Tag: Relationships

How to Feel Sexy When You Just Plain Don't

Some days are bad days. Maybe it was dark and rainy when you woke up. Maybe you hit the wine a little hard last night, and you’re feeling bloated (and, not to mention, headache-y). Maybe you’ve been going through something lately. But no matter the reason, you’ve encountered some kind of bad day. And when

Do open relationships really work?

Open relationships typically describe couples in which the partners have agreed on sexual activity with someone other than their primary romantic partner, while maintaining the couple bond. Can these open relationships work? It depends, concludes a team from the University of Rochester that focuses on couples research. Not surprisingly, the success of such relationships hinges

Social media stress can lead to social media addiction

Social network users risk becoming more and more addicted to social media platforms even as they experience stress from their use. Social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook and Instagram are known to cause stress in users, known as technostress from social media. However, when faced with such stress, instead of switching off or using

Males of a feather flock together: Behavioral scientists tested biological principle on free-living Assamese macaques

“Birds of a feather flock together” or rather “opposites attract”? The recently published study on male macaques in Thailand speaks for the former: Behavioral biologists from the German Primate Centre — Leibniz Institute for Primate Research and psychologists from the University of Göttingen have observed that the more similar male Assamese macaques are in their

How can you reliably spot a fake smile? Ask a computer

Real and fake smiles can be tricky to tell apart, but researchers at the University of Bradford have now developed computer software that can spot false facial expressions. By analysing the movement of the smile across a person’s face, the software can determine whether or not the expression is genuine. The most significant movements detected

Gun ownership linked to greater incidence of domestic homicides

A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, reveals a unique and strong association between firearm ownership and the risk of domestic homicides. For each 10 percent increase in household gun ownership rates, the findings show a significant 13 percent increased incidence of domestic firearm homicide. The homicide risk differed

Advancing dementia and its effect on care home relationships

As dementia advances, in most cases it can change the behaviour displayed by those with the condition. Such changes in behaviour can bring strain to a wide-ranging network of relationships—from those between people with dementia and their professional carers, between those with dementia and their families, and to relationships between residents in residential care homes—which

Strained relationships, past trauma and family responsibilities contribute to loneliness among midlife women

Urban minority midlife women commonly experience significant loneliness due to strained family and romantic relationships, responsibilities as a caregiver, past trauma and social isolation, according to new research being presented today at the American Psychiatric Association’s Annual Meeting here. Supportive relationships were identified as protective against feelings of loneliness. Loneliness has long been linked with

Social media has limited effects on teenage life satisfaction: Study of teenage social media use and life satisfaction

Researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), part of the University of Oxford, used an eight-year survey of UK households (Understanding Society, part of the UK Household Longitudinal Study) to study how long teenagers spent using social media on a normal school day and their corresponding life satisfaction ratings. This is the first large-scale and

AI-generated profiles? Airbnb users prefer a human touch

In an online marketplace like Airbnb, host profiles can mean the difference between a booked room and a vacant one. Too peppy, too long, too many exclamation points? Language is critical in a user’s search for trust and authenticity, crucial factors in any online exchange. With so much at stake, should Airbnb hosts rely on

People with happy spouses may live longer

Research suggests that having a happy spouse leads to a longer marriage, and now study results show that it’s associated with a longer life, too. The study was published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. “The data show that spousal life satisfaction was associated with mortality, regardless of individuals’ socioeconomic

Forecasting contagious ideas: ‘Infectivity’ models accurately predict tweet lifespan: A tweet’s virality is modulated most by its early spread rate and a gradual loss of interest over time

Estimating tweet infectivity from the first 50 retweets is the key to predicting whether a tweet will go viral, according to a new study published in PLOS ONE on April 17, 2019 by Li Weihua from Beihang University, China and colleagues. As online social networks and media continue to grow, so has the importance of

Influence of social media on children’s food intake

New University of Liverpool research, published in Pediatrics, highlights the negative influence that social media has on children’s food intake. Current research shows celebrity endorsement and television advertising of unhealthy foods increases children’s intake of these foods. However, children are increasingly exposed to marketing through digital avenues, such as on social media, and the impact

Coping with cancer: Partners can reframe challenging situations

We’re often told we are responsible for our own happiness. But in challenging situations, a UC Riverside study not only demonstrates the benefits of positive reframing — finding a “silver lining” — but also suggests our partners can be more adept at finding that silver lining than we are. A UCR psychology researcher says the

Tick tock: Commitment readiness predicts relationship success

Timing is everything, goes a popular phrase, and this is also true for relationships. As Valentine’s Day approaches, social psychologists from Purdue University offer new research showing that a person’s commitment readiness is a good predictor of relationship success. The results are published in Social Psychological and Personality Science. “Feeling ready leads to better relational

More is better when coordinating with others

Researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Imperial College London and the University of Tokyo have demonstrated that physical coordination is more beneficial in larger groups. The researchers used robotic interfaces to test coordination in groups of two, three and four partners, and found that performance was improving with every additional group member. The researchers believe