{"title":"Acute isolation is associated with increased reward seeking and reward learning in human adolescents.","authors":"Livia Tomova, Emily Towner, Kirsten Thomas, Lei Zhang, Stefano Palminteri, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00306-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44271-025-00306-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Social connection, a basic human need, is vital during adolescence. How a lack of connection impacts adolescent behaviour is unclear. To address this question, we employed experimental short-term isolation with and without access to virtual social interactions (iso total; iso with media; order counterbalanced, both compared to a separate baseline session). Using computational modelling and linear mixed-effects models, we assessed how isolation impacts self-reported loneliness, reward seeking and reward learning in adolescents (N = 40) aged 16-19 years. Self-reported state loneliness increased as a function of duration of isolation. When participants had access to virtual interactions, they self-reported less state loneliness during isolation. Isolation was associated with faster decisions to exert effort for rewards and improved reward learning. These effects were stronger in participants who reported higher state loneliness following isolation. These results demonstrate that, in adolescents, isolation is associated with higher reward responsiveness, a key driver of motivation and decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"135"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12413320/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145007018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Malin Brueckmann, Justin Hachenberger, Elke Wild, Sakari Lemola
{"title":"Repetitive negative thinking mediates the relationship between self-esteem and burnout in an ecological momentary assessment study.","authors":"Malin Brueckmann, Justin Hachenberger, Elke Wild, Sakari Lemola","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00318-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44271-025-00318-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Low self-esteem and repetitive negative thinking are associated with higher burnout risk among university students at the between-person level. However, there is increasing evidence that associations identified in between-person analyses do not always reflect processes occurring within individuals. Therefore, we conducted a four-week ecological momentary assessment study with N = 96 students during an examination period. Results showed that higher self-esteem was followed by feeling less burnt out on a within-day and day-to-day level. Also, higher self-esteem was followed by lower repetitive negative thinking (i.e., rumination on the within-day level and pre-sleep worry on the day-to-day level), which in turn was followed by feeling less burnt out. Mediation analyses showed that a substantial proportion of the associations between self-esteem and feeling burnt out was mediated by repetitive negative thinking at both the within- and between-person level. In addition, we also found evidence of a reverse temporal sequence. Higher levels of burnout were followed by an increase in repetitive negative thinking, which in turn led to lower self-esteem. Finally, self-esteem instability partially moderated the associations of self-esteem and subsequent pre-sleep worry and burnout at the within-person but not between-person level. These findings imply that there may be a bidirectional relationship between self-esteem, repetitive negative thinking, and burnout, indicating a possible vicious cycle that could perpetuate psychological distress. Future studies should examine these dynamics more closely to better understand their causal interplay and implications for intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"134"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12397341/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144984981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ava Q Ma de Sousa, Miriam E Schwyck, Laura Furtado Fernandes, Ezra Ford, Begüm G Babür, Chang Lu, Jacob C Zimmerman, Hongbo Yu, Shannon M Burns, Elisa C Baek
{"title":"Loneliness is associated with unstable and distorted emotion transition predictions.","authors":"Ava Q Ma de Sousa, Miriam E Schwyck, Laura Furtado Fernandes, Ezra Ford, Begüm G Babür, Chang Lu, Jacob C Zimmerman, Hongbo Yu, Shannon M Burns, Elisa C Baek","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00310-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44271-025-00310-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Loneliness is associated with disruptions in socio-cognitive processes, including altered self-other representations and atypical processing of external stimuli. Here, we examine whether loneliness is characterized by altered expectations of emotion transitions for both oneself and others, which may contribute to the observed disruptions in socio-cognitive processes and pose challenges for social connection. Drawing on data from seven studies (total N = 1730; N<sub>Study1</sub> = 113; N<sub>Study2</sub> = 185; N<sub>Study3</sub> = 376; N<sub>Study4</sub> = 91; N<sub>Study5</sub> = 68; N<sub>Study6</sub> = 41; N<sub>Study7</sub> = 856) using a validated emotion transition task, we found that lonely individuals hold atypical expectations about both their own and others' likelihoods to transition between emotions and are less accurate at predicting others' emotion transitions. While lonely participants relied less on their own emotion transition patterns when predicting others' emotions, they also showed a response pattern that may reflect reduced confidence, suggesting they use a less stable or altered strategy for predicting others. Furthermore, lonely individuals perceived others as more volatile, expecting them to switch emotion valence states more frequently and be less likely to maintain the same emotion state. At the same time, they viewed themselves as more likely to shift away from positive states. Altogether, these findings suggest that loneliness is associated with unstable, inaccurate expectations of emotion continuity in others and a bias against sustaining positive emotions in the self-patterns that may contribute to challenges in social interactions and reinforce feelings of isolation.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"132"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12394594/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144985271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Psychology should move from selective allyship to empowered actions to tackle global crises.","authors":"Maja Kutlaca, Helena R M Radke, Özden Melis Uluğ","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00316-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44271-025-00316-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"133"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12394616/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144985012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dakota D Witzel, Eric S Cerino, Robert S Stawski, Gillian Porter, Amanda D Black, Raechel A Livingston, Jonathan Rush, Jacqueline Mogle, Susan T Charles, Jennifer R Piazza, David M Almeida
{"title":"Daily association between perceived control and resolution of daily stressors strengthens across a decade of adulthood.","authors":"Dakota D Witzel, Eric S Cerino, Robert S Stawski, Gillian Porter, Amanda D Black, Raechel A Livingston, Jonathan Rush, Jacqueline Mogle, Susan T Charles, Jennifer R Piazza, David M Almeida","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00313-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44271-025-00313-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Greater perceived control is often associated with better responses to life's stressors. One reason for this link may be that greater perceived control is related to the ability to resolve these stressful experiences. Using longitudinal data from the National Study of Daily Experiences (N = 1766, Mage = 56.25, SD = 12.20, 57% women, 43% men), we examined associations between perceived control over daily stressors and the likelihood of stressor resolution, and how associations varied over a decade. In two waves conducted in ~2005 and ~2015, participants reported perceived control and resolution of their daily stressors across eight consecutive days. Generalized multilevel models adjusted for trends across days and waves, as well as number of stressors, gender, education, and race. People experiencing greater stressor control across the study days were more likely to report stressor resolution (OR = 1.92, 95%CI: 1.74-2.13, p < 0.001). Further, individuals were more likely to report stressor resolution on days when they reported greater control over their stressors than usual (OR = 1.66, 95%CI: 1.57-1.77, p < 0.001). This within-person association increased in magnitude across waves (OR = 1.21, 95%CI: 1.06-1.39, p < 0.01), resulting in a stronger association between stressor control and resolution when individuals were 10 years older (OR = 1.89, 95%CI: 1.69-2.12, p < 0.001). Results indicate perceived control is a psychosocial correlate of stressor resolution and an important appraisal resource for daily stress processes across the adult lifespan.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"130"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12390833/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144985295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Processing in working memory boosts long-term memory representations and their retrieval.","authors":"Melinda Sabo, Daniel Schneider","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00309-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44271-025-00309-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prior research has explored how working memory influences the formation of new long-term memories, but its role in modifying existing representations remains unclear. This study examines whether attentional prioritization and testing in working memory enhance long-term memory retrieval and investigates the underlying neural mechanisms. Eighty-six participants completed a three-phase memory task combining a long-term memory-with a working memory retro-cue paradigm. First, participants learned object-location associations. Next, during a working memory task, some objects have undergone attentional prioritization and testing, others have only been tested in working memory. Finally, participants retrieved the object locations from long-term memory. Three key findings emerged: (1) both attentional prioritization and testing in working memory improved long-term memory retrieval; (2) serving as a probe in working memory further contributed to long-term memory enhancement, with benefits observed at behavioral and neural levels; and (3) cross-phase decoding revealed a comparable representational format for location information across task phases, possibly explained by the neural reinstatement of location information across phases. These results suggest that working memory dynamically shapes long-term memory representations, playing a more active and integrated role in long-term memory formation than previously thought.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"129"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12381095/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144984984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"People overlook subtractive solutions to mental health problems.","authors":"Tom J Barry, Nadia Adelina","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00312-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44271-025-00312-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To solve problems, people tend to add new components to them rather than subtract from them. Across eight experimental and naturalistic studies, we examined if more additive (to start something new or do more) than subtractive advice (to stop or do less) is given when humans and artificial intelligence give mental health advice. Compared to subtractive advice, additive advice was recommended more frequently and was rated as more effective and feasible. Several moderators of this effect are explored: Older people are more additive than younger people, who we are advising (e.g., strangers/friends) matters, as does the type of pre-existing mental health-affecting activities (e.g., gambling versus avoiding exercise). People overlook subtractive advice when advising others and instead tell them to do more. Future research must explore the contribution of this additive advice bias to people's sense of being overwhelmed.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"128"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12368146/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144984995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kwang S Kim, Nick M Kitchen, Takashi Mitsuya, Ludo Max
{"title":"Auditory-motor adaptation and de-adaptation for speech depend more on time in the new environment than on the amount of practice.","authors":"Kwang S Kim, Nick M Kitchen, Takashi Mitsuya, Ludo Max","doi":"10.1038/s44271-025-00304-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44271-025-00304-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sensorimotor adaptation is critical for learning and refining voluntary movements. One common assumption is that the number of practice trials fully determines the amount of adaptation. It is possible, however, that for some tasks the sensorimotor system continues to learn during the time in-between executed movements as long as there is no evidence that the environment has changed. The amount of time spent in the altered environment (total exposure time) then would be more important than the number of practice movements performed during that time. In the current study, we investigated adaptation and de-adaptation as a function of practice trials versus exposure time using speech articulation as the model system. Four separate groups of 14 participants read out loud monosyllabic words at a rate of either 18 words per minute or only 6 words per minute during the adaptation and de-adaptation phases of a speaking task with formant-shifted auditory feedback. The data demonstrate that both auditory-motor adaptation and de-adaptation depend more on exposure time than amount of practice. COIN model simulations suggest that this common effect is consistent with de-adaptation constituting active re-learning of the unaltered environment rather than forgetting of the learned behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":501698,"journal":{"name":"Communications Psychology","volume":"3 1","pages":"127"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12360952/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144877789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}