Psychology

A new study shows that healthy older adults experienced real improvements in memory, physical function, and stress levels after taking placebo pills for three weeks. The benefits occurred even when participants knew the pills were inactive. Researchers at Università Cattolica in Milan conducted the trial.

June 21, 2026 Reported by AI

A Yale University study has found that nearly half of adults age 65 and older showed measurable improvements in cognitive function, physical function, or both over a period of up to 12 years. The research draws on data from more than 11,000 participants and links positive age beliefs to these gains. It challenges the view that aging always involves decline.

Researchers at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca have found that dreams are structured by individual traits and real-world events, rather than being random. Analyzing over 3,700 dream reports from 287 participants, the team used AI tools to reveal how the brain reshapes daily experiences into imaginative scenarios. The study highlights influences like mind-wandering tendencies and the COVID-19 pandemic on dream content.

April 26, 2026 Reported by AI

A new study published this month by the American Psychological Association reveals that heavy reliance on AI tools for workplace tasks correlates with reduced confidence in personal abilities and less sense of ownership over work. Researchers observed that users who rarely modify AI outputs feel less confident in their independent reasoning. The findings highlight trade-offs between speed and depth in AI-assisted work.

Smartphone notifications interrupt users' concentration for about seven seconds, according to new research from the University of Lausanne. The effect is stronger for personally relevant alerts, with frequent checks amplifying the distraction. Researchers warn that these brief interruptions accumulate over hundreds of daily pings.

March 25, 2026 Reported by AI

Josephine Wainaina has struggled since her husband's death in 2008 to support her two children. Bishop EllyJoy Moi of Holy Well of Bethel church in Limuru urges the government to enact specific policies protecting widows from abuse, property dispossession, and mental health challenges.