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Why Is Dining Alone So Difficult?
... The assumption that people need to be coupled or grouped goes beyond restaurants, said Bella DePaulo, a social psychologist in Summerland, Calif., and the author of the 2023 book “Single at Heart: The Power, Freedom and Heart-Filling Joy of Single Life.” Scientists have long examined the negative impacts of solitude, but studies on how it can be a peaceful, self-esteem-building experience are rarer, she said. The 2025 World Happiness Report, published last week by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, suggests that solitary activities, including solo meals, can lead to depression and shorter life expectancies. Dr.
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Kindness Will Make You Happier Than a Higher Salary
The world may feel cold, scary and cruel, but if you are open to seeing it, there is a lot of kindness, according to a new report. ... “Even though the world feels like it’s a pretty difficult place right now, it is nice to know that people are engaging in kind and generous acts,” said Dr. Lara Aknin, professor of social psychology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and an editor of the World Happiness Report.
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A.D.H.D. Videos on TikTok Are Often Misleading, New Study Finds
On TikTok, misinformation about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be tricky to spot, according to a new study. ... “The data are alarming,” said Stephen P. Hinshaw, a professor of psychology and an expert in A.D.H.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in either study. The themes of the videos might easily resonate with viewers, he added, but “accurate diagnosis takes access, time and money.”
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New Research From Clinical Psychological Science
A sample of research on motivation and pleasure deficits, rural suicide, the role of affective cognition in trauma and PTSD-related drinking, and much more.
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Understanding Addiction: A General Liability or Unique Disorder?
Podcast: Is there a single explanation that accounts for all addictive behaviors, or is the reality more complex? Under the Cortex explores.
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The Good News About Anxiety
... “Having a child, getting a new job, winning a sports game or performing in front of people — those are all stressful,” says Jeremy Jamieson, a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester who researches stress. “If we didn’t engage with stress, if we just tried to avoid it, we really wouldn’t do anything that was innovative.” Research on both humans and monkeys has found that enduring a small number of adverse events, such as a loved one’s illness or a parent’s divorce, can result in better mental health than experiencing either lots of adversity — or no adversity at all.
