Psychology
- Brain
Study challenges safety for teens of two depression drugs
Scientists reanalyze data on the safety of common drugs to treat depression and find that they don’t seem to help teens. Worse, the drugs may harm them.
- Psychology
Friends’ good moods can be contagious
Good mental health spreads through teen social networks, but depression doesn’t, a new study finds.
- Brain
Childhood stress can leave changes in the adult brain
A new study finds that young men who had experienced lots of stress early in life carried a lasting legacy — changes in the size and shape of their brains.
- Health & Medicine
Vaping can lead to teen smoking, new study finds
A study in L.A. high school students finds that those who vape are much more likely than those who don’t to eventually take up smoking cigarettes.
- Math
New math: Fail + try again = real learning
Hands-on instruction by trial and error is gaining traction. Kids really can learn mightily from their mistakes.
- Brain
Back off, bullies!
Mental health is another reason to stop bullies. Victims of bullying are more likely to develop anxiety problems than are victims of abuse or neglect, a new study finds.
- Health & Medicine
Stress for success
Stress and anxiety can lead to serious mental and behavioral problems. Identifying stressors can help people cope with anxiety. Even better, viewing stress as a strength can tone down anxious feelings and boost productivity.
- Psychology
Scientists Say: Pareidolia
We often see things that aren’t there, such as bunnies in clouds or faces in toast. They aren’t real, but they do have a special name
- Brain
The distracted teenage brain
Teens often show poor judgment in decision-making. Scientists have long blamed this on the fact that their brains are still developing. A new study offers another explanation: distractions form rewarding behaviors — ones that persist even after the reward itself has disappeared.
- Health & Medicine
The media’s dangerous influence on body image
A study found how powerful TV and ad messages can be in distorting the attitudes about body image among young girls in Fiji.
- Health & Medicine
Watch out: Cell phones can be addictive
Smartphones and Facebook are convenient. New research shows that for some people they also can become dangerously addictive.
- Brain
Mistakes: A key to learning
This man uses a robotic arm to move a cursor across a computer screen. The screen blocks his view of his hand and arm. This focuses his attention on any errors he makes as he tries to move a cursor to a target location.
