news

In public debates about refugee resettlement, a crucial perspective is often overlooked: the experiences of the refugees themselves. Dr. Hanna E. Schneider (Brussels Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Migration and Minorities (BIRMM) - VUB) critically explores the complexities of refugee resettlement, examining refugees' agency alongside the systemic challenges that shape their journeys.

As part of the Weed Care study, researchers are investigating how the legal supply of cannabis affects consumption and mental health among participants. In a first academic publication, the study team has now reported on the direct comparison of the substance's legal versus illegal procurement. In Switzerland and several other countries, debates about the legalization of cannabis use have been ongoing for years.

Writing in The Conversation, Professor Ravi Das and PhD Candidate Rebecca Harding (UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences) explores whether a fast-acting psychedelic can help people reduce alcohol consumption. Psychedelics like LSD  and psilocybin  (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are gaining  increasing attention in psychiatry.

Adolescents with mental health conditions use social media differently than their peers, study suggests One of the first studies in this area to use clinical-level diagnoses reveals a range of differences between young people with and without mental health conditions when it comes to social media - from changes in mood to time spent on sites.

Ketamine addiction is linked to high levels of physical health problems and psychological consequences, with nearly half of those affected not seeking support or treatment, reports a new study by UCL and University of Exeter researchers. The study, published in Addiction , is the largest to date to explore the experience of people currently living with ketamine addiction in-depth.

Researchers at UCL have uncovered why individuals who experience anxiety and depression often struggle with persistent low self-belief in their abilities. A new study, published in Nature Communications , examined two large groups of people (230 and 278 participants) to measure their "confidence" when doing individual jobs and their "self-belief" when judging their overall performance of these individual jobs collectively.

Why do some people do more for the community than others? A new study from the University of Zurich now shows that personality traits such as extraversion and agreeableness correlate with volunteering and charitable giving. People's willingness to do volunteer work or give to charity differs greatly.

There is no difference over time in the spatial working memory of older people who have autistic traits and those who are neurotypical, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The new research, published in The Gerontologist , is the first study to explore age-related rate of decline in spatial working memory in older people who may be autistic.

People with Alzheimer's disease may retain their ability to empathise, despite declines in other social abilities, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The researchers found that people with Alzheimer's disease scored slightly higher on a measure of empathy than peers of the same age with mild cognitive impairment, despite scoring worse on other measures of social cognition such as recognising facial emotions and understanding the thoughts of others.

Researchers identify the benefits of participating in art-viewing activities Simply looking at visual art, visiting a museum, or having art in your hospital room can enhance well-being, particularly repeated engagement, which can increase the meaning we feel in life, according to a new international study led by researchers from the University of Vienna.

" Can a marriage without sex be a happy one? " asked an article in the New York Times Magazine last year. Based on 30 married couples who reported on their relationships in interviews, a journalist put forward the thesis that a sexless married life does not necessarily mean that relationship satisfaction suffers - a surprising finding, as it is generally accepted that a fulfilling sex life is an elementary component of a happy relationship.

Scientists identified a brain circuit where lies the origin the social difficulties experienced by people with autism spectrum disorders. From birth, human survival depends on the ability to engage with others. This ability, which is essential for development, seems to be impaired very early on in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), who show limited interest in social stimuli from their first year of life.

Have you ever been so laser focused on a task-playing a video game, reading an engrossing book, and so on-that when you look up, hours have suddenly gone by? This is commonly referred to as flow state: a state of absorbed concentration and a distorted sense of time. Studies have shown that working in the flow state has a positive impact on happiness and productivity.

A team from the University of Geneva has shown that customized training can reveal and enhance the socio-emotional skills of individuals with multiple disabilities.

Body signals such as heartbeat and breathing accompany us constantly, often unnoticed as background noise of our perception. Even in the earliest years of life, these signals are important as they contribute to the development of self-awareness and identity. However, until know little has been known about whether and how babies can perceive their own body signals.

Max Planck researcher Isabel Thielmann finds that dishonest behavior is consistent In brief New study shows: People who have lied once are likely to lie again in similar situations. It used to be assumed that lying is primarily situation-dependent. There is a connection between dishonest behavior and certain personality traits.

New research shines light on how the brain interprets nutritional and hydration needs and turns them into action. To ensure we get the calories and hydration we need, the brain relies on a complex network of cells, signals, and pathways to guide us when to eat, drink, or stop. Yet, much about how the brain deciphers the body-s needs and translates them into action remains unknown.

Cognitive neuroscientist Anne Marije Kaag has investigated various obstacles faced by cisgender men, cisgender women, and transgender individuals when seeking help for addiction. The research shows that women primarily experience shame, while transgender individuals often feel distrust towards healthcare services.

According to a study by Marie-Colombe Afota, how people see themselves plays an important role in their intense-and sometimes toxic-approach to work. How do workaholics' self-image influence their degree of dedication to their job? And how does that impact their mental health? To find out, Marie-Colombe Afota, a professor in Université de Montréal's School of Industrial Relations, teamed up with colleagues in Montreal and France to study 544 graduates of a French business school over an eight-month period.

Researchers suggest behavioural traits are more telling than social communication and interaction factors, so diagnostic focus should be sharpened An analysis of digital health records using large language models (LLMs) is challenging a long-held belief about the clinical identifiers of autism. A new study led by researchers at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University and Mila Quebec AI Institute found that social communication factors may not be as important in identifying the condition as previously believed.