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A UNIGE study shows that connected devices can gather valuable data to help prevent neurological and mental disorders. Can smartphones or smartwatches help detect early signs of neurological or mental illness? Researchers at the University of Geneva monitored a group of participants wearing connected devices, and used artificial intelligence to analyse data such as heart rate, physical activity, sleep and air pollution.

A study conducted by two researchers at the Institute of Psychology at the University of Lausanne sheds light on the impact of personality on the way we feel and control our emotions. The research questions the effectiveness of two strategies commonly used to manage emotions. Learning to manage our emotions is a daily challenge, both to preserve our personal equilibrium and to promote harmonious relations with others.

More and more young adults abstain from entering committed romantic relationships, and this may be affecting their well-being. A new study conducted at the University of Zurich shows that long-term singles experience a sharper decline in life satisfaction over time and feel lonelier and more depressed - especially in their late twenties.

Researchers at the University of Basel have developed a tool that measures when people engage in dialog across political divides. The results show that personal factors play a greater role in people's willingness to engage in dialog than the controversial nature of a topic. "Democracy thrives on political discourse," says Dr Melissa Jauch, a research associate in the Department of Social Psychology at the University of Basel.

A study by the University of Zurich, based on policy changes in Spain, shows that teenagers drink significantly less alcohol when the minimum legal drinking age is raised. In addition, a reduction in drinking also leads to improved academic performance and mental health. These findings could be relevant for Switzerland as well.

A study led by EPFL shows that Urolithin A, a natural compound, can abolish high anxiety in rats by repairing mitochondrial function in their brain cells, specifically in the nucleus accumbens. The findings open a new avenue for approaches to help reduce anxiety. Anxiety disorders affects millions of people worldwide, with about 14% experiencing an anxiety disorder in any given year.

A study led by EPFL shows that Urolithin A, a natural compound, can abolish high anxiety in rats by repairing mitochondrial function in their brain cells, specifically in the nucleus accumbens. The findings open a new avenue for effective and possibly side effect-free nutritional approaches to help reduce anxiety.

A team from the University of Geneva has shown that hearing loss, combined with feelings of loneliness, accelerates cognitive decline in older adults. Isolation, communication difficulties, reduced alertness - hearing impairment or loss is a real challenge in daily life. Over time, it can also become a risk factor for cognitive decline.

As part of the Weed Care study, researchers are investigating how the legal supply of cannabis affects consumption and mental health among participants. In a first academic publication, the study team has now reported on the direct comparison of the substance's legal versus illegal procurement. In Switzerland and several other countries, debates about the legalization of cannabis use have been ongoing for years.

Why do some people do more for the community than others? A new study from the University of Zurich now shows that personality traits such as extraversion and agreeableness correlate with volunteering and charitable giving. People's willingness to do volunteer work or give to charity differs greatly.

Scientists identified a brain circuit where lies the origin the social difficulties experienced by people with autism spectrum disorders. From birth, human survival depends on the ability to engage with others. This ability, which is essential for development, seems to be impaired very early on in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), who show limited interest in social stimuli from their first year of life.

A team from the University of Geneva has shown that customized training can reveal and enhance the socio-emotional skills of individuals with multiple disabilities.

The presence of an unknown person can significantly slow down the speed at which children complete tests. This is the conclusion of a study involving 123 children. This finding is by no means trivial, but underlines the importance of the physical and social environment, as it can influence cognitive control.

Distressing news and traumatic stories can cause stress and anxiety - not only in humans, but also in AI language models, such as ChatGPT. Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich have now shown that these models, like humans, respond to therapy: an elevated "anxiety level" in GPT-4 can be "calmed down" using mindfulness-based relaxation techniques.

New research from the University of Zurich, based on data from more than 28,000 caregivers in three countries, shows that the longer individuals spend caring for loved ones, the more their well-being suffers, regardless of the caregiving context. These findings underscore the need for policy discussions to alleviate the burden of informal care.

The Aztec skull whistle produces a piercing, scream-like sound. According to a study by the University of Zurich, this sound has a strong frightening effect on the human brain. It is assumed that the Aztecs used this effect specifically in their sacrificial rituals in order to influence the participants emotionally.

Fampridine is currently used to improve walking ability in multiple sclerosis. A new study shows that it could also help individuals with reduced working memory, as seen in mental health conditions like schizophrenia or depression. Remembering a code for long enough to type it in; holding a conversation and reacting appropriately to what is being said: in everyday situations like these, we use our working memory.

The right to vote is an important part of a democracy. But not everyone makes use of it. A researcher at the University of Basel has investigated the possible causes of this.

Researchers at the University of Bern have developed a new model for the emergence of consciousness. The model suggests that one day artificial agents, i.e. systems which imitate human thought, could gain consciousness. To regulate our interaction with such systems, the researchers propose an agreement between humans and machines: the 'Human-AI Deal'.

A long-term study by the Universities of Zurich and Utrecht has confirmed a dynamic correlation between self-esteem and sexual satisfaction. The results provide valuable insights about longstanding questions about whether better sex makes you feel better, feeling better makes you have better sex, or both.