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In an earlier post for Theravive, I examined how cartoons and comics might be a useful way to educate people on mental health concerns. This fall, I interviewed Cara Bean to learn about the process behind Vermont’s Center for Cartoon Studies released “Let’s Talk About It: A Graphic Guide To Mental Health” about its use for education. Recently, there was an article in the Open Library of Humanities about the perceived value in using comics to teach mental health professionals. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Nature looked at neurons, values, and our economic choices. “The behavior we engage in, for example, when we are sitting in a restaurant and contemplating the menu,” study author Dr. Camillo Paoda-Schioppa told us. “Let’s say that there are two options – pizza or burger. How do we make that choice?” Fifteen years ago, research in neuroscience demonstrated that values are real, in the sense that neurons in the brain compute and represent the values assigned to the various options. That result was a breakthrough, and a large number of studies subsequently confirmed the initial findings. However, it remained unclear whether and how neurons encoding values directly participate in the choice process. [More]

During a global pandemic, many essential workers have been hailed as heroes. Some are uncomfortable with the title, but there’s a certain group who especially love being viewed in this way. Narcissists. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Nature Communications looked at social cues and the b [More]

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America looked at the brain and impulsiveness. “In this study we investigated how the locus coeruleus (LC), the main source of norepinephrine (NE) in the brain, regulates attention and impulsivity,” study author Andrea Bari told us. “These cognitive functions are essential in everyday life and found to be impaired to various degrees in several pathologies, most prominently in children with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).” [More]

A new survey aims to find out how Germany is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and how the everyday lives of German citizens are being affected. “We therefore analyze their concern about how the coronavirus affects different areas of their life, and how they try to protect themselves against an infection,” study author Dr. Fabian Kirsch told us. [More]

Virtual interactions are tiring for the brain, causing “zoom fatigue”, which has only gotten worse as more companies work remotely due to COVID-19. Studies show it’s tougher to communicate for people who are reliant on non-verbal cues. As a result, group chats (whether Zoom, Meet, Teams) become less collaborative and more of a siloed conversation between two people while others observe. What is it about video calls that are so draining? [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Black Studies explores the impact of publicized killings of Black men and boys by police shared in social media and viewed by underrepresented college students in the U.S. The study, titled: “The Only Thing New is the Cameras”: A Study of U.S. College Students’ Perceptions of Police Violence on Social Media, found that the majority of college students experienced emotional trauma watching the videos. They shared their fears about being pulled over by police. [More]

The media have been calling certain, trouble-making, obnoxious kinds of women “Karen”. Before we investigate the genesis of of “Karen” as an individual to be avoided by anyone who behooves in equality, there are other aspects of the permutation of this name to consider. [More]

Experts around the world are racing to develop a vaccine for COVID19. But there is a group of people who are unlikely to sign up: vaccine skeptics. Vaccine skepticsm has become increasingly widespread, and researchers from Texas Tech University may have found the reason why. [More]