Despite being littered (ahem) with causal inferences, this story on the relationship between cat populations and country-level happiness provides an excellent example of a correlational moderator. The NYPost covered the research, which originally appeared in the empirical journal, PLOSOne. The study found that countries with more cats had higher levels of happiness. But there was …
Category: Chapter 09; Multivariate Correlation Research
“The surprising health benefits of reading a book”
We have AI to read books for us now, of course. But in the olden days, many humans would curl up with a bound set of paper and read the words on it. Reading actual books for pleasure is less popular than ever, though many of us still do it! Reading is associated with several …
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The younger kids are when they start social media, the lower their grades are later on
We're in an era when countries like Australia and the U.K. are banning social media for kids under 16, most U.S. states are keeping phones out of schools "from bell to bell," and parents are figuring out just how much time online is good for kids. Here's a new study on how social media use …
GLP-1 drugs and addiction
GLP-1 drugs have become widely prescribed and used; their original use was to help people, originally those with Type II diabetes, lose weight. People who take them often notice they experience less "food noise," or internal chatter. As the use of these drugs has become widespread, users have also noticed that they are less interested …
Social anxiety and loneliness over time (cross-lag design)
The study used a cross-lag panel design to establish temporal precedence. Photo: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock People who are socially anxious are often lonely, too. But which comes first? Loneliness is a perceived lack of social connection. Loneliness arises when there is a mismatch between the social relationships a person desires and those they actually have. It …
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Claim: Using smartphones on the toilet increases hemorrhoid risk
The study found that people who use their smartphone on the toilet are more likely to have hemorrhoids. How strong is their evidence? Photo: Svitlana Hulko/Shutterstock Is there any relationship between using your smartphone on the toilet and your hemorrhoid risk? Let's get into it. A study on this topic did find an association. …
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Emoji use predicts narcissism
Were all the variables in this study measured? Were any manipulated? Photo: Caftor/Shutterstock Psychology Today columnist Sebastian Ocklenburg summarized a recent study under the headline, The Dark Side of Emojis: A Surprising Link to Narcissism. Let's take a look. It's a recent correlational study that tested the link between various personality traits and emoji use. …
Childhood physical activity and teen depression
The study found that kids who spent more time in physical activity during ages 6-9 were less likely to be depressed at age 15. Photo: PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/Shutterstock The online magazine Study Finds has a new summary of a developmental psychology study. The headline focuses on the relationship between childhood screen time and teen …
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Emotional and behavioral outcomes of bed-sharing with infants
Is this non-bed-sharing baby more or less likely to show emotional or behavioral symptoms? Photo: morrowlight/Shutterstock Bed sharing, in which parents sleep in the same bed with their infants, is a fairly common practice in North America and the United Kingdom. Parents who bed-share sometimes do so to facilitate breastfeeding, or because they believe it …
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Can stress turn your hair gray?
Correlational and experimental research seems to converge on the conclusion that stress causes gray hair. Photo: Kunlathida6242/Shutterstock Can stress turn your hair gray? Here's a story on gray hair research, written by a New York Times science journalist. In our culture, we certainly believe that gray hair can be caused (in some cases at least) …