Study looks at why people make high-risk decisions
From the Johns Hopkins University press release: Picture yourself at a Las Vegas poker table, holding a bad hand — one with a very low chance of winning. Even so, the sight of the large…
Study suggests the human brain works backwards to retrieve memories
From the University of Birmingham press release: When we remember a past event, the human brain reconstructs that experience in reverse order, according to a new study at the University of Birmingham. Understanding more precisely…
Study looks at how words get an emotional meaning
From the University of Göttingen press release: Many objects and people in everyday life have an emotional meaning. A pair of wool socks, for example, has an emotional value if it was the last thing…
Study looks at how the brain enables us to rapidly focus attention
From the University of Queensland press release: University of Queensland researchers have discovered a key mechanism in the brain that may underlie our ability to rapidly focus attention. Our brains are continuously bombarded with information…
Study suggests a tilt of the head facilitates social engagement
From the University of California – Santa Cruz press release: Every time we look at a face, we take in a flood of information effortlessly: age, gender, race, expression, the direction of our subject’s gaze,…
Study suggests human brain allocates attention based on known size of objects
From the George Washington University press release: A stop sign at an intersection appears to be larger than a parked car across the street. Is our brain playing tricks on us? Researchers at the George…
Study suggests brain activity predicts fear of pain
From the Society for Neuroscience press release: Researchers applied a machine learning technique that could potentially translate patterns of activity in fear-processing brain regions into scores on questionnaires used to assess a patient’s fear of pain.…
Study looks at how brain reacts to hearing scary sound
From the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory press release: How is it that a sound can send a chill down your spine? By observing individual brain cells of mice, scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL)…
Study suggests mothers whose responses to infants’ facial cues increase report stronger bonds with babies
From the Society for Research in Child Development press release: The transition to motherhood triggers changes in mothers’ brain structure that may facilitate bonding with their infants. While many studies have focused on the postpartum…
Study explores the neural underpinnings of “cute aggression”
From the University of California – Riverside press release: Have you ever looked at a puppy and had the urge to squeeze or even bite it? Or felt compelled to pinch a baby’s cheeks, albeit…