BPS Research Digest
Your free, fortnightly roundup of the latest psychology research from the British Psychological Society.
-
Taking A Placebo Can Reduce Anxiety Before An Exam — Even When You Know The Pills Are Inert
By Matthew Warren. But the findings are preliminary and need replication.
-
How To Cope Under Pressure, According To Psychology
By Emma Young. A positive mindset helps — but support from others can sometimes backfire.
-
Instagrammers Who Post Lots Of Selfies Are Judged As Less Likeable And More Insecure
By Emma Young. But people who pose for photos taken by someone else are viewed more positively.
-
When False Claims Are Repeated, We Start To Believe They Are True — Here’s How Behaving Like A Fact-Checker Can Help
By Matthew Warren. We can minimise the "illusory truth effect" by comparing information against our own knowledge when we first encounter it.
-
“Politically Incorrect” Speakers Are Seen As More Authentic — Especially If The Audience Already Shares Their Views
By Emma Young. People's political beliefs influence how they perceive users of un-PC language.