Psychology Today

“For centuries, psychologists and philosophers have held human consciousness as the gold standard of rationality. I believe that comparing our ‘rationality’ to that of large language models will ultimately reveal the foibles of human consciousness that we hide from ourselves,” explains psychotherapist Ira Israel, LMFT. Here are some essential truths that can be learned by comparing how people think with how LLMs calculate. What has using AI taught you about human nature? Let us know in the comments.

Highly intelligent individuals often struggle to make social connections because their social preferences and styles can be so different from those of most other people.

A defiant child is a major challenge for any parent, but what looks like defiance is often a sign of something very different. Here's what the research shows.

We typically consider someone dead when their heart stops—but fascinating research finds the brain may remain active well after that. What do people remember if they're revived?

There's a growing consensus about the future of depression treatment, and it goes beyond medication. "For decades, the dominant narrative has been that depression is a brain disease that can be reversed—or at least managed—with antidepressants," writes Justin Garson, but new guidelines published in The Lancet focus on four different pillars for healing depression: 1. Exercise. Physical activity directly targets inflammation, metabolism, sleep, and our response to stress—the exact factors that tend to break down when someone is experiencing depression. 2. Sleep. When we can't adequately rest, it becomes harder to regulate our mood, largely due to the impact on the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and stress hormones. The current consensus favors cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and not sleeping pills, as the first line of defense for sleep issues. 3. Diet. What you eat is partially tied to a healthy gut-brain axis. Your gut microbiome can become impoverished by ultra-processed foods and refined sugars, leading to depression risk factors such as inflammation, poor immune response, and increased stress hormones. 4. Psychotherapy. The authors of the review note that SSRIs can help, but they work best in the context of a productive therapeutic relationship. "The newer recommendations for depression aren’t just a matter of supplementing the status quo," writes Garson. "They point toward a shift that is likely to transform how we think about and treat depression." Share your thoughts, and follow the link in the comments to learn more.

Caregiver burnout is real, but we don't always make the healthiest choices to deal with it. Here are some ways to pick self-care activities that will nourish your physical and mental health over the long run, from Maggie Kang, M.D.

If you're prone to either of these two "annoying" habits, research suggests you may be wiser than you or anyone else thinks.

"Good listening can be hard at first," says clinical psychologist Ellen Hendriksen. "It’s much more tempting to do something else simultaneously, talk about your own experience, or offer advice." Some of the best listeners share certain behaviors that help them to really tune into and support another person. Here's how to emulate them. How helpful do you find these habits in your conversations? Let us know in the comments. Do you know someone who should read this? Share it with them.

When you're down, you should be able to count on a friend to help lift you up. If someone in your circle lets you down or shows these other red flags, though, it might be time for a break.

Does it seem like some people are just naturally unlucky, encountering one disaster after another? There's a word for that, and a growing body of research about why these patterns emerge.