Tag: psychology

2016-17, Health, Medicine and Physiology, Psychology

The Influence of Religion on the Sexuality of Women

by Lillian Pao (’18) Religion and spiritual beliefs may influence pregnant and postpartum women’s sexuality. Professor Sagrario Gomez Cantarino, from the University of Castilla la Mancha in Toledo, Spain, and his team of researchers wanted to understand a woman’s perspective on this issue as a result of her interactions with others as well as influential cultural and historical ideals. To further learn about women’s thoughts, … Continue reading The Influence of Religion on the Sexuality of Women

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2016-17, Psychology, Sociology

The Strong Black Woman: How Stereotypes Can Affect Our Health

by Amanda Ng (’18) The way people are stereotyped can not only affect how others view us, but also how we view ourselves. This internalization of stereotypes and altered self-perception can lead to both mental and physical health problems for many individuals. In this study, conducted by Dr. Lindsey West of New England University, data was collected from 113 Black female college students aged 18 … Continue reading The Strong Black Woman: How Stereotypes Can Affect Our Health

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2016-17, Psychology, Sociology

How Birth Order Affects Social Relationships

by Amanda Ng (’18) Although much research has been done on birth-order and its affects on relationships, it has mostly focused on theories such as the “middle-child syndrome” and how birth order can affect siblings’ relationships. However, what has not been studied is the idea that a person’s birth order may also affect their prosociality, which is the degree to which a person acts in … Continue reading How Birth Order Affects Social Relationships

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2016-17, Psychology

Positive Psychology Interventions May Enhance Happiness

by Amanda Ng (’18) In an effort to help those dealing with depression and enhance general happiness, recent psychological treatments have focused on advancing a field called “positive psychology”. “Positive psychology” focuses on strategies and intentional activities to enhance a person’s well-being by inducing positive emotions and behaviors. In this study, led by Dr. Sara Wellenzohn of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, a positive psychology … Continue reading Positive Psychology Interventions May Enhance Happiness

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2016-17, Linguistics, Psychology

How Bilingualism Affects Children’s Learning

by Lillian Pao (’18) There are 6,500 spoken languages around the world and the most popular language is Mandarin Chinese, which uses vocal pitch to create tone. Tone is used in the English language to distinguish questions, statements, and other elements of emotional states. Children who are learning two languages have to learn how words are defined in both of their native languages. There are … Continue reading How Bilingualism Affects Children’s Learning

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2016-17, Biology

The Moon and its Effects on Sleep and Behavior

By Lillian Pao (’18)               For centuries, the mythical powers of the moon and its influence over human behavior have fascinated mankind. Because of this fascination, an international group of scientists decided to test whether the lunar phases affected children’s sleeping patterns. The full moon, half moon, and new moon were the three lunar phases that were tested. Over … Continue reading The Moon and its Effects on Sleep and Behavior

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2015-16, Psychology

The Math of Conspiracy Theories

By Shannon Bohman ’19 Fig. 1 Almost everyone has heard of or even bought into a conspiracy theory. A conspiracy, or the idea that certain groups secretly manipulate important events and power structures, can be political, scientific, or even supernatural. Some conspiracies involving the innate belief that vaccines are dangerous have serious allegations and have sparked great public interest for the truth. Dr. David Robert … Continue reading The Math of Conspiracy Theories

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2015-16, Psychology

Performing Under Pressure

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ’19 According to new research led by Dr. Michiko Yoshie of the University of Sussex, performing on a stage with an audience is more stressful than practicing alone for professional performers. The research involved the study of several cases. In one case, participants were asked to perform a task while watching a video of two people observing them. In another case, they performed … Continue reading Performing Under Pressure

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2015-16, Psychology

The Virtual Path to Assessing Alzheimer’s in Humans

By Meghan Bialt-DeCelie ’19 Scientists have reported that they have developed an analogous rodent test that could aid in Alzheimer research for humans. The Morris Maze Test assesses the ability of rodents with Alzheimer’s disease to reach a pedestal in a water-filled arena. During the assessment, rodents attempt to reach the pedestal in a number of trials. In the first trial, the pedestal is shown … Continue reading The Virtual Path to Assessing Alzheimer’s in Humans

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2015-16, Psychology

Positive Body Image Campaign Causes Decline in Women’s Health

By Lee Ann Santore ’19 Many researchers suggest that it is in the best interest for consumers to ignore the “body size issue” for the sake of their physical and mental health. An experiment conducted by Lily Lin, of California State University, and Brent McFerran, of Simon Fraser University, investigated how strongly advertisements can influence a woman’s health choices. Women participating in the study were … Continue reading Positive Body Image Campaign Causes Decline in Women’s Health

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2015-16, Psychology, Technology

Application of Psychology in Emails Could Lead to More Effective Communication

By Lee Ann Santore ’19 In this age of technology, email is employed as a fundamental form of communication capable of creating and strengthening both casual and professional relationships. Researchers from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, having studied 16 billion emails sent by 2 million users, were able to identify several key patterns. The results revealed that most emails are responded to within an hour, … Continue reading Application of Psychology in Emails Could Lead to More Effective Communication

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2015-16, Psychology

New Study Suggests Loneliness Destroys Physical Health

By Karis Tutuska ’18   It is widely accepted that loneliness can damage mental health. However, a recent study supported by the National Institutes of Health suggested that isolation affects physical health as well.  Researchers studied 141 adults aged 50-68 and found that the feeling of loneliness a phenomenon known as “conserved transcriptional response to adversity”(CTRA). CTRA has two major physiological consequences: it inhibits genetic expression … Continue reading New Study Suggests Loneliness Destroys Physical Health

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