ScienceDaily: Mind & Brain News

Seeing a larger number of species on urban coastlines -- from marine animals to seaweed -- is likely to improve the wellbeing of local people and visitors, new research has revealed.  The findings provide further evidence that biodiversity brings wide-ranging benefits.   Studies of land-based environments such as meadows, woodlands, and city parks have shown that people often find places that contain lots of different types of plant and animal life to be more visually pleasing and interesting, as well as more likely to relieve stress.   However, we know much less about seashore species and whether they generate the same positive feelings that land-based wildlife does, despite almost half of the world's population living close to the coast.

Can people who understand the emotions of others better interpret emotions conveyed through music? A new study by an international team of researchers suggests the abilities are linked.

A new study associates some types of shunts used after epilepsy surgery with brains shifting toward the side of the skull.

The condition, known as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), can result in severe brain damage, which is why researchers are studying the condition to evaluate how HIE is treated and develop new, more effective options.

Learning from others can mitigate harmful risk aversion, even if the others we learn from tend to avoid risky, but profitable decisions themselves. This is shown in mathematical modelling and large-scale online experiments by social psychologists.

Stress and trauma during adolescence can lead to long-term health consequences such as psychiatric disorders, which may arise from neurodevelopmental effects on brain circuitry. A new study has used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the effects of acute stress and 'polyvicitimization,' or repeated traumas, on three brain networks in adolescents.