Political attitudes and opinions can and do shift, sometimes drastically. Recent psychological research from Washington University in St. Louis offers insight into how emotional responses to threats contribute to shifts in political attitudes.

Want to age well? Researchers in psychological and brain sciences are exploring what helps people live better and longer.

Psychologists at WashU are working with data scientists to develop AI tools to help psychologists uncover hidden cues to personality in language.

There are three major issues with the Baby’s First Years study design

Can a chatbot for eating disorders improve access to care? This is what Dr. Ellen Fitzsimmons-Craft is trying to achieve through a new study. She’s an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and an associate professor of psychiatry at WashU School of Medicine.

Sometimes it can feel like whatever is stressing you out — that deadline, a big meeting, the news cycle — is showing up first thing in the morning. You may wake up with a pit already forming in your stomach and your anxiety high before you even get out of bed.

If you’re anxious about work, finances, the state of the world or anything else, you might try a moment of mindfulness. Paying close attention to the present moment without judgment — the basic idea behind all mindfulness techniques — can help calm anxiety and improve focus, said Resh Gupta, a postdoctoral research associate with the Mindfulness Science and Practice research cluster at Washington University in St. Louis.

Social media can be an emotional minefield: the vitriol, the unrealistic portrayals of seemingly perfect lives and the doomsday scenarios. Some corners of the internet seem designed to make people feel worse about themselves and their world.

But there’s another side to social media: puppies, recipes, “Severance” recaps and meaningful connections.