Science & Technology

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.”

Two Washington University professors — Julie Bugg and Leonard Green — have been named fellows of the Society of Experimental Psychologists.

Jeffrey Zacks, the Edgar James Swift Professor in Arts & Sciences and a professor of radiology at the School of Medicine, has begun a two-year term as president of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

Research from Washington University in St. Louis shows profiles on dating apps that indicate a sense of purpose are rated more attractive than those without. The study was published in the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology.