The conflict in Israel and Gaza has dominated the news cycle for the last week. Turn on the TV or log on to any social media platform and you’ll be confronted with a barrage of horrific headlines. While staying informed is important, consuming an excess of graphic images and videos can negatively affect your mental […]

Blood flow is often blamed when it comes to erectile dysfunction, but a new medical review suggests that treatment plans shouldn’t ignore what’s also happening psychologically. According to a recent article published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, personality traits and mental health issues are among the risk factors associated with ED. However, the

The trustworthiness of behavioral science has come under renewed scrutiny following recent high-profile retractions for alleged research fraud. … Given such scandals and broader concerns about the replication crisis, many researchers seeking to reform psychology’s research practices have welcomed the news that a leading proponent of open science is about to take the reins at the field’s most prominent

What is the logic behind using trigger warnings? Do they improve learning outcomes? In this episode, Under the Cortex hosts Victoria Bridgland of Flinders University to explore her meta-analysis results on trigger warnings. Bridgland’s meta-analysis indicates that, contrary to popular belief, trigger warnings do not have a negative or positive effect on learning outcomes but

Gordon Flett came across the term “mattering” as a psychology graduate student. Sitting at his desk in 1987, poring over a textbook, “I immediately knew what mattering was,” he said. He remembered visiting his grandmother during the summer as a child and taking trips to the insulation plant where she managed the cafeteria. She hung

Advocates for the use of trigger warnings suggest that they can help people avoid or emotionally prepare for encountering content related to a past trauma. But trigger warnings may not fulfill either of these functions, according to an analysis published in Clinical Psychological Science.   Instead, warnings appear to heighten the anticipatory anxiety a person may

If you have a romantic partner, maybe you’ve noticed that you two spend an awful lot of time together—and that you haven’t seen other people quite as much as you’d like. Or if you’re single (and many of your friends aren’t), you might have gotten the eerie feeling that I sometimes do: that you’re in a deserted town,

Working hard shows others that we’re reliable. But work for work’s sake has taken over, leading to burnout and inefficiency. Social psychologist Azim Shariff analyzes the morality of work. …

Is it true that you are only as old as you feel? Is age really just a number? Is 40 the new 30? In this episode, Under the Cortex hosts Markus Wettstein of Humboldt University of Berlin. Wettstein’s research explores the perception of subjective age in adulthood and gender, as well as generational differences in feeling young. 

University of Toronto psychologist Endel Tulving came up with numerous paradigm-shifting theories about how memory functions, and backed them up years later using human studies. “He was one of the very top scientists of memory in the last hundred years,” says his colleague Fergus Craik, a neuropsychologist and University of Toronto professor emeritus. “He got