News by Subject Social & Behavior

Researchers from UNIGE have developed an economic game in which a participant is confronted with the fair behaviour of one player and the unfair provocations of another player. They observed which areas were activated as the participant experienced unfairness and anger. Then scientists gave the participant the opportunity to take revenge. They thus identified the location in the brain of activations that are related to the suppression of the act of revenge in the DLPFC.

At a time when drug overdoses are becoming more prevalent and lethal, a new report provides a snapshot of regional illicit drug use and, for the first time, highlights the complexity of detecting and treating patients at hospital emergency departments for a severe drug-related event.

A longitudinal study examined anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, and submissiveness to predict the end of teen friendships. Do friendships end because of one child's mental health problems or do they end because of differences between friends on the degree to which each friend suffers from these problems? Findings show that children's personal struggles need not adversely impact their social relationships, and mental health issues do not necessarily ruin their chances of making and maintaining worthwhile friendships.

For the first time, scientists have figured out why drugs that aim to treat Parkinson's disease, migraines, pituitary tumors, and obesity activate the serotonin receptor 5-HT2B to cause life-threatening heart problems. Published in Nature Structure & Molecular Biology, this research provides drug developers with much needed insights into serotonin receptors -- insights that should help scientists create safer more effective drugs, not just for the aforementioned conditions, but also depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia.

In a study of sleep-deprived versus well-rested individuals, UC Berkeley researchers found that the brains of those lacking sufficient sleep exhibited heightened activity in areas that deal with perceived human threats and a shutdown of areas that encourage social interaction. People shown videos of sleep-deprived individuals felt more alienated, suggesting that antisocial feelings are contagious. This is the first study to show a two-way relationship between sleep loss and becoming socially isolated.

An analysis of posts made by males to a subreddit for individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts suggests that the online forum may function, for some males, as a safe space to anonymously share vulnerabilities and receive gender-specific support. University of Arizona sociology graduate student Darla Still presented the work today at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting.

The bond between parent and child extends far beyond sharing similar looks or behaviors, as symptoms of depression in teens and parents appear to be linked, according to research presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.

The study demonstrates that employees do not need to spend actual time on work in their off-hours to experience harmful effects. The mere expectations of availability increase strain for employees and their significant others -- even when employees do not engage in actual work during nonwork time.

Researchers suggest dysfunction in mitochondria -- the main source of energy for cells -- may be the root cause of depression. The finding brings new insight to long-held theories of the causes of depression and could lead to the development of novel and more effective antidepressant drugs.