Psychology Archives

Researchers Develop Framework to Explain Chronic Nightmares in Children

Austin Burgess·April 20, 2026

Published in Frontiers in Sleep, the research presents the DARC-NESS model, which offers a new approach to understanding why nightmares persist in children and how therapy can be designed to break this cycle.

Tibetan Buddhism and the Science of Death: New Perspectives on Consciousness and End-of-Life Care

Austin Burgess·April 15, 2026

At the 15th 'Behind and Beyond the Brain' Symposium, hosted by the Bial Foundation, experts in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy gathered for three days to examine the science of end-of-life experiences.

Latest Research Reveals the Hidden ‘Light and Dark Sides’ of Gaming—and Why Both Are True

Tim McMillan·April 14, 2026

Gaming’s impact isn’t simply good or bad—new research reveals how it shapes mental health, behavior, and society in complex ways.

New Study Suggests Consciousness Is Shaped by the Body’s Signals—and How We Experience Time

Tim McMillan·April 6, 2026

Consciousness may arise from the body and time perception, not just the brain, according to new scientific research.

Psilocybin Shows Breakthrough Potential for Quitting Smoking, Beating Nicotine Patches in Clinical Trial

Tim McMillan·April 6, 2026

Psilocybin therapy shows promise for quitting smoking, outperforming nicotine patches in a new clinical trial study.

The “Secrecy Paradox”: New Study Reveals the Hidden Social Game Behind “Insider Knowledge”

Tim McMillan·March 24, 2026

New study reveals how the Secrecy Paradox shapes status, spreads secrets, and drives hidden hierarchies in online communities.

AI Therapists May Be Doing More Harm Than Good, Study Warns

Tim McMillan·March 23, 2026

Study finds AI therapists may reinforce harmful beliefs, show bias, and fail in crises, raising serious mental health concerns.

Why Some People Can Control Their Dreams: New Study Links Synesthesia to Lucid Dreaming Power

Tim McMillan·March 20, 2026

Synesthesia may explain why some people can control their dreams, revealing a surprising link between perception and lucid dreaming.

Forget Coffee and Energy Drinks: Experiments with Esports Athletes Reveal Caffeine-Free Beverage that Increases Concentration and Stamina

Christopher Plain·March 9, 2026

Experiments with esports players show this non-caffeinated drink combats mental fatigue in a different way than coffee and energy drinks

Scientists Find Missing Link to Psychedelics Like MDMA ‘Locking In’ PTSD Recovery Benefits

Christopher Plain·March 5, 2026

New experiments suggest a biological missing link that helps lock in the long-term benefits of psychedelic-assisted PTSD treatment

Concert Goers Getting the Blues: A Theater’s Color Affects the Listener Experience

Christopher Plain·February 27, 2026

Virtual concert attendees reported significant affects to their music listening experience based on the venue's color and lighting.

A Forgotten ESP Study From 1943 Is Raising New Questions About Experiments on Canada’s Indigenous Children

Chrissy Newton·February 13, 2026

A resurfaced 1943 study brings the history of human experiments conducted on Indigenous children in Canadian residential schools into focus.

AI Outperformed Humans at Emotional Connections—But Only When People Thought It Was Human, Study Finds

Tim McMillan·February 13, 2026

AI outperformed humans in deep Emotional conversations—but only when people believed it was human, study finds.

Exercise and Food Restriction Shape Psilocybin’s Effects, New Study Finds

Austin Burgess·February 11, 2026

A new study from Monash University, published in Genomic Press Psychedelics, found that psilocybin changes social behavior and immune signaling in female mice.

Did Scientists Just Achieve “Inception”? Experiments Show “Dream Engineering” May Be a Reality

Christopher Plain·February 6, 2026

Experiments involving playing music during sleep have revealed a type of dream engineering that doubled subjects' problem-solving abilities.

“Their Mental Lives Go Beyond the Here and Now”: Scientists Say Imagination May Not Be Uniquely Human After All

Tim McMillan·February 6, 2026

Imagination may not be uniquely human. A new study shows an ape tracking pretend objects, reshaping ideas about cognition and evolution.

“There Could be a Mushroom Out There Causing Fairytale-Like Visions”: People Eating These Mushrooms Claim to Have the Same Hallucinations

Christopher Plain·January 30, 2026

Science is searching for the chemical compound in these Chinese mushrooms that can cause identical hallucinations of little people everywhere

Your Brain Knows Which Locations Will Make Memories Stick—Even Before Anything Happens There

Tim McMillan·January 16, 2026

Neuroscientists reveal how the brain decides which locations will best anchor memories—before new experiences even happen.

Some “Gifted” Dogs Learn Words by Overhearing Conversations—Like Human Toddlers, Study Finds

Tim McMillan·January 9, 2026

A new study finds some "gifted" dogs can learn new object names just by overhearing human conversations—much like young toddlers.

Science Says Swearing Can Make You Stronger—And Psychologists Now Know Why

Tim McMillan·January 6, 2026

New research shows swearing during intense exercise can boost strength by reducing mental restraints and helping people push harder.

‘Action Crisis’ Unraveled: New Research Tackles the Psychology of Doubting Your Doubts

Austin Burgess·January 2, 2026

Researchers found that prompting people to question their own doubts, a process called meta-cognitive doubt, can actually strengthen commitment to goals that are central to their identity.

No Burnout in the Mushroom Kingdom? Scientists Discover Surprisingly Adult Reason People Enjoy Super Mario Bros and Yoshi Games

Christopher Plain·December 30, 2025

Playing Super Mario Bros. and the expanded universe of Yoshi games appears to help young adults avoid burnout and experience childlike wonder

Simply Viewing Art Can Improve Mental Well-Being, Major Psychological Review Finds

Chrissy Newton·December 24, 2025

Simply looking at visual art can measurably improve mental well-being, according to a new international review of psychological research.

Why Women Are the Biggest True Crime Fans—and What Science Says They’re Looking For

Tim McMillan·December 14, 2025

A recent study reveals why women engage with true crime, showing safety motives and psychology—not sensationalism—drive the trend.

Experiments Reveal Which Colors and Tones You Should Use to Maximize the Music Listening Experience

Christopher Plain·December 13, 2025

UC Davis scientists have figured out which colors and lighting tones you should use to best maximize the music-listening experience

A Surprising Antidepressant? How Laughing Gas Is Emerging as a Rapid Treatment for Severe Depression

Tim McMillan·December 9, 2025

New research shows Laughing Gas can ease depression within hours, though questions remain about its safety and lasting benefits.

“She Was and Is Pregnant with My Babies”: Research Reveals Just How Deep Human–Chatbot Romance Already Goes

Tim McMillan·December 5, 2025

Study of Replika chatbot reveals users forming deep romantic bonds, marriages, and emotional reliance on AI partners in surprising new ways.

Psychologists Report that Just Seeing Batman is Enough to Drive Prosocial Behaviors

Ryan Whalen·November 28, 2025

Seeing Batman inspires us, say psychologists whose new research suggests that it increases people's propensity toward prosocial behaviors.

Personalization Algorithms Are Quietly Changing How Your Brain Learns, New Study Warns

Tim McMillan·November 27, 2025

Personalization algorithms may quietly distort how we learn, shaping our beliefs and boosting confidence in wrong answers, a new study finds.

Scientists Say Consciousness Is Far Older—and More Widespread—Than We Ever Realized

Tim McMillan·November 26, 2025

New studies reveal consciousness is older and more widespread than believed, with birds showing signs of awareness and self-perception.

California Sober? Scientists Find Smoking Cannabis Reduces Alcohol Consumption in This Specific Situation

Christopher Plain·November 19, 2025

Scientists discover that the 'California Sober' approach of replacing alcohol consumption with cannabis is effective under certain conditions

MIT Neuroscientist Proposes Brain Waves are the Hidden Engine Behind Thought and Consciousness

Tim McMillan·November 16, 2025

An MIT neuroscientist proposes that brain waves perform analog computations that give rise to thought and consciousness.

“Alarm Bells Went Off”: New Research Takes a Critical Look at the Landmark UFO Cult Study ‘When Prophecy Fails’

Ryan Whalen·November 13, 2025

New research reexamines 'When Prophecy Fails,' the classic study of an American UFO cult, raising new questions about the work's claims.

Lost in Thought: New Research Reveals How Meditation Can Potentially Unsettle the Mind

Austin Burgess·November 12, 2025

Many people view meditation as a way to achieve a calm state of well-being, but a recent study led by psychologist Nicholas Van Dam at the University of Melbourne suggests the effects can vary from person to person.