Medicine & Health

Janine Bijsterbosch, an assistant professor of radiology at the School of Medicine, is part of a team of five co-principal investigators studying how symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress — together known as anxious misery — affect functional brain networks. The team received a $3.6 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

A sense of well-being can have a profound impact on health, especially for the aging brain. Higher levels of well-being have been robustly associated with a lower risk for future dementia, according to WashU psychology researchers who contributed to this year’s World Happiness Report.

In new research published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers at Washington University make the case that “thrive factors” are a key element of healthy human brain, behavioral and cognitive development. The five thrive factors include: environmental stimulation, nutrition, neighborhood safety, positive caregiving and regular sleep.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found that the pandemic changed personality traits, in that people became more conscientious and extraversion dropped.

In a new study, Seanna Leath, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, explores the benefits of the Black Girl Magic Crew, an after-school program designed by Black women and girls to help girls feel encouraged and supported.

Children ages 3 to 6 who have had clinical depression are more likely than their peers to have attempted suicide or to have had thoughts of killing themselves by age 12, according to a new study by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis.

Researchers at the School of Medicine have found important clues to how people make choices involving obtaining information about the future. The scientists identified a set of mental rules that governs decision-making about rewards.

The Association for Psychological Science has recognized three members of the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis — Calvin Lai and Renee Thompson as fellows and Jessie Sun as a “Rising Star.”

Research from Washington University in St. Louis shows profiles on dating apps that indicate a sense of purpose are rated more attractive than those without. The study was published in the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology.

Some Source stories from years past continue to attract new readers. Here, we check in with WashU researchers in linguistics, psychology, engineering and other disciplines to learn more about their work and how the research has progressed.