News tagged with psychological science

Study: To get the best look at a person's face, look just below the eyes

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. However, to get a real idea of what a person is up to, according to UC Santa Barbara researchers Miguel Eckstein and Matt Peterson, the best place to check ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Nov 26, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (12) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Wandering minds associated with aging cells

Scientific studies have suggested that a wandering mind indicates unhappiness, whereas a mind that is present in the moment indicates well-being. Now, a preliminary UCSF study suggests a possible link between mind wandering ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Nov 16, 2012 | popularity 3.1 / 5 (7) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Sugar boosts self-control, study says

(Medical Xpress)—To boost self-control, gargle sugar water. According to a study co-authored by University of Georgia professor of psychology Leonard Martin published Oct. 22 in Psychological Science, a mouth rinse with g ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Nov 07, 2012 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (11) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Researchers find thinking in a foreign language causes people to make more rational decisions

(Medical Xpress) -- While at first glance it might seem irrational, researchers from the University of Chicago have found that people who speak two languages tend to make more rational decisions when thinking in their non-native ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 25, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (15) | comments 2 | with audio podcast report

How stress influences disease: Research reveals inflammation as the culprit

Stress wreaks havoc on the mind and body. For example, psychological stress is associated with greater risk for depression, heart disease and infectious diseases. But, until now, it has not been clear exactly how stress influences ...

Immunology created Apr 02, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (12) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

Brain can be trained in compassion, study shows

Until now, little was scientifically known about the human potential to cultivate compassion—the emotional state of caring for people who are suffering in a way that motivates altruistic behavior.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 22, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Study shows how bilinguals switch between languages

(Medical Xpress)—Individuals who learn two languages at an early age seem to switch back and forth between separate "sound systems" for each language, according to new research conducted at the University of Arizona.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 20, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

High-testosterone competitors more likely to choose red

Why do so many sports players and athletes choose to wear the color red when they compete? A new study to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that it may ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 16, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Political motivations may have evolutionary links to physical strength

Men's upper-body strength predicts their political opinions on economic redistribution, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 15, 2013 | popularity 3.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

When deciding how to bet, less detailed information may be better

People are worse at predicting whether a sports team will win, lose, or tie when they bet on the final score than when they bet on the overall outcome, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journa ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 13, 2013 | popularity 2 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Early math and reading ability linked to job and income in adulthood

Math and reading ability at age 7 may be linked with socioeconomic status several decades later, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The ch ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Studies show women find men more attractive if they hold a guitar

(Medical Xpress)—Two independent studies have found that women find men more attractive if they are holding a guitar. The first one, conducted by researchers in France was based on a young man asking strangers ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 08, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (4) | comments 14 | with audio podcast report

Theta brainwaves reflect ability to beat built-in bias

Vertebrates are predisposed to act to gain rewards, and to lay low to avoid punishment. Try to teach chickens to back away from food in order to obtain it, and you'll fail, as researchers did in 1986. But ...

Neuroscience created May 07, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Older adults' memory lapses linked to problems processing everyday events

Some memory problems common to older adults may stem from an inability to segment daily life into discrete experiences, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psycho ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 07, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Weight gain linked with personality trait changes

People who gain weight are more likely to give in to temptations but also are more thoughtful about their actions, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Scienc ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 06, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Psychology

Psychology (Greek: Ψυχολογία, lit. "study of the mind", from ψυχή psukhē "breath, spirit, soul"; and -λογία, -logia "study of") is an academic and applied discipline involving the systematic, and often scientific, study of human/animal mental functions and behavior. Occasionally, in addition or opposition to employing the scientific method, it also relies on symbolic interpretation and critical analysis, although it often does so less prominently than other social sciences such as sociology. Psychologists study such phenomena as perception, cognition, attention, emotion, motivation, personality, behavior and interpersonal relationships. Some, especially depth psychologists, also study the unconscious mind.

Psychological knowledge is applied to various spheres of human activity, including issues related to everyday life—such as family, education and employment—and to the treatment of mental health problems. Psychologists attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and social behavior, while also exploring the underlying physiological and neurological processes. Psychology includes many sub-fields of study and applications concerned with such areas as human development, sports, health, industry, media and law. Psychology incorporates research from the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. A professional theorist or practitioner of psychology is called a psychologist.

For more information about Psychology, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Related topics: psychologists , brain , children , people , women