Behavioral Health | Penn Today

The psychology of binge-watching

Though binge-watching—and even the way we crave television at all—is a relatively recent phenomenon, the psychology behind why we become consumed in stories is actually a tale as old as time.

New research reveals two simple mindset hacks for making smarter, healthier choices

Emily Falk of the Annenberg School for Communication spoke about self-transcendence and behavior modification. “If you let people first ‘zoom out’ and think about the things and people that matter most to them,” said Falk, “then they see that their self-concept and self-worth aren't tied to this particular behavior–in this case, their lack of physical activity.”

Leading the subconscious to accept healthy encouragement

A study from the Annenberg School for Communication shows that individual's are more receptive to making healthy life choices when motivation stems from others, not the self.

Stigmatizing views and myths about psoriasis are pervasive

New multidisciplinary research involving both psychologists and dermatologists from the Perelman School of Medicine is the first to examine how common this stigma may be among the general population of the United States.

This Penn lab hopes to help young baseball players avoid arm injuries, Tommy John surgery

Samir Mehta and Josh Baxter of the Perelman School of Medicine offered commentary on Penn’s Human Motion Lab, which focuses on preventing injury and on improving performance in athletes.

81-year-old runner is breaking records but says ‘the best is yet to come’

Lyle Unger of the School of Engineering and Applied Science shared his expertise on the relationship between exercise and longevity.

Tobias Nasgarde (left) and Garrett Meccariello, graduate students in the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences program at Penn.

A gentle nudge at the right moment can curb unnecessary spending online

It turns out, reminding people of their financial goals before they start online shopping can reduce unnecessary spending of this kind by almost 25 percent.

How opioids reshape your brain, and what scientists are learning about addiction

Henry Kranzler and Wade Berrettini of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed the role of genetics in addiction and the effects of opioid use on the brain.

Criminologist John MacDonald and emergency medicine physician Eugenia South of the University of Pennsylvania.

Greening vacant lots reduces depression in city dwellers

People living within a quarter mile of greened lots had a 41.5 percent decrease in feelings of depression and a nearly 63 percent decrease in self-reported “poor mental health,” compared to those who lived near the lots that received no intervention.

States should ‘take the long view’ on sin taxes, report says

The Wharton School’s Benjamin Lockwood warned that discouraging unhealthy behaviors with “sin taxes” may generate some revenue, but raising money “shouldn’t be the main rationale for the tax.”

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