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The Boredom Scroll on Socials May Be Making Your Problem Worse
Puppies, dancing babies, celebrity soundbites: A common go-to salve for a bout of boredom is to swipe through videos on your social media platform of choice. But that habit is likely making your problem even worse, according to new research. ... To understand what you should take away from this study, it’s important to look further into what boredom really is, said Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center, an independent research organization. She was not involved in the research. “A study like this is easy to misinterpret as another mark against digital media, rather than to more usefully understand boredom as a motivational signal,” Rutledge said.
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Ghosting is Usually a Terrible Thing To Do. Here’s When It’s OK
You’re hitting it off with a new fling or friend when suddenly, they drop off the face of Earth without warning and with absolutely no explanation. You then realize you’ve been ghosted, perhaps vowing to never treat anyone how you were treated. ... On dating apps, ghosting can be a simple and efficient way to end one of multiple connections someone is simultaneously entertaining, said Dr. Rich Slatcher, a professor of psychology at the University of Georgia. The more anonymous someone is, the easier it is to dehumanize them, he said, and how much we owe someone, especially in the early stages, isn’t a universally agreed-upon concept. ...
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UCSF Researchers Asked if Therapy Can Address Childhood Trauma. A New Study’s Encouraging Results
Therapy may help prevent young children who’ve experienced trauma — such as domestic violence, the loss of a parent or caregiver or neighborhood violence — from developing related health problems later in life, according to a new UCSF study on Bay Area children. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Psychological Science, adds to the body of research on health impacts of childhood trauma and whether they can be mitigated — a topic of growing concern and investment among health care providers and policymakers.
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APS Comments on Framework for NIH Reform
On August 15, 2024, the Association for Psychological Science shared initial reactions and suggestions with the Energy and Commerce Committee.
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The World Isn’t Actually Going to Hell in a Handbasket
A lot about the world feels dark right now. We’re reeling from a turbulent presidential race. Processing an attempted assassination. Divided by protests—and a barrage of images on social media that feeds our anxieties. ... Mastroianni and a colleague, Harvard psychology professor Daniel Gilbert, tried to assess whether people think morality is declining, and then whether it actually is. “If we believe the worst in people, we treat them in terrible ways,” says Jamil Zaki, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, who has a book coming out on cynicism. “And then we bring out the worst in them.” His advice: Fact-check your assumptions about others.
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Here’s What Could Be a Sign of Future Cognitive Decline
Feeling as if you’re wandering aimlessly through life or like you’ve done all there is to do may carry harms more serious than unfulfilling days — it could be hurting your brain.
