-
Facing the Holidays Without Family Ties or the Romantic Partner of Your Dreams?
While the holiday season is often a time rich with cheer, sentiment, love and family connections, it can also be a painful reminder of what once was or what many other people have but you don’t. ... In such a transition, there’s no requirement to have the holidays look or feel the same as they always have, said Dr. Adam Brown, clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at The New School for Social Research in New York.
-
This 1 Tiny To-Do Can Boost Your Happiness Today
When a task isn’t urgent, it’s easy to keep procrastinating. Scheduling a doctor’s appointment or dusting your bookshelf can end up sitting on a to-do list for days, even weeks, despite taking only a few minutes to complete. ... Procrastinating on small responsibilities doesn’t mean you’re lazy, says Joseph Ferrari, a psychology professor at DePaul University in Chicago and the author of “Still Procrastinating: The No-Regrets Guide to Getting it Done.” People are wired to avoid unpleasant experiences. “We are good at putting off things that we think could be aversive,” Ferrari says.
-
Imagine a Drug That Feels Like Tylenol and Works Like OxyContin
Doctors have long taken for granted a devil’s bargain: Relieving intense pain, such as that caused by surgery and traumatic injury, risks inducing the sort of pleasure that could leave patients addicted. Opioids are among the most powerful, if not the most powerful, pain medications ever known, but for many years they have been a source of staggering morbidity and mortality. ... Neuroscientists I spoke with who were not involved in the study told me that the findings, if confirmed in future research, have the potential to meaningfully change pain medicine. Eric J.
-
Call for Submissions: Consortium of European Research on Emotion Grenoble 2025
Location: Grenoble, FranceSubmission Deadline: 1 February 2025 Submissions are now open for the 10th Consortium of European Research on Emotion (CERE) Conference, hosted by Université Grenoble Alpes on 16–18 July 2025. CERE serves as a leading platform for showcasing cutting-edge research on emotion, fostering interdisciplinary exchange across Europe and beyond. The consortium encourages contributions from scholars engaged in empirically grounded theoretical work across diverse disciplines, including but not limited to psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, sociology, linguistics, affective computing, history, and anthropology.
-
How Acceptance Can Help With ATAR Anxiety as School Leavers Wait for Results
With exams over and schoolies celebrations wrapping up, the countdown is on for year 12s to find out how they performed — and whether they'll get into their dream university courses. Students will receive their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) in mid-December, with a number between 0 and 99.95 indicating how their marks compared to their peers'. For some it can feel as though this number will define the success of their entire 13 years of school. Psychology researcher Ella Moeck from the University of Adelaide said it was normal for students to feel anxious while waiting for their ATAR. "Our brains really don't like uncertainty," she said.
-
Doing Good is Good For You, Research Shows
If you want to increase your happiness and well-being, spend your money, time or energy on someone else. Research consistently finds that acts of altruism, such as donating money, volunteering or giving blood, benefit both the receiver and the giver — even when the giver does not expect anything in return. “Finding joy in helping others is fundamental to who we are as a species,” said Elizabeth Dunn, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia. ...
