Psychology

  1. Health & Medicine

    The sour side of artificial sweeteners

    A new study found that saccharin alters the gut microbiome of mice and produces insulin resistance, but it’s not the first to show the sour side of diet drinks.

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  2. Psychology

    Balancing the excitation and inhibition tightrope in depression

    A new study looks at how a balance of positive and negative inputs in the lateral habenula might relate to disappointment and depression.

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  3. Planetary Science

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    Readers discuss sources of stress in everyday life and tell us what they think about NASA's plan to nab an asteroid.

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  4. Anthropology

    Strategy, not habitat loss, leads chimps to kill rivals

    Human impacts on chimpanzees have not increased their violence.

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  5. Psychology

    Training the overweight brain to abstain

    A new study shows that brain changes are associated with a weight-loss behavioral intervention, but it may be a while before we can train our brains to prefer peppers over pork chops.

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  6. Psychology

    In PTSD, a good night’s sleep means feeling safe

    Studies of PTSD in rats have usually focused on fear and trauma. But a new study in humans shows that learning about safety may be important as well.

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  7. Psychology

    People see own good but gossip about others’ misdeeds

    Daily cellphone surveys probe the gap between the focus on personal virtue and negative chatter.

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  8. Earth

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    Readers discuss Tibetan genetics, how Saharan dust built the Bahamas and why people don't like being left alone with their thoughts.

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  9. Psychology

    Simple rules can ease complex financial decisions

    Straightforward strategies, known as heuristics, can be indispensable tools for keeping credit card debt in check as well as for making complex business decisions.

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  10. Psychology

    Walking in sync makes enemies seem less scary

    Men who walk in sync may begin to think of their enemies as weaker and smaller, a new study suggests.

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  11. Psychology

    Hypothesis on evolution of PMS attracts hostility

    A new hypothesis states that PMS is evolutionarily useful for making women leave an infertile partnership. But other scientists question whether the hypothesis is reasonable or, in fact, even necessary.

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  12. Psychology

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    Readers way in on slacktivism, cockroaches, dinosaur tracks and more.

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