🗣️ New research suggests framing political discussions around what you oppose rather than what you support can make others more receptive to your views.

🤔 Experiments with over 10,000 participants showed that messages highlighting opposition, even with minor wording changes, were more likely to be read and considered by those with differing opinions.

🔬 The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology on December 15, 2025, highlights how small shifts in language can have significant implications for bridging ideological divides.

#PoliticalCommunication #Psychology #Research

🔬 A University of Helsinki research group is developing a drug called vatinoxan to improve the safety and reduce suffering for laboratory animals under anaesthesia, potentially preventing issues like bulging eyes in rats.

🩸 Vatinoxan shows promise in balancing vital functions during sedation in rodents, improving tissue oxygenation and inhibiting increases in blood glucose and excessive urine output, thus enhancing research reliability.

🤝 Studies suggest that laboratory animals like rats and mice adapt well to human handling when done competently and on their terms, which can also improve research findings and animal welfare.

🐭 Future research will expand from rats to mice in doctoral projects launched in early 2026, with initial findings indicating that the benefits of vatinoxan are replicable in mice, though optimal doses differ between species.

#AnimalWelfare #Research #VeterinaryMedicine

🥗 A September 10, 2026 study in npj Science of Food found that less arousing background music in a university cafeteria was linked to a slightly higher share of healthier food choices (a difference of 5.35 percentage points).

💡 The research involved 911 items sold over eight days, classifying "healthy" as vegetable-rich dishes and grilled/baked/steamed fish and white meat, while fried foods and processed meats were categorized differently.

🤔 While scenario experiments showed participants intended to choose healthier foods more often with less stimulating music, the study's authors emphasize this reflects intentions, not actual consumption, and the real-world effect observed was small and limited to one location.

#FoodScience #Health #Research

💡 A study published on 25/04/26 analyzed 448 participants (M=26.4 years) using Structural Equation Models to explore the links between emotion dysregulation, dissociation, and maladaptive personality traits on suicidal ideation.

📊 The Dysregulation Model found emotion modulation linked to active suicidal ideation, while the Dissociative Model connected somatoform dissociation with both active and passive suicidal ideation.

🧠 The Full Model showed psychoticism associated with somatoform dissociation and negative affectivity, and disinhibition linked to emotion modulation, with indirect effects mediating the link from traits to suicidal ideation.

🤝 The integrated model suggests a transdiagnostic approach to suicide risk, emphasizing the need to address emotion regulation and dissociative symptoms for prevention.

#SuicidePrevention #MentalHealth #Research

✨ A recent study published in the Journal of Open Inquiry in the Behavioral Sciences found that most "harmful" words flagged by institutional guides are not perceived as offensive by the general public. Researchers tested 175 word pairs and found that while alternatives were slightly preferred, the targeted words were generally rated as acceptable.

✨ In a second experiment, 334 adults read a short story containing either the flagged words or their alternatives. No significant differences were found in psychological well-being, anxiety levels, or emotional states between the groups, even for participants from marginalized groups.

✨ The study, led by Michael A. Eskenazi of Stetson University, suggests that banning ambiguously targeted words may not be effective and could even be misguided. The findings indicate that language evolves, and words can lose their original derogatory meanings over time.

#Language #Psychology #Research

⚖️ VCU Research (Sept. 18, 2026) finds anti-transgender legislation causes psychological distress, even in states with supportive laws. This anxiety can be more impactful than personal discrimination experiences.

😟 Over 2,000 discriminatory laws have been proposed since 2020, limiting access to healthcare, public facilities, and sports. Survey data from 346 transgender and gender-diverse adults in early 2024 revealed a strong link between psychological distress and anxiety over such legislation.

🤝 Community and familial support equally buffer psychological distress, highlighting the importance of non-familial connections for transgender individuals' mental wellness.

#TransRights #MentalHealth #Research

❤️ Chronic inflammation, linked to lifestyle and socioeconomic factors, is causing structural heart damage and increasing heart attack/stroke risk by 43% in the highest-inflammation group (top 20%) vs. lowest (bottom 20%), according to a study of ~480,000 UK adults by LMS and Imperial College London, published Sep 18, 2026.

🔬 This hidden damage, including thickened heart walls and smaller chambers, can appear years before symptoms. Researchers identified inflammatory proteins (interleukin-1, TNF families) as potential drivers, with drugs targeting these in trials.

🗣️ Professor Declan O’Regan highlights how social factors, mental health, smoking, and obesity are linked to inflammation and heart damage, noting genetic susceptibility also plays a role.

#HeartHealth #Inflammation #Research

🧠 People with severe mental illness die over 10 years earlier than the general population, with males facing a 12-year gap and females a 10-year gap.

📊 While mortality rates have improved for mental health patients over 14 years, inequality persists, particularly for those with psychoses like schizophrenia, whose mortality rates have flatlined.

🏥 Research led by The University of Queensland found that preventable physical health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, are the main cause of earlier deaths, driven by complex care needs and medication side effects.

#MentalHealth #HealthInequality #Research

* 😠 People with unconscious self-doubt or a big difference between their conscious and unconscious self-worth spot subtle signs of anger and disgust faster.

* 😞 This heightened sensitivity to potential rejection is linked to poorer relationships with others.

* 💡 New research suggests that automatic self-evaluations, not just conscious feelings, play a key role in how quickly we detect social cues.

#SelfEsteem #Psychology #Research

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💡 UNSW has detailed information on undergraduate and postgraduate study options, including online courses and graduate research.

🎓 Prospective students can find details on application processes, fees, and scholarships for domestic and international applicants.

🤝 UNSW actively seeks partnerships with industry, government, and the community, offering opportunities for collaboration and engagement.

#UNSW #HigherEducation #Research

* 🏛️ A new study reveals that strong personal commitment to liberal democratic principles can help voters resist politicians who threaten democratic rules, even when party loyalty is high.

* 📊 Research led by Christopher Claassen, involving 5,951 participants across the US, Poland, and South Korea, found that backing for core institutions like free speech and the rule of law was the most consistent predictor of choosing pro-democratic candidates in simulated elections.

* ⚖️ Even in challenging scenarios where a voter might choose between a pro-democratic candidate from an opposing party and an anti-democratic candidate from their own, support for liberal democracy increased the likelihood of choosing the pro-democratic option by 2-12 percentage points.

#Democracy #PoliticalScience #Research

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🔬 New research reveals misfolded tau proteins in Alzheimer's and CBD can "seed" healthy tau in the brain, causing it to misfold identically.

🔬 Structural biologist Sjors Scheres and neuroscientist Michel Goedert led a study where human tau from Alzheimer's/CBD patients was injected into mice, resulting in their own tau proteins replicating the specific misfolded structures.

🔬 These findings, published in Nature, suggest that distinct tau protein architectures can propagate disease pathology, mirroring aspects of prion disease mechanisms, though tauopathies are not infectious.

#Neuroscience #Alzheimers #Research

🌙 People with evening chronotypes face a 1.7-fold increased risk of needing a disability pension compared to morning types. This research, published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, analyzed data from Finnish adults.

📈 This increased risk was observed in individuals classified as "night owls" at age 46, with the effect persisting over a 12-year follow-up, even after accounting for socioeconomic factors.

🩺 The study suggests that poorer health, potentially linked to lifestyle choices and disrupted body clocks leading to sleep problems, is the main reason for this higher rate of disability pensions among evening types.

#Health #WorkLife #Research

❤️ Childhood family environment significantly impacts midlife health. Research from the University of Turku found that being an only child is linked to a less favourable profile of cardiovascular disease risk factors throughout life.

🚭 Exposure to parental smoking during childhood negatively affects cardiovascular health and cognitive performance even in middle age. Specifically, episodic memory, working memory, and learning were weaker in those exposed to second-hand smoke.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The number of siblings plays a role in cardiovascular and metabolic health. Only children showed higher body mass index and lower physical activity in childhood, leading to higher rates of obesity and high blood pressure in adulthood.

#Health #Research #Finland

* 🧐 A review of 111 studies found that stronger cravings and sexual shame were most strongly linked to problematic pornography use, with average correlations of 0.54. Depression (0.32), emotion dysregulation (0.29), moral disapproval (0.27), and loneliness (0.23) were also associated.

* 📊 The strength of these links varied significantly across studies, partly due to different ways problematic use was measured (focusing on loss of control versus emotional distress).

* 📚 The systematic review and meta-analysis, published in Addictive Behaviors Reports by Sonay Sheikhi and colleagues, combined data from 121,728 participants, with most studies conducted online between 2017 and 2025.

#PornographyUse #MentalHealth #Research

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⭐ New research published in Psychological Reports suggests individuals with strong celebrity admiration tend to be more deferential to authority and attached to traditional norms.

⭐ The study, led by Ho Huynh, found that intense celebrity admiration consistently predicted right-wing conservatism and traditionalism, even after accounting for general political orientation and demographics.

⭐ While celebrity admiration was linked to conservatism and traditionalism, it was not robustly associated with authoritarian aggression (the demand for strict punishment of rule-breakers), which the researchers see as a positive limitation.

#CelebrityCulture #Psychology #Research

⭐ Intense celebrity admiration is linked to a greater preference for established social order and traditional norms, according to new research published in Psychological Reports.

⭐ The study, led by Ho Huynh, found that strong emotional attachment to celebrities consistently predicts right-wing conservatism and traditionalism, even after controlling for political orientation and demographics.

⭐ While celebrity admiration was linked to the conservatism and traditionalism dimensions of right-wing authoritarianism, the link to authoritarian aggression (demand for strict punishment) was not robust, suggesting limits to this association.

#CelebrityCulture #Psychology #Research

🇮🇹 Study of 579 Italian adults in heterosexual relationships published in Sexuality & Culture reveals men report orgasms more often than women.

🔗 Greater orgasm frequency for both genders linked to increased arousal, diverse sexual activities, and higher sex drive.

👩‍❤️‍👨 Women's orgasm frequency shows stronger ties to sexual satisfaction and oral sex, while men's is linked to sex toys and erotic media.

#Sexuality #OrgasmGap #Research

* 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 **Singles' Life Satisfaction Remains High:** New research tracking 2,930 adults over 11 years (2009-2021) found that the vast majority of never-married, unpartnered individuals reported high and stable life satisfaction, regardless of their sexual fulfillment or desire for a partner.

* 📈 **Diverse Paths to Singlehood:** The study, published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, revealed that there isn't one universal experience of being single. While most maintained high life satisfaction, satisfaction with being single varied more, with younger singles generally showing higher satisfaction than older groups.

* 💡 **Personality and Status Matter:** Higher life satisfaction among singles was linked to healthier personality traits like lower neuroticism and higher extraversion, as well as higher education and full-time employment, suggesting socioeconomic factors can support thriving singlehood.

#SingleLife #Research #Wellbeing

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✨ A large review of 19 studies published between 2012 and 2025, involving over 15.9 million participants, found that people with ADHD have a 70% higher risk of death from any cause compared to those without the condition.

🚑 The risk of death from suicide was 90% higher for individuals with ADHD, and the risk from injury (unintentional or intentional) was 50% higher. Even the risk of death from natural causes was 30% higher.

💊 Encouragingly, the review suggests that ADHD medication may be associated with a reduced risk of early death among individuals with the disorder.

#ADHD #Health #Research