Author: dispatchtimes news

A new study published in Sex Roles reveals a clear divide among women who identify as fat over whether their size is a feminist issue. The research, conducted in the United States, involved 20 self-identified fat or overweight women and sought to understand how they frame feminism in relation to body size. The work is led by Breanne Fahs, a professor of women and gender studies at Arizona State University, alongside Eric Swank, and is based on in-depth interviews conducted by Fahs herself. The study engages with the concept of anti-fatness, a form of prejudice directed at larger bodies that…

A longitudinal study published in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality suggests that while religious and spiritual struggles are linked to higher anxiety among college students, developing patience for daily irritations can predict a reduction in general anxiety over time. The research followed undergraduates at a large Christian university in the southern United States and was led by Laura Upenieks of Baylor University, with colleagues contributing to the analysis. Religion and spirituality often provide meaning and social support, yet these belief systems are not uniformly beneficial for psychological well-being. Many individuals experience tensions, doubts and negative emotions related to their faith,…

A cross-cultural analysis of ethnographic records has found that when women share a husband in polygynous marriages, physical fights between co-wives are common. The evidence, drawn from 19 cultures across five world regions, suggests that female competition can take direct, confrontational form when the stakes are high, challenging the view that rivalry among women is largely indirect. The study was published in Evolution and Human Behavior. The research sits within longstanding debates about how women compete, including the idea that they avoid physical conflict to protect their offspring. The literature’s “staying alive” hypothesis, introduced by psychologist Anne Campbell in 1999,…

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry have identified a brain‑state mechanism in which corticotropin‑releasing hormone (CRH) produced by oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) helps guide nerve repair after injury by delaying the maturation of neighbouring cells. The finding, published in Cell Reports, centers on the idea that this neuropeptide slows OPC development to aid tissue repair and also influences myelin formation during normal brain development. The brain’s white matter relies on myelin, an insulating layer that speeds electrical impulses along nerve fibres. Oligodendrocytes are the specialised cells that generate this myelin, and new oligodendrocytes arise from OPCs as the…

A study led by researchers at Imperial College London’s Centre for Psychedelic Research has found that a single high dose of psilocybin in psychedelic-naive adults produced improvements in well-being, psychological insight and cognitive flexibility a month after the experience, with larger gains linked to more irregular brain activity during the trip. The work, published in Nature Communications, involved 28 healthy participants with an average age of about 41. The researchers also report possible changes in the brain’s white matter a month after the high dose, though lasting alterations to brain function were largely absent. The findings build on theories that…

A landmark study in mice suggests that aging signs may be partly driven by a protein deep in the brain, and that restoring it can reverse several age-related changes within a month. In older mice, reintroducing Menin in a specific brain region improved memory, balance, bone mass and skin thickness in just 30 days, while supplementation with a naturally occurring amino acid enhanced learning and memory in three weeks, researchers report. The work, initially published in March 2023 in PLOS Biology, was led by Lige Leng of Xiamen University in China. It traced a link between inflammation, brain chemistry and…

A gut bacteria metabolite called imidazole propionate may directly accelerate the brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, a study suggests. Researchers found that higher blood levels of the molecule correlate with worse cognitive decline in people and actively drive neurodegeneration in mice, with the work published in Nature Communications. The human digestive tract hosts trillions of bacteria that aid digestion. As they break down food, these microbes release chemical byproducts into the bloodstream, which travel to organs including the brain and can influence their function. Imidazole propionate is produced when gut bacteria break down histidine, an amino acid found in…

The study sheds fresh light on how dream experiences relate to waking distress, suggesting that dream experiences and psychological distress form a tightly interconnected system. Among 389 Italian adults, stress emerged as the most central element in a web linking worry, anxiety and depression, with more worry and depressive symptoms associated with more negative dreams. Experts have long debated whether dreams mirror people’s emotional lives. The continuity hypothesis of dreaming contends that concerns and feelings from waking life continue into sleep and shape dream experiences, meaning those under pressure may dream of threatening or emotionally intense events. Despite this idea,…

A large Welsh population study has found that both maternal depression around pregnancy and antidepressant use are associated with higher rates of special educational needs among children, though researchers stress the findings do not prove that medications cause developmental issues. The work, led by Saraid McIlvride of the University of Glasgow, emphasises that untreated depression itself also carries risks and that the question of causation remains unresolved. The research linked child education and health records with maternal health data across Wales, following 167,447 children born between 2009 and 2016 through to 2022. The investigators used two main measures to group…