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Got a Goal? A Helpful Partner Isn’t Always Helpful
Thinking about the support a significant other offers in pursuing goals can undermine the motivation to work toward those goals.
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Does Social Anxiety Disorder Respond to Psychotherapy? Brain Study Says Yes
When psychotherapy is helping someone get better, what does that change look like in the brain? This was the question a team of Canadian psychological scientists set out to investigate in patients suffering from social anxiety disorder. Their findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association of Psychological Science. Social anxiety is a common disorder, marked by overwhelming fears of interacting with others and expectations of being harshly judged. Medication and psychotherapy both help people with the disorder. But research on the neurological effects of psychotherapy has lagged far behind that on medication-induced changes in the brain.
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Young Children Choose to Share Prizes After Working Together
Grownups have a good sense of what's fair. Research now shows that this is true for young children, too. In a study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, three-year-old children shared with a peer after they worked together to earn a reward, even in situations where it would be easy for one child to keep all of the spoils for himself. The new study was inspired by work in chimpanzees that found their cooperation regularly breaks down.
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Look at Your Body to Reduce Pain
When you’re getting a flu shot or touching a thorny rose stem, simply looking at your body can actually reduce the pain, researchers have discovered.
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Personal Well-Being Is Linked to National Satisfaction, Especially When Times Are Tough
The country where you live can have a big impact on your life. A new study of people from 128 countries finds that the more satisfied people are with their country, the better they feel about their lives—especially people who have low incomes or live in relatively poor countries. The study, published in the latest issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, is based on a Gallup World Poll that reached about 1,000 people in each of 128 countries, obtaining a total of more than 130,000 responses.
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Thoughts of Hopes, Opportunities Keep People From Clinging to Failing Investments
It's a common problem in the business world—throwing good money after bad. People cling to bad investments, hoping that more time, effort, and money will rescue their turkey of a project. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that changing people's mindsets can make them more likely to abandon a failing investment. "These situations happen all the time," says Assistant Professor Daniel C. Molden, of Northwestern University, who conducted the study with his graduate student Chin Ming Hui.