Category: Psychology

General Psychology, Psychology, relationships

How dietary choices affect our psychological well-being, behaviors, and crime levels

Laura Ladekarl, Class of 2025 The food you eat influences not only your physical health but also your mental health, mood, cognition, and behavior, especially when you are undernourished. Food can also play a significant social and emotional role when tied to cultural and religious practices or serving as a coping mechanism. While food plays an important role in emotional and physical wellbeing, researchers questioned … Continue reading How dietary choices affect our psychological well-being, behaviors, and crime levels

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Depression, General Psychology, Psychiatry, Psychology, relationships

Food Insecurity and Adolescent Suicidal Behavior: Fighting The Cause

Laura Ladekarl, Class of 2025 Amid a growing mental health crisis, suicide is a leading cause of death in adolescents. It particularly affects those from a lower socio-economic status due to limited access to sufficient and nutritious food. Food insecurity can impact cognitive-affective states, and adolescents facing it often report social isolation and feelings of shame, sadness, and family strain. Dr. Steare and his colleagues … Continue reading Food Insecurity and Adolescent Suicidal Behavior: Fighting The Cause

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COVID-19, General Psychology, Health, Psychiatry, Psychology, Technology

The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Gaming Behavior

Laura Ladekarl, Class of 2025 THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON MENTAL HEALTH AND GAMINGAs we got locked out of the world and got stuck inside, our computers became our escape. The impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was more than just shutdowns and quarantines, it impacted our behaviors and mental health. Specifically, there was an increase in depression, anxiety, and loneliness, along with an upswing … Continue reading The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Gaming Behavior

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2024-25, Degenerative Disease, Disease, Health, mental health, Psychology

Can a Change in Diet Improve Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Patients?

Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 Parkinson’s disease (PD), the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease, is caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, a region important for the modulation of motor control. The classic triad of Parkinson’s symptoms is tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia (slowness of movement). Recent research has been investigating the gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms associated with Parkinson’s. Evidence suggests the existence … Continue reading Can a Change in Diet Improve Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Patients?

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2024-25, Degenerative Disease, Neuroscience, Psychology, Technology

The Joystick of the Mind: The Quest of Battling Dementia

Author: Sajia Athai, Class of 2026 Figure 1. Pictures on a map representing memories. People often fear the likelihood of their relatives and friends struggling to remember them as they age. From diseases such as Alzheimer’s to dementia, patients all over the world often struggle with the detrimental impacts of memory loss and the inability to form new ones.  Previous experiments unveil the impact of … Continue reading The Joystick of the Mind: The Quest of Battling Dementia

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2024-25, Health, mental health, Psychology, Sociology, Technology

Online Gaming: Is it a beneficial social space for everyone?

Author: Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 Figure 1. A person playing Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch. Online gaming, an activity played with others via the internet, is popular across all ages, abilities, and genders. Recently, research has been delving into the positive effects of gaming, such as the correlation of online gaming with social well-being. Researchers from NTNU Social Research, the University of Agder, and … Continue reading Online Gaming: Is it a beneficial social space for everyone?

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2024-25, Biology, Cellular and Molecular Science, Molecular Biology, Neurology, Psychology

Back Like They Never Left: How the Remnants of Ancient Viruses May Affect the Progression of Neurological Disease

Author: Luis Caseñas, Class of 2026 Figure 1: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disease that triggers the degeneration of one’s Central Nervous System. Specifically, ALS targets motor neurons (pictured above) essential to muscle control and coordination. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that targets motor neurons in the Central Nervous System. This degeneration inevitably leads to gradual loss of muscle control … Continue reading Back Like They Never Left: How the Remnants of Ancient Viruses May Affect the Progression of Neurological Disease

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2024-25, mental health, Psychology, relationships, Sociology

Parasocial Relationships: One-Sided, Yet Significant

Author: Amal Bilal, Class of 2028 Figure 1. Woman wearing headphones while scrolling through YouTube Parasocial relationships (PSRs) are one-sided relationships that one develops with media personae, such as celebrities, fictional characters, or social media influencers, who are incapable of returning sentiment. Recent studies suggest that one-sided relationships may serve as valuable social resources, fulfilling many of the same needs as two-sided relationships with close … Continue reading Parasocial Relationships: One-Sided, Yet Significant

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2024-25, Cognition, Psychiatry, Psychology

An Interesting Twist to the Long Video Game Debate

Author: Farzad Hoque, Class of 2028 The relationship between video games and behavior has long sparked debate within psychology and education. Investigations on how different game genres may influence levels of aggression and social intelligence among regular gamers have been conducted for decades, and recent research shines a new light on the matter. Similar to what has been commonly believed, researchers hypothesized that distinct game … Continue reading An Interesting Twist to the Long Video Game Debate

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2024-25, Cognition, education, Psychology

The Effects of Video Game Addiction on Children’s Cognitive and Learning Skills

Author: Amal Bilal, Class of 2028 Figure 1: A couple of young kids playing video games. Video games have become an increasingly popular source of entertainment among children, with over 90% of children between 2 and 17 years old actively playing video games. Although video games allow children to socialize and have leisure time, they can also lead to addiction. Excessive gaming can negatively impact … Continue reading The Effects of Video Game Addiction on Children’s Cognitive and Learning Skills

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2024-25, Cognition, General Neuroscience, General Psychology, Health, Health and Medicine, Psychology

Disease Rarity Doesn’t Cause Increased Loneliness

Author: Farzad Hoque, Class of 2028 Loneliness is something all have experienced, but it is especially present for people living with chronic illnesses. One might think that individuals with rare chronic conditions would feel lonelier than those with more common diseases, but when looked into it, the reality was surprising.  Dr. Lobel and Dr. Nicoloro-SantaBarbara at Stony Brook University gathered data via an anonymous online … Continue reading Disease Rarity Doesn’t Cause Increased Loneliness

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2024-25, Brain, General Psychology, Health, mental health, Psychology, Technology

Duty Calls: Video Games as an Outlet for Reflection and Fulfilling Desires

Author: Ishmam Khan, Class of 2025 Figure 1: Social media is a common outsource for video game discussion; Reddit is the most popular source for these discussion topicsCall of Duty is an iconic first-person shooter video game published by Activision Studios. The game is known for its dynamic gunplay, innovative realistic graphics, and its gritty portrayal of war. However, Call of Duty has a contentious … Continue reading Duty Calls: Video Games as an Outlet for Reflection and Fulfilling Desires

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