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Study uncovers shared genetic factors between ADHD and risk-taking behavior

Study reveals how both bright and dark personality traits predict criminality

Can magic mushrooms mend the mind? Researchers map psilocybin’s mysterious brain effects — but key questions remain

New research identifies a hormonal imbalance linked to PTSD

Scientists reveal serotonin’s role in reward anticipation and value encoding

Disputed tags on election misinformation can backfire among Trump supporters

Oxytocin sensitivity influences women’s responses to infant cuteness

Blood sugar fluctuations after eating play an important role in anxiety and depression

Long COVID fatigue tied to brain connectivity patterns, study finds

How do we really think about infinity? New research offers insights

Belief in alien visits to Earth is spiralling out of control

Exercise clothing satisfaction influences body confidence and exercise motivation in plus-size women

High-pitched female voices encourage male risk-taking, but only if men think it boosts their attractiveness

Obesity reduces testosterone and sperm count by disrupting brain circuits

New psychology study reveals we overestimate the consequences of declining social invitations

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Moral Judgments May Shift with the Seasons

Certain values carry more weight in spring and autumn than in summer and winter

Anvita Patwardhan

Being Empathetic Is Easier when Everyone’s Doing It

Research is revealing the key to motivating empathy—and making it stick

Elizabeth Svoboda

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The Surprising Benefits of Gossip

Social scientists are uncovering the intricate group dynamics of gossip

Francine Russo

Different, Together

One person’s reality is purely theirs and often unique

Andrea Gawrylewski

Buy Experiences instead of Possessions to Build Social Connection

Shared experiences, more than material things, bring people together

Science Improves When People Realize They Were Wrong

Science means being able to change your mind in light of new evidence

Naomi Oreskes

Trump’s ‘Gish Gallop’ Debate Tactic Comes from Creationists

A dishonest creationist debating tactic shouldn’t go unchallenged in American life. Or in national politics

Madhusudan Katti

The ‘Confetti Illusion’ Makes Fruit Appear Riper Than It Really Is

Fruit seems riper when it is wrapped in a net that matches its optimal color, such as a really orangey orange

Katharina Menne

Why People Procrastinate, and How to Overcome It

To stop putting off tasks, think about the positive

Javier Granados Samayoa, Russell Fazio

Eating Disorders Can Strike Anyone

Misconceptions that eating disorders mostly afflict white, affluent, young females have led to disparities in the treatment of these deadly diseases

Ashley Andreou

The U.K.’s Cass Review Badly Fails Trans Children

A politicized review into transgender medicine in the National Health Service has upended lives in the U.K.—and threatens to spread harm across the globe

Cal Horton, Ruth Pearce

The Trump Assassination Attempt Caused Psychological Distress and Fueled Polarization

Political violence has a different effect on people today than it did in the past because of social media and extreme partisanship

Tanya Lewis

Breakthroughs and Discoveries in Psychological Science: 2020 Year in Review

• Psychological Science

Many of the major news stories of 2020 were closely tied to understanding human behavior, including efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, understand political divides and social conflicts, and address enduring racial disparities and inequality.  

A wealth of research published by the Association for Psychological Science (APS) addresses these and other important topics. The following is a selection of some of APS’s most newsworthy research and highly cited publications from 2020. These stories emphasize the importance of peer-reviewed psychological research and its impact on society.  

Top 10 APS News Releases of 2020, Metrics Provided by  Newswise  

Romance, Scent, and Sleep: The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of : Research published in the journal  Psychological Science  suggests that the scent of a romantic partner can improve your quality of sleep. This is true regardless of whether you are consciously aware that the scent is even present.  

Violent Video Games and Aggression: The Connection Is Dubious, at Best : The coronavirus pandemic put a damper on many traditional summertime activities for kids, giving them more opportunity to socialize with friends virtually through online gaming. But many hours of extra screen time worried some parents, especially in light of a 2015 report linking violent video games with aggressive behavior in children. A reanalysis of previous findings published in the journal  Perspectives on Psychological Science  found no clear link between video game violence and aggression in children. 

Stemming the Spread of Misinformation on Social Media : The dangers of COVID-19 could worsen if misinformation on social media continues to spread unchecked, according to research published in  Psychological Science . Though there is no practical way to fully stem the tide of harmful misinformation on social media, certain tactics could help improve the quality of information that people share online about this deadly disease. 

Psychological Science and COVID-19: Conspiracy Theories : Why are conspiracy theories so popular? Who believes them? Why do people believe them? What are some of the consequences of conspiracy theories, and can such theories be harmful? These questions are explored by Karen Douglas, professor of social psychology at the University of Kent, UK, whose research focuses on beliefs in conspiracy theories.  

Pandemic Effects on Marriage and Relationships : Beyond its economic toll, COVID-19 is also having a negative impact on many relationships. Expert commentary from Paula Pietromonaco, professor emerita at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, explores this facet of the pandemic and how interactions in marital and other close relationships shape each partner’s emotional and physical health. 

Trigger Warnings Fail to Help and May Even Harm : A study published in the journal  Clinical Psychological Science  shines light on the value and potential harm of trigger warnings, the term used to alert readers or viewers to potentially unsettling content. This research suggests that trigger warnings offer little to no help in avoiding painful memories and can even be harmful for the survivors of past emotional trauma.  

Contracting COVID-19: Lifestyle and Social Connections May Play a Role : Research published in  Psychological Science  indicates that unhealthy lifestyle choices, including smoking and lack of exercise, along with emotional stressors like social isolation and interpersonal conflicts are important risk factors for developing upper respiratory infections. It is possible these same factors also increase the risk of contracting COVID-19. 

Does Bedtime Media Use Harm Children’s Sleep? Only If They Struggle to Self-Regulate Behavior : Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, one concern for many parents has been the impact of additional TV or computer screen time on their children and their already disrupted sleep habits. A study published in  Psychological Science  found that media use in the hour preceding bedtime impacts the sleep only of children who struggle to self-regulate their behavior. 

Health and Happiness Depend on Each Other, Psychological Science Says : This research adds to the growing body of evidence that happiness not only feels good, but it is also good for your physical health. Research published in  Psychological Science  shows that both online and in-person psychological interventions—tactics specifically designed to boost subjective well-being—have positive effects on self-reported physical health.  

Claiming Journalism Is ‘Fake News’ May Satisfy a Personal Need for an Orderly World : Research published in  Psychological Science  reveals that the degree to which people level accusations of fake news against news outlets is at least partially associated with a personal need for an orderly and structured environment. 

Top 10 APS Journal Articles Based on  Altmetric Attention Scores  

Aging in an Era of Fake News : Older adults appear to be particularly susceptible to misinformation (e.g., they shared the most fake news during the 2016 U.S. election). In  Current Directions in Psychological Science , researchers suggest that social changes in late adulthood, including difficulty in detecting lies and less emphasis on accuracy when communicating, might be partly responsible for susceptibility to misinformation. Moreover, older adults are less experienced with social media and may struggle to evaluate the veracity of content. Interventions that take into account older adults’ social changes and digital literacy might help to reduce their susceptibility to fake news.     Sex Differences in Mate Preferences Across 45 Countries: A Large-Scale Replication :  Research published in  Psychological Science  seems to support the popular perception that men are more likely to prefer attractive young mates, and women are more likely to prefer older mates with financial prospects. These sex differences were universal across the 45 countries surveyed. In countries where gender equality was higher, both sexes appeared to have mates closer to their own age. Contrary to older studies, this study found that gender equality did not predict other differences in mate preferences, such as financial prospects. Also, different countries’ rates of communicable and infectious diseases did not predict sex differences or preferences. 

What Is the Test-Retest Reliability of Common Task-Functional MRI Measures? New Empirical Evidence and a Meta-Analysis : The reliability of measuring brain activity using task functional MRI (fMRI) for predicting disease risk and outcomes appears to be low. In  Psychological Science , researchers present a meta-analysis of prior research and an analysis of test-retest reliability of brain activity in certain regions across 11 common fMRI tasks. The authors found that reliability across studies was low, and test-retest studies did not reliably show activity in the same areas of interest for the same tasks. These findings suggest that current task-fMRI measures are not suitable for predicting clinical outcomes or studying individual differences.    Racial Inequality in Psychological Research: Trends of the Past and Recommendations for the Future :  Systematic inequality exists within psychological research.  This is the conclusion researchers published in  Perspectives on Psychological Science  after querying more than 26,000 articles published between 1974 and 2018 in top-tier psychology journals. Most publications are edited by White editors, and the few publications that highlight race were written by White authors and had few participants of color. These findings suggest the need to diversify editing, writing, and participation in psychological science. To this end, the researchers provide a set of actionable recommendations for journals and authors.  

Your Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile Inside : A paper in  Current Directions in Psychological Science  describes a model of neural evolution that challenges the widespread misconception that as vertebrate animals evolved, they added “newer” brain structures to the “older” existing ones, enabling them to have more complex psychological functions (e.g., language). Neurobiologists have long discredited this misconception that the reptile brain is still part of the human brain, which just added more layers. The authors provide examples of how this inaccurate view of brain evolution has impeded progress in psychology. 

The Emotional Path to Action: Empathy Promotes Physical Distancing and Wearing of Face Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic : Empathy for people most vulnerable to COVID-19 appears to motivate wearing face masks and practicing social distancing, according to an article published in  Psychological Science . Participants who showed more empathy for the most vulnerable to the virus were more likely to report social-distancing practices. In two experiments, inducing empathy resulted in higher motivation to wear face masks and to practice social distancing than simply informing participants about the importance of these practices, in particular for those most vulnerable to the virus.  

Fighting COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media: Experimental Evidence for a Scalable Accuracy-Nudge Intervention :  Nudging people to think about the accuracy of news headlines might be a simple way to improve their choices about what to share on social media. When directly asked about the accuracy of COVID-19-related news, participants in a study published in  Psychological Science  were better at discriminating between true and false than when asked simply to decide whether to share it. Similarly, having participants judge the accuracy of non-COVID-19-related headlines increased their discernment about the accuracy of COVID-19-related articles and the quality of their subsequent intentions to share them.  

How Firm Are the Foundations of Mind-Set Theory? The Claims Appear Stronger Than the Evidence : Mind-set theory proposes that the beliefs one has about whether attributes are malleable ( growth mind-set ) or unchangeable ( fixed mind-set ) influence one’s motivation, type of goals, persistence, and resilience. Contrary to what the mind-set theory would predict, researchers publishing in  Psychological Science  tested 438 students and found weak associations (<.20) between mind-set, goal orientation, response to challenge, belief in effort, cognitive ability, and intelligence. The researchers suggest that these results may indicate that some claims about mind-set might be overstated. 

The Future of Women in Psychological Science :  A team of researchers analyzed 10 topics relevant for women’s professional prospects in psychological science: career advancement; financial compensation; service assignment and practices; lifestyle roles and work–family conflict; gender biases; prevalence and perceptions of positions of power; intersectionality; harassment and incivility; agency, self-esteem, and self-promotion; and lack of belonging. In  Perspectives on Psychological Science , the authors discuss empirical evidence for each of these issues and clarify gender gaps and positive change in the hope that a better understanding of these issues will spark conversation and help to mitigate remaining gender differences in the field. 

Can Bad Be Good? The Attraction of a Darker Self : We prefer fictional villains who are similar to us, according to research in  Psychological Science . Researchers explored data from an online platform that allows users to become “fans” of characters and take a quiz to evaluate their similarity with them. Individuals preferred villains who were similar to themselves. A series of laboratory studies also found an association between similarity of negative traits, when the villain was fictional but not when the villain was a real person, and attraction to the villain. 

Stories in Action

Stories may complement established policy tools. Walsh and colleagues define the elements of storytelling and discuss stories’ key features and functions, providing design principles for policymakers interested in building stories. 

SAGE 10-Year Impact Awards Honor Two APS Articles

Two 2011 APS journal articles exploring the rise of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and the risk of accepting false-positive findings have received SAGE Publishing’s third annual 10-Year Impact Awards.

Letter from the Editor: A New Chapter for the Observer

After nearly 40 years in print, the APS member magazine is going all-digital.

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Advancing research and practice of psychological intergroup interventions

• Sabina Čehajić-Clancy
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Determinants of behaviour and their efficacy as targets of behavioural change interventions

Changing behaviours might be central to responding to societal issues such as climate change and pandemics. In this Review, Albarracín et al. synthesize meta-analyses of individual and social-structural determinants of behaviour and the efficacy of behavioural change interventions that target them across domains to identify general principles that can inform future intervention decisions.

• Dolores Albarracín
• Bita Fayaz-Farkhad
• Javier A. Granados Samayoa

The development of human causal learning and reasoning

Humans have a unique capacity for objective and general causal understanding. In this Review, Goddu and Gopnik describe the development of causal learning and reasoning abilities during evolution and across childhood.

• Mariel K. Goddu
• Alison Gopnik

Using large language models in psychology

Large language models (LLMs), which can generate and score text in human-like ways, have the potential to advance psychological measurement, experimentation and practice. In this Perspective, Demszky and colleagues describe how LLMs work, concerns about using them for psychological purposes, and how these concerns might be addressed.

• Dorottya Demszky
• James W. Pennebaker

Mechanisms linking social media use to adolescent mental health vulnerability

Declines in adolescent mental health over the past decade have been attributed to social media, but the empirical evidence is mixed. In this Review, Orben et al. describe the mechanisms by which social media could amplify the developmental changes that increase adolescents’ mental health vulnerability.

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Own your narrative, the exclusively inclusive landscape of autism research.

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From the lab to a career in education research

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Mutual implications of procrastination research in adults and children for theory and intervention

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Clinically relevant acute subjective effects of psychedelics beyond mystical experience

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A framework for understanding effective allyship

When successful, engaging in allyship can promote belonging and well-being in marginalized individuals. In this Review, Pietri et al. outline a framework for effective allyship that includes four crucial and related components: awareness, authentic motivation, action orientation and all-inclusivity.

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Positive affect and reward processing in the treatment of depression, anxiety and trauma

Treatments for depression, anxiety and trauma primarily focus on alleviating negative emotions, but their effectiveness is limited. In this Review, Craske et al. describe evidence suggesting that a shift towards interventions that target positive affect and reward processing could enhance treatment outcomes.

• Michelle G. Craske
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The therapeutic benefits of psychedelics might be ascribed to their subjective effects, but methodological barriers limit interpretation of this association. In this Review, Yaden et al. balance the limitations of current assessments with research advances to inform the development of new measures and practices for understanding the clinical implications of psychedelics.

Active intentional and unintentional forgetting in the laboratory and everyday life

Forgetting can be an intentional act or an unintentional side effect of other memory processes. In this Review, Fawcett et al. describe intentional and unintentional forgetting in laboratory and real-world settings, highlight alignment across these traditionally siloed research areas, and explore the role of forgetting in certain clinical conditions.

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Executive function deficits in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and/or autism spectrum disorder show executive function deficits compared to neurotypical peers. In this Review, Kofler et al. question the evidence to examine whether these deficits are shared across both conditions and provide recommendations for future work.

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Curiosity in children across ages and contexts

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Single and multiple systems in categorization and category learning

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What is Psychology? Definition of Psychology: Psychology is the study of behavior in an individual, or group. Our psychology articles cover research in mental health, psychiatry, depression, psychology, schizophrenia, autism spectrum, happiness, stress and more.

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“Sleeping on It” Helps With Rational Decision Making

Gut Microbiome Disruption Linked to Aggression

AI Detects PTSD From Social Media Posts

Older Adults More Prone to Impulsive Financial Influence

100+ Genes Linked to Anxiety Disorders Identified

Psilocybin Shows Greater Long-Term Benefits Over SSRI for Depression

Brain Activity May Help Predict Risk of Postpartum Depression

AI Conversations Help Conspiracy Theorists Change Their Views

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Neural Circuitry Behind Social Group Preferences Discovered

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Environment and Hippocampal Size Impact Depression in Youth

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Neurodevelopmental Disruptions Behind Schizophrenia Cognitive Deficits

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Observing Trauma Boosts Resilience Through Serotonin

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Brain Molecular Changes In PTSD and Depression Revealed

Exercise Aids Memory Erasure in PTSD

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Autism and PTSD Are Vulnerably Linked

PTSD’s Genetic Roots: 43 Genes and 95 Loci Identified

War’s Toll on the Brain: Widespread PTSD and Anxiety Among Ukrainians

Dogs Sniffing Out PTSD

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Melatonin Receptor is Key to REM Sleep and Memory

Male and Female Brains Process Threats Differently

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• Frontiers in Developmental Psychology
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Insights in Cognitive Development: 2025

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As we embark on the third decade of the 21st Century, the strides made by scientists, particularly in recent years, have been monumental, propelling significant progress in the rapidly evolving field of developmental psychology. Frontiers has organized a series of Research Topics to highlight the latest advancements in research across the field of developmental psychology. This editorial initiative of particular relevance, led by Stephanie Carlson, Specialty Chief Editor of the Cognitive Development section, together with Associate Editors Catherine Sandhofer and Kim Roberts, focuses on new insights, novel developments, current challenges, latest discoveries, methodological breakthroughs, recent advances, and future perspectives in the field of Cognitive Development. The Research Topic solicits brief, forward-looking contributions from the editorial board members that describe the state of the art, outlining recent developments and major accomplishments that have been achieved and that need to occur to move the field forward. Authors are encouraged to identify the greatest challenges in the sub-disciplines, and how to address those challenges. The goal of this special edition Research Topic is to shed light on the progress made in the past decade in the Cognitive Development field, and on its future challenges to provide a thorough overview of the field. This article collection will inspire, inform, and provide direction and guidance to researchers in the field.

Keywords : developmental psychology, psychology, developmental, cognitive, insights, cognitive development, psychological development

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Why Do Some People Fall in Love Too Quickly and Often?

Exploring the latest research on emophilia..

Updated September 23, 2024 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods

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• Emophilia means falling in love too fast and frequently.
• Emophilia differs from anxious attachment, sociosexuality, and being a hopeless romantic.
• High emophilia is associated with risky behaviors, such as ignoring red flags and safe sex practices.

This post summarizes the latest research on emophilia. It is based on a paper by D. N. Jones, published in a 2024 issue of Personality and Individual Differences .

What is emophilia?

I fall in love too easily I fall in love too fast I fall in love too terribly hard For love to ever last My heart should be well-schooled Cause I've been fooled in the past But still I fall in love so easily I fall in love too fast

Do these lyrics from the song I Fall in Love Too Easily describe you? If so, you may be high in emophilia , which refers to developing romantic feelings quickly, easily, and frequently.

It is unclear what causes emophilia. But since individuals high in emophilia often ignore red flags during the process of getting to know the person to whom they feel attracted, emophilia is likely associated with personality traits such as risk-taking and impulsivity, and cognitive tendencies such as attentional biases and memory distortions.

In terms of physiology, the answer may also involve the production of too much or hypersensitivity to oxytocin . Oxytocin, commonly called the love hormone , is associated with bonding, trust, and caregiving behavior.

How is emophilia measured?

Emophilia (previously known as emotional promiscuity) is measured with the 10-item Emotional Promiscuity Scale.

Respondents are instructed to indicate their level of agreement with each of the nine statements (the tenth item is a question). See below:

• I fall in love easily.
• For me, romantic feelings take a long time to develop.
• I feel romantic connections right away.
• I love the feeling of falling in love.
• I am not the type of person who falls in love.
• I often feel romantic connections to more than one person at a time.
• I have been in love with more than one person at the same time.
• I fall in love frequently.
• I tend to jump into relationships.
• During your entire life, with how many people have you fallen in love?

What emophilia is and is not?

To understand emophilia, one must grasp the difference between needing versus wanting a romantic relationship.

Those high in emophilia want to experience the rush of falling in love, an experience that they find very enjoyable, fun, and rewarding.

Those who need to be in a romantic relationship, in contrast, are more likely to be anxiously attache d . These are individuals who use romantic relationships only to feel less lonely .

Despite these differences, emophilia is moderately correlated with anxious attachment . This makes sense, given how easy it can be to confuse what we want with what we like or need.

Similarly, emophilia is correlated with sociosexuality —the inclination toward having short-term sexual relationships (i.e., sex without love or commitment). A likely reason is that people tend to have sex with those they love (and vice versa).

Another distinction, Jones notes, is that emophilia differs from being a hopeless romantic or from believing in soul mates. Such romantic beliefs concern “meeting a soul mate and making it work regardless of the barriers,” not the ease or rapidity of falling in love.

The good and the bad of emophilia

High levels of emophilia are associated with negative behaviors such as deception , engaging in unprotected sex, cheating (e.g., extramarital sex); and with ignoring relationship red flags (e.g., boundary violations, controlling behavior, gaslighting ).

Furthermore, individuals high in emophilia are often attracted to people with Dark Triad traits, particularly narcissists .

This is not surprising given that in short-term acquaintances, narcissists appear charming , self-confident, and likable.

Having said that, low emophilia may be problematic, too. It can make recovery from infidelity , divorce , or the death of a spouse especially difficult.

Even getting over a breakup can feel like an insurmountable challenge if falling in love tends to take many years and many relationships.

So it may help to be a little like Romeo, from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Romeo was initially smitten with Rosaline, but she did not feel the same toward him, which had made him depressed . Upon seeing Juliet, however, he fell head over heels in love with her. And she reciprocated his love, so they lived happily ever after...or something like that.

Arash Emamzadeh attended the University of British Columbia in Canada, where he studied genetics and psychology. He has also done graduate work in clinical psychology and neuropsychology in U.S.

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• Moving While Black: Intergroup Attitudes Influence Judgments of Speed (PDF, 71KB) Journal of Experimental Psychology: General February 2016 by Andreana C. Kenrick, Stacey Sinclair, Jennifer Richeson, Sara C. Verosky, and Janetta Lun
• Recognition Without Awareness: Encoding and Retrieval Factors (PDF, 116KB) Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition September 2015 by Fergus I. M. Craik, Nathan S. Rose, and Nigel Gopie
• The Tip-of-the-Tongue Heuristic: How Tip-of-the-Tongue States Confer Perceptibility on Inaccessible Words (PDF, 91KB) Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition September 2015 by Anne M. Cleary and Alexander B. Claxton
• Cognitive Processes in the Breakfast Task: Planning and Monitoring (PDF, 146KB) Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology / Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale September 2015 by Nathan S. Rose, Lin Luo, Ellen Bialystok, Alexandra Hering, Karen Lau, and Fergus I. M. Craik
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