Bullied children who had low birthweight may be at higher risk for mental health problems as adults, according to research conducted at McMaster University. Scientists interviewed people who had extremely low birthweights, as well as those with normal birthweights. The participants were born between 1977 and 1982, and were interviewed at ages 8, 22 to 26 and 29 to 36. The low-birthweight participants who reported being bullied as children were nearly twice as likely to develop a mental health problem such as anxiety, depression or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder by the time they were in their 20s, compared with their normal birthweight counterparts who had been bullied. By their 30s, the low-birthweight participants who had been bullied as children were nearly three times more likely to have developed anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia and panic disorder (Pediatrics, Marchopens in new window).
Our brains prioritize rewarding memories over others, strengthening them by replaying them when we are at rest, suggests research by University of California, Davis, neuroscientists. They used fMRI to scan the brains of volunteers while they answered simple yes-no questions, such as, "Do these objects weigh more than a basketball?" Participants were told they would receive either a large or small reward for correct answers. In a recall test, participants fared better at remembering objects that were associated with a high reward. In addition, when the researchers looked at participants' brain scans at rest after giving their answers, they found the same pattern of activity as when subjects were doing the high-reward task. The authors suggest that the participants were replaying the rewarding memories, helping to fix the memory in place (Neuron, Feb. 11opens in new window).
Being the target of sexual aggression appears to alter female rats' brain function, according to a study with rodents led by Rutgers University scientists. The team paired prepubescent female rats with sexually experienced adult male rats for 30 minutes daily, during which time the male rodents chased and tried to pin down the females. After about two weeks, findings showed that these females had elevated levels of stress hormones, could not learn as well and expressed reduced maternal behaviors needed to care for offspring compared with females that did not have aggressive interactions with the males (Scientific Reports, online Jan. 26).
Contrary to popular belief, members of couples don't really change each other over time, according to research led by psychologists at Wellesley College and the University of Kansas. The team asked more than 1,500 couples — including romantic couples, friends and acquaintances — questions about attitudes, values, prejudices, personality traits and behaviors that were important to them, and then compared their responses to see how similar or different the pairs were. In particular, they examined whether pairs who had known each other longer and whose relationships were closer and more intimate were more similar than newly formed pairs. Findings showed that such longer and closer pairs generally did not exhibit greater similarity. The results suggest that people mainly form relationships with others with whom they are already similar, rather than become more similar over time (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, online Feb. 1opens in new window).
College psychology classes lack courses about disabilities, according to a review of undergraduate course offerings from U.S. colleges and universities. Worcester State University and Oregon State University researchers analyzed the titles and descriptions of nearly 700 college psychology courses from 98 top-ranked undergraduate psychology programs. The researchers found that all 98 colleges offered a course on psychiatric disability, but only eight offered courses that covered physical disability, even though physical disability is more common (Teaching of Psychology, Januaryopens in new window).
People overstate their contributions to a team, suggests a study by University of California, Berkeley, researchers. In the study, 700 MBA students in a negotiations course answered questions designed to measure how much they contributed to their study group's work, such as preparing case write-ups, providing insights and raising key questions. The students' claims of how much they took on consistently added up to more than 100 percent, indicating they overstated their personal involvement. A related study in which academic authors rated their contributions to a research article produced similar findings (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, online Feb. 25opens in new window).
To keep the passion alive, set the mood and express love, according to a study by researchers at Indiana University and other universities. They surveyed 39,000 married or co-habiting heterosexuals who had been with their partners for at least three years, asking about their sexual satisfaction in the first six months together compared with now. They found that both men and women were more sexually satisfied when they engaged in cuddling, kissing and laughing together during sex; tried out new sexual positions or acted out fantasies; set a romantic or sexual mood, such as by lighting candles or playing music; and communicated more. Sexually satisfied men and women gave and received more oral sex and had more frequent sex and orgasms (Journal of Sex Research, online Feb. 22).
Young adults with hostile attitudes or who don't cope well with stress may be at increased risk for experiencing memory and thinking problems decades later, according to research by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and various universities. More than 3,100 young adults answered questions assessing their personalities and attitudes, ability to cope with stress, and memory and thinking abilities. The researchers measured the participants' cognitive abilities again 25 years later and found that those with the highest levels of hostility or ineffective coping skills performed worse on memory and thinking tests compared with people who had the lowest levels of those traits (Neurology, online March 2opens in new window).
Our gut instinct can be better than an analytical approach when it comes to solving some kinds of problems, according to research conducted by U.S. and Italian psychologists. Participants completed timed word and scrambled image puzzles and noted for each whether their solution came through insight or analytical thinking. The researchers found that the answers based on sudden insights were more likely to be correct (Thinking & Reasoning, online Feb. 5).
Staying active socially despite health-related challenges may help lessen the decline in well-being in late life, finds research led by a Humboldt University psychologist. The scientists analyzed data from more than 2,900 now deceased participants who had provided information annually on their life satisfaction, health, participation in social activities and relationships. The results suggested that being socially active was associated with higher well-being late in life. However, the value participants attached to their family relationships was not related to well-being. Effects were independent of other variables, including age at death, gender, education and key health indicators, such as level of disability (Psychology and Aging, Marchopens in new window).
Standard ways of screening for depression risk may not work as well among blacks as among whites, according to research led by University of Michigan scientists. The study's 3,300 participants, all in the United States, took a standard depression screening test that asked questions about their emotions, sleep, appetite and energy levels. Fifteen years later, researchers conducted more detailed interviews to assess the participants' mental health. Researchers found that white participants whose answers on the initial screening indicated a risk for depression were more likely to have major depression at the time of the later interview. There was no such association for black participants, even after the researchers corrected for differences in the participants' social, economic and physical health status (Frontiers in Public Health, Marchopens in new window).
High usage of mobile devices may be linked to depression and anxiety, according to research by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign psychologists. They surveyed more than 300 university students about their mental health, their cellphone and Internet use, and their motivations for using electronic devices. Findings showed that people who described themselves as having addictive-style behaviors toward the Internet and cellphones scored much higher on depression and anxiety scales. The researchers found no relationship between cellphone or Internet use and negative mental health outcomes among participants who reported they used these technologies simply to alleviate boredom (Computers in Human Behavior, Mayopens in new window).
Sleep apnea changes brain function, finds research from the University of California, Los Angeles. Scientists examined levels of the neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA in the brains of 14 patients with obstructive sleep apnea and 22 healthy controls. Participants with sleep apnea had higher levels of glutamate, which generally excites neural processes, and decreased levels of GABA, which generally inhibits them. These changes could alter the effectiveness of brain function, including the regulation of mood (Journal of Sleep Research, online Feb. 4opens in new window).
"Putting on a happy face" for kids may undermine parents' well-being and parent-child bonds, finds research conducted at the University of Toronto. In one experiment with 162 parents, investigators asked participants to recall past caregiving experiences. When parents recalled suppressing negative emotions and amplifying positive emotions while caregiving, they reported experiencing lower authenticity, emotional well-being, relationship quality and responsiveness to their children's needs (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Marchopens in new window).
A man's muscularity affects others' assessment of his leadership potential, according to research by scientists at Oklahoma State University and other universities. In one experiment, participants (both female and male) viewed photos of men on a computer screen and rated how much they admired each, held him in esteem and believed he would be a good leader. The physically strong men in the pictures were given higher status and perceived as better leaders than the men with less muscle (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Marchopens in new window).
Television exposure appears to have a direct link with female body ideals, finds research led by a Durham University psychologist. The scientists examined preferences for body size among more than 150 men and women from three different areas of Nicaragua: an urban area, a village with television access and a village with little television access. Participants viewed images of women's bodies and rated them for attractiveness. The researchers found that people from the village with the least media access were most attracted to women with higher body mass indexes, while people in the urban area preferred thinner female bodies (British Journal of Psychology, online Feb. 22opens in new window).
Teen girls' sexual identity does not always predict sexual behavior, according to a survey of 3,000 adolescent girls by researchers from the University of British Columbia and the City University of New York. About one in five self-identified lesbian teen girls who were sexually active had a recent male sex partner, compared with four in five bisexual teen girls who were sexually active. Lesbians were also significantly younger on average when they first had sex, compared with bisexual and heterosexual teens (Journal of Adolescent Health, Marchopens in new window).
Doing what's right rather than what's profitable at work may lead to mental exhaustion and abuse of employees, suggests a study out of Michigan State University. Researchers observed 172 supervisors in various sectors, including retail, education, manufacturing and health care, for several days. They found that managers who displayed ethical behavior experienced ego depletion and moral licensing, or the feeling that they had earned the right to act in a negative manner. This led them to ridicule, insult and express anger toward their employees the following day (Journal of Applied Psychology, online Feb. 11opens in new window).
Where we live affects our visual categorization of mixed-race people and attitude toward them, finds a study led by New York University psychologists. They asked participants to rapidly categorize the race — white or black — of computer-generated male faces that were shown one at a time on a computer screen. The faces were on a spectrum from black to mixed-race to white. The researchers found that white participants who lived in areas with less exposure to mixed-race people made abrupt and varied shifts in category boundaries between black and white faces. They also found that such responses predicted reduced trust of mixed-race people (Psychological Science, online March 14).
People may eat less when they hear their own chewing sounds, according to a study by researchers at Brigham Young University and Colorado State University. In the study, participants wore headphones playing either loud or quiet noise while they ate pretzels. When the noise was louder, it masked the sound of chewing, which researchers found led people to eat more — four pretzels on average compared with 2.75 pretzels for the quiet group. The results suggest that enhancing the salience of the sounds associated with eating food could help reduce consumption (Food Quality and Preference, online Feb. 19opens in new window).
Parents are more likely to give children with social and emotional difficulties mobile devices to calm them, according to an exploratory study conducted at Boston Medical Center. Researchers interviewed the parents of 144 healthy children ages 15 months to 36 months from low-income families about how likely they were to use a smartphone or tablet in different situations. The researchers found that parents were more likely to use devices to pacify children who were perceived as frequently showing difficult behavior than children who did not frequently show such behavior (JAMA Pediatrics, online Feb. 29opens in new window).
— Amy Novotney
