Artificial Intelligence, particularly large language models like ChatGPT, has become a hot button topic. This week, we hit pause and ask the question, how does AI impact social interactions? Join us as we share the findings from a recent study on how AI influences conversation speed, the use of positive language, cooperation, and affiliation, as well as people's perceptions of AI-aided communication

TLDR: Use of AI led to more efficient and emotionally positive conversations as well as increased cooperation and affiliation, despite overt use of AI being perceived negatively.

Links:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230405112130.htm

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-30938-9

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instagram.com/thelabdoctors

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Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031 

Email: [email protected]

Have you wondered why people join cults? In most cases, there are many factors that may make someone susceptible to cults. These inclusde self-factors like emotional vulnerability, high levels of stress, or lack of social support. Furthermore, some cults use manipulation tactics, coercion, or intimidation, all of which can result in serious consequences for the individual and community. 

TLDR: Individual susceptibility to cults is influenced by factors such as emotional vulnerability, unmanageable stress, weak social support system, and falling prey to the manipulation tactics of cults

Links:

https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1993.73.2.451

https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/the-psychology-behind-cults

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instagram.com/thelabdoctors

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Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031 

Email: [email protected]

Can a new "magic pill" be the solution for managing weight? Researchers at UT Health San Antonio investigated the role of magnesium, and specifically a magnesium transporter on mitochondria called Mrs2, on energy and metabolism. Find out how mice without Mrs2 fared against wildtype mice when fed a normal vs Western (read: high fat) diet, and whether magnesium blockers are the key to weight control. 

TLDR: Mice lacking the gene responsible for promoting magnesium transport into mitochondria showed improved metabolism and less weight gain on a high-fat diet, which can now be replicated using a new small-molecule drug.

Links:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230322082730.htm

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(23)00166-3

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instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031 

Email: [email protected]

Emotional intelligence, or where you fall on the emotional quotient (EQ), involves the ability to recognize and manage one’s own and others’ emotions. This week we talk about the five key components of emotional intelligence and the factors that can affect development including genetics and childhood experiences. Finally, we present the RULER model for developing emotional intelligence.

TLDR: Emotional intelligence has been linked to improved wellbeing and quality of life, and can be developed using the RULER (recognize, understand, label, express, and regulate) model

Links:

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/low-emotional-intelligence

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/low-emotional-lintelligence

https://pg.casel.org/ruler-approach/

https://howwefeel.org/

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instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031 

Email: [email protected]

The premise of HBO's 'The Last of Us' may seem far-fetched, but how implausible is a fungal pandemic? Can fungi make us zombies? Should we be concerned? What role does climate change play in this? Tune in as we answer these questions and give you the lowdown on the latest research on heat-adapted fungi and the current culrpits that we should be wary of.

TLDR: Whilst a zombie apocalypse may not be of immediate concern, climate change and rising temperatures could lead to the emergence of pandemic-level, heat-adapted fungi

Links:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230131160543.htm

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2209831120

https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/the-last-of-us-apocalypse-is-not-realistic-but-rising-threat-of-fungal-pathogens-is/

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instagram.com/thelabdoctors

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Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031 

Email: [email protected]

Picture this, it’s really late and you have to wake up early tomorrow, but your streaming platform says, “Next episode starts in..” If you’ve succumbed to the autoplay function, you’re not alone! This week we talk about revenge bedtime procrastination: what it is, why it happens and what you can do to prevent it. 

TLDR: Revenge bedtime procrastination is caused by the complex interaction of emotional regulation, self-control and chronotype (whether you’re a morning person or night owl) 

Links:

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/revenge-bedtime-procrastination

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00611/full

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00252/full

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00077/full

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031 

Email: [email protected]

Do you ever feel like the weekend is too short? Would you take a pay cut to work one less day? This week we look at the largest, coordinated 4 day work week trial to date, involving 2,900 employees from various industries. Listen along as we go through the types of 4 day work weeks as well as how this model impacted employee wellbeing and company revenue.

TLDR: Moving to a 4 day work week with no loss of pay led to improvements in employee wellbeing and work-life balance and no compromise in company productivity targets. 

Links:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230221113132.htm

https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/fourdayweek

https://autonomy.work/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/The-results-are-in-The-UKs-four-day-week-pilot.pdf

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031 

Email: [email protected]

Do you ever get hangry, or is hunger purely biological for you? This week, we explore the link between hunger and emotion. Several groups have investigated different aspects of this phenomenon, from studying the effect of low blood glucose levels on stress and anxiety in rats, to using experience sampling to understand how hunger affects emotional outcomes in individuals’ everyday lives.

TLDR: Low blood glucose has been linked to stress and anxiety in rats, whilst a human study found that self-reported hunger was significantly associated with anger, irritability, and decreased pleasure.

Links:

https://joinzoe.com/learn/hunger-what-happens-in-body

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180925115218.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220706153034.htm

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]

Research suggests that women sleep slightly more than men, however, this can vary from person to person. In this episode, we explore the complex relationship between gender and sleep, including hormonal and neurological differences. We also discuss the impact of unpaid labour, varying perceptions, and societal expectations on sleep quality.

TLDR: Whilst gender can influence how much sleep we need, this may differ greatly amongst different individuals

Links:

https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/do-women-need-more-sleep

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/women-sleep/do-women-need-more-sleep-than-men

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24956068/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4164903/

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]

Can exercise be a bad thing? Enter: Exercise dependence (or in severe cases, exercise addiction). As we discuss this week’s study investigating the relationship between exercise and two forms of escapism, self-expansion or self-suppression, think about your exercise behaviour. Is it adaptive or maladaptive, are you promoting motivation or just avoiding your problems?

TLDR: Exercise may provide an escape, but you should be aware if you are using it for self-expansion or self-suppression, as the latter has been linked to exercise addiction and reduced well-being.

Links:

https://neurosciencenews.com/running-maladaprive-escapism-22359/

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1035196/full

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]