Posted by Steve Lee, Editor Online Only, Top Highlights, Around the Nation Friday, February 5th, 2016 Megan Robbins RIVERSIDE, Calif.  – Megan Robbins, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, is looking to recruit 150 same- and opposite-sex married (or marriage-like) couples for a new study that will look at how couples interact in their daily lives. “I became interested in how lesbian and gay couples communicate after a study I did on how couples interact during a stressful period of their lives,” explained >>>

JUDY WOODRUFF: Next, in case you’re been asleep, this is Super Bowl weekend. The heavily favored Carolina Panthers will face off against the Denver Broncos on Sunday for football’s biggest prize. Hari Sreenivasan has our story. HARI SREENIVASAN: A TV audience of well over 100 million is expected to tune in to see the Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton go head-to-head with sentimental favorite Peyton Manning leading the Denver Broncos. Both teams spent this week in preparations. The game caps a season of big rivalries, bigger setbacks and some surprise comebacks. In a new book, “This >>>

 Western Illinois University’s Specialist of Psychology Schools anounced it had renewed their nationally accredited program on Feb. 2.  Ruth Kelly, a psychology professor and coordinator of the Specialist in School Psychology Program shared that accreditation is renewed every seven years.  “I think that there are over 200 schools around the country with accreditation,” Kelly said. “Within the state of Illinois, there are eight programs right now that are accredited, so we’re one of eight.”  Professor and Interim Psychology Chairperson Karen Sears described how she feels rewarded >>>

Out of the scientific left field (okay, the department of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford) has come a study claiming that, barring hangovers or “did I really send that?” texts, regular face time at a bar isn’t a bad thing. It’s actually good for your health. The study, commissioned by the pub advocacy group Campaign for Real Ale, evaluated the drinking behaviors of 2,254 respondents throughout the U.K. The researchers found that, compared with people who check out different bars, folks who frequent the same local dives “have more close friends on whom they can depend >>>

Location: YU Meeting Room 204

This will be a fun introduction to the concept of Positive Psychology! Positive Psychology is one of the newest branches of psychology, and we will have our very own Randy Barker speaking about this up and coming topic.

Please join Student Involvement on Thursday Feb. 18th at 12pm in YU 204. This is a Launching Leader eligible event.

Refreshments will be provided.

by Deborah Haley If you enroll at Valley City State University, you’ll need to take Psychology 111, a class taught by Katie Woehl, assistant professor of psychology. Professor Woehl is in her sixth year of teaching social science classes at VCSU. “I love how VCSU is a friendly campus. I love the people I work with, who really enjoy what they teach,” says Woehl. “We’re able to discuss different ideas and teaching approaches together.” It’s taken Woehl hard work and dedication to get where she is today. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from North Dakota State University >>>

HIGH POINT, N.C., Feb. 5, 2016 – High Point University assistant professor of psychology, Dr. Sadie Leder Elder, was recently invited to give a talk titled, “It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times; Successfully Navigating Life as an Early Career Psychologist” at the teaching pre-conference of the 17th annual Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Conference in San Diego. “This conference is one that I attend annually,” says Elder. “It was a privilege and an honor to be asked to share my experience with others dedicated to the art of teaching.” Elder has >>>

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil The Power of Ideals: The Real Story of Moral Choice Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them Report >>>

There’s a lot of emotion in your work. Where does that come from? My relationship with psychology or ideas around mental health began early because my parents are psychologists. But, personally, I suffered from depression and anxiety. You don’t ever get cured, and that’s why I see art as a valuable tool for processing emotion; you can’t have a therapist with you for the rest of your life, but you can have creation, and creation on your own time. I think it’s important for people to work through things on their own. Art therapy isn’t as safe as your personal practice. Was >>>

  For years, friendships between straight women and gay men have been a subject of pop culture fascination. Books, television shows and feature length films have all highlighted this unique relationship, noted for its closeness and depth. But with society’s attitudes toward gays and lesbians changing, it’s become all the more important to build a holistic understanding of the relationships between gay and straight people. As a researcher in social psychology, I’ve often wondered: why do straight female-gay male relationships work so well? Why are straight women so drawn to having >>>