Providing "targeted" social support to other people in need activates regions of the brain involved in parental care – which may help researchers understand the positive health effects of social ties, reports a study in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society.

Spotting a bully is more nuanced than it might seem because there is a difference between general aggressive behavior and bullying. They are not the same thing, according to the findings of a new paper by a University at Buffalo psychologist who is among the country’s leading authorities on aggression, bullying and peer victimization.

Mothers want the best for their sons, but what happens to a mother’s hopes and dreams when her son is charged as a juvenile offender?

For children of lesbian or gay parents, the psychological adjustment is about the same as in children of heterosexual parents, reports a study in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

From pugs to Labradoodles to huskies, dogs are our faithful companions. They live with us, play with us and even sleep with us. But how did a once nocturnal, fearsome wolf-like animal evolve over tens of thousands of years to become beloved members of our family? And what can dogs tell us about human health? Through the power of genomics, scientists have been comparing dog and wolf DNA to try and identify the genes involved in domestication.

In-game purchasing systems, such as ‘loot boxes’, in popular online games resemble gambling and may pose financial risks for vulnerable players, according to gambling psychology researchers at the University of Adelaide.