Psychology Blog

Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Urs M. Nater , Roberto La Marca, Katja Erni, Ulrike Ehlert Published: June 25, 2015 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0130449 Abstract Background & Aim Alpha-amylase in both blood and saliva has been used as a diagnostic parameter. While studies examining alpha-amylase activity in saliva have shown that it is sensitive to physiological and psychological challenge of the adrenergic system, no challenge studies have attempted to elucidate the role of the adrenergic system in alpha-amylase activity in blood. We set…

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Open Access Essay Michael C. Corballis Published: January 21, 2014 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001767   Summary Handedness and brain asymmetry are widely regarded as unique to humans, and associated with complementary functions such as a left-brain specialization for language and logic and a right-brain specialization for creativity and intuition. In fact, asymmetries are widespread among animals, and support the gradual evolution of asymmetrical functions such as language and tool use. Handedness and brain asymmetry are inborn and under partial genetic control, although the…

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Open Access Essay Tobias Rees , Thomas Bosch , Angela E. Douglas Published: February 9, 2018 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005358   Abstract Today, the three classical biological explanations of the individual self––the immune system, the brain, the genome––are being challenged by the new field of microbiome research. Evidence shows that our resident microbes orchestrate the adaptive immune system, influence the brain, and contribute more gene functions than our own genome. The realization that humans are not individual, discrete entities but rather the outcome…

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Open Access Essay Eric Brunner Published: October 23, 2007 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0050267   Citation: Brunner E (2007) Biology and Health Inequality. PLoS Biol 5(11): e267. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0050267 Published: October 23, 2007 Copyright: © 2007 Eric Brunner. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abbreviations: CHD, coronary heart disease; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein Despite continued growth…

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Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Nurul Hanis Ramzi , Andrianos M. Yiorkas , Sylvain Sebert, Sirkka Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi, Leena Ala-Mursula, Rauli Svento, Jari Jokelainen, Juha Veijola, Juha Auvinen, Jouko Miettunen, Terence M. Dovey, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, Alexandra I. F. Blakemore Published: September 26, 2018 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203660 Abstract Background Alexithymia, a difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions, has been associated with obesity and eating disorders in small-scale cross-sectional studies. Here, we assess the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and alexithymia in a large…

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Open Access Essay Joanna Moncrieff , David Cohen Published: June 6, 2006 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0030240 Citation: Moncrieff J, Cohen D (2006) Do Antidepressants Cure or Create Abnormal Brain States? PLoS Med 3(7): e240. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0030240 Published: June 6, 2006 Copyright: © 2006 Moncrieff and Cohen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: The authors received no…

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Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Sonia Mele , Valentina Cazzato, Cosimo Urgesi Published: December 4, 2013 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0081378   Abstract Several studies suggest that sociocultural models conveying extreme thinness as the widespread ideal of beauty exert an important influence on the perceptual and emotional representation of body image. The psychological mechanisms underlying such environmental influences, however, are unclear. Here, we utilized a perceptual adaptation paradigm to investigate how perceptual experience modulates body esthetic appreciation. We found that the liking judgments of…

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Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Juan B. González , Alfonso Sánchez   Published: April 5, 2022 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266387   Abstract Although Africa is the most vulnerable region to climate change, little research has focused on how climate change is perceived by Africans. Using random forest methodology, we analyze survey and climate data from second-order political boundaries to explore what predicts climate change beliefs in Africa. We include five different dimensions of climate change beliefs: climate change awareness, belief in anthropogenic climate…

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Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Kosuke Kajitani , Ikumi Higashijima, Kosuke Kaneko, Tomoko Matsushita, Hideaki Fukumori, Daewoong Kim Published: September 25, 2020 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239592 Abstract Background Despite the widespread recognition of the importance of mental health in young people, only a small proportion of young people with a mental disorder, including university students, receive mental health care. Objective We developed a smartphone application (Mental App) for the university students and examined the effects of the app on their mental health. Methods…

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Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Nick P. Lao-Kaim, Leon Fonville, Vincent P. Giampietro, Steven C. R. Williams, Andrew Simmons, Kate Tchanturia Published: May 13, 2015 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0124027   Abstract Objectives People with Anorexia Nervosa exhibit difficulties flexibly adjusting behaviour in response to environmental changes. This has previously been attributed to problematic behavioural shifting, characterised by a decrease in fronto-striatal activity. Additionally, alterations of instrumental learning, which relies on fronto-striatal networks, may contribute to the observation of inflexible behaviour. The authors sought…

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