Tag: Department of Psychology

How to be happier in 2021
Toss out your usual list of New Year’s resolutions and do things that make the world a better place, says a Rochester expert on motivation and well-being.

What’s the secret ingredient that makes a happy couple or family?
Analysis by University of Rochester researchers shows that psychological flexibility can shape how individuals interact with the people closest to them.

Getting fewer ‘likes’ on social media can make teens anxious and depressed
Lack of positive feedback on social media can decrease adolescents’ feelings of self-worth, multi-institutional team of psychologists finds.

Like rose-colored glasses, a ‘sexy mindset’ helps you see what you want to see
Researchers find that having a “sexy mindset” makes people perceive potential partners as way more attractive.

Why ‘playing hard to get’ may actually work
“Playing hard to get makes it seem as if you are more in demand—we call that having higher mate value,” says Harry Reis, a University of Rochester psychologist who collaborated on a new study that examined the mating strategy.

Reading your partner’s emotions correctly when it matters
A new study shows that couples who accurately perceive appeasement emotions, such as embarrassment, have better relationships than those who feel anger or contempt.

Self-care linked to greater confidence in parents of children with FASD
A Rochester study is the first to describe caregiver strategies for self-care and the obstacles and barriers parents face in raising children struggling with developmental, cognitive, and behavioral problems associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Parents aren’t powerless when it comes to sleep-deprived teenagers
Teenagers in the US don’t get enough shut eye, and the consequences of this epidemic of sleep deprivation are extensive. But researchers at the University of Rochester have found that a simple solution yields solid results: setting a bedtime and sticking to it.

When do alcohol-dependent mothers parent harshly?
New Rochester research makes considerable progress towards understanding what triggers mothers with substance use disorders to treat their children harshly, and how parents and medical care providers can predict parenting difficulties.