ScienceDaily: Living Well News

Researchers have found an unexpected difference between men and women. On average, their studies show, men pick up on visual motion significantly faster than women do.

A new study finds that one in 15 Americans (or 6.5 percent) over the age of 40 experiences phantom odors. The study is the first in the US to use nationally representative data to examine the prevalence of and risk factors for phantom odor perception. The study could inform future research aiming to unlock the mysteries of phantom odors.

Two-year-old children were taught novel words in predictable and unpredictable situations. Children learned words significantly better in predictable situations.

From love and politics to health and finances, humans can sometimes make decisions that appear irrational, or dictated by an existing bias or belief. But a new study uncovers a surprisingly rational feature of the human brain: a previously held bias can be set aside so that the brain can apply logical, mathematical reasoning to the decision at hand.

A blood test conducted as early as the 10th week of pregnancy may help identify women at risk for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related condition that poses potentially serious health risks for mothers and infants, according to researchers.

The use of Internet of Things devices in the classroom can have major educational benefits and appeal to both genders if designed and used in the right way, according to new research.

Breaking with the long-held idea that working memory has fixed limits, a new study suggests that these limits adapt themselves to the task that one is performing.

Eating white button mushrooms can create subtle shifts in the microbial community in the gut, which could improve the regulation of glucose in the liver, according to a team of researchers. They also suggest that better understanding this connection between mushrooms and gut microbes in mice could one day pave the way for new diabetes treatments and prevention strategies for people.

High maternal levels of the stress hormone cortisol during pregnancy increase anxious and depressive-like behaviors in female offspring at the age of 2, reports a new study. The effect of elevated maternal cortisol on the negative offspring behavior appeared to result from patterns of stronger communication between brain regions important for sensory and emotion processing. The findings emphasize the importance of prenatal conditions for susceptibility of later mental health problems in offspring.

Researchers closely examined a series of studies on resilience in adults that report most people are unaffected by adversity. Psychologists discovered problems with how many of the studies were designed and how the data were analyzed. In a new article, the researchers explain the problems and re-evaluate adult resilience research and find that most people struggle to some degree following adversity and then recover after a period of time.

New research shows the structure of educational tracking can lead evaluators to favor high over low socioeconomic status students in tracking decisions.

When it comes to making new friends, status symbols actually repel people from making friends with us, according to new research.

Whether individuals grow up in a working-class environment or in an academic household, they take on behaviors that are typical for their class -- so goes the hypothesis. A social-psychologist has now found new evidence to support this hypothesis. Her study also shows, however, that people don't just rigidly exhibit class-specific behavior, but respond flexibly to counterparts from other social classes.

New research has found a novel method to extend the battery life of smartphones for up to an hour each day.