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<td><span style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:20px;font-weight:bold;">PsyPost – Psychology News</span></td>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/cognitive-issues-in-adhd-and-learning-difficulties-appear-to-have-different-roots/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Cognitive issues in ADHD and learning difficulties appear to have different roots</a>
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<p><p>A new study reports that the widespread cognitive difficulties in children with learning problems appear to be a core feature of their condition, independent of their attentional behaviors. In contrast, the more limited cognitive challenges found in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) who do not have learning difficulties may be consequences of their inattention and hyperactivity. The research was published in the <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251376776" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Journal of Attention Disorders</a></em>.</p>
<p>Children with ADHD and those with specific learning difficulties often exhibit overlapping challenges with attention and certain thinking skills. This has led researchers to question the nature of this relationship: Are the difficulties with memory and processing simply a side effect of being inattentive or hyperactive? A team of researchers sought to disentangle these factors to better understand the underlying cognitive profiles of these distinct but frequently co-occurring conditions.</p>
<p>“While there have been previous studies that examined the link between ADHD symptoms and learning or cognitive skills in groups of children with ADHD or learning difficulties, there has been no study that examined how ADHD symptoms influence cognitive skills that are key to learning in these neurodivergent groups,” said study author Yufei Cai, a PhD researcher in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge.</p>
<p>“Understanding how ADHD attentional behaviors influence these cognitive skills that are essential for successful learning in these neurodivergent populations can offer suggestions for designing interventions that might improve cognitive or learning functioning in these neurodivergent groups.”</p>
<p>To investigate, the researchers performed a detailed analysis of existing data from the Centre for Attention, Learning, and Memory, a large cohort of children referred for concerns related to attention, memory, or learning. They selected data from 770 children, aged 5 to 18, and organized them into four distinct groups. These groups included children with a diagnosis of ADHD only, children with learning difficulties only, children with both ADHD and learning difficulties, and a comparison group of children with no known neurodevelopmental conditions.</p>
<p>Each child had completed a broad range of standardized tests. These assessments measured fundamental cognitive skills such as verbal and visuospatial short-term memory, working memory (the ability to hold and manipulate information temporarily), processing speed, and sustained attention. Higher-level executive functions, like the ability to flexibly shift between different tasks or rules, were also evaluated. Alongside these direct assessments, parents provided ratings of their child’s daily behaviors related to inattention and hyperactivity or impulsivity.</p>
<p>“Our study is the first to date that has (1) a relatively large neurodivergent sample size, (2) a comprehensive battery of cognitive and learning measures, and (3) the inclusion of a co-occurring condition group of those with both ADHD and learning difficulties to examine the extent to which elevated scores of ADHD symptoms can account for the group differences in cognitive skills that are key to learning between these neurodivergent and comparison groups,” Cai told PsyPost.</p>
<p>“The study aims to characterize the cognitive profiles of these three neurodivergent groups, as well as examine the associations between ADHD symptoms (i.e., inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive behaviors) and cognitive skills that are key to learning in children with ADHD, learning difficulties, and those with both conditions.”</p>
<p>The core of the analysis involved a two-step comparison. First, the researchers compared the performance of the four groups across all the cognitive tests to identify where differences existed. Next, they applied a statistical approach to see what would happen to these differences if they mathematically adjusted for each child’s level of parent-rated inattention and hyperactivity. If a group’s cognitive weakness disappeared after this adjustment, it would suggest the cognitive issue might be a consequence of attentional behaviors. If the weakness remained, it would point to a more fundamental cognitive deficit.</p>
<p>The results revealed a clear divergence between the groups. Children with learning difficulties, both with and without a co-occurring ADHD diagnosis, displayed a broad pattern of lower performance across many cognitive domains. They showed weaknesses in short-term memory, working memory, processing speed, sustained attention, and the ability to sequence information.</p>
<p>When the researchers statistically accounted for levels of inattention and hyperactivity, these cognitive deficits largely persisted. This outcome suggests that for children with learning difficulties, these cognitive challenges are likely foundational to their condition, not just a byproduct of attentional issues.</p>
<p>The profile for children with ADHD only was quite different. This group performed at age-appropriate levels on many of the cognitive tasks, including verbal short-term memory, working memory, processing speed, and sustained attention. They did show some specific difficulties, particularly in visuospatial short-term memory and the ability to quickly sequence numbers or letters.</p>
<p>However, these particular challenges were no longer apparent after the statistical analysis adjusted for their levels of inattention and hyperactivity. This finding indicates that for these children, their attentional behaviors may directly interfere with performance on certain cognitive tasks.</p>
<p>One specific challenge did appear to be independent of attentional behaviors for the ADHD only group. Their difficulty with set shifting, or mentally switching between different task rules, remained even after accounting for inattention and hyperactivity. This points to a more specific executive function challenge in ADHD that may not be fully explained by its primary behavioral symptoms.</p>
<p>Overall, the findings paint a picture of two different neurodevelopmental pathways. For children with learning difficulties, core cognitive weaknesses appear to drive their academic struggles. For many children with ADHD alone, their primary attentional challenges may be what creates more limited and specific hurdles in their cognitive performance.</p>
<p>“Children with learning difficulties, either with or without ADHD, had lower levels of cognitive skills than children with ADHD without co-occurring learning difficulties and those in the comparison group,” Cai explained. “Elevated levels of inattention and hyperactive/impulsive behaviors did not influence the low cognitive performance observed in these children. Instead, this lower cognitive performance may be more closely associated with their learning ability, which is central to their neurodevelopmental characteristics.”</p>
<p>“However, these attentional behaviors are closely linked to the more limited cognitive challenges observed in children with ADHD without co-occurring learning difficulties. Understanding whether neurodivergent children with ADHD, learning difficulties, or both experience cognitive or learning-related challenges provides a valuable framework for designing targeted intervention and support strategies.”</p>
<p>But as with all research, the study includes some limitations. The group with learning difficulties was identified based on low scores on academic tests rather than formal clinical diagnoses of conditions like dyslexia or dyscalculia, which might not be perfectly equivalent. The study’s design provides a snapshot at a single point in time, so it cannot capture how these relationships might evolve as children develop.</p>
<p>Future research could build on these findings by following children over several years to observe these developmental trajectories directly. Incorporating a wider array of cognitive measures and gathering behavioral information from multiple sources, including teachers, could also help create an even more detailed understanding. Such work could help refine support strategies, ensuring that interventions are targeted to a child’s specific profile of cognitive and behavioral needs.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251376776" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associations Between ADHD Symptom Dimensions and Cognition in Children With ADHD and Learning Difficulties</a>,” was authored by Yufei Cai, Joni Holmes, and Susan E. Gathercole.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/mens-brains-shrink-faster-with-age-deepening-an-alzheimers-mystery/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Men’s brains shrink faster with age, deepening an Alzheimer’s mystery</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 2nd 2025, 06:00</div>
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<p><p>A new large-scale brain imaging study suggests that the normal process of aging does not affect female brains more severely than male brains. In fact, the findings indicate that men tend to experience slightly greater age-related decline in brain structure, a result that challenges the idea that brain aging patterns explain the higher prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in women. The research was published in the <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2510486122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a></em>.</p>
<p>Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that impairs memory and other essential cognitive functions. It is the most common cause of dementia, and women account for a significant majority of cases worldwide. Because advancing age is the single greatest risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s, researchers have long wondered if sex-based differences in how the brain ages might contribute to this disparity.</p>
<p>Previous studies on this topic have produced mixed results, with some suggesting men’s brains decline faster and others indicating the opposite. To provide a clearer picture, an international team of researchers led by scientists at the University of Oslo set out to investigate this question using an exceptionally large and diverse dataset. They aimed to determine if structural changes in the brain during healthy aging differ between men and women, and if any such differences become more pronounced with age.</p>
<p>“Women are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease more often than men, and since aging is the main risk factor, we wanted to test whether men’s and women’s brains change differently with age. If women’s brains declined more, that could have helped explain their higher Alzheimer’s prevalence,” said study author Anne Ravndal, a PhD candidate at the University of Oslo.</p>
<p>To conduct their investigation, the researchers combined data from 14 separate long-term studies, creating a massive dataset of 12,638 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans from 4,726 cognitively healthy participants. The individuals ranged in age from 17 to 95 years old. The longitudinal nature of the data, with each person being scanned at least twice over an average interval of about three years, allowed the team to track brain changes within individuals over time.</p>
<p>Using this information, they measured changes in several key brain structures, including the thickness and surface area of the cortex, which is the brain’s outer layer responsible for higher-level thought.</p>
<p>The analysis began by examining the raw changes in brain structure without any adjustments. In this initial step, the team found that men experienced a steeper decline than women in 17 different brain measures. These included reductions in total brain volume, gray matter, white matter, and the volume of all major brain lobes. Men also showed a faster thinning of the cortex in visual and memory-related areas and a quicker reduction in surface area in other regions.</p>
<p>Recognizing that men typically have larger heads and brains than women, the researchers performed a second, more nuanced analysis that corrected for differences in head size. After this adjustment, the general pattern held, though some specifics changed. Men still showed a greater rate of decline in the occipital lobe volume and in the surface area of the fusiform and postcentral regions of the cortex. In contrast, women only exhibited a faster decline in the surface area of a small region within the temporal lobe.</p>
<p>The findings were in line with the researchers expectations: “Although earlier studies have shown mixed findings, especially for cortical regions, our results align with the overall pattern that men show slightly steeper age-related brain decline,” Ravndal told PsyPost. “Still, it was important to demonstrate this clearly in a large longitudinal multi-cohort sample covering the full adult lifespan.”</p>
<p>The study also revealed age-dependent effects, especially in older adults over 60. In this age group, men showed a more rapid decline in several deep brain structures, including the caudate, nucleus accumbens, putamen, and pallidum, which are involved in motor control and reward. Women in this age group, on the other hand, showed a greater rate of ventricular expansion, meaning the fluid-filled cavities within the brain enlarged more quickly.</p>
<p>Notably, after correcting for head size, there were no significant sex differences in the rate of decline of the hippocampus, a brain structure central to memory formation that is heavily affected by Alzheimer’s disease.</p>
<p>The researchers also conducted additional analyses to test the robustness of their findings. When they accounted for the participants’ years of education, some of the regions showing faster decline in men were no longer statistically significant.</p>
<p>Another analysis adjusted for life expectancy. Since women tend to live longer than men, a man of any given age is, on average, closer to the end of his life. After accounting for this “proximity to death,” several of the cortical regions showing faster decline in men became non-significant, while some areas in women, including the hippocampus in older adults, began to show a faster rate of decline. This suggests that differences in longevity and overall biological aging may influence the observed patterns.</p>
<p>“Our findings add support to the idea that normal brain aging doesn’t explain why women are more often diagnosed with Alzheimer’s,” Ravndal said. “The results instead point toward other possible explanations, such as differences in longevity and survival bias, detection and diagnosis patterns, or biological factors like APOE-related vulnerability and differential susceptibility to pathological processes, though these remain speculative.”</p>
<p>The study, like all research, has some caveats to consider. The data were collected from many different sites, which can introduce variability. The follow-up intervals for the brain scans were also relatively short in the context of a human lifespan. A key consideration is that the participants were all cognitively healthy, so these findings on normal brain aging may not apply to the changes that occur in the pre-clinical or early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.</p>
<p>It is also important to that although the study identified several statistically significant differences in brain aging between the sexes, the researchers characterized the magnitude of these effects as modest. For example, in the pericalcarine cortex, men showed an annual rate of decline of 0.24% compared to 0.14% for women, a difference of just one-tenth of a percentage point per year.</p>
<p>“The sex differences we found were few and small,” Ravndal told PsyPost. “Importantly, we found no evidence of greater decline in women that could help explain their higher Alzheimer’s disease prevalence. Hence, if corroborated in other studies, the practical significance is that women don’t need to think that their brain declines faster, but that other reasons underlie this difference in prevalence.”</p>
<p>Future research could explore factors such as differences in longevity, potential biases in how the disease is detected and diagnosed, or biological variables like the APOE gene, a known genetic risk factor that may affect men and women differently.</p>
<p>“We are now examining whether similar structural brain changes relate differently to memory function in men and women,” Ravndal said. “This could help reveal whether the same degree of brain change has different cognitive implications across sexes.”</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2510486122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sex differences in healthy brain aging are unlikely to explain higher Alzheimer’s disease prevalence in women</a>,” was authored by Anne Ravndal, Anders M. Fjell, Didac Vidal-Piñeiro, Øystein Sørensen, Emilie S. Falch, Julia Kropiunig, Pablo F. Garrido, James M. Roe, José-Luis Alatorre-Warren, Markus H. Sneve, David Bartrés-Faz, Alvaro Pascual-Leone, Andreas M. Brandmaier, Sandra Düzel, Simone Kühn, Ulman Lindenberger, Lars Nyberg, Leiv Otto Watne, Richard N. Henson, for the Australian Imaging Biomarkers and Lifestyle flagship study of ageing (AIBL), the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), Kristine B. Walhovd, and Håkon Grydeland.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/brain-mimicking-artificial-neuron-could-solve-ais-growing-energy-problem/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Brain-mimicking artificial neuron could solve AI’s growing energy problem</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 1st 2025, 20:00</div>
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<p><p>Researchers have developed a new type of artificial neuron that physically emulates the electrochemical processes of biological brain cells. This innovation, which relies on the movement of atoms rather than electrons, could lead to computer chips that are vastly smaller and more energy-efficient. The study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41928-025-01488-x" target="_blank">Nature Electronics</a></em>.</p>
<p>The primary motivation for this research stems from the immense energy demands of modern artificial intelligence. Large AI models require vast computational resources, consuming electricity on a scale comparable to that of entire communities. In contrast, the human brain performs complex tasks like learning and recognition with remarkable efficiency, operating on only about 20 watts of power. </p>
<p>Neuromorphic computing is a field dedicated to designing systems that replicate the brain’s principles to achieve this level of efficiency. While many existing brain-inspired chips simulate neural activity using conventional digital electronics, this new work sought to create a device that physically embodies the analog dynamics of a real neuron.</p>
<p>To understand the innovation, it helps to first consider how a biological neuron functions. Neurons in the brain use a combination of electrical and chemical signals. An electrical pulse travels along the neuron until it reaches a junction called a synapse, where it is converted into a chemical signal. These chemical signals, often carried by charged particles called ions like sodium and potassium, cross the gap to the next neuron, where they can trigger a new electrical pulse. This process of ion movement is fundamental to how the brain processes information and learns.</p>
<p>The researchers constructed an artificial neuron that mirrors this ion-based mechanism. The device is composed of just three simple components: one specialized device called a diffusive memristor, one transistor, and one resistor. This compact design allows an entire artificial neuron to occupy the footprint of a single transistor, a substantial reduction from the tens or even hundreds of transistors needed for conventional artificial neuron circuits. Instead of moving electrons, the standard for nearly all modern electronics, this system operates by controlling the movement of silver ions within a thin oxide material.</p>
<p>When an electrical voltage is applied to the device, it causes the silver ions to move and form a conductive channel, generating an output spike of electricity. This action is analogous to a biological neuron firing. The physics governing the motion and diffusion of these silver ions is very similar to the dynamics of ions moving across a brain cell’s membrane. By using the physical movement of atoms, the device directly replicates the hardware-based learning process of the brain, often called “wetware.”</p>
<p>This approach differs from traditional computing, which relies on fast but volatile electrons. Computing with electrons is well-suited for software-based learning, where algorithms are run on general-purpose hardware. The brain, however, learns by physically reconfiguring its connections through ion movement, an inherently energy-efficient method. This is why a child can learn to recognize a new object after seeing only a few examples, while a computer often needs to be trained on thousands of images. The ion-based device brings artificial systems a step closer to this efficient, hardware-based learning style.</p>
<p>To verify its capabilities, the team demonstrated that their artificial neuron could successfully reproduce six key characteristics observed in biological neurons. These included leaky integration, where the neuron sums incoming signals over time but with a gradual decay. It also exhibited threshold firing, meaning it produces an output spike only after its input signals accumulate past a certain point. The researchers also confirmed cascaded propagation by showing that the output from one of their artificial neurons could successfully trigger a second one in a series.</p>
<p>The device also displayed more complex behaviors. It showed intrinsic plasticity, a process where a neuron’s recent firing history influences its future responsiveness, making it easier to fire again after recent activity. It also had a refractory period, a brief pause after firing during which it is resistant to firing again, which helps regulate neural activity. Finally, the neuron exhibited stochasticity, an element of randomness in its firing pattern that is also found in the brain and can be beneficial for certain computational tasks and for preventing systems from getting stuck in repetitive loops.</p>
<p>To assess how these neurons would perform in a complex network, the researchers created a detailed computational model of their device. They used this model to simulate a type of brain-inspired network called a recurrent spiking neural network. This network was then tested on a standard benchmark task: classifying spoken digits from a dataset of audio recordings. The simulated network, built from the principles of their new neuron, achieved a classification accuracy of 91.35 percent, a result that shows its potential as a building block for powerful and efficient computing systems.</p>
<p>The research does face some practical hurdles before it can be widely implemented. The silver used in the proof-of-concept device is not easily integrated into standard semiconductor manufacturing processes. Future work will involve exploring alternative materials and ions that offer similar dynamic properties but are compatible with existing fabrication technologies. </p>
<p>The next step for the researchers is to build and integrate large numbers of these artificial neurons to test their collective ability to replicate the brain’s efficiency and capabilities on a larger scale. Beyond creating more powerful AI, such brain-faithful systems could offer a unique platform for neuroscientists, potentially revealing new insights into the workings of the human brain itself.</p>
<p>The study, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41928-025-01488-x" target="_blank">“A spiking artificial neuron based on one diffusive memristor, one transistor and one resistor</a>,” was authored by Ruoyu Zhao, Tong Wang, Taehwan Moon, Yichun Xu, Jian Zhao, Piyush Sud, Seung Ju Kim, Han-Ting Liao, Ye Zhuo, Rivu Midya, Shiva Asapu, Dawei Gao, Zixuan Rong, Qinru Qiu, Cynthia Bowers, Krishnamurthy Mahalingam, S. Ganguli, A. K. Roy, Qing Wu, Jin-Woo Han, R. Stanley Williams, Yong Chen & J. Joshua Yang.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/researchers-have-decoded-tiktoks-viral-bold-glamour-filter/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Researchers have decoded TikTok’s viral Bold Glamour filter</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 1st 2025, 18:00</div>
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<p><p>A recent study provides a detailed analysis of TikTok’s popular “Bold Glamour” filter, finding that its artificial intelligence makes specific, subtle changes that often align with the goals of common cosmetic procedures. The research, published in <em><a href="https://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/2025/10000/artificial_intelligence_beauty_filters_and.81.aspx" target="_blank">Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open</a></em>, quantifies these modifications to better understand how such digital tools are shaping modern beauty standards and influencing patient expectations in aesthetic medicine.</p>
<p>The Bold Glamour filter, released on the TikTok social media platform in early 2023, quickly gained widespread attention for its remarkable realism. Unlike earlier filters that often glitch or appear as a simple layer over a person’s image, Bold Glamour uses a more advanced form of artificial intelligence to generate a new, altered version of the face in real time. </p>
<p>While TikTok has not revealed the specific technology, experts suggest it employs a process known as a generative adversarial network, which compares a user’s face to a vast database of other images to produce a completely remodeled, airbrushed result.</p>
<p>This technological sophistication means the digital enhancements remain stable even when a user moves or covers parts of their face, making the effect appear uncannily natural and often difficult to detect. Researchers undertook this study because the filter’s seamless and persuasive nature raises questions about its impact on self-perception. </p>
<p>Psychologists have expressed concern that such realistic filters could warp a person’s understanding of what a normal face looks like, potentially making them feel alienated from their own appearance and more interested in pursuing plastic surgery. The filter’s ability to present a glossier, more sculpted version of oneself has prompted a broad public conversation about its potential to establish new, algorithmically-defined benchmarks for beauty that could influence requests for aesthetic surgery.</p>
<p>To measure the filter’s effects, the research team captured images of 10 female participants using a standard smartphone camera. For each participant, they analyzed one unfiltered photograph and one image generated by the Bold Glamour filter. The analysis was conducted using two methods. First, they employed an automated software that can identify and map nearly one thousand distinct points on a human face, allowing for precise digital measurement of changes to facial features. Second, the researchers performed manual observations to identify alterations in soft tissues, such as skin texture and the appearance of makeup.</p>
<p>The analysis revealed a pattern of distinct and consistent modifications. On a broad scale, the filter tended to increase the face’s overall dimensions, making the jawline appear wider and the forehead taller. Many of these structural changes were proportionally small, often altering a feature by less than 10 percent. This subtlety helps the filtered image retain a natural appearance while still creating a noticeable enhancement.</p>
<p>When examining specific features, the researchers documented more pronounced changes. The filter algorithmically refined the nose, reducing the width of the tip and the base while increasing the upward rotation of the nasal tip. It also created substantially fuller lips, augmenting the height of the upper lip by an average of 25 percent and the lower lip by 16 percent. Other changes included a slight lift of the right eyebrow and a more defined projection of the cheekbones.</p>
<p>Perhaps the most significant alterations were not structural but related to the skin and soft tissues. The filter produced a dramatic smoothing effect, which reduced the appearance of wrinkles, tear troughs under the eyes, and smile lines around the mouth. It also seemed to eliminate hyperpigmentation and apply digital makeup, such as thickening and darkening the eyebrows. </p>
<p>These changes mimic the results of common nonsurgical rejuvenation treatments, including chemical peels, laser resurfacing, and microblading. The filter appears to blend both feminizing features, like lifted eyebrows, and masculinizing ones, such as a stronger jaw, likely to appeal to a wide range of users.</p>
<p>The researchers note that these findings have direct relevance to the field of aesthetic medicine. Digital tools like the Bold Glamour filter could one day serve as aids during consultations, helping surgeons and patients visualize potential outcomes of procedures. For instance, the filter’s effects correspond to the goals of treatments like lip and brow lifts, rhinoplasty, and various skin resurfacing techniques. Such technology could facilitate better communication and help establish clearer expectations between a patient and a surgeon.</p>
<p>At the same time, the widespread use of these filters presents challenges. The digitally perfected images may promote unrealistic beauty ideals that are difficult or impossible to achieve through surgery. This could affect the psychological well-being of users, potentially contributing to body image issues or conditions like body dysmorphic disorder, where a person becomes obsessed with perceived flaws in their appearance. The study suggests that surgeons must be mindful of these risks, balancing the potential benefits of new technologies with an ethical responsibility to prioritize the patient’s overall health and well-being.</p>
<p>The study was not without its limitations. The analysis was based on a small sample of 10 female participants, so the findings may not apply to men, nonbinary individuals, or a more diverse population. Additionally, the photographs were taken with a smartphone rather than under standardized studio conditions, which may have introduced minor inconsistencies in the automated measurements.</p>
<p>Future research could address these points by using larger and more diverse participant groups and employing professional photography to ensure greater precision. Further investigations are also needed to understand the psychological effects of prolonged interaction with AI-modified self-images, especially among younger and more vulnerable populations.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/2025/10000/artificial_intelligence_beauty_filters_and.81.aspx" target="_blank">Artificial Intelligence Beauty Filters and Aesthetic Surgery: Insights from TikTok’s Bold Glamour Filter</a>,” was authored by John A. Toms, Annie M. Fritsch, Elizabeth O’Neill, Jubril Adepoju, and Mamtha S. Raj.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/problematic-social-media-use-linked-to-loneliness-and-death-anxiety/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Problematic social media use linked to loneliness and death anxiety</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 1st 2025, 16:00</div>
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<p><p>A study of adult social media users in Italy suggested that loneliness and death anxiety might mediate the relationship between attachment anxiety and problematic social media use. The paper was published in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2025.2547244"><em>Death Studies</em></a>.</p>
<p>Attachment anxiety is a form of insecure attachment characterized by fear of rejection and excessive need for closeness in relationships. People with attachment anxiety constantly worry that their partner does not love them enough or will eventually leave them.</p>
<p>This persistent fear can lead to clingy or overly dependent behaviors as they seek reassurance. Even minor signs of distance or withdrawal from a partner can trigger intense distress or jealousy. Such individuals tend to be highly sensitive to changes in tone, attention, or affection. Their self-esteem is often highly dependent on how they are treated by significant others.</p>
<p>Attachment theory proposes that this form of anxiety develops from inconsistent caregiving during childhood, where affection and attention were unpredictable. In adulthood, it can make relationships emotionally exhausting and unstable.</p>
<p>Study author Alessandro Musetti and his colleagues hypothesized that attachment anxiety contributes to problematic social media use through a chain of psychological factors. They proposed that this relationship is mediated first by loneliness and then by death anxiety. Citing Terror Management Theory, they noted that individuals often cope with existential anxiety by seeking “symbolic immortality”—a sense of being part of something larger that will outlast them. The authors suggest that individuals with attachment anxiety may turn to social media to build a lasting digital presence as a way of achieving this symbolic immortality.</p>
<p>The study included 799 Italian adults (52% women) with an average age of 32. Regarding education, 54% had finished high school and 16% had a bachelor’s degree. In terms of employment, 31% were employed full-time, while 27% were students.</p>
<p>They completed a survey containing assessments of attachment anxiety (the Relationship Questionnaire), loneliness (the UCLA–Loneliness Scale), death anxiety (the Death Anxiety Scale), and problematic social media use (the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale). Problematic social media use is a pattern of excessive or compulsive engagement with social media that interferes with daily functioning, relationships, or mental well-being.</p>
<p>Results showed that attachment anxiety was positively correlated with the other measured traits. Individuals with higher attachment anxiety also tended to report greater loneliness, stronger death anxiety, and more symptoms of problematic social media use.</p>
<p>The researchers’ statistical model revealed a nuanced set of relationships. First, it showed that two forms of loneliness—isolation (lacking a social network) and relational disconnectedness (lacking intimate relationships)—each helped explain the link between attachment anxiety and problematic social media use. More specifically, the model supported a sequential pathway: attachment anxiety was linked to higher relational disconnectedness, which in turn was linked to greater death anxiety, which finally was associated with problematic social media use. This specific chain of events was not found for the other types of loneliness.</p>
<p>“These findings underscore the significance underlying psychological processes in PSMU [problematic social media use], suggesting potential avenues for targeted interventions that address attachment-related insecurities, relational disconnectedness, and existential concerns,” the study authors concluded.</p>
<p>The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the consequences of attachment anxiety. However, it should be noted that the design of the study does not allow any definitive causal inferences to be derived from the results. The statistical model tested and supported by data only shows that the state of relationships it proposes is possible, not that it is definitely true.</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2025.2547244">Attachment anxiety, loneliness, and death anxiety in problematic social media use,</a>” was authored by Alessandro Musetti, Alessandro Alberto Rossi, Mattia Pezzi, Stefania Mannarini, Vittorio Lenzo, and Adriano Schimmenti.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/your-politics-are-just-as-hot-as-your-profile-picture-according-to-new-online-dating-study/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Your politics are just as hot as your profile picture, according to new online dating study</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 1st 2025, 14:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study has found that a person’s political affiliation is a powerful factor in online dating choices, carrying about as much weight as physical attractiveness. At the same time, the research suggests that a willingness to date someone from an opposing party, a signal of political tolerance, is an even more desirable trait. The findings, published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/psrm.2025.10011" target="_blank">Political Science Research and Methods</a></em>, provide a nuanced look at how political divisions are shaping our most personal relationships.</p>
<p>The research was conducted by a team from Queen Mary University of London and the London School of Economics and Political Science. They were motivated by the observation that political polarization has begun to influence decisions far outside the voting booth, from hiring to personal friendships. </p>
<p>The researchers questioned whether this bias is purely about party labels, or if those labels act as a shorthand for other assumed characteristics, such as values or lifestyle. By focusing on the complex world of online dating, they sought to disentangle the raw effect of partisanship from the many other factors that guide the search for a partner.</p>
<p>To investigate these questions, the scientists designed a realistic online dating simulation for 3,000 participants in the United Kingdom. Each participant was shown a series of paired dating profiles and asked to choose which person they would prefer to date. The profiles were generated with a mix of randomly assigned traits, creating a wide variety of potential partners. This method, known as a conjoint experiment, allows researchers to precisely measure the independent influence of each characteristic on a person’s choice.</p>
<p>The profiles included key political attributes, such as party affiliation (Labour or Conservative) and political tolerance. The tolerance attribute was presented as a statement in the profile’s bio, either expressing openness (“Open to match with anyone”) or intolerance (“No Tories/Labour!”). Profiles also featured nonpolitical traits common on dating apps, including physical appearance, race, education level, height, and even dietary habits, such as being vegetarian. The use of actual photographs, pre-rated for attractiveness, was intended to make the experience more similar to using a real dating app.</p>
<p>The results showed that political identity has a substantial effect on dating decisions. On average, a person was 18.2 percentage points more likely to be chosen if they shared the same party affiliation as the participant. This effect was similar in magnitude to the preference for a physically attractive person and was twice as strong as the preference for a potential date with a university degree. This suggests that in the modern dating market, political alignment can be just as important as conventional standards of attraction.</p>
<p>However, the single most influential trait was not party affiliation, but political tolerance. A profile that signaled an openness to dating people from any political background was nearly 20 percentage points more likely to be chosen than a profile expressing intolerance. This preference for open-mindedness was slightly stronger than the preference for a shared party. Participants appeared to value tolerance even when evaluating someone from their own party, indicating a genuine appreciation for the trait rather than just an aversion to being rejected themselves.</p>
<p>The study also uncovered a notable asymmetry in partisan behavior. While supporters of both major parties preferred to date within their own political group, this tendency was much stronger on the left. Labour supporters were approximately twice as likely to choose a fellow Labour supporter compared to the rate at which Conservatives chose other Conservatives. This finding points to different social dynamics within the two partisan groups in the UK.</p>
<p>Another surprising asymmetry emerged when participants encountered profiles that defied political stereotypes. Conservative participants were more likely to select a Labour supporter who broke from the typical mold, for example, by being White or holding “traditional” values. </p>
<p>In contrast, Labour supporters were less likely to choose a Conservative profile that broke stereotypes, such as a Black or vegetarian Conservative. The researchers suggest this could be related to a negative reaction against individuals who violate strong group expectations, making them seem unfamiliar.</p>
<p>The researchers acknowledge certain limitations. The study focused only on Labour and Conservative supporters, which may not capture the full complexity of the UK’s multiparty political system. While the experiment identifies these differing preferences between partisan groups and genders, it does not fully explain the underlying psychological reasons for them. Future research could explore these motivations in greater depth.</p>
<p>Additional work might also examine the role of geography, as dating pool size and composition in urban versus rural areas could alter how people weigh political and nonpolitical traits. The influence of other major political identities, such as a person’s stance on Brexit, could also be a productive area for investigation. </p>
<p>The study’s findings suggest that while partisan divides are real and affect relationship formation, they are not absolute. An expressed sense of tolerance may be one of the most effective ways to bridge these political gaps in the personal sphere.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/psrm.2025.10011" target="_blank">‘Sleeping with the enemy’: partisanship and tolerance in online dating</a>,” was authored by Yara Sleiman, Georgios Melios and Paul Dolan.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/new-study-finds-cbd-worsens-cannabis-effects-in-schizophrenia/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">New study finds CBD worsens cannabis effects in schizophrenia</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 1st 2025, 12:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study has found that, contrary to expectations, pre-treatment with cannabidiol, or CBD, exacerbated the acute memory impairment and psychotic symptoms caused by cannabis in patients with schizophrenia. This research, which offers a more complex picture of how cannabinoids interact in this clinical population, was published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-025-02175-3" target="_blank">Neuropsychopharmacology</a></em>.</p>
<p>Researchers have long observed that cannabis use can worsen symptoms and increase the risk of relapse in people diagnosed with schizophrenia. The adverse effects of cannabis are largely attributed to one of its main components, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Another major component of the cannabis plant is cannabidiol, or CBD.</p>
<p>While structurally similar to THC, CBD acts quite differently in the body and does not produce an intoxicating “high.” Its exact mechanism of action is still an area of active investigation, but it is thought to interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system in complex ways. One leading theory suggests CBD alters the function of the brain’s primary cannabinoid receptor, known as CB1, changing how it responds to THC and the body’s own cannabinoid molecules.</p>
<p>Because of these properties, CBD has been investigated as a potential treatment for psychosis. Several clinical trials have suggested that high doses of CBD can help reduce psychotic symptoms in people with schizophrenia. It also appears to have a favorable safety profile and is generally well-tolerated by patients, making it a promising candidate for a new therapeutic approach.</p>
<p>The question remained, however, whether CBD could also protect against the acute negative effects of THC. Previous experimental studies in healthy volunteers have produced mixed results. Some found that CBD could lessen THC-induced impairment, while others reported no effect or even an increase in some adverse effects. These discrepancies could be due to variations in dosage, the timing of administration, and whether the substances were inhaled or taken orally.</p>
<p>The new study was designed to clarify this relationship in a clinically relevant population: individuals with schizophrenia who also regularly use cannabis. The researchers hypothesized that a high dose of CBD given before cannabis use would protect against THC-induced memory problems and psychotic symptoms.</p>
<p>“Cannabis addiction is fairly common in people with schizophrenia and is linked to poor outcomes. I always encourage my patients to try and reduce their use, as this should improve their quality of life and risk of relapse, but there’s a large group of people who don’t want to stop,” said study author <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=IaHIQjUAAAAJ&hl=en&inst=7061765439705374087" target="_blank">Edward Chesney</a>, a clinical lecturer at King’s College London.</p>
<p>“Since CBD is being developed as a treatment for schizophrenia, and for cannabis addiction too, we designed this laboratory study to see if CBD could be used to prevent or reduce cannabis-induced psychosis. We therefore recruited people with schizophrenia who use cannabis, randomized them to treatment with a clinical dose of CBD or a placebo, and then gave them a large dose of vaporized cannabis.”</p>
<p>A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial is considered a robust method for testing interventions. Thirty participants, all diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and a co-occurring cannabis use disorder, completed the main part of the study. Each participant attended two separate experimental sessions.</p>
<p>In one session, they received a 1000 mg oral dose of CBD. In the other session, they received an identical-looking placebo capsule. The order in which they received CBD or placebo was random, and neither the participants nor the researchers knew which treatment was given on which day. Three hours after taking the capsule, to allow the CBD to reach its peak concentration in the body, participants inhaled a controlled dose of vaporized cannabis containing THC.</p>
<p>The researchers measured several outcomes. The primary measure of cognitive function was a test of delayed verbal recall, which assesses the ability to remember a list of words after a short delay. To measure psychotic symptoms, they used a standardized clinical interview called the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, focusing on the positive symptoms subscale which includes items like paranoia and disorganized thinking. The team also collected blood samples to measure the concentrations of THC and CBD in the participants’ systems.</p>
<p>The results of the experiment were the opposite of what the researchers had predicted. When participants were pre-treated with CBD, their performance on the memory test was worse than when they were pre-treated with the placebo. On average, they recalled about 1.3 fewer words after receiving CBD compared to the placebo condition.</p>
<p>Similarly, the psychotic symptoms induced by cannabis were more severe following CBD pre-treatment. The average increase in the psychosis rating scale score was 5.0 points after CBD, compared to an increase of 2.9 points after the placebo. The researchers noted that large increases in these symptoms were observed in seven participants in the CBD condition. Specifically, CBD appeared to heighten cannabis-induced conceptual disorganization and feelings of suspiciousness.</p>
<p>“The effects were very clear and clinically meaningful,” Chesney told PsyPost. “Almost all the large psychotic reactions we observed were in the CBD pre-treatment group. The results were completely unexpected. We thought CBD would reduce the effects of THC, but the opposite happened — CBD actually increased THC’s adverse effects.”</p>
<p>“Interestingly, CBD didn’t change how strong or long the high felt, nor did it affect anxiety levels. I had initially assumed that CBD had increased all the effects of the cannabis, but it seems to have specifically increased the psychotic and cognitive symptoms for reasons we don’t yet understand.”</p>
<p>To understand why this might be happening, the researchers examined the blood samples. They looked for a pharmacokinetic interaction, which would occur if CBD changed the way the body metabolizes THC, perhaps by increasing the levels of THC in the blood. They found no evidence for this. The plasma concentrations of THC and its main active metabolite, 11-hydroxy-THC, were not significantly different between the CBD and placebo conditions. This suggests the effect was likely pharmacodynamic, meaning it relates to how the two substances interact with receptors and systems in the brain, rather than how they are processed by the body.</p>
<p>The findings highlight “that cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system are very complex,” Chesney said. “We didn’t observe a pharmacokinetic interaction between CBD and THC, so perhaps there’s something more interesting at play – perhaps there’s something different about the brains of people with schizophrenia, or heavy cannabis users, which makes them sensitive to the effects of CBD as well as THC.”</p>
<p>The study has some limitations. The findings apply to a specific population of patients with both schizophrenia and a cannabis use disorder, and the results may not generalize to people with schizophrenia who do not use cannabis regularly. The experiment used a single high dose of CBD, and the effects could be different at other doses. Also, the cannabis dose was fixed by the researchers, which differs from real-world scenarios where users can adjust their intake.</p>
<p>Future research could explore whether these effects are present in people with schizophrenia who do not have a cannabis use disorder, or in people with a cannabis use disorder who do not have schizophrenia. This would help determine if the observed interaction is specific to the combination of these two conditions. </p>
<p>Despite these limitations, the study provides important information about the complex interactions between cannabinoids, particularly in a vulnerable clinical population. The results suggest that for patients with schizophrenia who use cannabis, taking CBD may not be a safe strategy to mitigate the harms of THC and could potentially make them worse.</p>
<p>“I don’t think this makes it less likely that CBD will work as a treatment for schizophrenia,” Chesney added. “It’s just a single study, and we only used a single dose of CBD. With antidepressants, for example, you often see an initial increase in anxiety levels and restlessness before you start to see some benefit. The results of clinical trials of CBD, where patients have received treatment for several weeks, are still very encouraging. I still come across lots of people who think that CBD is just a placebo, the results of my study suggest that it is definitely doing something.”</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-025-02175-3" target="_blank">Does cannabidiol reduce the adverse effects of cannabis in schizophrenia? A randomised, double-blind, cross-over trial</a>,” was authored by Edward Chesney, Dominic Oliver, Ananya Sarma, Ayşe Doğa Lamper, Ikram Slimani, Millie Lloyd, Alex M. Dickens, Michael Welds, Matilda Kråkström, Irma Gasparini-Andre, Matej Orešič, Will Lawn, Natavan Babayeva, Tom P. Freeman, Amir Englund, John Strang, and Philip McGuire.</p></p>
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<p><strong>Forwarded by:<br />
Michael Reeder LCPC<br />
Baltimore, MD</strong></p>
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