cognitive-psychology

Anxiety and depression and often confused, but it is important to know the difference. Here are 10 ways to help you determine whether you are anxious or depressed—or both.

Researchers have discovered that damage to specific communication pathways in the brain makes it harder to suppress unwanted traumatic memories, leading to intense, "here-and-now" flashbacks for people with PTSD.

The popular book The Body Keeps the Score has mainstreamed the idea that the body stores repressed traumatic memories. However, memory researchers warn this controversial concept risks reviving debunked theories and promoting therapies that generate false memories.

The personality trait of perfectionism is linked to higher depression risk, a review of ten different studies finds. Perfectionists are often worried about making mistakes and tend to be highly self-critical. Feeling societal pressure to perform to a high standard, they often believe others are continually judging them. When perfectionists fail to meet their lofty standards, they tend to get depr…

What do narcissists and psychopaths actually value in life? A new meta-analysis reveals that people with "Dark Triad" personality traits are driven heavily by a desire for personal power and stimulation, while showing a strong aversion to helping others.

A recent study reveals a continuous cycle between an inflated ego and climbing the social ladder. While grandiose narcissism drives people to seek status, successfully gaining that status appears to fuel their narcissism even further.

Researchers followed 4,000+ children to assess their mental health at four different ages. A simple routine can help protect your child from distress – and just one day a week made a big difference.

A decades-old psychology test exposed a surprising weakness in AI’s ability to stay focused. A classic psychology test has revealed a surprising weakness in some of today’s most advanced artificial intelligence systems, suggesting that AI attention may work very differently from human attention. Researchers led by Suketu Patel investigated how large language models (LLMs), the [...]

As more than 40% of American teenagers report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, a leading child psychologist says grandparents and extended family have a vital role to play.

Using virtual reality, researchers found that children who take physical risks during playtime develop better hazard-assessment skills. The study highlights how a cultural embrace of adventurous play helps kids safely navigate complex real-world environments.

People who recognize the limits of their own knowledge are more open to negative feedback. A new psychological investigation reveals that intellectually humble individuals bypass defensive instincts and actively choose criticism that helps them grow.

Imagine feeling a knot in your stomach, or your heart racing, and being unable to...

Psychology offers both descriptive and analytical accounts of human experience and behavior. Science champions the latter.

A recent study reveals that negative feedback can actually boost women's creative performance. However, women who strongly identify with traditional feminine traits tend to struggle more after facing such criticism.

A three-year study of nearly 4,000 adults ranging from age 19 to 94 found that brain health can improve at any age, challenging the common belief that mental sharpness must decline as we get older. Participants spent just a few minutes a day on brain-training activities, and researchers found measurable gains across multiple aspects of brain health, including thinking clarity, emotional well-bein…

Learning a musical instrument later in life may help keep the brain younger for longer. In a four-year study, older adults who continued practicing maintained their memory performance and showed less age-related brain shrinkage than those who quit. The benefits were especially noticeable in brain regions tied to memory and learning.

We are fairly good at detecting our partner’s attachment style, but our own insecurities often bias our judgment. New research shows that when we perceive our partners as anxious, we naturally step up to offer more affection.

We tend to assume that emotionally charged words are more likely to grab our attention. An insult shouted across a crowded room or a disturbing phrase overheard on television can seem impossible to ignore. But a new study published in Psychological Science suggests the opposite may happen before words reach conscious awareness. Researchers at the […]

Most empathy research relies on static photos or written surveys. A new study recording natural, face-to-face conversations reveals that psychopathic traits disrupt how people physically and emotionally sync up with others in the real world.