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Forcing a Smile Using Electrical Stimulation Can Boost Your Mood
The expression “a smile a day keeps the blues away” may have some credence beyond the realm of greeting card messages. The lingering question of whether a smile or frown lifts or depresses emotion has persisted for decades and is still actively debated. ... The idea that the body plays a role in shaping how people feel and perceive the world is “old and fascinating,” says Sebastian Korb, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Essex in England and senior author of the research, which was published in Emotion.
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AI Analysis of Body Camera Videos Offers a Data-Driven Approach to Police Reform
A decade ago then president Barack Obama proposed spending $75 million over three years to help states buy police body cameras to expand their use. The move came in the wake of the killing of teenager Michael Brown, for which no body camera footage existed, and was designed to increase transparency and build trust between police and the people they served. ... Only a small number of police agencies have opened their databases to researchers so far. But if this footage were analyzed routinely, it would be a “real game changer,” says Jennifer Eberhardt, a Stanford University psychologist, who pioneered this line of research.
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How Soulmate Parenting Can Lead to Parent-Child Estrangement
It’s easy to sympathize with both my patient and her son. With the son for having suffered more than he might have with earlier intervention. With the mother for believing she had failed him and creating a potential end to their relationship. ... Consider, for example, recent research by Jean Twenge or Jonathan Haidt, who showed that Gen Z — those born between 1998 and 2012 — are more at risk for depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and actual suicide than the generations preceding them.
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Rumour Has It, Gossip Isn’t Always Negative
Tittle-tattle, scuttlebutt, dishing the dirt, spilling the tea: Whatever you call it. there's no doubt gossip can be seductive. Gossip has long had a bad reputation and gossipers have been seen as untrustworthy. But does gossip have another function? And can it play a more positive role in our lives?
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Exhaustion At Work Can Lead to Difficulty Controlling Emotions, Scientists Say
If a hard day in the office leaves you crabby and uncooperative, you may have an excuse: scientists say exercising self-restraint can exhaust parts of the brain related to decision-making and impulse control, leaving you less able to manage your behaviour towards others. ... Michael Inzlicht, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto who was not involved in the study, urged caution noting most of the behavioural results did not show significant effects, while the connection between brain and behaviour was not strong. “These are interesting results and are consistent with a commonsense view of fatigue,” he said.
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Why Humans Cry
... Why some people cry more than others Much of that difference is likely to be the result of societal pressures and gender norms, experts say. Consider the fact that little boys and girls cry about the same amount, said Jonathan Rottenberg, a professor of psychology at Cornell University. Only over time does a tearful gender gap start to emerge. Part of the reason may be that society largely teaches boys the importance of being tough. “Boys might inhibit their crying for fear of violating a gender stereotype,” Dr. Rottenberg said.
