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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/mehmet-ozs-provocative-rhetoric-served-as-a-costly-signal-new-study-suggests/" 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;">Mehmet Oz’s provocative rhetoric served as a costly signal, new study suggests</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 10th 2025, 08:00</div>
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<p><p>In a new study published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.70074" target="_blank">Political Psychology</a></em>, researchers found evidence that some conservative voters in the United States view inflammatory pro-gun rhetoric as a sign that a political candidate is unwilling to compromise with Democrats—and that this unwillingness to compromise can make the candidate seem more trustworthy and appealing to those voters. This pattern reflects a broader trend in American politics, where signaling opposition to the other side can be used as a strategy to build trust with a party’s base.</p>
<p>The study was prompted by an effort to understand the strategic use of inflammatory rhetoric in U.S. politics. The researchers were especially interested in why certain candidates, such as Mehmet Oz during his 2022 Senate campaign in Pennsylvania, chose to produce provocative political messages that seemed likely to alienate moderate voters. </p>
<p>Although such messaging might appear politically risky, the researchers proposed that these communications serve a specific signaling function: they demonstrate a candidate’s unwillingness to work with the opposing party by intentionally offending them. This approach draws on signaling theory, a concept from economics and evolutionary biology. In situations where one side wants to demonstrate a trait that cannot be directly observed (like loyalty or unwillingness to compromise) actions that carry a cost can serve as a signal.</p>
<p>“We started thinking about this work in earnest when we were trying to understand the mysteries of the Mehmet Oz campaign for Senate a few years ago,” said study author Nicholas Buttrick of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Why would a media pro seem so tin-eared in his politicking? What did he understand that we were missing? In modeling his behavior out, we think that what he (and other politicians who take similar approaches to their communication) was doing was sending a signal about his fitness as a candidate for the Republican party. It’s an unusual sort of signal, we think – one that actually does things with words.”</p>
<p>To examine this, the researchers conducted three preregistered experiments with more than 1,700 American conservatives. In each experiment, participants were shown hypothetical social media posts from fictional Republican candidates. These posts were designed to either include inflammatory pro-gun rhetoric or more civil, conciliatory messages, often framed as “thoughts and prayers” following a mass shooting.</p>
<p>In the first experiment, participants read vignettes that varied along two dimensions: the rhetorical style of the candidate’s tweet and the candidate’s personal background. Some candidates were described as having typical Republican credentials, while others had less traditional, more liberal-leaning histories. Participants rated each candidate on their perceived trustworthiness, likelihood of compromising with Democrats, and how likely they would be to vote for the candidate.</p>
<p>The researchers found that candidates who used inflammatory rhetoric were viewed as less willing to compromise with Democrats, especially when participants believed that liberals would react negatively to the post. This perception, in turn, made some candidates appear more trustworthy to conservative voters who disliked Democrats. </p>
<p>Interestingly, the rhetorical style of the message had a greater influence on perceptions than the candidate’s background. This suggests that what a candidate says—especially how offensive it is to the other side—can override doubts based on their prior political history.</p>
<p>The second experiment built on these results by examining how voters’ feelings toward Democrats shaped their reactions to inflammatory messages. Participants again read tweets from fictional Republican candidates, but this time the researchers focused on measuring the participants’ affective polarization—specifically, how negatively they felt about Democratic politicians.</p>
<p>The findings showed that conservatives who held more negative views of Democrats were more likely to find inflammatory candidates trustworthy and were more inclined to vote for them. On the other hand, conservatives with more neutral or positive views of Democrats preferred the candidates who used less inflammatory, more civil language. This pattern suggests that the effectiveness of inflammatory rhetoric depends not just on the message itself, but also on the audience’s existing attitudes toward the political opposition.</p>
<p>The third experiment aimed to separate the effect of the content of the message from the tone. Both messages in this experiment expressed strong opposition to gun control, but one was phrased in inflammatory language while the other was civil. </p>
<p>Even though the substance was the same, participants perceived the candidate using inflammatory language as less willing to compromise. However, they also rated that candidate as less trustworthy and were less likely to say they would vote for him. This indicates that the language itself—apart from the political stance—can signal unwillingness to work with the opposing side, but that this doesn’t always lead to greater support.</p>
<p>Across all three studies, the researchers found consistent evidence that inflammatory rhetoric functions as a signal of political intransigence. It sends a message that the candidate is unwilling to compromise with the other party, and for voters who strongly dislike that party, this can be seen as a positive trait. However, this effect is not universal among conservatives. Those who feel more moderately or positively about Democrats tend to react negatively to inflammatory candidates.</p>
<p>“By using language that is designed to offend Democrats, Oz is demonstrating not only that he’s uninterested in crossing the policy aisle, he is taking steps to ensure that he literally cannot,” Buttrick told PsyPost. “By making himself politically-radioactive to anyone but his political base, he is guaranteeing that nobody will be willing to work with him, and therefore he will quite simply be unable to compromise with the other side. If you’re a partisan in a polarized political environment, burning bridges with outgroups is seen as a good thing since it means that your candidate can’t betray your group, since it’s the only base they have left.” </p>
<p>“We demonstrate that this reading of Oz is plausible in a set of preregistered survey experiments where we present conservatives with a set of carefully-designed political tweets. We find that for participants who dislike Democrats, candidates who make inflammatory pro-gun statements are viewed as more trustworthy, to the extent that they are seen as saying things that would offend Democrats. However, not all Republicans are quite so polarized, and for those who feel neutral-to-positive about Democrats, the offensive tweeting seems to actually backfire, reducing evaluations of the tweeter. As we point out in the paper, while Oz’s strategy may have made sense in the primary, he did handily end up losing his bid for Senate.”</p>
<p>As with all research, there are some limitations. The studies were conducted online using hypothetical scenarios, which may not fully capture how voters respond to real-world political campaigns. Participants were also not representative of the general population, as they were drawn from an online pool of self-identified conservatives.</p>
<p>The experiments also focused specifically on inflammatory pro-gun rhetoric. While the researchers believe that similar patterns might apply to other types of inflammatory political speech, further research is needed to determine whether the findings generalize beyond this issue area. There may also be cultural or institutional factors that influence how these dynamics play out in different political contexts or across party lines.</p>
<p>Future studies could explore how inflammatory messages influence actual voting behavior, campaign donations, or social media engagement. Researchers might also examine how these strategies differ between primary and general elections, where the audience and incentives may vary. Another important direction would be to study how political elites and media figures use inflammatory rhetoric to shape public opinion and build their personal brands.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.70074" target="_blank">Love him for the enemies he has made: Signaling by inflammatory pro-gun rhetoric</a>,” was authored by Sosuke Okada and Nicholas Buttrick.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/a-neuroscientist-explains-how-to-build-cognitive-reserve-for-a-healthier-brain/" 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;">A neuroscientist explains how to build cognitive reserve for a healthier brain</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, 20:00</div>
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<p><p>Is it an achievable goal to remain mentally sharp while aging, or is it a pipe dream?</p>
<p>It’s entirely possible if you cultivate habits throughout your life that are beneficial to brain function.</p>
<p>As a researcher in cognitive neuroscience and the neuropsychology of aging processes, I aim to shed light on the ways we can maintain good cognitive health while aging in light of recent scientific advances.</p>
<h2>The importance of cognitive reserve</h2>
<p>One of the most effective strategies research has identified is developing and maintaining good cognitive reserve.</p>
<p>Cognitive reserve refers to the brain’s ability to resist the effects of aging or neurodegenerative diseases without resulting in significant functional decline. This concept is now central to approaches for preventing cognitive decline.</p>
<p>In its report <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01296-0/abstract"><em>Dementia prevention, intervention, and care</em></a>, updated in 2024, the <em>Lancet</em> highlighted the fact that 45 per cent of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors.</p>
<p>These factors include physical inactivity, depression and social isolation.</p>
<p>But one of the earliest and most significant factors is having a low level of education.</p>
<h2>Beyond education</h2>
<p>Education has long been considered the main indicator of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617702813248">cognitive reserve</a>. It reflects prolonged exposure to intellectually stimulating activities that promote the development of effective brain networks.</p>
<p>But this view is now considered incomplete. Cognitive reserve is not fixed in childhood or adulthood: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2018.07.219">it can be built, maintained and even amplified throughout life</a> through different experiences including learning, rich social interactions and cognitively stimulating leisure activities.</p>
<p>Specific examples of these activities include playing a musical instrument or complex board games such as chess, or participating in volunteer activities that require planning and problem-solving skills.</p>
<h2>Understanding cognitive reserve</h2>
<p>Scientific research offers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1684/nrp.2016.0394">several complementary models</a> for understanding the mechanisms of cognitive reserve.</p>
<p>Some focus on the structure of the brain itself, suggesting that characteristics such as the number of neurons influence the brain’s tolerance to damage. This is the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0894-4105.7.3.273">brain reserve model</a>, which is based on the idea that some people are born with a greater number of neurons, enabling them to cope better with aging.</p>
<p>Others argue that active lifestyles can slow down the effects of brain aging by strengthening biological resilience — for example, the brain’s ability to remain intact and functional as it ages, showing few visible signs of deterioration despite age. This is the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2012.04.005">brain maintenance model</a>.</p>
<p>A third set of models emphasizes the functional flexibility of the brain, which allows it to mobilize its resources differently or recruit alternative neural networks to compensate for age-related losses. This is known as the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.03.004">cognitive reserve model</a>.</p>
<p>These different models are part of a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2018.07.219">common conceptual framework</a> that distinguishes between brain reserve, brain maintenance and cognitive reserve.</p>
<p>Each model is based on a specific idea, but they are complementary and supported by empirical data.</p>
<p>The cognitive reserve model remains the most widely studied, particularly because of its link to modifiable factors such as level of education and regular participation in cognitively stimulating activities.</p>
<h2>Cognitive reserve is dynamic</h2>
<p>This clarification helps to harmonize research and effectively guide prevention strategies. Above all, it reminds us that far from being a fixed entity, cognitive reserve evolves due to interactions with experience and learning, and can therefore be strengthened throughout life.</p>
<p>Recent work supports this dynamic view. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458022002251?via%3Dihub">A team of Québec researchers, of which I am a member</a>, has shown that structured learning of memory strategies, including the method of loci (associating each piece of information with a familiar place) or mental visualization (transforming information into images to better retain it), can induce significant changes in brain activity.</p>
<p>A combination of increases and decreases in activation, including variations in the level of activity in different areas of the brain, was observed in different brain regions during the phases of learning and recalling information. This observation reflects the fact that the use of memory strategies allows for greater functional flexibility in the brain.</p>
<p>The results also showed that in more educated individuals, certain regions are activated in a more targeted manner during learning and recall, suggesting that their brains use more effective strategies.</p>
<p>Other research has also highlighted the role of education in brain structure and function. A study I conducted with colleagues <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-016-9621-7">highlighted an association between years of schooling, volume of grey matter and brain activation in the context of memory</a>. Another study in which I participated showed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.02.001">greater flexibility of activation according to task complexity in more educated individuals</a>.</p>
<p>All of this research confirms that cognitive reserve can be developed with experience and modulated by cognitive training at any age.</p>
<h2>Stimulating your brain while having fun</h2>
<p>In the same vein, the Engage study by the <a href="https://ccna-ccnv.ca">Canadian Consortium on Aging and Neurodegeneration</a> aims to study the behavioural and neurophysiological effects of cognitively stimulating leisure activities in older adults.</p>
<p>This hybrid intervention combines formal cognitive training (memorization strategies, attention) with structured leisure activities such as learning music, a second language or video games.</p>
<p>It offers an ecological model — in other words, an approach that is close to real-life conditions, enjoyable and motivating and conducive to sustained engagement.</p>
<p>By demonstrating that these natural interventions produce effects comparable to those of traditional cognitive training programmes, which often consist of repetitive exercises done on a computer or on paper to work on functions such as memory or concentration, Engage could transform approaches to preventing age-related cognitive decline.</p>
<h2>Learning another language</h2>
<p>In my neuropsychology of aging laboratory (<a href="http://www.uqtr.ca/neuropsychologieduvieillissement">NeuroÂge</a>) at the University of Québec at Trois-Rivières (UQTR), we are conducting a complementary project.</p>
<p>In collaboration with professors Paul John, from the Department of Modern Languages and Translation, and Simon Rigoulot, from the Department of Psychology, we are exploring the effects of learning English as a second language on cognition and brain activity in older adults.</p>
<p>Using a protocol that integrates classes, tutoring and cognitive and electroencephalography measurements, this project aims to document the cognitive and neural benefits of meaningful, motivating and accessible learning.</p>
<p>Preliminary results are promising and support the idea that intellectual engagement, even when started later in life, can generate measurable benefits.</p>
<p>Maintaining good cognitive health at any age requires a combination of accessible, motivating and stimulating interventions.</p>
<p>Cognitive reserve, far from being fixed, is built up throughout life. Advances in research now offer us concrete tools for healthy aging, particularly when it comes to cognitive health.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/266451/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/how-to-maintain-good-cognitive-health-at-any-age-266451">original article</a>.</em></p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/does-your-relationship-with-your-parents-influence-your-sexual-fantasies/" 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;">Does your relationship with your parents influence your sexual fantasies?</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, 18:00</div>
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<p><p>A survey in the Czech Republic found that individuals who had poor relationships with their parents were more likely to have violent paraphilic sexual interests. The study suggests this association is mediated by insecure attachment, particularly by preoccupied and fearful-avoidant attachment styles. The research was published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03183-6"><em>Archives of Sexual Behavior</em></a>.</p>
<p>Paraphilic interests are persistent, intense patterns of sexual arousal involving objects, situations, or individuals that are atypical or outside culturally accepted norms. These interests can include fantasies, urges, or behaviors directed toward non-consenting persons, nonhuman objects, or specific acts.</p>
<p>Paraphilic interests are not automatically considered mental health disorders. They become paraphilic disorders only when they lead to significant personal distress, functional impairment, or involve harm to non-consenting individuals. Many paraphilic interests are not harmful, such as various fetishes, when they are consensual and not distressing.</p>
<p>On the other hand, some individuals have violent paraphilic interests, which involve sexual arousal linked to inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others or oneself. These include paraphilias such as sexual sadism, sexual masochism, and biastophilia (arousal from coercive sex). In individuals with violent paraphilic interests, the element of control, domination, or aggression is often a central source of arousal.</p>
<p>Study author Ellen Zakreski and her colleagues wanted to explore the relationship between the quality of one’s childhood relationship with parents and the presence of violent paraphilic interests in adulthood. They hypothesized that individuals who had worse relationships with their parents would be more likely to develop insecure attachment styles, which would, in turn, contribute to the development of violent paraphilic interests.</p>
<p>Participants were recruited as part of the project “Love and Intimacy in the Czech Republic” in early 2020. The sample was drawn by the sociodemographic agency STEM/MARK from two large Czech research panels. The study included two groups: one from the general population and a second group pre-screened for high levels of violent paraphilic interests.</p>
<p>Participants completed an anonymous survey with assessments of their violent paraphilic interests, the quality of their relationship with each parent during the first 12 years of life, and their attachment style (using the Relationship Questionnaire).</p>
<p>The assessment of violent paraphilic interests asked participants to rate how sexually arousing they found scenarios that included the immobilization of an unsuspecting man or woman, chasing and raping a stranger, and sadomasochistic activities involving humiliation or inflicting pain.</p>
<p>Attachment styles are often understood along two dimensions: attachment anxiety (fear of abandonment) and attachment avoidance (discomfort with closeness). These dimensions combine to form distinct styles: secure (low anxiety and avoidance), preoccupied (high anxiety, low avoidance), dismissive-avoidant (low anxiety, high avoidance), and fearful-avoidant (high anxiety and avoidance). The latter three are considered insecure attachment styles.</p>
<p>In total, 1600 participants (782 women) with an average age of about 51 completed the survey.</p>
<p>The results supported the researchers’ hypothesis. Lower-quality parental relationships were associated with higher levels of violent paraphilic interests. This relationship was significantly mediated by two specific insecure attachment styles: preoccupied and fearful-avoidant. In contrast, secure and dismissive-avoidant attachment styles were not significantly associated with violent paraphilic interests.</p>
<p>The study authors tested a statistical model proposing that poor relationships with parents contribute to insecure attachment, which in turn contributes to violent paraphilic interests. Their results showed this model was a good fit for the data.</p>
<p>“Our findings indicate that insecure attachment styles, particularly those that involve anxiety of rejection, may be part of the mechanism linking poor parental bonds and violent paraphilic interest, but the causal nature of these effects cannot be confirmed based on cross-sectional observational data,” the study authors concluded.</p>
<p>The study sheds light on potential psychological factors underpinning violent paraphilic interests. However, it should be noted that the associations, while statistically significant in a large sample, may represent small-to-moderate effects. Additionally, the study’s cross-sectional design does not allow for any causal conclusions to be drawn from the results.</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03183-6">Preoccupied and Fearful‑Avoidant Attachment Styles May Mediate the Relationship Between Poor Parental Relationship Quality and Sexual Interests in Violence</a>,” was authored by Ellen Zakreski, Sara Jahnke, Renáta Androvičová, Klára Bártová, Agatha Chronos, Lucie Krejčová, Lenka Martinec Nováková, and Kateřina Klapilová.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/feelings-of-deprivation-push-germans-to-the-right-but-americans-to-the-left/" 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;">Feelings of deprivation push Germans to the right but Americans to the left</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, 16:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study suggests that feelings of personal deprivation and an authoritarian personality can combine to predict attraction to far-right politics. However, this psychological dynamic appears to operate differently depending on the national context, pointing toward far-right sympathies in Germany but toward far-left attitudes in the United States. The research was published in the journal <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113291" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Personality and Individual Differences</a></em>.</p>
<p>The global rise of radical political movements has prompted questions about the psychological factors that motivate individual voters. To better understand this phenomenon, a team of researchers from Trier University, RWTH Aachen University, and the University of Bonn in Germany examined the interplay between life circumstances and personality traits. They focused on two concepts: individual deprivation and right-wing authoritarianism.</p>
<p>Individual deprivation refers to the subjective feeling that one’s fundamental needs are not being met. These needs can be existential, such as financial security and physical safety. They can also relate to identity, involving the desire for self-esteem and a sense of belonging to a valued group. A third category involves control needs, which reflect a person’s desire for a predictable and stable environment.</p>
<p>Right-wing authoritarianism, or RWA, is a personality predisposition studied by psychologists for decades. It is generally characterized by a high degree of submission to established authorities, a strong adherence to social conventions and traditions, and hostility toward people or groups perceived as threats to the social order. The researchers proposed that these two factors might work in concert, with feelings of deprivation having a particularly strong effect on people who already possess an authoritarian worldview.</p>
<p>To investigate this, the research team conducted three separate studies. For their work, they developed a new tool to measure individual deprivation. This tool consisted of two scales: a “generic” scale that assessed general feelings of being left behind or ignored by society, and a “specific” scale that attributed these feelings of deprivation directly to the influence of migrants.</p>
<p>The first study was exploratory and conducted with a sample of 503 participants in Germany. Participants completed surveys measuring their levels of generic and specific deprivation, their scores on a standard RWA scale, and their sympathies for Germany’s main political parties. This included the far-right party Alternative for Germany, known as the AfD.</p>
<p>The results from this first study showed that both generic deprivation and RWA, when considered independently, were predictors of sympathy for the AfD. When the researchers analyzed the interaction between the two factors, they found it added to the predictive power. Individuals who reported high levels of deprivation and also scored high on the RWA scale showed a particularly pronounced attraction to the far-right party.</p>
<p>For their second study, the researchers shifted their focus to the United States, recruiting a representative sample of 601 participants. They adapted their measurement tools for the American political context and also included measures of far-left political attitudes to see if deprivation was exclusively linked to the right. The outcome of this study was unexpected and presented a stark contrast to the German findings.</p>
<p>In the American sample, feelings of generic deprivation did not predict attraction to the far-right. Instead, a higher sense of deprivation was associated with an attraction to far-left attitudes and politicians. The role of RWA was also different. Rather than amplifying the effect of deprivation, it appeared to act as a buffer. For people experiencing deprivation, having a high RWA score seemed to prevent a turn toward left-wing politics.</p>
<p>To reconcile these differing results, the team conducted a third study, returning to a German sample of 626 people. This study was designed to replicate the first one while also incorporating the measure for far-left attitudes used in the American study. The findings from the third study confirmed the results of the first.</p>
<p>In the German context, the combination of generic deprivation and RWA once again predicted sympathy for the far-right. The researchers did identify a weak positive association between deprivation and far-left attitudes in the German sample. This connection, however, was significantly less pronounced than the relationship between deprivation and far-right attraction. A combined analysis of the American and second German study confirmed that national context significantly altered the relationship between deprivation and political leanings.</p>
<p>The researchers suggest that the different political and social structures in Germany and the United States may explain the divergent findings. They point to the differing roles of the welfare state in the two countries. Germany’s system involves extensive public social benefits, leading citizens to have high expectations of the state’s role in their well-being. When these expectations are unmet, the resulting dissatisfaction may be channeled by far-right parties that blame the political establishment.</p>
<p>In the U.S., by contrast, demands for the government to alleviate social and economic hardships are more traditionally associated with left-wing political platforms. American right-wing ideologies often advocate for a smaller state with less intervention in individual affairs. Consequently, when Americans feel deprived, their appeals for state assistance may align more naturally with left-wing politics.</p>
<p>The authors acknowledge certain limitations in their research. The scale they designed to measure generic deprivation contains items that refer to the government and the political system. This framing may have influenced how participants responded, particularly in the U.S., where attitudes toward government intervention are highly polarized.</p>
<p>Future research could aim to develop measures of deprivation that are entirely independent of expectations placed on the state. Such work would help clarify whether feelings of being left behind lead to support for left-wing or right-wing movements in different sociopolitical environments.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113291" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The joint influence of individual deprivation and right-wing authoritarianism on radical political preferences in Germany and the US</a>,” was authored by Eva Walther, Nona Grozeva, Jared Sonnicksen, Alina Wesser-Saalfrank, and Rainer Banse.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/this-universitys-failed-tiktok-ban-revealed-a-troubling-fact/" 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;">This university’s failed TikTok ban revealed a troubling fact</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, 14:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study examining the relationship between social media and eating behaviors suggests that the connection may be more complex than often assumed. The research indicates that college-aged women with existing disordered eating symptoms are more likely to increase their engagement with TikTok content promoting restrictive diets, rather than the content itself directly causing those symptoms to develop. The study, published in the journal <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2025.102024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eating Behaviors</a></em>, also found that a university-wide ban on the social media platform did not reduce students’ consumption of this content.</p>
<p>The link between social media use and body dissatisfaction has been a subject of extensive scientific inquiry. Platforms that are highly visual in nature, such as TikTok, frequently feature content centered on diet, fitness, and idealized body types. This has generated concern among researchers and clinicians about the potential for such content to contribute to the development or worsening of eating disorders, particularly among young people who are the heaviest users of these platforms.</p>
<p>A team of researchers sought to clarify the direction of this relationship over time. Their work was guided by a central question: Does viewing restrictive eating content on TikTok lead to disordered eating, or do individuals with pre-existing vulnerabilities to disordered eating actively seek out this type of content?</p>
<p>The research team included Samantha R. Strickland from the University of North Texas, along with Alejandra Medina Fernandez and Pamela K. Keel from Florida State University. They designed a study to track changes in both social media habits and eating behaviors over a period of several weeks.</p>
<p>The project gained an additional layer when, partway through the data collection process, the university where the study was being conducted implemented a ban on TikTok. This event provided the researchers with a natural experiment, allowing them to examine whether restricting access to the platform on a systemic level had any effect on students’ engagement with potentially harmful content.</p>
<p>To conduct their investigation, the researchers recruited 252 female undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 24. At the beginning of the study, which served as the baseline, each participant completed a series of standardized questionnaires. These surveys were designed to measure the presence and severity of eating pathology, which includes a range of thoughts and behaviors such as concerns about weight and shape, food restriction, and binge eating.</p>
<p>Participants also reported on their specific engagement with TikTok content related to restrictive eating, such as “what I eat in a day” videos, diet challenges, and other posts promoting weight loss through food limitation.</p>
<p>Nine weeks after the initial assessment, the same students were asked to complete the questionnaires a second time. This follow-up allowed the researchers to observe changes in both disordered eating symptoms and TikTok engagement over the study period. The university’s TikTok ban was put in place after some participants had already completed the study but before others had started their nine-week follow-up.</p>
<p>This split the participants into two groups: those who completed the entire study before the ban and those who completed the follow-up assessment after the ban was in effect. This setup enabled a comparison to see if the policy change influenced behavior.</p>
<p>The analysis of the collected data yielded several key observations. The researchers found a predictive relationship in one specific direction. Higher levels of disordered eating symptoms reported by students at the beginning of the study were associated with greater engagement with restrictive eating content on TikTok at the nine-week follow-up. This suggests that individuals already experiencing symptoms related to eating disorders may be more drawn to this type of online content over time.</p>
<p>However, the reverse relationship was not observed. The amount of time students spent engaging with restrictive eating content at the study’s outset did not predict an increase in their disordered eating symptoms nine weeks later. This finding indicates that, within this timeframe, exposure to such content did not appear to be the initial driver of eating pathology. Instead, it seems to be something that individuals with existing concerns gravitate toward, potentially creating a feedback loop where their preoccupations are reinforced by what they see online.</p>
<p>Another significant result concerned the campus-wide TikTok ban. The researchers found that the policy had no measurable impact on students’ engagement with restrictive eating content. Students who completed the study after the ban was implemented reported consuming this type of content at similar rates to those who participated before the ban.</p>
<p>This suggests that the institutional restriction, which applied to university Wi-Fi networks and devices, was not effective in preventing access, as students likely used personal cellular data or other means to continue using the platform. In addition, across the entire group of participants, both disordered eating symptoms and engagement with restrictive eating content on TikTok showed a slight increase over the nine-week period.</p>
<p>The study has certain limitations that invite further exploration. The findings are based on self-reported data, which relies on the accuracy of participants’ memories and their willingness to report honestly on sensitive topics like eating behaviors and social media use.</p>
<p>The nine-week duration of the study also provides a relatively short window into what are often long-term, complex behaviors. The results are specific to a sample of female college students at a single university and may not be generalizable to other populations, such as men, older adults, or individuals who are not in college.</p>
<p>Future research could build on these findings by employing more objective measures of social media use, such as data gathered directly from smartphones, to bypass the potential inaccuracies of self-reporting. Longer-term studies would also be helpful to understand how these dynamics between media consumption and personal well-being evolve over months or even years.</p>
<p>The authors propose that interventions aimed at mitigating harm may be more effective if they are integrated directly into social media platforms. For example, apps could be designed to identify users who are engaging heavily with potentially harmful content and proactively offer them resources for mental health support. Such an approach may prove more successful than broad institutional bans, which appear to be easily circumvented.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2025.102024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok and disordered eating: Delineating temporal associations and effects of a ban</a>,” was authored by Samantha R. Strickland, Alejandra Medina Fernandez, and Pamela K. Keel.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/beauty-ideals-shift-with-socioeconomic-status-new-psychology-study-suggests/" 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;">Beauty ideals shift with socioeconomic status, new psychology study suggests</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, 12:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study analyzing tens of thousands of edited selfies reveals that beauty standards on Chinese social media often favor youthful, “baby-faced” features like large eyes and soft facial contours. Published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2025.102325" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Telematics and Informatics</a></em>, the research also shows that the intensity of these digital alterations is connected to regional economic conditions, with users in less affluent areas making more significant changes to their appearance.</p>
<p>The act of editing a selfie before posting it online is a common practice worldwide. This form of digital self-presentation is especially prevalent in many East Asian societies, where it is influenced by a blend of long-standing cultural values, global media, and the interactive nature of social platforms.</p>
<p>While many studies have explored the psychological motivations behind photo editing, such as body image concerns, less attention has been paid to quantifying the specific aesthetic goals users are trying to achieve or how these goals might be shaped by their socioeconomic environment.</p>
<p>To investigate this, a team of researchers from Sichuan University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, led by Yuqing Liu, set out to systematically measure the digital beauty ideals circulating on a popular Chinese social media platform. They aimed to understand not just what features users changed, but how those changes might relate to broader economic patterns across China. The researchers wanted to provide a quantitative look at how culture, technology, and economic context intersect to shape the way people present themselves online.</p>
<p>The team collected data from Rednote, a platform popular among young women in China for sharing lifestyle and beauty content. They gathered approximately 43,000 posts that specifically showcased “before and after” photo edits, which provided a direct comparison between an original selfie and its modified version. From this large collection, they created a final dataset of 13,448 high-quality image pairs from more than 9,000 unique posts.</p>
<p>Using a computational method that detects facial landmarks, the scientists automatically identified and measured dozens of specific facial attributes in each pair of photos. This technique allowed them to precisely quantify changes in the size, shape, and proportion of features like the eyes, nose, and mouth, as well as alterations to overall face shape and skin color. This approach moved beyond subjective descriptions to create an objective map of the desired digital look.</p>
<p>To examine the connection with economic factors, the researchers used the geographic location tagged in each user’s post. They then matched this location data with official statistics on per capita Gross Domestic Product for each province in China. This allowed them to use regional economic development as a general indicator for the socioeconomic context of the users, categorizing regions into high, moderate, moderate-low, and low economic tiers.</p>
<p>The analysis of the edited photos revealed consistent patterns. Users frequently modified their faces to appear shorter in height and narrower in width. The most prominent changes were made to the eyes, which were consistently enlarged and made to look rounder. In contrast, noses and mouths were typically edited to appear smaller. When it came to skin, the trend was to increase brightness and lightness while reducing color saturation, producing a paler and smoother complexion.</p>
<p>The researchers observed that many of these modifications align with what is known in evolutionary biology as the “baby schema.” This concept refers to a set of facial features, such as a high forehead, large eyes, a small nose, and a small chin, that are characteristic of infants. These features tend to trigger a caregiving response in adults and are widely perceived as cute, warm, and approachable. The study suggests that digital beauty trends on the platform are strongly guided by the appeal of these youthful traits.</p>
<p>When the researchers correlated these editing habits with regional economic data, they found that the intensity of the edits was inversely related to a region’s economic standing. Users from provinces with lower per capita GDP were more likely to make substantial alterations to their selfies, more dramatically emphasizing the baby schema features. This included making their eyes appear larger, their faces rounder, and their mouths smaller.</p>
<p>In contrast, users from more economically developed regions tended to make less intensive edits. The researchers suggest that this may reflect differing self-presentation strategies. In wealthier areas, with greater access to diverse social networks and global cultural influences, individuals may favor more mature or unique aesthetics that project confidence and autonomy. For these users, an overly youthful appearance could be perceived as less authoritative in professional or social settings.</p>
<p>The study proposes that in less developed regions, conforming to a widely accepted standard of “cuteness” may serve as a strategy for building social capital. An appearance perceived as trustworthy, warm, and non-threatening could be socially advantageous in environments where social mobility is a greater concern. The digital enhancement of baby-faced features might be a way for individuals to align themselves with an aesthetic that is seen as broadly appealing and socially acceptable.</p>
<p>The study has some limitations that open pathways for future inquiry. The data came from a single social media platform, Rednote, and its user base may not represent all selfie-editing behaviors in China or East Asia. Additionally, regional GDP is a broad measure of economic context and does not capture the personal financial status, education, or age of individual users.</p>
<p>Future research could expand on these findings by collecting data from multiple platforms and incorporating more detailed demographic information. It would also be informative to conduct longitudinal studies to track how digital beauty ideals evolve over time and in response to economic or cultural shifts. Examining other forms of digital modification, such as body editing or the use of augmented reality filters, would also provide a more complete picture of online self-presentation.</p>
<p>The study, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2025.102325" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Achieving your best self: How socio-economic variation and cultural values shape digital beauty trends</a>,” was authored by Yao SONG, Qiyuan ZHOU, Wenyi LI, and Yuqing LIU.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/schizophrenia-linked-to-distinctively-different-neuron-size-and-shape/" 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;">Schizophrenia linked to “distinctively different” neuron size and shape</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, 10:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116822" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Psychiatry Research</a></em> provides evidence that certain brain cells are physically smaller in individuals with schizophrenia and that this size difference is related to the severity of hallucinations. By examining tiny structures in a specific region of the brain using advanced imaging techniques, researchers found that the neurons in people with schizophrenia were shorter and narrower than those in people without the condition.</p>
<p>Previous brain imaging studies have shown that people with schizophrenia tend to have less gray matter volume, particularly in the anterior cingulate cortex. This brain region is known to play an important role in cognitive and emotional processing. However, while large-scale imaging methods like MRI have repeatedly detected these differences, they do not provide a clear picture of what is happening at the level of individual cells.</p>
<p>To understand the biological basis for the shrinkage in gray matter, the research team focused on the structure of individual brain cells. Specifically, they looked at the soma, or cell body, of neurons. This is the part of the cell that contains the nucleus and serves as the main processing hub for neural activity.</p>
<p>“Psychiatric disorders are long thought to accompany no obvious neuropathological signs. It means there is no change in neurons, but this sounds somehow strange. Identifying neuronal changes in psychiatric disorders should provide clues for curing them. This idea led us to analyze neuronal 3D structure of schizophrenia sufferers with the synchrotron radiation nano-CT,” said study author <a href="https://mizutanilab.github.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ryuta Mizutani</a>, a professor at Tokai University and visiting researcher at RIKEN SPring-8 Center.</p>
<p>Previous studies by the researchers had already found that the threadlike extensions of neurons, called neurites, tend to be thinner and more twisted in schizophrenia. With this new work, the researchers aimed to determine whether the cell bodies themselves also showed signs of change.</p>
<p>The study involved post-mortem brain tissue from eight individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and eight individuals without the disorder. Using a specialized imaging method called synchrotron radiation nano-CT, the team was able to generate three-dimensional images of the neurons in extremely fine detail.</p>
<p>They focused on a particular type of neuron found in the anterior cingulate cortex known as pyramidal neurons. These cells are thought to be important for communication between different areas of the brain. In total, they analyzed 263 neurons across all participants.</p>
<p>The analysis revealed that the average length of the neuron cell bodies in people with schizophrenia was about 80 percent of that seen in the control group. The width was also reduced to around 90 percent.</p>
<p>When looking specifically at pyramidal neurons, the length reduction was even more pronounced, with cells measuring only 79 percent as long as those from the control group. Interneurons, another type of brain cell, did not show a clear size difference, but they were found in lower numbers and not in every case, limiting the conclusions that could be drawn about them.</p>
<p>The researchers also examined how the shape of the neurons related to other known features of schizophrenia. One analysis looked at the relationship between soma length and neurite curvature. Neurites that are more twisted tend to be less efficient at transmitting signals. The combination of shorter soma and more twisted neurites was able to distinguish schizophrenia cases from controls in their sample.</p>
<p>In another part of the analysis, they found a negative correlation between soma length and hallucination scores. In other words, the shorter the neuron cell body, the more severe the hallucinations tended to be. This relationship held even after controlling for medication use, suggesting that the physical brain changes were not simply due to treatment effects.</p>
<p>Overall, the team calculated that the reduced size in both the soma and neurites could explain much of the previously observed volume loss in the anterior cingulate cortex. They estimated that the total volume of neurons in this region might be reduced to about 50 to 60 percent of that seen in people without schizophrenia.</p>
<p>The findings indicate that the “neurons of schizophrenia sufferers are distinctively different from those of healthy people,” Mizutani told PsyPost. “If a drug to restore the neuronal change is developed, we can cure the disorder. I hope some company develop such a drug from our findings.”</p>
<p>Although the findings are based on precise measurements and advanced imaging techniques, the sample size was small, with only 16 individuals. This makes it difficult to generalize the results to all people with schizophrenia. The brain tissue used in the study came from individuals who had been living with chronic schizophrenia, so it remains unclear whether these changes develop early in the illness or evolve over time. Another limitation is that the analysis was based only on post-mortem samples, which means it cannot track how these changes might develop throughout a person’s life.</p>
<p>The researchers plan to continue studying additional brain samples to see whether the same patterns hold in larger and more diverse groups. They also expressed interest in exploring how their findings could contribute to the development of treatments that target the physical structure of neurons. If therapies could be developed to restore neuron size or shape, it might be possible to reduce some of the symptoms of schizophrenia.</p>
<p>The researchers emphasized that their work provides a starting point for understanding how physical changes in brain cells relate to psychiatric symptoms. While the results suggest a possible biological marker for hallucinations, much more research is needed before such findings could be applied in a clinical setting.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116822" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pyramidal soma size in the anterior cingulate cortex is small in schizophrenia and correlates with hallucination score</a>,” was authored by Ryuta Mizutani, Rino Saiga, Yoshiro Yamamoto, Chie Inomoto, Hiroshi Kajiwara, Yu Kakimoto, Yuki Sada, Masahiro Yasutake, Masayuki Uesugi, Akihisa Takeuchi, Kentaro Uesugi, Yasuko Terada, Yoshio Suzuki, Viktor Nikitin, Francesco De Carlo, Youta Torii, Itaru Kushima, Norio Ozaki, Shuji Iritani, Ken-ichi Oshima, and Masanari Itokawa.</p></p>
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<p><strong>Forwarded by:<br />
Michael Reeder LCPC<br />
Baltimore, MD</strong></p>
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