Psychology and Neuroscience

  • Like-minded discourse breeds extremism
    鈥淭he results of two experiments demonstrate that people underestimate how much a brief group discussion polarizes their partisan attitudes,鈥 Keating said in her study summary. But perhaps worse, people appear to be unaware when this occurs.
  • Empathy for others鈥 pain rooted in cognition rather than sensation
    The ability to understand and empathize with others鈥 pain is grounded in cognitive neural processes rather than sensory ones, according to the results of a new study led by University of Colorado Boulder researchers.
  • Pain
    Opioids like morphine have now been shown to paradoxically cause an increase in chronic pain in lab rats, findings that could have far-reaching implications for humans, says a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.
  • Caution: Caffeine
    Many have felt the jitters of too much caffeine, but new evidence suggests that such consumption puts adolescents at risk of suffering those symptoms on a daily basis, even after discontinuing use, according to a University of Colorado Boulder study published in the February edition of the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.
  • June Gruber
    At some point in your life you鈥檝e likely heard that 鈥渢oo much of a good thing鈥 can be bad for you. June Gruber has used science to prove this old adage true.
  • June Gruber, at left, is leading an interdisciplinary effort to improve human understanding of people鈥檚 emotions. Photo by Glenn Asakawa.
    Human emotions are universally experienced but not fully understood. A new initiative at the University of Colorado Boulder aims to tap a wide range of expertise to shed light on 鈥渢he mysteries of human nature.鈥
  • Practicing yoga during pregnancy can help prevent postpartum depression. iStockphoto.
    Pregnant and postpartum women at risk of depression are less likely to suffer depression when they meditate or get in a yoga pose than when they are treated with psychotherapy or antidepressants, a study led by CU-Boulder researchers has found.
  • Distinguished Professor Steven Maier discovered a brain mechanism that not only produces resilience to trauma but aids in coping with future adversity.
    University of Colorado Boulder scientist Steven Maier, who discovered a brain mechanism that not only produces resilience to trauma but aids in coping with future adversity, has won the 2016 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology.
  • Neurological mechanisms help explore the connection between epilepsy and autism.
    Researchers have discovered that a combination of pre-natal stress and an unapproved pre-term labor medication called terbutaline may create a higher risk for the co-development of autism and epilepsy.
  • Man running from zombies
    Sure, there are endorphin junkies who love to enter the 鈥榩ain cave,鈥 but for those who鈥檇 rather play, fleeing from 鈥榸ombies鈥 does the trick, CU-Boulder researchers find.
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