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What Makes a Friendship Last Forever?
There are many flavors of friendship. Most U.S. adults say they have pals who fit into specific niches in their lives, like gym friends or work friends. These relationships may come and go as life circumstances change, fading away when someone switches jobs or loses interest in a shared hobby. ...
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Do You Have a Case of the ‘September Scaries?’
If January is the Monday of the calendar year, then summer is clearly its weekend — June is its Friday, July its Saturday and August its lazy, delicious, fretful Sunday. Which is why so many of us currently find ourselves in the grips of the “September Scaries.” ... You could also try “microdosing” a few September tasks this week, said Christian Waugh, a professor of psychology at Wake Forest University who studies positive coping mechanisms. Slow transitions are always easier than rapid ones, he said. He also recommended ditching the “good-bad dichotomy” of summer fun versus September obligation.
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‘Button’ Dogs Do Understand Words — And Not Just From Their Humans
Videos of “button dogs” often go viral on social media as they tap soundboards with prerecorded words such as “walk,” “park” or “mom.” But are the pets really communicating or are they just well-trained? ... Clive D.L. Wynne, professor of psychology and director of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University, said dog cognition differs from how humans perceive words. “From the dogs’ behavior, the researchers deduced that the dogs ‘understood’ what words related to going outside and playing meant, but not the words for food,” he said.
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What Superfans Know That the Rest of Us Should Learn
... After all, so many of us lack community. Data from Cigna finds 58% of Americans are lonely. Religion is fading. Work doesn’t love us back. Maybe letting ourselves be obsessed with that highly specific and possibly weird thing we love is the answer. ... Loneliness, meanwhile, is like thirst, says Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience who directs the Social Connection & Health Lab at Brigham Young University. We’re social beings, biologically wired to crave being part of a group. If that’s gone, our mental and physical health can suffer, she says, leading to depression, Type 2 diabetes, even early death.
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Misinformation vs. Disinformation: What the Terms Mean and the Effects They Have
Loose lips sink ships − especially when they're not telling the truth. Spotting misinformation can be difficult, especially on an information super-highway like the internet. ... "There is a myriad of consequences: From cynicism of government, the media, and science, to behaviors that harm individuals and others ... to large scale damage to public property, to insurrection," Dolores Albarracin, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois who studies attitudes, communication and behavior told USA TODAY in 2021. ...
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Why Humans are Drawn to Extremely Spicy or Sour Foods — Even if They Hurt
For some, foods that generate pain can trigger an adrenaline rush, similar to watching a horror movie. ... In both cases, the brain can override the initial pain reaction. Paul Rozin, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, attributes this override to humans’ ability to differentiate between serious and “benign” pain. Eating moderate amounts of spice is generally safe, he said, but even so, the body treats it as a health threat. “That’s where the pleasure comes, from the fact that you’re overriding your body’s signal not to do this,” Rozin said.
