This Week’s Top 5 Psychology News

Have you been wondering what interesting psychology news has been reported this week? Well don’t worry, I got you covered. I found 5 news articles worth sharing, and summarized it for you. This article covers depression, anxiety, pets, exercising, and black girls stereotype. Enjoy:

1. Do have a troublesome time trying to fall asleep when anxious or excited? Well, this news will help you understand what is happening. A research team directed by Takeshi Sakurai from the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine discovered that when the GABAergic neurons in mice are excited; a rapid transition to wakefulness occurs. The study revealed that the GABAergic system regulates sleep and wakefulness. The researches will further study the GABAergic system to create future remedies for insomnia.
2. Ever wondered if genes can play a role in depression? Well, a study conducted by Dr. Lobo proved genes do affect depression. Dr. Lobo studied mice prone to depression. The mice were socially withdrawn and did not have interest in food. Lobo and her team recognized that when the mice were exposed to stressful situations, levels of the CIc6a15 gene in the nucleus accumbens reduced. Afterwards, the researchers observed human brains of people with major depression who had committed suicide. They discovered that their brains also had a reduction of the CLc6a15 gene. Even though the team doesn’t know exactly how this gene works in the brain, they believe it can be altering neurotransmitter levels in the brain. They will continue to study this gene in order to create therapies that focuses on this gene.
3. Are pet owners healthier than those who don’t have pets? In order to view the differences researchers used the California Health Interview Survey that begun in 2001. The survey was given in 5 languages, and covered people from different races, sex, income and household. They survey demonstrated that approximately half of the targeted population owned a pet. 26% had a dog and had a cat. After narrowing that down, respondents were asked about their health. The study showed that pet owners were a bit healthier than those with no pets. “But this difference vanished when factors like income, race, and marital status were taken into consideration. In short, there was no evidence of a positive impact of pet ownership per se on the general health of the 42,000 participants in the study” (Hal Herzog, 2017).
4. Do you feel like exercising is a drag? I once did to! Researches from the Institute of Sport Science reported that if people thought that exercising gave them positive results then they enjoyed it more, helping them reduce stress. The study used 78 participates between the ages of 18 and 32 with similar fitness levels. The subjects were asked how athletic they are and then rode a stationary bike with moderate intensity. The study demonstrated that those who believed to be athletic felt the 30 min bike ride to be easy compared to those who didn’t even though the participant had similar fitness levels.
5. Ever wondered how adults compare black and white young girls? Well, the results of this study are shocking. Apparently young black girls are viewed as less innocent compared to their white peers. In a report published by Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality found that adults believed black girls need less nurturing and protection that white girls. “Many experts have observed that stereotypes of black women, especially the stereotype of the ‘angry black woman,’ are projected onto black girls, and that black girls’ behavior is often interpreted as threatening to adults’ authority, which effectively adultifies black girls in harmful ways” (Jacqueline Howard, 2017). The study was conducted online, where 325 adults took a survey on their perceptions on young girls. The results showed that adults believed black girls to be more adult than white girls at the same age.

What are your thoughts on these news articles? Let me know what type of news you would like me to report weekly. Have a great day!

References

Christopher Bergland. (2017). New Research Explains Why Some of Us Really Hate to Exercise. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201707/new-research-explains-why-some-us-really-hate-exercise

Hal Herzog. (2017). Large Study Finds Pet Owners Are Different. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animals-and-us/201707/large-study-finds-pet-owners-are-different

Jacqueline Howard. (2017). Adults view black girls as ‘less innocent,’ new report says. Retrieved from: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/28/health/black-girls-adultification-racial-bias-study/

Science Daily. (2017). Gene that could play key role in depression identified. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170706114559.htm

Science Daily. (2017). The secret connection between anxiety, sleep. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170701081720.htm