September 14, 2021
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology looked at whether emotional diversity is associated with better student engagement and achievement. “Our study explored whether students who have varied emotional experiences would also be more engaged and achieve better in school,” study author Cherry Frondozo told us. “We adapted a measure of diversity from ecology to examine the link between the diversity of emotional experiences and achievement.”
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April 20, 2021
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Psychological Science looked at attitudes and feelings and whether they are fixed or fleeting. “We wanted to understand which opinions stick with a person for a long time and which ones fluctuate over time,” study author Matthew Rocklage told us.
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January 22, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
More than 34 million adults in the US currently smoke cigarettes, and more than 16 million live with a smoking related disease.
But after decades of anti-smoking campaigns, what drives this behaviour? Do emotions factor into it?
Researchers from Harvard University set out to find an answer.
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June 30, 2019
by Elizabeth Pratt
Have you ever wondered why some people react calmly to an upsetting situation, while others get fired up? Stanford researchers may have the answer.
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January 22, 2019
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study, published in Scientific Reports, looked at how memories are able to influence our emotional responses induced by music and images. Traditionally different domains, music and pictures are usually studied separately. The current study aimed to renew research of emotional experiences evoked by music and pictures through comparison.
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Moviegoers of all ages can thank Disney’s Pixar Studios for brightening the summer of 2015 with a remarkable film, “Inside Out”. This PG-rated movie not only entertains and inspires, but also offers a fantastical but profoundly useful animation of how our feelings call the shots as our minds make meaning of our lives. Who knew that basic psychological principles could be taught by animating five major emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear?
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June 21, 2015
by Lorna Hecht, MFT
Angel Soft toilet tissue has posted an interesting and provocative ad for this Father’s Day. The short video features adult men and women thanking their single mothers for fulfilling the role of mother and father. The ad ends by wishing all the mothers a Happy Father’s Day. The sentiment is sweet; grown children acknowledging the difficulty of solo parenting by mothers, and is clearly designed to bring a tear to the eye of the viewer. However, and perhaps predictably, the ad has turned out to be something of a lightning rod for controversy.
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Syracuse, NY native Ronnie Brower has managed to lose 425 pounds in just under two years. Not only is this feat amazing for the amount of weight loss, but it is a testament to Brower’s hard work as he lost the weight through old fashioned exercise and eating well. Two years ago, Brower was faced with news that his weight of almost 700 pounds could mean death before reaching the age of 30. Well Brower just celebrated his 30th birthday, and he did so over 400 pounds lighter, reaching his goal of 250 pounds. Along his journey, Brower often cited Taylor Swift’s songs as his inspiration as he continued to put in long hours at the gym.
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The science behind the “36 questions” that are the key to romance has been widely misrepresented. It seems that scientific findings trickle down from the laboratory to the general public in various forms. Sometimes it happens in the best way possible, like water through a drip coffee filter, so that one ends up with a pleasant, stimulating brew of digestible knowledge without the bitter taste of mystifying scientific terminology.
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Not only are body functions affected by aging. Cognitive and emotional functions also fall prey to the aging process. The later years often bring on mental health problems for the first time in older people. According to Rollins (2008), Baby Boomers will largely ignore the past stigma associated with seeking help for emotional problems and will seek the therapy services they need to deal with the emotional aspects of aging.
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