Category Archive: Health Psychology and Public Health

Your Brain on Ads: Ground breaking research by UCLA researchers

brain

Dr. Matt Lieberman and former Psych in Action blogger Dr. Emily Falk are getting a lot of attention for their paper in Psychological Science that found that the specific brain regions that were activated while viewing health related advertisements predicted the ad’s success in the population at large — even though the viewers were not aware …

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Is all risk taking bad?

He that is over-cautious will accomplish little. Friedrich Von Schiller German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright Individuals who psychologists describe as “risk takers” are generally identified as being at-risk for a number of dangerous or maladaptive behaviors, including high risk sex, gambling, substance use disorders. However, frequent or high risk takers may be a heterogeneous …

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The Politics of Eating and Exercising: Are We Getting It Right?

baby watermelon

Eat healthier. Exercise. Our culture is currently full of messages telling us to change our habits, to turn us into a leaner, healthier society. While these messages are easier said than done, they’re perfectly warranted: The Centers for Disease Control reports that childhood obesity has tripled since the 1970s. So what can we do to …

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How We See Food

Buffet

I’m not a great cook, but I know what I like. Or do I? Research from Brian Wansink and colleagues may challenge our ideas about how we think of food. How do we behave at buffets? Can a clever name really encourage us to eat something ordinary? Will placement of food at a cafeteria really …

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Exercise to cure depression: why moderated effects are so helpful

One of the areas of research I’m interested in is exercise. Most of us are aware that exercise benefits our well-being. It helps keeps our heart strong, maintain a healthy weight, and combat stress. However, is exercise so good it works as well as pharmaceuticals? The more radical exercise evangelicals claim it can. Some assert …

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How Self-Regulation Works

Self-regulation is an extremely important skill to develop.  In fact, as I am writing this post, with no outside person or institution forcing me to do, on a vacation day when it is sunny outside, I am demonstrating formidable self-regulation.  I believe that teaching children, and adults, how to self-regulate is one of the best …

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Do Animals Suffer Like People?

woman and dog

Imagine walking into a room filled with people crying. They are all wearing black; makeup running; tissues clutched hard in their hands. Instinctively, you too are overcome by the grief that is flowing through the room, knowing the cause of their misery and empathizing with their suffering.

‘Tis the Season for Giving!

giving

It’s that time of year again, where malls and websites (and hopefully some local businesses, too!) are overrun with holiday shoppers hoping to score the perfect gift to give a loved one. But why are we so obsessed with finding that perfect present? Recent research by Tristen Inagaki, a fourth year graduate student in the …

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How do ethnic and family identities affect adolescents in immigrant families?

In recent decades, the United States has seen a dramatic rise in immigration from Latin American and Asian countries, which has raised questions (and staunch political opinions) about how immigration policies affect everyday life for U.S. citizens.  However, equally important questions concern how living in America affects the immigrant families themselves.  What exactly is life like for …

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It’s the Season of Eating, Should We Be Concerned?

food

Co-authored by Nicole Yu and Alexandra Dupont The candy and treat gorging associated with Halloween has come and gone but the holiday season of eating has just started.  This leaves many of us excited, yet concerned about our fitness and maintaining a healthy weight.  As tempting food surrounds us this season, it is not uncommon …

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