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How Does Pregnancy Change the Brain? Clues Are Emerging.
Research is revealing intriguing clues about how pregnancy changes the brain. ... Dr. Ronald Dahl, director of the Institute of Human Development at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the new study, said the emerging research reflected the key role of hormones in transitions like puberty and pregnancy, guiding neurological shifts in priorities and motivations. “There is that sense that it’s affecting so many of these systems,” he said.
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New Research From Clinical Psychological Science
A sample of research on parent reinforcement and relationship behaviors, global well-being and mental health, predicting transdiagnostic symptom change across diverse demographic groups, and much more.
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End-of-Day Meltdowns Are Not Just for Kids
It’s been a while since I really fell to pieces at the end of a long day. But I know the feeling, and I instantly recognized it when a colleague with young children told me about a concept called “after-school restraint collapse.” ... Could it be that adults do this, too? Absolutely, said Kathryn Humphreys, an associate professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt University — though we’re more likely to be irritable or tense than to throw an all-out tantrum. That said, we might pick a fight with another member of our household, she added.
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This Chatbot Pulls People Away From Conspiracy Theories
Shortly after generative artificial intelligence hit the mainstream, researchers warned that chatbots would create a dire problem: As disinformation became easier to create, conspiracy theories would spread rampantly. Now, researchers wonder if chatbots might also offer a solution. ... The new findings challenge the widely held belief that facts and logic cannot combat conspiracy theories. The DebunkBot, built on the technology that underlies ChatGPT, may offer a practical way to channel facts. “The work does overturn a lot of how we thought about conspiracies,” said Gordon Pennycook, a psychology professor at Cornell University and author of the study.
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Whole Foods CEO Swears By 1 Productivity-boosting Strategy: ‘I Don’t Get Stuck in Meeting After Meeting’
Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel has one primary tactic that keeps him productive, he says: time blocking. ... Having a packed calendar can lead to less productivity, according to Yale University psychology professor Laurie Santos. Feeling too busy can cause worse job performance and burnout, she said at the South by Southwest festival in March. “I think we feel strapped for time because we think working ... as much as we work all the time is essential for achieving the things we want to achieve in life,” Santos said. To stave off this problem, Santos recommended giving yourself more time to work uninterrupted while not packing your calendar to the brim with agenda items.
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Teen Brains ‘Aged’ During Covid Lockdowns, New Research Suggests
“The pandemic was dramatic and unexpected, of course, but dramatic and catastrophic in a way, not only for physical health, but mental health,” said lead researcher Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington. Covid lockdowns, such as school closures, canceled sports activities and stay-at-home orders, prematurely aged teen brains by as much as four years, researchers from the University of Washington found. ... Lead researcher Patricia Kuhl, co-director of I-LABS, said that after Covid lockdowns began in 2020, they couldn’t do brain scan follow-ups until 2021.
