http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—Conservatives are happier than liberals because of their strong ties to a large network of social groups, according to a study from The University of Queensland. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-conservatism-source-happiness.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:36:32 EST news279797785 An article from John Appleby, Chief Economist at the Kings Fund, published on BMJ website today brings attention to the rising amount of those expected to live to 100 and asks where it will end. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-percent-girls-born-milestone.html Health Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:30:07 EST news278098150 It is often assumed that those on low incomes and with low levels of education are overly represented in the major increase in obesity of recent decades. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-obesity-epidemic-threatens-health-social.html Overweight and Obesity Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:37:30 EST news271939039 Women with high family support and limited pressure to achieve the 'thin and beautiful' ideal have a more positive body image. That's according to a new study looking at five factors that may help young women to be more positive about their bodies, in the context of a society where discontent with appearance is common among women. The work by Dr. Shannon Snapp, from the University of Arizona in the US, and colleagues is published online in Springer's journal, Sex Roles. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-factors-positive-body-image-women.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 09 May 2012 12:13:23 EST news255784378 Girls are not as good at playing football as boys, and they do not have a clue about cars. Instead they know better how to dance and do not get into mischief as often as boys. Prejudices like these are cultivated from early childhood onwards by everyone. "Approximately at the age of three to four years children start to prefer children of the same sex, and later the same ethnic group or nationality," Prof. Dr. Andreas Beelmann of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) states. This is part of an entirely normal personality development, the director of the Institute for Psychology explains. "It only gets problematic when the more positive evaluation of the own social group, which is adopted automatically in the course of identity formation, at some point reverts into bias and discrimination against others," Beelmann continues. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-psychologists-prejudices-children.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:10:01 EST news246880855 Research into the 2011 London riots found they were mostly committed by antisocial persons, less than 20% of whom were explicitly gang members. This is because gang membership is primarily for the most antisocial of such persons . New research has identified extreme antisocial personality as a key reason why some criminals join gangs. Even within criminals, some find it harder to get along with others, and the most antisocial, being socially excluded, seek out others as a way of fitting in and making friends with people like themselves. These persons form gangs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-extreme-antisocial-personality-gang-membership.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:10:58 EST news240055852 Prejudiced attitudes are based on generalised suppositions about certain social groups and could well be a personality trait. Researchers at the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU) have confirmed the link between two types of discriminatory behaviour: sexism and racism. They also advise of the need for education in encouraging equality. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-sexism-racism-similar-mental.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:13:14 EST news239969586 Women's bias against male strangers increases when women are fertile, suggesting prejudice may be partly fueled by genetics, according to a study by Michigan State University psychology researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-prejudice-linked-women-menstrual.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:59:04 EST news227955519 High school is a turbulent time for adolescents. Every parent knows these are the years when teens begin to spread their wings, develop their own self-awareness and confirm their identification with specific social groups and cultures. In short, they find their niche. But a new finding out of UCLA shows there is one aspect of their lives that basically stays the course — religion. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-teens-religion.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 20 Jun 2011 07:40:37 EST news227774411