psychology
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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 the tight connection between mental and physical health, including the neurological drivers behind the opioid crisis. They could also revolutionize our understanding of how we make decisions, leading to more considered choices in areas ranging from the law to the economy.
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Comfort dogs bring healing in times of tragedy
Twelve golden retrievers recently arrived in Orlando to bring comfort to the survivors and those grieving after the mass shooting at the gay nightclub Pulse. Here, Northeastern’s Lisa Feldman Barrett, who specializes in the psychology of emotion, explains how dogs help bring our nervous systems back into balance and, at least temporarily, make us feel safe.
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Failure to reproduce results is ‘a normal part of how science works’
Lisa Feldman Barrett, University Distinguished Professor of Psychology, says that there is “not a cause for alarm” after a new paper revealed that many psychology studies’ results could not be replicated.
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3Qs: How we feel what we feel
Lisa Feldman Barrett, University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern, explains why misconceptions about emotion persist, how our emotional brains change as we age, and the role of context in what we feel.
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The thinking behind gender stereotypes
Adults and children hold equally stereotypical views about gender, according to new research from associate professor of psychology John Coley’s lab.
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3Qs: Listen to the words
Joanne Miller, Matthews Distinguished University Professor and chair of Northeastern’s Department of Psychology, was recently recognized for her pioneering research on human language processing in the field of speech perception.
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3Qs: Gender balance in biomedical research
A new policy from the National Institutes of Health will require all biomedical research funded by the NIH to be gender balanced. Here, Rebecca Shanksy, an assistant professor of psychology whose research is focused in this space, discusses the implications of the decision.
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A biological engine for human language
New research out of Northeastern psychology professor Iris Berent’s lab suggests that humans’ capacity for creating language is encoded in our brains as a universal set of rules.
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Give thanks, and prosper
In new a paper, Northeastern psychology researchers challenge long-held beliefs about patience by showing that cultivating gratitude can promote impulse control—which many previous studies have linked to better long-term outcomes.
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3Qs: Our fascination with mystery
Psychology professor John Coley discusses how the need for explanation can drive society—and perhaps the media—to be consumed with curiosity into the unknown, like with the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
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Your face says it all? Not so fast
New research from University Distinguished Professor of Psychology Lisa Feldman Barrett’s lab refutes a decades-old belief in emotion science—that emotions are universally recognized across people and cultures.
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'Gaydar' revisited
Image via Thinkstock. I had a friend in college who claimed to have extremely good “gaydar.” She insisted that, generally speaking, lesbians (of which she was one) tended to be better at picking out other lesbians from a crowd and that I, despite my own experimental tendencies, shouldn’t even try. I…