Behavioral Health | Penn Today

shape of a human head made of outlines of wine glasses, drink glasses and beer bottles.

Consuming alcohol leads to epigenetic changes in brain memory centers

What drives the biology behind alcohol cravings has remained largely unknown. A new Penn study shows how a byproduct of the alcohol breakdown produced mostly in the liver travels to the brain’s learning system and impacts behavior around environmental cues to drink.

A person in a doctor's office checks their fitness tracker on their wrist.

Competition works better than support or collaboration to increase daily step counts

A clinical trial using a behaviorally designed gamification program found that adding competition to motivate exercise is a catalyst for real results.

Two people in traditional Tanzanian clothing sitting on the ground outdoors.

Hunter-gatherers agree on what is moral, but not who is moral

In determining whether there is a universal concept of moral character, research could provide insight into ways to improve our interactions with one another.

Two people face each other, smiling widely and looking into each other's eyes.

No evidence that testosterone reduces cognitive empathy

In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that testosterone administration did not affect cognitive empathy, a measure of the ability to recognize another’s feelings and motivations. The finding calls into question the theory that the symptoms of autism are caused by a hyper-masculinized brain.

Seated students in a classroom raise their hands while a teacher stands at the head of the classroom

Understanding why teachers discriminate against minority students

A new study authored by research scientist Emile Bruneau found that biases people may harbor can sometimes inhibit their abilities to do their jobs, based on a study of teachers’ implicit biases towards their students.

Two people standing in a lab space, holding headbands.

A wearable new technology moves brain monitoring from the lab to the real world

The portable EEG created by PIK Professor Michael Platt and postdoc Arjun Ramakrishnan has potential applications from health care to sports performance.

A person standing at the foot of a set of outdoor stairs, with a brick wall behind and fencing atop the stairs.

What is a ‘mass shooting’ and how do we talk about gun violence?

In a Q&A, criminologist Richard Berk discusses why definitions matter and what role social media and mental illness play in this context.

A group of people waiting on a platform of a train station with sunlit windows and a train on the tracks.

Uncovering the roots of discrimination toward immigrants

New research from political scientist Nicholas Sambanis finds that religion may matter more than ethnicity in how immigrants are treated, even if they comply with local social norms.

small child stands on scale with error message with adult's feet alongside the scale, symbolizing early weight stigma

Early and ongoing weight stigma linked to internal weight shaming

Self stigma surrounding weight is associated with poor mental and physical health, and a new study identifies key characteristics of people who are most prone to this internalization.

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