ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain NewsPsychology news from leading research institutes around the world. Research on relationships, new treatments for mental health conditions, and more. Updated daily.Breaking The Pattern: How Motivation Plays A Role In Getting Healthy- June 30, 2008 People fall into a pattern. They start out with the best intentions and do well for a little while ... but then fall back into old habits. It's a classic health trap: two steps forward, three steps back. People end up feeling bad about themselves. Moreover, the two-steps-forward-three-steps-back dance ends up increasing the health problems the behavioral changes were supposed to address in the first place.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080626150311.htm Inadequate Sleep May Exacerbate Cellular Aging In The Elderly, Animal Study Suggests- June 30, 2008 Researchers have shown that the unfolded protein response, which is a reaction to stress induced by sleep deprivation, is impaired in the brains of old mice. The findings suggest that inadequate sleep in the elderly could exacerbate an already-impaired protective response.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163017.htm Study: Media Bias Can Net Mistakes At The Ballot Box- June 30, 2008 The media slant political news to the left or right to increase ratings and profits, spinning up an information vacuum that can lead to mistakes at the ballot box, a new study by three University of Illinois economists says.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625140638.htm Homosexual Behavior Largely Shaped By Genetics And Random Environmental Factors- June 30, 2008 Homosexual behavior is largely shaped by genetics and random environmental factors, according to findings from the world's largest study of twins.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080628205430.htm Using Mental Strategies Can Alter The Brain's Reward Circuitry- June 30, 2008 The cognitive strategies humans use to regulate emotions can determine both neurological and physiological responses to potential rewards, neuroscientists has discovered. The findings, reported in the journal Nature Neuroscience, shed light on how the regulation of emotions may influence decision making.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080629130753.htm A Simple Therapy For Brain Injury- June 30, 2008 Severe brain injury due to blunt force trauma could be reduced by application of a simple polymer, polyethylene glycol or PEG, mixed in sterile water and injected into the blood stream -- as reported in the Journal of Biological Engineering.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163339.htm Attitude Determines Student Success In Rural Schools, Study Finds- June 30, 2008 While most of the country focuses on ACT scores, student-teacher ratio and rigorous curriculum to increase student success, a recent study finds the commitment to excellence determines student achievement in rural schools.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619174221.htm When Using Gestures, Rules Of Grammar Remain The Same- June 30, 2008 The mind apparently has a consistent way of ordering an event that defies the order in which subjects, verbs and objects typically appear in languages. Although speakers of different languages describe events using the word orders prescribed by their language, when the same speakers are asked to "speak" with their hands and not their mouths, they ignore these orders -- they all use exactly the same order when they gesture.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630173943.htm First Patients Implanted In Study Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation For Depression- June 30, 2008 St. Jude Medical, Inc. has announced the first patient implants in a clinical study that is investigating whether deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy will help people who suffer from major depressive disorder, a severe form of depression. The patients, a 59-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man, were implanted with the St. Jude Medical Libra Deep Brain Stimulation System, an investigational device.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080626144441.htm Mechanism And Function Of Humor Identified By New Evolutionary Theory- June 30, 2008 The pattern recognition theory of humor is an evolutionary and cognitive explanation of how and why any individual finds anything funny. Effectively it explains that humor occurs when the brain recognizes a pattern that surprises it. It also identifies implications of pattern recognition in childhood cognitive development, other species and artificial intelligence, and posits humor as a major driving force in the evolution of humankind's unique perceptual and intellectual abilities.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163111.htm |