emotional-intelligence

Across one cafeteria field experiment and three scenario-based studies, low-arousal background music was associated with a higher proportion of healthy food selections or stronger intentions to consume healthy foods than high-arousal music. In the scenario studies, perceived comprehension helped explain the relationship, while the final experiment found that both music conditions produced stronge…

The pressure to be perfect may intensify for kids once they get into high school -- especially for those labeled as "gifted," according to a new University of Georgia study.

Personal Perspective: How do you determine when your judgments about others are fair or just projections of something in yourself you don't recognize—like being selfish or competitive or angry?

Different types of thoughts are meaningfully tied to our emotional well-being. By understanding these connections, we can identify new ways to support and improve our mental health.

Sharing similar levels of comfort with physical affection is linked to better relationship well-being. A new study reveals that being on the same page about touch matters more in private settings than in public spaces.

IntroductionPrevious research has identified specific postures associated with different combinations of psychological arousal and valence. This study positioned psychological arousal and valence following different postures and movements within a two-dimensional affective space and exploratorily examined relative differences among conditions.MethodsTwenty university students (11 men and nine wom…

This paper proposes the **Self-Foundation Model** by reconsidering the structure of self-worth and psychological fulfillment through a basic question: **Where does a person place the value of the self?** External conditions such as approval from others, intimate relationships, social status, success, achievement, and income can enrich life. However, when they become primary conditions for psychol…

Hi readers! Shayla Love here, science journalist and longtime fan of Your Mileage May Vary. I’m honored to be subbing for Sigal Samuel while she’s out on parental leave. I’m diving into your questions as a way to help understand human nature and our choices through multiple lenses: philosophical, psychological, and beyond. Please send in any emotional, […]

Stand in front of Turner’s Sun Rising Over Water (1825-30) and something odd tends to happen. The painting holds you, even though observers might struggle to say why. Maybe it is the colour, the balance, the composition, or the strange stillness the artwork seems to carry. Whatever it is, you feel it long before you can explain why. And the stranger next to you, looking at the same canvas with th…

A new study challenges the idea that autism impairs empathy. While both groups read emotions similarly overall, autistic individuals are actually more accurate than non-autistic people at tracking the emotional valence of other autistic adults.

A new study finds you don't need to lift heavy to see mental health benefits. Researchers discovered that both standard and low-intensity strength training significantly reduced depressive symptoms in young women experiencing high levels of anxiety.

You don't have to run fast to reap the cognitive rewards of jogging. A new study found that just 10 minutes of super-slow running enhances mood and executive function.

You finish a lecture, a meeting, a conversation with someone you care about. And what do you do? You reach for your phone. You stick in your earbuds. You fire up a podcast, a playlist or whatever algorithmic feed is currently consuming your life. It feels productive. It feels like filling empty time. But here’s what may be happening: you have interrupted your brain mid-sentence. On supporting sci…

Neuropsychopharmacology, Published online: 11 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41386-026-02548-2 Forgiveness and transgression-related rumination in perimenopausal depression: a testable socio-affective hypothesis