Psychology | Penn Today

Person on a bench in a café looking at smartphone seated next to an open laptop.

User-generated content: The medium impacts the message

Wharton’s Shiri Melumad discusses her research on how user-generated content changes in tone based on the type of device used to create it.

Echo chambers may not be as dangerous as you think

Research on the “wisdom of crowds” has found that access to information exchange can increase the likelihood that beliefs are accurate, even contentious partisan political beliefs, among homogenous groups.

Social media and teens: health concerns may be exaggerated, study suggests

Melissa Hunt of the School of Arts and Sciences said an Oxford study claiming that social media has little impact on teen health relied on self-reported data, which may not be accurate. “Even if adolescents wanted to answer the question completely honestly (which is highly unlikely) they probably have no idea how much time they actually spend on social media, and wouldn't remember accurately if they ever did know,” she said.

Want to change the world? Get immersed in something that matters

Angela Duckworth of the School of Arts and Sciences was interviewed on the “From the Dorm Room to the Board Room” podcast about her career journey.

Trading cards with the word Pokemon and the game's red and white ball symbol on a blue background.

Pokémon activates a unique part of the brain, offering insights into its structure

In a study of adults who played the game extensively as children, Penn and Stanford researchers discovered that a particular area of the visual cortex lights up when players view characters from the original version.

A man standing in front of a class of college students pointing to a scan of a brain.

Looking beyond the disease to the person living with it

In a new course taught by PIK Professor Jay Gottfried, students lead discussions on cognitive neuroscience topics and then meet patients who have relevant neurologic conditions.

Why it’s so hard when your child leaves for college—and how to cope

Anthony Rostain of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed how challenging it can be for parents to cope with their children leaving for college. “If you’re really unhappy or scared about it, then you have to check in and ask yourself why you’re feeling that way,” he said. “Is it your kid, the school, or something in you that’s not ready? It may simply be a matter of how ready you are as a parent to let go.”

A man in a blue plaid coat, pink shirt and purple tie standing in front of a blurry building.

Brain regions linked to memory and emotion help humans navigate smell

The work points to the existence of a grid-like hexagonal structure in olfactory-related brain areas, similar to mapping configurations previously found to support spatial navigation in animals.

A man in a blue shirt and khakis standing in front of rows of students sitting at desks.

In the pursuit of happiness, a new class leads the charge

The course, taught by Positive Psychology’s James Pawelski, not only gives students an intellectual understanding of the subject but asks them to practice what they’re learning.

A smarter way to think about willpower

Angela Duckworth of the School of Arts and Sciences and Katherine Milkman of the Wharton School are among co-authors of an op-ed about self-control. While many believe Americans’ willpower is on the decline, the authors write, “the scant scientific evidence on the question suggests that if anything, the capacity to delay gratification may be increasing.”

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