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New Content From Perspectives on Psychological Science
A sample of articles on transmission versus truth, sensory-motor disorders in autism spectrum disorders, the diminished state-space theory of human aging, and much more.
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New ‘Unconscious’ Therapies Could Help Treat Phobias
If you’re terrified of spiders, a psychiatrist might suggest facing your fears through seeing pictures or getting close to the real thing—not just one time but over and over. For someone with arachnophobia, this sounds like a worst nightmare. ... Another technique, called “decoded neurofeedback,” or DecNef, involves coaxing people to produce brain activity corresponding to a fear without showing them the fear-causing stimulus itself.
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New Research Finds Trans Teens Have High Satisfaction With Gender Care
A study published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics finds that transgender teenagers who have pursued medical interventions like puberty blockers and hormones are highly satisfied with their care. “Regret was very rare,” says lead author Kristina Olson, a psychology professor at Princeton University. It’s the latest research from the TransYouth Project, which Olson started in 2013, when transgender youth was a fairly obscure research area, far from the political limelight. Back then, “our team was interested in recruiting a group of kids who were socially transitioning,” she explains, meaning they started using new pronouns and names and clothes in childhood, between age 3 and 12.
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Deanna Barch Wins 2024 Sarnat Prize in Mental Health
APS Fellow Deanna Barch, a professor of psychology and radiology and Vice Dean of Research at Washington University in St. Louis, has been awarded the 2024 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health.
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Use This Perfect 3-Word Response When Someone Hurts Your Feelings
... A cutting comment can make you feel “diminished,” says June Tangney, a psychology professor at George Mason University whose research focuses on shame and guilt. “The times we feel hurt, it’s typically when we feel rejected or criticized or put down in some way, and that’s not so much embarrassment as it is shame,” she says. “And sometimes when people feel shame they do buy into the notion that they are flawed in some way.” This is when anger and conflict can creep into the picture. “Hurt feelings [can] elicit aggression, but I think hidden in there is this sense of being rejected and being found wanting,” Tangney says.
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Stress Isn’t All Bad. Here’s When It Can Help
No one gets a free pass when it comes to stress. We all experience it, and though chronic stress can take its toll on our health, there are situations when stress can be beneficial. ... Your stress response can be your body’s way of preparing to rise to a challenge, explains Jeremy Jamieson, a psychologist at the University of Rochester. He studies how stress responses can be “optimized.” ... When it comes to stress, “context matters,” says researcher Wendy Berry Mendes, a professor of psychology at Yale University. There are different types of stress responses and different types of stress.
