Harvard and Penn psychology research shows that people routinely underestimate how much others like them. Here's how to use that "liking gap" to your advantage.

This quote is by the main character in the sci-fi novel The Widening Gyre by Michael R. Johnston. Writers like Johnston who invent alien profanity rely on their intuitions about what sounds offensive here on Earth. We wanted to explore whether there are universal sound patterns in profanity. So we designed a series of studies involving speakers of different languages and found surprising patterns in how swear words sound across the world.

A new study published in Social Psychology investigated if there was a relationship between workplace bullying and belief in conspiracy theories. In a two-part study, one part correlational and one part experimental, the findings indicate that when someone is a victim of workplace bullying, they become more likely to believe in conspiracy theories. This research provides new clues into how people begin to believe in conspiracy theories.

A group of international researchers examined parental methods to help toddlers sleep across 14 cultures and found that these methods are related to the development of a child’s temperament.

Mental illness can be associated with many dysfunctional beliefs or mental processes. A study published in PLOS One suggests that perfectionism is one such symptom that is especially prevalent in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder and in people with major depressive disorder.

New research published in PLOS ONE reveals a potential consequence of political polarization in the United States. The study provides evidence that partisan labels influence first impressions of strangers’ faces.

Childhood bullying is so common that it may not seem like a big deal. Up to 35% of people are estimated to have experienced it at some point. By adulthood, we are generally expected to have “got over” it. But the mental health effects of being bullied can be serious and last a lifetime. One study has even suggested that, when it comes to mental health, bullying is as harmful as child abuse, if not worse.

A new study published in the Journal of Adolescence tested an 8-week mindfulness training program among a group of adolescent and adult females. The results revealed that both teens and adults showed improvements in reorienting their attention following mindfulness training.

Many people love to play video games, but for some people, it can become an addiction. This raises the question; how can we tell if someone’s at-risk for their video game consumption to become a problem?

The key to understanding online conspiracy theorists is to understand how the line between fantasy and reality can become blurred.

Our relationships with nonhuman animals (animals) are complex, challenging, and paradoxical. We allow dogs and cats to breed themselves to death and continue to harm and kill other animals and destroy their homes at unprecedented rates as we take over and destroy the natural world.

An analysis of 308 dating profiles revealed that people who show originality in their bios are seen as more intelligent and more funny, and in turn, more attractive. Original profile bios tended to contain more self-disclosure and more stylistic features like metaphors. These findings were published in the journal PLOS One.

Our study showed a correlation between sending Christmas cards and depression.

EU-funded survey of people aged 16-19 finds one in four have trolled someone – while UK least ‘cyberdeviant’ of nine countries

Some people suffering pain from cancer and other chronic diseases turn to marijuana to ease their suffering, but much of that relief may come from simply believing weed will help, a new study found.

New research published in the Journal of American College Health investigated the relationship of sad-fishing to attachment style as well as interpersonal and online support.

Published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, researchers found that people who wear masks tend to be viewed as more socially distant. The findings provide evidence of an implicit association between masked human faces and concepts related to psychological distance.

Stanford Medicine researchers did not find a connection between the age children acquired their first cell phone and their sleep patterns, depression symptoms or grades.

Friendships aren't just about those you sit with on the school bus or play alongside on your childhood baseball team — they are a core component of the human experience, experts say. But making and retaining deep, meaningful friendships as an adult is hard, especially for men, according to research.

Past psychology research has shown that people associate Black with male and Asian with female. New findings have revealed that this association is weaker among people who fit the counter-stereotype — Black women and Asian men. The findings were published in Social Psychological and Personality Science.