Psychology

More trips around the sun does not mean inevitable decline, new research suggests – and having a optimistic outlook can even bring improvements By most standards, Prof Velandai Srikanth is at the peak of his career. He is the director of the National Centre for Healthy Ageing; his decades of highly regarded research has led to work being published in leading scientific journals; and he has been awarded funding from some of the world’s biggest scientific funding bodies.He has also turned 60, and says that as soon as he did, “Somebody said: ‘So when are you going to retire?’” The comment shocked him – he realised this was the stigma of ageing, and it was coming for him. Continue ..

To test the safety and security of AI, hackers have to trick large language models into breaking their own rules. It requires ingenuity and manipulation – and can come at a deep emotional costA few months ago, Valen Tagliabue sat in his hotel room watching his chatbot, and felt euphoric. He had just manipulated it so skilfully, so subtly, that it began ignoring its own safety rules. It told him how to sequence new, potentially lethal pathogens and how to make them resistant to known drugs.Tagliabue had spent much of the previous two years testing and prodding large language models such as Claude and ChatGPT, always with the aim of making them say things they shouldn’t. But this was one o..

Inaudible infrasound from old pipes and ventilation systems may affect how people feel, research indicatesFor believers in the paranormal, unsettling sensations brought on by old buildings can be a sinister hint of loitering spirits. But new research points to a more mundane explanation: inaudible sounds from aged pipes and boilers.Scientists investigated the impact of infrasound on a group of volunteers and found that even though it was beyond the range of human hearing, people were more irritable and levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, rose when the sound was switched on. Continue reading...

Clients no longer just describe their symptoms, they arrive with screenshots of dense articles, AI chatbot information and the phrase ‘I’ve done my research’The modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their workBen* sat across from me, explaining how his low motivation, lethargy and trouble sleeping seemed like depression from content he had seen online. I made a recommendation to get his bloodwork done with his GP, who advised that Ben was low in vitamin D and iron, which can mimic depressive symptoms. Under the care of his GP, Ben’s symptoms quickly resolved without requiring further psychological intervention.Thuy* made an appointment ..

Study of 1,300 campaigners finds arrests, fines and jail terms increase determination of activists to take direct actionThe criminalisation of direct action climate protests in the UK is counterproductive and increases the determination of activists to undertake disruptive demonstrations, according to a study of 1,300 campaigners.New findings suggest arrests, fines and lengthy prison sentences given to nonviolent climate protesters who have blocked roads or damaged buildings may actually radicalise them. The repression of protest could even be one driver of recent covert actions such as the cutting of internet cables, they said. Continue reading...

Being unremarkable is often seen as a sign of moral failure – yet finding joy in the everyday can lead to a mindful, luminous experienceMaking sense of it is a column about spirituality and how it can be used to navigate everyday lifeLately I’ve been playing with a thought experiment: what if I was told the rest of my life would be completely ordinary? Not bad, just unremarkable.My immediate response is, “well, ordinary is better than awful” (forever the optimist), and then almost immediately (and embarrassingly), “this is not how life is meant to play out! I want something more!” Continue reading...

All good? Busy day? Small talk is a social good with a bad reputation. We dread it, but it’s vital for human connectionHi there, how’re you? How’s it going? You alright? All good?As any Briton knows, none of these questions is an inquiry into your emotional state, the material conditions of your life or your opinion on anything. Respond positively – “all good so far, touch wood” is nice – then move on to the purpose of the interaction: “I’m returning an Amazon package?”Bidisha is a broadcaster, critic and journalist for BBC, Channel 4 and Sky News Continue reading...

Madeleine Finlay sits down with co-host and science editor Ian Sample to discuss three eye-catching stories from the week, including a review into the effectiveness of a new class of Alzheimer’s drug that was once hailed as a game-changer in slowing the progress of the disease. Also on the agenda is the news that the world could be heading for a ‘super El Niño’ this summer and a study exploring whether conversations about dull topics really are as boring as we expect them to beHate small talk? You may enjoy that ‘dull’ chat more than you think, say researchersSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Rising demand from children with special needs means the £140m required could come from government grantsCouncils in England need to hire 1,400 more educational psychologists at a cost of £140m to meet demand from children with special needs such as autism, according to a new report.Research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) found huge regional variations and chronic shortages in qualified educational psychologists working with schools, and concluded that a 40% increase in the workforce was needed to iron out the differences between the best and worst-off areas. Continue reading...

Science rarely produces identical outcomes. Mistaking this for failure turns caution into an excuse for inactionA new set of studies out this month suggests that as many as half of all results published in reputable journals in the social sciences can’t be replicated by independent analysis. This is part of a long-running problem across many research fields – most visibly in the social sciences and psychology, though concerns have also been raised in areas of biomedical research.The latest work is a seven-year project called Systematizing Confidence in Open Research and Evidence (Score), which has now published three studies looking at 3,900 social science papers. It found that newer pap..

Participants reported enjoying the human connection regardless of whether they thought the topic was dullThe human aversion to dull experiences was nailed by the author Paulo Coelho when he declared: “I can stand defeats, pain, anger. But I can’t stand boredom.”But the natural desire to avoid boring conversations comes at a cost, according to researchers, who found that people enjoyed chatting about tedious topics far more than they expected. Continue reading...

While her friends expected a seamless return to pre-illness life, Christine feared a relapse, feeling a sense of limbo between her old and new selfThe modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their workChristine’s* friends and family had been pillars of support after her cancer diagnosis. Her community responded quickly and consistently while she underwent treatment – home-delivered meals, child-minding, lifts to medical appointments, even an online fundraiser to help with living costs while she was unable to work.A year on, Christine was thrilled to share news of remission. But after feeling buoyed by dozens of congratulatory messages and a c..

Psychologist Michael Valdovinos explains this ‘unique kind of stress’, which is now acknowledged in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersTo experience moral injury is to be forced to act in ways or to witness actions that contradict your most deeply held convictions.You can sustain moral injury in one catastrophic event, like hurting an enemy combatant in an armed conflict you don’t believe is just. It can also appear after a slow crescendo of moral distress, as people who work in slaughterhouses or prisons report. Easily mistaken for depression, moral distress frequently presents as sadness or feeling like a bad person. Continue reading...

One minute you can’t get enough southern fried drumsticks or peri-peri wings, the next it all tastes foul. Here’s how a psychologist explains itName: The chicken ick.Age: Chickens have been around since, well, eggs … Continue reading...

Human brains are designed to detect faces as quickly as possible, which can lead to the perception of ‘false faces’Faces: we see them in clouds, electrical outlets and even a $28,000 toasted sandwich said to look like the Virgin Mary.Known as face pareidolia, seeing faces in inanimate objects or patterns of light and shadow is a common phenomenon. Continue reading...

President has affixed his name to institutions and edifices, and his visage now glowers from several federal buildingsThe US has a history of naming things after its presidents.Washington DC has the Ronald Reagan airport, while John F Kennedy international airport is New York’s main air transport thoroughfare. The Hoover Dam straddles Nevada and Arizona; Theodore Roosevelt is one of several former presidents to have a Washington DC building named after them; Franklin Delano Roosevelt has an island; Abraham Lincoln has the Lincoln Memorial; and George Washington has the nation’s capital and an entire state. Continue reading...

Feel like too much low-quality screen time is making you … dumber? From focusing on your environment to ‘washing’ your brain, experts share tips on how to sharpen up and keep your mind fighting fitPlus: how rotten is your brain? Take our quiz to find outEver had one of those days when you get nothing done but still somehow feel exhausted? Of course you have: brain rot, the Oxford word of the year for 2024, isn’t yet in any medical dictionaries, but it’s probably best understood as the decline in cognitive abilities that comes from endless exposure to easily digestible information. And, thanks to the ubiquity of short‑form video and social media, it’s almost certainly on the ris..

A psychologist delves into the genetics of bad behaviour in a book littered with fascinating scientific findingsIn 2021, the psychologist and writer Kathryn Paige Harden co-authored a paper outlining her research into the genetic patterns linked to a higher risk of developing substance abuse problems or engaging in risk-taking behaviour, such as having unprotected sex or committing crime. The paper referred to the genetics of “traits related to self-regulation and addiction”, but Harden thought of herself as studying the genetics of sin.Harden is a professor at the University of Texas and the author of a previous book, The Genetic Lottery, on how our knowledge of genetics should shape ou..

Tracy Marshall describes how the worrying natter of her internal world, thankfully, fell silentI was delighted to read Polly Hudson’s article on overthinkers like me (Faithful, sensitive, forgiving: overthinkers like me make the best partners, 29 March). I am 51 now and have spent most of my life at the mercy of my ability to “turn even the most pleasant, benign interaction into a horrifying encounter that definitely caused offence”.Someone once described me as a sentinel – forever observing and analysing myself and, as a result, never actually living in the moment and enjoying the freedom from guilt and shame and self-loathing that the under- and perfect-level thinkers around me app..

In the face of existential anxiety it may be tempting to fret over smaller details but there are positive steps we can take to prepare for a world that may change at any momentThe modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their workSince the United States and Israel attacked Iran, my therapy rooms have been flooded with clients talking about the possibility of a world war and the widespread perception that we stand at a perilous tipping point in history. People are dealing with this differently, with some sanguinely shrugging and accepting they can’t change matters so there’s little point worrying, while others fret and compulsively check the n..

The latest research suggests there’s far more to good fortune than mere accidentWhen the founder of Panasonic, Kōnosuke Matsushita, was asked what quality he valued most in job candidates, his answer baffled everyone: whether they were lucky. Not their credentials, not their intelligence, not their experience. Luck. For years, this anecdote struck me as charmingly eccentric – the kind of thing a titan of industry gets away with saying because nobody around them dares to laugh. Then I began studying the neuroscience of fortunate people, and I stopped laughing, too.What my research has revealed is that luck, far from being a roll of the cosmic dice, operates through identifiable patterns ..

Yes, we stay awake all night, worrying about things that everyone else has already forgotten. But at least we’re making an effortIt takes a certain kind of bravery to speak out on behalf of a much-maligned group, so thank you, Mark Travers, PhD. This American psychologist has publicly detailed three reasons overthinkers make great partners. Finally, some justice for those of us whose brains don’t have an off switch, when we usually get such a bad rap (which we then lie awake at night endlessly ruminating on).To us, overthinking isn’t even the correct term – it’s just thinking. Calling it overthinking suggests there are underthinkers, who must be a happy bunch, or perfect-level thin..

The scarcity mindset, exploited by advertisers to trigger impulse buys, can cause panic buying. But telling consumers not to panic, may make them panic moreGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast“Of all the shortages we have – there’s a gasoline shortage – you know what else is disappearing from the supermarket shelves?” a television presenter jokes. “Toilet paper.”Shops emptied of loo roll are now linked to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, but that line was delivered by the US late-night host Johnny Carson more than 50 years ago. Continue reading...

AI images of people – such as women in military contexts – are making money and serving as propaganda, researchers sayOnline content creators are not just building fake images and videos of prominent public figures, they are also fabricating people and using them in military contexts, which can make them money and even serve as effective propaganda, according to artificial intelligence researchers.Some of these online avatars are sexualized images of women wearing camouflage garb that have generated a significant audience and helped create an idealized image of political figures like Donald Trump, even if the viewer knows the content is not real, according to experts. Continue reading...

One minute, Dennis Biesma was playing with a chatbot; the next, he was convinced his sentient friend would make him a fortune. He’s just one of many people who lost control after an AI encounterTowards the end of 2024, Dennis Biesma decided to check out ChatGPT. The Amsterdam-based IT consultant had just ended a contract early. “I had some time, so I thought: let’s have a look at this new technology everyone is talking about,” he says. “Very quickly, I became fascinated.”Biesma has asked himself why he was vulnerable to what came next. He was nearing 50. His adult daughter had left home, his wife went out to work and, in his field, the shift since Covid to working from home had l..

We all know a person who sees every chat as an opportunity to go on and on about themselves. And sometimes that person is us …Name: Conversational narcissism.Age: Christened in 1979. Continue reading...

When we can’t control what’s happening in the world, there is some solace in the predictability of a comforting routine and the safe landing of a warm bedAn early bedtime is my number one prescription when things go awry. It’s a reliable comfort through all life seasons, especially when uncertainty is rife and sleep is disturbed.I’m not ashamed to admit that I spend a considerable amount of time each day thinking about how nice it would be to get into bed. We’ve just passed the autumn equinox which means we’ll light the first fire soon and “hottie season” will officially commence. Yes, my partner of 20 years is handsome but it’s the hot-water bottle that gets preference whe..

Why is it like something to be ourselves and how do physical processes create our subjective experience? These questions get to the heart of the knotty problem of consciousness, and they provided the spark for the latest book from award-winning author and journalist Michael Pollan. In A World Appears, Pollan goes in search of answers about what we do and don’t know about consciousness, and why it has proven such an elusive phenomenon. He tells Ian Sample how thoughts and feelings shape our conscious experience, whether we can learn anything about human consciousness from AI, and why he thinks our minds need to be defended in today’s technology saturated worldOrder A World Appears: A Jour..

Humans are hard-wired to care for and protect each other. Becoming kinder is just like riding a bikeAs a species, Homo sapiens have a bad reputation. War, environmental pillage, weapons of mass destruction – if the human race were applying for the job as planetary custodian, we wouldn’t even make it through to the interview stage.But maybe we are not as bad as we think. According to the author and psychologist Steven Pinker, human society has become kinder over the course of recorded history, perhaps not in a linear fashion, but in absolute terms. He argues in The Better Angels of Our Nature that, over the long arc of history, violence – including murder, cruelty and war deaths – hav..

Cosmologists and physicists come up empty handed when they attempt to pin down time. So what, exactly, is it? When was the last time you raced against an unforgiving clock? Perhaps you skipped breakfast, broke a sweat, shelled out for a taxi or missed time with your family. Many of us have become slaves to time, with huge portions of our day spent chasing appointments and deadlines. But what is this thing we’re trying to beat?We tend to imagine time as incessant and non-negotiable, ticking by somewhere out in the world, impossible to slow or stop. Yet an emerging scientific picture is that such “clock time” isn’t a standalone, physical phenomenon at all. It’s a mathematical to..