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Why Some Soldiers Develop PTSD While Others Don’t
Pre-war vulnerability is just as important as combat-related trauma in predicting whether veterans’ symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will be long-lasting, according to new research published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Researcher Bruce Dohrenwend and colleagues at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health and the New York State Psychiatric Institute found that traumatic experiences during combat predicted the onset of the full complement of symptoms, known as the PTSD “syndrome,” in Vietnam veterans.
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Why Can Some Kids Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart?
The New York Times: Noah Muthler took his first state standardized test in third grade at the Spring Cove Elementary School in Roaring Spring, Pa. It was a miserable experience, said his mother, Kathleen Muthler. He was a good student in a program for gifted children. But, Muthler said, “he was crying in my arms the night before the test, saying: ‘I’m not ready, Mom. They didn’t teach us everything that will be on the test.’ ” In fourth grade, he was upset the whole week before the exam. “He manifests it physically,” his mother said. “He got headaches and stomachaches.
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Positive family climate in teen years linked to happy marriage
Business Standard: Psychological scientist Robert Ackerman of the University of Texas at Dallas and colleagues wanted to examine whether positive interpersonal behaviours in families might also have long-lasting associations with future relationships. The researchers examined longitudinal data from individuals participating in the Iowa Youth and Families Project. Family interactions were assessed when the participants were in 7th grade. The interactions were coded for five indicators of positive engagement: listener responsiveness, assertiveness, prosocial behaviour, effective communication, and warmth-support. Read the whole story: Business Standard
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Wise Beyond Their Years: What Babies Really Know
The Wall Street Journal: Infants as young as 6 months are capable of making predictions based on probability, a higher level of reasoning than is commonly believed possible, researchers have found. When shown a range of facial expressions, children as young as 7 months cast the longest gaze on the fearful face, similar to adult behavior, which scientists say signals an early sign of emotional processing. ... "The baby brain is a mystery, waiting to be unpeeled. It's full of secrets waiting to be uncovered," says Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, at the University of Washington in Seattle.
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With Age Comes Happiness
TIME: Wisdom may come with age, but does happiness follow suit? Some studies show that the elderly may be more prone to depression and loneliness, which can lead to higher rates of unhappiness, not a surprise given the health and emotional challenges that tend to accompany aging. But increasing, more and more studies suggest that happiness may actually rise after middle age — at least when scientists take into account some of the non-biological factors that can influence reports of contentment.
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Fear Of Cantaloupes And Crumpets? A ‘Phobia’ Rises From The Web
NPR: Four years ago, my husband revealed one of his more peculiar qualities: He's freaked out by the sight of sliced cantaloupe. The melon seeds, all clustered together, make his skin itch and his stomach churn. Then he gets obsessed and can't stop talking about it. Research psychologist Arnold Wilkins at the U.K.'s University of Essex has been investigating the phenomenon, and he thinks he might know what's going on. In images that set off this repulsion, the pattern of contrast is similar to that found in photographs of extremely poisonous animals — like box jellyfish, king cobras and Brazilian wandering spiders.
