Autism is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are as contradictory as they are varied, although the one constant is behaviour not present in the vast majority of the population. In short, any diagnosis of Autism is going to be something of a puzzle. For example, one child plays alone, but the other is very […]

Human evolution has dictated that males have only (relatively) recently become involved in childcare. The human brain is now six times larger than any other mammal of our body size. Unlike all other mammals, at birth, babies brains are not yet fully developed and so are incapable of survival alone for a significant period of […]

Are people really willing to suspend their sense of right and wrong when it comes to their own family, even if it means breaking the law? A University of Michigan study found that when a family member behaves very badly, other family members are often inclined to protect them and this familial protection becomes even […]

Speaking to young children in a high-pitched and exaggerated voice helps them develop their language skills. Parents may feel self-conscious, but talking to a baby in a silly voice really could help them learn. A study of 71 families looked at ‘parentese’ — the slow, high-pitched, happy-sounding voice which many parents use to communicate with […]

We are all subject to the butterflies of first love and to the physical pain when a relationship fails. We know what it feels like to hold our new born child, or even our cat. Those feelings are part of love. Thanks to ever-improving technology, scientists are able to look inside the human brain to […]

Inventor Thomas Edison often took a quick nap because he said it boosted his creativity… A E Housman discovered lines of poetry flowed into his mind during afternoon walks; Mozart composed his best music while riding or walking; and Charles Darwin came upwith the theory of evolution when he was taking a carriage ride; French […]

As mental health issues rise, doctors, scientists and patients are beginning to eschew anti- anxiety and antidepressant medications. Instead, complementary therapies such as meditation and mindfulness are being recommended for mental health concerns. Additionally, a growing number of clinical trials are exploring the use of psychedelics such as psilocybin (from magic mushrooms) and nightclub drugs […]

Researchers from Peking University, China, led by psychologist Lei Wang, conducted experiments to see if drinking tea really does improve mental performance and ‘convergent thinking’ in creative tasks. ‘Convergent thinking’ helps us solve problems where solutions can be found by applying a series of well-defined rules as well as logical reasoning. The findings suggest habitual […]

Don’t confuse solitude with loneliness. Privacy and seclusion can relieve the pressures of life and help your sense of wellbeing. To prove the point, researchers asked 178 people to keep a daily diary over three-weeks, tracking the number of hours they spent alone — that is, without face-to-face contact with other people, speaking with them […]

Children can be cheeky monkeys, they also laugh like chimpanzees! Babies and baby chimps chuckle while inhaling and exhaling, unlike adult humans who laugh mainly during exhalation. It’s thought that babies, like apes, don’t have full control over their vocal muscles, so they laugh as they inhale as well as when they exhale. But as […]

We all indulge in repetitive behaviours every day — repetitive actions help us structure our lives and keep things predictable and manageable. But for some people, the ability to determine that a behaviour has served its purpose and can now be safely discarded is unthinkable. Instead, they can find themselves in a nightmare of repeating […]

It’s time to terminate the relationship… The National Council for Hypnotherapy recently circulated University of Iowa research on the effectiveness of hypnotherapy as a way of stopping smoking. The study, involving 72,000 people, investigated the most effective ways of kicking the habit. Hypnotherapy was shown to be three times more effective than nicotine replacement therapy. […]