Spotlight on relationships, identity and sexuality
Family ties, friendships, love and sexuality are important to our identity and quality of life. Not feeling accepted for who you are or lacking close relationships are risk factors for ill health, research from Karolinska Institutet shows.
Photo: IstockphotoOpenness and acceptance a health factor
By studying homosexuals and bisexuals in 28 European countries, researchers have demonstrated how a country’s laws and attitudes directly impact the health of its citizens.
Photo: martin stenmarkA family regardless of kinship
Researcher Claudia Lampic recommend parents who have children by means of egg or sperm donation talk to their children about how they were conceived at an early stage.
Photo: NASALoneliness a danger to our health
Feeling alone is tough, and it also appears to be detrimental to our physical health, possibly to the same extent as smoking. Now, research shows that loneliness can be beaten.
Photo: Christian Göritz lab, Karolinska InstitutetFibroblasts in the penis important for erectile function
Regular erections could be important for maintaining erectile function, according to a new study on mice published in Science by researchers at KI. The study shows that an increased frequency of erections leads to more fibroblasts that enable erection and vice versa, that a decreased frequency results in fewer of these cells.
Photo: Getty ImagesDifferences related to sexual orientation found in the brain
A large brain imaging study demonstrates that same-sex sexual behaviour-related differences in the brain exist. Patterns in the brain that differentiate between men and women were less pronounced in non-heterosexual individuals, and some of the brain differences could be linked to a genetic predisposition for non-heterosexuality.
Photo: Getty Images.Psychological sex differences defy social change
In an equal opportunity country with a good economy, women and men should have increasingly similar characteristics and interests. But the reality is much more complex than that. KI professor Agneta Herlitz writes about the gender-equality paradox in The Conversation.
Photo: Illustration: Emma HanquistWho do you believe?
A cordial smile and a warm gaze – yep, that’s enough for us to make an immediate assumption that someone is trustworthy. However, some find it easier to trust than others. Researchers are trying to find out why.
Photo: N/AExploring the feeling of jealousy
Most people know what jealousy feels like. But science has not given this feeling much attention. There is an almost total lack of research on jealousy in clinical psychology, says researcher Johan Åhlén, who has now started an exploratory study on the subject.
Photo: Getty ImagesWhen you blow a fuse
Why do some people get angrier than others in the same situation? And why do some people go far beyond the social boundaries, causing harm to others and to themselves? There are no simple answers – but we have talked to some of the people who know the most about aggression.
Photo: Emma HanquistCurious about personality
Your personality affects your perception of reality. It also affects your impression of your boss. There is research to support this, but there is also plenty of nonsense in the world of personality tests. The question is: Who are you, really?
Photo: Getty Images,Getty Images/iStockphotoEarly body contact develops premature babies' social skills
Skin-to-skin contact between parent and child during the first hours after a very premature birth helps develop the child's social skills, according to a new study by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and others. The study also shows that fathers may play a more important role than previous research has shown.