In the age of algorithms that learn our weaknesses, even confronting people with facts may not be enough to change their minds, researchers from Jagiellonian University say.
A device that stimulates the vagus nerve during sleep has been shown to improve cognitive performance in Alzheimer’s patients after one month of treatment, according to research by scientists from Łódź published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Even when we merely observe two people touching, our own bodies can respond physically, new research shows. The findings could in the future help researchers develop therapies for people with hypersensitivity or an aversion to touch.
Conspiracy theories can fuel hatred and hostility between social groups while also increasing feelings of threat, fear and distrust, according to psychologists from the Institute of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Changing the emotional response to a task and using positive reinforcement while completing it may be among the most effective ways to combat procrastination, according to researchers from the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology.
Meeting women who have achieved success in science or learning about their stories may not be sufficient to challenge stereotypes about women in STEM. The researchers therefore investigated whether a more effective approach might be to embody the Polish Nobel laureate Maria Skłodowska-Curie in virtual reality. They found that this experience weakened automatic associations linking science with men.
Working long hours, answering emails at night and even doing professional duties during holidays do not necessarily make someone a workaholic. The crucial difference is whether they are driven by genuine engagement or by an internal compulsion, psychologists at Jagiellonian University say.
Taboos can act as cultural protective mechanisms that reduce the risk of disease, help people survive in difficult environments, strengthen social bonds and define boundaries between groups, says psychologist Michał Misiak, PhD, from the University of Wrocław, who is leading an international study of taboos in different cultures.
A Polish-German research team has used advanced imaging techniques to study how the brain develops in people who are born blind, finding that structural differences in the visual cortex are linked to reduced myelination rather than clear changes in the process of neural pruning.