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☯️ Political polar opposites may be more alike than they think
#psychology

Political polar opposites may be more alike than they think
The brains of politically extreme individuals, whether left- or right-leaning, appear to respond to and process political information in surprisingly similar ways, according to research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The paper is titled "Politically extreme individuals exhibit similar neural processing despite ideological differences."

📏 Learning from punishment: Model makes sense of the cognitive processes humans use
#psychology

Learning from punishment: Model makes sense of the cognitive processes humans use
From toddlers' timeouts to criminals' prison sentences, punishment reinforces social norms, making it known that an offender has done something unacceptable. At least, that is usually the intent—but the strategy can backfire. When a punishment is perceived as too harsh, observers can be left with the impression that an authority figure is motivated by something other than justice.

🎗️ Why people embrace conspiracy theories: It's about community, not gullibility
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-people-embrace-conspiracy-theories-community.html

Why people embrace conspiracy theories: It's about community, not gullibility
Psychologists have long considered how a tendency towards irrational thinking or particular personality traits might predict people's interest in conspiracies. Yet these individual factors do not explain the group processes through which conspiracy theorists are extending their influence and impact.

🧠 Strangers whose brains respond alike to movie clips often become friends later, study finds
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-strangers-brains-alike-movie-friends.html

Strangers whose brains respond alike to movie clips often become friends later, study finds
People often bond with strangers over the books they read or the movies they watch and build friendships that last. Scientists may now have some insight into why this happens. A study published in Nature Human Behaviour found that participants who responded similarly to the same movie clips even before meeting were more likely to become friends later.

😵 Rigid and negative thought patterns linked to increasing political polarization online
#psychology

Rigid and negative thought patterns linked to increasing political polarization online
The ideological divide between opposing political groups has been drastically increasing in various countries worldwide. This phenomenon, known as political polarization, can lead to greater social division, extremism and political violence.

🥱 Study shows that social interaction boosts emotional vitality—but leads to delayed fatigue
https://phys.org/news/2025-07-social-interaction-boosts-emotional-vitality.html

Study shows that social interaction boosts emotional vitality—but leads to delayed fatigue
Social contact can lift our mood but later leave us drained. A new study has tracked this full emotional sequence in everyday life. Researchers found that being around others boosts emotional energy at the moment, yet contributes to rising fatigue a few hours later.