PsyPost

A study involving children suffering from anxiety disorders and their parents found that greater emotion dysregulation in children was associated with greater family accommodation. In other words, children who were less able to regulate their emotional arousal tended to have families that made more changes in their behavior to help alleviate the children’s anxiety.

Researchers have found that applying a specific pattern of mild electrical stimulation to the brain can help individuals with high social anxiety better control their automatic avoidance behaviors. By synchronizing the rhythmic activity between the brain’s cognitive control and movement centers, the treatment improved participants’ ability to override their immediate emotional impulses. The findings from this small study were published in The Journal of Neuroscience.

A recent study suggests that the positive emotional states experienced during MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder might play a central role in helping patients recover. The findings indicate that although patients occasionally have full mystical experiences under the influence of the drug, these profound states do not seem to be the primary driver of symptom relief. The research was published in Journal of Psychopharmacology.

Young adults in the United States who support social causes due to internal moral convictions are more likely to anticipate staying engaged over time than those driven by a desire for social approval. Research published in Social Psychology Quarterly indicates that political ideology shapes these motivations, with liberals often acting from empathy and conservatives frequently relying on community approval.

People who eat more nuts tend to score higher on tests of thinking and memory, especially if they have generally poor diets or exercise habits. Among individuals who have experienced a stroke, eating nuts is linked to higher levels of a protein that helps grow new blood vessels. These findings, published in Food & Function, provide evidence that even small dietary additions might offer benefits for brain health.

Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder often face distinct challenges in maintaining sexual satisfaction and connection with their partners. A recent analysis of personal accounts from people with the condition revealed that characteristics such as a heightened need for novelty and difficulty regulating focus can deeply influence their intimate lives. The findings were published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

A recent study indicates that the tendency to become emotionally and mentally preoccupied with someone outside of a romantic relationship is driven by a complex mix of personality traits and relationship dynamics. The research suggests that this type of infidelity is not just tied to dark or impulsive personality traits, but also to generally positive characteristics like emotional sensitivity. The findings were published in Psychological Reports.

A person’s ability to maintain focus and resist distractions is embedded in the stable, large-scale dynamic rhythms of their brain. A new study published in PNAS reveals that individuals with better attention control naturally coordinate activity across major brain networks more effectively, both while resting and when cognitive demands rise. Attention control is the cognitive ability to concentrate on relevant information while filtering out distractions.

Adolescents who undergo gender-affirming chest surgery report low levels of regret and high levels of satisfaction, experiencing outcomes similar to those of young adults. These findings suggest that age restrictions on these medical procedures lack support from actual patient experiences. The research was published in the International Journal of Transgender Health.

When people are first diagnosed with a brain condition, they may not consider joining a choir to improve their wellbeing and regain their voice. But as our research shows, there’s a strong link between singing in a choir and self-reported quality of life for people with brain injuries and dementia – as high as for community choir members without communication disabilities.