Topic description and stories

Musical preferences unite personalities across the globe

10 Feb 2022

Research involving more than 350,000 participants from six continents has found that links between musical preferences and personality are universal...

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Young people who experience bullying are more likely to fantasise about committing acts of violence – study

28 Apr 2021

Experiencing bullying and forms of aggression in late adolescence and early adulthood is linked to a marked increase in the likelihood of having...

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It’s a kind of magic

06 Mar 2020

How trickster birds are helping a psychologist and magician understand how our minds work.

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Protestors confront each other at a political demonstration

‘Mental rigidity’ at the root of intense political partisanship on both left and right – study

29 Aug 2019

Latest research shows that reduced cognitive flexibility is associated with more 'extreme' beliefs and identities at both ends of the political...

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Joseph Priestley: theologian, scientist, clergyman and stammerer

Study unearths Britain’s first speech therapists

22 Oct 2018

On International Stammering Awareness Day (22 October), a new study reveals that Britain’s first speech therapists emerged at least a century earlier...

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A seminar audience in Austin, Texas, United States

Women much less likely to ask questions in academic seminars than men

27 Sep 2018

A new study reveals a stark disparity between male and female participation in a key area of academic life and offers recommendations to ensure all...

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Online tool can measure individuals’ likelihood to fall for internet scams

04 Apr 2018

Researchers have developed an online questionnaire which measures a range of personality traits to identify individuals who are more likely to fall...

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Industrial workplace

Industrial Revolution: damaging psychological ‘imprint’ persists in today’s populations

10 Dec 2017

Study finds people in areas historically reliant on coal-based industries have more ‘negative’ personality traits. Psychologists suggest this...

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Members of the audience take pictures as President Barack Obama participates in a town hall meeting moderated by CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. April 20, 2011

Opinion: What can we learn about you from just one click?

14 Nov 2017

How effective is psychological targeting in advertising? Dr Sandra Matz, a former PhD student at Cambridge now based at Columbia ̽»¨Ö±²¥, and her...

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Winner takes all: Success enhances taste for luxury goods, study suggests

19 Sep 2017

Footballers in flashy cars, City workers in Armani suits, reality TV celebrities sipping expensive champagne while sitting in hot tubs: what drives...

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A house in Darmstadt destroyed by an Allied bombing raid.

World War II bombing associated with resilience, not ‘German Angst’

23 Jun 2017

Experiencing traumatic events may be associated with greater mental resilience among residents rather than causing widespread angst, suggests a study...

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Victorians rally for No New Coal projects

'Psychological vaccine’ could help immunise public against ‘fake news’ on climate change – study

23 Jan 2017

New research finds that misinformation on climate change can psychologically cancel out the influence of accurate statements. However, if legitimate...

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