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(https://www.psypost.org/magnetic-brain-stimulation-shows-promise-for-tobacco-addiction-treatment/) Magnetic brain stimulation shows promise for tobacco addiction treatment
Mar 9th 2025, 10:00

A study of individuals with tobacco use disorder in China reported that a five-day course of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation restructured the neural circuits associated with the disorder. It also significantly reduced participants’ smoking cravings. The research was published in the (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.120) Journal of Affective Disorders.
Tobacco use disorder is a condition in which a person becomes dependent on nicotine and continues using tobacco despite its harmful effects. It is characterized by cravings, difficulty quitting, and withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, and increased appetite. Long-term tobacco use increases the risk of serious health problems, including lung disease, heart disease, and cancer. Nicotine addiction alters brain chemistry, making it difficult to quit even when a person wants to stop. Social and environmental factors, such as peer influence and stress, can contribute to tobacco addiction.
Mainstream treatments include nicotine replacement therapy, medications, and psychotherapy. However, these treatments are not highly effective. For example, a 2013 study showed that even the most effective method—varenicline medication—only resulted in 27% of patients remaining smoke-free six months after their cessation attempt.
Study author Shuang Li and his colleagues sought to explore the differences in dynamic neural networks between individuals with tobacco use disorder and healthy individuals. They also investigated whether features of these dynamic networks changed after a five-day course of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in individuals with tobacco use disorder.
The study included 60 individuals with tobacco use disorder and 64 nonsmoking healthy individuals. Participants with tobacco use disorder were required to express a strong inclination to quit in order to be included in the study. Only those who answered “very likely” or “somewhat likely” on a motivation questionnaire were selected.
All study participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of their brains. Participants with tobacco use disorder were then divided into two groups. One group underwent five days of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation using a Magstim Super Rapid2 device (Magstim Co., Whitland, United Kingdom). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific brain regions.
The study authors determined the intensity of stimulation by placing the coil of the magnetic stimulation device at a 45-degree angle above the area of the skull corresponding to the motor cortex. They adjusted the amplitude of the magnetic pulses to find the minimum intensity level that consistently elicited thumb or hand movements in at least five out of 10 consecutive trials. After this calibration, the stimulation was applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the participant’s brain.
The other group served as a sham control. In this group, the magnetic stimulation machine was positioned vertically at the target site and activated to ensure that participants believed they were receiving stimulation, although no actual stimulation was administered.
Results showed that, compared to nonsmokers, participants with tobacco use disorder exhibited increased functional connectivity between the frontoparietal network and the basal ganglia networks in the brain, as well as increased functional connectivity between the medial frontal network and the frontoparietal network.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation reduced the functional connectivity between the frontoparietal network and the basal ganglia network, while the functioning of the frontoparietal network became more independent and efficient (as indicated by an increased recruitment coefficient). Participants who received repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation also experienced reduced smoking cravings.
“In summary, rTMS [repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation] targeting the left DLPFC [dorsolateral prefrontal cortex] has the potential to serve as an efficacious tool for smoking cessation by reshaping executive and reward networks,” the study authors concluded.
The study highlights the potential of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as a treatment for tobacco use disorder. However, it was conducted on a limited sample of young male smokers. Findings may differ for older smokers and female smokers with a more extensive history of smoking.
The paper, “(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.120) Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation reshaped the dynamic reconfiguration of the executive and reward networks in individuals with tobacco use disorder,” was authored by Shuang Li, ZhengJie Zhang, Anhang Jiang, Xuefeng Ma, Min Wang, Haosen Ni, Bo Yang, Yanbin Zheng, Lingxiao Wang, and Guang-Heng Dong.

(https://www.psypost.org/psilocybins-impact-on-mental-wellbeing-varies-by-race-study-finds/) Psilocybin’s impact on mental wellbeing varies by race, study finds
Mar 9th 2025, 08:00

A new study published in the (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.058) Journal of Affective Disorders has revealed that the potential benefits of using psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic substance found in certain mushrooms, may not be experienced equally across all racial and ethnic groups. Researchers discovered that while both White individuals and People of Color experienced improvements in mental health after using psilocybin in natural settings, some of these positive changes, particularly in spiritual wellbeing and mental flexibility, appeared less pronounced and enduring for People of Color.
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic substance found in over 200 species of mushrooms, often referred to as “magic mushrooms.” It is known for its ability to alter perception, mood, and thought processes, leading to experiences that can range from profound spiritual insights to intense emotional shifts. Historically, various cultures have used psilocybin-containing mushrooms in rituals and healing practices. In recent years, scientific interest in psilocybin has surged due to its potential therapeutic applications for mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and addiction.
The motivation behind this particular study stems from a recognized gap in current psychedelic research. While studies have shown promising mental health benefits of psilocybin, the vast majority of participants in these studies have been White individuals. This lack of diversity raises concerns about whether the findings are broadly applicable to all populations. The researchers wanted to investigate if the effects of psilocybin, especially in natural, non-clinical settings where most people use it, might differ for People of Color compared to White individuals.
To conduct their study, researchers employed a longitudinal survey design, meaning they followed the same group of individuals over a period of time, collecting data at multiple points. The study timeline consisted of six distinct phases. Initially, a large group of over 8,000 individuals provided informed consent to participate (Time 1). From this initial group, a subset of nearly 3,000 participants completed a baseline survey two to three weeks before their planned psilocybin experience (Time 2). This initial survey served as the starting point for tracking changes in mental health measures over time.
Just one day before their psilocybin experience (Time 3), around 1,800 participants completed another survey to capture their mindset and intentions leading into the experience. Data collection continued shortly after the psilocybin use, with approximately 1,500 participants completing a survey one to three days post-experience (Time 4) to assess immediate subjective effects and the setting of the experience.
Follow-up surveys were then administered at two later time points: two to four weeks post-experience (Time 5, with around 1,200 participants) and two to three months post-experience (Time 6, with around 650 participants). These later surveys aimed to understand the longer-term impacts of psilocybin use on mental health and wellbeing.
Across these time points, participants completed questionnaires measuring depression, anxiety, spiritual wellbeing, emotion regulation, and mental flexibility. The researchers then analyzed this data to compare the changes in these measures between White participants and Participants of Color across the different time points, focusing particularly on whether the effects of psilocybin differed between these groups over time.
The study’s findings revealed that while both White participants and Participants of Color experienced some positive changes after using psilocybin, the nature and duration of these changes varied. Both groups showed similar reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms throughout the study period.
However, when looking at spiritual wellbeing and mental flexibility, the researchers observed a divergence over time. Initially, at Time 5 (two to four weeks post-experience), both groups showed improvements in spiritual wellbeing and mental flexibility. However, by Time 6 (two to three months post-experience), the sustained improvements in spiritual wellbeing were less pronounced for Participants of Color, and the increase in mental flexibility was no longer statistically significant for this group, unlike for White participants who maintained these benefits.
Furthermore, the study found that White participants experienced a reduction in expressive suppression, a measure of emotional regulation, after psilocybin use, particularly at the later time points (Time 5 and Time 6), while Participants of Color did not exhibit this change. In terms of the subjective experience, Participants of Color were more likely to set intentions before their psilocybin experience and reported a greater sense of time speeding up during the experience, and slightly stronger mystical experiences, primarily assessed at Time 4, shortly after the psilocybin use.
These findings suggest that while psilocybin may offer some mental health benefits across racial groups, there might be differences in the persistence and nature of these benefits, particularly in areas like spiritual wellbeing, mental flexibility, and emotional expressiveness, highlighting the complex interplay of race and ethnicity with psychedelic experiences and outcomes over time.
This study has limitations including the reliance on self-reported online survey data which could not be independently verified. The participants were self-selected, meaning they may not represent the broader population of psilocybin users, and their responses might be influenced by biases. Additionally, the relatively small number of Participants of Color in the study limits the statistical power and the ability to explore differences within diverse racial and ethnic groups.
“With increasing recreational psychedelic use, and growing interest in the development of psychedelic therapies for mental healthcare, more data will be needed to inform the differential effects of psychedelics in individuals from diverse backgrounds and how their use as mental health interventions may be optimized in culturally appropriate ways,” the researchers concluded. “In particular, it will be critical to increase our understanding of how public perceptions around psychedelics and sociocultural factors such as health and criminal justice disparities may influence psychedelics’ utility and outcomes both in naturalistic and clinical settings. Ultimately, this can lead us to more balanced and effective public policies and clinical implementation strategies to benefit People of Color equitably and maximally reduce public health risks associated with psychedelic use.”
The study, “(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032724017518) Examining differences in the effects and contexts of naturalistic psilocybin use for White participants vs. Participants of Color: A longitudinal online survey study,” was authored by Grant Jones, Matthew X. Lowe, Sandeep Nayak, Nathan Sepeda, Hannes Kettner, Robin Carhart-Harris, Heather Jackson, and Albert Garcia-Romeu.

(https://www.psypost.org/why-your-friends-may-be-better-for-your-mental-health-than-your-partner/) Why your friends may be better for your mental health than your partner
Mar 9th 2025, 06:00

A new study spanning over two decades reveals that nurturing friendships may be a consistent way to protect against depressive symptoms throughout life, while romantic relationships present a more complicated picture. The findings indicate that being involved in close friendships was linked to fewer depressive symptoms from adolescence into middle age. However, when it came to romantic relationships, becoming romantically involved was actually associated with increased depressive symptoms, regardless of age.
The study was published in the (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02654075251321385) Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
Research has consistently shown that social connections are important for mental well-being. Feeling connected and included in social groups is generally good for our minds, and one of the biggest mental health challenges related to social isolation is depression. People who experience depressive symptoms may feel persistent sadness, lose interest in daily activities, and struggle with feelings of worthlessness. Because of this link between social connection and mental health, it’s generally assumed that having various types of social relationships is beneficial.
However, not all relationships are the same. Friendships and romantic relationships, for example, can function very differently in our lives. Society often places a higher value on romantic partnerships, suggesting they bring more happiness and fulfillment than friendships. It’s true that the emotional bonds we have with romantic partners can be incredibly strong.
Yet, romantic relationships often come with higher expectations, like exclusivity and intense emotional investment. These high expectations can sometimes lead to negative experiences such as jealousy or conflict. Friendships, on the other hand, tend to have more flexible expectations. We can rely on different friends for different kinds of support, which might make them a more stable source of well-being.
Previous studies have hinted that friendships and romantic relationships might impact mental health in different ways. Some research suggests that romantic involvement, particularly in adolescence, can sometimes be linked to more depressive symptoms, although this link might weaken as people get older.
On the other hand, friendships have generally been shown to be linked to fewer depressive symptoms across different ages. However, many of these studies looked at romantic and friendship involvement separately. Additionally, older studies didn’t always distinguish between long-term differences between people (some people are just generally more likely to be in relationships) and changes within the same person over time (what happens when someone starts a new relationship). Furthermore, less was known about these connections as people move into middle age.
To address these gaps, study author (https://junwenhu.github.io/) Junwen Hu, a PhD candidate in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University, analyzed long-term data to examine how both romantic and friendship involvement are related to depressive symptoms from adolescence into early middle age. He wanted to see if these relationships had different effects and if those effects changed over time.
“I noticed how people in my life, myself included, attach greater importance to romantic love than friendships. ‘Ditching’ friends for a romantic partner seems to be a very common phenomenon,” Hu explained. “Studies did find such a tendency with broader samples (than my own circles; see reviews by DePaulo). People seem to believe love brings greater joy than friends – but, is that true? That motivated me to compare associations between involvements in two relationship types and depressive symptoms across different life stages.”
Hu used data from a large, ongoing project called the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. This project has been following a group of people since their teenage years, collecting information about their lives at different points in time. For this particular study, he used data collected at four different time points: when the participants were around 15 years old, 16 years old, 28 years old, and 38 years old. These time points allowed them to track changes from adolescence to early middle age.
The study included 2,812 participants who had answered questions about their depressive symptoms at least three out of the four time points. At the beginning of the study, most participants were teenagers, with slightly more females than males. The majority identified as non-Hispanic and White, and came from diverse family backgrounds in terms of parental education and family structure. Over the course of the study, as expected, the percentage of participants who had ever been married increased significantly.
Hu looked at three main things: depressive symptoms, romantic involvement, and friendship involvement. Depressive symptoms were measured using a short questionnaire that asked participants how often they experienced feelings like depression and sadness in the past week. Romantic involvement was simply whether or not a person was in a romantic relationship at each time point. Friendship involvement was whether or not a person had at least one close friendship at each time point.
The results revealed some interesting differences between friendships and romantic relationships. As expected, friendship involvement was consistently linked to fewer depressive symptoms. Both people who generally had more close friendships across all time points and people who increased their friendship involvement over time reported fewer depressive symptoms. This beneficial effect of friendship seemed to be even stronger in adulthood compared to adolescence.
Romantic relationships showed a more complex pattern. While there was no link between someone’s general tendency to be in romantic relationships and their depressive symptoms overall, starting a new romantic relationship was consistently associated with an increase in depressive symptoms at all ages studied.
When looking at long-term trends, Hu found that being generally romantically involved was actually linked to fewer depressive symptoms in early middle age, but not in adolescence. In fact, in adolescence, being generally romantically involved was associated with more depressive symptoms. This suggests that the impact of romantic involvement changes as people age.
Hu was surprised to find “that being romantically involved seems to be associated with more depressive symptoms for quite a few different stages in people’s life,” Hu told PsyPost. “Love can be a trouble sometimes.”
The findings highlight the powerful and consistent benefits of close friendships for mental well-being across different life stages. While romantic relationships are often prioritized, this research suggests that maintaining strong friendships is a sound strategy for protecting against depressive symptoms.
“We just passed Valentine’s day last month. Folks may have different feelings about it. My paper suggests that, no matter you are, partnered or not, it might be a wise decision to not ditch your friends, for your own well-being – involvement with close friendships may be a stable buffer against depressive symptoms, whereas the role of romantic involvement appears a bit nuanced – sometimes it is associated with more depressive symptoms and sometimes fewer.”
Hu noted some limitations. Because of the way the data was collected and analyzed, the findings might not perfectly represent the entire population. The study also couldn’t determine whether friendships and romantic relationships directly cause changes in depressive symptoms, or if other factors are at play.
“It’s a correlational study essentially, though a longitudinal one, which helps a lot in distinguishing different ‘effects,” Hu explained. “However, there’s no true randomization and stimuli manipulation so we can’t make causal inferences based off the findings. ”
The long-term goals for this line of research is “to help people of different relationship statuses identify optimal social strategies to build satisfying networks and live a happy, fulfilling life,” Hu said. “I sincerely hope individuals can flourish, no matter if they are single or partnered. In my research program, I am working towards a bigger goal to help individuals be socially integrated and included with various supportive communication strategies, which involve messages, networks, and technologies.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075251321385) A Longitudinal Analysis of How Romantic and Friendship Involvement are Associated with Depressive Symptoms,” was published February 20, 2025.

(https://www.psypost.org/men-who-reject-gender-equality-are-more-likely-to-commit-intimate-partner-violence/) Men who reject gender equality are more likely to commit intimate partner violence
Mar 8th 2025, 14:00

A new study published in (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0315293) PLOS ONE has found that Californian men who hold more traditional, less gender-equal beliefs are significantly more likely to report committing intimate partner violence.
Intimate partner violence is a serious public health issue, affecting millions of people worldwide. In the United States, more than two in five women have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner at some point in their lives.
Previous research has identified factors that increase the risk of intimate partner violence perpetration, such as substance abuse, childhood exposure to violence, and mental health issues. However, fewer studies have examined whether a man’s attitudes toward gender equality might influence his likelihood of committing intimate partner violence.
Led by Kalysha Closson from the University of California, the research team analyzed responses from the California Violence Experiences Survey (CalVEX), an annual online survey that gathers data on violence, discrimination, and related issues. The study included 3,609 men, with an average age of 48, who participated between 2021 and 2023.
To measure gender equality beliefs, researchers used questions adapted from the World Values Survey. These asked respondents whether they agreed with statements such as “Men make better political leaders than women” and “A university education is more important for men than for women.” Higher scores on this scale indicated less gender-equitable beliefs.
To assess intimate partner violence perpetration, participants were asked whether they had committed acts of physical or sexual violence in the past year and, if so, whether the victim was a spouse or romantic partner.
The findings were alarming. Approximately 1 in every 50 adult men – equivalent to over 280,000 individuals in California – reported committing intimate partner violence in the past year.
Men with more traditional, gender-inequitable beliefs were more than twice as likely to report intimate partner violence perpetration. Among men who reported intimate partner violence, more than 60% agreed with gender-inequitable statements.
Even after accounting for other factors such as substance use, mental health, neighborhood safety, and gun ownership, the link between gender beliefs and intimate partner violence remained strong.
Men who owned guns were significantly more likely to report intimate partner violence perpetration, aligning with research showing that firearm access increases the risk of domestic violence fatalities.
Furthermore, men who reported perpetrating intimate partner violence were also more likely to have mental health difficulties and admit to illicit substance use.
The authors concluded that the results “support prior research indicating that patriarchal beliefs reinforce men’s violence against women in relationships and signal a need for violence prevention efforts focused on boys and men that can include normative belief shifts related to women’s capacities.”
The study has some limitations. Because it relies on self-reported data, some men may have underreported their intimate partner violence perpetration due to social stigma. Additionally, the study focused only on physical and sexual violence, excluding other forms of intimate partner violence like emotional or financial abuse.
The study, “(https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0315293) Are men’s gender equality beliefs associated with self-reported intimate partner violence perpetration? A state-level analysis of California men,” was authored by Kalysha Closson, Nicole E. Johns, and Anita Raj.

(https://www.psypost.org/intriguing-effect-of-conspiracy-thinking-revealed-in-new-study/) Intriguing effect of conspiracy thinking revealed in new study
Mar 8th 2025, 12:00

New research published in the (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01461672241279085) Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin reveals that when people believe in widespread conspiracies, they are less likely to attribute social inequalities to the personal failings of disadvantaged groups. Instead, these individuals tend to view societal disparities as a result of external factors and are more critical of privileged groups. This shift in perspective is linked to a rejection of the idea that success is solely based on individual merit.
A team of psychologists became interested in understanding why conspiracy beliefs are more common among people in disadvantaged groups. Previous research has shown that individuals from ethnic minorities, those with less education, and those with lower incomes are more likely to endorse conspiracy theories. Some experts have suggested that these beliefs might be a way for people in difficult situations to make sense of their struggles.
However, it was not known whether conspiracy beliefs actually change how disadvantaged people perceive their own group’s situation compared to more advantaged groups. The researcher behind the new study wanted to explore if a general tendency to believe in conspiracies affects how people explain inequalities between social groups, and how they feel about different groups in society.
To investigate this, the researchers conducted a series of five studies. The first study involved over a thousand participants from the French general population. These participants completed questionnaires measuring their general belief in conspiracies, their belief in meritocracy (the idea that success is based on individual talent and effort), and their attitudes toward both high-status groups (like the wealthy) and low-status groups (like the unemployed). The researchers also asked participants to rate their own socioeconomic status.
In the subsequent four studies, the researchers used a different approach. They created a fictional society called “Vlurville” and asked participants to imagine they were citizens of this society, belonging to a disadvantaged group called the “Tsocutas.” Participants were also told about a privileged group in Vlurville called the “Thelawys.” In these studies, the researchers manipulated the participants’ view of Vlurville.
Some participants were given a description of Vlurville that suggested it was heavily influenced by secret, powerful groups engaging in conspiracies. Others read a description suggesting Vlurville was transparent and trustworthy, with no credible conspiracies. This manipulation was designed to influence participants to adopt either a high or low “conspiracy mentality.”
After reading these descriptions and imagining themselves as members of the disadvantaged group, participants answered questions about their beliefs in meritocracy, their explanations for why the disadvantaged group was poor and the privileged group was wealthy, and their feelings toward both groups. In one of these studies, instead of manipulating conspiracy mentality, researchers directly manipulated the belief in meritocracy, to further understand the relationship between these beliefs and perceptions of inequality.
The results from the first study showed that people who scored higher on general conspiracy thinking were less likely to believe in meritocracy. They were also more likely to identify as being in a lower socioeconomic group. However, in this study, conspiracy thinking was not directly linked to attitudes toward either high-status or low-status groups.
The experimental studies in the fictional society provided further insights. When participants were encouraged to adopt a “high conspiracy mentality” view of Vlurville, they were less likely to attribute the poverty of their disadvantaged group to internal factors like lack of effort or talent. They were also less likely to attribute the wealth of the privileged group to internal factors like hard work or talent. This effect was explained by a decrease in their belief in meritocracy. In other words, adopting a conspiracy-oriented view made people reject the idea that social status is determined by individual merit, leading them to see inequalities as less about individual failings and successes.
Interestingly, the researchers found that adopting a conspiracy mentality primarily affected attitudes toward the privileged group. Participants with a “high conspiracy mentality” showed more negative attitudes toward the privileged “Thelawys” group. While there was some evidence that conspiracy thinking might lead to slightly more positive attitudes toward the disadvantaged “Tsocutas” group in one study, this finding was not consistent across all studies.
It appears that conspiracy thinking, in this context, mainly serves to worsen the perception of advantaged groups rather than improve the perception of disadvantaged groups. Manipulating meritocracy beliefs directly had a similar effect, strengthening the idea that meritocracy beliefs play a key role in shaping these perceptions.
As with all research, there are some caveats to consider. For instance, the research focused on economic inequalities. It would be valuable to explore whether similar patterns are found for other types of group inequalities, such as those based on race or gender. The experimental studies were also conducted in a fictional setting, and future research could investigate these effects in real-world situations and over longer periods.
Despite these limitations, the research suggests that conspiracy beliefs may offer a way for people in disadvantaged groups to challenge the idea that their situation is due to their own shortcomings. By reducing belief in meritocracy, conspiracy thinking makes people less likely to attribute inequality to individual factors and more likely to be critical of privileged groups. While conspiracy beliefs are often seen as problematic, this study indicates they might also serve a social function by helping disadvantaged individuals question the fairness of the social system, primarily by focusing on the perceived flaws and potential wrongdoings of advantaged groups.
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672241279085) Conspiracy Beliefs and the Perception of Intergroup Inequalities,” was authored by Kenzo Nera, Karen M. Douglas, Paul Bertin, Sylvain Delouvée, and Olivier Klein.

(https://www.psypost.org/gender-stereotypes-are-often-accurate-but-vary-in-magnitude-depending-on-the-criterion/) Gender stereotypes are often accurate but vary in magnitude depending on the criterion
Mar 8th 2025, 11:30

Research published in the (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2024.104713) Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that while gender stereotypes are often viewed as misleading, they are surprisingly accurate. People correctly guess whether men or women are higher on a given trait about 85% of the time.
The accuracy of social perception has been a longstanding question in psychology, particularly regarding stereotypes, which refers to widely shared beliefs about social groups. While some research suggests that stereotypes are often exaggerated or biased, others argue they contain a “kernel of truth.”
Alice H. Eagly and Judith A. Hall conducted a comprehensive review of nearly 50 years of research on gender stereotype accuracy. They aimed to quantify how well people’s beliefs about male-female differences align with actual data across a wide range of attributes.
Their search included studies that used two primary methods to assess stereotype accuracy: direct comparisons and sensitivity correlations. The search process included databases such as PsycInfo, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. They identified 57 studies from 27 research papers published between 1975 and 2021, each containing one or more relevant datasets for analysis. The studies included in the review involved diverse participant samples, ranging from college students to general population respondents.
These participants were asked to estimate gender differences in various domains, such as occupational distributions, personality traits, cognitive skills, attitudes, preferences, and leadership styles. Some studies relied on self-reported data, while others used archival sources like census data, university records, and large-scale surveys as benchmarks for comparison.
In total, 673 direct comparisons were made to assess whether participants’ estimates correctly matched the real-world gender differences. Additionally, 41 studies provided sensitivity correlations, which measured how closely participants’ estimates aligned with actual gender differences across multiple attributes. By including both direct comparisons and sensitivity correlations, the researchers were able to evaluate not only whether people accurately identified the direction of gender differences but also how well their perceptions tracked the magnitude of these differences.
In the majority of cases, people’s gender stereotypes were highly accurate in identifying whether men or women were higher on a given trait or characteristic: 85% correctly matched the real-world direction of gender differences. However, accuracy varied across different domains. People tended to underestimate gender differences in areas such as cognitive abilities, occupational distributions, and academic performance (e.g., GPA in different college majors). In contrast, they overestimated differences in personality traits, behaviors, and social attitudes.
The sensitivity correlations further supported the conclusion that gender stereotypes are largely accurate. When averaging across all participants in a given study, the mean consensual sensitivity correlation was .77, indicating a strong relationship between stereotypical beliefs and actual gender differences.
However, individual sensitivity correlations were lower (mean r = .54), suggesting that while collective group judgments were highly accurate, individuals varied in their ability to estimate gender differences correctly. Furthermore, when analyzing only the magnitude of gender differences (removing the influence of direction), accuracy decreased slightly, confirming that people were better at identifying which gender was higher on a given trait than they were at estimating the precise size of the difference.
Taken together, these findings suggest that gender stereotypes reflect genuine patterns in human behavior and social roles, but are not free from bias. People may misestimate the extent of gender differences, which can lead to both exaggeration and minimization depending on the domain.
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2024.104713) The kernel of truth in gender stereotypes: Consider the avocado, not the apple,” was authored by Alice H. Eagly and Judith A. Hall.

(https://www.psypost.org/creative-abilities-might-slightly-reduce-loneliness-in-children-study-suggests/) Creative abilities might slightly reduce loneliness in children, study suggests
Mar 8th 2025, 10:00

A study of primary school children found that those with stronger creative abilities tend to feel slightly less lonely. It is possible that children with better creative abilities also have a greater understanding of the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of others. In turn, this could lead to lower feelings of loneliness. The research was published in (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2024.102541) Learning and Individual Differences.
Creativity is the ability to generate new ideas, solutions, or artistic expressions by thinking in original and imaginative ways. It allows people to connect seemingly unrelated concepts and find innovative approaches to problems. Creativity is not limited to art but is also essential in science, technology, and everyday life. It is influenced by factors such as curiosity, openness to experience, and cognitive flexibility.
While some people seem naturally more creative, creativity can also be developed through practice, exploration, and exposure to diverse perspectives. The brain’s neuroplasticity—its ability to develop new connections between neurons and reorganize them into new networks—plays a key role in creativity, enabling new neural pathways that enhance idea generation. Challenges, constraints, and even failure often spark creativity by pushing individuals to think beyond conventional solutions.
Study author Joanna Smogorzewska and her colleagues note that the process of creation brings joy and excitement to people and can enhance their quality of life. However, the role of creativity in children’s everyday social functioning at school remains insufficiently understood. The authors sought to explore the relationship between children’s creativity, their Theory of Mind abilities, and their feelings of loneliness in the school environment.
They interpreted creativity as children’s fluency of thinking and creative imaginary abilities. Theory of Mind refers to the ability to understand that others have their own thoughts, feelings, and perspectives, which may differ from one’s own. The study authors hypothesized that more creative children would also tend to have better Theory of Mind abilities. In turn, these Theory of Mind abilities might lead to lower feelings of loneliness.
The study participants were 743 children from 16 primary schools in various regions of Poland. Among them, 412 were girls. All participants were fluent in Polish, and the average age was 9 years.
The children completed assessments of their creative abilities—specifically, fluency of thinking and the vividness, originality, and transformation of creative imagery (measured using the Test of Creative Imagery Abilities). They were also assessed on their Theory of Mind abilities (using a task developed by the authors) and their levels of loneliness (measured with the Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Scale).
The results showed that creative abilities were not directly associated with loneliness, but Theory of Mind abilities were very weakly associated with it. In other words, children who were better able to understand the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of others tended to be slightly less lonely on average.
The researchers tested a statistical model proposing that creative abilities lead to better Theory of Mind abilities, and that better Theory of Mind abilities, in turn, lead to lower feelings of loneliness. Their analyses suggested that such a relationship between these psychological characteristics is possible.
“The current investigation, which involved a large sample of school age students, not only established positive links among fluency of thinking, creative imagery and children’s ToM [Theory of Mind abilities], but also showed their potential benefits for social relationships and a lessening of feeling lonely. We observed quite robust negative associations between ToM and feelings of loneliness and negative indirect links between creativity and loneliness as mediated by ToM,” the study authors concluded.
The study sheds light on the connections between children’s cognitive abilities and feelings of loneliness. However, its design does not allow for causal inferences to be drawn from the results. Additionally, the observed association between Theory of Mind abilities and loneliness was very weak.
The paper, “(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2024.102541) Creativity, theory of mind and loneliness – The links between cognitive and social abilities of school-age children,” was authored by Joanna Smogorzewska, Grzegorz Szumski, Paweł Grygiel, Sandra Bosacki, and Maciej Karwowski.

Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC
Baltimore, MD

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