Top Psychology Stories

Latest Psychology News

Mental Distraction Provides Pain Relief

A new study reveals that mental distractions can reduce the amount of pain an individual experiences. The study appears online in Current Biology. The researchers asked study participants to complete either a difficult or easy memory task while a pain…

Brain Cells Found In Monkeys That May Be Linked To Self-Awareness And Empathy In Humans

The anterior insular cortex is a small brain region that plays a crucial role in human self-awareness and in related neuropsychiatric disorders. A unique cell type – the von Economo neuron (VEN) – is located there. For a long time, the VEN was assumed …

Climate Of Anger And Marital Disagreements

How good are married couples at recognizing each other’s emotions during conflicts? In general, pretty good, according to a study by a Baylor University researcher. But if your partner is angry, that might tell more about the overall climate of your ma…

Short ‘Tarantula’ Therapy Helps People With Spider Phobia

A single brief therapy session for adults with a lifelong debilitating spider phobia resulted in lasting changes to the brain’s response to fear. The therapy was so successful, the adults were able to touch or hold a tarantula in their bare hands six m…

Discoveries into perception via popular magic tricks

Researchers have unveiled how and why the public perceives some magic tricks in recent studies that could have real-world implications in military tactics, marketing and sports.

Wrongful convictions can be reduced through science, but tradeoffs exist

Many of the wrongful convictions identified in a report this week hinged on a misidentified culprit — now, scientific research reveals the paradox of reforms in eyewitness identification procedure. In our efforts to ensure good guys don’t get locked u…