Author: dispatchtimes news

An exploratory clinical trial from Spain has suggested that ayahuasca, when combined with meaning reconstruction therapy, may ease the severe bereavement experienced after the loss of a close relative. Led by psychiatrist Oscar Soto-Angona at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, the study enrolled 84 adults who had lost a first-degree relative within the previous year and compared three conditions: nine weekly online sessions of the therapy alone; a no-treatment control; and the same nine-week course augmented by two weekend ayahuasca retreats. The research comes against a backdrop of the distress commonly felt after bereavement, with the first year described as…

New research from the University of Glasgow, led by political‑behaviour scholar Christopher Claassen and published in Public Opinion Quarterly, finds that an individual’s commitment to liberal-democratic institutions can shield voters from backing politicians who threaten democratic rules. The study analysed responses from 5,951 participants across three democracies facing backsliding pressures—the United States, Poland and South Korea—through a candidate-choice experiment designed to emulate a real election. Democratic backsliding is a growing concern in many modern nations. It occurs when elected officials gradually erode democratic institutions such as free elections, independent courts and a free press. A central driver of this decline…

A daily probiotic containing Bifidobacterium longum 1714 may temporarily lift sleep quality and vitality among adults with mild to moderate depression, according to an eight-week randomised trial. Led by Kelly M. Seamans of the Irish biotechnology firm Novonesis, the study’s findings were published in Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. Mood disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide. Many people with mild to moderate depressive symptoms are managed in primary care rather than by psychiatrists, and some hesitate to begin traditional antidepressants because of concerns about side effects relative to perceived benefits. The human digestive tract hosts trillions of microorganisms that…

A Polish study published in Evolutionary Psychology suggests that individuals in the general population who score higher on autistic-like traits tend to avoid positive relationship-maintenance behaviours to keep a partner, with attachment styles acting as the main conduit between these traits and relationship dynamics. “Autistic-like traits (ALTs) are personality, social, and cognitive characteristics associated with autism that can also occur, to varying degrees, in the general population,” Łukasik told PsyPost. “They are not considered a disorder.” The researchers examined mate retention tactics—behaviours people use to keep a partner and prevent them from leaving. These tactics are typically divided into benefit-provisioning…

A study led by researchers from the University of Bucharest has found that socially anxious individuals who open up about personal experiences are judged more likeable and more likely to be interacted with, regardless of their own level of anxiety. The researchers also say the personality traits of the listener play a major role in these assessments. Social anxiety involves a fear of negative evaluation in social or performance settings. People with the condition often protect themselves with safety behaviours such as avoiding eye contact, staying quiet, or withdrawing from a group. While these strategies feel protective, they can trigger…

A team of researchers has found that cutting-edge language models trained to process text and images can judge a person’s character from their facial features, mirroring a long-standing human bias. In a series of experiments, large language models were shown to rely on arbitrary facial characteristics to assess competence or the likelihood of criminal activity. The work, published in PNAS Nexus, raises fresh concerns about the use of such systems in high-stakes decisions. For decades, people have made rapid judgments about others based on facial appearance—a tendency known as face-to-character inference. It rests on subtle differences in facial shape and…

A Brisbane twin study has found that suicidal thoughts and behaviours are markedly heritable, with estimates of genetic influence ranging from 51% to 80%, substantially higher than the 39% to 41% estimated for major depressive disorder. The researchers also found that environmental factors contributing to depression were largely distinct from those shaping suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Suicidal thoughts and behaviours cover a spectrum from ideation to planning, attempts and deaths. While major depressive disorder is a strong risk factor, suicide risk cannot be explained by depression alone. Twin and family studies indicate that suicidal thoughts and behaviours are partly heritable,…

A nationally representative study of 472 adolescents aged 13 to 17 across twenty popular online platforms has found that negative experiences online are common and vary by app. The findings, published in JAMA Pediatrics, show that while some harms such as direct harassment occur at similar rates online and offline, teenagers are far more likely to encounter violent imagery or unwanted sexual content on digital platforms. The research uses the umbrella term online harms to describe a wide range of negative experiences on digital platforms, including cyberbullying, unwanted sexual advances, or exposure to content that encourages self-injury. Previous studies have…

A small pilot study in Houston suggests that tending countertop hydroponic gardens could bolster mental health and overall quality of life for people living with cancer. Thirty-six adults, average age 57, undergoing outpatient infusion therapy were given AeroGarden kits to grow vegetables at home over eight weeks. Researchers described the approach as aligning with social prescribing, a non-clinical means of supporting wellbeing through everyday activities. The aim was to explore whether indoor gardening could provide psychological relief alongside medical treatment. Hydroponics offers an indoor alternative to traditional outdoor gardening, requiring no soil and enabling year‑round cultivation with artificial light and…

A Brazilian twin study published in Personality and Individual Differences suggests that people’s beliefs about their own artistic and practical creativity are modestly influenced by genetics. The researchers say that while inherited factors matter, most differences arise from unique life experiences. The study used 196 participants forming 98 twin pairs — 79 identical and 19 fraternal — recruited in Brazil. Data collection occurred in two phases, with 74 twin pairs attending a laboratory session before the pandemic and a further 24 completing the study online later. Creativity is defined as the ability to generate original and useful ideas in response…