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New Research From Clinical Psychological Science
A sample of research exploring depression and autobiographical memory, early response and sudden gains in a depression intervention, inflammatory proteins as predictors of change in depressive symptoms, and emotion displays and relationship formation in anxiety disorder.
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Contaminated Memories
I began exploring the intersection of memory and law after hearing the story of Penny Beerntsen, who was assaulted while running on a beach in 1985 — and who misidentified her assailant in the subsequent investigation. There’s a term for what she experienced: “memory contamination.” It’s when investigators influence an interview with a subject, resulting in inaccurate information. Moved by Ms. Beerntsen’s account as well as her openness about it, I wanted to help share her story more broadly. (Her case became well known when her misidentified assailant’s account was featured in the series “Making a Murderer;” the show does not include Ms.
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What’s So Funny? The Science of Why We Laugh
“How Many Psychologists Does It Take ... to Explain a Joke?” Many, it turns out. As psychologist Christian Jarrett noted in a 2013 article featuring that riddle as its title, scientists still struggle to explain exactly what makes people laugh. Indeed, the concept of humor is itself elusive. Although everyone understands intuitively what humor is, and dictionaries may define it simply as “the quality of being amusing,” it is difficult to define in a way that encompasses all its aspects.
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The Life-Changing Magic of Being Messy
You might have a “messy” friend or family member. You can’t help but sigh at the chaos of their room — clean and dirty laundry mixed together. Odds are it’ll be difficult to walk two feet without encountering an empty chip bag. Gross? Yes. Bad? Not necessarily. As a stereotypically “messy” person myself, I’ve received my own share of scorn. Living in a boarding school, I’m obligated to keep my room nice and tidy, ready for visitors and as a model to underclassmen. Monday room inspections are the norm, and faculty members have sometimes passively, sometimes aggressively, urged my roommate and me to clean up.
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Language patterns may predict psychosis
Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia can be highly disabling. An episode of psychosis involves experiences that aren’t based in reality. These can include hallucinations and delusions, such as feeling that people are trying to harm you. If researchers could identify when people with psychotic disorders are verging on psychosis, promising methods to delay or stop the process could be tested. Studies suggest that language patterns may help predict if someone is likely to experience psychosis. Drs. Neguine Rezaii, Elaine Walker, and Phillip Wolf of Emory University tested whether machine learning could help identify such patterns.
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People Who Are Attuned to Physical Signs of Stress Have Higher Well-Being
Being in sync with physical signs of stress is linked with greater psychological and physical well-being.
