Author: dispatchtimes news

A two-country study published in Archives of Sexual Behaviour finds that dogmatic views about sex and gender are closely linked to authoritarian tendencies on both sides of the political spectrum. The researchers report that endorsing a binary, fixed view of gender aligns with conservative authoritarianism, while embracing a fluid, nonbinary conception aligns with progressive authoritarianism. In the explanation used by the researchers, “sex” generally refers to biological characteristics such as chromosomes and anatomy, while “gender” describes a person’s psychological identity and social role. People’s beliefs about how these two concepts interact vary, with some viewing gender as strictly binary and…

A Polish study into relationship dynamics suggests that people who are less satisfied with their romantic partnerships may harbour a greater preference for hearing lies, particularly prosocial ones, over blunt truth. The research also indicates that such individuals often perceive outright truth-telling as more harmful. The paper, published in The Journal of Social Psychology, was led by Sebastian Wnęk and Katarzyna Cantarero. Honesty is widely regarded as a cornerstone of healthy intimate relationships, fostering trust and commitment. Yet the researchers note that complete truthfulness is not always the best course when it could inflict unnecessary emotional pain. Prosocial lies, intended…

A team of researchers has identified a small brain region—the amygdalostriatal transition zone, or ASt—as the brain’s continuous alarm signal that keeps animals on high alert during threat. The work, published in Neuron, shows the ASt bridges learning about danger with the maintenance of defensive responses. Lead author Fergil Mills, an assistant professor at the University of Utah, conducted the study as part of Kay M. Tye’s laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The ASt lies in the narrow gap between the amygdala, a centre for emotion processing, and the striatum, which helps govern movement. When a threat…

The global rise in autism diagnoses continues to provoke intense debate among scientists, clinicians and policymakers, but researchers stress that the numbers tell only part of the story. Across the US, UK and beyond, studies are wrestling with whether more people have autism, or whether society is simply naming more cases as the condition broadens and measurement improves. Central to the discussion is a key distinction: diagnosed cases reflect labels applied by clinicians, while prevalence under identical methods represents how many people would meet the criteria if every member of a population were screened in the same way. Underlying incidence—the…

An exploratory clinical trial from Spain has suggested that ayahuasca, when combined with meaning reconstruction therapy, may ease the severe bereavement experienced after the loss of a close relative. Led by psychiatrist Oscar Soto-Angona at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, the study enrolled 84 adults who had lost a first-degree relative within the previous year and compared three conditions: nine weekly online sessions of the therapy alone; a no-treatment control; and the same nine-week course augmented by two weekend ayahuasca retreats. The research comes against a backdrop of the distress commonly felt after bereavement, with the first year described as…

New research from the University of Glasgow, led by political‑behaviour scholar Christopher Claassen and published in Public Opinion Quarterly, finds that an individual’s commitment to liberal-democratic institutions can shield voters from backing politicians who threaten democratic rules. The study analysed responses from 5,951 participants across three democracies facing backsliding pressures—the United States, Poland and South Korea—through a candidate-choice experiment designed to emulate a real election. Democratic backsliding is a growing concern in many modern nations. It occurs when elected officials gradually erode democratic institutions such as free elections, independent courts and a free press. A central driver of this decline…

A daily probiotic containing Bifidobacterium longum 1714 may temporarily lift sleep quality and vitality among adults with mild to moderate depression, according to an eight-week randomised trial. Led by Kelly M. Seamans of the Irish biotechnology firm Novonesis, the study’s findings were published in Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. Mood disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide. Many people with mild to moderate depressive symptoms are managed in primary care rather than by psychiatrists, and some hesitate to begin traditional antidepressants because of concerns about side effects relative to perceived benefits. The human digestive tract hosts trillions of microorganisms that…

A Polish study published in Evolutionary Psychology suggests that individuals in the general population who score higher on autistic-like traits tend to avoid positive relationship-maintenance behaviours to keep a partner, with attachment styles acting as the main conduit between these traits and relationship dynamics. “Autistic-like traits (ALTs) are personality, social, and cognitive characteristics associated with autism that can also occur, to varying degrees, in the general population,” Łukasik told PsyPost. “They are not considered a disorder.” The researchers examined mate retention tactics—behaviours people use to keep a partner and prevent them from leaving. These tactics are typically divided into benefit-provisioning…

A study led by researchers from the University of Bucharest has found that socially anxious individuals who open up about personal experiences are judged more likeable and more likely to be interacted with, regardless of their own level of anxiety. The researchers also say the personality traits of the listener play a major role in these assessments. Social anxiety involves a fear of negative evaluation in social or performance settings. People with the condition often protect themselves with safety behaviours such as avoiding eye contact, staying quiet, or withdrawing from a group. While these strategies feel protective, they can trigger…

A team of researchers has found that cutting-edge language models trained to process text and images can judge a person’s character from their facial features, mirroring a long-standing human bias. In a series of experiments, large language models were shown to rely on arbitrary facial characteristics to assess competence or the likelihood of criminal activity. The work, published in PNAS Nexus, raises fresh concerns about the use of such systems in high-stakes decisions. For decades, people have made rapid judgments about others based on facial appearance—a tendency known as face-to-character inference. It rests on subtle differences in facial shape and…