Psychology
-
The 'nocebo' effect could be making you feel sick when you're not
Posted | Updated
You may have heard of the placebo effect, but we're a lot less familiar with its opposite, the potentially more serious nocebo effect.
Topics: science-and-technology, health, medical-research, doctors-and-medical-professionals, medical-ethics, psychology, united-states
-
What you need to know when choosing a mental health professional
Posted | Updated
Nearly half of us experience a mental illness at some point, and we all pass through periods of stress, sadness, grief and conflict. So where do you begin when you're looking for a mental health professional?
Topics: health, mental-health, psychology, doctors-and-medical-professionals, australia
-
Does helicopter parenting make kids anxious?
Posted | Updated
A new Australian study finds that kids whose parents push them out of their comfort zone and let them take a few risks are less likely to have anxiety disorders.
Topics: family-and-children, children---preschoolers, anxiety, parenting, psychology, australia
-
'It's terrible what we're doing': aid agencies visit Manus refugees Audio
Audio
Posted | Updated
The Australian Council for International Development, the peak body for the country's international aid agencies, is leading another delegation to Manus Island which is due to return from Papua New Guinea later today.
Topics: refugees, psychology, psychosis, pacific, papua-new-guinea
-
Should we be ashamed to watch Kevin Spacey's films? Opinion
Posted | Updated
The moral failures of a creative artist shouldn't make their work any less valid, writes Cary Cooper.
Topics: arts-and-entertainment, actor, sexual-offences, psychology, united-states, australia
-
The importance of small talk and Christmas party chitchat
Posted | Updated
Do you cringe at the thought of making small talk at social gatherings? Here's why you should make the effort to engage in chitchat and how to generate meaningful conversation.
Topics: human-interest, community-and-society, health, psychology, relationships, act, canberra-2600
-
How architecture shapes your identity and affects your brain
Posted
Research into the effects of architecture and the built environment has demonstrated the critical influence design can have on a person's wellbeing.
Topics: architecture, design, neuroscience, psychology, art-history, history, urban-development-and-planning, australia
-
Shortage of psychiatrists in Canberra 'reaching crisis point'
Posted | Updated
Sarah Huxtable was forced to spend months away from her family during an already painful time, due to what is being described as a "critical shortage" of psychiatrists in the ACT.
Topics: psychology, health, mental-health, canberra-2600, act
-
Feeling anxious? Maybe don't reach for your phone Opinion
Posted | Updated
Reaching out for reassurance every time you have a doubt or problem might seem helpful in the short term, but learning to face uncertainty is essential to managing our mental health.
Topics: computers-and-technology, science-and-technology, mental-health, health, psychology, australia
-
Aww! Infants link emotional reactions to their cause
Posted
A study shows children as young as 12 months have a fine-grained understanding of others' emotions.
Topics: science-and-technology, emotions, babies, infant-health, psychology, united-states
-
How pokies hijack your brain until you don't even care about winning
Posted
Gambling is addictive because it pushes all the right psychological buttons. Here's how the hard-wired allure of "the zone" works.
Topics: health, psychology, neuroscience, gambling
-
Smartphone Survey: What the results tell us about the way we live
Posted | Updated
The results of the ABC's Science Week Smartphone Survey are in! And how we use our phones and how we feel about them depends on how old you are, but not necessarily in the way you might expect.
Topics: science-and-technology, information-and-communication, mobile-phones, psychology, relationships
-
Lotto's lure strongest 'for those who can least afford it'
Posted
The people most attracted to the dream of winning the lotto are those who can least afford to buy a ticket, a psychotherapist says.
Topics: gambling, psychology, poverty, human-interest, melbourne-3000
-
My battle with Borderline Personality Disorder
Posted | Updated
Dr Haley Peckham has chosen not to hide the multiple self-inflicted scars along her arms as a testament to her struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder [BPD].
Topics: mental-health, university-and-further-education, psychology-education, psychology, doctors-and-medical-professionals, ballarat-3350, melbourne-3000
-
Dealing with Kim Jong-un is like managing a psychopathic boss Opinion
Posted | Updated
If the world is to have any chance of avoiding nuclear war, Donald Trump must build trust. If he can't, America must find a way to do it without him, writes David Gillespie.
Topics: psychology, foreign-affairs, defence-forces, defence-and-national-security, world-politics, government-and-politics, korea-democratic-peoples-republic-of, korea-republic-of, united-states, australia
-
Why do Australians believe silly things? Opinion
Posted | Updated
A lot of Australians believe in ghosts and aliens, a poll found. That may be harmless, but it makes it a lot easier to believe in other things that aren't true, writes Andrew P Street.
Topics: pseudo-science, psychology, ethics, journalism, lifestyle-and-leisure, australia
-
Desert Feet bringing the healing power of music to remote Indigenous communities
Posted | Updated
A music charity transports a mobile studio and stage over 2,700 kilometres to Wangkatjungka to help provide music therapy.
Topics: music, community-and-society, charities, drugs-and-substance-abuse, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, regional, suicide, psychology, mental-health, fitzroy-crossing-6765
-
The psychology of attitudes to same-sex marriage Opinion
Posted | Updated
It is sometimes argued that attitudes to same-sex marriage are deeply entrenched and attempts to alter them are pointless. However, research suggests peoples' views are more malleable than first thought.
Topics: marriage, gays-and-lesbians, psychology, community-and-society, polls, federal-government, government-and-politics, australia
-
It's time to rethink how we treat child sex offenders Analysis
Posted | Updated
Community programs that treat offenders as victims first can break the cycle of abuse, writes Kirsti Melville.
Topics: child-abuse, pornography, sexual-offences, psychology, crime, police, law-crime-and-justice, germany, perth-6000
-
Mars simulation ends after eight months of isolation on Hawaii volcano
Posted
After eight months of living in isolation on a remote Hawaii volcano, six NASA-backed research subjects emerge from their Mars-like habitat and return to civilization.
Topics: space-exploration, world-politics, psychology, united-states, pacific
-
Addicted: How the games industry is learning from casinos Opinion
Posted | Updated
The video gaming industry has transitioned from a group of backyard innovators to an industry of multi-billion dollar companies — and now it's learning from casinos.
Topics: games, arts-and-entertainment, psychology, gambling, community-and-society, australia
-
Why do some of us believe in Tassie tiger sightings and others don't?
Posted
Why do some of us wholeheartedly believe in mysterious creature sightings while others are more dubious. Clinical psychologist Sabina Lane explains.
Topics: offbeat, zoology, endangered-and-protected-species, pseudo-science, psychology, animal-science, research, hobart-7000
-
Police catch more kids sexting at younger age
Posted
Younger children are taking part in under-age texting, not realising they are breaking the law say central Queensland Police.
Topics: community-and-society, parenting, pornography, schools, law-crime-and-justice, psychology, police, rockhampton-4700
-
What tomato sauce can teach us about educating our kids
Posted | Updated
Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell on pioneering food marketing and how it might relate to the way the classroom operates.
Topics: education, schools, author, psychology, australia
-
How to create calm in the urban jungle
Posted
Access to nature is key to reducing stress levels, but how effective are our parks and reserves at taking us away from the hustle and bustle of city life?
Topics: urban-development-and-planning, mental-health, psychology, environment, lifestyle-and-leisure, perth-6000
Connect with ABC News
Got a news tip?
If you have inside knowledge of a topic in the news, contact the ABC.
