Science & Technology

As psychedelic-assisted therapy gains mainstream acceptance, the role of social workers, who provide a significant portion of mental health services in the United States, will become increasingly important in this emerging field, says an expert on mental health in the Brown School.

Four Washington University in St. Louis faculty are among 250 newly elected members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies. They are John Atkinson, MD, Pauline Kim, Adia Harvey Wingfield and Jeffrey Zacks.

Seanna Leath, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been selected to receive the Society for Research on Adolescence’s Early Career Award.

A sense of well-being can have a profound impact on health, especially for the aging brain. Higher levels of well-being have been robustly associated with a lower risk for future dementia, according to WashU psychology researchers who contributed to this year’s World Happiness Report.

In new research published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers at Washington University make the case that “thrive factors” are a key element of healthy human brain, behavioral and cognitive development. The five thrive factors include: environmental stimulation, nutrition, neighborhood safety, positive caregiving and regular sleep.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found that the pandemic changed personality traits, in that people became more conscientious and extraversion dropped.

In a new study published in Evolution and Human Behavior, Washington University researchers explore what causes people to decline lending a helping hand. In many cases, they find a way to blame the victim, resolving inner conflict by finding shortcomings in the person needing help, according to the research.

In a new study, Seanna Leath, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, explores the benefits of the Black Girl Magic Crew, an after-school program designed by Black women and girls to help girls feel encouraged and supported.

Emily Willroth, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University, has received the SAGE Early Career Trajectory Award from the Society for Social and Personality Psychology.

The Association for Psychological Science has recognized three members of the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis — Calvin Lai and Renee Thompson as fellows and Jessie Sun as a “Rising Star.”