Research in brief

Snapshots of peer-reviewed studies in psychological science and related fields

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woman smiling

Beliefs and intentions link self-control with healthy behaviors
young person with headphones

Friends may influence prejudice toward outgroups, and more scientific findings

graphic of people reading news on a smartphone

In Brief: Ethical reasoning may curb desire to share ‘fake news’ and more scientific findings

Eyewitness identification bias, PTSD treatment dropout, and more scientific findings

Summaries of research from psychology and related fields.

Shared positive emotions, stress relief, experiencing awe, and more scientific findings

Among other things, research finds that spending time with a partner may boost a person’s emotional and physiological states, young children connect praise being given with the work being praised, and watching videos with inspirational stories may have stress-relieving effects on par with listening to guided meditations.

In Brief: Sense of purpose in life may preserve cognitive function, and more scientific findings

Summaries of research from psychology and related fields.

Research in brief

What people share at work—and how it’s received—matters more than most people think. Plus many more research highlights.

Research in brief

People considered good tend to be happier, and acting in line with one’s values may boost sense of life satisfaction and purpose. Plus many more research highlights.

Sense of purpose in life may preserve cognitive function, and more scientific findings

People in one-sided romantic attachments to celebrities can experience jealousy when the targeted individual begins a real-life romance. Plus many more research highlights.

Perception bias, volunteering vs. family care, loneliness

People often misperceive the values and beliefs of those with whom they are close and assume they see things the same way. Plus many more research highlights.

Exercise and cognition, active learning, negotiation gender gap

For most people, any kind of exercise (even one-time workouts) has immediate benefits for cognitive functioning. Plus many more research highlights.

Learning to play, social media addiction, short-circuiting suicidal ideation

Children whose mothers balance sensitivity and responsiveness in play appear to be more likely to show the same skills with their friends. Plus many more research highlights.

Trust in health advice, aging and knowledge depth, mood and behavior change

Research with individuals in 5 countries shows greater trust with scientists than governments for practical health advice. Plus many more research highlights.