Investigators have discovered a functional link between reward and stress. They found that dopamine -- the brain s chief reward signal -- works through corticotrophin-releasing factor -- the brain s main stress signal -- to increase the activity of a brain region involved in addiction relapse. The findings, reported in the Journal of Neuroscience, point to new potential targets for treating alcohol and drug abuse -- particularly the problem of relapse.

Allergic rhinitis does not appear to be associated with snoring or daytime sleepiness, but individuals with obstructed nasal passages are likely to experience both regardless of whether they have allergies, according to a new report.

Psychologists reveal that religion facilitates the exercise of self-control and attainment of long-term goals. A psychology professor has found a strong correlation between religion and self-control, or self-regulation. He explains that religious people may have at their disposal a set of unique resources that makes them better suited to adhering to long term goals.

Looking at yourself in the mirror every morning, you never think to question whether the person you see is actually you. A new study challenges this common-sense notion about our own self image. The study shows for the first time that the image we hold of our own face can actually change through shared experiences with other people s faces.

It turns out there s a scientific reason why older people tend to see the past through rose-coloured glasses. Medical researchers have identified brain activity that causes older adults to remember fewer negative events than their younger counterparts. These neuroscientists have discovered that older people use their brains differently than younger people when it comes to storing memories, particularly those associated with negative emotions.

Men tend to perform better than women at tasks that require a person to rotate an object mentally, studies have indicated. Now developmental psychologists have discovered that this type of spatial skill is present in infancy, and can be found in boys as young as five months old.

Moderate drinkers often have lower risks of Alzheimer s disease and other cognitive loss, according to researchers who reviewed 44 studies. In more than half of the studies, published since the 1990s, moderate drinkers of wine, beer and liquor had lower dementia risks than nondrinkers.

A new study on 485 Iowa adolescents over a 10-year period (1991-2001) found that early socioeconomic adversity experienced by children contributes to poor mental health by the time they become teens -- disrupting their successful transition into adulthood.

A new study suggests that college students may handle stressful situations better if they have a pet. Research has already shown that pets can improve the quality of life for people who are aging or those who are chronically ill. But researchers have recently found that many college students may also benefit from owning a cat or a dog. 

For risk-takers and impulsive people, New Year s resolutions often include being more careful, spending more frugally and cutting back on dangerous behavior, such as drug use. But new research finds that these individuals -- labeled as novelty seekers by psychologists -- face an uphill battle in keeping their New Year s resolutions due to the way their brains process dopamine.

Consumers face a barrage of product claims each day. What makes those claims believable? A new study says both marketers and consumers can benefit from information about the way people process product claims.

A person s unconscious attitudes toward science and God may be fundamentally opposed, researchers report, depending on how religion and science are used to answer ultimate questions such as how the universe began or the origin of life.

A father s age is associated with decreased social abilities in boys, according to new research.

Nearly 50 years after one of the most controversial behavioral experiments in history, a social psychologist has found that people are still just as willing to administer what they believe are painful electric shocks to others when urged on by an authority figure.

A groundbreaking study of popularity has found that genes elicit not only specific behaviors but also the social consequences of those behaviors.

In our globalized world, consumers are exposed to marketing messages in many languages. But a new study says messages expressed in people s native languages are most effective at triggering emotional reactions.

A new study finds that hospice services -- care that is provided by physicians, visiting nurses, chaplains, home health aides, social workers and counselors -- have restrictions that reduce usage by many patients who are most in-need, particularly African-Americans.

Facial expressions of emotion are hardwired into our genes, according to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The research suggests that facial expressions of emotion are innate rather than a product of cultural learning.

A predictive link has been established between negative family reactions to their child s sexual orientation and serious health problems. Negative parental behaviors toward LGB children dramatically compromises their health.

Researchers have been working with young offenders to help them turn their lives around. Findings of the self-reported measures of self-confidence, trust, belonging and connectedness to nature showed that after each wilderness experience, feelings increased and during the months in between levels fell, as participants had less contact with nature. The final value at the end of the project was substantially higher than the initial starting value.