How dopamine governs ongoing decisions
From the Salk Institute media release: Say you’re reaching for the fruit cup at a buffet, but at the last second you switch gears and grab a cupcake instead. Emotionally, your decision is a complex…
New research: Nine laws particularly effective in reducing underage drinking fatalities
From the NORC at the University of Chicago media release: New research reveals that nine laws designed to reduce underage drinking have been instrumental in saving more than 1,100 lives each year in the states that…
Are you a ‘harbinger of failure?’
From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology media release: Diet Crystal Pepsi. Frito Lay Lemonade. Watermelon-flavored Oreos. Through the years, the shelves of stores have been filled with products that turned out to be flops, failures, duds,…
Study examines effect of psychology on markets
From the Caltech press release via EurekAlert!: When it comes to economics versus psychology, score one for psychology. Economists argue that markets usually reflect rational behavior—that is, the dominant players in a market, such as…
Study suggests people prefer carrots to sticks when it comes to healthcare incentives
From the Association for Psychological Science press release via HealthCanal: To keep costs low, companies often incentivize healthy lifestyles. Now, new research suggests that how these incentives are framed — as benefits for healthy-weight people…
Study examines link between stress, brain and body weight
From the UC Davis press release via HealthCanal: It’s not just our imagination: We really do eat differently when we’re stressed. Nutritionists at UC Davis and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Western Human Nutrition Research…
Study suggests intuitive thinking does not promote cooperation
From the Linköping University press release via ScienceDaily: A study that was presented in Nature last year attracted a great deal of attention when it asserted that intuition promotes cooperation. But a group of researchers…
Study suggests sleep-deprived men over-perceive women’s sexual intent
From the American Academy of Sleep Medicine press release via ScienceDaily: A new study suggests that one night of sleep deprivation leads to an increase in men’s perceptions of both women’s interest in and intent…
Study examines addiction as a disorder of decision-making
From the Canadian Association for Neuroscience press release via EurekAlert!: New research shows that craving drugs such as nicotine can be visualized in specific regions of the brain that are implicated in determining the value…
Study finds predictors for risky sexual behaviour
From the International Communication Association press release via EurekAlert!: A recent study by a team of researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas found that risky sexual behavior can be predicted by cultural, socioeconomic…