Altruism

June 17, 2026 Lynne Nardizzi

Good news! Good motivations for altruistic acts are cross-culturally pervasive.

Feeling Lonely

June 16, 2026 Lynne Nardizzi

Here’s an interview with a loneliness researcher about the varieties of social isolation. Feeling lonely may be generally more dangerous than being alone.

Nature Sounds

June 14, 2026 Lynne Nardizzi

A recent study by scientists in Germany, Peru, and the United Kingdom explored the features of nature sounds that elicit mental well-being.

“We still don’t really know how the diversity and complexity of sounds affects how people feel, or why some sounds may be more uplifting than others,” explained study author Kevin Rozario, a graduate student at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research.

More on Dreams!

June 13, 2026 Lynne Nardizzi

A conversation with a dream researcher about how dream content and recall may reflect personality and thinking style.

Dreams and Personality

June 11, 2026 Lynne Nardizzi

Researchers found that dreams reinterpret elements from everyday life, transforming commonplace scenes and experiences into vivid, immersive tableaus.

These transformations varied from person to person, but the researchers were able to find patterns.

“Our findings show that dreams are not just a reflection of past experiences, but a dynamic process shaped by who we are and what we live through,” study author Valentina Elce explained.

Ketamine for Depression

April 9, 2026 Lynne Nardizzi

A new brain-imaging study has revealed how ketamine produces its fast antidepressant effects in people with treatment-resistant depression.

Researchers tracked changes in a critical brain receptor that helps neurons communicate and found that ketamine reshapes its activity in specific brain regions tied to mood and reward.

These shifts strongly matched improvements in patients’ symptoms. The findings could help scientists develop better ways to predict who will benefit from ketamine therapy.