent relationship with negative feelings such as sadness or anxiety.
Physical activity was also linked with feeling less calm. This does not necessarily mean that movement made people distressed. It may reflect the fact that being active is associated with feeling more alert and stimulated rather than relaxed.
The relationship also operated in the opposite direction. When people reported feeling better and more energetic than their own average, they tended to be more physically active afterward, whereas feeling calmer was associated with less subsequent activity. Negative feelings, however, did not show a consistent relationship with later activity. At the level of differences between people, physical activity was most consistently associated with positive feelings and pleasantness.
The strength of the associations varied substantially among individuals. Age, body mass index, sex or gender and whether measurements were taken on a weekday or weekend explained some of this variation. For instance, younger adults and those with a lower body mass index showed stronger positive emotional responses linked to physical activity. Additionally, the energy boost from being active was more pronounced on weekends than on weekdays, and women felt more energized after activity than men.
The authors concluded that “the results document the critical relevance of [physical activity]–[affective well-being] relations in everyday life.”
Important limitations remain. For example, the datasets were observational, so they cannot establish that physical activity directly improves well-being or that positive feelings cause later activity. The studies also differed in the devices they used, how often participants reported their feelings and how well-being was defined.
The study, “An Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis of How Physical Activity Relates to Affective Well-being in Daily Life,” was authored by Johanna Rehder, Irina Timm, Gesa Berretz, Iris Reinhard, Andreas B. Neubauer, Onur Güntürkün, Keisuke Takano, Walter Bierbauer, Miriam Cabrita, Matthew Bourke, Joshua Smyth, Jinhyuk Kim, Johannes Michalak, Joshua Curtiss, Björn Pannicke, Jacob B. Gallagher, Ana M. Abrantes, Toru Nakamura, Yoshiharu Yamamoto, Paul Cook, Lena M. Wieland, Birte von Haaren-Mack, Bryan McCormick, Justin Hachenberger, Tomas Vetrovsky, Benjamin Henwood, Louise Poppe, Gorden Sudeck, Laura Hollands, Andrea B. Goldschmidt, Lynn Martire, Martina Kanning, Jaclyn P. Maher, Yu-Mei Li, Ulrich Reininghaus, Corina Berli, Caroline Seiferth, Derek J. Hevel, Kate Leger, Amanda E. Staiano, Almut Zeeck, Stefano Calza, Yue Liao, Geralyn R. Ruissen, the CoCA Consortium, Andreas R. Schwerdtfeger, Matthias Haucke, Loree T. Pham, Siwei Liu, Mark C. Thomas, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Genevieve F. Dunton, Steriani Elavsky, Ulrich W. Ebner-Priemer, Marco Giurgiu, Julian Packheiser and Markus Reichert.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/everyday-physical-activity-is-linked-to-a-major-boost-in-energy-and-mood/
-------------------------------------------------
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 #PhysicalActivity #EnergyBoost #MoodBoost #EverydayMovement #WellBeing #AffectiveWellBeing #EnergyAndMood #ActiveLifestyle #WeekendEnergy #WearableTech
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DATE: September 17, 2026 at 10:00PM
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: Everyday physical activity is linked to a major boost in energy and mood
URL: https://www.psypost.org/everyday-physical-activity-is-linked-to-a-major-boost-in-energy-and-mood/
People tended to feel more energetic and positive when they were more physically active than usual, and they were also more likely to become active after reporting better well-being, according to a large analysis published in Nature Human Behaviour.
Physical activity includes more than organized exercise. It can involve walking, household movement, commuting and other everyday activities. Affective well-being refers to a person’s momentary emotional state, including whether they feel happy or unhappy, energized or tired, calm or tense, and generally good or bad.
Earlier research has often linked exercise with improved mood, but studies conducted in laboratories or through occasional questionnaires may not accurately reflect people’s ordinary lives. Researchers have increasingly used wearable movement monitors and smartphone surveys to record what people are doing and how they feel throughout the day. However, these studies have used different methods and have produced mixed results.
The current researchers aimed to combine this evidence and determine whether physical activity and well-being were related in both directions. They also wanted to distinguish changes within individuals from differences between individuals. This distinction matters because a person who is generally active may also be happier for other reasons, such as better health, social support or living conditions.
Led by Johanna Rehder of the University of Salzburg in Austria, the team analyzed 67 datasets from 14 countries. The study included 8,223 participants, with an average age of 36.33 years. Sex or gender information was available for 8,190 participants: 54.93% were female and 0.06% were nonbinary.
Participants wore accelerometers, small devices that objectively record movement, for periods ranging from one to 100 days. They also received smartphone prompts asking them to report their current well-being. Across the datasets, participants provided 321,345 well-being ratings linked to nearly 1 million hours of movement measurements.
The researchers examined five aspects of well-being: positive feelings, negative feelings, overall pleasantness, energy and calmness. They assessed both whether physical activity came before later changes in well-being and whether well-being came before later physical activity.
Within individuals, physical activity was consistently associated with greater energy, more positive feelings and better overall pleasantness. The strongest relationship involved energetic arousal—the feeling of being awake, alert and energized. In practical terms, moving from sitting to walking was associated with a 0.62-point increase in energetic arousal on a 1-to-4 scale. The same comparison was associated with a 0.24-point increase in positive feelings and a 0.16-point increase in pleasantness. Physical activity did not, however, show a consistent relationship with negative feelings such as sadness or anxiety.
Physical activity was also linked with feeling less calm. This does not necessarily mean that movement made people distressed. It may reflect the fact that being active is associated with feeling more alert and stimulated rather than relaxed.
The relationship also operated in the opposite direction. When people reported feeling better and more energetic than their own average, they tended to be more physically active afterward, whereas feeling calmer was associated with less subsequent activity. Negative feelings, however, did not show a consistent relationship with later activity. At the level of differences between people, physical activity was most consistently associated with positive feelings and pleasantness.
The strength of the associations varied substantially among individuals. Age, body mass index, sex or gender and whether measurements were taken on a weekday or weekend explained some of this variation. For instance, younger adults and those with a lower body mass index showed stronger positive emotional responses linked to physical activity. Additionally, the energy boost from being active was more pronounced on weekends than on weekdays, and women felt more energized after activity than men.
The authors concluded that “the results document the critical relevance of [physical activity]–[affective well-being] relations in everyday life.”
Important limitations remain. For example, the datasets were observational, so they cannot establish that physical activity directly improves well-being or that positive feelings cause later activity. The studies also differed in the devices they used, how often participants reported their feelings and how well-being was defined.
The study, “An Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis of How Physical Activity Relates to Affective Well-being in Daily Life,” was authored by Johanna Rehder, Irina Timm, Gesa Berretz, Iris Reinhard, Andreas B. Neubauer, Onur Güntürkün, Keisuke Takano, Walter Bierbauer, Miriam Cabrita, Matthew Bourke, Joshua Smyth, Jinhyuk Kim, Johannes Michalak, Joshua Curtiss, Björn Pannicke, Jacob B. Gallagher, Ana M. Abrantes, Toru Nakamura, Yoshiharu Yamamoto, Paul Cook, Lena M. Wieland, Birte von Haaren-Mack, Bryan McCormick, Justin Hachenberger, Tomas Vetrovsky, Benjamin Henwood, Louise Poppe, Gorden Sudeck, Laura Hollands, Andrea B. Goldschmidt, Lynn Martire, Martina Kanning, Jaclyn P. Maher, Yu-Mei Li, Ulrich Reininghaus, Corina Berli, Caroline Seiferth, Derek J. Hevel, Kate Leger, Amanda E. Staiano, Almut Zeeck, Stefano Calza, Yue Liao, Geralyn R. Ruissen, the CoCA Consortium, Andreas R. Schwerdtfeger, Matthias Haucke, Loree T. Pham, Siwei Liu, Mark C. Thomas, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Genevieve F. Dunton, Steriani Elavsky, Ulrich W. Ebner-Priemer, Marco Giurgiu, Julian Packheiser and Markus Reichert.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/everyday-physical-activity-is-linked-to-a-major-boost-in-energy-and-mood/
-------------------------------------------------
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 #PhysicalActivity #EnergyBoost #MoodBoost #EverydayMovement #WellBeing #AffectiveWellBeing #EnergyAndMood #ActiveLifestyle #WeekendEnergy #WearableTech
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DATE: September 17, 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 explore the hidden pathways linking problematic caffeine use to sleep loss
A study of university students in Bangladesh found associations between specific caffeine use disorder symptoms and sleep problems. The study found that caffeine use disorder symptoms had both a direct effect on sleep problems and an indirect effect on sleep problems through depressive symptoms. The paper was published in Addictive Behaviors Reports.
Caffeine is one of the most widely consumed psychoactive substances. It is commonly used to increase alertness and reduce fatigue. Among university students, caffeine consumption is especially common because of demanding academic schedules, long study hours, and insufficient sleep. Although moderate caffeine use may temporarily improve wakefulness and concentration, excessive or poorly timed consumption can interfere with sleep quality.
Sleep disturbances are themselves associated with impaired daily functioning, poorer mood, and an increased risk of depressive symptoms. Caffeine use and mental health may therefore be connected through several interacting behavioral and psychological pathways. An important factor in understanding these relationships is why individuals consume caffeine, as motives may include increasing alertness, regulating mood, socializing, controlling weight, or relieving withdrawal symptoms.
Some individuals also develop problematic patterns of caffeine use. These patterns are characterized by difficulty reducing consumption despite experiencing negative consequences. Symptoms of caffeine use disorder may be associated with greater psychological distress, anxiety, and sleep problems.
Study author Shekh Tanjina Islam Dola and her colleagues investigated the relationship between caffeine use motives, caffeine use disorder symptoms, depression and sleep problems among university students. In their study, they used statistical techniques that allowed them to map associations between specific symptoms of each of these conditions and to test the direct and indirect pathways between them.
The study participants were 530 students from the Barishal division of Bangladesh. They came from two public universities Patuakhali Science and Technology University and University of Barisal. Participants’ average age was 22 years. 57% were male. 72% reported caffeine consumption. On average, caffeine consumers reported ingesting 1.9 cups of caffeine drinks (tea/coffee) per day.
Participants completed a survey that contained sociodemographic questions and assessments of caffeine consumption motives (the Caffeine Motives Questionnaire-21), caffeine use disorder symptoms (the Caffeine Use Disorder Questionnaire-10), sleep quality (the Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale), and depressive symptoms (the Patient Health Questionnaire-9).
The results showed that caffeine intake was higher among smokers compared to non-smokers. It was also higher among those with loans or debts, those in certain academic years, and those with lower monthly family expenditures. It was not associated with age, gender, residency, income, and several other factors.
More severe caffeine use disorder symptoms were directly associated with more sleep problems and more severe depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were, in turn, associated with more sleep problems, meaning depression partially mediated the relationship between caffeine use disorder and sleep disturbances. The researchers also found that craving and withdrawal-related motives were key bridges connecting caffeine use disorder to these negative mental health and sleep outcomes.
“This study found a high prevalence of caffeine consumption among university students in Bangladesh and identified important psychological correlates, particularly depression and sleep problems. Network analysis suggests that certain features, especially craving and withdrawal-related symptoms, may play a key role in connecting caffeine use disorder with mental health and sleep-related outcomes,” the study authors concluded.
The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the links between caffeine consumption and mental health. However, it should be noted that study participants were exclusively university students, making generalizability of the findings to other demographic groups limited. Additionally, the cross-sectional design of the study does not allow any causal inferences to be derived from the results.
The paper, “From caffeine use motives to sleep disturbance: network and structural equation modeling of caffeine use disorder and depression among caffeine consumers,” was authored by Shekh Tanjina Islam Dola, Farhana Najnin, Md Bony Amin, Md. Shamim Sikder, Md. Joy Vangi, Jannatun Naeem, Md. Jahurul Islam Rony, Mst. Mushfika Rahman Takia, Md. Kamruzzaman, Abu Sayeed, Md. Shajadul Islam, and Saraban Tahura Ether.
-------------------------------------------------
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 #CaffeineUseDisorder #SleepProblems #DepressionLink #UniversityStudents #BangladeshStudy #CaffeineCraving #WithdrawalSymptoms #MentalHealthHealth #SleepQuality #NetworkAnalysis
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DATE: September 17, 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: Higher testosterone linked to opposite suicide risks for older men and women
A recent study reveals that testosterone levels may play opposite roles in how older men and women experience suicide risk during severe depression. While higher levels of the hormone appear to protect older men from suicidal thoughts and behaviors, elevated testosterone is associated with an increased risk for older women. The findings, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, highlight the need for personalized approaches to psychiatric care based on biological sex.
Depression in older adults presents a major public health challenge worldwide. People over the age of 60 who experience major depressive episodes often have more persistent suicidal thoughts and higher rates of dying by suicide compared to younger populations. Social isolation, physical ailments, and declining cognitive function are all known to contribute to this vulnerability. However, medical professionals lack reliable biological markers to help identify which older patients are at the highest risk of self-harm.
Biological markers, such as hormone levels in the blood, can offer objective clues about a patient’s internal state. Testosterone is a steroid hormone that helps regulate mood, energy, and behavior. Both men and women produce testosterone, though men naturally produce much higher quantities. As people age, their natural hormone production changes. Older men experience a gradual decline in testosterone, which can sometimes lead to a clinical deficiency. Older women experience changes during and after menopause, sometimes resulting in relatively higher testosterone levels compared to their other hormones.
Prior research hints that unusual variations in testosterone might influence mood disorders and impulse control across a person’s lifespan. Han Wang and Qian Zhao, researchers at Beijing Anding Hospital and Capital Medical University in China, led a team to investigate whether these hormonal variations might explain differing suicide risks among older adults experiencing depression.
The research team analyzed medical records from 805 inpatients treated for severe depression between 2013 and 2020. The patients ranged in age from 60 to 89, and 382 of these individuals had documented suicidal ideation or behaviors when they were admitted to the psychiatric hospital. Suicidal ideation refers to thoughts of ending one’s life or passive wishes for death, while suicidal behaviors include intentional self-injury with lethal intent. The remaining 423 patients also suffered from severe depression but had no documented history of suicidal thoughts or actions.
The researchers collected data on each patient’s age, medical history, alcohol use, and recent stressful life events. They also recorded the results of blood tests taken early in the morning within a few days of the patients being admitted to the hospital. Drawing blood in the early morning helps account for the body’s natural daily rhythms.
Because men naturally have ten to twenty times more circulating testosterone than women, the researchers used a statistical technique to standardize the hormone levels within each sex group. This involved comparing each patient’s testosterone level to the average level for their own sex. This standardization allowed the researchers to evaluate how relative changes in the hormone affected men and women on an equal scale.
The results revealed a stark divergence based on biological sex. For older men, higher relative testosterone levels were associated with protection against suicidality. Every standard increase in testosterone corresponded to a measurable reduction in the likelihood of suicidal thoughts or behaviors. The researchers calculated that this equated to an absolute risk reduction of about 7.6 percent for an average older man without other major risk factors like alcohol use or physical disease.
The opposite pattern emerged for older women. For female patients, every standard increase in testosterone was associated with a higher likelihood of suicidality. The absolute risk for women was roughly 4.5 percent higher with each unit increase in the hormone.
The team also identified specific lifestyle and health factors that were linked to higher risks differently for men and women. Alcohol consumption was strongly associated with an increased suicide risk in men. The researchers suggest that alcohol might interact with hormone imbalances to exacerbate impulsivity and aggression in older men.
Physical illness and bodily ailments had a much stronger association with suicide risk in women. The presence of conditions like diabetes or heart disease was heavily linked to female suicidality. Recent stressful life events, such as family conflicts or the loss of a loved one, were associated with an elevated risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors for both sexes equally.
The study relies on hospital records from a single point in time. This type of observational research can identify patterns and associations, but it cannot prove that changes in testosterone directly cause suicidal thoughts. The participants were also restricted to inpatients with severe depression, meaning the results might not apply to older adults with milder depressive symptoms or those receiving outpatient care.
Hormone levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day and can change in response to immediate stress. The researchers relied on a single blood test taken shortly after hospital admission, which might not capture an individual’s typical hormonal baseline over a longer period. The data also lacked information on certain variables that can influence hormones, such as body mass index and specific medications.
Future studies will need to track hormone levels and depressive symptoms over months or years to see if long-term testosterone changes reliably predict suicide risk. Medical professionals caution against attempting to alter hormone levels to treat depression based on observational findings. Adjusting testosterone without a complete endocrine evaluation can provoke unwanted side effects, including increased aggression or anxiety. Clinical trials are necessary to determine if monitoring these biological markers can safely improve suicide prevention strategies for older adults.
The study, “Sex-divergent association of testosterone with suicidal risk in late-life depression”, was authored by Han Wang, Nan Lyu, Juan Huang, Bingbing Fu, and Qian Zhao.
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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 #TestosteroneAndSuicideRisk #LateLifeDepression #SexDifferencesInHormones #OlderAdultsMentalHealth #MenVsWomenHormones #SuicidalityRiskFactors #DepressionResearch #HormoneMarkersInPsychiatry #AffectiveDisordersStudy #PersonalizedPsychiatry
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DATE: September 17, 2026 at 10:37AM
SOURCE:
NEW YORK TIMES PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGISTS FEEDTITLE: Why We Can’t Stop Arguing About S.S.R.I.s
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000011151226/why-we-cant-stop-arguing-about-ssris.html
What’s missing in the national conversation on mental health medication.
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000011151226/why-we-cant-stop-arguing-about-ssris.html
-------------------------------------------------
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 #SSRIS #MentalHealth #Psychiatry #MedicationMatters #MentalHealthAwareness #SSRIs #TreatmentOptions #PsychMedicine #WellnessConversation #MentalHealthStigma
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DATE: September 17, 2026 at 10:37AM
SOURCE:
NEW YORK TIMES PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGISTS FEEDTITLE: Why We Can’t Stop Arguing About S.S.R.I.s
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000011151226/why-we-cant-stop-arguing-about-ssris.html
What’s missing in the national conversation on mental health medication.
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000011151226/why-we-cant-stop-arguing-about-ssris.html
-------------------------------------------------
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 #SSRIS #MentalHealth #Psychiatry #MedicationMatters #MentalHealthAwareness #SSRIs #TreatmentOptions #PsychMedicine #WellnessConversation #MentalHealthStigma
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DATE: September 17, 2026 at 10:37AM
SOURCE:
NEW YORK TIMES PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGISTS FEEDTITLE: Why We Can’t Stop Arguing About S.S.R.I.s
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000011151226/why-we-cant-stop-arguing-about-ssris.html
What’s missing in the national conversation on mental health medication.
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000011151226/why-we-cant-stop-arguing-about-ssris.html
-------------------------------------------------
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 #SSRIS #MentalHealth #Psychiatry #MedicationMatters #MentalHealthAwareness #SSRIs #TreatmentOptions #PsychMedicine #WellnessConversation #MentalHealthStigma
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DATE: September 17, 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: Long-term study links childhood screen time to slightly better cognitive skills in teenagers
A long-term assessment of physical habits from childhood to adolescence suggests that higher amounts of screen time and lower amounts of unsupervised physical activity are associated with better cognitive performance in teenage years. The findings, published in Pediatric Exercise Science, highlight how different types and measures of daily movement relate to brain development in unexpected ways.
Cognition refers to a set of high-order mental processes that allow us to navigate daily life. These processes include working memory, which involves holding and manipulating information over short periods, attention, which is the ability to focus, and psychomotor speed, which is how quickly the brain processes and reacts to a stimulus. Childhood and adolescence are sensitive periods for the development of these cognitive skills.
During these formative years, physical activity often decreases while sedentary behaviors and screen time tend to rise. Past research exploring how these shifting habits affect the developing brain has yielded mixed results. Some studies suggest that physical activity boosts cognition by increasing blood flow and releasing beneficial brain chemicals, while others find no such link.
There is also a growing understanding of how broader physical health outcomes influence the brain. For example, a study covered by PsyPost in 2024 indicated that physical health factors like stiffer arteries are associated with weaker working memory in teens. To better understand the daily habits that often drive these physical outcomes, researchers wanted to look at long-term, cumulative exposure to both physical activity and sitting time.
Prior studies had largely relied on snapshots of behavior at a single point in time. “Existing studies on adolescents have reported mixed findings on how physical activity, sedentary time, and screen time relate to cognition,” Petri Jalanko, a doctoral researcher at the University of Jyväskylä, told PsyPost.
“Most prior work has focused on a single time point, even though children’s movement behaviors change substantially as they grow,” Jalanko added.
To address this gap, the research team, led by Jalanko, tracked the cumulative impact of these movement behaviors over many years. They drew on data from the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children study in Finland, analyzing a sample of 260 adolescents who were initially recruited between the ages of 6 and 9.
Over an eight-year period, the participants underwent assessments at a baseline visit, a two-year follow-up, and an eight-year follow-up. The researchers also wanted to compare data from self-reported questionnaires with objective data gathered by wearable fitness devices, as the two methods often capture different aspects of physical behavior.
To capture physical activity and sedentary behavior, the researchers used two distinct methods. First, participants and their parents filled out questionnaires detailing the frequency and duration of various activities. This included organized sports, unsupervised physical activity, screen time, and non-screen sedentary time, such as reading or doing arts and crafts.
Second, the children wore a specialized monitor on their chests for a minimum of four consecutive days at each of the three assessment periods. This device recorded heart rate and body movement to objectively measure time spent in light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity, as well as total sedentary time.
At the final eight-year follow-up, when the adolescents were around 15 to 17 years old, they completed a computerized cognitive test battery. This testing software measured their reaction times and accuracy across tasks designed to evaluate psychomotor function, attention, working memory, and associative learning.
The self-reported data yielded some surprising associations. Accumulating more unsupervised physical activity over the eight years was associated with poorer working memory accuracy in adolescence. The authors noted that this specific link was relatively weak from a statistical standpoint, but it presented an interesting contrast to common assumptions about exercise.
“We were also intrigued by the finding that some types of physical activity context (for example, unsupervised activity, as defined in our measures) showed a negative association with working memory,” Jalanko said. “That result should be interpreted cautiously and needs replication, because it may reflect unmeasured factors—such as what the activity is displacing (sleep, homework), or differences in social/educational context—rather than an adverse effect of activity itself.”
More self-reported screen time over the years was linked to faster reaction times in working memory tasks and better overall cognitive scores. Similarly, higher amounts of self-reported non-screen sedentary time were associated with faster reaction times, though this came at the cost of poorer accuracy on working memory tasks.
“One result that stood out was that more screen time was associated with better cognition in our models, because public discussion often assumes screen time is uniformly harmful,” the researcher noted.
“In our data, higher screen time was associated with slightly better performance on some cognitive measures at age 16,” Jalanko explained. “This does not mean that ‘more screen time makes teens smarter’—screen time is a broad category, and different content and contexts likely matter a lot.”
Instead, some screen activities, such as schoolwork, learning-oriented use, or cognitively engaging hobbies, might support or reflect cognitive skills. “More broadly, families shouldn’t view screen time as automatically harmful in all cases, but it’s still important to keep a healthy balance: protect sleep, make room for physical activity, and encourage screen use that involves active thinking rather than passive scrolling,” Jalanko said.
The objective data recorded by the chest monitors showed a different picture. Overall, cumulative device-assessed physical activity and sedentary time were not related to cognitive performance in the general group of adolescents. The physiological intensity of movement, recorded purely by heart rate and acceleration, did not show a broad association with brain function.
When the researchers looked at boys and girls separately, distinct patterns emerged. For boys, engaging in more self-reported organized sports was related to better working memory. At the same time, more self-reported unsupervised physical activity was linked to poorer working memory in boys, but not in girls.
For girls, higher amounts of self-reported screen time were associated with better overall cognition, a pattern not seen in the boys. Additionally, the objective device measurements indicated that more light physical activity was associated with better working memory in girls, but not in boys.
As with all research, there are some caveats to consider. Because cognitive tests were only fully administered at the end of the eight-year period, the researchers cannot determine cause and effect.
“This was an observational longitudinal study, so we cannot conclude that screen time causes changes in cognition,” Jalanko emphasized. “In terms of practical importance, the observed associations were small—they are meaningful for understanding population patterns, but cognition is influenced by many factors (sleep, education, family environment, mental health, etc.), and screen time is only one part of that picture.”
It is possible that children with naturally stronger cognitive skills simply choose to spend more time on certain screen-based tasks or less time on unsupervised physical play. The study also relies heavily on how behaviors are categorized.
“‘Screen time’ includes many very different activities; some may be beneficial or neutral, and others may be harmful,” Jalanko pointed out. “So it would be a misinterpretation to take our findings as a recommendation for unlimited or purely entertainment-focused screen use.”
He added that prior research suggests that highly passive or rapidly changing short-form content might relate differently to brain health outcomes than educational or interactive use. There are also limitations related to how the behaviors were measured.
Questionnaires rely on memory, which can introduce errors. Parents might not know exactly how much time their child spends playing unsupervised, or they might underestimate screen time. On the other hand, chest-worn devices cannot tell the difference between sitting down to read a book and sitting down to watch a movie.
The researchers suspect that the context of the activity plays a major role in these results. Activities grouped under screen time or sedentary time often include cognitively stimulating tasks, such as reading, doing homework, playing strategy-based video games, or socializing with friends. Unsupervised physical activity might actually replace time that could otherwise be spent on these mentally engaging tasks.
Future studies will need to track both physical behavior and cognitive performance repeatedly from early childhood into adulthood. This approach would help scientists map out exactly how daily habits and brain development interact over a lifetime.
“A key next step is to move beyond observational associations and test causality more directly,” Jalanko told PsyPost. “We are currently analyzing data from our VERNA randomized cross-over study to examine how different intensities of physical activity affect cognitive performance acutely in adolescents.”
“Together, the longitudinal and experimental approaches can help triangulate which relationships are likely causal, and under what conditions,” he concluded.
The study, “Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Time From Childhood to Adolescence With Cognition in Adolescence: The PANIC Study,” was authored by Petri Jalanko, Marja H. Leppänen, Bert Bond, Jari A. Laukkanen, Timo A. Lakka, and Eero A. Haapala.
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DATE: September 17, 2026 at 09:10AM
SOURCE: PSYCHIATRIC TIMESDirect article link at end of text block below.
Two grief experts expose the hidden health, social, and economic toll of bereavement—and the policy gaps leaving millions of grieving Americans unsupported.
https://t.co/1hQ5CvjGRy https://t.co/mo1pFXWOuCHere 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 17, 2026 at 06:54AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Textbooks may have misdrawn this basic brain structure for 100 years
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260915232138.htm
Scientists discovered that brain-cell axons may not be smooth tubes as textbooks have shown for more than a century, but instead naturally resemble strings of tiny pearls. Those pearl-like structures can change with neural activity and may help control how quickly electrical signals travel through the brain.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260915232138.htm
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DATE: September 17, 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: Couples bonding over bad habits may age faster at the cellular level
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-a-happy-marriage-might-accelerate-your-biological-aging/
A happy marriage usually promotes a longer life, but a new study shows this benefit depends heavily on a couple’s shared daily habits. When partners bond over poor diets and bad sleep, their relationship satisfaction might actually accelerate their biological aging. The findings were published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
Researchers wanted to understand why the health benefits of marital satisfaction vary so wildly from one couple to the next. Stephanie J. Wilson, a psychology researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, led a team of scientists to investigate a concept called symptom-system fit theory. This theory suggests that indulging in unhealthy behaviors together can actually boost a couple’s sense of connection. For example, staying up late to watch television or overeating junk food might make partners feel in sync and satisfied with their relationship.
Over time, however, these shared unhealthy routines could erode physical health. The research team suspected that health behaviors might dictate whether a happy marriage protects against aging or accelerates it. To test this idea, they examined the biological aging of 107 married or cohabiting couples ranging in age from 40 to 87.
The researchers measured marital quality through detailed surveys and by observing the couples in a laboratory setting. During the lab visit, couples engaged in three distinct conversations. They discussed a recent positive event, talked through a personal problem, and tried to resolve a long-standing relationship conflict. Trained coders watched the recorded interactions to evaluate how positively or negatively the partners treated each other.
Participants also provided information about their health behaviors. They answered questions about their physical activity, sleep quality, and adherence to a healthy Mediterranean-style diet. Researchers combined the data from both partners to create average health behavior scores for each couple.
To measure biological aging, the team collected blood samples from the participants at the start of the study and again two years later. They analyzed the blood for three different markers of cellular aging. The first marker was telomere length, which refers to the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes. These caps wear down every time a cell divides, and critically short telomeres cause cells to malfunction.
The second marker involved DNA methylation, which consists of chemical tags on genes that control how they function. Scientists can read these patterns like an internal clock to estimate a person’s biological age. The third marker was a protein called p16INK4a. This protein accumulates when cells enter a state called senescence, meaning they stop dividing but refuse to die, instead releasing harmful inflammatory chemicals into the body.
Looking at the initial data from the first lab visit, the researchers found a link between happy relationships and slower aging. People who reported higher marital satisfaction generally showed lower levels of the senescence protein p16INK4a. However, this youthful cellular profile only appeared among couples who maintained regular physical activity.
A similar pattern emerged during the observed conversations. Couples who showed active, positive support for each other during discussions exhibited slower aging in their DNA and lower levels of the senescence protein. Yet this protective effect was isolated to couples who reported good sleep quality and a healthy diet. When researchers applied strict statistical tests to rule out chance associations, some of these initial healthy patterns were not statistically significant.
The most striking results appeared when the researchers tracked changes over the two-year study period. Couples who started out highly satisfied with their marriages experienced slower increases in the senescence protein over time. But a completely different pattern emerged for the protective telomere caps on their chromosomes.
High marital satisfaction predicted faster shrinking of these telomeres among couples who reported poor sleep and unhealthy diets. In other words, relationship happiness seemed to accelerate cellular aging when paired with bad habits. Similarly, couples who acted highly positive toward each other during the initial lab tests showed accelerated aging in their DNA clocks over the next two years if they shared a poor diet.
These longitudinal results align with the symptom-system fit theory. The data suggest that relationship happiness can become a health risk when it is reinforced by shared negative habits. A happy marriage cannot completely compensate for a lack of sleep, limited exercise, or a diet filled with processed foods.
The participating couples were predominantly white, highly educated, and healthier than average adults. Future research will need to test these ideas in more diverse groups to see if the patterns hold across different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Additionally, while the two-year timeframe shows how habits precede biological changes, the observational design cannot definitively prove that relationship satisfaction directly causes faster or slower aging. The researchers measured an association that they plan to test further with longer-term studies. Identifying how toxic and supportive marital patterns interact with daily health routines will help clarify the physical impacts of a romantic partnership.
The study, “Is a happy marriage a double-edged sword for biological aging? Preliminary evidence for the moderating role of couples’ health behaviors,” was authored by Stephanie J. Wilson, Annelise A. Madison, M. Rosie Shrout, Lisa M. Christian, Elissa S. Epel, Christin E. Burd, Jue Lin, Samuel H. Molli, Rebecca Andridge, Harry T. Reis, and Janice K. Kiecolt-Glaser.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-a-happy-marriage-might-accelerate-your-biological-aging/
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DATE: September 17, 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: Is the phrase “master bedroom” actually harmful? A new psychology study says no
Institutional efforts to ban supposedly problematic words might be solving an issue that does not actually exist. A new study found that everyday people generally do not find these targeted words offensive, and reading them in a story does not negatively affect psychological well-being. The findings were published in the Journal of Open Inquiry in the Behavioral Sciences.
A harmful language guide is a document published by an institution, university, or business that advises people to stop using certain everyday words. These guides typically provide a list of banned terms alongside supposedly safer alternatives. For example, some guides recommend replacing “blind review” with “anonymous review,” or swapping “master bedroom” for “primary bedroom.” The stated goal is often to dismantle destructive hierarchies and reduce distress for marginalized groups.
The reasoning behind these guides is a subject of intense debate. Proponents argue that words with violent, sexist, or racist origins cause ongoing damage to readers and listeners. Critics point out that these guides often rely on circular logic, claiming a word is damaging simply because it has a bad history, without providing evidence that it actually hurts anyone today. The expansion of what counts as damaging language is an example of concept creep, a psychological term describing how society increasingly labels mild or ambiguous behaviors as harmful.
This expanding definition of harm can have real-world consequences. For instance, a study covered by PsyPost in 2024 found that having a broader, looser concept of mental distress makes people more likely to incorrectly self-diagnose themselves with mental disorders. Similar language-based interventions have also fallen short in practice. According to a 2023 meta-analysis, adding trigger warnings to reading materials fails to reduce emotional distress and actually increases a reader’s anxiety before they even see the content.
“This study was motivated by ongoing debates about whether words cause harm and the rise of harmful language guides that attempt to ban or discourage the use of some words,” lead researcher Michael A. Eskenazi, an associate professor of psychology at Stetson University, told PsyPost. “While there are certain words that society has nearly universally deemed reprehensible and harmful, there is an entire other class of words with much less clear levels of harm, such as pipeline or master bedroom.”
Eskenazi and his colleagues wanted to test whether these more ambiguously targeted words actually cause the damage they are accused of causing. To investigate, they designed two separate studies to explore how people view these words and whether reading them leads to negative psychological outcomes.
In the first study, the research team recruited 616 adults from the United States to rate 175 pairs of words and phrases. Each pair included a term flagged by popular language guides alongside its recommended alternative. Participants read each phrase in a neutral sentence and rated how familiar they were with it, how acceptable they found it, and how much anxiety it caused them.
The results indicated that people generally favored the alternative words, rating them as slightly more acceptable. However, the vast majority of the supposedly damaging words were still rated as highly acceptable by the participants. Only a small fraction of the list generated negative ratings, and these were almost entirely recognized slurs or pejoratives. The findings suggest that everyday English speakers do not view most of the targeted words as problematic.
To see if these words cause subtle psychological damage in practice, the researchers conducted a second experiment. They recruited 334 different adults and randomly assigned them to read one of two versions of a short story. One version contained 25 randomly selected terms from the language guides, such as “pipeline” or “tone-deaf.” The other version replaced those terms with their recommended alternatives, such as “pathway” or “unenlightened.”
After reading the assigned story, participants completed surveys measuring their reading comprehension, current anxiety levels, positive and negative emotions, and feelings of social inclusion. The researchers also assessed several personality traits. One of these traits was interpersonal victimhood, which describes a tendency to constantly feel wronged by others and desire recognition for that perceived suffering.
The researchers found no differences in psychological well-being between the two groups. Reading a story packed with supposedly harmful language did not increase anxiety, decrease feelings of belonging, or lower positive emotions. Interestingly, the group exposed to the targeted language actually scored slightly higher on reading comprehension than the group reading the alternative words.
The team also specifically looked at participants belonging to marginalized groups, such as racial minorities, LGBTQ individuals, and people with disabilities. They found that these individuals were no more negatively affected by the language than non-marginalized participants. The targeted words simply did not trigger the adverse reactions that language guides warn against.
“Most of the words that are hot topics of debate right now were not viewed as harmful by most people, and we found no evidence that exposure to them caused measurable psychological harm,” Eskenazi explained. “Language is constantly evolving, and the meanings of words can change over time.”
“A word that may have been used in racist, sexist, or other derogatory ways 50 or 100 years ago can shed that original meaning, become ameliorated, and enter common speech without any intention of hurting or demeaning anyone,” he added.
The only people who experienced slight increases in negative emotions when exposed to the words were those who scored high on moral elitism and a need for recognition. These specific personality traits reflect a persistent feeling of being a victim in social situations. For everyone else, the words had no measurable negative impact.
These findings align with research covered by PsyPost earlier this year, which found that a strong belief that words can cause lasting psychological damage is associated with worse mental health. When authorities tell people that everyday phrases are dangerous, it might encourage a heightened state of sensitivity that harms well-being rather than protecting it.
“Whether a word is harmful is an empirical question,” Eskenazi noted. “Creators of harmful languages guides should consider more carefully how and why they select words as harmful, whether they are doing more harm than good but emphasizing a word’s ‘harm,’ and whether the alternative words they suggest actually provide any measurable benefit.”
Sam Pratt, a PhD student in psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles who was not involved in the study, told PsyPost that the research suggests initiatives to ban these words are likely misguided. “In practice, people don’t seem to notice or care about such subtle differences in word choice,” he said.
“This is consistent with research from other areas of psychology; for example, framing climate change as ‘climate crisis’ or ‘climate emergency’ does not make people more willing to take climate action,” Pratt explained. “Although it’s tempting to believe that such subtle interventions can have huge benefits (think back to the priming craze in psychology), this is often a fantasy.”
There are a few things to keep in mind when interpreting this research. First, the study focused on ambiguous phrases commonly found in corporate and academic language guides, not explicit racial slurs or intentionally degrading insults. The findings do not imply that true pejoratives are harmless, nor do they excuse the use of intentionally abusive language.
“The results of this study should not be used to justify the use of pejoratives or racial epithets, as the vast majority of the words in this study do not fit into those categories,” Eskenazi said. “Instead, our results primarily apply either to words that have lost their originally derogatory meaning (e.g., lame) or to words that have never had a discriminatory meaning but that some people claim are associated with discrimination (e.g., pipeline).”
Second, the experiment involved a single exposure to a short story. Some advocates argue that the damage from insensitive language builds up over time through repeated, daily exposures, which this study design could not measure.
Pratt also pointed out that the experimental text was a fictional story with no bearing on the participants’ real lives, making it difficult to interpret their self-reported feelings of belonging. “In the contexts where these policies actually operate (schools and workplaces), people are embedded in a community and are constantly asking themselves the question ‘do I belong here?'” Pratt noted. “They may find an answer in how their peers speak to them. So a stronger test would be to study whether actual communities that adopt policies restricting harmful speech end up with more positive cultures.”
Finally, language is constantly changing, and words that used to refer to specific medical or social conditions often evolve to mean entirely different things in casual conversation. “Understanding the history and legacy of discrimination is valuable, but our findings raise questions about the benefit of banning words that are no longer associated with those historical meanings or never even had an association with them to begin with,” Eskenazi concluded.
The study, “Pipelines and Master Bedrooms: How Harmful is Harmful Language?,” was authored by Michael A. Eskenazi, Scott W. Semenyna, and Christopher J. Ferguson.
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DATE: September 17, 2026 at 04:30AM
SOURCE: STAT NEWS MENTAL HEALTHTITLE: Opinion: What happened to oppositional defiant disorder?
“Can you check my child for PDA?” the mother asked me on the telephone about two years ago. Though I had been a behavioral/developmental pediatrician for more than four decades, the only PDA acronym I could recall came from my days as a general pediatrician: patent ductus arteriosus (a persistence of embryonic circulation around the heart).
“Gee, I’m not sure,” I said. “What does PDA stand for?”
Read the rest…
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DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:43PM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEEDTITLE: Hidden “immune organ” in the skull may help fight brain cancer
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260915232134.htm
Scientists discovered a hidden “immune organ” inside the skull that acts as a rapid first responder against brain cancer in mice. Strengthening this local immune defense improved tumor rejection and survival, raising the possibility of new treatments that target the skull directly.
URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260915232134.htm
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DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:00PM
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: Large genetic study links GLP-1 receptor activation to improved mental well-being
A new study provides evidence that activating the GLP-1 receptor, the biological target of popular weight-loss and diabetes medications, is associated with better mental health and a lower risk of conditions like depression and bipolar disorder. The research also suggests a potential protective effect against substance use disorders, hinting at psychiatric benefits that go beyond simple weight loss. These findings were published in Translational Psychiatry.
The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor is a protein found on the surface of cells in various parts of the body, including the pancreas and the brain. When activated, it helps regulate blood sugar and sends fullness signals to the brain, reducing appetite. Medications that activate this receptor, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, have become widely used for managing type 2 diabetes and obesity. Because these drugs act on the central nervous system, scientists have been investigating whether they might also influence mental health.
Early clinical research hinted at potential psychiatric benefits. For instance, an early 2016 clinical study found that the GLP-1 medication liraglutide improved cognitive problems in patients with mood disorders. Following up on that, a 2017 experimental study showed that GLP-1 treatment produced physical changes in brain areas that regulate mood in people with mood disorders. More recently, a 2023 review of clinical trials showed that GLP-1 drugs can reliably reduce symptoms of depression.
These observations prompted researchers to ask whether activating the GLP-1 receptor genuinely protects against psychiatric and substance use disorders, or if the mood improvements were simply a side effect of patients feeling better about losing weight. To answer this, a research team led by Guoyi Yang conducted a large-scale genetic study to isolate the biological effects of GLP-1 receptor activation.
“GLP-1R agonists, such as semaglutide, have transformed how we treat obesity and type 2 diabetes,” said Yang, a postdoctoral researcher at the Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “Concerns were raised about the risk of suicidal ideation and self-injury in people using GLP-1R agonists. In contrast, clinical trials suggested that these medications reduced depressive symptoms. To better understand the psychiatric effects of GLP-1R agonists, we used genetic variants as proxies for GLP-1R activation, the intended target of these drugs, to evaluate whether activating this receptor influences mental health outcomes,” he told PsyPost.
The researchers used a technique called Mendelian randomization. This method acts like a natural clinical trial by looking at genetic variations that people are born with. Because genes are assigned randomly at birth and are not influenced by lifestyle choices or environmental factors, they can help establish whether a specific biological mechanism directly influences an outcome. The team focused on specific genetic variants near the GLP1R gene that mimic the effects of taking a GLP-1 drug.
This approach uses genetics to predict what happens when you intervene on a specific biological target. “Our research uses genetics as a tool to predict the impact of GLP-1R activation – we aren’t saying that GLP-1R activation is only relevant to people with a certain genetic background,” Yang explained. “We hypothesize that the genetic variants that we consider in this paper affect the same mechanism that the drug affects – and so the genetic variants tell us what happens if you intervene on this target using the drug.”
Yang and colleagues identified two sets of these natural genetic proxies. The first set lowers body mass index, which is a common measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight. The second set lowers glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), which is a measure of average blood sugar levels over several months. They analyzed data from massive genetic databases, including the UK Biobank, which contained information from hundreds of thousands of people of European ancestry. The researchers examined how these GLP-1-activating genetic variants related to a broad spectrum of mental health outcomes.
The mental health outcomes included general well-being, comprising life satisfaction, positive affect, neuroticism, and depressive symptoms. The researchers also looked at diagnosed mental health disorders like major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Finally, they examined the risk of substance use disorders, such as alcohol dependence and cannabis use disorder. To ensure their results were robust, they compared the effects of the specific GLP-1 variants against general genetic variants from across the entire genome that simply lower body weight or blood sugar.
The findings indicate that genetically predicted GLP-1 receptor activation through the body mass index pathway is associated with widespread mental health benefits. Specifically, for every 1-kilogram per square meter decrease in body mass index driven by GLP-1 receptor activation, individuals experienced a 0.06 standard deviation improvement in overall mental well-being. This included higher life satisfaction and lower levels of neuroticism and depressive symptoms.
The researchers also found a reduced risk for severe psychiatric conditions. A 1-kilogram per square meter decrease in body mass index via the GLP-1 pathway was associated with an odds ratio of 0.82 for major depressive disorder, meaning a roughly 18% lower risk. The association with bipolar disorder was even stronger, showing an odds ratio of 0.61, or a 39% reduction in risk. There was also suggestive evidence that this specific biological pathway lowers the risk of ADHD and postpartum depression.
“We were surprised by just how broadly GLP-1R activation seems to benefit mental health, extending to depression, bipolar disorder, and potentially substance use disorders,” Yang said. “The effect on bipolar disorder was striking, showing almost a 40% lower risk (odds ratio of 0.61). These results highlight GLP-1R agonists as promising candidates for future psychiatric therapies.”
Notably, these mental health benefits were much stronger than the effects seen from general, genome-wide genetic variants that just lower body mass index. This suggests that the psychiatric advantages of GLP-1 receptor activation are not entirely explained by weight loss alone. The receptor’s direct activity in the brain, potentially regulating stress responses and neuroinflammation, likely plays an independent role in improving mood. Interestingly, genetic variants that mimicked the blood-sugar-lowering effects of GLP-1 activation did not show these same broad mental health benefits.
The study also provided suggestive evidence that GLP-1 receptor activation is associated with a lower risk of substance use disorders and fewer reported alcohol problems. These findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost in 2025, which examined actual prescription records and hospitalizations rather than genetic proxies, and similarly found evidence linking GLP-1 pathway activity to a lower risk of substance use disorders.
The new results are also consistent with another study covered by PsyPost in 2026. That study, which also used Mendelian randomization to analyze genetic proxies for GLP-1 receptor activation, found no evidence of increased risk for major psychiatric conditions like depression and bipolar disorder, alleviating early concerns that the medications might provoke psychiatric distress.
As with all research, there are a few things to keep in mind when interpreting the results. The Mendelian randomization approach relies on the assumption that the selected genetic variants only affect the outcomes through the GLP-1 receptor. It is possible that these specific genes also influence neighboring biological pathways, which could independently affect mental health. The researchers used statistical tests to check for this, but the possibility cannot be completely ruled out.
“A key limitation of this method (Mendelian randomization) is that it relies on rigorous assumptions that cannot be verified,” Yang pointed out. “While we carefully selected genetic variants in or near GLP1R to mimic the drug target, we cannot rule out the possibility that nearby genes might also play a role. Clinical trials are needed to determine whether these psychiatric benefits directly translate to patients.”
Additionally, looking at genetic variants measures the effect of lifelong exposure to slightly altered GLP-1 receptor activity. This is quite different from an adult taking a concentrated, high-dose medication over a few months or years. While the genetic data suggests that activating this pathway is safe and potentially beneficial for mental health over a lifetime, clinical trials are needed to confirm whether GLP-1 medications produce these exact psychiatric benefits in real-world patients.
“The effect size reflects the lifelong genetic effect of GLP-1R activation in the general population,” Yang noted. “In contrast, patients in the real world usually take GLP-1R agonists for shorter periods. Therefore, our numbers should not be viewed as the exact risk reduction patients will experience when taking these medications.”
Looking ahead, the research team aims to dive deeper into how these medications work in the body. “Our immediate next step is to understand the biological mechanisms underlying these psychiatric effects of GLP-1R activation,” Yang said. “In the long term, our goal is to define the multifaceted effects of GLP-1R agonists across organs and to identify novel, genetically validated drug targets for cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic diseases.”
You can follow Yang’s work on X (formerly Twitter) at @yanggy_hku.
The study, “Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor activation and mental health: a drug-target Mendelian randomization study,” was authored by Guoyi Yang, Stephen Burgess, and C. Mary Schooling.
-------------------------------------------------
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 #GLP1R #MentalHealth #Depression #BipolarDisorder #SubstanceUseDisorders #GLP1Receptor #WeightLossDrugs #MentalWellbeing #Pharmacogenetics #MendelianRandomization
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:00PM
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: Large genetic study links GLP-1 receptor activation to improved mental well-being
A new study provides evidence that activating the GLP-1 receptor, the biological target of popular weight-loss and diabetes medications, is associated with better mental health and a lower risk of conditions like depression and bipolar disorder. The research also suggests a potential protective effect against substance use disorders, hinting at psychiatric benefits that go beyond simple weight loss. These findings were published in Translational Psychiatry.
The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor is a protein found on the surface of cells in various parts of the body, including the pancreas and the brain. When activated, it helps regulate blood sugar and sends fullness signals to the brain, reducing appetite. Medications that activate this receptor, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, have become widely used for managing type 2 diabetes and obesity. Because these drugs act on the central nervous system, scientists have been investigating whether they might also influence mental health.
Early clinical research hinted at potential psychiatric benefits. For instance, an early 2016 clinical study found that the GLP-1 medication liraglutide improved cognitive problems in patients with mood disorders. Following up on that, a 2017 experimental study showed that GLP-1 treatment produced physical changes in brain areas that regulate mood in people with mood disorders. More recently, a 2023 review of clinical trials showed that GLP-1 drugs can reliably reduce symptoms of depression.
These observations prompted researchers to ask whether activating the GLP-1 receptor genuinely protects against psychiatric and substance use disorders, or if the mood improvements were simply a side effect of patients feeling better about losing weight. To answer this, a research team led by Guoyi Yang conducted a large-scale genetic study to isolate the biological effects of GLP-1 receptor activation.
“GLP-1R agonists, such as semaglutide, have transformed how we treat obesity and type 2 diabetes,” said Yang, a postdoctoral researcher at the Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “Concerns were raised about the risk of suicidal ideation and self-injury in people using GLP-1R agonists. In contrast, clinical trials suggested that these medications reduced depressive symptoms. To better understand the psychiatric effects of GLP-1R agonists, we used genetic variants as proxies for GLP-1R activation, the intended target of these drugs, to evaluate whether activating this receptor influences mental health outcomes,” he told PsyPost.
The researchers used a technique called Mendelian randomization. This method acts like a natural clinical trial by looking at genetic variations that people are born with. Because genes are assigned randomly at birth and are not influenced by lifestyle choices or environmental factors, they can help establish whether a specific biological mechanism directly influences an outcome. The team focused on specific genetic variants near the GLP1R gene that mimic the effects of taking a GLP-1 drug.
This approach uses genetics to predict what happens when you intervene on a specific biological target. “Our research uses genetics as a tool to predict the impact of GLP-1R activation – we aren’t saying that GLP-1R activation is only relevant to people with a certain genetic background,” Yang explained. “We hypothesize that the genetic variants that we consider in this paper affect the same mechanism that the drug affects – and so the genetic variants tell us what happens if you intervene on this target using the drug.”
Yang and colleagues identified two sets of these natural genetic proxies. The first set lowers body mass index, which is a common measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight. The second set lowers glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), which is a measure of average blood sugar levels over several months. They analyzed data from massive genetic databases, including the UK Biobank, which contained information from hundreds of thousands of people of European ancestry. The researchers examined how these GLP-1-activating genetic variants related to a broad spectrum of mental health outcomes.
The mental health outcomes included general well-being, comprising life satisfaction, positive affect, neuroticism, and depressive symptoms. The researchers also looked at diagnosed mental health disorders like major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Finally, they examined the risk of substance use disorders, such as alcohol dependence and cannabis use disorder. To ensure their results were robust, they compared the effects of the specific GLP-1 variants against general genetic variants from across the entire genome that simply lower body weight or blood sugar.
The findings indicate that genetically predicted GLP-1 receptor activation through the body mass index pathway is associated with widespread mental health benefits. Specifically, for every 1-kilogram per square meter decrease in body mass index driven by GLP-1 receptor activation, individuals experienced a 0.06 standard deviation improvement in overall mental well-being. This included higher life satisfaction and lower levels of neuroticism and depressive symptoms.
The researchers also found a reduced risk for severe psychiatric conditions. A 1-kilogram per square meter decrease in body mass index via the GLP-1 pathway was associated with an odds ratio of 0.82 for major depressive disorder, meaning a roughly 18% lower risk. The association with bipolar disorder was even stronger, showing an odds ratio of 0.61, or a 39% reduction in risk. There was also suggestive evidence that this specific biological pathway lowers the risk of ADHD and postpartum depression.
“We were surprised by just how broadly GLP-1R activation seems to benefit mental health, extending to depression, bipolar disorder, and potentially substance use disorders,” Yang said. “The effect on bipolar disorder was striking, showing almost a 40% lower risk (odds ratio of 0.61). These results highlight GLP-1R agonists as promising candidates for future psychiatric therapies.”
Notably, these mental health benefits were much stronger than the effects seen from general, genome-wide genetic variants that just lower body mass index. This suggests that the psychiatric advantages of GLP-1 receptor activation are not entirely explained by weight loss alone. The receptor’s direct activity in the brain, potentially regulating stress responses and neuroinflammation, likely plays an independent role in improving mood. Interestingly, genetic variants that mimicked the blood-sugar-lowering effects of GLP-1 activation did not show these same broad mental health benefits.
The study also provided suggestive evidence that GLP-1 receptor activation is associated with a lower risk of substance use disorders and fewer reported alcohol problems. These findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost in 2025, which examined actual prescription records and hospitalizations rather than genetic proxies, and similarly found evidence linking GLP-1 pathway activity to a lower risk of substance use disorders.
The new results are also consistent with another study covered by PsyPost in 2026. That study, which also used Mendelian randomization to analyze genetic proxies for GLP-1 receptor activation, found no evidence of increased risk for major psychiatric conditions like depression and bipolar disorder, alleviating early concerns that the medications might provoke psychiatric distress.
As with all research, there are a few things to keep in mind when interpreting the results. The Mendelian randomization approach relies on the assumption that the selected genetic variants only affect the outcomes through the GLP-1 receptor. It is possible that these specific genes also influence neighboring biological pathways, which could independently affect mental health. The researchers used statistical tests to check for this, but the possibility cannot be completely ruled out.
“A key limitation of this method (Mendelian randomization) is that it relies on rigorous assumptions that cannot be verified,” Yang pointed out. “While we carefully selected genetic variants in or near GLP1R to mimic the drug target, we cannot rule out the possibility that nearby genes might also play a role. Clinical trials are needed to determine whether these psychiatric benefits directly translate to patients.”
Additionally, looking at genetic variants measures the effect of lifelong exposure to slightly altered GLP-1 receptor activity. This is quite different from an adult taking a concentrated, high-dose medication over a few months or years. While the genetic data suggests that activating this pathway is safe and potentially beneficial for mental health over a lifetime, clinical trials are needed to confirm whether GLP-1 medications produce these exact psychiatric benefits in real-world patients.
“The effect size reflects the lifelong genetic effect of GLP-1R activation in the general population,” Yang noted. “In contrast, patients in the real world usually take GLP-1R agonists for shorter periods. Therefore, our numbers should not be viewed as the exact risk reduction patients will experience when taking these medications.”
Looking ahead, the research team aims to dive deeper into how these medications work in the body. “Our immediate next step is to understand the biological mechanisms underlying these psychiatric effects of GLP-1R activation,” Yang said. “In the long term, our goal is to define the multifaceted effects of GLP-1R agonists across organs and to identify novel, genetically validated drug targets for cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic diseases.”
You can follow Yang’s work on X (formerly Twitter) at @yanggy_hku.
The study, “Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor activation and mental health: a drug-target Mendelian randomization study,” was authored by Guoyi Yang, Stephen Burgess, and C. Mary Schooling.
-------------------------------------------------
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 #GLP1R #MentalHealth #Depression #BipolarDisorder #SubstanceUseDisorders #GLP1Receptor #WeightLossDrugs #MentalWellbeing #Pharmacogenetics #MendelianRandomization
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:00PM
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: Large genetic study links GLP-1 receptor activation to improved mental well-being
A new study provides evidence that activating the GLP-1 receptor, the biological target of popular weight-loss and diabetes medications, is associated with better mental health and a lower risk of conditions like depression and bipolar disorder. The research also suggests a potential protective effect against substance use disorders, hinting at psychiatric benefits that go beyond simple weight loss. These findings were published in Translational Psychiatry.
The glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor is a protein found on the surface of cells in various parts of the body, including the pancreas and the brain. When activated, it helps regulate blood sugar and sends fullness signals to the brain, reducing appetite. Medications that activate this receptor, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, have become widely used for managing type 2 diabetes and obesity. Because these drugs act on the central nervous system, scientists have been investigating whether they might also influence mental health.
Early clinical research hinted at potential psychiatric benefits. For instance, an early 2016 clinical study found that the GLP-1 medication liraglutide improved cognitive problems in patients with mood disorders. Following up on that, a 2017 experimental study showed that GLP-1 treatment produced physical changes in brain areas that regulate mood in people with mood disorders. More recently, a 2023 review of clinical trials showed that GLP-1 drugs can reliably reduce symptoms of depression.
These observations prompted researchers to ask whether activating the GLP-1 receptor genuinely protects against psychiatric and substance use disorders, or if the mood improvements were simply a side effect of patients feeling better about losing weight. To answer this, a research team led by Guoyi Yang conducted a large-scale genetic study to isolate the biological effects of GLP-1 receptor activation.
“GLP-1R agonists, such as semaglutide, have transformed how we treat obesity and type 2 diabetes,” said Yang, a postdoctoral researcher at the Division of Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “Concerns were raised about the risk of suicidal ideation and self-injury in people using GLP-1R agonists. In contrast, clinical trials suggested that these medications reduced depressive symptoms. To better understand the psychiatric effects of GLP-1R agonists, we used genetic variants as proxies for GLP-1R activation, the intended target of these drugs, to evaluate whether activating this receptor influences mental health outcomes,” he told PsyPost.
The researchers used a technique called Mendelian randomization. This method acts like a natural clinical trial by looking at genetic variations that people are born with. Because genes are assigned randomly at birth and are not influenced by lifestyle choices or environmental factors, they can help establish whether a specific biological mechanism directly influences an outcome. The team focused on specific genetic variants near the GLP1R gene that mimic the effects of taking a GLP-1 drug.
This approach uses genetics to predict what happens when you intervene on a specific biological target. “Our research uses genetics as a tool to predict the impact of GLP-1R activation – we aren’t saying that GLP-1R activation is only relevant to people with a certain genetic background,” Yang explained. “We hypothesize that the genetic variants that we consider in this paper affect the same mechanism that the drug affects – and so the genetic variants tell us what happens if you intervene on this target using the drug.”
Yang and colleagues identified two sets of these natural genetic proxies. The first set lowers body mass index, which is a common measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight. The second set lowers glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), which is a measure of average blood sugar levels over several months. They analyzed data from massive genetic databases, including the UK Biobank, which contained information from hundreds of thousands of people of European ancestry. The researchers examined how these GLP-1-activating genetic variants related to a broad spectrum of mental health outcomes.
The mental health outcomes included general well-being, comprising life satisfaction, positive affect, neuroticism, and depressive symptoms. The researchers also looked at diagnosed mental health disorders like major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Finally, they examined the risk of substance use disorders, such as alcohol dependence and cannabis use disorder. To ensure their results were robust, they compared the effects of the specific GLP-1 variants against general genetic variants from across the entire genome that simply lower body weight or blood sugar.
The findings indicate that genetically predicted GLP-1 receptor activation through the body mass index pathway is associated with widespread mental health benefits. Specifically, for every 1-kilogram per square meter decrease in body mass index driven by GLP-1 receptor activation, individuals experienced a 0.06 standard deviation improvement in overall mental well-being. This included higher life satisfaction and lower levels of neuroticism and depressive symptoms.
The researchers also found a reduced risk for severe psychiatric conditions. A 1-kilogram per square meter decrease in body mass index via the GLP-1 pathway was associated with an odds ratio of 0.82 for major depressive disorder, meaning a roughly 18% lower risk. The association with bipolar disorder was even stronger, showing an odds ratio of 0.61, or a 39% reduction in risk. There was also suggestive evidence that this specific biological pathway lowers the risk of ADHD and postpartum depression.
“We were surprised by just how broadly GLP-1R activation seems to benefit mental health, extending to depression, bipolar disorder, and potentially substance use disorders,” Yang said. “The effect on bipolar disorder was striking, showing almost a 40% lower risk (odds ratio of 0.61). These results highlight GLP-1R agonists as promising candidates for future psychiatric therapies.”
Notably, these mental health benefits were much stronger than the effects seen from general, genome-wide genetic variants that just lower body mass index. This suggests that the psychiatric advantages of GLP-1 receptor activation are not entirely explained by weight loss alone. The receptor’s direct activity in the brain, potentially regulating stress responses and neuroinflammation, likely plays an independent role in improving mood. Interestingly, genetic variants that mimicked the blood-sugar-lowering effects of GLP-1 activation did not show these same broad mental health benefits.
The study also provided suggestive evidence that GLP-1 receptor activation is associated with a lower risk of substance use disorders and fewer reported alcohol problems. These findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost in 2025, which examined actual prescription records and hospitalizations rather than genetic proxies, and similarly found evidence linking GLP-1 pathway activity to a lower risk of substance use disorders.
The new results are also consistent with another study covered by PsyPost in 2026. That study, which also used Mendelian randomization to analyze genetic proxies for GLP-1 receptor activation, found no evidence of increased risk for major psychiatric conditions like depression and bipolar disorder, alleviating early concerns that the medications might provoke psychiatric distress.
As with all research, there are a few things to keep in mind when interpreting the results. The Mendelian randomization approach relies on the assumption that the selected genetic variants only affect the outcomes through the GLP-1 receptor. It is possible that these specific genes also influence neighboring biological pathways, which could independently affect mental health. The researchers used statistical tests to check for this, but the possibility cannot be completely ruled out.
“A key limitation of this method (Mendelian randomization) is that it relies on rigorous assumptions that cannot be verified,” Yang pointed out. “While we carefully selected genetic variants in or near GLP1R to mimic the drug target, we cannot rule out the possibility that nearby genes might also play a role. Clinical trials are needed to determine whether these psychiatric benefits directly translate to patients.”
Additionally, looking at genetic variants measures the effect of lifelong exposure to slightly altered GLP-1 receptor activity. This is quite different from an adult taking a concentrated, high-dose medication over a few months or years. While the genetic data suggests that activating this pathway is safe and potentially beneficial for mental health over a lifetime, clinical trials are needed to confirm whether GLP-1 medications produce these exact psychiatric benefits in real-world patients.
“The effect size reflects the lifelong genetic effect of GLP-1R activation in the general population,” Yang noted. “In contrast, patients in the real world usually take GLP-1R agonists for shorter periods. Therefore, our numbers should not be viewed as the exact risk reduction patients will experience when taking these medications.”
Looking ahead, the research team aims to dive deeper into how these medications work in the body. “Our immediate next step is to understand the biological mechanisms underlying these psychiatric effects of GLP-1R activation,” Yang said. “In the long term, our goal is to define the multifaceted effects of GLP-1R agonists across organs and to identify novel, genetically validated drug targets for cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic diseases.”
You can follow Yang’s work on X (formerly Twitter) at @yanggy_hku.
The study, “Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor activation and mental health: a drug-target Mendelian randomization study,” was authored by Guoyi Yang, Stephen Burgess, and C. Mary Schooling.
-------------------------------------------------
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 #GLP1R #MentalHealth #Depression #BipolarDisorder #SubstanceUseDisorders #GLP1Receptor #WeightLossDrugs #MentalWellbeing #Pharmacogenetics #MendelianRandomization
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:36AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Tech CEOs Call for AI Regulation, But President Trump Not Keen to Act
Source: PBS News Hour
The technology industry's increasingly urgent warnings about the risks of artificial intelligence are slamming into political obstacles, offering a test of the U.S. government's willingness to confront what may become a defining issue of the era. President Donald Trump is leading the opposition to recent calls by tech leaders seeking regulatory oversight and safeguards, including Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman, and xAI's Elon Musk.
-------------------------------------------------
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 #AIregulation #Trumpopposition #TechCEOs #Anthropic #OpenAI #ElonMusk #aiethics #riskofai #regulationdebate #AIpolicy
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:36AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Tech CEOs Call for AI Regulation, But President Trump Not Keen to Act
Source: PBS News Hour
The technology industry's increasingly urgent warnings about the risks of artificial intelligence are slamming into political obstacles, offering a test of the U.S. government's willingness to confront what may become a defining issue of the era. President Donald Trump is leading the opposition to recent calls by tech leaders seeking regulatory oversight and safeguards, including Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman, and xAI's Elon Musk.
-------------------------------------------------
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 #AIregulation #Trumpopposition #TechCEOs #Anthropic #OpenAI #ElonMusk #aiethics #riskofai #regulationdebate #AIpolicy
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:36AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Tech CEOs Call for AI Regulation, But President Trump Not Keen to Act
Source: PBS News Hour
The technology industry's increasingly urgent warnings about the risks of artificial intelligence are slamming into political obstacles, offering a test of the U.S. government's willingness to confront what may become a defining issue of the era. President Donald Trump is leading the opposition to recent calls by tech leaders seeking regulatory oversight and safeguards, including Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman, and xAI's Elon Musk.
-------------------------------------------------
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 #AIregulation #Trumpopposition #TechCEOs #Anthropic #OpenAI #ElonMusk #aiethics #riskofai #regulationdebate #AIpolicy
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:36AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Why Top AI Researchers Are Warning About Human Extinction
Source: DW- top stories
Warnings about the existential risks to humanity posed by artificial intelligence are nothing new. Back in the 1940s, author Isaac Asimov explored the risks of intelligent machines. In 1991, Hollywood blockbuster "Terminator 2" imagined a dystopian 2029 in which an out-of-control military AI directs killer robots in a war against humanity. If the warnings of several AI experts are to be believed, a similar scenario could become reality—even...
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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 #AIExistentialRisk #HumanExtinction #AIWarnings #TopAIResearchers #ArtificialIntelligence #TerminatorInfluence #AIPotentialDangers #FutureOfHumanity #TechEthics #AIAlerts
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:36AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Why Top AI Researchers Are Warning About Human Extinction
Source: DW- top stories
Warnings about the existential risks to humanity posed by artificial intelligence are nothing new. Back in the 1940s, author Isaac Asimov explored the risks of intelligent machines. In 1991, Hollywood blockbuster "Terminator 2" imagined a dystopian 2029 in which an out-of-control military AI directs killer robots in a war against humanity. If the warnings of several AI experts are to be believed, a similar scenario could become reality—even...
-------------------------------------------------
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 #AIExistentialRisk #HumanExtinction #AIWarnings #TopAIResearchers #ArtificialIntelligence #TerminatorInfluence #AIPotentialDangers #FutureOfHumanity #TechEthics #AIAlerts
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:36AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Why Top AI Researchers Are Warning About Human Extinction
Source: DW- top stories
Warnings about the existential risks to humanity posed by artificial intelligence are nothing new. Back in the 1940s, author Isaac Asimov explored the risks of intelligent machines. In 1991, Hollywood blockbuster "Terminator 2" imagined a dystopian 2029 in which an out-of-control military AI directs killer robots in a war against humanity. If the warnings of several AI experts are to be believed, a similar scenario could become reality—even...
-------------------------------------------------
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 #AIExistentialRisk #HumanExtinction #AIWarnings #TopAIResearchers #ArtificialIntelligence #TerminatorInfluence #AIPotentialDangers #FutureOfHumanity #TechEthics #AIAlerts
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:30AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Strange Bedfellows: Steve Bannon, Bernie Sanders Join Forces to Fight AI
Source: Yahoo News - Top Headlines
From opposite sides of the political spectrum, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon will both lead what they are calling a "pro-human" rally on September 15 in Washington, D.C., to warn of the dangers posed by artificial intelligence. Sanders, a Vermont senator and leading democratic socialist, and Bannon, a far-right media strategist and ally of President Donald Trump, are an unlikely duo to publicize AI concerns.
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Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:30AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Strange Bedfellows: Steve Bannon, Bernie Sanders Join Forces to Fight AI
Source: Yahoo News - Top Headlines
From opposite sides of the political spectrum, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon will both lead what they are calling a "pro-human" rally on September 15 in Washington, D.C., to warn of the dangers posed by artificial intelligence. Sanders, a Vermont senator and leading democratic socialist, and Bannon, a far-right media strategist and ally of President Donald Trump, are an unlikely duo to publicize AI concerns.
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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 #StrangeBedfellows #BernieSanders #SteveBannon #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ProHuman #AIFuture #PoliticsAndTech #Bipartisan #RallyInDC
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:30AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Strange Bedfellows: Steve Bannon, Bernie Sanders Join Forces to Fight AI
Source: Yahoo News - Top Headlines
From opposite sides of the political spectrum, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon will both lead what they are calling a "pro-human" rally on September 15 in Washington, D.C., to warn of the dangers posed by artificial intelligence. Sanders, a Vermont senator and leading democratic socialist, and Bannon, a far-right media strategist and ally of President Donald Trump, are an unlikely duo to publicize AI concerns.
-------------------------------------------------
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 #StrangeBedfellows #BernieSanders #SteveBannon #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ProHuman #AIFuture #PoliticsAndTech #Bipartisan #RallyInDC
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:18AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: U.S. House Leader Calls Early Recess Before Midterms, Avoiding AI Vote
Source: Yahoo News - Top Headlines
The Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, announced Wednesday that he would cancel votes scheduled for Thursday, sending lawmakers home early ahead of the midterm election recess. The change means House members will avoid voting on artificial intelligence amid a frenzied attempt to restrict AI after tech executives and whistleblowers expressed a dire need for oversight. More than 100 Democrats had asked to cancel the recess and craft AI...
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:18AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: U.S. House Leader Calls Early Recess Before Midterms, Avoiding AI Vote
Source: Yahoo News - Top Headlines
The Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, announced Wednesday that he would cancel votes scheduled for Thursday, sending lawmakers home early ahead of the midterm election recess. The change means House members will avoid voting on artificial intelligence amid a frenzied attempt to restrict AI after tech executives and whistleblowers expressed a dire need for oversight. More than 100 Democrats had asked to cancel the recess and craft AI...
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DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:18AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Airlines Should Pay for CO2 Removal If Airport Expands, Say Advisers
Source: The Guardian - Climate Crisis
London's Heathrow Airport should only be allowed to expand if airlines use more sustainable fuel and pay for the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the government's climate advisers have said. Building a third runway and new terminals, as some British government leaders want to do, would breach the United Kingdom's carbon budgets and make reaching net zero by 2050 impossible with current policies, according to the Climate Change...
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:18AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Airlines Should Pay for CO2 Removal If Airport Expands, Say Advisers
Source: The Guardian - Climate Crisis
London's Heathrow Airport should only be allowed to expand if airlines use more sustainable fuel and pay for the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the government's climate advisers have said. Building a third runway and new terminals, as some British government leaders want to do, would breach the United Kingdom's carbon budgets and make reaching net zero by 2050 impossible with current policies, according to the Climate Change...
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:18AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Airlines Should Pay for CO2 Removal If Airport Expands, Say Advisers
Source: The Guardian - Climate Crisis
London's Heathrow Airport should only be allowed to expand if airlines use more sustainable fuel and pay for the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the government's climate advisers have said. Building a third runway and new terminals, as some British government leaders want to do, would breach the United Kingdom's carbon budgets and make reaching net zero by 2050 impossible with current policies, according to the Climate Change...
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:18AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: U.S. House Leader Calls Early Recess Before Midterms, Avoiding AI Vote
Source: Yahoo News - Top Headlines
The Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, announced Wednesday that he would cancel votes scheduled for Thursday, sending lawmakers home early ahead of the midterm election recess. The change means House members will avoid voting on artificial intelligence amid a frenzied attempt to restrict AI after tech executives and whistleblowers expressed a dire need for oversight. More than 100 Democrats had asked to cancel the recess and craft AI...
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Midterms #HouseOfRepresentatives #MikeJohnson #Congress #Caucus #Legislation #TechOversight #politics
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 09:54AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Study Challenges Interpretation of Widely Used Implicit Bias Test
Source: PsyPost
A controversial new study contends that the most widely used tool for measuring hidden prejudices might actually be capturing a person's conscious effort to avoid making mistakes. By analyzing data from over a hundred thousand test sessions, researchers found that people's tendency to slow down and be cautious is a stronger driver of their test scores than their underlying automatic associations. The research was published in Nature Human...
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:11AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Lawsuit: Family Blames "Merciless" Texas Abortion Ban for Woman's Death
Source: Yahoo News - Top Headlines
The family of Tierra Walker, who died of preeclampsia at the age of 37 when she was 20 weeks pregnant, has filed a lawsuit in Texas, saying she was denied an abortion that could have saved her life as her health quickly deteriorated. Preeclampsia is a severe high blood pressure condition in pregnancy that can be fatal. Walker's family alleges that she was stripped her of her right to life due to "a merciless blanket prohibition" on abortion."
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 09:55AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: U.N. Leader Says AI Regulation Is Needed to Avoid "Existential Risks"
Source: United Nations News
Voluntary self-regulation by companies developing frontier artificial intelligence is "nowhere near sufficient" to address existing harms and prevent advanced autonomous AI models from circumventing human safeguards, United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk wrote on Monday. "The current race towards ever more powerful AI is a step change towards greater existential risks to every aspect of our lives," he said in an open letter.
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:11AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Lawsuit: Family Blames "Merciless" Texas Abortion Ban for Woman's Death
Source: Yahoo News - Top Headlines
The family of Tierra Walker, who died of preeclampsia at the age of 37 when she was 20 weeks pregnant, has filed a lawsuit in Texas, saying she was denied an abortion that could have saved her life as her health quickly deteriorated. Preeclampsia is a severe high blood pressure condition in pregnancy that can be fatal. Walker's family alleges that she was stripped her of her right to life due to "a merciless blanket prohibition" on abortion."
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #TexasAbortionBan #Preeclampsia #AbortionsAccess #RightToLife #MercilessBan #WomensHealth #PregnancySafety #AbortionRights #LawsuitNews #HealthcareJustice
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 09:55AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: U.N. Leader Says AI Regulation Is Needed to Avoid "Existential Risks"
Source: United Nations News
Voluntary self-regulation by companies developing frontier artificial intelligence is "nowhere near sufficient" to address existing harms and prevent advanced autonomous AI models from circumventing human safeguards, United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk wrote on Monday. "The current race towards ever more powerful AI is a step change towards greater existential risks to every aspect of our lives," he said in an open letter.
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 09:54AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Study Challenges Interpretation of Widely Used Implicit Bias Test
Source: PsyPost
A controversial new study contends that the most widely used tool for measuring hidden prejudices might actually be capturing a person's conscious effort to avoid making mistakes. By analyzing data from over a hundred thousand test sessions, researchers found that people's tendency to slow down and be cautious is a stronger driver of their test scores than their underlying automatic associations. The research was published in Nature Human...
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 10:11AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Lawsuit: Family Blames "Merciless" Texas Abortion Ban for Woman's Death
Source: Yahoo News - Top Headlines
The family of Tierra Walker, who died of preeclampsia at the age of 37 when she was 20 weeks pregnant, has filed a lawsuit in Texas, saying she was denied an abortion that could have saved her life as her health quickly deteriorated. Preeclampsia is a severe high blood pressure condition in pregnancy that can be fatal. Walker's family alleges that she was stripped her of her right to life due to "a merciless blanket prohibition" on abortion."
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 09:55AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: U.N. Leader Says AI Regulation Is Needed to Avoid "Existential Risks"
Source: United Nations News
Voluntary self-regulation by companies developing frontier artificial intelligence is "nowhere near sufficient" to address existing harms and prevent advanced autonomous AI models from circumventing human safeguards, United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk wrote on Monday. "The current race towards ever more powerful AI is a step change towards greater existential risks to every aspect of our lives," he said in an open letter.
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-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 09:54AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORGTITLE: Study Challenges Interpretation of Widely Used Implicit Bias Test
Source: PsyPost
A controversial new study contends that the most widely used tool for measuring hidden prejudices might actually be capturing a person's conscious effort to avoid making mistakes. By analyzing data from over a hundred thousand test sessions, researchers found that people's tendency to slow down and be cautious is a stronger driver of their test scores than their underlying automatic associations. The research was published in Nature Human...
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DATE: September 16, 2026 at 08:00PM
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: New study disentangles the concepts of beauty and attractiveness in art
URL: https://www.psypost.org/new-study-disentangles-the-concepts-of-beauty-and-attractiveness-in-art/
A study that asked participants to rate 192 art portraits found that beauty and attractiveness ratings are highly associated but depend on somewhat different factors. While both characteristics were associated with the artistic style of a portrait, beauty ratings also depended on self-similarity and symmetry. The paper was published in i-Perception.
Human faces have been among the most enduring subjects of art, appearing in portraits across cultures and historical periods. Even when artists use highly distinctive styles, they usually preserve enough facial structure for viewers to recognize the person being depicted. This makes portraits unusual aesthetic objects because they can be appreciated both for the beauty of the artwork itself and for the attractiveness of the person shown.
These two forms of appeal are often closely related, but they are not necessarily based on the same psychological processes. Facial attractiveness depends strongly on the visible characteristics of the face, whereas the beauty of a portrait can also be shaped by composition, color, lighting, technique, and artistic style.
A portrait can be visually beautiful even when the depicted person is not especially attractive. Conversely, an attractive face may appear in an artwork that viewers find aesthetically unremarkable or even unpleasant. Judgments of artistic beauty also seem to be more strongly influenced by interpretation, context, and other cognitive effects than judgments of facial attractiveness.
Study author Gregor U. Hayn-Leichsenring wanted to find a way to distinguish between beauty and attractiveness based on their relationship to objective properties. He conducted an online experiment using art portraits as stimuli.
Study participants were 300 adults aged 18 to 71. Their average age was 33.6 years. 101 of them were women.
The study author created a database of 192 digital copies of art portraits. It included portraits from different artistic styles (Baroque, Impressionism, and Expressionism) and their numbers were balanced.
In the experiment, each participant viewed 70 randomly selected images from this database and rated them for attractiveness and beauty. The ratings were made on a 9-point Likert scale (a rating format ranging from 1 to 9). There were no time restrictions for giving the ratings. The author used the QIPs toolbox to analyze the characteristics of art pieces in the dataset. The QIPs toolbox is an open-access tool for calculating standardized quantitative image properties such as color, complexity, symmetry, balance, fractal structure, or entropy. It is used in empirical aesthetics research.
Results showed that attractiveness and beauty ratings were highly correlated within a style. However, they were not identical. Overall, Impressionistic art pieces tended to be rated as more attractive, while Baroque pieces tended to be seen as more beautiful. Most Expressionistic pieces were seen as less beautiful and attractive than the other two styles, with notable exceptions.
The author created a statistical model that aimed to examine the associations between attractiveness and beauty ratings and characteristics of pictures. He found that beauty and attractiveness ratings both depend on style, but that beauty ratings also depend on self-similarity and mirror symmetry of the image. Attractiveness ratings were not predicted by any specific image properties that the QIPs toolbox could identify.
Mirror symmetry is the degree to which an image is similar to its mirror reflection along major axes. Self-similarity, on the other hand, is a measure of how similar edge and gradient patterns are across different spatial scales of an image. Higher self-similarity indicates that there are repeated structural patterns at multiple levels.
“In this study, two closely related hedonic values were examined, only one of which showed systematic relationships with self-similarity and mirror symmetry. Overall, beauty evaluations are not only more influenced by cognitive processes than attractiveness evaluations, but are also more strongly associated with specific QIPs [quantitative image properties], which was not observed for attractiveness ratings,” the study author concluded.
The study sheds light on how humans perceive beauty and attractiveness. However, the author emphasized that the link between image properties and beauty ratings was likely driven primarily by Baroque portraits, which were on average less self-similar and more symmetrical than the other styles. It should also be noted that the study focused exclusively on artistic portraits, and findings evaluating beauty and attractiveness of other types of stimuli might differ.
The study, “Disentangling beauty and attractiveness in art portraits: Differential links to quantitative image properties“, was authored by Gregor U. Hayn-Leichsenring.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/new-study-disentangles-the-concepts-of-beauty-and-attractiveness-in-art/
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #BeautyVsAttractiveness #ArtPortraits #PortraitScience #AestheticResearch #SelfSimilarity #MirrorSymmetry #QuantitativeImageProperties #BaroqueVsImpressionism #Expressionism #iPerceptionStudy
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 08:00PM
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: New study disentangles the concepts of beauty and attractiveness in art
URL: https://www.psypost.org/new-study-disentangles-the-concepts-of-beauty-and-attractiveness-in-art/
A study that asked participants to rate 192 art portraits found that beauty and attractiveness ratings are highly associated but depend on somewhat different factors. While both characteristics were associated with the artistic style of a portrait, beauty ratings also depended on self-similarity and symmetry. The paper was published in i-Perception.
Human faces have been among the most enduring subjects of art, appearing in portraits across cultures and historical periods. Even when artists use highly distinctive styles, they usually preserve enough facial structure for viewers to recognize the person being depicted. This makes portraits unusual aesthetic objects because they can be appreciated both for the beauty of the artwork itself and for the attractiveness of the person shown.
These two forms of appeal are often closely related, but they are not necessarily based on the same psychological processes. Facial attractiveness depends strongly on the visible characteristics of the face, whereas the beauty of a portrait can also be shaped by composition, color, lighting, technique, and artistic style.
A portrait can be visually beautiful even when the depicted person is not especially attractive. Conversely, an attractive face may appear in an artwork that viewers find aesthetically unremarkable or even unpleasant. Judgments of artistic beauty also seem to be more strongly influenced by interpretation, context, and other cognitive effects than judgments of facial attractiveness.
Study author Gregor U. Hayn-Leichsenring wanted to find a way to distinguish between beauty and attractiveness based on their relationship to objective properties. He conducted an online experiment using art portraits as stimuli.
Study participants were 300 adults aged 18 to 71. Their average age was 33.6 years. 101 of them were women.
The study author created a database of 192 digital copies of art portraits. It included portraits from different artistic styles (Baroque, Impressionism, and Expressionism) and their numbers were balanced.
In the experiment, each participant viewed 70 randomly selected images from this database and rated them for attractiveness and beauty. The ratings were made on a 9-point Likert scale (a rating format ranging from 1 to 9). There were no time restrictions for giving the ratings. The author used the QIPs toolbox to analyze the characteristics of art pieces in the dataset. The QIPs toolbox is an open-access tool for calculating standardized quantitative image properties such as color, complexity, symmetry, balance, fractal structure, or entropy. It is used in empirical aesthetics research.
Results showed that attractiveness and beauty ratings were highly correlated within a style. However, they were not identical. Overall, Impressionistic art pieces tended to be rated as more attractive, while Baroque pieces tended to be seen as more beautiful. Most Expressionistic pieces were seen as less beautiful and attractive than the other two styles, with notable exceptions.
The author created a statistical model that aimed to examine the associations between attractiveness and beauty ratings and characteristics of pictures. He found that beauty and attractiveness ratings both depend on style, but that beauty ratings also depend on self-similarity and mirror symmetry of the image. Attractiveness ratings were not predicted by any specific image properties that the QIPs toolbox could identify.
Mirror symmetry is the degree to which an image is similar to its mirror reflection along major axes. Self-similarity, on the other hand, is a measure of how similar edge and gradient patterns are across different spatial scales of an image. Higher self-similarity indicates that there are repeated structural patterns at multiple levels.
“In this study, two closely related hedonic values were examined, only one of which showed systematic relationships with self-similarity and mirror symmetry. Overall, beauty evaluations are not only more influenced by cognitive processes than attractiveness evaluations, but are also more strongly associated with specific QIPs [quantitative image properties], which was not observed for attractiveness ratings,” the study author concluded.
The study sheds light on how humans perceive beauty and attractiveness. However, the author emphasized that the link between image properties and beauty ratings was likely driven primarily by Baroque portraits, which were on average less self-similar and more symmetrical than the other styles. It should also be noted that the study focused exclusively on artistic portraits, and findings evaluating beauty and attractiveness of other types of stimuli might differ.
The study, “Disentangling beauty and attractiveness in art portraits: Differential links to quantitative image properties“, was authored by Gregor U. Hayn-Leichsenring.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/new-study-disentangles-the-concepts-of-beauty-and-attractiveness-in-art/
-------------------------------------------------
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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 #BeautyVsAttractiveness #ArtPortraits #PortraitScience #AestheticResearch #SelfSimilarity #MirrorSymmetry #QuantitativeImageProperties #BaroqueVsImpressionism #Expressionism #iPerceptionStudy
-
DATE: September 16, 2026 at 08:00PM
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: New study disentangles the concepts of beauty and attractiveness in art
URL: https://www.psypost.org/new-study-disentangles-the-concepts-of-beauty-and-attractiveness-in-art/
A study that asked participants to rate 192 art portraits found that beauty and attractiveness ratings are highly associated but depend on somewhat different factors. While both characteristics were associated with the artistic style of a portrait, beauty ratings also depended on self-similarity and symmetry. The paper was published in i-Perception.
Human faces have been among the most enduring subjects of art, appearing in portraits across cultures and historical periods. Even when artists use highly distinctive styles, they usually preserve enough facial structure for viewers to recognize the person being depicted. This makes portraits unusual aesthetic objects because they can be appreciated both for the beauty of the artwork itself and for the attractiveness of the person shown.
These two forms of appeal are often closely related, but they are not necessarily based on the same psychological processes. Facial attractiveness depends strongly on the visible characteristics of the face, whereas the beauty of a portrait can also be shaped by composition, color, lighting, technique, and artistic style.
A portrait can be visually beautiful even when the depicted person is not especially attractive. Conversely, an attractive face may appear in an artwork that viewers find aesthetically unremarkable or even unpleasant. Judgments of artistic beauty also seem to be more strongly influenced by interpretation, context, and other cognitive effects than judgments of facial attractiveness.
Study author Gregor U. Hayn-Leichsenring wanted to find a way to distinguish between beauty and attractiveness based on their relationship to objective properties. He conducted an online experiment using art portraits as stimuli.
Study participants were 300 adults aged 18 to 71. Their average age was 33.6 years. 101 of them were women.
The study author created a database of 192 digital copies of art portraits. It included portraits from different artistic styles (Baroque, Impressionism, and Expressionism) and their numbers were balanced.
In the experiment, each participant viewed 70 randomly selected images from this database and rated them for attractiveness and beauty. The ratings were made on a 9-point Likert scale (a rating format ranging from 1 to 9). There were no time restrictions for giving the ratings. The author used the QIPs toolbox to analyze the characteristics of art pieces in the dataset. The QIPs toolbox is an open-access tool for calculating standardized quantitative image properties such as color, complexity, symmetry, balance, fractal structure, or entropy. It is used in empirical aesthetics research.
Results showed that attractiveness and beauty ratings were highly correlated within a style. However, they were not identical. Overall, Impressionistic art pieces tended to be rated as more attractive, while Baroque pieces tended to be seen as more beautiful. Most Expressionistic pieces were seen as less beautiful and attractive than the other two styles, with notable exceptions.
The author created a statistical model that aimed to examine the associations between attractiveness and beauty ratings and characteristics of pictures. He found that beauty and attractiveness ratings both depend on style, but that beauty ratings also depend on self-similarity and mirror symmetry of the image. Attractiveness ratings were not predicted by any specific image properties that the QIPs toolbox could identify.
Mirror symmetry is the degree to which an image is similar to its mirror reflection along major axes. Self-similarity, on the other hand, is a measure of how similar edge and gradient patterns are across different spatial scales of an image. Higher self-similarity indicates that there are repeated structural patterns at multiple levels.
“In this study, two closely related hedonic values were examined, only one of which showed systematic relationships with self-similarity and mirror symmetry. Overall, beauty evaluations are not only more influenced by cognitive processes than attractiveness evaluations, but are also more strongly associated with specific QIPs [quantitative image properties], which was not observed for attractiveness ratings,” the study author concluded.
The study sheds light on how humans perceive beauty and attractiveness. However, the author emphasized that the link between image properties and beauty ratings was likely driven primarily by Baroque portraits, which were on average less self-similar and more symmetrical than the other styles. It should also be noted that the study focused exclusively on artistic portraits, and findings evaluating beauty and attractiveness of other types of stimuli might differ.
The study, “Disentangling beauty and attractiveness in art portraits: Differential links to quantitative image properties“, was authored by Gregor U. Hayn-Leichsenring.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/new-study-disentangles-the-concepts-of-beauty-and-attractiveness-in-art/
-------------------------------------------------
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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 #BeautyVsAttractiveness #ArtPortraits #PortraitScience #AestheticResearch #SelfSimilarity #MirrorSymmetry #QuantitativeImageProperties #BaroqueVsImpressionism #Expressionism #iPerceptionStudy
-
DATE: September 16, 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: The shape of a leader’s face might predict their likelihood of starting a war
Does the shape of a world leader’s face predict their likelihood of starting a war? New research suggests that leaders with wider facial proportions tend to be more prone to initiating international military conflicts, especially during their first years in power. The findings, published in Politics and the Life Sciences, provide evidence that subtle biological cues might offer a window into the psychological tendencies that shape global politics.
The facial width-to-height ratio is a physical measurement of the human face. It is calculated by dividing the distance between the outer cheekbones by the distance from the top of the upper lip to the middle of the brow. Over the years, evolutionary psychologists have proposed that this specific facial metric serves as a biological signal of a person’s underlying predisposition toward dominance and physical formidability. In ancestral environments, wider faces may have reliably signaled fighting ability, teaching humans to subconsciously read these proportions as indicators of aggression.
Earlier research discovered that wider facial proportions correlate with aggressive behavior in everyday situations. For example, a 2008 study found that men with larger facial width-to-height ratios tended to act more aggressively in laboratory experiments and professional hockey games. Later research showed this pattern held for political leaders making military decisions. A 2022 study found that United States presidents with wider faces were more likely to use military force abroad.
Citizens also seem to respond to these cues. As indicated by a study covered by PsyPost in 2025, people who perceive an ongoing threat of conflict between groups are more likely to prefer political leaders who look and act dominant.
The new research expands this line of inquiry globally. “One of the real world problems that interests me is why some leaders are more conflict-prone than others,” Ross Miller, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, told PsyPost. “Even within the same states, leaders that confront similar security issues respond differently to threats. Why?”
While traditional political science often points to factors like a country’s economic power or strategic rivalries to explain wars, decisions to deploy military force fall to individual leaders. Past attempts to measure a leader’s aggressive tendencies usually relied on analyzing their speeches or biographies, which takes immense time and limits the number of leaders scientists can study. By using the facial width-to-height ratio, Miller sought to evaluate the aggressive predispositions of over a thousand world leaders to see if physical traits could predict international conflict across different cultures and eras.
“Traditional approaches emphasize important contextual factors like power,” Miller explained. “For example, consider a traditional approach to this question: Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Because they are significantly more powerful than Ukraine, and figured they could force Ukraine to change its policy of joining NATO.” While these structural explanations are valid, he noted, his approach highlights that “it is also useful to take into account leaders’ qualities.”
To investigate this, Miller analyzed a massive dataset of 1,761 leaders from 174 countries over a 63-year period, from 1947 to 2010. This sample included nearly every major world leader from the post-World War II era. The idea to apply this metric to global conflict actually emerged from a parenting moment when Miller issued an empty threat to his daughter about throwing away her toys.
“That was a big threat, which I immediately regretted, because my daughter simply studied my face, checking to see if the resolve was there,” he recalled. “In class an idea formed: is there a literature on faces and conflict.” This realization led him to previous research on facial proportions and aggression, prompting him to spend his time during the COVID-19 pandemic compiling photos of world leaders.
To measure facial proportions, the researcher collected high-quality photographs of these leaders where they were facing the camera directly with a neutral expression. Using digital imaging software, Miller measured the width and height of each face to calculate the exact ratio. These facial measurements were then compared to a historical database of militarized interstate disputes.
This database records instances where leaders threatened, displayed, or actually used military force against another country. To ensure the results were not simply capturing other political dynamics, the analyses controlled for a variety of alternative factors. These included the country’s military power, geographic proximity to adversaries, whether the state was a democracy, and the leader’s age and gender.
The results indicated that leaders with higher facial width-to-height ratios were more likely to initiate international conflicts than leaders with narrower faces. Specifically, this effect was highly dependent on how long the leader had been in power. In the first year of their tenure, leaders with wider faces were roughly three times more likely to initiate a conflict compared to their peers with narrower faces.
“In my reading, the key takeaway from this work is that there seems to be an association between the [facial width-to-height ratio] of elected leaders and, particularly in their early tenure, the likelihood of initiating an international conflict,” said Alex Jones, an associate professor at Swansea University who was not involved in the study.
“Conflict is a rare event in IR [international relations], so the statistical, observation models often have difficulty making strong predictions because of that rarity,” Miller explained. “My results indicate that high-FWHR leaders are over three times as likely as low-FWHR leaders to initiate conflict. But we have to place that in context that we are starting from a low baseline a low probability event. Tripling a small probability still leaves a pretty small probability. Just because a high-FWHR leader is in place does not mean automatic conflict initiation.”
While a relative threefold increase sounds substantial, the absolute number of conflicts initiated remains very small. Because full-scale military actions are so uncommon, minor shifts in probability can appear magnified when expressed as relative percentages.
Jones agreed that the actual increase in risk is slight. “The graphs highlight a change in probability of something like .02,” he told PsyPost, noting that in extremely large samples, almost all comparisons become statistically significant. “I’d assume that such a small effect probably doesn’t mean much in practical terms.”
This surge in aggression early in a leader’s time in office aligns with the idea that new leaders often use military force to establish their reputation and show adversaries that they will not back down. Once their aggressive tendencies become known to the international community, the need to prove themselves diminishes. Opposing countries may also actively avoid provoking leaders they know to be highly aggressive. As a result, the influence of facial proportions on conflict initiation faded the longer a leader remained in power.
“I was surprised that the latitude to initiate conflicts that leaders enjoy early in their tenure declines so rapidly,” Miller said. “By year three in power there is not much difference between low- and high-FWHR leaders. I expected it to diminish as other states adapt, but not that quickly.”
The findings are in tension with research covered by PsyPost in 2026, which questioned the validity of the facial width-to-height ratio as an evolutionary marker of dominance. That earlier study found that, when adjusting for body size, men in the general public did not actually have larger facial width-to-height ratios than women. However, it is worth noting that the earlier research focused on anatomical differences between sexes in the general population, whereas the new study specifically measures behavioral outcomes and conflict decisions among elite political leaders.
Jones also pointed out that “the assumption that [facial width-to-height ratio] is related to testosterone… has been tested a few times with not much support.” He warned against assuming a direct biological pipeline. “I think the clear painting of the results and a first reading is that the causal chain goes something like ‘hormones -> appearance -> behaviour -> conflict’,” he said. “I don’t think this provides good evidence for that.”
As with all research, there are some caveats to consider. First, the facial width-to-height ratio is just one single physical characteristic. It does not account for other facial cues that people use to judge aggression, such as the width of the chin or the shape of the eyebrows. Second, measuring facial proportions from photographs can sometimes be inexact, though the researcher took steps to standardize the measurements by using multiple photos when possible.
This measurement challenge is significant, according to Jones. “[Facial width-to-height ratio] is a notoriously tricky measure,” he noted. It is “affected by all sorts of simple things like distance to the camera, head orientation, and so on.” He explained that his own 2025 research found the metric is highly sensitive to the vagaries of photography. “With a ‘wild’ dataset like this, it’s surely unstandardised and injects a lot of noise,” Jones added.
There is also a possibility that countries facing severe security threats purposefully select leaders who appear more dominant and aggressive. If a nation is already on the brink of war, voters or ruling elites might naturally elevate a leader with a wider face. This makes it difficult to completely separate the leader’s inherent aggression from the country’s existing path toward conflict.
“One reason I find these results interesting is that they complement work showing that people become more attracted to dominant-looking leaders when they perceive greater intergroup conflict,” Adi Wiezel, an assistant professor of psychology at Elon University, told PsyPost.
“Taken together, these findings raise interesting questions about the relationship between conflict, whom people select as leaders, and how those leaders subsequently behave,” continued Wiezel, who directs the Wiezel Behavior, Opinions, and Relations between Groups (BORG) Lab and was not involved in the research.
This potential bias in impressions means that a finding like this could emerge even if there is no inherent biological link between a leader’s appearance and their actual behavior. If a restless, conflict-prone nation intentionally chooses an intimidating leader, the environment itself may be the true cause of any subsequent wars.
“Whether that leader initiates action is due to a lot of factors, and if there’s no link between behaviour and appearance, then this finding might emerge as a function of the bias in impressions,” Jones said.
Wiezel cautioned against drawing definitive causal conclusions from observational data. “Facial appearance can shape how other people perceive and respond to us, and those reactions can themselves influence behavior and opportunities over time,” she explained. “The study identifies a provocative association across a very large historical sample, but it cannot isolate which of these possible pathways produced it.”
The dataset also lacked controls for the race or ethnicity of the leaders, as comprehensive historical data on these factors across 174 countries does not currently exist. Different populations can have varying average facial structures, which could influence the broader patterns. Future research might explore how these facial metrics interact with a leader’s personal history, such as whether they experienced childhood trauma or served in the military.
Wiezel would like to see future research examine how a leader’s age and gender affect this relationship. While the new study found no difference between men and women, she noted that “the relatively small number of conflicts initiated by women limits how definitive that conclusion can be.” Age could also be an important factor, she added, because “some of the theory linking facial characteristics to aggression emphasizes physical formidability and intrasexual competition. This raises the possibility that such processes may matter more among younger men.”
For his part, Jones suggested using a bottom-up cognitive psychology approach that decomposes facial images into various sources of variability. “I’d like to see a more holistic approach to examining facial appearance and its link with behaviour undertaken,” he said, which “opens up novel theory driven approaches.”
Additionally, scientists hope to examine whether wider-faced leaders are less likely to engage in international cooperation and peace-building, providing a more complete picture of their foreign policy behaviors.
“I am working on another paper on U.S. interventions in conflicts guided by FWHR,” Miller said.
The study, “Looks that kill: Facial metrics and international conflict 1947–2010,” was authored by Ross Miller.
-------------------------------------------------
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-------------------------------------------------
#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #FacialWidthToHeightRatio #FWHR #leadershipanalysis #internationalconflict #warlikelihood #politicalpsychology #leadershiptraits #globalpolitics #conflictresearch #facialmetrics
-
DATE: September 16, 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: The shape of a leader’s face might predict their likelihood of starting a war
Does the shape of a world leader’s face predict their likelihood of starting a war? New research suggests that leaders with wider facial proportions tend to be more prone to initiating international military conflicts, especially during their first years in power. The findings, published in Politics and the Life Sciences, provide evidence that subtle biological cues might offer a window into the psychological tendencies that shape global politics.
The facial width-to-height ratio is a physical measurement of the human face. It is calculated by dividing the distance between the outer cheekbones by the distance from the top of the upper lip to the middle of the brow. Over the years, evolutionary psychologists have proposed that this specific facial metric serves as a biological signal of a person’s underlying predisposition toward dominance and physical formidability. In ancestral environments, wider faces may have reliably signaled fighting ability, teaching humans to subconsciously read these proportions as indicators of aggression.
Earlier research discovered that wider facial proportions correlate with aggressive behavior in everyday situations. For example, a 2008 study found that men with larger facial width-to-height ratios tended to act more aggressively in laboratory experiments and professional hockey games. Later research showed this pattern held for political leaders making military decisions. A 2022 study found that United States presidents with wider faces were more likely to use military force abroad.
Citizens also seem to respond to these cues. As indicated by a study covered by PsyPost in 2025, people who perceive an ongoing threat of conflict between groups are more likely to prefer political leaders who look and act dominant.
The new research expands this line of inquiry globally. “One of the real world problems that interests me is why some leaders are more conflict-prone than others,” Ross Miller, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, told PsyPost. “Even within the same states, leaders that confront similar security issues respond differently to threats. Why?”
While traditional political science often points to factors like a country’s economic power or strategic rivalries to explain wars, decisions to deploy military force fall to individual leaders. Past attempts to measure a leader’s aggressive tendencies usually relied on analyzing their speeches or biographies, which takes immense time and limits the number of leaders scientists can study. By using the facial width-to-height ratio, Miller sought to evaluate the aggressive predispositions of over a thousand world leaders to see if physical traits could predict international conflict across different cultures and eras.
“Traditional approaches emphasize important contextual factors like power,” Miller explained. “For example, consider a traditional approach to this question: Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Because they are significantly more powerful than Ukraine, and figured they could force Ukraine to change its policy of joining NATO.” While these structural explanations are valid, he noted, his approach highlights that “it is also useful to take into account leaders’ qualities.”
To investigate this, Miller analyzed a massive dataset of 1,761 leaders from 174 countries over a 63-year period, from 1947 to 2010. This sample included nearly every major world leader from the post-World War II era. The idea to apply this metric to global conflict actually emerged from a parenting moment when Miller issued an empty threat to his daughter about throwing away her toys.
“That was a big threat, which I immediately regretted, because my daughter simply studied my face, checking to see if the resolve was there,” he recalled. “In class an idea formed: is there a literature on faces and conflict.” This realization led him to previous research on facial proportions and aggression, prompting him to spend his time during the COVID-19 pandemic compiling photos of world leaders.
To measure facial proportions, the researcher collected high-quality photographs of these leaders where they were facing the camera directly with a neutral expression. Using digital imaging software, Miller measured the width and height of each face to calculate the exact ratio. These facial measurements were then compared to a historical database of militarized interstate disputes.
This database records instances where leaders threatened, displayed, or actually used military force against another country. To ensure the results were not simply capturing other political dynamics, the analyses controlled for a variety of alternative factors. These included the country’s military power, geographic proximity to adversaries, whether the state was a democracy, and the leader’s age and gender.
The results indicated that leaders with higher facial width-to-height ratios were more likely to initiate international conflicts than leaders with narrower faces. Specifically, this effect was highly dependent on how long the leader had been in power. In the first year of their tenure, leaders with wider faces were roughly three times more likely to initiate a conflict compared to their peers with narrower faces.
“In my reading, the key takeaway from this work is that there seems to be an association between the [facial width-to-height ratio] of elected leaders and, particularly in their early tenure, the likelihood of initiating an international conflict,” said Alex Jones, an associate professor at Swansea University who was not involved in the study.
“Conflict is a rare event in IR [international relations], so the statistical, observation models often have difficulty making strong predictions because of that rarity,” Miller explained. “My results indicate that high-FWHR leaders are over three times as likely as low-FWHR leaders to initiate conflict. But we have to place that in context that we are starting from a low baseline a low probability event. Tripling a small probability still leaves a pretty small probability. Just because a high-FWHR leader is in place does not mean automatic conflict initiation.”
While a relative threefold increase sounds substantial, the absolute number of conflicts initiated remains very small. Because full-scale military actions are so uncommon, minor shifts in probability can appear magnified when expressed as relative percentages.
Jones agreed that the actual increase in risk is slight. “The graphs highlight a change in probability of something like .02,” he told PsyPost, noting that in extremely large samples, almost all comparisons become statistically significant. “I’d assume that such a small effect probably doesn’t mean much in practical terms.”
This surge in aggression early in a leader’s time in office aligns with the idea that new leaders often use military force to establish their reputation and show adversaries that they will not back down. Once their aggressive tendencies become known to the international community, the need to prove themselves diminishes. Opposing countries may also actively avoid provoking leaders they know to be highly aggressive. As a result, the influence of facial proportions on conflict initiation faded the longer a leader remained in power.
“I was surprised that the latitude to initiate conflicts that leaders enjoy early in their tenure declines so rapidly,” Miller said. “By year three in power there is not much difference between low- and high-FWHR leaders. I expected it to diminish as other states adapt, but not that quickly.”
The findings are in tension with research covered by PsyPost in 2026, which questioned the validity of the facial width-to-height ratio as an evolutionary marker of dominance. That earlier study found that, when adjusting for body size, men in the general public did not actually have larger facial width-to-height ratios than women. However, it is worth noting that the earlier research focused on anatomical differences between sexes in the general population, whereas the new study specifically measures behavioral outcomes and conflict decisions among elite political leaders.
Jones also pointed out that “the assumption that [facial width-to-height ratio] is related to testosterone… has been tested a few times with not much support.” He warned against assuming a direct biological pipeline. “I think the clear painting of the results and a first reading is that the causal chain goes something like ‘hormones -> appearance -> behaviour -> conflict’,” he said. “I don’t think this provides good evidence for that.”
As with all research, there are some caveats to consider. First, the facial width-to-height ratio is just one single physical characteristic. It does not account for other facial cues that people use to judge aggression, such as the width of the chin or the shape of the eyebrows. Second, measuring facial proportions from photographs can sometimes be inexact, though the researcher took steps to standardize the measurements by using multiple photos when possible.
This measurement challenge is significant, according to Jones. “[Facial width-to-height ratio] is a notoriously tricky measure,” he noted. It is “affected by all sorts of simple things like distance to the camera, head orientation, and so on.” He explained that his own 2025 research found the metric is highly sensitive to the vagaries of photography. “With a ‘wild’ dataset like this, it’s surely unstandardised and injects a lot of noise,” Jones added.
There is also a possibility that countries facing severe security threats purposefully select leaders who appear more dominant and aggressive. If a nation is already on the brink of war, voters or ruling elites might naturally elevate a leader with a wider face. This makes it difficult to completely separate the leader’s inherent aggression from the country’s existing path toward conflict.
“One reason I find these results interesting is that they complement work showing that people become more attracted to dominant-looking leaders when they perceive greater intergroup conflict,” Adi Wiezel, an assistant professor of psychology at Elon University, told PsyPost.
“Taken together, these findings raise interesting questions about the relationship between conflict, whom people select as leaders, and how those leaders subsequently behave,” continued Wiezel, who directs the Wiezel Behavior, Opinions, and Relations between Groups (BORG) Lab and was not involved in the research.
This potential bias in impressions means that a finding like this could emerge even if there is no inherent biological link between a leader’s appearance and their actual behavior. If a restless, conflict-prone nation intentionally chooses an intimidating leader, the environment itself may be the true cause of any subsequent wars.
“Whether that leader initiates action is due to a lot of factors, and if there’s no link between behaviour and appearance, then this finding might emerge as a function of the bias in impressions,” Jones said.
Wiezel cautioned against drawing definitive causal conclusions from observational data. “Facial appearance can shape how other people perceive and respond to us, and those reactions can themselves influence behavior and opportunities over time,” she explained. “The study identifies a provocative association across a very large historical sample, but it cannot isolate which of these possible pathways produced it.”
The dataset also lacked controls for the race or ethnicity of the leaders, as comprehensive historical data on these factors across 174 countries does not currently exist. Different populations can have varying average facial structures, which could influence the broader patterns. Future research might explore how these facial metrics interact with a leader’s personal history, such as whether they experienced childhood trauma or served in the military.
Wiezel would like to see future research examine how a leader’s age and gender affect this relationship. While the new study found no difference between men and women, she noted that “the relatively small number of conflicts initiated by women limits how definitive that conclusion can be.” Age could also be an important factor, she added, because “some of the theory linking facial characteristics to aggression emphasizes physical formidability and intrasexual competition. This raises the possibility that such processes may matter more among younger men.”
For his part, Jones suggested using a bottom-up cognitive psychology approach that decomposes facial images into various sources of variability. “I’d like to see a more holistic approach to examining facial appearance and its link with behaviour undertaken,” he said, which “opens up novel theory driven approaches.”
Additionally, scientists hope to examine whether wider-faced leaders are less likely to engage in international cooperation and peace-building, providing a more complete picture of their foreign policy behaviors.
“I am working on another paper on U.S. interventions in conflicts guided by FWHR,” Miller said.
The study, “Looks that kill: Facial metrics and international conflict 1947–2010,” was authored by Ross Miller.
-------------------------------------------------
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 #FacialWidthToHeightRatio #FWHR #leadershipanalysis #internationalconflict #warlikelihood #politicalpsychology #leadershiptraits #globalpolitics #conflictresearch #facialmetrics
-
DATE: September 16, 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: The shape of a leader’s face might predict their likelihood of starting a war
Does the shape of a world leader’s face predict their likelihood of starting a war? New research suggests that leaders with wider facial proportions tend to be more prone to initiating international military conflicts, especially during their first years in power. The findings, published in Politics and the Life Sciences, provide evidence that subtle biological cues might offer a window into the psychological tendencies that shape global politics.
The facial width-to-height ratio is a physical measurement of the human face. It is calculated by dividing the distance between the outer cheekbones by the distance from the top of the upper lip to the middle of the brow. Over the years, evolutionary psychologists have proposed that this specific facial metric serves as a biological signal of a person’s underlying predisposition toward dominance and physical formidability. In ancestral environments, wider faces may have reliably signaled fighting ability, teaching humans to subconsciously read these proportions as indicators of aggression.
Earlier research discovered that wider facial proportions correlate with aggressive behavior in everyday situations. For example, a 2008 study found that men with larger facial width-to-height ratios tended to act more aggressively in laboratory experiments and professional hockey games. Later research showed this pattern held for political leaders making military decisions. A 2022 study found that United States presidents with wider faces were more likely to use military force abroad.
Citizens also seem to respond to these cues. As indicated by a study covered by PsyPost in 2025, people who perceive an ongoing threat of conflict between groups are more likely to prefer political leaders who look and act dominant.
The new research expands this line of inquiry globally. “One of the real world problems that interests me is why some leaders are more conflict-prone than others,” Ross Miller, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, told PsyPost. “Even within the same states, leaders that confront similar security issues respond differently to threats. Why?”
While traditional political science often points to factors like a country’s economic power or strategic rivalries to explain wars, decisions to deploy military force fall to individual leaders. Past attempts to measure a leader’s aggressive tendencies usually relied on analyzing their speeches or biographies, which takes immense time and limits the number of leaders scientists can study. By using the facial width-to-height ratio, Miller sought to evaluate the aggressive predispositions of over a thousand world leaders to see if physical traits could predict international conflict across different cultures and eras.
“Traditional approaches emphasize important contextual factors like power,” Miller explained. “For example, consider a traditional approach to this question: Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Because they are significantly more powerful than Ukraine, and figured they could force Ukraine to change its policy of joining NATO.” While these structural explanations are valid, he noted, his approach highlights that “it is also useful to take into account leaders’ qualities.”
To investigate this, Miller analyzed a massive dataset of 1,761 leaders from 174 countries over a 63-year period, from 1947 to 2010. This sample included nearly every major world leader from the post-World War II era. The idea to apply this metric to global conflict actually emerged from a parenting moment when Miller issued an empty threat to his daughter about throwing away her toys.
“That was a big threat, which I immediately regretted, because my daughter simply studied my face, checking to see if the resolve was there,” he recalled. “In class an idea formed: is there a literature on faces and conflict.” This realization led him to previous research on facial proportions and aggression, prompting him to spend his time during the COVID-19 pandemic compiling photos of world leaders.
To measure facial proportions, the researcher collected high-quality photographs of these leaders where they were facing the camera directly with a neutral expression. Using digital imaging software, Miller measured the width and height of each face to calculate the exact ratio. These facial measurements were then compared to a historical database of militarized interstate disputes.
This database records instances where leaders threatened, displayed, or actually used military force against another country. To ensure the results were not simply capturing other political dynamics, the analyses controlled for a variety of alternative factors. These included the country’s military power, geographic proximity to adversaries, whether the state was a democracy, and the leader’s age and gender.
The results indicated that leaders with higher facial width-to-height ratios were more likely to initiate international conflicts than leaders with narrower faces. Specifically, this effect was highly dependent on how long the leader had been in power. In the first year of their tenure, leaders with wider faces were roughly three times more likely to initiate a conflict compared to their peers with narrower faces.
“In my reading, the key takeaway from this work is that there seems to be an association between the [facial width-to-height ratio] of elected leaders and, particularly in their early tenure, the likelihood of initiating an international conflict,” said Alex Jones, an associate professor at Swansea University who was not involved in the study.
“Conflict is a rare event in IR [international relations], so the statistical, observation models often have difficulty making strong predictions because of that rarity,” Miller explained. “My results indicate that high-FWHR leaders are over three times as likely as low-FWHR leaders to initiate conflict. But we have to place that in context that we are starting from a low baseline a low probability event. Tripling a small probability still leaves a pretty small probability. Just because a high-FWHR leader is in place does not mean automatic conflict initiation.”
While a relative threefold increase sounds substantial, the absolute number of conflicts initiated remains very small. Because full-scale military actions are so uncommon, minor shifts in probability can appear magnified when expressed as relative percentages.
Jones agreed that the actual increase in risk is slight. “The graphs highlight a change in probability of something like .02,” he told PsyPost, noting that in extremely large samples, almost all comparisons become statistically significant. “I’d assume that such a small effect probably doesn’t mean much in practical terms.”
This surge in aggression early in a leader’s time in office aligns with the idea that new leaders often use military force to establish their reputation and show adversaries that they will not back down. Once their aggressive tendencies become known to the international community, the need to prove themselves diminishes. Opposing countries may also actively avoid provoking leaders they know to be highly aggressive. As a result, the influence of facial proportions on conflict initiation faded the longer a leader remained in power.
“I was surprised that the latitude to initiate conflicts that leaders enjoy early in their tenure declines so rapidly,” Miller said. “By year three in power there is not much difference between low- and high-FWHR leaders. I expected it to diminish as other states adapt, but not that quickly.”
The findings are in tension with research covered by PsyPost in 2026, which questioned the validity of the facial width-to-height ratio as an evolutionary marker of dominance. That earlier study found that, when adjusting for body size, men in the general public did not actually have larger facial width-to-height ratios than women. However, it is worth noting that the earlier research focused on anatomical differences between sexes in the general population, whereas the new study specifically measures behavioral outcomes and conflict decisions among elite political leaders.
Jones also pointed out that “the assumption that [facial width-to-height ratio] is related to testosterone… has been tested a few times with not much support.” He warned against assuming a direct biological pipeline. “I think the clear painting of the results and a first reading is that the causal chain goes something like ‘hormones -> appearance -> behaviour -> conflict’,” he said. “I don’t think this provides good evidence for that.”
As with all research, there are some caveats to consider. First, the facial width-to-height ratio is just one single physical characteristic. It does not account for other facial cues that people use to judge aggression, such as the width of the chin or the shape of the eyebrows. Second, measuring facial proportions from photographs can sometimes be inexact, though the researcher took steps to standardize the measurements by using multiple photos when possible.
This measurement challenge is significant, according to Jones. “[Facial width-to-height ratio] is a notoriously tricky measure,” he noted. It is “affected by all sorts of simple things like distance to the camera, head orientation, and so on.” He explained that his own 2025 research found the metric is highly sensitive to the vagaries of photography. “With a ‘wild’ dataset like this, it’s surely unstandardised and injects a lot of noise,” Jones added.
There is also a possibility that countries facing severe security threats purposefully select leaders who appear more dominant and aggressive. If a nation is already on the brink of war, voters or ruling elites might naturally elevate a leader with a wider face. This makes it difficult to completely separate the leader’s inherent aggression from the country’s existing path toward conflict.
“One reason I find these results interesting is that they complement work showing that people become more attracted to dominant-looking leaders when they perceive greater intergroup conflict,” Adi Wiezel, an assistant professor of psychology at Elon University, told PsyPost.
“Taken together, these findings raise interesting questions about the relationship between conflict, whom people select as leaders, and how those leaders subsequently behave,” continued Wiezel, who directs the Wiezel Behavior, Opinions, and Relations between Groups (BORG) Lab and was not involved in the research.
This potential bias in impressions means that a finding like this could emerge even if there is no inherent biological link between a leader’s appearance and their actual behavior. If a restless, conflict-prone nation intentionally chooses an intimidating leader, the environment itself may be the true cause of any subsequent wars.
“Whether that leader initiates action is due to a lot of factors, and if there’s no link between behaviour and appearance, then this finding might emerge as a function of the bias in impressions,” Jones said.
Wiezel cautioned against drawing definitive causal conclusions from observational data. “Facial appearance can shape how other people perceive and respond to us, and those reactions can themselves influence behavior and opportunities over time,” she explained. “The study identifies a provocative association across a very large historical sample, but it cannot isolate which of these possible pathways produced it.”
The dataset also lacked controls for the race or ethnicity of the leaders, as comprehensive historical data on these factors across 174 countries does not currently exist. Different populations can have varying average facial structures, which could influence the broader patterns. Future research might explore how these facial metrics interact with a leader’s personal history, such as whether they experienced childhood trauma or served in the military.
Wiezel would like to see future research examine how a leader’s age and gender affect this relationship. While the new study found no difference between men and women, she noted that “the relatively small number of conflicts initiated by women limits how definitive that conclusion can be.” Age could also be an important factor, she added, because “some of the theory linking facial characteristics to aggression emphasizes physical formidability and intrasexual competition. This raises the possibility that such processes may matter more among younger men.”
For his part, Jones suggested using a bottom-up cognitive psychology approach that decomposes facial images into various sources of variability. “I’d like to see a more holistic approach to examining facial appearance and its link with behaviour undertaken,” he said, which “opens up novel theory driven approaches.”
Additionally, scientists hope to examine whether wider-faced leaders are less likely to engage in international cooperation and peace-building, providing a more complete picture of their foreign policy behaviors.
“I am working on another paper on U.S. interventions in conflicts guided by FWHR,” Miller said.
The study, “Looks that kill: Facial metrics and international conflict 1947–2010,” was authored by Ross Miller.
-------------------------------------------------
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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DATE: September 16, 2026 at 04:28PM
SOURCE:
NEW YORK TIMES PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGISTS FEEDTITLE: Antidepressants Are Tools, Not Magic Pills
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000011156652/antidepressants-are-tools-not-magic-pills.html
Antidepressants aren’t “magic pills that solve everything,” argues Dr. Anthony Rostain, a psychiatrist and professor, on “The Opinions.” Instead, we should view them as tools: “If they’re not working, then don’t use that tool.”
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000011156652/antidepressants-are-tools-not-magic-pills.html
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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 #AntidepressantsAreTools #MentalHealthEducation #NotMagicPills #UseAsTools #PsychiatryInsights #DepressionTreatment #TreatmentWithTools #MentalWellness #TherapyAndMedication #RethinkAntidepressants
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DATE: September 16, 2026 at 04:28PM
SOURCE:
NEW YORK TIMES PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGISTS FEEDTITLE: Antidepressants Are Tools, Not Magic Pills
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000011156652/antidepressants-are-tools-not-magic-pills.html
Antidepressants aren’t “magic pills that solve everything,” argues Dr. Anthony Rostain, a psychiatrist and professor, on “The Opinions.” Instead, we should view them as tools: “If they’re not working, then don’t use that tool.”
URL: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000011156652/antidepressants-are-tools-not-magic-pills.html
-------------------------------------------------
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 #AntidepressantsAreTools #MentalHealthEducation #NotMagicPills #UseAsTools #PsychiatryInsights #DepressionTreatment #TreatmentWithTools #MentalWellness #TherapyAndMedication #RethinkAntidepressants