behavior

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House Speaker Begs for 'Decorum' at State of Union

Mike Johnson reportedly put out the plea on Wednesday during closed-door GOP session

(Newser) - President Biden is set to deliver his State of the Union address on Thursday night, and the speaker of the House is already trying in advance to reign in lawmakers on the Republican side. "Decorum is the order of the day," Mike Johnson reportedly warned during a closed-door...

Study: Older Mothers Raise More Emotionally Secure Kids

Their kids have fewer emotional and behavioral problems

(Newser) - Doctors have long warned women about the physical risks of having children later in life, but a team of scientists out of Denmark is reporting in the European Journal of Developmental Psychology that there are also benefits to rearing children later in life, and these benefits tend to be emotional....

Tell-Tale Sign of Alzheimer's: Personality Changes

Many patients who go on to develop dementia first exhibit mood problems

(Newser) - Scientists who currently look at mild cognitive impairment as an early indicator of Alzheimer's might have another tell-tale sign: Moodiness or behavioral changes, which they say show up in people who develop full-blown dementia. Researchers at the University of Calgary are proposing that doctors begin to use a 34-question...

Lesbian Parents Do It Better
 Lesbian Parents Do It Better 
Jun 8, 2010 5:02 PM CDT

Lesbian Parents Do It Better

Their kids have higher self-esteem, confidence

(Newser) - Children raised by lesbian parents perform better academically and exhibit better mental health than their peers raised by heterosexual couples, a new study found. Researchers found that kids raised by female-female couples had higher self-esteem and confidence, and showed fewer instances of rule-breaking and aggression, reports Time .

Texas Town's Schools Bring Back the Paddle

'A good crack might not be a bad idea,' says resident

(Newser) - A small town in Texas is reviving an old disciplinary technique: hitting students with paddles. Temple lifted its ban on the practice last May. Without paddling, "there were no consequences for kids," says the head of the school board, who adds that high school students have become much...

Biologists: Drive to Help Others 'Innate'

Hard-wired helpfulness separates us from chimps

(Newser) - An inborn urge to be helpful may a key universal trait that makes us distinctively human, according to biologists. Experiments have found that babies just 12 months old are naturally helpful—pointing to help an adult find a lost item, for example—while chimpanzees aren't. The helpful instinct was found...

Shrinks Single Out Next PTSD: Bitterness

Over-the-top reactions to being thwarted may signal mental illness

(Newser) - Some psychiatrists believe embitterment is so common and so destructive that it should be classed as a mental illness, the Los Angeles Times reports. Sufferers are described as people who have worked hard at something like a job or relationship, only to be transformed into angry, pessimistic, brooding individuals consumed...

ADHD Signs Tied to Lack of Sleep

Kids getting less than 8 hours show most hyperactivity

(Newser) - Kids who get enough sleep may be less likely to show signs of ADHD or other behavioral issues, the BBC reports. A Finnish study of 280 healthy kids aged 7 and 8 found that those who slept less than 8 hours were most hyperactive. Researchers say a third of US...

Playtime Teaches Kids 'Executive Function'

Emphasis on developing 'executive function' helps control behavior

(Newser) - Preschool teachers are adopting new techniques to control students’ behavior that focus on impulse control, the Wall Street Journal reports. Seeking to counter a growing trend in rowdiness among young students, progressive curricula involve structured daily playtime during which kids take an imaginary trip to a pretend destination. Each plays...

I'm Not Out of Control: Winehouse

Singer says bad behavior is her idea of fun

(Newser) - Despite photos and reports that suggest otherwise, Amy Winehouse says she isn’t a drunken mess—wreaking havoc at a Caribbean resort is her idea of a good time. “I’m not out of control,” she tells the Daily Mail. “Yes, I’ve had a few drinks,...

Red Really Is the Color of Lust
 Red Really Is the Color of Lust 
Oct 28, 2008 7:57 PM CDT

Red Really Is the Color of Lust

(Newser) - Ladies looking to attract a man can ditch their magazines and follow some simple advice instead: Wear something red. So say researchers at the University of Rochester, who conducted five scientific-sounding experiments to conclude that men aren't all that complicated. The test subjects, all undergrads, judged women as sexier and...

'Social Siberia' Isn't Just a Metaphor

Icy behavior cools body temperatures: study

(Newser) - Icy stares and chilly receptions can leave you feeling—well, cold. Metaphors about social behavior, like "warm welcome" and "cold shoulder," seem to relate to physical reality, new research finds. People who had experienced and recalled social rejection perceived a 5-degree temperature drop in the lab and...

Dubai Cracks Down on Nude Tourists

79 people detained by 'decency police'

(Newser) - It hasn't been all fun and games for Western vacationers on Dubai beaches, thanks to  decency police who have detained 79 people in recent days for topless sunbathing and nudity, AP reports. The Muslim city-state is attracting hordes of foreign sun seekers, who are being scrutinized by cops on the...

Unruly Kids Don't Do Worse in School

Studies show many youngsters grow out of behavior problems

(Newser) - In what will surely be balm to desperate parents—and an annoyance to school administrators—the New York Times pairs two new studies that find kids with early behavior problems may be more likely to grow out of them than is commonly thought. In one, researchers looked at over 16,...

Additives Do Make Kids Hyper
Additives Do Make Kids Hyper
Sep 6, 2007 6:39 AM CDT

Additives Do Make Kids Hyper

British study links chemicals to disruptive behavior; government issues warning

(Newser) - Adding fuel to a long-simmering debate, a British study has found that additives in sweets and soft drinks can indeed produce hyperactivity and disruptive behavior in children. The findings were so dramatic that the British government is issuing guidelines warning parents of kids with behavioral problems to avoid foods containing...

Day Care Kids Learn to Act Up
Day Care Kids Learn to Act Up
Mar 26, 2007 10:55 AM CDT

Day Care Kids Learn to Act Up

Study finds preschoolers in day care

(Newser) - Day care centers enlarge kids' vocabularies--and teach them how to act up, too, says a study that’s followed 1,300 children from birth through 6th grade. Although parental guidance and genes were the strongest predictor of behavior, who attended day care as preschoolers were slightly more likely to be...

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