Psychology Headlines Around the World

Source: PBS News Hour Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ supporters took to the streets of Romania and Bulgaria's capitals Saturday for Pride parades against a backdrop of rising opposition from conservative groups in the Orthodox Christian countries. Marchers waved colorful flags, blew whistles, and called for equality. Romania and Bulgaria do not recognize same-sex marriage or civil partnerships, desp…

Source: Science Daily - Top Health A three-year study of nearly 4,000 adults aged 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 gains across multiple aspects of brain health, including thinking clarity, emotion…

Source: United Nations News The U.N. human rights office has launched a Global Alliance for Human Rights, a broad international coalition aimed at placing the issue at the heart of decision-making, when conflict levels have reached a record high amid deepening inequality and accelerating climate change. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk unveiled the initiative in Geneva, describ…

Source: Politico Energy and Climate Oil industry allies are quietly targeting a field of climate research that could cost fossil fuel companies billions of dollars. In the crosshairs is a forthcoming report from the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examining how corporate climate pollution is intensifying natural disasters. As Exxon Mobil and other energy giants are …

Source: United Nations News Gender equality agency U.N. Women is "gravely concerned" by the arrest of at least 30 women in Afghanistan last weekend for violating dress requirements imposed by Taliban authorities. The women allegedly violated decrees that include a requirement to wear a burka or chador with a face mask and a ban on perfume, according to U.N. independent human rights experts on Thu…

Source: DW- top stories Cities are especially prone to extreme heat, experiencing days when the sidewalks seem to cook like a stove and nights when it's a struggle to sleep. Densely built urban areas, with their paved roads and limited green spaces, are heat islands that can be up to 30 degrees hotter than surrounding rural areas. That extra heat harms public health, contributing to nearly half a…

Source: Science Daily - Top Health Researchers gave top AI models a classic attention test used in psychology and found a major flaw. The test was a Stroop task that presents color words such as "red" and "blue" in colors that sometimes match the word and sometimes differ (e.g., the word "red" printed in blue ink). AI models correctly named the ink color when given short word lists but struggled …

Source: Science Daily - Top Health "Chemo brain" affects up to 80% of people receiving chemotherapy, making everyday tasks harder. In a new trial, cancer patients who followed a home-based exercise program showed better attention and fewer noticeable cognitive problems than those who received a placebo. Low-dose ibuprofen also improved some cognitive measures, though its effects were less consist…

Source: PsyPost When young Americans use dating apps, young Americans tend to reject potential partners from opposing political parties much more strongly than they prefer those who share their own political views. A new study published in the European Sociological Review suggests that this political dealbreaker is mostly driven by assumptions about a potential partner's lifestyle and whether fam…

Source: United Press International - Health News U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, introduced a bill Monday that seeks to limit the Department of Defense's use of artificial intelligence in lethal strikes. The Human Authority in Lethal Operations Act would establish guardrails and oversight for the use of autonomous and semi-autonomous weapons and surveillance systems that use AI.…

Source: PsyPost Psychological differences between men and women generally tend to be tiny, but a new study found that combining multiple small psychological differences can accurately predict a person's sex roughly 80% of the time. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, suggest that combined differences in cognition, personality, and interests may partly explain why certain occupations an…

Source: The Guardian - Climate Crisis A record-shattering drought has racked much of the U.S. But the artificial intelligence industry is pushing ahead regardless, with the majority of planned data centers set to be built in drought-ridden locations, a Guardian analysis has found. About two-thirds of upcoming data centers—which typically require a large amount of water to operate—are set to be bu…

Source: PsyPost Antisemitism involves prejudice, discrimination, and hostility aimed at Jewish people, and a new psychological model suggests that a belief in excessive Jewish power fuels antisemitism across opposite ends of the political and ideological spectrum. The findings, published in The American Psychologist, indicate that different educational and social interventions might be needed to …

Source: PsyPost New research suggests that people often assume that others are much more likely to lie and cheat than they actually are. The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, found that individuals overestimate the dishonesty of their peers by a wide margin. Providing accurate information about honesty levels tends to reduce support for heavy workplace surveillanc…

Source: Google News - Health President Donald Trump is planning to meet the bosses of top artificial intelligence companies at the White House next week to discuss the government taking a financial stake in their future. Speaking on Air Force One, Trump said the goal of the U.S. government investing in AI companies was to "create almost a partnership with the American public." He compared such in…

Source: United Press International - Health News Artificial intelligence company Anthropic issued a warning about systems that can improve themselves and said that humans need a way to intervene when necessary. AI systems will soon be able to better themselves—known as "full-recursive self-improvement"—which has many benefits in areas such as health care and science. But just like science fiction…

Source: DW- top stories Since the beginning of June, German Ikea stores hold Quiet Hours 5-7 pm on Wednesdays—with dimmer lights, no music, and no sales announcements over loudspeakers. "We want the Quiet Hour to provide relief for people with invisible disabilities. Their nervous systems are often permanently overwhelmed, which is why we'd like to provide them with moments of relief," said Rebec…

Source: United Press International - Health News American public support for LGBTQ+ rights has fallen slightly over the past few years, with 65% showing support for same-sex marriage now as opposed to 71% in 2022-2023, a Gallup poll released Wednesday shows. The percentage of U.S. residents saying that gay or lesbian relations are "morally acceptable" also fell to 62%—the lowest level since 2016.…

Source: Association for Psychological Science Scams are now one of the most common crimes in the world. In the UK, for example, scams accounts for 40% of all reported crimes. A 2024 study by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance reports that about half of the world's population is faced with a scam solicitation at least once a week. And the cost of scams worldwide is thought to be more than $5 trillion a…

Source: APA Monitor Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medications, which include the drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, have been used to treat diabetes since 2005. But the drugs gained prominence when the FDA approved their use for weight loss, and celebrities from Oprah Winfrey to Elon Musk started touting them. As of November 2025, 18% of U.S. adults had taken a GLP-1 and 12% reported cu…