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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/subtle-brain-changes-found-in-children-exposed-to-trauma-even-without-behavioral-symptoms/" 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;">Subtle brain changes found in children exposed to trauma, even without behavioral symptoms</a>
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<p><p>Children who experience traumatic events may show subtle but measurable differences in how their brains process attention and control impulses, according to a new study published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109263" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Neuropsychologia</a></em>. The research found that youths with higher exposure to non-abuse-related trauma exhibited distinct patterns of brain activity while performing tasks that require sustained attention and inhibition. These neural differences also varied by sex.</p>
<p>The researchers conducted this study to better understand how childhood trauma influences the developing brain. Prior research has linked early traumatic experiences to mental health problems later in life, such as anxiety, depression, and difficulties with attention or impulse control. However, most of these studies focus on adults or clinical populations and often include abuse as a central factor. Less is known about how trauma unrelated to abuse might affect typically developing youths, especially during adolescence, a critical time for brain maturation.</p>
<p>The research team, led by Zinia Pervin and colleagues from institutions including the Mind Research Network and the University of New Mexico, wanted to explore how early trauma might affect brain activity during tasks that require sustained attention and inhibition. They were particularly interested in whether these effects varied by sex, as previous studies have shown different mental health outcomes for boys and girls exposed to trauma. The goal was to identify potential neural markers that could help flag children at risk for future difficulties with executive functioning.</p>
<p>The study involved 65 typically developing children between the ages of 9 and 15. These participants were part of a larger longitudinal study known as the Developmental Chronnecto-Genomics (Dev-CoG) project. None of the children had known neurological or developmental disorders, and all were screened to ensure typical development.</p>
<p>Traumatic experiences were measured using a version of the UCLA Trauma History Profile that excluded questions about abuse, in line with institutional review board guidelines. Children were also asked to complete a symptom checklist assessing signs of anxiety, depression, and stress-related symptoms.</p>
<p>Based on their responses, participants were grouped into either a high-trauma group (more than two traumatic experiences) or a low-trauma group (two or fewer experiences). Importantly, the groups were similar in terms of age, sex, and socioeconomic status, which helped the researchers isolate the effects of trauma exposure.</p>
<p>To assess brain activity, the children completed a task known as the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) while undergoing magnetoencephalography (MEG), a technique that records neural activity with high temporal precision. The task requires participants to press a button in response to frequent numbers (Go trials) but to withhold the response when a specific number appears (No-Go trials). This kind of task is commonly used to measure attention and inhibitory control.</p>
<p>The researchers focused on neural responses in several brain regions involved in executive function, including the anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and superior parietal cortex. They measured both the strength (amplitude) and timing (latency) of brain responses during different phases of the task. These were analyzed across three distinct time windows: early sensory processing (100–200 ms), early cognitive evaluation (200–350 ms), and later decision-making (350–550 ms).</p>
<p>Children in the high-trauma group showed reduced amplitude of brain responses in several executive function regions, particularly in the ventral anterior cingulate cortex during Go trials and the superior parietal cortex during incorrect No-Go trials. This suggests that trauma-exposed children may allocate less neural resources when engaging in attention and inhibition tasks, even when they are trying to perform correctly.</p>
<p>The researchers also found differences in the timing of neural responses. During early sensory processing, children with higher trauma exposure showed faster response latencies in the precentral cortex.</p>
<p>While this might seem beneficial, the researchers interpret it as possible evidence of hypervigilance or heightened reactivity, a feature commonly associated with stress-related conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder. These faster responses may reflect a brain that is primed to detect threats quickly, which could become problematic over time if it interferes with accurate decision-making or impulse control.</p>
<p>Additional analyses revealed that trauma-related changes in brain activity varied by sex. For example, boys and girls in the high-trauma group both showed reduced amplitude in the medial orbitofrontal cortex, but the patterns of response timing differed. Males in the high-trauma group exhibited delayed responses in certain regions, while females generally showed faster reaction times during the task. These findings support the idea that trauma may affect males and females differently at the neural level, even if behavioral performance appears similar on the surface.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the researchers found no significant differences in task performance between the trauma groups. While children in the high-trauma group made slightly more errors on No-Go trials, the differences were not statistically significant. This suggests that brain-based measures may be more sensitive than behavior alone in detecting the effects of trauma during development.</p>
<p>As with all research, there are some limitations. First, the participants were not clinically assessed for psychiatric conditions, so the findings cannot be directly linked to mental health diagnoses. Second, the trauma history relied on self-report and did not include detailed information about the type, severity, or timing of traumatic events. This limits the ability to explore whether specific types of trauma are more likely to affect brain function.</p>
<p>The study also did not assess for maltreatment or abuse, which are known to have strong effects on brain development. Although this exclusion was intentional, it leaves open the question of how trauma unrelated to abuse compares to more severe forms of adversity. Finally, while the MEG technique offers precise timing information about brain activity, it cannot identify long-term structural changes. Combining MEG with other methods, such as magnetic resonance imaging, in future studies could provide a more complete picture.</p>
<p>The authors suggest that future research should follow children over time to better understand how early trauma affects the brain as it develops. Longitudinal studies could help determine whether the differences observed in this study persist into adulthood or whether they are temporary changes related to ongoing maturation. Studies that include clinical assessments and broader measures of trauma could also help clarify the relationship between early stress and later mental health outcomes.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109263" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Neural activity is altered by childhood trauma exposure and varied by sex in typically developing youths during sustained attention-to-response tasks (SART),</a>” was authored by Zinia Pervin, Dathan Gleichmann, Isabel Solis, Yu-Ping Wang, Vince D. Calhoun, Tony W. Wilson, and Julia M. Stephen.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/researchers-find-surprising-biological-changes-after-just-7-days-of-meditation-and-healing-rituals/" 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 find surprising biological changes after just 7 days of meditation and healing rituals</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 9th 2025, 06:00</div>
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<p><p>A recent study published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-09088-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Communications Biology</a></em> offers evidence that a 7-day mind-body retreat combining meditation, reconceptualization, and open-label placebo techniques can produce measurable changes in both brain activity and blood-based biological markers. The researchers observed alterations in brain network function and identified changes in molecular pathways linked to neuroplasticity, metabolism, inflammation, and stress-related hormones.</p>
<p>The researchers designed this study to explore how different mind-body techniques, when practiced together in an immersive setting, affect the human body and brain. Although each of these techniques—meditation, placebo rituals, and cognitive reconceptualization—has previously been studied on its own, their combined effect on biological and neurological systems had not been examined.</p>
<p>“We started to collaborate with Joe Dispenza about five years ago exploring the mind body connection. The retreat setting he offers provides a unique experimental setting to study a number of subjects and apply numerous ways to look at effects on the mind and body. This work is independently funded by InnerScience Research Fund and aims to explore to connection between mind and body,” said study author Hemal H. Patel, a professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine and research career scientist at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System.</p>
<p>The researchers selected 20 healthy adult volunteers from a pool of 561 individuals who had expressed interest in participating in a study during a week-long mind-body retreat. These individuals were randomly chosen to represent a mix of prior experience with meditation. Eleven of them had been regularly practicing the specific meditation techniques for at least six months, while the remaining nine were new to the approach.</p>
<p>The retreat itself lasted seven days and was designed to be immersive and structured. It combined three core components: daily lectures, intensive guided meditations, and group healing rituals. Participants attended approximately 25 hours of lectures throughout the week. These presentations emphasized the idea that the mind plays an active role in shaping bodily experiences and that perception and belief can influence physical health.</p>
<p>The meditation sessions totaled 33 hours and followed a guided format with music and vocal instruction. These sessions were grounded in a form of contemplative practice similar to Kundalini meditation. Participants were guided to direct their awareness inward, focusing on breathing patterns and perceived energy centers located along the body’s midline, such as the chest, throat, and forehead.</p>
<p>These practices aimed to reduce cognitive activity related to judgment or self-referential thought and to create a state of present-centered awareness. The instructions often encouraged participants to imagine themselves moving beyond ordinary concepts of space and time and to remain in a receptive, open state.</p>
<p>The healing rituals comprised about five hours and were conducted in small groups. In these sessions, six to eight participants surrounded one individual designated as the “healee.” The others acted as “healers,” engaging in practices that involved focusing their attention on their heart and hands while maintaining a compassionate mental state.</p>
<p>Although no specific biological mechanism was presented to explain how healing might occur, participants were told that the ritual could potentially benefit either the healer or the healee. Importantly, all participants knew that no medical treatment was being administered. This transparency aligns the ritual with an open-label placebo framework, in which positive effects are sought without deception.</p>
<p>The participants underwent brain scans before and after the retreat using functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI. During the scans, participants either rested or followed a guided meditation. The researchers looked at changes in connectivity among different brain networks, especially those linked to self-related thoughts, attention, and emotional processing.</p>
<p>After the retreat, meditation was associated with reduced activity within two key brain networks: the default mode network and the salience network. These networks are often active during internal reflection and emotional monitoring. Meditation also led to decreased whole-brain modularity, which suggests that the brain was operating in a more integrated, less compartmentalized way during this state.</p>
<p>The team also found increases in global efficiency, a measure of how effectively the brain can transfer information across different regions. These results imply that the participants’ brains became more interconnected and flexible after the intervention, especially during meditation.</p>
<p>At a more detailed level, certain regions such as the insula and prefrontal cortex showed decreased communication, while new connections emerged, including between the insula and the posterior cingulate cortex—regions previously linked to immersive and altered states of consciousness.</p>
<p>“We noticed in advanced meditators that a specific region of their brain had more volume (was bigger), an unexpected finding that we are following up on,” Patel told PsyPost, adding that he ws also surprised by “the fact that the brain at the end of a week-long retreat look similar to what a brain would look like on psychedelic compounds like psilocybin.”</p>
<p>“The unique conclusion here is that we do not need to turn outside to change but have a powerful, endogenous ability to affect change by making new chemicals We are further exploring this as well but have evidence in this paper that individual elevated levels of endogenous opioids that likely create the pain mitigation effects. We suspect many other endogenous compounds (which we typically take exogenous drugs to modulate) are also likely elevated after such an intensive experience.”</p>
<p>Beyond brain activity, the researchers examined a wide range of biological markers in blood plasma. They analyzed proteins, metabolites, and small RNA molecules associated with gene regulation. They also conducted cell-based experiments to assess whether blood samples taken after the retreat could influence nerve cell growth or energy production.</p>
<p>In one experiment, cultured nerve-like cells treated with post-retreat plasma showed greater neurite outgrowth—a sign of enhanced neuroplasticity—compared to cells treated with pre-retreat plasma. This was accompanied by increases in proteins linked to the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pathway, which supports neuron survival and growth.</p>
<p>The team also observed metabolic changes. Cells exposed to post-retreat plasma showed a shift toward glycolysis, a faster form of energy production that occurs in the absence of oxygen. This shift was reflected in higher levels of glycolysis-related proteins in the participants’ plasma after the retreat. These findings suggest that the body’s energy systems may have become more responsive or efficient following the intervention.</p>
<p>The plasma samples also revealed increased expression of both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory proteins, which may reflect a process of cellular renewal or repair. While inflammation is typically viewed as harmful, a controlled increase can support healing and immune function. The simultaneous upregulation of both types of markers suggests that the body was engaged in active regulation rather than a chronic stress response.</p>
<p>Another notable change involved the endogenous opioid system, which regulates pain, mood, and reward. The researchers measured increases in opioid-related peptides, including beta-endorphin and dynorphin, after the retreat. These molecules are known to promote feelings of well-being and are typically activated during placebo responses or physical exercise. That such changes occurred without deception or medication points to the potential of open-label placebo techniques to trigger these systems through belief and engagement alone.</p>
<p>The metabolomic analysis of the blood samples also showed changes in molecules related to neurotransmitter function, especially those involved in tryptophan and phenylalanine metabolism. These pathways influence serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation, motivation, and cognitive function. Shifts in these molecules suggest that the retreat may have altered the chemical balance related to mental and emotional states.</p>
<p>The researchers also looked at tiny vesicles in the blood called exosomes, which carry genetic material and signaling molecules between cells. They found that the content of these exosomes changed after the retreat, especially microRNAs involved in synaptic transmission and metabolism. Some of these genetic changes appeared to affect pathways linked to neurotransmitter release and energy processing, providing another line of evidence that the mind-body practices influenced communication between cells.</p>
<p>To better understand which of these biological features were most influential, the team applied machine learning techniques. They found that the strongest predictors of change included specific metabolites, connectivity patterns between brain networks, and proteins involved in energy and immune regulation.</p>
<p>“Our data suggest that the mind is a powerful tool for affecting change, and this can be accomplished in a short period (7 days) through a targeted approach that teaches individuals new concepts, incorporates deep meditative practices, and includes intention-based exercises to support health and resilience,” Patel said. “What is even more profound is that when the mind changes from a functional perspective, the body dramatically changes to form anew to become more resilient from many perspectives (i.e., energy, inflammation, pain mitigation, neuronal plasticity, and molecular and biochemical shifts). Ultimately the mind and body are connected.”</p>
<p>“This study shows that our minds and bodies are deeply interconnected — what we believe, how we focus our attention, and the practices we participate in can leave measurable fingerprints on our biology,” added first author Alex Jinich-Diamant, a doctoral student in the Departments of Cognitive Science and Anesthesiology at UC San Diego. “It’s an exciting step toward understanding how conscious experience and physical health are intertwined, and how we might harness that connection to promote well-being in new ways.”</p>
<p>Despite the breadth of findings, the researchers caution that the study has limitations. It did not include a control group, which means that changes cannot be definitively linked to the retreat activities. Participants may have been influenced by factors such as diet, sleep, social interaction, or simply being removed from daily stressors.</p>
<p>The sample size was relatively small, and many participants were experienced meditators, which may limit the generalizability of the results. Additionally, while the changes observed were statistically significant, it remains unclear how long they persist or whether they translate into lasting health benefits.</p>
<p>“The sample size was limited to 20 individual due to getting individual through the fMRI scanner in the time we have available,” Patel noted. “However, connecting changes in the brain with deep profiling of changes in the blood lead to a unique observation that the retreat setting provides a powerful tool to affect profound change in individual very rapidly.”</p>
<p>These findings may help lay the groundwork for future research on how intentional mental practices can influence physical health.</p>
<p>“We have a number of manuscripts we are working on that span many different areas in to explore the mind-body connection,” Patel explained. “We are looking at the full spectrum of things that can be collected from individual in a relative non-invasive way to see how mind truly impact body form the blood to the microbiome, to human physiology. The power to do this at large scale, in thousands of individuals, in upcoming manuscripts allows us to explore to impact of this intervention on health as well as individual suffering from 50+ different diseases. We are very excited by what we are uncovering and hope that this information will help guide development of new ways to enhance human health and resilience.”</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-09088-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Neural and molecular changes during a mind-body reconceptualization, meditation, and open label placebo healing intervention</a>,” was authored by Alex Jinich-Diamant, Sierra Simpson, Juan P. Zuniga-Hertz, Ramamurthy Chitteti, Jan M. Schilling, Jacqueline A. Bonds, Laura Case, Andrei V. Chernov, Joe Dispenza, Jacqueline Maree, Natalia Esther Amkie Stahl, Michael Licamele, Narin Fazlalipour, Swetha Devulapalli, Leonardo Christov-Moore, Nicco Reggente, Michelle A. Poirier, Tobias Moeller-Bertram, and Hemal H. Patel.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/do-weighted-blankets-actually-work-heres-what-the-science-says/" 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;">Do weighted blankets actually work? Here’s what the science says</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 8th 2025, 16:00</div>
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<p><p>They have been promoted as a remedy for anxiety and sleeplessness, with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BlskNOvFJQW/?taken-by=myblanquil">celebrities</a> and influencers swearing by their calming effects. Weighted blankets – heavy throws filled with glass beads or plastic pellets – have gone from a niche therapeutic tool to a mainstream wellness must-have, promising better sleep and reduced stress for anyone struggling to unwind.</p>
<p>But do they deliver on these bold claims, or are we simply paying premium prices for an expensive placebo?</p>
<p>Occupational therapists have used weighted blankets since the 1970s to help children with autism and adults with sensory processing disorders. They became commercially available in the 1990s, but remained largely within special needs communities.</p>
<p>That changed dramatically in recent years when companies began targeting what they call the “casually anxious” – essentially, anyone struggling with modern life’s stresses. The marketing worked: Time magazine even named the weighted blanket one of the <a href="https://time.com/collection/best-inventions-2018/5454469/gravity-blanket/">top 50 “inventions” of 2018</a>.</p>
<p>The concept behind weighted blankets is appealingly simple. Typically weighing between two and 13 kilograms (experts <a href="https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/the-health-hub/conditions/sleep/sleep-help/how-do-weighted-blankets-work/">recommend choosing one that’s 10% of your body weight</a>), they use what occupational therapists call “deep pressure stimulation”. The gentle, even pressure across your body mimics the sensation of being held or hugged.</p>
<h2>What the science says</h2>
<p>The research picture is more nuanced than the marketing suggests. Several studies do show promising results, but with important qualifications.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7970589/">study of 120 psychiatric outpatients</a> found that weighted blankets improved insomnia symptoms over four weeks in people with major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and ADHD. The researchers concluded they were “a safe and effective intervention for insomnia in patients with some mental health disorders”.</p>
<p>Smaller studies have shown similar patterns. One found that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J004v24n01_05">63% of adults reported lower anxiety</a> after just five minutes under a weighted blanket, while another study of psychiatric inpatients found <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0164212X.2015.1066220">60% experienced reduced anxiety</a> during their hospital stay.</p>
<p>However, these studies all focused on people with diagnosed mental health conditions, not the general population that companies are now targeting.</p>
<p>This is where the science diverges from the marketing: reviews of the research consistently show that benefits for healthy people are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38686123/">much harder to prove</a>. While weighted blankets may help people with clinical anxiety or sleep disorders, there’s <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39341068/">insufficient evidence</a> that they benefit casual users without existing mental health conditions.</p>
<p>Also, about half the research on weighted blankets <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32204779/">doesn’t meet quality standards</a> for robust scientific evidence – a significant problem given the confident health claims found on product websites and <a href="https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/a28713038/weighted-blanket-health-benefits/">glowing reviews</a> in lifestyle magazines.</p>
<h2>Who might benefit?</h2>
<p>This doesn’t mean weighted blankets are entirely useless for healthy people. Shift workers, who must sleep during daylight hours when their brains are naturally alert, might find them helpful for combating the known health effects of <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/shift-work-can-harm-sleep-and-health-what-helps-202302282896">irregular schedules</a>. Healthcare workers, firefighters and pilots who rely on <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-37061-9">strategic power naps</a> could benefit from faster sleep onset.</p>
<p>The placebo effect also shouldn’t be dismissed. If a weighted blanket helps you feel calmer and sleep better, even if the mechanism isn’t what manufacturers claim, that’s still a positive outcome, provided you understand what you’re buying.</p>
<p>Weighted blankets do carry some risks. They shouldn’t be used by anyone who cannot easily move beneath their weight, including young children. People with diabetes, asthma, sleep apnoea, <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd/">COPD</a>, circulation problems, high blood pressure or claustrophobia should consult their GP before opting to use one.</p>
<p>No studies have reported serious harms, but common sense suggests checking with a healthcare provider if you have underlying health conditions.</p>
<p>As a low-risk intervention that might complement <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10105495/">good sleep hygiene</a> and <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/benefits-of-sleep">regular sleep cycles</a>, weighted blankets aren’t inherently problematic. The issue lies in overselling their capabilities.</p>
<p>If you’re considering buying one, be realistic about your expectations. You’re not buying a miracle cure for modern anxiety but rather a potentially comforting sleep aid that might help you feel more settled at bedtime. For many people struggling with sleep, that gentle pressure and sense of security could be worth the investment, even if the science behind it isn’t quite as solid as the marketing suggests.</p>
<p>The real question isn’t whether weighted blankets work, but whether they work for you, and whether the premium price is justified for what might ultimately be an expensive hug.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/263591/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1"><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
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<p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-weighted-blankets-work-for-anxiety-heres-what-the-evidence-shows-263591">original article</a>.</em></p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/high-groove-music-boosts-running-speed-and-mood-in-women/" 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;">High-groove music boosts running speed and mood in women</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 8th 2025, 14:00</div>
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<p><p>An experiment conducted in Japan in which university students ran on treadmills for 10 minutes found that female students tended to run slightly faster and reported being in a much better mood after listening to high groove music while running compared to a situation in which they listened to low groove music. The paper was published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2025.1586484"><em>Frontiers in Sports and Active Living</em></a>.</p>
<p>Groove in music refers to the sense of rhythmic flow or “feel” that makes listeners want to move, tap, or dance along. It emerges from the interaction of rhythm, timing, and dynamics among instruments, especially the bass and percussion. Groove depends on subtle timing variations—called microtiming—that give music a human, expressive quality rather than a mechanical one.</p>
<p>In many genres, such as funk, jazz, R&B, and pop, groove is created through a balance of predictability and surprise in rhythmic patterns. The bass locks in with the drums to produce a steady, compelling pulse that grounds the groove. Listeners perceive groove not just through hearing but also through bodily entrainment, as motor areas in the brain synchronize with the musical rhythm. Research shows that moderate rhythmic complexity produces the strongest groove response—too simple feels boring, and too complex feels confusing.</p>
<p>Groove also plays a social role, fostering coordination and connection among people through shared movement. Musicians often describe groove as a feeling of “being in the pocket,” when everyone plays tightly together with expressive precision.</p>
<p>The study’s authors, Kazuya Suwabe and Satoshi Kawase, aimed to clarify the effects of groove on self-selected exercise speed and affective response in men and women. They hypothesized that high-groove music—music that strongly incites listeners to move—would increase self-selected running pace and result in a more positive mood compared to low-groove music with a comparable tempo. The authors expected these effects to be more pronounced in women, as previous research suggests women can be more sensitive to musical stimuli than men.</p>
<p>Study participants were 38 healthy students from the Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences of Ryutsu Keizai University in Japan. They were between 18 and 21 years of age, and 18 of the participants were male.</p>
<p>Each participant completed two exercise sessions in a randomized order. In each session, they ran on a treadmill for 10 minutes (including a 5-minute warm-up) at a speed they set themselves. During one session they listened to high-groove music, and during the other, they listened to low-groove music.</p>
<p>Before the experiment, nine members of the researchers’ lab listened to 138 music tracks from various genres and rated them for groove. The study authors used these ratings to compile the high-groove and low-groove playlists used during the exercise sessions. During the sessions, music was played through loudspeakers, and the volume was adjusted to be consistent across all musical tracks and was neither too quiet nor too loud.</p>
<p>After the exercise, participants rated the groove experience of the playlist they had listened to using the Japanese Version of the Experience of Groove Questionnaire. They also reported their mood using the Two-Dimensional Mood Scale.</p>
<p>Results showed that both male and female participants rated the high-groove music playlist as having a stronger groove experience than the low-groove one. Men’s running speed on the treadmill did not differ significantly between the two music conditions. However, women ran faster when listening to high-groove music.</p>
<p>Furthermore, after running while listening to high-groove music, female participants reported a significant increase in positive mood, specifically in vitality and arousal. Men’s mood was not significantly affected by the type of music.</p>
<p>“The present study demonstrated that HG [high groove] music increased self-selected running speed and positive mood responses compared to LG [low groove] music, and these effects were greater in female students with higher groove ratings for HG music. These results suggest that HG music promotes a positive mood and exercise adherence, contributing to health promotion through a physically active lifestyle [in women]. Coaches and fitness instructors can leverage these benefits by incorporating HG music into exercise programs to enhance motivation and performance,” the study authors concluded.</p>
<p>The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the psychological effects of music. However, the study was conducted on a very small group of participants further subdivided by gender and participants were all young, healthy individuals. Results on other demographic and cultural groups might differ.</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2025.1586484">High-groove music boosts self-selected running speed and positive mood in female university students,</a>” was authored by Kazuya Suwabe and Satoshi Kawase.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/research-suggests-rich-people-tend-to-be-more-selfish-but-why-is-that/" 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;">Research suggests rich people tend to be more selfish – but why is that?</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 8th 2025, 12:00</div>
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<p><p>From Disney’s Scrooge McDuck and Cruella de Vil to DC Comics’ Lex Luthor to and Mr Burns in the Simpsons, there are plenty of examples of wealthy people using their money and power in evil ways. But is there any truth to the stereotype that rich people are mean?</p>
<p>There are many rich people who act benevolently, including philanthropists who give a lot of their money away. However, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22371585/">research</a> in psychology has found a clear link between wealth and unethical behaviour, including an increased tendency to cheat and steal.</p>
<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22775498/">One study</a> found that wealthy upper class people were more likely to have a selfish focus on their interests. Conversely, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22148992/">another study</a> found that people from lower social classes were more likely to feel compassion for other people’s suffering.</p>
<p>Researchers have also established that drivers of expensive cars are less likely to behave altruistically than other drivers. They are less likely to slow down to let pedestrians cross or to let other drivers join the road.</p>
<p>They are also more likely to drive aggressively and disobey traffic rules. One study found that the likelihood of the drivers slowing down to let pedestrians cross the road <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214140520300359">decreased by 3%</a> for every US$1,000 (£738.50) that their car was worth.</p>
<p>But it’s not just that these people are bad drivers. A study by Finnish psychologists found that owners of luxury cars <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ijop.12642">had a higher prevalence of negative personality traits</a> such as being disagreeable, stubborn and lacking in empathy.</p>
<p>In simple terms, it seems that rich people are less likely to be altruistic.</p>
<p>What could explain this link? Perhaps wealth turns people bad, isolating them from others and making them more selfish. Or is it that people who are already ruthless and selfish are more likely to become extremely wealthy?</p>
<p>One way of clarifying this is to think in terms of what psychologists refer as <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-stop-psychopaths-and-narcissists-from-winning-positions-of-power-158183">dark triad personalities</a>. These are people who have combined traits of psychopathy, narcissism and machiavellianism (acting immorally to get power). These traits – which all involve selfishness and low empathy – almost always overlap and can be difficult to distinguish from one another. They exist on a continuum in the population as a whole.</p>
<p>Research shows that dark triad personalities tend to possess higher levels of status and wealth. A study following participants for 15 years found that people with dark triad traits <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/peps.12016/abstract;jsessionid=BCB4A3CA5B79B2A1FDBBF5E5BFC29CA6.f02t04?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false">gravitated towards the top</a> of the organisational hierarchy and were wealthier.</p>
<p>In line with those findings, according to some estimates, the base rate for clinical levels of psychopathy <a href="https://philpapers.org/rec/BODTIO-6">is three times higher</a> among corporate boards than in the overall population. Research also <a href="https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/wupj/article/view/14371">indicates</a> that young people with dark triad traits are more highly represented on business courses at university or college.</p>
<h2>Why do mean people seek wealth?</h2>
<p>In my view, the correlation between wealth and nastiness is quite easy to explain. In my book <a href="https://www.stevenmtaylor.com/books/the-fall/">The Fall</a>, I suggest that some people experience a state of intense psychological separation. Their psychological boundaries are so strong that they feel disconnected from other people and the world, which can come with a lack of empathy or emotional connection.</p>
<p>One effect of this state of disconnection is <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/SMXCVRRUWGYBKYFDVSTJ/full">a sense of psychological lack</a>. People feel incomplete, as if something is missing. In turn, this generates an impulse to accumulate wealth, status and power, as a way of compensating.</p>
<p>On the flip side, people who feel a sense of connection others and to the world don’t feel a sense of incompleteness and so don’t tend to have a strong desire for power or wealth.</p>
<p>At the same time, a lack of empathy can make it easier to attain success. It means you can be ruthless in your pursuit of wealth and status, manipulating and exploiting others. If other people suffer as the result of your actions – and lose their livelihood or reputation – it doesn’t concern you as much. Without empathy, you can’t sense the suffering you cause.</p>
<p>So psychological disconnection has two disastrous effects: it generates a strong desire for wealth and status, together with the ruthlessness that makes wealth and success easily attainable.</p>
<h2>Wealth and wellbeing</h2>
<p>Of course, I’m not claiming that all wealthy people are mean. Some people become wealthy by accident, or because they have brilliant ideas, or even because they want to use their wealth to benefit others. But given the factors described above, it is not surprising that there is a high incidence of meanness among the wealthy.</p>
<p>The studies cited above imply that the link seems to be proportional, in that the more wealthy a person is, the more likely they are to possess dark triad traits. And we know that most dark traits, such as psychopathy <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886923003045">are linked to similar or lower levels of happiness</a> to others. An exception is a certain type of narcissism, called grandiose narcissism, which is linked to higher happiness.</p>
<p>A great deal of research in psychology has shown <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9199446/">only a weak correlation</a> between wealth and wellbeing. A 2010 study by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton found that happiness increased in line with income <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1011492107">up to around US$75,000 (£54,9612) a year</a> (equivalent to US$110,000 in 2025). However, this is where the correlation ended. According to the study, after US$110,000 a year, it doesn’t matter how rich you become; it won’t make you any happier.</p>
<p>Newer research, however, has found slightly different results. A <a href="https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/does-more-money-correlate-greater-happiness-Penn-Princeton-research">recent study</a> by Kahneman and colleagues indicated that happiness continues to increase with income for a proportion of rich people – but not for an unhappy minority. A <a href="https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/1/5/pgac224/6754154?">2022 study</a> also found that the threshold at which happiness plateaus depends on the country – in societies with greater inequality, there was a higher threshold.</p>
<p>What’s more, another <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14629682/">study</a> by Kahneman and other colleagues found that, for people who were preoccupied with striving for financial success, life satisfaction actually decreased as income increased.</p>
<p>Overall though, evidence suggests that wealthy people are unlikely to attain the contentment they seek through money alone. Their wealth and status don’t take away their sense of incompleteness.</p>
<p>This might be another reason why extremely rich people tend to act unethically – as their sense of disconnection grows stronger. In contrast, research shows a <a href="https://www.worldhappiness.report/ed/2023/doing-good-and-feeling-good-relationships-between-altruism-and-well-being-for-altruists-beneficiaries-and-observers/">strong link</a> between altruism and wellbeing. So perhaps that is where we should focus our attention – not on becoming rich, but becoming kind.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/265794/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1"><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
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<p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/research-suggests-rich-people-tend-to-be-more-selfish-but-why-is-that-265794">original article</a>.</em></p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/brain-cell-powerhouses-may-fuel-dementia-pathology/" 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 cell ‘powerhouses’ may fuel dementia pathology</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 8th 2025, 10:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study reveals that specific chemical signals, generated within the energy-producing structures of the brain’s support cells, may actively promote the pathology seen in dementia. Researchers found that blocking the production of these signals at their source in mice reduced brain inflammation, protected neurons, and extended lifespan, suggesting a new path for treating neurodegenerative disorders. The findings were published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-025-01390-y" target="_blank">Nature Metabolism</a></em>.</p>
<p>Our cells contain tiny structures called mitochondria, often described as cellular power plants because they generate energy from the food we eat. A natural byproduct of this energy production is a group of chemically reactive molecules known as reactive oxygen species, or ROS. At low levels, these molecules are important for normal cell communication, but when produced in excess, they can cause damage to cellular components. This damaging state is sometimes referred to as oxidative stress.</p>
<p>For many years, this type of damage has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia. This connection led to clinical trials of general antioxidant therapies, which are designed to neutralize ROS throughout the body. </p>
<p>“But most antioxidants tested in clinical studies have failed,” said Adam Orr, an assistant professor of research in neuroscience in the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine, who co-led the research. He suggested that this lack of success might be because these general antioxidants cannot block ROS selectively at their specific source without also disrupting normal cell metabolism.</p>
<p>The research team, co-led by Orr and Anna Orr, the Nan and Stephen Swid Associate Professor of Frontotemporal Dementia Research at Weill Cornell Medicine, decided to investigate with more precision.Adam Orr had previously developed a method for identifying molecules that could suppress ROS production from singular sites within the mitochondria without affecting the organelle’s main job of energy production. This work yielded a set of small molecules the team calls S3QELs, which specifically block ROS from a mitochondrial site known as Complex III.</p>
<p>The researchers began their investigation using brain cells grown in laboratory dishes. They exposed these cells to stimuli associated with neurodegenerative disease, including inflammatory molecules and the amyloid-beta protein, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. They observed that these stimuli prompted the cells to produce more ROS. Using their specialized S3QEL molecules, the team confirmed that a significant portion of this increase was coming specifically from Complex III within the mitochondria.</p>
<p>A surprising observation came when the team was studying neurons cultured alongside star-shaped support cells called astrocytes. They found that the S3QEL molecules protected neurons from damage, but only when astrocytes were also present in the culture. “This suggested that ROS coming from Complex III caused at least some of the neuronal pathology,” said Daniel Barnett, a graduate student in the Orr laboratory and the study’s lead author. The finding pointed to astrocytes, not neurons themselves, as the key source of this particular damaging signal.</p>
<p>To understand how these signals were being generated, the scientists traced the molecular chain of events inside the astrocytes. They determined that the process begins with the activation of a master switch for gene activity called nuclear factor-κB. This switch then appears to engage a mitochondrial channel called the sodium-calcium exchanger, or NCLX, which in turn triggers the production of ROS at Complex III. This step-by-step pathway shows a specific and regulated mechanism, not a random burst of chemical byproducts.</p>
<p>Having identified the source and the trigger, the team next sought to understand what these ROS signals were actually doing to the cell. They used advanced techniques to map the effects of the signals on the cell’s proteins, metabolism, and gene activity. The analysis showed that the ROS from Complex III did not cause widespread, random damage. Instead, they selectively modified a distinct set of proteins involved in the cell’s immune and metabolic functions.</p>
<p>This highly specific effect was not anticipated. “The precision of these mechanisms had not been previously appreciated, especially not in brain cells,” said Anna Orr. “This suggests a very nuanced process in which specific triggers induce ROS from specific mitochondrial sites to affect specific targets.” The ROS signals also amplified the activity of thousands of genes inside the astrocytes, particularly those related to inflammation. A protein called STAT3 appeared to be a major mediator of these genetic changes.</p>
<p>The final step was to see if blocking this pathway could have a therapeutic effect in a living animal. The researchers used a mouse model of frontotemporal dementia that develops brain pathology similar to that seen in human patients. They administered an S3QEL inhibitor to the mice after the disease process had already begun. The treatment reduced signs of astrocyte activation and blunted the activity of neuroinflammatory genes in the brain. It also reduced a chemical modification on the tau protein, a change that is a common feature of several forms of dementia.</p>
<p>When the treatment was given to the mice for a longer period, it extended their lifespan. The compound was well tolerated and did not produce obvious side effects, which the researchers attribute to its highly specific action. “I’m really excited about the translational potential of this work,” said Anna Orr. “We can now target specific mechanisms and go after the exact sites that are relevant for disease.”</p>
<p>This study presents a different perspective on the role of reactive oxygen species in disease. Rather than viewing them as simply agents of indiscriminate damage, the findings frame them as specific signaling molecules in a complex communication network. The failure of broad antioxidant therapies in the past may be explained if the key is not to eliminate all ROS, but to selectively inhibit their production at the specific sources that become overactive in disease states.</p>
<p>The researchers plan to continue exploring how factors linked to dementia influence this signaling pathway in the brain. They also intend to investigate whether genes that increase or decrease a person’s risk for neurodegenerative disease might affect ROS generation from these specific mitochondrial sites. The team hopes to further develop these inhibitor compounds into a new class of therapeutics for human use. “The study has really changed our thinking about free radicals and opened up many new avenues of investigation,” Adam Orr said.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-025-01390-y" target="_blank">Mitochondrial complex III-derived ROS amplify immunometabolic changes in astrocytes and promote dementia pathology</a>,” was authored by Daniel Barnett, Till S. Zimmer, Caroline Booraem, Fernando Palaguachi, Samantha M. Meadows, Haopeng Xiao, Man Ying Wong, Wenjie Luo, Li Gan, Edward T. Chouchani, Anna G. Orr, and Adam L. Orr.</p></p>
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<p><strong>Forwarded by:<br />
Michael Reeder LCPC<br />
Baltimore, MD</strong></p>
<p><strong>This information is taken from free public RSS feeds published by each organization for the purpose of public distribution. Readers are linked back to the article content on each organization's website. This email is an unaffiliated unofficial redistribution of this freely provided content from the publishers. </strong></p>
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