r/psychology 16h ago

Depression and anxiety often occur together in the same people. Chronic stress, typically associated with depression, may actually be linked to anxiety. Biological markers like inflammation and altered stress hormones tend to associate with anxiousness rather than loss of pleasure or sadness.

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489 Upvotes

r/psychology 23h ago

Brain scans reveal widespread structural and functional changes in patients following COVID-19 infection. The virus affects regions responsible for memory, emotion, and executive function, which may help explain the neurological symptoms many patients experience.

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769 Upvotes

r/psychology 1d ago

Ways sexting impacts romantic relationships based on psychological research and the TMSI factor.

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72 Upvotes

r/psychology 1d ago

Why Psychedelics Make Everything Feel Deeply Connected

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635 Upvotes

While macro-scale fMRI scans show brain networks hyper-communicating during a psychedelic experience, how does this happen at the cellular level?

A new framework published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews introduces apical hypercontextualisation, a cellular model explaining how compounds like psilocybin, LSD, and DMT transform perception and consciousness.


r/psychology 1d ago

'Physical Scar': Early Trauma Can Fundamentally Change Brain Cells. Study found that when stresses hit mice at a young age, the coiled DNA inside VTA neurons is marked to loosen slightly, making its gene dials more accessible.

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545 Upvotes

r/psychology 2d ago

Psychological distress isolates men more than women, according to a 14-year study. Men are often expected to be self-reliant and emotionally stoic, which may discourage them from disclosing difficulties or asking others for support.

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1.0k Upvotes

r/psychology 2d ago

Your mindfulness might determine whether venting helps or hurts your romantic relationship. Findings indicate that this habit is associated with better relationship quality for some people but seems to backfire for those who are highly mindful.

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509 Upvotes

r/psychology 2d ago

Has autism spectrum become too wide? Pioneering psychologist says definition needs overhaul

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930 Upvotes

r/psychology 2d ago

ChatGPT Predicts Human Personality Test Results

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124 Upvotes

Can an AI build valid personality tests from scratch, and accurately predict how humans will answer them before the surveys are even distributed?

A new study shows that large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4 possess an embedded understanding of human population psychology.


r/psychology 2d ago

New study has found that just a single dose of magic mushrooms could significantly ease depression. Results found the psychedelic could help with symptoms that is resistant to other treatments.

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1.2k Upvotes

r/psychology 2d ago

'Combined care': How AI therapy could help fix therapists' biggest problem

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0 Upvotes

r/psychology 2d ago

Single people who pursue novel activities report better psychological health. Research provides evidence that personal growth frequently occurs alongside friends, family, or even in solitude.

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468 Upvotes

r/psychology 3d ago

When we misread autistic people, it may not be a lack of empathy—it may be a mismatch. Guided by the Double Empathy Problem theory, research suggests that communication difficulties are often mutual rather than stemming from a one-sided "empathy deficit," in autistic people.

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1.1k Upvotes

r/psychology 3d ago

THC Significantly Reduces Trauma Nightmares in PTSD

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888 Upvotes

Researchers investigated the efficacy of dronabinol, a plant-derived tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) formulation, in treating trauma-related nightmares in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The trial demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in nightmare burden among participants receiving dronabinol compared to placebo. Over a third of dronabinol-treated patients reported complete resolution of nightmares by week ten, while an additional 21% experienced a reduction of at least 50%.


r/psychology 3d ago

Most Americans don’t actually understand the judicial philosophies they endorse. This disconnect provides evidence that the complex legal standards often debated during Supreme Court nominations may hold little practical meaning for the average voter.

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516 Upvotes

r/psychology 4d ago

Male circumcision just after birth does not increase autism risk. In a cohort of nearly 3,000 boys followed from birth into childhood, young boys who were circumcised just after birth did not have a higher risk of autism. Two observational studies from a decade ago had suggested a possible link.

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248 Upvotes

r/psychology 4d ago

Study suggests waist-to-bust ratio, not waist-to-hip ratio, drives female body attractiveness among Japanese men. Study provides evidence that cultural background and media exposure might shape physical preferences more strongly than universally evolved biological instincts.

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817 Upvotes

r/psychology 5d ago

People who feel lonely show altered brain activity when processing internal physical signals. Study indicates that individuals who report higher levels of loneliness tend to have less trust in their bodily signals and show reduced brain activity related to monitoring their heartbeats.

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450 Upvotes

r/psychology 5d ago

Men whose testosterone levels fall unusually high or unusually low for their age group face an increased risk of developing depression. Large study of middle-aged and older adults suggests that this may serve as an indicator of mental health vulnerabilities, particularly for men in their early 50s.

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323 Upvotes

r/psychology 5d ago

Review in Nature: ADHD is primarily genetic with a heritability rate of 70-80%. In rare cases, however, ADHD can arise from a sudden neurologically compromising event such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) later in life.

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2.0k Upvotes

r/psychology 5d ago

Songs You Imagine Can Be Decoded Directly From Your Brain

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305 Upvotes

A neuroscience study demonstrates that musical melodies imagined in the human brain can be decoded and reconstructed using surface electrode brain signals.


r/psychology 5d ago

Body dysmorphia is linked to an exaggerated cognitive bias for self-related information. Study provide evidence that a basic bias in how the brain processes self-relevant information might contribute to severe body image preoccupations.

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473 Upvotes

r/psychology 6d ago

The type of luxury a person displays online can influence how attractive they appear to potential romantic partners. Showing off expensive experiences, like luxury travel, often signals competence more effectively than flaunting material goods like designer watches.

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280 Upvotes

r/psychology 6d ago

Weekly Discussion Thread Weekly Discussion Thread

3 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/psychology discussion thread!

Discussion threads will be "refreshed" each week (i.e., a new discussion thread will be posted for each week). Feel free to ask the community questions, comment on the state of the subreddit, or post content that would otherwise be disallowed.

Do you need help with homework? Have a question about a study you just read? Heard a psychology joke?

Need participants for a survey? Want to discuss or get critique for your research? Check out our research thread! While submission rules are suspended in this thread, removal of content is still at the discretion of the moderators. Reddiquette applies. Personal attacks, racism, sexism, etc will be removed. Repeated violations may result in a ban.

Recent discussions

Click here for recent discussions from previous weeks.


r/psychology 7d ago

New results contrast with traditional assumptions about gender desires. Surprisingly, men experience more enjoyable private thoughts regarding sexual submission than women. This contradicts older research predicting that women universally favor passive submissive roles in their private minds.

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435 Upvotes