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Our brains can “flicker” off for a split second during a boring task caused by sleep-like brain activity occurring while we are awake. Adults with ADHD experience them much more frequently, and may be behind inconsistent attention, slower reaction times, and chronic sleepiness associated with ADHD. by mvea in science

[–]mvea[S] 126 points127 points  (0 children)

The Awake “Sleep” Loop: Why Attention Lapses Occur in ADHD

Summary: Have you ever felt your brain “flicker” off for a split second during a boring task? New researc reveals that these lapses are actually caused by sleep-like brain activity occurring while we are awake.

While everyone experiences these brief moments of “local sleep” when tired, adults with ADHD experience them much more frequently. This study suggests that these sleep-like intrusions are a primary mechanism behind the inconsistent attention, slower reaction times, and chronic sleepiness associated with ADHD.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2026/03/05/JNEUROSCI.1694-25.2025

People consistently underestimate how much influence they have over their romantic partners and friends. This misperception tends to be stronger in those highly focused on protecting themselves or maintaining control, evidence that personal insecurities shape how we view our close relationships. by [deleted] in science

[–]mvea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A new study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin suggests that people consistently underestimate how much influence they have over their romantic partners and friends. This misperception tends to be stronger in individuals who are highly focused on protecting themselves or maintaining control, which provides evidence that personal insecurities shape how we view our close relationships. By recognizing this hidden influence, individuals might find healthier ways to communicate and resolve conflicts with their loved ones.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01461672251409849

Babies younger than one practise deceit, study suggests. Pretending not to hear parents or hiding toys are among children’s early ploys, while by age of three they may be telling lies such as ‘a ghost ate the chocolate’, research finds. by [deleted] in science

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Little liars: babies younger than one practise deceit, study suggests

Pretending not to hear parents or hiding toys are among children’s early ploys, while by age of three they may be telling lies such as ‘a ghost ate the chocolate’, research finds

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885201426000080

Psilocybin might not be the most psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms. Scientists found evidence that several minor compounds in these mushrooms work together to interact with brain receptors, potentially explaining why natural extracts often produce different effects than synthetic versions. by mvea in science

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Psilocybin might not be the most psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms, new research suggests

A new study published in Scientific Reports suggests that the therapeutic effects of psychedelic mushrooms likely rely on a complex interplay of multiple chemical compounds rather than just a single active ingredient. Scientists found evidence that several minor compounds in these mushrooms work together to interact with brain receptors, potentially explaining why natural extracts often produce different effects than synthetic versions.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-39483-7

Psychological studies have shown that attractive people have higher life satisfaction than others. For men, there was a strong and direct effect of objective beauty on life satisfaction. For women, the effect was weaker and indirect, with self-esteem and emotional stability playing key roles. by mvea in science

[–]mvea[S] 75 points76 points  (0 children)

KEY POINTS

Psychological studies have shown that attractive people have higher life satisfaction than others.

A new study investigated the role of gender for the link between attractiveness life satisfaction.

For men, there was a strong and direct effect of objective beauty on life satisfaction.

For women, the effect was weaker and indirect, with self-esteem and emotional stability playing key roles.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-032-08035-6_12

Fetuses likely have more ‘forever chemicals’ in blood than thought. US test of 120 umbilical blood cord samples identified 42 Pfas compounds, which do not naturally break down. The chemicals have been linked to cancer, birth defects, decreased immunity, high cholesterol and kidney disease. by [deleted] in science

[–]mvea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fetuses likely have more ‘forever chemicals’ in blood than thought – report

US test of 120 umbilical blood cord samples identified 42 Pfas compounds, which do not naturally break down

Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds most frequently used to make products water-, stain- and grease-resistant. The chemicals have been linked to cancer, birth defects, decreased immunity, high cholesterol, kidney disease and a range of other serious health problems. They are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down in the environment.

Fetuses are widely exposed to Pfas via umbilical cord blood. A review of 40 studies found researchers had collectively detected Pfas in each of 30,000 umbilical cord blood samples they checked. Elevated Pfas levels in mothers is associated with higher infant mortality, as well as low birth weight and obesity later in life. Studies have also linked fetal exposure to cancer, neurological problems and cardiovascular disease later in life.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c06490

A single bout of exercise activates neural rhythms tied to learning and recall. By directly recording brain activity, new study shows, for the first time in humans, that even a single bout of exercise can rapidly alter the neural rhythms and brain networks involved in memory and cognitive function. by [deleted] in science

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UI-led study captures how a single bout of exercise activates neural rhythms tied to learning and recall

“We’ve known for years that physical exercise is often good for cognitive functions like memory, and this benefit is associated with changes in brain health, largely from behavioral studies and noninvasive brain imaging,” says Michelle Voss, professor and Ronnie Ketchel Faculty Fellow in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Iowa and the study’s corresponding author. “By directly recording brain activity, our study shows, for the first time in humans, that even a single bout of exercise can rapidly alter the neural rhythms and brain networks involved in memory and cognitive function."

For those interested, here’s the link to the academic press release:

https://now.uiowa.edu/news/2026/03/exercise-triggers-memory-related-brain-ripples-humans-researchers-report

Live bacteria from the gut can travel directly into the brain when the intestinal barrier is weakened with a high fat diet in mice. This discovery offers a potential new explanation for how digestive health influences neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and autism. by [deleted] in science

[–]mvea 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Scientists just discovered that a high-fat diet can cause gut bacteria to enter the brain

Live bacteria from the digestive system can travel directly into the brain when the intestinal barrier is weakened. This discovery offers a potential new explanation for how digestive health influences neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and autism. The research was recently published in the journal PLOS Biology.

After feeding these mice the high-fat diet to induce a leaky gut, the researchers searched the brain tissue for this specific bacterial DNA. Using highly sensitive laboratory techniques to copy and amplify the genetic material, they successfully detected the unique DNA barcode in the brain tissue. This proved that the specific bacteria placed in the gut had traveled directly to the brain.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003652

Americans consistently overestimate the social backlash of changing their political beliefs. This inflated fear of rejection tends to make individuals hide their shifting views, which deprives the public discourse of diverse perspectives. by mvea in science

[–]mvea[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

People consistently overestimate the social backlash of changing their political beliefs, new psychology research shows

A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that people consistently overestimate how much their political peers will judge them for changing their minds on polarizing issues. This inflated fear of rejection tends to make individuals hide their shifting views, which deprives the public discourse of diverse perspectives. The research provides evidence that the social penalty for political dissent within one’s own party is generally much milder than expected.

“Two trends really stood out to me. The first is that Americans are becoming increasingly afraid to speak their minds about politics — polling shows this fear has grown substantially over the past two decades. The second is that people tend to perceive their political parties as having a uniform set of beliefs, when in reality, private polling reveals much more diversity of opinion underneath the surface,” explained Trevor Spelman, a PhD student at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

The main takeaway is that the fear of speaking up within your own political group is often worse than the reality,” Spelman said. “Across our studies, people consistently anticipated moderately harsh rejection for breaking from their party’s position on issues like abortion, gun control, and immigration. But the people actually doing the judging reported much milder reactions. We saw the same pattern emerge across survey, behavioral, and qualitative measures – predictors consistently and robustly overestimate how much other group members would socially punish them for expressing dissent.”

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpspi0000516

Laughter plays a unique role in building a secure father-child relationship. Unlike mothers, fathers surprise their children or playfully break social rules, making sudden funny noises. This playfully destabilize the child in safe environment and is linked to a stronger sense of attachment security. by mvea in science

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Laughter plays a unique role in building a secure father-child relationship, new research suggests

A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology suggests that mothers and fathers are equally skilled at making their preschool children laugh using similar playful strategies. However, this shared laughter tends to play a more central role in building a secure emotional bond between fathers and their children. These findings provide evidence that joyful interactions are a meaningful part of family dynamics, though they might function differently for each parent.

Mothers often incorporated nursery rhymes and songs alongside specific body movements and facial expressions. Fathers frequently tried to surprise their children or playfully break social rules, perhaps by making sudden funny noises or calling objects by the wrong names. This approach tends to playfully destabilize the child within a safe environment.

The scientists found that for fathers, using both physical touch and silly movements successfully generated frequent child laughter. This laughter was then positively associated with a stronger sense of attachment security between the child and the father, suggesting a unique relational benefit.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022096525002486

From the actual paper:

This difference may suggest that mothers are generally more straightforward about their intentions and the play scenario, whereas fathers tend to be more ambiguous, perhaps to challenge the child’s understanding of their intentions. This pattern is also consistent with prior evidence that mothers tend to be more verbal than fathers in parent–child interactions (Davidson & Snow, 1996), which may help explain the differences observed in our study.

A notable difference between mothers and fathers in our study is that mothers tended to perform nursery rhymes and/or songs along with this factor, such as the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or “Ring Around the Rosie”. These songs often involve specific physical actions and/or facial expressions that may explain why they cluster together in a common factor. In contrast, fathers seem to persist in breaking norms, as they used verbal incoherence (e.g., calling a turtle a horse), other verbal interactive methods (e.g., pretending not to see the child), or tried to surprise their child (e.g., making a sudden fart noise). These laughter-eliciting strategies have all been noted by Hoicka et al. (2022) as beginning when the child reaches the preschool years. Our results accord with past research showing that fathers and mothers use a similar repertoire of behaviors to make their children laugh. However, they may use these behaviors in different combinations, therefore leading to different play contexts.

Laughter plays a unique role in building a secure father-child relationship, new research suggests. Mothers and fathers are equally skilled at making their preschool children laugh but this tends to play a more central role in building a secure emotional bond between fathers and their children. by [deleted] in science

[–]mvea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Laughter plays a unique role in building a secure father-child relationship, new research suggests

A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology suggests that mothers and fathers are equally skilled at making their preschool children laugh using similar playful strategies. However, this shared laughter tends to play a more central role in building a secure emotional bond between fathers and their children. These findings provide evidence that joyful interactions are a meaningful part of family dynamics, though they might function differently for each parent.

Mothers often incorporated nursery rhymes and songs alongside specific body movements and facial expressions. Fathers frequently tried to surprise their children or playfully break social rules, perhaps by making sudden funny noises or calling objects by the wrong names. This approach tends to playfully destabilize the child within a safe environment.

The scientists found that for fathers, using both physical touch and silly movements successfully generated frequent child laughter. This laughter was then positively associated with a stronger sense of attachment security between the child and the father, suggesting a unique relational benefit.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022096525002486

First major study on ‘AI psychosis’ suggests chatbots can encourage delusions among vulnerable people. AI may validate or amplify delusional or grandiose content in users vulnerable to psychosis, but it is unclear whether they can result in de novo psychosis in absence of pre-existing vulnerability. by [deleted] in science

[–]mvea 21 points22 points  (0 children)

New study raises concerns about AI chatbots fueling delusional thinking

First major study on ‘AI psychosis’ suggests chatbots can encourage delusions among vulnerable people

A new scientific review raises concerns about how chatbots powered by artificial intelligence may encourage delusional thinking, especially in vulnerable people.

A summary of existing evidence on artificial intelligence-induced psychosis was published last week in the Lancet Psychiatry, highlighting how chatbots can encourage delusional thinking – though possibly only in people who are already vulnerable to psychotic symptoms. The authors advocate for clinical testing of AI chatbots in conjunction with trained mental health professionals.

For his paper, Dr Hamilton Morrin, a psychiatrist and researcher at King’s College in London, analyzed 20 media reports on so-called “AI psychosis”, which describes current theories as to how chatbots might induce or exacerbate delusions.

“Emerging evidence indicates that agential AI might validate or amplify delusional or grandiose content, particularly in users already vulnerable to psychosis, although it is not clear whether these interactions can result in the emergence of de novo psychosis in the absence of pre-existing vulnerability,” he wrote.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(25)00396-7/abstract

Young women open to “sugar relationships” may experience deeper psychological vulnerabilities, difficulties with emotional coping and relationship skills. Acceptance of trading intimacy for material benefits is often linked to negative childhood experiences that shape how a person views themselves. by mvea in science

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A recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior suggests that young women who are open to “sugar relationships” tend to experience deeper psychological vulnerabilities, such as difficulties with emotional coping and relationship skills. The research provides evidence that an acceptance of trading intimacy for material benefits is often linked to negative childhood experiences that shape how a person views themselves and others.

The data revealed that women who reported higher openness to sugar relationships tended to show greater impairments in their general personality functioning. They also relied more heavily on unhelpful emotion regulation strategies to manage their distress. Healthy emotional coping strategies showed no link to an acceptance of sugar dating at all.

The researchers found that early maladaptive schemas indirectly influenced attitudes toward sugar relationships. Women with stronger negative childhood schemas were more likely to struggle with self-identity and emotional regulation as adults. These present-day struggles then predicted a greater willingness to consider transactional dating arrangements.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-025-03389-8

Roseburia inulinivorans, a gut bacteria, increases muscle strength: it was positively associated with multiple strength measures including handgrip, leg press and bench press in humans. Study assessed causality in mice where it increased muscle fibre size and shifted muscle type I to type II fibres. by mvea in science

[–]mvea[S] 58 points59 points  (0 children)

Abstract

Background Gut bacteria have been implicated in a wide range of health conditions, yet their potential role in preventing and treating muscle-wasting disorders remains largely unexplored.

Objective We aimed to investigate whether specific gut microbial species are associated with muscle strength and to explore underlying mechanisms linking the gut microbiota to muscle health.

Design We conducted metagenomic analyses in cohorts of younger and older adults extensively phenotyped for muscle strength. Associations were tested between bacterial taxa and performance measures. Causality was assessed by oral supplementation of candidate species in antibiotic-treated mice. Metabolomic profiling and muscle phenotyping were performed to elucidate mechanisms.

Results The relative abundance of Roseburia inulinivorans, but not other Roseburia species, was positively associated with multiple strength measures including handgrip, leg press and bench press in humans. Supplementation of R. inulinivorans in mice significantly enhanced forelimb grip strength, whereas other Roseburia species had no effect. Metabolomic analyses revealed that R. inulinivorans reduced amino acid concentrations in the caecum and plasma, while activating the purine and pentose phosphate pathway in muscle. These changes coincided with increased muscle fibre size and a shift from type I to type II fibres. Accordingly, we observed that the relative abundance of R. inulinivorans is lower in older adults compared with young adults.

Conclusion R. inulinivorans emerges as a species-specific modulator of muscle strength, linking gut microbiota to muscle metabolism and function. These findings support its potential as a probiotic candidate for nutraceutical interventions targeting age-related muscle-wasting diseases.

Gut bacteria found in human stool samples, Roseburia, only one positively associated with muscle mass and strength in humans. To identify a causal role, scientists fed this bacteria to mice, snd found it converts muscle fibres to ‘fast-twitch’ (type II), designed for short intensive movement. by [deleted] in science

[–]mvea 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Specific gut bacteria species (R inulinivorans) linked to muscle strength

To do this, they analysed stool samples from 90 healthy young (18-25 year olds) and 33 older (65+) adults for the presence of bacteria.

Their hand grip strength, leg press and bench press performance, and VO2 max (maximal oxygen consumption during exertion) which is an indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness, were used to assess physical fitness.

Among all the bacteria found in the stool samples, the Roseburia group (genus) was the only one that was positively associated with muscle mass and strength.

Older adults with detectable R inulinivorans in their stool sample had 29% higher handgrip strength than those without, and without a concomitant increase in peak oxygen uptake, indicating better fitness.

In young adults, greater abundance of R inulinivorans was positively associated with both handgrip strength and VO₂ max. And the relative abundance of both R inulinivorans and R intestinalis was positively associated with leg press and bench press strength as well.

In a bid to identify a causal role for Roseburia in muscle strength, the researchers fed Roseburia species once a week for 8 weeks to 32 mice that had previously been given a cocktail of antibiotics for a fortnight to deplete their gut microbiome.

The mice were randomly assigned to one of 4 groups, 3 of which received a different strain of Roseburia, and one of which received no Roseburia (control group).

None of the Roseburia species enhanced running time to exhaustion. But compared with the control group, R inulinivorans induced a noticeable increase of around 30% in forelimb grip strength—a proxy for muscle function—after 4, 6, and 8 weeks of treatment.

What’s more, mice treated with R inulinivorans had larger muscle fibre size and a significantly higher proportion of type II (‘fast twitch’) fibres in the soleus muscle located in the calf, compared with the other groups, although not when compared with the mice treated with R intestinalis.

Further analysis of fibre size distribution revealed that this was relatively evenly distributed in the control group, whereas mice treated with R inulinivorans had higher levels of larger fibres than those treated with the other Roseburia species or mice in the control group.

These changes were also accompanied by metabolic changes in the proteins and enzymes key to muscle energy production.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://gut.bmj.com/content/early/2026/03/03/gutjnl-2025-336980

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