Psychology & Psychiatry

The same chemicals and receptors that control the sensation of pain in the opioid system also play a role in regulating social behavior. The body produces natural opioid substances which are drawn to receptors throughout the nervous system, sending signals through neurons that induce pain relief, pleasure, and more.

A study led by Rutgers University-New Brunswick researchers suggests that tiny facial movements—too slight for the human eye to notice—could help scientists better understand social communication in people with autism.

Mel May only realized she was different while reading a news article one day.

The DAM-Decision and Memory group at Universitat Jaume I in Castelló, led by Raphael Kaplan and composed of researchers from Spain, Italy and the United States, has recently published the results of two studies that provide new insights into human brain behavior in everyday activities such as decision-making and social interaction.

Exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke was associated with increased visits to emergency departments (ED) for mental health conditions, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Virtual reality reveals that curiosity is key in shaping our spatial memory and mental map formation, finds new research by Cardiff University and Royal Holloway, University of London.

In his new book, No More Normal, psychiatrist Alastair Santhouse recalls an experience from the 1980s when he was a university student in the UK helping deliver supplies to “refuseniks”—Soviet citizens who were denied permission to leave the USSR. These people often faced harsh treatment, losing their jobs and becoming targets of harassment. Some were even diagnosed with a psychiatric condition called “sluggish schizophrenia.”

A new study found that only sociodemographic factors—including the parent’s age, number of current children, economic status, and level of religiosity—predict the desire and intention to have more children among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) parents. The study was led by Dr. Geva Shenkman-Lachberg of the Dina Recanati School of Medicine at Reichman University, in collaboration with Yuval Shaia of Reichman University and Dr. Kfir Ifrah of Ruppin Academic Center.

How can some competitive athletes push through injuries, losses and years of training without giving up, while others throw in the towel?

The Trump administration’s firing and furloughing of tens of thousands of federal workers and contractors have obviously caused economic hardship for Americans employed in national parks, research labs and dozens of government agencies.