http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Girls are hitting puberty earlier and earlier. One recent study found that more than 10 percent of American girls have some breast development by age 7. This news has upset many people, but it may make evolutionary sense in some cases for girls to develop faster, according to the authors of a new paper published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. http://phys.org/news202473550.html Medicine & Health Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:39:24 EST news202473550 Gamblers who think they have a "hot hand," only to end up walking away with a loss, may nonetheless be making "rational" decisions, according to new research from University of Minnesota psychologists. The study finds that because humans are making decisions based on how we think the world works, if erroneous beliefs are held, it can result in behavior that looks distinctly irrational. http://phys.org/news202393935.html Medicine & Health Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:00:01 EST news202393935 Students who are bullied regularly do substantially worse in school, UCLA psychologists report in a special issue of the Journal of Early Adolescence devoted to academic performance and peer relationships. http://phys.org/news201513683.html Medicine & Health Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:01:41 EST news201513683 The prevalence of sex in the mainstream media has led many researchers to study its effect on impressionable adolescents. Several published, peer-reviewed studies have indicated that there is a link between exposure to sex in the media and the early onset of sexual activity among teens. However, a study led by Temple psychologist Laurence Steinberg questions these findings. http://phys.org/news201367250.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:30:01 EST news201367250 Children are natural psychologists. By the time they're in preschool, they understand that other people have desires, preferences, beliefs, and emotions. But how they learn this isn't clear. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that children figure out another person's preferences by using a topic you'd think they don't encounter until college: statistics. http://phys.org/news201265714.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:50:07 EST news201265714 Watching superheroes beat up villains may not be the best image for boys to see if society wants to promote kinder, less stereotypical male behaviors, according to psychologists who spoke Sunday at the 118th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. http://phys.org/news201097804.html Medicine & Health Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:30:16 EST news201097804 When we believe a person is doing something nice for someone else, we really do take it personally. Our brains register the observation of a good deed as a personal reward. http://phys.org/news200760690.html Medicine & Health Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:51:41 EST news200760690 (PhysOrg.com) -- Outgoing people who are in a good mood are significantly more creative than people who keep themselves to themselves, according to a new study. http://phys.org/news200072067.html Medicine & Health Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:30:01 EST news200072067 (PhysOrg.com) -- Light therapy glasses -- spectacles that use inbuilt light emitting diodes (LEDs) to assist in resetting the body's natural clock -- are a step closer to commercial availability with the award of a grant from the Federal Government's Commercialisation Australia fund. http://phys.org/news199983789.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:20:01 EST news199983789 Teenage years have long been linked with a heightened concern with appearance. Some reality TV shows take full advantage and tout happiness as just a nip/tuck away. A Rutgers-Camden psychologist has found that teens fond of these kinds of programs are more likely to join the millions who go under the knife each year. For bodies - and minds - still in development, these drastic decisions could have implications way after prom. http://phys.org/news199729976.html Medicine & Health Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:50:01 EST news199729976 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers reporting in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin last week say people are drawn to others who resemble their parents or themselves. This may explain why incest taboos are found in many cultures - to counter a natural tendency. http://phys.org/news199509031.html Medicine & Health Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:50:02 EST news199509031 Mums who shower their infants with affection equip them to cope well with life stressors as adults, indicates research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. http://phys.org/news199372282.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:00:03 EST news199372282 A room will appear to be higher or lower depending on the lightness of the color tones used on ceiling and walls. However, it would seem there is no scientific basis for the old do-it-yourself rule to paint the ceiling in a hue slightly paler than the color used on the walls if you want to create the impression that a room is higher than it actually is. This is the conclusion reached following a study conducted by the Institute of Psychology of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) to investigate the effect of relative brightness of coloration of ceiling, walls and floor on the perceived height of interior spaces. http://phys.org/news197550986.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:18:18 EST news197550986 Motivation doesn't have to be conscious; your brain can decide how much it wants something without input from your conscious mind. Now a new study shows that both halves of your brain don't even have to agree. Motivation can happen in one side of the brain at a time. http://phys.org/news197039212.html Medicine & Health Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:07:05 EST news197039212 Previous studies have found that the personality trait impulsivity, or a lack of planning and forethought regarding behaviors, is associated with alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders. For most individuals, impulsivity decreases during emerging and young adulthood. Some, however, do not "mature out" of impulsivity. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that individuals who exhibited the largest declines in impulsivity from ages 18-25 also exhibited the sharpest decreases in alcohol consumption during this time frame. Understanding why some individuals "mature out" of impulsivity and others do not could lead to improved treatment for alcohol-use disorders. http://phys.org/news197029984.html Medicine & Health Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:00:01 EST news197029984 (PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to executing items on tomorrow's to-do list, it’s best to think it over, then "sleep on it," say psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis. http://phys.org/news196537840.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:51:21 EST news196537840 Although long-term care of sick or disabled loved ones is widely recognized as a threat to the caregiver's health and quality of life, a new study led by University at Buffalo psychologist Michael Poulin, PhD, finds that in some contexts, helping valued loved ones may promote the well being of helpers. http://phys.org/news196436532.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:10:01 EST news196436532 After age 50, daily stress and worry take a dive and happiness increases, according to an analysis of more than 340,000 adults questioned about the emotions they experienced "yesterday." http://phys.org/news193390279.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 May 2010 09:20:01 EST news193390279 (PhysOrg.com) -- Protestants who are reminded of their religion do more good deeds but the opposite is true for Catholics. This is one of the findings of a new economics study that employs psychology research techniques. http://phys.org/news193338068.html Other Sciences Mon, 17 May 2010 18:40:01 EST news193338068 (PhysOrg.com) -- Two psychologists and a law expert were able to see how much information about memories can be seen in brain activity. http://phys.org/news192734329.html Medicine & Health Mon, 10 May 2010 18:19:05 EST news192734329 Washing your hands "wipes the slate clean," removing doubts about recent choices. That's the key finding of a University of Michigan study published in the current (May 7) issue of Science. http://phys.org/news192371772.html Medicine & Health Thu, 06 May 2010 14:00:16 EST news192371772 A new study from University of Utah psychologists found a small group of people with an extraordinary ability to multitask: Unlike 97.5 percent of those studied, they can safely drive while chatting on a cell phone. http://phys.org/news189059365.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:29:46 EST news189059365 Be true to yourself, and better romantic relationships will follow, research suggests. http://phys.org/news187877019.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:40:04 EST news187877019 The gift of "seeing ourselves as others see us" is particularly beneficial when we judge how we've made a first impression -- in a job interview, during a sales pitch or on a first date. http://phys.org/news187453065.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:40:01 EST news187453065 (PhysOrg.com) -- Wider faced men are less trustworthy and our instincts know it, according to researchers at the University of St Andrews. http://phys.org/news187445029.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:04:10 EST news187445029 Although changing social and cultural contexts mean guilt has less power today than it once did, a new study has shown that in the West this emotion is "significantly higher" among women. The main problem, according to the experts, is not that women feel a lot of guilt (which they do), but rather that many males feel "too little". http://phys.org/news183645531.html Medicine & Health Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:00:01 EST news183645531 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new study by Jesper Nielsen, a UA marketing professor and his colleague are shedding light on why people decide to avoid or gravitate to a consumer product. http://phys.org/news180806338.html Other Sciences Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:10:02 EST news180806338 (PhysOrg.com) -- As Mr and Mrs Claus continue to enjoy the world's longest surviving marriage, a team of researchers at the University of St Andrews set out to uncover the secrets of Santa's enduring attractiveness. http://phys.org/news180337593.html Medicine & Health Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:01:45 EST news180337593 Psychologists have long known that when two people haggle over a price, it pays for the seller to start high. http://phys.org/news179766687.html Medicine & Health Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:12:26 EST news179766687 (PhysOrg.com) -- Being irritable, grumpy and seeking social isolation are also hallmarks of depression, and could explain the Grinch's disdain for the Who -- the tall and the small -- his mistreatment of his dog Max and, ultimately, why he tried to stop Christmas from coming. http://phys.org/news179519904.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:38:58 EST news179519904