Health Psychology
The Psychology of Eating Insects
The next big thing to hit the dinner table isn’t necessarily going to be so big, and it might just have six legs. According to a recent report from investment bank Barclays, edible insects are on pace to become a $8 billion market by 2030. Predictably, that got people’s attention. Eating insects will soon go…
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What It Means to Feed Someone on a First Date
For those who find first dates confusing, not to worry. We have science to help us figure out what’s going on! What does it mean, for example, when you’re on a dinner date and the other person starts feeding you? Hint: either they think you’ve done an unacceptably bad job of feeding yourself, or they…
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Body Temperature, Stress and Social Connection
When we say that someone is “warm,” we can mean that in a literal, physical sense. We might also be saying that they’re friendly, sociable and kind. This link between temperature and psychological state isn’t just metaphorical. Psychologists have found several ways in which body temperature and emotions actually do correlate with each other. One…
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Bedtime Cues Matter for Teens
How do you know when it’s time to go to bed? Recently, researchers in Australia and Finland looked at how teenagers answer that question, and whether the way they answer it has implications for sleep quality. In a survey of 1,374 adolescents, the researchers considered several different ways these teens might decide when it’s time…
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A Lunchtime Nap Can Boost Children’s Academic Performance
We typically think of it as a bad thing to “fall asleep on the job.” But when your job is learning, a midday nap might be just what the psychologist ordered. A new study of 3,819 elementary school children in China suggests that lunchtime naps are associated with better performance in school. As it turns…
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Experts Rate Harmful Sleep Myths
Sleeping is one of the most mysterious things that people do. As a result, there’s plenty of mythology and folklore around what happens when we sleep. If our everyday, non-expert understanding of how sleep works sometimes contradicts what the science says, does that potentially lead us into sleep routines that are bad for our health?…
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What’s the Evidence for Blueberries as a Brain Food?
Blueberries have a stellar reputation, as far as foods go. Numerous articles claim that eating blueberries can enhance your cognitive abilities. Scientific American, for example, has talked about Your Brain on Blueberries, saying that blueberries are one food that will “enhance your memory.” So is there scientific evidence behind the hype? To some extent, yes.…
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Focus on Short-Term Benefits for Motivation to Exercise
Exercise might prolong your lifespan and cut your risk of dementia later in life, but focusing on these long-term benefits isn’t necessarily enough to motivate a regular exercise routine. In fact, recent research suggests that being more physically active goes hand-in-hand with emphasizing exercise’s short-term benefits. In a series of four experiments, researchers studied people’s…
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Optimism Predicts Healthy Aging
If you expect that the future holds good things, you might be right. It’s a common idea that optimism can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and psychology research has tended to back up a link between positive expectations and positive outcomes. The latest example comes from a study by researchers at Harvard, looking at the role…
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Biking Can Boost Cognitive Function in Older Adults
For better or worse, pedaling around on a two-wheeled vehicle seems to effect people’s cognition, as I’ve written about before. Being bicyclists apparently makes people better drivers but also gives them a little paranoia, at least temporarily. Here’s another change you can chalk up in the “for better” column, though: improved cognitive function later in…
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