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New Research From Clinical Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Clinical Psychological Science: A Unified Model of Depression: Integrating Clinical, Cognitive, Biological, and Evolutionary Perspectives Aaron T. Beck and Keith Bredemeier Over the last several decades, research in many domains has advanced the scientific understanding of different aspects of depression. The authors of this article aim to integrate these findings into a comprehensive theoretical account of the disorder. In this unified model, depression is conceptualized as an adaptation to the perceived loss of a vital resource.
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Five myths about suicide
The Washington Post: It populates our most ancient stories, spelling the ends of figures both infamous and innocent, from to Brutus to Judas to Juliet — but we still don’t fully understand suicide. Are the causes hereditary? How much does brain chemistry matter? What are the best ways to detect the impulse? Despite decades of research, scientists, clinicians and counselors are just beginning to unlock the mysteries of self-inflicted death. Sadly, the federal government currently allocates more money to problems like headaches, Lyme disease and lupus than to suicide, according to the National Institutes of Health; no other leading cause of death (in the United States, it is No.
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Raising a Child With Grit Can Mean Letting Her Quit
The New York Times: The rule at the “grit” expert Angela Duckworth’s house? You can quit. But you can’t quit on a hard day. Few parents who pick up Angela Duckworth’s book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance,” will be thinking about raising a quitter. But Dr. Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has some unexpected advice. “Quitting is essential, especially when you’re young,” said Dr. Duckworth, who was named a MacArthur “genius” in 2013 for her development of the concept of “grit”— the combination of determination and direction that drives some people to constantly work, improve and achieve.
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Why Coffee Shops Boost Concentration
New research might explain why many people who have the option of working from home readily swap out their pajamas for pants and their couch for a seat at the local coffee shop – sitting next to someone busily typing away can increase your own concentration and mental effort. In two experiments, Belgian psychological scientists Kobe Desender, Sarah Beurms, and Eva Van den Bussche demonstrated that -- under the right circumstances -- concentration can be contagious. “In the current study, we showed for the first time that the exertion of mental effort is contagious.
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When Daydreaming Becomes a Problem
The Wall Street Journal: Can daydreaming become extreme to the point where it impacts daily functioning? It is a controversial notion, but Eli Somer, a clinical professor of psychology at the University of Haifa in Israel, believes extreme daydreaming—when individuals immerse themselves in vivid alternative universes which they prefer to reality—should be considered a mental disorder with a clinical diagnosis and treatment options. ... Eric Klinger, a professor emeritus in the psychology discipline at the University of Minnesota, Morris, doesn’t believe there is currently enough evidence suggesting that maladaptive daydreaming should be its own separate mental condition.
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The real reason some people end up with partners who are way more attractive
The Washington Post: You’ve probably come across those couples where one partner is significantly more attractive than the other. It’s often fodder for fictional comedy – think of oafish Homer and demure Marge in "The Simpsons," Peter and Lois Griffin in "Family Guy," or this fake article in the Onion. In real life, of course, it’s also a source of pain for some couples, who may be hurt and embarrassed to hear that their partner “could do so much better than you.” While there are all kinds of variations within partners, mixed-attractiveness couples do go somewhat against the grain.
