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Research snapshot

Research snapshot : When love fades away

October 2019

In terms of past romances, good memories may be beaten by the bad.

The fading affect bias (FAB) is thought to make the negative emotions associated with memories fade faster than positive ones, which in turn, may help us more readily forget bad experiences. A team from the UK and US asked more than 200 individuals to describe events from a current or former relationship and how remembering the romance made them feel now. Less than 50 per cent of the group chose memories from their current romance, and the positive memories were found to be stronger on average than their negative ones. Both nonsexual memories and sexual memories showed the FAB. The FAB was found to emerge for memories of current relationships, but not for memories of past failed relationships. Interestingly, the bias was found for securely attached individuals, but not for those with other attachment styles. Overall, the study found that negative emotions were more likely to be sustained if the individual felt insecure about the relationship. In addition, the FAB was moderated by relationship quality, a need to belong, sexual esteem and sexual depression.

doi.org/10.1002/acp.3527

Research snapshot : Talk about sibling rivalry

October 2019

When it comes to developing strong language skills it pays to have a big sister.

A team of French researchers found that the number of older siblings a child has is negatively correlated with their verbal skills. This is possibly due to the overall competition this dynamic creates in a family for parental attention. The study explored the role of siblings’ sex and age gaps as moderating factors, reasoning that these elements may impact upon the older siblings’ tendency to compensate for reduced parental attention. The hypothesis for the study was that children with an older sister have more developed language skills than those with an older brother, particularly when a large age gap occurred between siblings. Using data from the sizeable EDEN mother-child cohort (n = 1154), the team extracted and reanalysed data and found children with an older sister had better language skills than those with an older brother. Contrary to predictions, the findings suggest that an age gap between siblings was not associated with language skills and did not interact with sex. The negative effect of older siblings on the development of language may be entirely due to the role of older brothers. Limitations and the potential for future lines of inquiry are also explored.

doi:10.1177/0956797619861436

Research snapshot : Who you gonna call?

October 2019

Not using your smartphone regularly may be linked to loneliness.

The overuse of smartphones and addiction to technology in general is a hot topic in psychological fields. But new research in the field investigates the health implications for those who own a smartphone but barely use it. A team in Spain aimed to uncover the sociodemographic variables and health indicators associated with so-called smartphone ‘nonusers’. Based on stratified random population sampling, 6820 people aged between 15 and 65 who own a smartphone were surveyed. Of these, about 7.5 per cent (n= 511) claimed to not regularly use a smartphone. This group contained a higher proportion of males, a higher average age, people from a lower social class, people from less developed areas, and overall lower levels of education. The group also displayed poorer mental health indicators, reported higher perceived feelings of loneliness, a lower quality-of-life, higher rates of sedentarism, and a greater chance of being overweight or obese. A regression model of these variables found that – in addition to sex, age, social class and education level – the only significantly associated health indicator among members of this group was a perceived feeling of loneliness. The study suggests that while smartphone abuse is associated with health problems, nonregular use of smartphones does not necessarily indicate better health. Further study of nonusers is needed on the nature of the groups’ perceived loneliness.

doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0130

Research snapshot : Mindfulness reduces boredom

August 2019

Focusing on the present may reduce negative emotional symptoms related to boredom.

Boredom proneness, a feeling of restlessness, weariness and constraint, is associated with psychological and physical health symptoms. Researchers in Hong Kong recruited 186 adult Chinese residents outside shopping malls in 18 districts to complete a questionnaire package. The mindfulness state of acting with awareness, or focusing one’s attention on the present, moderated the relationship between boredom proneness and stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. The tendency to use words to describe one’s perceptions, without interpretation, moderated the relationship between boredom proneness and depressive symptoms only. However, boredom proneness predicted negative emotional symptoms only at low levels of dispositional mindfulness. The researchers suggested that being able to focus one’s attention on the present may help to reduce boredom’s unpleasantness, while mindful labelling of experiences may reduce interpretive ruminations that lead to boredom.

doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.04.001

Research snapshot : The rewards of hair pulling

August 2019

People who repetitively pull hair from their bodies find it difficult to find rewards outside of hair pulling.

Trichotillomania, involves repetitive pulling of hair from anywhere in the body. Knowledge of how hair pullers experience rewards and punishment aids understanding of trichotillomania and its treatment. Australian researchers conducted interviews with 16 women with clinically diagnosed trichotillomania. Participants reported that they were generally highly sensitive to punishment and distrustful of positive and rewarding life experiences. Avoidance of punishment appeared to be the main motivator of hair-pulling behaviour, rather than the experience of pleasure. The researchers concluded that individuals with trichotillomania need encouragement to find rewards outside of hair-pulling behaviour. They also suggested behavioural activation as a potential treatment because of the link between hair-pulling, anxiety and depression.

doi.org/10.1111/cp.12160

Research snapshot : Volunteering is satisfying

August 2019

Volunteering improves life satisfaction in older adults, especially among those with fewer friends.

Researchers examined whether volunteering improves life satisfaction in older adulthood. They drew on data collected over four years from a sample of 1,591 older adults (mean age 67 years) from an Australian longitudinal study. Volunteering over a longer period of time was associated with a greater increase in life satisfaction that volunteering over shorter time periods. The improvement in life satisfaction was also greater in volunteers who had lost more friends and hence had a smaller social network size, than in volunteers who had lost fewer friends. People were also likely to engage in both short- and long-term volunteering if they were motivated by emotional goals (e.g., “to do something valuable”) than non-emotional goals.

doi.org/10.1111/ajpy.12217

Research snapshot : Aggression and self-esteem

August 2019

High self-esteem may prevent self-aggression but increase reactive aggression.

German researchers examined whether associations between self-aggression and externalised aggression (reactive and spontaneous aggression) are influenced by current psychopathological symptoms and self-esteem. Reactive aggression is usually used in situations of threat or provocation and involves anger, whereas spontaneous aggression is more proactive, to achieve planned goals. Surveys were completed by 681 participants from the general population and 282 psychiatric patients. A high level of self-esteem appeared to prevent people from showing self-aggression but increase the probability of them showing reactive aggression. People from the general population with high self-esteem also engaged in spontaneous aggression. Among psychiatric patients, the more severe current psychopathological symptoms were, the more likely they were to engage in spontaneous aggression while engaging in self-aggression.

doi.org/10.1002/ab.21825

Research snapshot : Living with limb loss

August 2019

Adults with limb loss report that the quality of their day is influenced by levels of pain, planning, self-consciousness and social interaction.

The experiences of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ days by 22 British adults with lower limb amputation were examined through focus groups. Participants accepted that levels of pain could predict a good or bad day. On a bad day they often felt unable to take part in tasks they may enjoy, focusing on required tasks, but otherwise withdrawing from activity and social interactions. Participants described frustration in needing to plan daily activities and journeys in advance. On a bad day participants were more self-conscious about their physical body, especially if not wearing a prosthetic limb. Positive interactions with others, including strangers, and the opportunity to help others had an impact on the quality of one’s day.

doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1467502

Research snapshot : Trivial trigger warnings

June 2019

Despite an increasing trend toward issuing trigger warnings, they may be largely irrelevant.

Researchers from New Zealand and the USA conducted six experiments to examine the way trigger warnings play out in real-world contexts. Increasingly, students are requesting that university staff issue prior warnings to the class if course material may cause distress. The participants were exposed to negative content, with only some receiving a trigger warning beforehand. The symptoms and perception of distress in all participants were then measured. To assess the impact of the trigger warnings’ effects, a metaanalysis of this data was also undertaken. The results showed that trigger warnings had nominal effects, with people reporting similar levels of negative affect, intrusions, and avoidance regardless of whether they received a trigger warning or not. In addition, this pattern was the same even among participants with a history of trauma. These findings indicate trigger warnings may be neither damaging nor helpful in a meaningful way.

doi.org/10.1177/2167702619827018

Research snapshot : Predicting rising stars

June 2019

Psychological constellations assessed at the age of 13 indicate eminence decades later.

A team from the USA wanted to understand whether particular math/scientific and verbal/humanistic ability and preferences, modelled using gifted 13-year-olds, could predict their educational achievements at 23. In addition, they examined whether these same people would go on to attain distinct forms of ‘eminence’ 35 years later. Eminence was defined as having accomplished something rare by the age of 50, such as having a high-impact career as a professor, Fortune 500 executive, a judge, leader in biomedicine, award-winning writer etc. The first study consisted of 677 intellectually gifted youth assessed at age 13. Their accomplishments were assessed again 35 years later. The second study was an analysis of 605 top science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduate students, assessed on the same predictor constructs early in graduate school and again after 25 years. In both samples, the same ability and preference parameter values identified those who ultimately distinguished themselves from their peers in terms of life pursuits.

doi.org/10.1177/0956797618822524

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