How does stress impact your health? That question has been studied intensely by psychoneuroimmunology researchers for over 30 years. Vaccines, wound healing, and chronic diseases are some of the ways researchers have measured our immune system health. …
We all use a variety of clues to figure out whether a person we’re interacting with is going to like us. After all, being rejected hurts, and we typically would rather not pursue a friendship with someone who might reject us. To determine whether we’re …
I am getting my PhD in Health Psychology but I don’t always tell people that when they ask. Sometimes I just fill in health psychology with a phrase that I think explains what I study better, like biological psychology, behavioral science, or just to m …
A man who can not control his blood sugar levels (he’s diabetic) comes into a medical clinic with gangrene so aggressive that people in the clinic hallway can smell his rotting flesh. This is the story Dr. Pauline W. Chen writes about in her NY Times H …
If you’re considering a graduate degree in psychology, you may be wondering about how to tackle the potentially daunting application process. However, some key information can help to demystify the process and get you through this critical step in purs …
Here are some additional tips for becoming involved with undergraduate research: 1. Reaching Out to Graduate Teaching Assistants Do you have a favorite psychology subject course that you have taken? Try talking with the Graduate Student Teaching Assist …
Yesterday the American Psychological Association passed a resolution supporting full marriage equality for same-sex couples by a unanimous vote of 157-0. Although the full text of the resolution is not yet available, the APA has supported same-sex marr …
There are many features to consider when choosing a field. Just to name a few: job security, hours, quality of life, and pay. A recent report from Perspectives on Psychological Science reviewed one of these factors for individuals who received psycholo …
It’s an age-old refrain — adults claim that kids today are completely different from when they were growing up, usually for the worse. And that claim often extends to the TV shows that kids are exposed to – more sex, less depth, endless shows about ce …
The color red is commonly used to caution us. Used prominently in alerts ranging from stop signs to warning labels, we generally associate red with some kind of threat or danger. Some have even suggested that athletes whose team color is red dominate m …
Social scientists have long debated the “true” nature of sexual orientation. In the past, this debate has been characterized as another example of the classic battle of nature vs. nurture/biology vs. society. Today, most acknowledge that a simplistic t …
If you’ve been following the news lately, you may have read about the FDA’s new cigarette warning labels. Beginning in September of 2012, cigarette packages will begin to have warning labels that include pictures and will be displayed much more promine …
My lab at UCLA has been in the news twice recently, which is very exciting for us! You may have seen this article in the NYTimes last week or this interview on CBS’ The Early Show this morning. Both stories are about perceptual learning and its applica …
This post was first published on parenting in the digital age. Phones are being used by teens for sexual exploration via the exchange of sexually suggestive content (sexting). Sexting includes explicit text, and nude or semi-nude personal pictures or …
Information is the lifeblood of investigations and it is the ability of investigators to obtain useful and accurate information from witnesses that is most crucial. Yet full and accurate memory recall is difficult to achieve. The Cognitive Interview …
While the media buzz surrounding the 2012 Presidential Election is just starting up, now is as good a time as any to think about how effective political advertisements really are at influencing our candidate choices. Every election season, political c …
Consider the photograph on the left. Can you tell how this man is feeling? According to a recent study by Drs. David Neal and Tanya Chartrand, if you’ve recently undergone Botox treatment, you may be impaired in your ability to do so. The study is in p …
The world of research can be scary if you don’t know how to navigate the many fields and labs. But luckily a few tips can really demystify the process! 1. To get involved you may want to check out some resources that describe the different areas of res …
An article in The Economist this week – “Think yourself better” – examined the effectiveness of alternative medical treatments such as acupuncture, crystal healing, Reiki channelling, and herbal remedies. Alternative medicine a booming business. Surv …
Throw out what you learned in 9th grade biology class. The age old idea that your genetic profile is static and there is nothing you can do to change the DNA hand you’ve been dealt, is likely not true. A new article in the American Psychological Associ …
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in childhood. In fact, estimates of the rates of ADHD had found that between 5-10 percent of all children meet diagnostic criteria for the disorder. Childre …