Author: dispatchtimes news

A single session of mild, rhythm-based brain stimulation modestly reduced immediate anxiety after a stressful task in healthy middle-aged and older adults, according to a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The researchers describe the effect as a “modest, selective reduction in stress-evoked state anxiety.” Led by Rubén Romero-Marín of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the team tested 42 healthy adults from the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative, with an average age of about 59 and 16 women. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either active stimulation (22 people) or a sham procedure (20 people) that mimicked the procedure…

A new study published in npj Mental Health Research has found that adolescents’ sleep patterns, measured objectively with a wearable device, are linked to how they regulate their emotions. Analysing data from 1,371 teenagers in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, researchers report that highly variable sleep schedules are associated with greater inward‑directed distress such as anxiety and depression, and with a greater reliance on expressive suppression. The association appears strongest among teenage girls, suggesting that stable sleep routines may help safeguard emotional well‑being. Adolescence is a sensitive developmental period marked by the emergence of new emotional challenges and…

A new longitudinal study of attendees at ayahuasca retreats has found that higher levels of resilience at the outset are associated with somewhat more intense challenging experiences during ceremonies, and with a stronger link between these difficult experiences and a subsequent search for meaning in life one month later. The research was conducted at two Soltara Healing Center retreat locations, in Costa Rica and Peru. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally used by Indigenous communities in the Amazon for religious, spiritual and therapeutic purposes. Its immediate effects can include mystical experiences and psychological insights, but also adverse physical symptoms such…

New research published in the journal Perception shows that the colour of a person’s hair and the background behind them can alter how observers judge their skin, with darker hair and a black backdrop tending to make facial skin appear more even. The study, led by psychologist Carlota Batres of Franklin & Marshall College and co-authored with Richard Russell of Gettysburg College, used two experiments to test whether surrounding visual contrast can shift perceptions of skin evenness, a factor linked to perceptions of health and attractiveness. Perceived skin evenness refers to how uniform a person’s skin colour and surface texture…

Scientists have found that the scent of a father can help babies align their brain activity with unfamiliar adults, potentially boosting the pace at which they socialise. In a small study, infants exposed to their father’s natural body odour demonstrated greater neural synchrony with strangers during brief interactions, a finding published in Science Advances. Interbrain synchrony occurs when the brain waves of two people pulse in harmony during social interaction, helping infants tune their developing social brain to the surrounding environment and guiding caregivers in providing sensory input. Previous research has shown that maternal body odours can calm infants and…

A multi-study investigation into whether Confederate monuments influence racial prejudice has found no evidence that their presence or removal measurably shifts bias among residents. The research, led by Maximilian A. Primbs of Radboud University, was published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Confederate monuments are statues and memorials erected to honour the pro-slavery Southern states that seceded during the American Civil War. In recent years, communities have debated their removal as symbols of white supremacy that continue to affect marginalised groups. The study distinguishes between explicit bias — conscious beliefs and feelings about a racial group — and implicit bias…

A small study at Aarhus University suggests the weight‑loss drug semaglutide can alter reward‑seeking behaviour and brain activity in healthy mice. The researchers report that daily doses changed how animals pursued natural rewards and how they responded to stress, accompanied by shifts in brain rhythms within a key reward circuit. The work is published in Molecular Brain. Semaglutide is widely used to treat diabetes and obesity and is known by brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy. It works by mimicking the hormone GLP‑1, which helps regulate appetite and blood sugar, and researchers have begun exploring whether it could dampen…

A new rat study suggests that a single dose of MDMA can prevent the rise in alcohol consumption that often follows a traumatic experience, particularly in animals genetically inclined to drink heavily. Researchers say the drug alters how fear is expressed in the moment rather than permanently strengthening the brain’s ability to unlearn fear memories. The findings were published in Neuropsychopharmacology. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by terrifying events, and many individuals with PTSD also struggle with alcohol use. The relationship is complex and mutually reinforcing, as chronic alcohol use can dysregulate brain stress systems…

A small UK study has found that musical keys shape our sense of beauty and sublimity, with major keys linked to beauty and minor keys to sublimity. When listeners experience music alongside images, visual elements tend to dominate the overall aesthetic impression. The findings appear in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. Philosophers have long separated beauty and sublimity, with beauty typically tied to harmony, order and pleasure, and sublimity to awe, grandeur and sometimes ambiguity or fear. In the eighteenth century, thinkers such as Burke argued that the sublime stems from feelings of awe and terror, while beauty…

A new study suggests that growing up in a war zone can influence how a child’s attachment-related traits relate to the brain’s emotional wiring, with the pattern of connectivity differing according to war-related stress. The research, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, indicates that the link between attachment characteristics and communication between emotion-processing brain regions shifts in the context of conflict, hinting that the developing brain may calibrate to its surroundings rather than simply sustaining uniform damage. Neuroscience has long shown that early adversity can alter the connections between emotional hubs and networks governing self-control. Earlier work cited in…