New research published in Biological Psychology explores the relationship between psychopathic fearlessness and low defensive cardiac reactivity. According to the new findings, women with high scores in the psychopathic trait of fearlessness tend to exhibit reduced heart rate changes when faced with an intense and unexpected stimulus. But this relationship was not found among men.

Masturbation comes with a variety of health benefits that help all primates – even humans – survive and thrive, and may have helped our species evolve, according to a British study. Indeed, the practice of masturbation is something seen throughout the animal kingdom, though it is most widely associated with humans. However, the researchers behind this study believe that it is also something likely present throughout humanity's evolutionary history, present in the last common ancestor of humans, monkeys, and apes.

When you can’t remember a word, it might only feel like it’s on the tip of your tongue

A new study published in Computers in Human Behavior suggests that parental attitudes characterized by perfectionism can lead to maladaptive responses to failure, increasing the risk of developing compulsive gaming behaviors.

According to a recent study conducted by Capgemini Research, 53% of global consumers trust generative artificial intelligence (AI) advice when it comes to investing and financial planning. At the same time, 67% ask chatbots for medical advice, while 66% consult them for relationship problems, the survey shows.

In a new study published in Frontiers in Psychology, researchers found that students are more open to participate in school activities and expect to earn higher grades when they view their teacher as attractive. The findings provide evidence that children’s perception of teacher attire attractiveness is related to important school outcomes.

Liberal men who experience threats to their masculinity tend to become more supportive of a wide range of aggressive political policies and behaviors, according to new research published in the scientific journal Sex Roles. However, this effect was not observed among conservative men who experienced threats to their masculinity.

Research published in Scientific Reports challenges the idea that men are more competitive than women. The findings suggest that when it comes to competition for resources, women are often more competitive than men, though they may use more covert methods to compete. Researchers Joyce Benenson and Henry Markovits hypothesize that women may feel more driven to compete for resources so they can provide for their children.

Is happiness something to work hard towards and accumulate over time or is it something transient and fleeting that should be savored in the moment? Past research has examined who, when and why some people favor feeling happy now versus later, but those studies don’t address how this preference for immediate versus delayed happiness relates to behavior and well-being.

Social media dependency is associated with a reduced preference for freedom, according to new research published in Psychological Reports. The study suggests that people who are heavily dependent on social media may use it as a way to escape from the uncertainties and challenges of the real world.

A new study published in Mental Health and Physical Activity finds that when one partner is depressed, the other increases their sedentary behaviors and vice versa. This research reveals the potential negative impact partners can have on one another. Understanding this can help clinicians and individuals take steps to prevent the vicious cycle of depression and sedentary behaviors in partnerships.

Widespread use of intelligent algorithmics and dynamic pricing by online retailers, puts the public at risk of ‘adversarial collusion’, maintains Dr Luc Rocher, lead author of the paper, ‘Adversarial Competition and Collusion in Algorithmic Markets’.

A new study published in Philosophical Transactions B explores whether pauses in conversation are experienced or interpreted differently depending on whether the conversation is between friends or strangers.

A two-wave panel survey of young adults revealed that ghosting friends and ghosting partners are two different phenomena. Ghosting romantic partners is predicted by communication overload i.e., receiving more messages than one is able to handle and had no impact on well-being, while ghosting friends was predicted by one’s self esteem and increased depressive tendencies over time.

You might not care about the fast-food commercial shots of juicy burgers or creamy milkshakes, but they might change your beliefs about these items, whereas shots of fresh salads and berries might not, according to a new study.

Researchers In Italy were curious if sadism and grandiose narcissism may be related and what traits may facilitate this relationship. Their findings indicate that malicious envy and narcissistic rivalry are the characteristics that connect sadism to grandiose narcissism. The research has been published in Personality and Individual Differences.

In people with advanced cancer, psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, LSD and MDMA may significantly reduce the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms. Roughly 10% of patients with cancer experience anxiety, while 20% report depression. However, current research suggests that available prescription antidepressants do not significantly decrease depressive symptoms in cancer patients compared with a placebo.

A neuroimaging study of adults with varying levels of adverse childhood experiences showed that participants reporting higher levels of maternal antipathy (in childhood) exhibited reduced activation in the brain reward network when they anticipated social rewards. Normally, activations in brain regions underlying reward processing are elevated when a person is anticipating social rewards. The study was published in Translational Psychiatry.

A new study published in Personality and Individual Differences examined the role that adaptive psychopathic traits may play in the lives of those who score high on measures of psychopathy. The findings indicate that individuals with higher levels of traits such as social dominance, fearlessness, low-stress reactivity, and extroversion tend to report higher levels of well-being.

Teaching children independence breeds confidence and social skills. Why aren’t we encouraging this?