Creative types more likely to cheat
Creative people are more likely to cheat than less creative people, possibly because this talent increases their ability to rationalize [...]
Tag Archives: american psychological association 
Ignorance breeds aversion on social issues
The less people know about important complex issues such as the economy, energy consumption and the environment, the more they [...]
Racial identity tied to happiness, study finds
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Black people who identify more strongly with their racial identity are generally happier, according to a study led by psychology researchers at Michigan State University.
The study, funded by the National Institute o…
Therapeutic lifestyle changes as useful as drugs in improving mental health
Irvine, Calif., Feb. 22, 2011 — Getting more exercise, spending time outdoors and helping others are among the activities that can be as effective as drugs or counseling in treating an array of mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety, …
Beyond tender loving care: ‘TLCs’ promise health and happiness
WASHINGTON — Lifestyle changes — such as getting more exercise, time in nature, or helping others — can be as effective as drugs or counseling to treat an array of mental illnesses, according to a new paper published by the American Psychologica…
Bad things seem even worse if people have to live through them again
WASHINGTON — When people think unpleasant events are over, they remember them as being less painful or annoying than when they expect them to happen again, pointing to the power of expectation to help people brace for the worst, according to stud…
Highly interactive training helps workers in dangerous jobs avoid deadly mistakes
WASHINGTON — Hands-on safety training for workers in highly hazardous jobs is most effective at improving safe work behavior, according to psychologists who analyzed close to 40 years of research. However, less engaging training can be just as eff…
Recovering from job loss: Most report few long-term psychological effects, study finds
WASHINGTON — Losing a job is a profoundly distressing experience, but the unemployed may be more resilient than previously believed — the vast majority eventually end up as satisfied with life as they were before they lost their jobs, according …
‘Less is more,’ when it comes to sugary, high-caffeine energy drinks, researchers say
WASHINGTON — Moderate consumption of so-called energy drinks can improve people’s response time on a lab test measuring behavioral control, but those benefits disappear as people drink more of the beverage, according to a study published by the …
After good or bad events, people forget how they thought they’d feel
WASHINGTON — People aren’t very accurate at predicting how good or bad they’ll feel after an event — such as watching their team lose the big game or getting a flat-screen TV. But afterwards, they “misremember” what they predicted, revising their…
New study reconciles conflicting data on mental aging
WASHINGTON — A new look at tests of mental aging reveals a good news-bad news situation. The bad news is all mental abilities appear to decline with age, to varying degrees. The good news is the drops are not as steep as some research showed, a…
Personality predicts cheating more than academic struggles, study shows
WASHINGTON — Students who cheat in high school and college are highly likely to fit the profile for subclinical psychopathy — a personality disorder defined by erratic lifestyle, manipulation, callousness and antisocial tendencies, according to…
New study singles out factors linked to cognitive deficits in type 2 diabetes
WASHINGTON — Older adults with diabetes who have high blood pressure, walk slowly or lose their balance, or believe they’re in bad health, are significantly more likely to have weaker memory and slower, more rigid cognitive processing than those …
Why Americans believe Obama is a Muslim
EAST LANSING, Mich. — There’s something beyond plain old ignorance that motivates Americans to believe President Obama is a Muslim, according to a first-of-its-kind study of smear campaigns led by a Michigan State University psychologist.
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Disasters especially tough on people with disabilities, mental disorders
WASHINGTON — As hurricane season gets into full swing, mental health teams will be ready to respond and help survivors cope with possible devastation. Psychologists have analyzed decades of research and found that disaster response strategies shoul…
Relocating children after divorce may cause long-term problems
Children of divorced parents who are separated from one parent due to the custodial or non-custodial parent moving beyond an hour’s drive from the other parent are significantly less well off on many child mental and physical health measures compared to those children whose parents don’t relocate after divorce, according to new research. The findings, say the study authors, cast doubt on the current legal presumption that a move by a custodial parent to a destination that the moving parent believes will improve his or her life will also be in the best interest of the children that moves with them.
Race has powerful effects on children’s perceptions of occupations
Children’s perceptions of occupational status and their own vocational interests are affected by the racial make-up of the workforce, according to a new study involving first and six grade African American children. For both real and made-up jobs, children ascribed higher status to those occupations that are or were depicted as having all or mostly European American workers (and no or low numbers of African Americans workers) than to those jobs with no or low numbers of European American workers (and all or high numbers of African Americans workers). The findings appear in the May issue of Developmental Psychology, a journal published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Hostility in children a risk factor for heart disease
It is well known that adults who respond to life events with anger are more at risk for developing cardiovascular disease than those who do not. And now, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Helsinki, children and adolescents with similar hostile responses are also putting themselves at increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome -a precursor to adult heart disease, according to a study in the May issue of Health Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
