psychology

What if people from different cultures and economic backgrounds have different brain wiring?

A new theory of human development challenges the belief that humans are born with an intricately wired social brain that has been developed through millions…

Bill Ibelle August 6, 2018

The curious case of the people who can control their goosebumps

In a paper published Monday in the online journal PeerJ, Northeastern postdoctoral researcher James Heathers and his colleagues found that people who can control their…

Allie Nicodemo July 30, 2018

How good is your therapist? This machine will tell you.

For people struggling to overcome addiction, good therapy can be hugely beneficial. But bad therapy is worse than no therapy at all. The challenge is…

Allie Nicodemo July 19, 2018

Northeastern professor named president-elect for the Association of Psychological Science

Psychology professor Lisa Feldman Barrett, research in the field of affective neuroscience has upended conventional wisdom on the nature of emotions, has been named President-Elect…

Allie Nicodemo May 11, 2018

Exploring emotion in the brain

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But what role does the brain play in shaping subjective experience? Ajay Satpute, assistant professor in the…

Allie Nicodemo September 6, 2017

Why it’s so hard to make accurate predictions

This week marked the release of the 200th edition of The Farmers’ Almanac, which is primarily known for providing long-range weather forecasts. But its historically…

Jason Kornwitz August 17, 2017

Why ‘rage rooms’ won’t solve your anger issues

Rage rooms—where stressed out people go to relieve tension by breaking things—have become a global phenomenon. But Northeastern psychologist Christie Rizzo says the practice is…

Jason Kornwitz August 16, 2017

Rigorous science upends the mind-body myth

New research led by Northeastern’s Lisa Feldman Barrett reveals the system in the brain where basic feelings originate. The findings could help solve mysteries regarding…

Thea Singer May 16, 2017

The science of fear

Feelings of fear “often have to do with uncertainty,” says Northeastern’s Lisa Feldman Barrett, “particularly uncertainty around whether something is alive or not.” Take a…