Decision Making: Practice Makes Perfect?

Well, not perfect really, but this research summary from the Association of Psychological Science describes an experiment in which older adults showed superior decision making skills over college aged adults.

Decision Making Changes With Age – and Age Helps! - Association for Psychological Science

The Brain and Speech

While scientists have long studied the function of specialized areas of the brain, advances in technology have allowed us to see that there are more complex relationships between brain areas and behavior than previously believed. This article summary from the Association for Psychological Science describes current research on speech and the brain.

Speaking and Understanding Speech Share the Same Parts of the Brain - Association for Psychological Science

Self-Affirmations Can Ease Social Insecurity

Shyness is a difficult burden to bear. Contrary to what some people believe, shy people want and need to connect with other people, but they feel the costs of potential rejection are too high. This research summary from the Association of Psychological Science describes the results of an experiment where socially insecure individuals became more secure when prompted to think about their valued strengths and characteristics.

Psychologists Interrupt the Miserable Cycle of Social Insecurity

"We Have an Eyewitness, Your Honor . . ."

Eyewitness testimony is commonly a key turning point that dooms the villain in fiction about crime. Many people deem eyewitness testimony to be a highly reliable source of information, but is this really true? Over the past few decades, science has allowed us to understand the fallible nature of memory much better, and now even the United States Supreme Court is taking notice. Here's an interesting article on this topic from the New York Times.

34 Years Later, Supreme Court Will Revisit Eyewitness IDs

Acceptance, Rejection, and Exclusion

Human beings are highly social creatures. To varying degrees, we all have a compelling need for belonging and acceptance. Experiencing rejection by others or being excluded from groups to which we want to belong can have powerful consequences. This summary cited by the Social Psychology Network provides some further insights.

Social Acceptance and Rejection: The Sweet and the Bitter

Domestic Violence Victims and Dropping Charges

Why do some domestic violence victims fail to follow through on or drop charges against their alleged abusers? This fascinating study cited by the Social Psychology Network used analyses of telephone conversations between victims and their incarcerated alleged abusers and yielded some surprising results.

Jailhouse Phone Calls Reveal Why Domestic Violence Victims Recant

Even a Little Exercise Helps

Many people do not exercise because they have the mistaken belief that exercise has to be a huge commitment of time and energy in order to be effective. However, recent research cited by the Social Psychology Network suggests that even a little exercise may help a lot.

Benefits of Daily Exercise are Comparable to Giving Up Smoking

Seeing Only The Things You Like

Humans have the tendency to focus on what they like and tune out what they don't like. Here's some interesting research to support that concept.

You Don’t Like What You Ignore - Association for Psychological Science

Twins and Genetic Studies

The participation of twins, especially identical twins, is especially valued in genetically-related research. Here's why.

What can twins teach us about genetics? - Association for Psychological Science

The Down Side of Excess Positive Emotion

Bipolar disorder is characterized by extremes in positive and negative emotions which often results in a variety of self-destructive behaviors. Here is some recent research exploring the extreme positive emotion experienced in one of the phases of bipolar disorder.

Bipolar Disorder: The Drawbacks of Excessive Positive Emotion - Association for Psychological Science

Gender and Workplace Mistakes

While we have come a significant way in accepting both men and women in a wide variety of jobs, there are still serious issues to be addressed. This fascinating research shows the lingering power of the concepts of "men's jobs" and "women's jobs."

Mistakes are more tolerated if you’re the right gender for the job - Association for Psychological Science

Risk Perception Between The Sexes

It's no great surprise that men and women perceive many situations differently. Here's some research that supports that risk appears to be one of them.

Men and women perceive risks differently - Association for Psychological Science

Rosy Shades of Love?

A little dash of delusions about your romantic partner may help your relationship survive. Check out this research!

Rose-colored glasses may help love last - Association for Psychological Science

Comfort Food and Loneliness

Are you sad, anxious, or lonely? If you are like quite a few people, you may find yourself reaching for a high-fat comfort food to ease your distress. Here's some recent research that sheds light on this connection.

Eating fatty foods make people feel happier, less lonely, studies show - Association for Psychological Science

Discard This Old Interviewing Advice!

For many years, a popular interviewing tip was to mirror the body postures of the interviewer to make yourself seem more like him or her. The idea behind this is the interviewer would perceive you as a better fit for the organization. However, recent research has revealed why this old tip may be a bad idea.

Why mirroring an interviewer’s body language and mannerisms can make you seem incompetent - Association for Psychological Science

Memory Power

Here's some of the latest research on human memory.

Your memory is not as powerful as you think - Association for Psychological Science

Why Do So Many People Love Videogames?

Videogames, from the simplest flash games on the computer to elaborate multiplayer online world simulations, are now a permanent part of modern culture. What draws so many people to them?

Getting to The Heart of The Appeal of Videogames - Association for Psychological Science

Happiness: One Size Does NOT Fit All

Something that makes you happy when you're 20 may have little happiness value to you when you're 40. Here is some research examining why that is so.

What Makes You Happy? It May Depend on Your Age - Association for Psychological Science

Oxytocin: More Than Just a Feel Good Body Chemical?

Here's a look at some research showing other aspects of oxytocin.

Oxytocin: Not Such a Cuddly Hormone After All - Association for Psychological Science

Voice Recognition and Dyslexia

Many people think of dyslexia as an issue only involving reading and writing. The Association for Psychological Science (APS) recently reported on research supporting an auditory component for dyslexia as well.

Recognizing voices harder for people with dyslexia - Association for Psychological Science

Why Nagging Women and Silent Men Drive Each Other Crazy

The Association for Psychological Science (APS) recently reported on research that provides some insight to this age-old question.

Why Nagging Women and Silent Men Drive Each Other Crazy - Association for Psychological Science